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American History Homework Thirteen Answers - Student Seven

2008-12-18T15:14:48Z

SarahW: New page: American History Homework Thirteen-SarahW 1. My favorite time period in American History is probably the 20th century. I especially like this time period because most things that happen...

American History Homework Thirteen-SarahW

1. My favorite time period in American History is probably the 20th century. I especially like this time period because most things that happened during this time affect my life today. I also like that about half of it happened during my parent’s lifetime. It’s interesting to learn about something that is history to me, but to my parents is their life. It all happened while they were growing up. They remember these wars and presidents. They even voted for some of them. I find it fascinating.

2. Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton were very different presidents, with very different agendas. Reagan was an increasingly conservative republican, whereas Clinton was a liberal democrat. Reagan cut taxes, but Clinton raised them. Reagan campaigned on more morality, but Clinton obviously didn’t have good morals.
In reading extra material online, I learned that America’s economy actually did better under Clinton than it did Reagan. I found this interesting, I guess because I’ve always thought of Reagan as a better president than Clinton, and I associate how well the economy is doing with how good the president is.

3. I think the most important and influential trends guiding America is our increased power in the world, and our drifting away from our religious roots. Separate, these two trends are powerful, but together they’re very dangerous. With power comes pride, and greed. Mix that with losing religious morals, and it’s a very deadly combination.

4. I think the biggest threat to America’s future is our increasing power. Every great empire in history has fallen, and fallen hard. At the rate we’re going, we’ll follow in the footsteps of Egypt, Rome, and many others, and it’s not a pretty outcome.

5. Culture and the success of a nation go hand in hand. Culture is how everyone thinks, what their beliefs are, and how they behave. How could this not affect the government, and consequently, the success of the nation?

For example, in the 20’s, the culture was booming, new music developed, women were coming into their own; it was great! America was also very successful as a nation at this time, because our economy was doing so well, and the thoughts of the time influenced the government.

However, in the 70’s, the culture was not a good one. Rebelling, drugs, and sex were what people believed in. During this time, the government wasn’t doing so well either. The Watergate Scandal happened then, and a hostage crisis lasted more than a year. The world didn’t respect us, and I think that a part of that was our culture, and how we were presenting ourselves to the world.

6. Ronald Reagan had many great achievements as president. I think his two most important ones was his Strategic Defense Initiative, and ending communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.

The Strategic Defense Initiative was Reagan’s approach to missile defense. Previously, we used the “Mutual Assured Destruction” policy. If someone attacked us, we would attack back and we’d both be destroyed. Reagan’s SDI proposed that we shoot down incoming missiles, so no one gets destroyed.

Reagan is credited for ending communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. This is a huge accomplishment for one man. Even if it’s not to his credit, the fact that most people think he should be credited for it is impressive. In 1987, Reagan went to visit the Berlin Wall, and in his speech he gave he uttered the now famous phrase “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Within a few years, the Berlin Wall was torn down, and now Reagan is credited for it.

7. This map was probably drawn in the early 1500’s. America had been known about throughout Europe around this time, but no one had really explored it, so they didn’t know about what America really looked like compared to the rest of the world. There are many obvious flaws with this map. For one, America is half the size of india, and quite close to them too. The cartographer, like most other people of the day, thought the “New World” was wilderness, and wouldn’t be successful. But we grew and flourished pretty fast, proving them wrong.

H2. Do you think Congress should pass treaties as ordinary laws when unable to obtain the 2/3rd vote required under the Constitution to ratify a treaty?
Although I kind of think it’s cheating, to just pass a treaty as a federal law if you can’t ratify it as a treaty, I think that if it’s okay in the constitution eye’s, then congress can do it.

H3. I think that free trade is a good thing, because they don’t have tariffs. I think that the government has other ways to make money. Also, I don’t really like that tariffs favor domestic companies. Everyone should have equal opportunity to sell their products, without having to be unnecessarily expensive. The NAFTA and the WTO tried to make free trade a continental, and then world wide, reality. I like them. Obviously, because I like free trade, and no tariffs, which is what NAFTA and WTO do.

