LAD#21

After reading "Andrew Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth", this is the summary I came up with:

In this, Andrew Carnegie talks about how wealth should be spread by paying for socially beneficial projects. The way he saw it, the rich and the poor should both benefit from the economic boom together. He continues on to talk about how the lives of the middle class citizens have changed and that the social classes are more defined than ever. Andrew Carnegie believed that the rich got their money and there wealth from the poorer people, so the rich, like himself, should give back to the people, hopefully creating a better world in the process. He concludes by saying that rich people have the job of setting an example for future generations on what to do with their cash.

Andrew Carnegie(click hyperlink for source)

My source for this:
Andrew Carnegie's Gospel of Wealth

LAD#20

After reading the Emancipation Proclamation, this is the summary I came up with:
Lincoln starts by saying that all slaves within the states that have rebelled against the United States shall be free, and that the government will fight to uphold these freedoms. Lincoln then goes on to list the states that this proclamation applies to, and thereby turns this war into a moral war.

Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation(click hyperlink for source)

My source for this:
Emancipation Proclamation

LAD#19

After Reading Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address, this is the summary I came up with:
Lincoln starts by talking about last time he was elected into office and the civil war which had begun since then. He then continues on to say that slavery is one of the main causes of the war and that he will do anything in his power to win this war for them so that the slaves might be free.

President Lincoln(click hyperlink for source)



My source for this:
Lincoln's second inaugural address

LAD#18

After reading the Supreme Court's Dread Scott Decision, this is the summary I came up with:
In 1857 a controversial supreme court case was about to be concluded: the Scott v. Sandford case. This case brought to light issues about the constitutionality of the Missouri Compromise and led to many focusing on the controversial topic of white citizenship. Roger Taney, the Supreme Court Justice at the time, addressed black citizenship, specifically the legality of making someone who was a slave a citizen, and that Dred Scott was not an American citizen, so didn't really have the right to sue. Due to this, Taney declared the court case unconstitutional. Taney then proceeded to declare the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. This made it so Dred Scott had no hope of becoming a free man.

Dred Scott(click hyperlink for source)

My source for this:
Supreme Court Dred Scott Decision

LAD#17

After reading the "Ain't I a Woman?" Speech by Sojourner Truth, this is the summary I came up with:
Sojourner Truth starts out by talking about the movement for equal rights between white and black people. She then goes on to talk about how there are also disparities between how she, a black woman, and white women are treated. Afterwards Sojourner talks about all the things she's had to work through in her life, both manual labor and raising children. Next, she talks about how intellect shouldn't have anything to do with rights, and how women should have more rights as well, which is how she ends.

Sojourner Truth(click hyperlink for source)

My source for this:
Ain't I a Woman?

LAD#16

After reading Fredrick Douglas's "What to The Slave is The 4th of July" speech, this is the summary I came up with:
Frederick Douglas starts off by asking questions about what the Fourth of July, the Declaration of Independence, and other patriotic things do for African Americans, particularly the slaves. Next he goes on to talk about how African Americans are kept out of being able to contribute to the celebrations because of the inequality between them and whites and because most of them are slaves. After this, he points out that while all the white men are celebrating, the African Americans are being basically tortured in slavery. He ends by saying that the white and the black need to be equal. They are people, too, and should be treated as such.

Frederick Douglas(click hyperlink for source)

My source for this:
What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?

LAD#15

After reading Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, this is the summary I came up with:
Lincoln starts by referring to America's founding. He then goes on to honor the soldiers who died in the Battle of Gettysburg and dedicates the ground around there as a memorial to those soldiers. He then concludes by stating that the North will continue to fight for and in memory of the soldiers who died, and that they will fight for freedom.

Lincoln(click hyperlink for source)

My source for this:
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

LAD#14

After Reading Lincoln's First Inaugural Address, here's the summary I came up with:
Lincoln starts by saying that he does not wish to interfere with slavery. He then goes on to talk about how he is willing to do anything to protect the union, implying that if he needs to he will go to war with the South, should they try to succeed. Next he says that he will enforce the fugitive slave act and protect the currently slave-states, so they can remain so. He finishes by saying that he hopes the North and the South can find a way to work together.

