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About Me
- Paul Aleckson
- I’m Paul Aleckson. I am the District Social Studies Coordinator. I also teach an Advanced Placement U.S. History and a pre AP Seminar Class. I am the Project Coordinator for our Oral History Project (www.dceoralhistory.com) which received the Beveridge Family Teaching Award. I have coached both boys and girls basketball for many years. I am fortunate to work with an amazing social studies staff. They are dedicated to teaching social studies in a fun, exciting manner and to truly helping students become historians and active citizens. I really like to push students to do their very best!
This is Emma Eiden.
ReplyDeleteBy this time, the colonists began branching off in their own form of government that had the idea that is now known as democracy. These ideas came from past ideas of alternate forms of government before the colonists were established, showing that our government today was made from a previous model of government. Thomas Jefferson fought that King George III had wrongly shut down representative colonial legislatures, refused the power to that allowed colonists to legislate themselves, and claimed that had Native Americans (and other nations) against the colonists. As these points spread through the colonies, Jefferson had the people on his side since he used fear and a nation fresh from a revolt. It was also said that the colonists had tried to regain the relations with England, but were rejected to continue a friendly bond. Jefferson concluded that the colonists needed to declare themselves their own nation and all independent states come together to be the United States of America. Jefferson strong case and bold document started the new nation. The Declaration of Independence was revised and later signed on July 4, 1776 and the United States was born.
The US went into the Revolutionary War and had the upper hand since the American land was used as an advantage and the different battling styles taught by the Native Americans. The war came to an official close in September of 1783 when Britain, The US, France, and Spain signed the Peace of Paris which granted the US as a new independent country and left the United States in full control of the new nation.
Good work Emma with this scholarly work and sometime boring book. But you got a lot out of it. Let me ask you, why do you suppose most of the Indian tribes sided with the British? What about the Blacks?
ReplyDeleteP.J. Kordonowy
ReplyDeleteThis revolution led to a crazy change called Republicanism. This not only eliminated the King & created an elective system of government, (based off of similar, smaller govts. that the colonies had been forming earlier), but it added a moral dimension to the political separation between America & Britain. This great changed created a shift in values for the colonial societies. This turning point for American society has continued today. Republican ideals & values have had a powerful effect on the Western World. This idea of Republicanism has lasted so long & led to other countries making the change from a monarchial run government to one that is democratically run. I think the big idea of this book, especially the last section, is that not only America but the whole world needed this revolution to move forward. It is what led our Founding Fathers to create the type of government and political standings we still have today & led other countries to create similar governmetns around the world.
In response to Emma's post:
I think you do an excellent job of summarizing each section, also in your previous posts from other sections. I completely agree with you when you say that Jefferson really pushed the colonists, still energized from revolts to support him. He had an extremely strong case and with the Declaration of Independence finished he united the colonies into a strong force to be reckoned with. Obviously the colonies had the upper hand in the U.S. Revolution and without the home advantage I'm not so sure that America would have become an independent nation at that time.
Emme:
ReplyDeleteYou are correct in the fact that most of the Native Americans fought for the British. The Procl;amation of 1763 had protected their land form colonial expansion. The colonies did not like ther idea of not moving west. The natives would lose their land when the war was over and many moved into Canada. The British did offer freedom to slaves who helped them fight, so did washington. Not all promises were kept when the war was over.
PJ:
ReplyDeleteExcellent thoughts and insights. The idea of a republican form of government was a radical idea in the late 1700's. It truely was an experiment that the world watched to see if it would succeed. The idea of people deciding their own government would spread throughout the world. The idea neede to be tried once. The founding fathers were careful to create a government that would spread out the power and always include the voice of the people and guarantee certain rights to be protected by the government. It has lasted forover 200 years because of the limited flexibility, changability, and having the people having the final say.
ariel shidell
ReplyDeletepj post comment republicanism it was not only the rid of monarchy and building of smaller governments but expansion as a united country. It did create a shift in values thats why all the old traditional religions soon had branches and people grew toward them.
ariel shidell
ReplyDeletethe rising glopry of america
\page 96-99
1759-1793
it has everything to do with growing together as a country - the actions now taken for the good of the citizens
+i connected the names of great authors such as homer,who wrote the illead, who are great examples used in todays society and how they were used as guidlines for liturature back then also is interesting.
+one thing that puzzled me was these people that lived through the whole movement still couldn't grasp a concept enough to write a poem why?
and why in this section does it make america seem so concerned with our artistic skills
i visualized an america with a bunch of concert domes and art galleries.