H4. I think that the Patriot Act is a good thing, and can help us prevent internal terrorism. As long as the government doesn’t use it to spy on anyone, or for the wrong reasons. If someone is suspected of terrorism, then we should monitor them to make sure they aren’t planning an attack of any kind.

American History Homework Twelve Answers - Student Nine

2008-12-11T14:47:28Z

SarahW: New page: American History Homework Twelve-SarahW 1. The Cold War was between America and the Soviet Union, and took place from 1945 to 1991. 2. The Korean War and the Vietnam War are the two wa...

American History Homework Twelve-SarahW

1. The Cold War was between America and the Soviet Union, and took place from 1945 to 1991.

2. The Korean War and the Vietnam War are the two wars we were in between 1945 and 1980 in which more than 50,000 American lives were lost. It wasn’t our business to involve ourselves in these wars, but our involvement did help slow the spread of communism is Asia. I think that the outcome of the Korean War accomplished what we set out to do, protect South Korea from communism. I think the Vietnam War was pretty futile, and just costed many American lives.

3. I’ve learned about Rosa Parks before, but reading in the lecture, I was again struck with how courageous she really was. It would take a lot of bravery to stand up to the white male, especially for a black women. Rosa Parks caused the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted until the Supreme Court ended segregation on buses.

4. The Vietnam War was an unfortunate war created by Lyndon Johnson to help himself be reelected for President. I think it was incredibly selfish of him to involve America in a war that had nothing to do with us, just because he had a little competition for president, killing 58,000 American lives in the process.

5. I like that the 80th congress passed the 22nd amendment. This is a good addition to our constitution, because it stops us from becoming almost dictatorship, or a monarchy, by changing the power at most every 8 years.

6. I think that the most important person from 1945-1980 was Phyllis Schlafly. She was the leader in STOP ERA, which prevented the Equal Rights Amendment from ratifying. The ERA would’ve been a big mistake, with many consequences that no one considered, until Phyllis Schlafly pointed them out. Without her, I believe the ERA would’ve been ratified, and we would have many problems-women drafts, gay marriage, social security for widows, same sex restrooms, etc.

7. The Warren Court resided in the the US Supreme Court Building. They were activists, because they “extended judicial powers into areas where they previously had shown restraint”. The Warren Court applied the Bill of Rights to states, not just the federal government, invented new constitutional rights, denied schools the rights to pray, and expanded the rights of criminals, to name a few.

H1. I think Muhammad Ali was entitled to a conscientious objection based on freedom of religion. The first amendment includes the right for americans to practice any religion they want. By forcing an muslim to join the army, you’re prohibiting them from practicing their religion, which is unconstitutional.

H2. Debate: Do you think criminal suspects are entitled to these new rights?
Yes, I think that criminals deserve the rights the Warren Court granted. Everyone has the right to defend themselves, and if you can’t afford a lawyer, then you can’t defend yourself. The government should definitely provide a lawyer for criminals so they can have a fair trial. I like the Miranda Warning too, which lets the person know what they can and can’t do.

H3. I think that the ERA is a good basic idea, but the ERA itself is too dangerous. Women and men are different, no one can deny that. Trying to unify the two sexes isn’t what God intended for us. We are all different and special in our own ways. We don’t want to be judged based on our sex, but we do want respect for our differences.

American History Homework Eleven Answers - Student Twelve

2008-12-04T15:24:58Z

SarahW: New page: American History Homework Eleven-SarahW 1. There are many benefits to learning and understanding history. Of course, the saying “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to rep...

American History Homework Eleven-SarahW

1. There are many benefits to learning and understanding history. Of course, the saying “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” comes to mind. However, I’ve also noticed that the more history we’ve covered, the easier it is for me to understand what’s happening now, especially with the election. I’ve never understood politics, but it’s much easier now that I know how it started, and how it’s developed.