Abraham Lincoln(click hyperlink for source)

My link for this:
Lincoln's First Inaugural Address

LAD#13

After reading John Calhoun's Speech, this is the summary I came up with:
John C Calhoun's speech starts by talking about how the Union was in danger. He then goes on to talk about the reasons why the Union is in danger. It started with tensions over slavery, particularly between the North and the South, and then went on to the inequality in the government, with the Northern ideals being the main ideals of the federal government, especially in the senate. Along with these two issues, the South had issues with the restrictions with the western land, especially concerning Texas. After listing these issues, Calhoun comes back to the issue and states his opinion: that abolition and succession are the only options available to the South currently, so, in order to keep the union together, the equilibrium in senate should be fixed, and says that California can be used to find out the North's intentions for the union.

John C Calhoun(click hyperlink for source)

My Source for this:

John C Calhoun Speech

LAD#12

After Reading President Polk's War Message(1846) this is the summary I came up with:
Polk's War message begins by talking about how the United States has tried to negotiate with Mexico, but Mexico has refused to cooperate. Next, Polk goes on to give the details of this fact. Afterwards, Polk goes on to talk about how Mexico not only wouldn't agree to negotiate, but had no sufficient reason as to why they refused. This is followed by Polk talking about how he ordered for American troops to go to Mexico, but not to aggravate the Mexicans, but that a small group of American soldiers were attacked by a group of Mexicans. Polk then concludes by saying that America should declare war against Mexico because of all the problems it has caused for America.

James K. Polk(click hyperlink for source)

My source for this:

Polk's War Address

LAD#11

After Reading The Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, I came up with this summary:
This starts out by talking about how women, just like men, have certain rights. One of these rights that they focus on is the rights to vote. They then go on to talk about how throughout history men have dominated women, as if women were objects rather than people. Afterwards, they finish by talking about how women and men are equal, so should be treated as such, and make a list of resolutions they hope the government takes in order to fix the issue of inequality between man and woman.

Seneca Falls Convention Meeting House(click hyperlink for source)

My source for this:
Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions

LAD #10

1. What did the issuing of the Monroe Doctrine express from an American perspective post War of 1812?
The issuing of the Monroe Doctrine expressed, from a post War of 1812 American point of view, that America was its own country, and that the lands in North America were closed to European powers, which would hopefully prevent another war.

2. What was the Secretary of State Adams' hope when he wrote the Monroe Doctrine?
Secretary of State Adams probably was hoping that, with the Monroe Doctrine, the European countries would leave the North American lands alone, and the US would do the same for European land, so the US could continue not engaging in any wars.

3. What is the key phrase in the entire document that you need to remember as the cornerstone for American Foreign Policy?
The key phrase in this document is "That the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization."

James Monroe(click hyperlink for source)

My source for this:
Monroe Doctrine

Columbus Blog

In honor of Columbus Day and the beautiful 4-day-weekend it has brought to us students, I now present the Columbus blog with the question of this:

Should Columbus be considered a Hero or a Villian

(answered with the opinion of yours truly: me)

I believe that Christopher Columbus should, in fact, be considered a hero. Yes, I do understand that he went and enslaved/killed a bunch of natives(like many conquistadors and explorers who followed after him), but the way I see it is that Columbus opened the New World. Without Columbus, the land we know today as North and South America would likely not have been discovered for what could have been hundreds of years after the legendary 1492. Had this been the case then the Great country of America(which this blog is dedicated to the history of) might not have been created. Also, if/when the lands called North and South America were discovered later in history there is a very good chance that the enslavement and killing of the native people's would have occurred then, as well, which makes it so there is no benefit for the New World having been found later by someone who was not Columbus. Feel free to disagree, but this is what I believe. Have a good Columbus Day!

Christopher Columbus and boat(click hyperlink for source)

LAD #9

Jefferson's 1st Inaugural Address summarization:

Jefferson's 1st Inaugural Address starts off by talking about how everyone in America should unite. He then goes on to talk about how religious freedom is good and oppression is bad, followed by how talking about how the US Government is strong, both because the people support it and because its run by the people for the people. He then continues by talking about how Americans should continue with their attachment to the union and the Representative Government America has. Next Jefferson talks about how people should have equal rights, and how a person's position should be determined by hard-work rather than birth. Afterwards he begins to list American principles (such as honesty, truth, temperance, the love of man, etc.) and goes on to talk about how prosperous people are happy people. He then brings up his ideals for the government, having the government only intervene to keep people from harming each other and not doing anything else, really. Finally, Jefferson talks about the different things the American government should stand for/have/do(Justice for all men, peace, commerce, good national relationships, remain neutral, support state powers, protect people's rights, have a good army, etc.).