The importance of this was the idea that we the US wanted to "erect" republicanism and be an example to the world while showing that we could be independent.
This artistic movement leads tyo many more movements in americas changing society... the impact is the America is finally looked at as an influence to keep up with the world
important vocab
britain would repudiate(refuse to acknowledge) our will to be independent
lord men had extolled(praised highly) the king even when they hadn't wanted to
ariel shidell
ReplyDeletereading like a historian
differing perspectives
-the book is written in a loyalist or american perspective in support of the accounts that had happened to the US through independence
-the french perpective would have been more in depth and about the scarcity of america expanding and the alliance treaty
-the british perspective by now would be of rage and pay back the reading would depict accounts of how they tried to prrevent the US from being their own people
-i knopw these are simple concepts but all of this to say america had independence coming whether in 1776 or later there would be a seperation from the crown
areil shidell
ReplyDeletefavorite chapter antislavery
pages 126-129
years 1764-1790
it was the fight that white men took starting in northern states to free slaves.some of the accounts remind me of Huck Finn and the adventure he had to free his friend.
so my question is if the men thought slavery was pecular then why did they" explain it away"
and the southern leaders wanted slaves to be free, so what happened i thought the officials worked with the people?
the declaration even said all men were equal why does that exclude black males- it doesn't they deserve the same rights.
The big idea if you wouldn't want freedom taken from you then don't take it from others! In all the book was a battle to become independent then fighting to reform america to the way people want things done...
important vocab the black men were looking for manumission(freeing or being freed) from the farms they worked on
ariel shidell
ReplyDeletereading like a historian
through their eyes
this section shows The common people viewed the religious commitments as loose and easily changed or altered. while the blacks were being freed many new denominations were started and proposed to all different kinds of people, many weren't for uneducated preachers but not many were against it either
-the worldview stayed with their original religion but the citizens wanted to experiment and find their knack in religion
Hi Ariel
ReplyDeleteIt would be preferable for you to place ONE comment on EACH section..that being said thanks for reading the book and contributing to the discussion. Keep up the good work.
This is Allan Sackmann.
ReplyDeleteThe colonists began their own government. This new government came from former governments. The colonists had tried to avoid a war with England but to no avail. So began the war between England and the colonies, for the colonies freedom. The revolution led the colonists to create a government without a king, and one that allowed the people to choose. America, the new country born after the revolution, greatly began to unify as a whole nation. After the revolution, many of America's leaders questioned the way America was heading. I'm not entirely sure why though. I mean, the colonists are now free of England's rule, they have their own form of government, even though it may have been a weak one, and they are basically at the beginning of a new life. The most important and significant part of the American Revolution was the birth of democracy.
Ariel, I like that you point out that the book is written in an American perspective. Also, I definately agree with you when you said that "if you wouldn't want freedom taken from you then don't take it from others!" I think that basically summarizes the revolution. America wanted freedom that was kept from them by England, and now the whites in America are doing the same exact thing to the Blacks in America.
Allan:
ReplyDeleteGood insights. The colonies did win the war. They set up a more democratic government, but they over reacted and made it so weak that not much could get done. The states had all of the power. The federal government had too many problems and not enough power to keep the economy strong. They also had problems in raising an army and collecting taxes to pay for the government's operations. You have a god understanding of the time period.
The last section of this book had two different parts. The first part was the theory of perfect repulbicanism, an almost utopian belief that people could all work together and because of the common good in people, Government would barely be needed. However, the second part was the theory put into practice, and very soon the colonists realized this Extreme republicanism idea was a little too far fetched, and changes were needed.
ReplyDeleteRepublicanism wasn't just a new political movement, it changed the American values and society forever, and these ideals even exist to this day (education, freedom of Religion, science and the arts). Republicanism was also first successfully used in America, but it had been the fallback to many unhappy European citizens in the past (England for example). In my opinion, this shows that the world was ready for a change, but America was the first to figure out exactly how to do it, and to get rid of monarchy. Monarchy failed in many places, I believe, because of the opinion people were "bad" in nature. They were so scared of what could happen if people had freedom, that they didn't utilize every citizen's skills, and their ability to think freely, and their skill of self sufficiency. THe way the colonists figured out to start their governemnt was Republicanism. The idea of even making a new government would not have been possible without the Revolutionary war bonding America together. But what was Republicanism?