2. I think that we were right to enter World War II. Against Japan, we had every right to declare war on them because of their attack on Pearl Harbor. Against Germany, Britain wasn’t really capable of fighting Germany successfully, because of socialism, declining values, and rising atheism and evolutionism. If we didn’t help, who knows what Germany might have done. I think we got involved at the right time. If we declared war earlier, we probably would’ve lost more lives, but if we waited we might not have won.

3. My favorite approach to immigration was back in the 1600’s, when we were encouraging immigrants to colonize. I like this because immigration was a good thing, and people didn’t argue about it. Now, it’s a big issue on what to do with immigrants, and it’s a little annoying.

4. The Harlem Renaissance, or New Negro Movement, was an increase in African-American’s civil rights during the 1920’s. A big part of the Harlem Renaissance was the literature. Many African-American authors wrote about their experiences as a minority: the good, bad, and the ugly. Besides literature, the Harlem Renaissance also influenced art. Blues, jazz, and ragtime helped reflect black culture, and artist Aaron Douglas used african images in his paintings. This movement impacted how African-Americans were treated and respected, and sparked the push for racial integration that developed into the 60’s civil rights movement.

5. I think that the New Deal was a good thing. It didn’t entirely succeed at bringing America out of the Great Depression, but I think it helped. It created jobs, and gave money and food to people who were unemployed and starving. I don’t know what I would do differently in response to the Great Depression. I think there was only one thing that could bring us out, and that was war.

6. Despite the fact that we warned Japan about the atomic bombs and they still refused to surrender, I do not think the atomic bombs were okay. Too many innocent civilians were killed. No one should have the power to kill so many people, other than God.

7. This week’s cartoon shows the ghost of Teddy Roosevelt watching the “house” and the “senate” bring huge “dictatorial power” clubs into the white house, addressed to the president. The cartoonist is talking about how Teddy Roosevelt’s foreign policy to speak softly and carry a big stick is dwarfed in comparison to FDR’s foreign policies. This was probably drawn by a republican in the 1930’s.

H3. Do you think the internment of Americans of Japanese descent was proper and constitutional?
The Japanese-American internment camps were not right. They may not be “unconstitutional”, as in specifically written about in the constitution, but it’s not right for American citizens to be judged for their ancestry. They couldn’t help that their great grandparents moved from Japan to America. Most of the people in the internment camps had been in America for generations and had no allegiance to Japan. America is a land of freedom, but how much freedom do we really have if the government is allowed to just move us at will because of something we didn’t do?

H4. I think the United Nations is a good thing. We can’t use it to try to force the rest of the world to be like us, but if we use it to prevent wars from happening, then I think it’s great.

H5. I would probably recommend a thorough investigation on anyone who might be a communist spy. Also, even though it might be harsh, fire anyone suspected of spying. You can’t have any doubts on someone who has access to government information that might be useful to the enemy.

American History Homework Ten Answers - Student Nine

2008-11-20T13:51:59Z

SarahW: New page: American History Homework Ten-SarahW 1. The way I prepared was memorizing the key terms, but I think what I should’ve done was try to understand history, instead of just memorize it. ...

American History Homework Ten-SarahW

1. The way I prepared was memorizing the key terms, but I think what I should’ve done was try to understand history, instead of just memorize it. I wish I could’ve reread the lectures, and read the model answers, because that probably would’ve helped me a lot. I could improve on my understanding of each president. Not just their term dates, but what their policies were and what happened in their presidency.

2. My favorite question from the midterm that I got wrong was the first political cartoon, about the barnburners. I liked it because I think that political cartoons can be a fun, but somewhat frustrating, challenge.

3. The most interesting thing, I think, about the Scopes Trial, is that the defendant, John Scopes, was a substitute biology teacher. While taking biology, I wondered how anyone who had taken a biology class could EVER believe that everything was a coincidence, and there is no intelligent designer. The world we live in is so incredibly complex, and everything works together perfectly, that it has to be impossible for this all to be an accident. It’s very interesting then, that one of the most important trials about evolutionism vs. Creationism was because of a biology teacher!