Thomas Jefferson(click hyperlink for source)

My Source for this:
Jefferson's First Inaugural Address

LAD#7: Washington's Farewell Address

George Washington's Farewell Address starts off with Washington telling the American people not to consider him as a candidate for presidency since he had already served two terms and plans to return to his retirement. It then goes on to tell the people that they need to make sure the country remains united, both by having all the states(North and South) work together and by having no political parties, if they are to have the freedom and liberty they want. Washington then goes on to say that the people should all become educated and that the people's opinions and ideals should be what drives the government. After that, Washington states that all Americans should try to get along with one another, despite differentiations concerning religion, ethnicity, social class, or where they live. Next Washington goes on to say that America should remain neutral and not align itself with any certain country for anymore than a short time, plus remain free from foreign influence, but still be defensible in case of an invasion. Washington concludes by bringing up his Proclamation of Neutrality and restating the ideas from it(any questions on that, look at LAD#6).

Washington's Farewell Address(click hyperlink for picture source)





My Source for this:
Washington's Farewell Address

LAD#6: Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality

Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality states that the United States will remain neutral in the war between Austria, Prussia, Great Britain and the United Netherlands against France, but also remain on good terms with all of the countries. It also states that any United States citizen who does something that makes them punishable by international rules, concerning the above stated war, that the United States would not protect them from the other countries.

Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality(click hyperlink for picture source)

 



My Source for this:
Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality

LAD #5: Federalist #10

1. Why are factions so difficult to eliminate?
Factions are difficult to eliminate because in order to eliminate a faction you would have to eliminate liberty(since liberty is what helps factions) or you would have to make it so everyone has the same opinions, beliefs, and interests, which is impossible.

2. If factions cannot be removed, then how can they be controlled?
Factions can be controlled by using things like voting, where the majority is always the winner.

Federation #10(click hyperlink for picture source)

My source for this:
Federalist #10



Republican Motherhood Blog

1. What role did the Revolutionary War play in the transformation of housewifery to Republican Motherhood?

The Revolutionary War changed the role of mothers to be someone who was educated in things like writing, geography, and math to help correct her children. The role of motherhood also changed so that it was her raising her children to have values about liberty.

2. What were the consequences of Republican Motherhood on women?
The consequences were that women now had more respect because everyone saw that it was through women that society and values were passed onto the future generations. Women were seen as the foundation of society from that point on.

3. What is the significance of the ideology of Republican Motherhood?
The significance is that women were there to be homebodies. They were the ones who raised their children, which was an important part of society, so they were respected for it, so their influence was important even though they weren't.

Mary Gibson Tilghman and her sons by Charles Willson Peale(click hyperlink for source)

1. What is the setting?
The setting is in a house on a sofa.

2. Who serves at the center of the portrait and why? How does the woman look? How is she "republican" rather than aristocratic?
The mother serves as the center of the portrait because she is the center of the household. She is the one that raises the children. She looks very elegant, but also caring and calm. She's more "republican" than aristocratic because even though she does seem elegant and is the center of the portrait, she is with the children and it is clear that they are her main concern.

3. What values do her sons exhibit?
The sons exhibit good morals because they are both dressed nicely. The older of the two sons also seems like he's educated because he has the bird held in his hands in a delicate fashion, so he knows how to hold a bird without harming it(if it's not dead, which is always an option...) while still showing its wings.

4. Is there a significance to the position of Mrs. Tilgham's arm?
Yes because Mrs. Tilgham's arm is positioned so that it is protecting her younger son, which is a symbol of love and protection. It also shows that her priorities are towards her children.