Republicanism, in general, was the thought of Ability over Heritage; that ones ability was more useful and important, than the heritage they were from. This was contrary to Monarchial belief that you were what your parents were. The first Republicanism idea was a bit too extreme. Thomas Jefferson, and other patriots believed that man could control each other by holding each other morally acountable. This idea was supposed to limit government, because of the belief that people were "good" in nature, and wanted the best for the country as a whole. However, very soon the leaders of the new government realized that the citizens were far too selfish for this idea. Looking back, I realized many of these ideas were attempted to be put in use right after the Revolution. Maybe the leaders were a little too confident in themselves after such a great win.
The Virginia plan was an effort to put more power in the federal government. This was needed, because events like Shays rebellion proved that states alone didn't have enough power to defend themselves, and obviously the state legislature wasn't satisfying the needs of the people. This was probably because the "common men" were being leaders in the state government. These men, in my opinion, knew what needed to be changed, but didn't have the political knowledge to actually change it. The Virginia plan proved that America could work together, and the idea of a strong federal governent, along with individual freedom exists to this day. I loved the last paragraph of the book that said the biggest consequence of the revolutionary war was the start of democracy.
Cole Halligan
I agree with Paige Kordonowy's statement that the republicanism beliefs still exist today. The founding fathers believed in public education for everyone, thus public schools. They believed that in order to become a superpower, a country must be masters of the arts and sciences. To this day, we are inventing, and continuing our education in sciences and exploring new ways to do things. Also, Republicanism believes that men and women could work together, and want what is best for the country. I think that this idea is what has kept America so strong. This belief still exists, and is shown in many events, 9/11 would be a great example. American people tend to come together during crisis moments.
ReplyDeleteCole Halligan
Hannah Ostrowski.
ReplyDeleteThere were so many events that led up to the American Revolution, and the way America handled all the events really shows how strong we are. The actions and judgements of all of the American colonists really show how we have grown as a Nation. To see where we started and where we are now really is a wow factor. We not only have a strong government, but we have strong people. strong people who started small but grew together.
Allan. I like they way you ended with "The most important and significant part of the American Revolution was the birth of democracy." it really puts emphasis on the end not only of your blog, but also end to the revolution. it really ties things up.
Michael Bushar
ReplyDeleteAfter the Declaration of Independance and freedom from British rule, the United States now had to live up to everything they said they believed in. People were held morally responsible for what they did and they also needed to work for the good of all people. Erring on the side of caution, this new government was too weak in order not to be too oppressive.
After the war Native Americans, black slaves and women were basically oppressed groups of society. The nation faced many problems in dealing with these groups of people. Even now, more than 200 years later, these grievances have never been totally resolved. As hard as they tried to create a better world, it is still difficult to change human nature.
However, I believe that the founding fathers truly did achieve something great and special. The freedoms we enjoy in this country are a big reason why so many people want to immigrate here. I think they might not like everything they see, but I think they would be proud to see that many of the things they fought for are still what makes America great today.
Hannah:
I like how you refer to America as a strong people. I think we are still a very strong country today.
After finally becoming the indpenedent country the Americans have always wanted, they had to live up and show the world they could by strong and create a democracy. They wanted to do something for the good of all people no matter the status of the person himself.
ReplyDeleteWhen it came to the thought of equality in America, the dicussion was of whether black slaves should be treated equally to those of a white male. Women were still not thought of equal. It was a huge conflict within the states especially for the south. The northern states by 1804 had already committed to emancipation.
Religion was also a conflict that they had to face. They didn't have just one congregation but many different ones. Also, unlike England, politains did not bring their religion beliefs into the political enviroment.
The founders of the country put so much effort to create the country we live today. Through the wars, debates, and many conflicts that they faced made the country even more amazing for it showed that we truly are independent and strong.
I agree with how mike said, "the freedoms we enjoy in the country are a big reason why so."many people want to immigrate here." We have so many rights, rights of speech, religion and etc. People like to have a say in their lives.
oops. Emily bruns above
ReplyDeleteLuke Merchant
ReplyDeleteThe colonists had really come up with some radical ideas and now they had to but them to practice. They were going towards republicanism. They were going to let the oridary person have a say in the government. With letting the ordinary person have a say in the government they had to count on the people being very patriotic. Monarchies felt that people would do what was best for them where now with the colonists new government they were counting on people thinking about the country as a whole. The colonists were able to figure out a way to make this work. The people really did think more about the country as a whole then themselves. The colonists did have some problems with their new government. They had to deal with slavery. They had said in the Declaration of Independence that everyone was equal but then they were practicing slavery. This was a big issue that took a very long time to resolve. The issue of how to think of women was aslo an issue.