4. I do think that, because of the intercepted telegram from Germany to Mexico, it was necessary for us to enter the war. We needed to defend ourselves, before someone ended up attacking us. Germany was a big bully, and I think we needed to help the rest of the world stop them.

5. I think that Teddy Roosevelt was a great president who brought about many great changes to America. His accomplishments include his dedication to stop big business’ from monopolizing, negotiating the end to the Russo-Japanese War, and the Panama Canal. I really like his establishment of the national park system, because we need to keep our nation’s natural resources safe.

6. The 19th amendment to the constitution gave women suffrage rights. This was an important turning point in how women were viewed in society. Giving us the right to vote puts on a more equal plane with men than we were before. Needless to say, I am a fan of the 19th amendment.

7. The cartoon is about Teddy Roosevelt (in the middle) being the mediator/negotiator between Russia (left) and Japan (right) during the Russo-Japanese War. In 1905, President Teddy Roosevelt invited Japan and Russia to New Hampshire to help make peace between the two. The result was the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth, in June 1905. The cartoon itself has some interesting tidbits, like Teddy Roosevelt having wings, and the fact that he’s holding Russia and Japan by their ears. I’m not sure what these aspects mean though.

H2. Our country was founded on the concept of freedom. In America, we have many freedoms that we take for granted. During World War I, the Supreme Court tried to limit our freedom of speech, which is completely backwards from what our founding fathers set out to do. I don’t understand how it could have happened, either, because it is blatantly unconstitutional.

H3. Debate: Was Prohibition desirable? Has alcohol caused more harm than good?
Alcohol is a drug. It is addicting and dangerous. It can be fatal to both the drinker and the people around him. I don’t think it has any good, and people would be smart to stay away from it. Anything that makes you “forget your troubles” is definitely not a good thing.

H5. I disagree with the Lochner doctrine, because I think the government should help protect us against bullying corporations. This is also what unions do, but I think that a national law helps too.

American History Homework Nine Answers - Student Six

2008-11-13T14:31:02Z

SarahW: New page: American History Homework Nine-Sarah W 1. The recent election between Barack Obama and John McCain is, in my opinion, most similar to the election of 1932 between Franklin D. Roosevelt a...

American History Homework Nine-Sarah W

1. The recent election between Barack Obama and John McCain is, in my opinion, most similar to the election of 1932 between Franklin D. Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover. I know we haven’t learned about this one yet, but I think it fits very well. This election was during the Depression, and the economy was bad, and FDR was elected a lot in part because he promised to fix the economy. Our economy is doing bad now as well, and Obama promised to fix it. As you’ve said, when the economy is bad, the incumbent usually isn’t reelected, and that is the case in 1932. Now, McCain wasn’t the incumbent, but he was associated a lot with Bush, and that might be a reason for why he wasn’t elected.

2. I think that imperialism is a good thing, but only if the imperialist is using their influence to help, and not to bully, or when they are unwanted. Helping others is good, but it can make them feel inferior and resentful. Nations with power and influence should try to share the wealth with less developed countries, but only as much as the other country wants the help.

3. The progressive movement stands for great things. We should always strive for “better government”. The goals progressives had during the progressive movement include some important rights we take for granted now, such as women suffrage and child labor laws. These progressives influenced America greatly, and without them who knows where we’d be.

4. This week’s cartoon is about the Spanish-American War. It shows President McKinley (I’m guessing) debating whether or not to push a Filipino child off the edge of a cliff to Spain, saying that if America gives the Philippines back to Spain, it’s as if we’re killing them. There’s a globe headed man watching him intently, waiting to see what he does, as the world waited in suspense back in 1898.

H1. I don’t think that killing all insurgents was the best way for America to end the Spanish-American war with Spain. I know it is a war, and death is a natural consequence to it, but there had to have been a way to not have to kill all the insurgents. It seems like a cheap way out, to just brutally kill everyone, instead of trying to win the war the usual way.

H2. I think that the media in general is very influential on the public’s thoughts about political issues. “Yellow Journalism” stirred up pro-war feelings, and the media in general supported Obama in this election. There was a lot of anti-Palin news, but not a lot talking about how inexperienced Obama is for president, and I think this influenced the election largely.