Blog #4 - Revolution Article

After reading "Rethinking the Revolution" by John Ferling, these were the five things that I learned:

1. Some of the founding fathers(Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and John Adams, for instance) purposely did things to make them look better historically(such as George Washington rewriting old letters to make himself look more refined and Benjamin Franklin writing an autobiography that omitted some details of his life that made him look bad).
2. None of the five rotundas around Washington DC that depict the Revolutionary War depict a battle scene(no firing guns, no corpses lying on the ground, no bleeding, etc.).
3. Six times as many Americans died in the American Civil war as the Revolutionary War.
4. At times during the Revolutionary War(such as the invasion of Canada) the American army was so low on food sources that they were forced to eat soups made of candle wax and shoes to survive(sometimes even their own shoes).
5. Around one half of one percent of civilians died from war causes in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War(zero-point-five percent).

Revolutionary War rotunda(click hyperlink for source)

My Source for this:
Rethinking the Revolution

LAD #3: Declaration of Independance

The Declaration of Independance summarized in 3 parts:

1. Democratic Principles:
Throughout most of the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, there was a lot about the people's rights, and how the government was to be run. It started off by talking about how everyone has certain rights and how we are all equal. Then it started to talk about the government and how the government is supposed to be for the people(i.e. doing what's best for the people, making sure that they have their rights, created by the people) and how the government, if it goes against these morals, should be destroyed by the people and a new government should be set up in its place that does follow these principles.

2. A Handful of Grievances:
The Declaration of Independence, after the first paragraph, begins to list all the things that England's government(specifically the King) did wrong, according to them. It lists things from his refusal of allowing laws to be passed that were for the public good to even where he called the legislative body together for meetings. The Declaration then goes on to what Great Britain personally has done to the Americans(such as forcing taxes on the Americans and taking away their on legislatures).

3. The Conclusion:
The Declaration of Independence ends with a paragraph about how America deserves to be its own country, separate from Great Britain, and that they were cutting off political connections to Great Britain. Then all the representatives of the colonies that were gathered at the time signed the Declaration.

My source for this:
Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence(click hyperlink for source)

LAD #2: John Peter Zenger

1) John Peter Zenger was a man who lived in the 1700s who began a newspaper company in New York.

2) John Peter Zenger was arrested for publishing an article against the Royal Governor at the time, so was arrested under the charge of "seditious libel". After 8 months in jail he had a trial, where he was defended by Alexander Hamilton who, because the judge favored the opposition, had to convince the jury directly instead of the judge. Once Hamilton brought forth the truth in Zenger's articles, it was proved that Zenger was not guilty, so they ended up winning the case.

3) This case was the first ever freedom of press trial America had, so it went against governmental tradition.

4) This case caused the freedom of press to become something real because even though Zenger wrote and published things against the governor, he was shown to be not guilty, and the same holds true today(if anyone publishes an article with facts behind it(ie article isn't made up) it's not against the law).

My source for this:
John Peter Zenger Trial



John Peter Zenger Trial(click hyperlink for source)

LAD #1: Mayflower Compact & Fundamental Orders of Conneticut:

1) In the Mayflower Compact, it talks a bunch about the concepts of religion(they keep bringing up their God and how they are doing this with/for him), their colony's continuance(it's being done to preserve its future), the places the immigrants came from(France, England, and Ireland primarily), and the government that they are planning on setting up.

2) The Mayflower Compact reflects an attachment to both the "New" and "Old" worlds by(for the "Old" world) a consistent reference to King James from England and all the countries the people came from(France, England, Ireland) and(for the "New" world) by planning the new leadership for the continuance of the colony.

3) The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut differ from the Mayflower Compact in the fact that the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut are a list of laws for the people to follow while the Mayflower Compact is simply an agreement between eleven people to create laws and rules for the people to follow.

4) The colonists of Connecticut were prompted to create a written constitution because they believed that they needed rules created and followed that agreed with their church values(what God wanted them to do). Also, since some of the immigrants came from England and Ireland, things such as the Magna Carta, are similar to a written constitution, which may have prompted them to create one.

5) The Fundamental Orders reflect a fear of and safeguard against the usurping of power by one person or a chosen few by creating a limit on the amount of time a person may serve in most offices of government and the number of times they may serve and by limiting the power of each of the government officials.

If you would like to see these two documents(The Mayflower Compact and The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut)click the hyperlinks below:
Mayflower Compact
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut



Mayflower Compact(follow hyperlink for source)

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut creation(follow hyperlink for source)

Welcome post

Hello everyone(who is likely only going to be my teacher and perhaps some of my classmates)! This is my blog, though there's not much on it, but have fun with it anyway!