The colonists really were doing an experiment when they put this government together and they were successful. Now, many countries around the world have gone to republicanism. At the time the colonists really only thought that they were changing their own lives and their own country, but they really influenced the whole world with their success and with these new ideas.
Emily: I really like your comment on how the founders efforts to create our country today really shows how strong and independent we are. I think if we always remember what the founders did and what their ideas were we will be alright as a country today.
Luke Merchant
America is a very strong country. Like Mike said, we started out weak but as the years went on we had to grow, come together, and most importantly, live up to what we promised. I definately think we have our issues and there are decisions our government makes that we the people don't agree with. However, other people in other countries are going through a lot worse so compared to them we have a lot of freedom. No wonder everyone wants to come here.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this book I do have a question. - We critisize other countries for how they opperate and the decisions they make. Some have abuse and no freedom. And I was just thinking. Arn't we being hypocritical? I mean we ourselves are guilty of slavery and a long list of crimes. Granted, we overcame slavery etc. But we were still guilty of it at one time. . And just because we stopped doesn't mean we other people havn't forgotten. Sometimes I think other countries look at us like we are idiots and like we are self righteous**. . .Am I alone on this?
Michael Bushar
ReplyDeleteIndia: Maybe at times people in other countries look at us like we are self-rightous. But no matter how much they may criticize us, who do they go to first when they need help. Think about how the US has helped people in need all over the world especially when there is a catastrophy. So aren't they hypocritical as well?
Ben Aleckson
ReplyDeleteIn the last three chapters of American Revolution, the main topic is republicanism as well as the building of the United States. The main theme I see here is change. There is great change from before the war and after the war. The main change is being ruled by a monarchy, to now a government for the people and being a republic( elected representatives). This republicanism is a positive for the people of America. Also positive results from becoming independent are the owning of land. More people owned land unlike in a monarchy where the king owned much of the land. Ownership of land was essential for a republic, it showed permanent attachment to the community. Also in this new republic the people had to be better morally, unlike in a monarchy which did not demand much of its subjects. In a republic the people have guaranteed rights, better than what the English people had. The main negative was the discrimination against the minorities. These included: blacks, women, and Native Americans. People felt blacks were not as intellectual as whites, also the amount of slaves increased after the war. Women were still treated as second class citizens after the war. As for the Native Americans they were treated as a "Foreign Nation" even though they were living in the same area and had been there before the whites. The whites just pushed the Natives out west and took their land. So right after the war there was some negatives that came along with the positives of independence. And lastly I agree with what Mikey Bushar said above "Even now, more than 200 years later, these grievances have never been totally resolved"... which relates to the mistreatment of the blacks, women, and natives.
Ben Aleckson
Alex Yde
ReplyDeleteWhen the colonists finally won their independence, they had to basically come up with their government from scratch. After saying they believed in liberty, and freedom, and the citizens get a say in decisions, they had to create a government that had these characteristics without being too weak and not too oppressive. At the start, the government was so weak, that if they wanted, a state could leave and be its own country. The founding fathers were the ones that did most of the work for the new government. In my opinion, they were geniuses. Their government has made the US by far the strongest nation in the world. Their freedoms and ways of doing politics are greatly influenced in the world, and many countries have switched to this form. This is also why the US has the most immigrants out of any country, because it can be generalized that people obviously like to have freedoms.
Then came the issue of what does every man created equal mean? Does it mean women too, and what about African Americans. There was a lot of conflict on this issue and about slavery. Obviously the south wanting slavery, the north against it.
Michael:
I agree with your statement that the founding fathers did acheive something great and special. Without their ideas, we wouldn't be close to how far we are today compared to the rest of the world.
Paige Van Grinsven
ReplyDeleteIn the last section of the book, details are given on how the American Revolution has changed our country to where it is today. After the war, the colonists had won their independence by defeating the British. The Revolution created a government without tyranny and gave individual freedoms to people. However, this didn't come right away, and only after many years of developing our government. This war is what truly brought democracy upon our country. Without democracy and individual freedoms citizens may not have the simple right to own their own land, which people nowadays take for granted. While reading, it ran across my mind why most if not all existing countries weren't running the democracy government and giving their people rights.