American History Homework Seven Answers - Student Eleven

2008-10-30T16:30:53Z

SarahW: New page: American History Homework Seven-SarahW 1. The “Gilded Age” was a term coined by Mark Twain that describes America in the late 1880’s. Mark Twain wrote a book called “The Gilded ...

American History Homework Seven-SarahW

1. The “Gilded Age” was a term coined by Mark Twain that describes America in the late 1880’s. Mark Twain wrote a book called “The Gilded Age” about successful business men in Washington who were actually greedy and deceiving. The term “gilded” means that on the outside, everything was prosperous and great, but underneath, it was actually filled with corruption and hardship. One thing that made the gilded age gilded were “robber barons”. Robber Barons were people who used ruthless business tactics to become rich, like Jay Gould.

2. I really like how Thomas Edison learned so much after being told by a teacher he was an idiot. His work ethic is very admirable too. I mean, how many teenagers do you know who would work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week?
I believe that if Thomas Edison wasn’t homeschooled, he wouldn’t have been able to invent all the amazing inventions that he did. If he had stayed in school, the teachers probably would’ve written him off as retarded and not put care into his learning. Because his mother taught him, he was able to explore his creativity and learn in an environment suitable to his needs.

3. The frontier was an opportunity for freedom, and an empty slate. You could make a new life for yourself, not be bothered by the big cities and people. I think people’s views became more independent. I think they didn’t like a lot of government interfering in their lives. When you’re out in the prairie used to being the boss of everything, and the government comes in and threatens your home and lifestyle, you wouldn’t like it. Frederick Jackson Turner said that the frontier life creates individualism and democracy, which I think is also true.

4. America has always been a place where hopes and dreams can come true. The American Dream, where anyone can achieve anything, inspires us to reach for the stars and accomplish whatever we want. I think this is why so many Americans have invented such revolutionary inventions, because we are a land of making the impossible possible through hard work and dedication.

5. I think that political cartoons can be influential, because people might by more inclined to read a funny little cartoon then read a whole article about a certain topic. The ones that we’ve studied so far probably weren’t very influential at the time, because they reference something that happened, instead of trying to persuade people to do something. The first cartoon we had, “Join, or Die”, was the most influential cartoon we’ve done, because it was telling the people something, to join together or suffer “death”. The rest of the cartoons were more about something that happened, not telling people to do something.

6. I think the second most influential person, the first of course being Thomas Edison, between 1877 and 1896 was John D. Rockefeller. He developed the oil industry, which is still prominent today. He also created trusts, which enabled him to monopolize all of the oil industry.

7. In the cartoon, you see Uncle Sam riding a sinking horse through “quicksand gold” with silver rocks or mountains or something, towards prosperity and the setting sun. I found the original picture of this when it was published in Coin’s Financial School, and underneath it says “Gold is quicksand, ever shifting and unreliable”. The cartoonist is saying that you can’t have just gold as a currency, you need silver, which is steady and reliable, and thats how you get to prosperity.

H1. I think that conservative is a relative term. Within each party, you have a spectrum of beliefs, that are shared for the most part. Depending on where on that spectrum you lie, says how conservative or liberal you are. So yes, I think Grover Cleveland was conservative, but not entirely. He was still a democrat, just more conservative on the spectrum than most.

H2. I think that the Blaine Amendment is stupid and prejudiced. Those religious schools are providing an education just like public schools are. Why deny them the same rights public schools have just because they’re religious?

H4. I think that unions can be a good thing, because they protect employees from being bullied by their bosses. However, it’s easy for the unions to end up bullying the company, because if they don’t do what the union demands, they won’t have any workers, and will have to shut down, or give in. Back when they formed in the 1800’s they were really the only way to protect the workers from being taken advantage of, but I think that nowadays, they aren’t necessary, because if a person has a problem with their job, they could just sue the boss and get the same results.
In 1886, the McCormick Harvesting Machine Co.’s employees unionized and led a strike to shorten the work day to 8 hours. This was really the only thing they could do, so it’s a good thing there were unions. a

American History Homework Six Answers - Student Six

2008-10-23T14:09:48Z

SarahW: New page: American History Homework Six-SarahW 1. President Abraham Lincoln’s main goal when he was elected was to save the union. He would have gone as far as to preserve slavery, if it meant ...