After the war ended, our country's government was weak. This was partly caused by the forming of our government and distributing power between the government and the people. In addition, certain groups such as Native Americans, women, and black slaves were still discriminated against. This can be shown because women were not granted the right to vote until the 1920's.
I agree with ben's comment on how the central theme of the Revolution was change. Throughout the course of the Revolution America went through a lot of changes. Without the bravery of our Founding Fathers, America may have never went through those changes, and today we may still be under England's tyranny rule.
Alex, I agree with what you said about the Founding Fathers and how they were the ones who did most of the work in developing our government. However, I question what you said about how the government was so weak at one point that states could leave and become their own country. At this time, the states were only colonies and if they did want to break free they wouldn't be able to support themselves and the people in the colony. But you were correct in how our country's government was very weak at this time.
John Gasao
ReplyDeleteParts V, VI, and VII elaborate on the struggles of the new nation and the making of the Constitution. The Articles of Confederation that were originally created gave too much power to the states and had to be changed. I found it amazing how our founding fathers created the constitution because there was nothing like it in the world at the time. Societies all over the world were used to dictatorships and monarchies. But the Americans felt the need to change and created the constitution giving freedom to its citizens through elected officials and fair laws. The constitution wasn't easy to ratify however. Some representatives wanted to leave more power with the states while others thought differently. But in time a stronger central government proved to be more effective in governing the nation and allowed the United States to thrive.
I agree with Paige about the war granting citizens freedom but not completely. Blacks, Indians, and women were not given equal rights. Although the Declaration of Independence says all men are created equally, discrimination existed. Even though our founding fathers were well aware of this, they ignored it. Like I stated earlier it was very impressive how our founding fathers created our government from scratch but it wasn't perfect.
Cole:
ReplyDeleteYou have an excellent understanding on the creation of the american form of government. The colonists wanted a republican form of governemnt to give the people a strong voice in the outcome of laws made and rules passed. Good work.
Hannah O.
ReplyDeleteExcellent thoughts. The colonists were able to unify enough to overcome great odds. The ideas of independence and rights and freedom can give the people a hope and a reason to go through tough times to win their cause.
Michael B.:
ReplyDeleteExcellent thoguhts. The colonists won indedependence for white males. Other groups did gain more freedom than most other places, but it would take time to grant equality anf rights and freedoms to all groups. Society back then did not consider women and other colors of people to be as intelligent as whites. Time would bring the USA closer to the ideal fought for in the revolution.
Emily B.:
ReplyDeleteYou have a great understanding of the government created by our founding fathers. They were after a place that allowed the people a place to govern themselves. They created a government that allowed change so more groups could be included in the great experiment in democray.
Luke M.
ReplyDeleteThe radical ideas of the colonists were ideed an experiment that needed to be tried. It was the first modern attempt to create a republican form of government where the peopel would have a serious voice. Good work.
This is Bailey Kissinger.
ReplyDeleteI would like to start out with a prediction that i wrote down before reading the section: I think that parts 5 and 6 are going to deal alot with the republican party and the many people who first believed in, or shifted over to republicanism. Also, I think it will talk about how our government was being run using the republican views. One of the chapters is called equality. I predict it will be talking about the equality between the people and the government.
To summarize the section and make some generalizations, first of all, It talked about how trade creates good relationships between countries which can be useful during war and times of economic struggle. Trade also encourages international politics. Many of our people who were called the loyalists left the U.S. to help fight for His Majesty's army which was frustrating for the other people of America. Great Britain freed tens of thousands of slaves to fight for the crown. The revolutionary war affected almost everyone in some way. It was a very extreme time in our countries history.
John Gasao- great job with summarizing the section. A stronger central government did prove to be a positive and more effective part of government. good job explaining about the section on how the people were used to being lead in a way where they had no control such as dictatorships.
Bailey Kissinger
India:
ReplyDeleteGood points. But our government was created to allow change. As society changed more people were included as equal in the government and they were given equal access to the rights protected by our government. Remember it was an experiement, success was in question at the time.
Michael B.
ReplyDeleteGood comment on India's thoughts.
Ben:
ReplyDeleteExcellent comments. Our experiment in government is just that. The founding fathers alowed change to be placed into the government. As times changed more people became equals to others. It would take time for society to see women and minorities as equal to white males. The idea of change has made our government a success.
Alex:
ReplyDeleteGreat comments. You understand the founding of our government very well.
Paige:
ReplyDeleteGreat comments. You understand the government created by the founding fathers very well. Republicanism and democracy that allows for change over time is the key to its success.
John G.
ReplyDeleteGreat information. The Articles were to weak, an over reaction to the British government. The Constitution was a great experiment that was tried and has lasted because of the ability to change with society.
The third section of the book opens up explaining that not only did this American revolution separate the colonies and Great Britain, but it changed the world. It was more than just a revolution from the British government because it would forever change America’s role in the world and the new Western culture. But just because the war was over, the revolution had a long ways to go. Republicanism is a key factor in this chapter. After America split away from the British government, the last thing they wanted was to form their new government similar to the old monarchy they just broke away from. They wanted morals, social significance, and the peoples support. One thing to know is the peoples support is the support of the white man. Women, natvies, blacks, and all other minorities weren’t given a second thought.
ReplyDeleteBen: I also agree with your comment on Michael Bushnars thoughts on that even now, 200 years later, mistreat of minority groups is still a problem in the United States, and the world. But i think religious views play a big role in mistreat of different groups of people.
Travis Kohnhorst.
ReplyDeleteBailey Ki:
ReplyDeleteGreat insights. The revolution affected everyone in America at the time. Choices that were made did not always work out for every individual. Freedom was wanted by many people in the colonies, not alll were granted it when the war was over. The founding fathers did allow change in their new government that would allow equality for more groups as society dictated.
Dexter Zebro :)
ReplyDeleteThe third section of this book is about how the American Revolution made our country the way it is today. The main idea of this section was republicanism. Once the colonists were independent after defeating the British, they began their own government. Of course, they stayed away from a tyranny styled government because they did not want to run their country like the British did. The colonists decided to create a government without a king, so that the people could choose. But, after the war the country’s government was weak because of the shared power between government and the people. Also, there were groups discriminated against such as the Native Americans, blacks, and women.
Change and Continuity
The change is that the colonists have gained their independence from the British and they are now starting their own form of government. The continuity is that there is still a group being controlled and they have no say. Before it was the British controlling the colonists but now it is the Americans controlling and limiting minorities such as natives, blacks, and women from their freedom.
Differing Perspectives
Majority of the Americans were happy to be free from the British and have their independence, but certain minorities such as the blacks and natives would rather be sided with the British. Like Emma said, the natives would side with the british because a victory for them would slow down westward expansion, and the blacks would side with them because of Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation.
Paige: I agree with what you said about certain groups like the blacks natives and women still being discriminated
Jordan Kappel
ReplyDeleteThe last 3 chapters in The American Revolution, are all about change. Changing from a monarchy to a democracy with elected representatives. This was a positive thing for America because it helped a lot in the organization and order in the country. It also helped in the economic aspect becuase more people had acess to land and other items that the king could have held during a monarchy. The government was not that strong at the begining but it showed that the nation was moving in the correct direction. We have also learned from the past by taking or giving more control to government as different situations arise. With the different situations there was slavery and the blacks, indians, and women were being treated differently. Even though they were free from Britain, the country still had its differences and a lot of people were still under some control. From the blacks, indians, and women view points, they probably were not very happy in that they were still captive or being treated differently. Overall the country hit a big mile-stone when declaring independence, getting their own government, and moving towards republicanism.
Jordan Kappel
ReplyDelete...The country also helped not only America's cause but a bunch of different countries around the world that now were changing their governments and seeing that a democracy worked pretty good. The world needed change but it did not know what to change to until The American Revolution.
Jordan Kappel...again.
ReplyDeleteBailey: You did a great job in summarizing what had happend. I also liked that you stated that it impacted everybody around the world because it did and a lot of the world followed in Americas footsteps.
While our founding fathers created our new government they took many models of other governments into mind and used them for our own. the primary of these would be Greece with the first democracy, however one that they nearly copied into our constitution that most people glance over is Englands very own government, back in the year of 1215 a document was created called the magna carta. now this document as denounced by the king at the time became the very building blocks of our new nation. It was the only document at that time that gave so many freedoms to the people and the very words "rite to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness came from the magna carta. with this however we became the first nation of our kind. with much debate, it was decided that we should have a strong but very limited central government with the states having the primary power of the country. Yet the one thing that has allowed our government to succeed so well in the times of battle after the declaration and to even now is the willingness of change. times change and people had new ideas of equal rights and the most efficient way to run the government.