American History Homework Six-SarahW

1. President Abraham Lincoln’s main goal when he was elected was to save the union. He would have gone as far as to preserve slavery, if it meant keeping the union intact.

2. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were made to help African-Americans. The 13th amendment made slavery illegal, the 14th amendment gave equal rights to everybody, despite their race, and the 15th amendment gave the right to vote for all races. I don’t think the 15th amendment is necessary, because the 14th amendment gave equal rights to everybody, doesn’t that include the right to vote?

3. My favorite military figure from the civil war is probably Ulysses S. Grant. I like that he wasn’t afraid to fight for what he believed in despite the consequences, as in he was okay with losing some lives if it meant winning the war.

4. If I was in charge of the reconstruction, I probably wouldn’t have passed the Military Reconstruction Act. It was humiliating to the south, and made them even more resentful towards the north.

5. I don’t think that Abraham Lincoln’s homeschooling would have affected his personality. There are people with the same characteristics that have different schooling backgrounds. I believe in nature more than nurture, although nurture does play a part.

6. In this cartoon, Abraham is dreaming, more like having a nightmare, about losing the 1864 election. The cartoonist is probably in favor of McClellan, who is walking into the white house, while Abraham is running away, being kicked out by columbia.

7. The second cartoon is about an anti-war riot. During one anti-war riot in New York the Colored Orphan Asylum was burned down, which you can see in the background of the cartoon. It also defends the Chinese immigrants, who were imported to work for cheap, from prejudice and discrimination.

H1. If I had to choose, I would choose deflation over inflation, because with deflation your money is worth more. Personally, I’d like for currency to be the same all the time, but unfortunately, that’s just not possible in the world we live in. “Hard money”, or a gold standard for money, encourages deflation more than inflation. When Grant switched to a gold standard, inflation stopped and deflation occurred.

H4. I don’t necessarily think that Andrew Johnson was incompetent, I just think that the government, which was controlled by the “Radical Republicans” at the time, didn’t like him because he was a democrat. I would have to learn more about him to know whether or not he was truly incompetent.

H5. I like Abraham Lincoln. Even though he wasn’t the best president, he was definitely a good one. I like that he saved the union. I imagine it would be hard to save a country from splitting in two, but he did it. I like that he became more spiritual during his presidency, which rarely happens with a lot of power. And I like that he had a sense of humor, as seen in his famous letter to General McClellan.

American History Homework Five Answers - Student Thirteen

2008-10-16T13:58:24Z

SarahW: New page: American History Homework Five-SarahW 1. All of the answers would have been true except for answer b: “He welcomed immigrants into the United States”, because the Know Nothing Party w...

American History Homework Five-SarahW

1. All of the answers would have been true except for answer b: “He welcomed immigrants into the United States”, because the Know Nothing Party was founded as an anti-immigration party.

2. Two key positions of the Whig Party were they were, for the most part, against slavery, and they were against the Mexican War.

3. The Mexican War was caused by a disagreement of where the Texas/Mexico border was. The War was ended by the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which determined where the border between Texas and Mexico would be.

4. I think that one of the most important people of the 1840-1860’s was Harriet Beecher Stowe. Her book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, showed people what was really happening to the slaves in the south, and it wasn’t pleasant. Abraham Lincoln actually described her as “the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war!”, which just goes to show how much impact her book had on people.

5. “Bleeding Kansas” is the name for a violent conflict in Kansas in the 1850’s. After the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, Kansas broke into a civil war between pro-slavery and anti-slavery colonists. The “Free State Hotel” was burned down, John Brown killed five pro-slavery colonists, and Senator Charles Sumner was beaten senseless with a cane during the civil war.