ReplyDeletebailey: accurate prediction, about the upcoming chapters, a few more specifics would be good, but awesome summarize of the end and i find the fact that Briton freed so many slaves to come fight against us. its one thing to have them do work for you but to have them fight for you just appalls me.
Paul Dau
Luke Heller
ReplyDeleteIn chapters 5-7 it this book, the big thing they hit on right away is how the colonies were moving to republicanism and away from a monarchy. It stated in the book that this was there one chance to get it right, so they had to think hard about what they were going to do. Probably the biggest reason why the colonists wanted a Republic form of government, was to give the people of the country a say in the laws and rules made, and people had guarantee rights, unlike the British. Another positive was that in the form of a republic government, the people owned their own land, unlike a monarchy where as the king owns most of the land, and this brought people together even more. after the war, the biggest immediate effect was that almost all of the loyalists vanished to Canada or even went back to Great Britain, and this created a lot of emptiness in regions of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and the deep south. Even though the war was over, everything in the American colonies were not fixed. As Ben said earlier, there was still discrimination against Native Americans, women, and Blacks. Native Americans were still considered not a part of this country even though they lived on the same land, but longer, and Americans would be moving westward soon. Women were still treated horribly, just as they were before the war, and that wasn't right to begin with. Finally, Blacks were never treated equal before the war and still weren't after it, because they were viewed as a lower being, and not capable of acting properly.
Mike: i agree with your quote about how it said, "even now, more than 200 years later, these grievances have never been totally resolved. As hard as they tried to create a better world, it is still difficult to change human nature.
Michael Hruska
ReplyDeleteAfter the end of the fighting in the war in 1776 the colonists were without question free from England. They then began forming a government known as a democracy. This was done by the formation of the Declaration of Independence by the founding fathers. The government was very weak after the war but the founding fathers did much of the work in helping create a stable, working government. The founding fathers had indeed created something grand. When they first came up with this document they thought they were only changing their lives of themselves and their country for the better but in reality they influenced the entire world with the success of their ideas.
The war was officially over with the Treaty of Paris in 1783 which then gave the U.S. complete control of the colonies.
The creation of a republicanism in the U.S. brought about a whole new idea that the entire world should be ruled by a democratic government. And the revolution did lead other countries around the world to create very comparable governments. This meant the people of nations around the world would be choosing their own government. This kind of government worked because the government guaranteed the people certain rights. It worked because the power was spread and the people always had the final say. This system went well because any ordinary person in society could have a say in the government. After the war there was a change from monarchies to governments of the people.
In response to Jordan:
I strongly agree with Jordan when he says the last three chapters are all about change. Especially the change from monarchies and their tyranical ways to democracies where people have a say and with elected officials. I also agree that it must have been very weird for women and blacks because they were treated with so much less repect and authority when the colonies were trying to create a democratic government. I agree that it was a huge step for the colonies when they declared independence and started to form their own republican government.
Dexter:
ReplyDeleteExcellent ideas. The government created by the founding fathers was a new form in the world at that time. A republican form of democracy. It would be an experiment that would allow change and become a successs.
Jordan K.
ReplyDeleteExcellent insights. The government of the USA was a work in progress. It included a way for change and through that change more people would be able to obtain equality and freedom as time went by and society changed.
Paul:
ReplyDeleteYou are correct in the fact that the founding fathers used past government ideas to create their own. The founding fathers were able to take the best parts of those governments and create a government that was able to change throughout time. That was the key to ists success.
Luke H.:
ReplyDeleteGreat insights on the government. The founding fathers were able to create a republican form of government that would allow for change. When time passed more and more groups would become accepted by society and they were able to get equality because of the ability to have change.
Michael H.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point. The government of the USA would inspire the world to change. Our success became the hope of many other people world wide.
Jared Enkers
ReplyDeletePart V
Republicanism was taking its first steps after the war and was, for the most part, based upon the governmental beliefs of the Roman Empire. Basically, every man that owned their own piece of land, they were in turn, given the right to vote for their political representitaves. Along with the new form of government that colonists were unfamiliar with, they also believed that they were destined to bring about new arts and sciences. People wrote about the New World, painted scenes of the New World and built structures of the New World that also captured the essence of the Roman archetecture. Colonists' view of equality also differed greatly, but regardless, it was still a big concept in creating the foundation of America. To some, equality was between white men only while to others like Governor Fracis Fouquier believed that all men were created eqaul. Another belief was that all men that had all five of there senses in good condition were equals, while Thomas Jefferson believed that equality came by experience, whether it be in education or in life itself. Order was also trying to be established in the New World in the creation and testing of treaties. Although they were sent to 16 European states, only 2(Prussia and Sweden) agreed to sign it. Free trade was also trying to be created between America and the rest of the world.