6. In the cartoon, the woman is spanking Stephen Douglas because he pushed through Senate the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Cartoonist was probably a Republican, which was formed to repeal the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

7. I do not think that the Civil War could have been avoided. By the 1800’s, there were so many issues between the north and the south, that if they didn’t resolve it then, it would’ve just gotten worse. The south probably would have seceded from the union and then we would just have two fighting countries. Because of the civil war, these disputes were resolved and we are still the United States.

H2. The Compromise of 1850 was one of the most important pieces legislation in the 1800’s. Passed under Millard Fillmore, the Compromise of 1850 admitted California as a free state, established the right for southerners to bring slaves into Southwest territory, abolished slave trade in D.C. (but not slavery itself), made stricter laws for fugitive slaves, and gave Texas ten million dollars in return for relinquishing the territory that is now New Mexico.

H3. Stephen Douglas lost the election of 1860 to Abraham Lincoln primarily because of his “Freeport Doctrine”. Freeport Doctrine is the term for Douglas’ stand on slavery, coined during the Lincoln-Douglas debate in Freeport, Illinois. Douglas stated that a territory could prohibit slavery by passing laws that wouldn’t allow it. This was a middle ground opinion, between the principle of popular sovereignty (where each state chooses whether or not they want slavery, based on popular vote) and the United States Supreme Court case of Dred Scott v. Sandford (which stated that a territory could not legally abolish slavery). He lost the support of the south, who for the most part liked strict adherence to the Dred Scott decision.

H4. I don’t think that John Brown’s violent actions helped his cause against slavery. Taking action on what you believe in is good, but violence is never the answer. His protests in Pottawatomie, Kansas, and at Harper’s Ferry just made people mad, and ended with his execution.

American History Homework Four Answers - Student Ten

2008-10-09T14:13:48Z

SarahW: New page: American History Homework Four-SarahW 1. The “Revolution of 1800” refers to the presidential election that happened that year. When the Democratis-Republican Party beat the Federalis...

American History Homework Four-SarahW

1. The “Revolution of 1800” refers to the presidential election that happened that year. When the Democratis-Republican Party beat the Federalist Party, it was the first time there was a peaceful change in power because of an election.

2. If I had been president in 1803 instead of Jefferson, I wouldn’t have hesitated approving the Louisiana Purchase. Getting all of France’s territory for a couple million more than we would’ve payed for just Florida and New Orleans is a great deal, that I wouldn’t have passed up.

3. One cause of the War of 1812 was when General William Henry Harrison attacked Tecumseh’s (a Shawnee Indian who was uniting tribes, which threatened Americans) village. This increased tension between Indians and Americans.

4. My favorite thing about the Monroe Administration is how prosperous America became during James Monroe’s terms. It was the “Era of Good Feelings”, and America’s economy flourished.

5. “Jacksonian Democracy” refers to the policies of Andrew Jackson. His policies include expanded suffrage, manifest destiny, patronage, strict constructionism, and laissez-faire economics.

6. The Marshall Court is known for expanding the Supreme Court’s power. The Marshall Court established many important decisions, such as the power of judicial review to declare an Act of Congress, or a state law, unconstitutional.

7. I believe this cartoon is about the War of 1812, specifically the Treaty of Ghent, where the Czar of Russia was negotiating the terms for England and America. John Bull is personifying England, Bruin is personifying Russia, and Columbia is personifying America. This was probably around 1814. The viewpoint of the cartoonist is likely encouraging the treaty between England and America.

H2. The War of 1812 had a huge impact on the Federalist Party. The war ended the Federalists. Federalists had a meeting in Connecticut called the Hartford Convention, and talked about opposing the war, and seceding from the United States. This was at the same time we signed the peace treaty with England, and made the Federalists look like traitors.