Part VI
One of the immediate effects of the war was the departure of loyalists. After the war, they all came back to America. Trade within the country increased as well as international trade. People were trading with one another like never before and America was trading with England. A major effect of the Revolution was that America's population skyrocketed. Expansion westward also started up again, and Indian affairs became inevitable. Pretty soon, war and bloodshed broke out. Americans said that their reason in pushing west was because the Indians were not farming the fertile land in which they possessed. Another minor effect of the Revolution was that the wealthy gentry became the higher class of American society and therefore were more important than others. Education bacame a huge factor in the reforming of the republican government. Spelling, writing, reading were ideal in aquiring any significant status in politics. Along with schools, prisons were also being built in the form of schools for reformation. Women were also becoming a more crucial part of society by fighting for more rights such as divorce and not being seen as an "object" in a marriage and instead as a wife. Antislavery was also making its rounds. the slve trade was abolished in 1775 in most states. In the northern states and Maryland, slaves were being freed in exchange for enrolling in the American military. Slavery in the south was too entrenched to be ligislatively or judicially abolished. Churches were also developing throughout America. Babtist and Methodist churches thrived and were soon the most popular churches found in America. New sects formed as well such as the Universal Friends, Universalists, and the Shakers. Women also became preachers and blacks were also being Christianized. Blacks soon had their very own churches where they became well known for their generous amount of singing. The common man could preach and actively participate in religion unlike the Church of England.
Part VII
ReplyDeleteAlthough this last part of the book was a little tougher to understand than the others, I think I understood the main objective of the passage. People were starting to have doubts about their newly created government and it was falling apart. No one could agree with each other and there was mass chaos abroad. More representitives joined state senates and laws were being made but kept getting changed constantly because of the abundance of disagreement. Trade became more difficult since Erope refused to trade with America. All of these troubles were to be resolved. So, delegates were elected and sent to Philadelphia to revise the Articles of Confederation. This meeting bacame known as the Philadelphia Convention. This "new" Constitution that they were to create was done so to give more power back to the federal government and take some power away from the state government. The federal government was given more ammenities than the states but the states were given more privelages by the Anti-Federalists such as Thomas Jefferson. Although, Federalists got their way for the most part and the federal government was given a large amount of power and the Bill of Rights was writen as well. But as fate would have it, in time, during the 19th century, the Anti-Feds regained power in the government and states were given more powers.
Michael: Great job summing up the end of the Revolution. I agree when u said that the newly developed system worked well because the common man now had a say in the way his government was run.
Jared:
ReplyDeleteExcellent thoughts and insights. The American experiment with a republican form of government was borrowed from many sources, like the Greeks and Romans. They took what worked and applied it to their world, yet allowed for change in the future. They also wanted to have American things, art, literature, etc. You have a good understanding of the time period.
The last three parts explain what a profound effect the revolutionary war had on America and the world. By defeating, what was thought to be, the most powerful country in the world, the colonists inspired others to try and do the same. The defeat of Britain gave power to the colonists so they tried to make a government how they thought would be the best, a more democratic government. This much relied on the integrity of the people and the colonists thought that it would work out because they were young and not yet corrupted like the Europeans. This new form of government shaped their views on equality. Some people believed that all people were created equal, while others thought only white men were.
ReplyDeleteJared: Nice job summarizing each part, I really felt that you hit each main point.
Lucas Dahlke
ReplyDeleteLucas D.
ReplyDeleteExcellent insights. The government formed by the colonists was an something that had never been seen before. A democracy that allowed for change.
Max Osswald
ReplyDeleteThe colonists created their own new government and the government they created was based on other past governments. The colonies tried to avoid war as long as they could but in the end it was inevitable. So the colonies and England began the war for the colonies independence. The colonists wanted a government with no king and a government that the people controlled what went on. After the war the country began to come together as one like never before. Eventually leaders began to question the strenght of the government that was created because it was fairly weak. Even though the government was weak it is still a sucess because the colonies became the United States of America and became free from England. The government would be revised into what we have now also.
jared: You had a great summary of everything that happen. You every major point in the final section of the book. you had really good insights.