H3. “Was this ‘Louisiana Purchase’ an improper exercise of power?” I don’t think so. I’m of the viewpoint that if the constitution says you can’t do it, don’t do it. However, if it doesn’t mention it then why shouldn’t we? There are many things the founding fathers didn’t think about when writing the constitution, and if we only followed what they did, it would be a very narrow government. Also, Jefferson thought he couldn’t approve the Louisiana Purchase because the Constitution doesn’t give the president the power to buy new territory, but isn’t that what he was doing when he was going to buy Florida and New Orleans?

H4. The North liked the tariffs, but the South hated them. The North liked them because they protected their businesses, by making foreign companies have to pay more for business in America. The South hated them because they hurt the cotton business, because it cost more to buy materials to produce cotton.

American History Homework Three Answers - Student Eleven

2008-10-02T14:09:26Z

SarahW: New page: American History Homework Three-SarahW 1. Two weaknesses to the Articles of Confederation are that they established a unicameral Congress, and they let the states keep most of the power f...

American History Homework Three-SarahW

1. Two weaknesses to the Articles of Confederation are that they established a unicameral Congress, and they let the states keep most of the power for themselves. The three branches of government we have today are necessary to keep Congress in check, and not allow corruption. I think the states need a unifying government so that all states are the same on important things.

2. The first three Articles of the Constitution establish the three branches of Government. Article I established Congress (The Legislative Branch), Article II established what the president’s powers are (The Executive Branch), and Article III established the Supreme Court (The Judicial Branch).

3. The thing I like most about George Washington is that he was forgiving. He had every right to send Edmond Genet back to France after what he did here but instead let him stay. He also pardoned the farmers involved in the Whiskey Rebellion.

4. The most important invention of the 1790’s was the cotton gin. The cotton gin was a machine that separated cotton from branches and seeds, doing the work of 50 men. Eli Whitney’s revolutionary invention greatly improved the production of cotton in the South, and turned it into a powerful economic force.

5. I think this week’s cartoon is about the Ratification of the Constitution. The first six states to ratify the constitution were Delaware, Pennsylvania, New jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, which is the order of the pillars in the cartoon. It seems that God is putting Massachusetts up along side the other states that ratified the constitution, which are connected with stars. I guess this would be a federalist cartoon encouraging massachusetts to ratify the constitution.

6. One achievement of the Northwest Ordinance was it established a process for territories to become states based on population. When it had less than 5,000 free adult males had a governor, a secretary, and three judges appointed by Congress. A territory with more that 5,000 free adult males could elect a legislature to send a nonvoting person to Congress. Finally, a territory with more than 60,000 free adult males could become a state if it had a republican government. Another achievement of the Northwest Ordinance is it protected individual rights such as religious freedom, writ of habeas corpus, and trial by jury.

7. The most significant thing about John Adam’s presidency was his Alien & Sedition Acts. The Alien Act allows the president to expel immigrants from America. The Sedition Act made it against the law to criticize a high government official, which goes against the First Amendment of free speech. I think this is very significant because the second president of the United States signed an unconstitutional act.

H1. George Washington’s Farewell Address urges Americans to stay out of conflict with Europe, and reminds us that morality is the foundation of a prosperous society. These points are still applicable today. It is always a good idea to stay out of other people’s business, especially whole countries. We always need to remember that morals are necessary to be a successful country, or even person.

H2. I think that the anti-federalists did have some good points. They were against the Constitution for a couple reasons, one is it didn’t have the bill of rights. They were also afraid that having a president might evolve into a monarchy. The bill of rights is a great document, protecting the rights of American citizens. The idea of having one person in charge of the country was probably scary to them, because they had just separated from England, which was a monarchy. They didn’t want to become what they fought so hard to leave.

H5. When John Adams made the Alien & Sedition Acts, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison fought against it, drafting state resolutions to nullify the Acts. They believed that a state didn’t have to follow a law that was unconstitutional. I agree with their approach to try to get rid of the Acts, because they were unconstitutional, and America shouldn’t have had to abide by them.

American History Homework Two Answers - Student Thirteen

2008-09-18T14:55:22Z

SarahW: New page: American History Homework Two-SarahW 1. I think the three most important causes of the American Revolution are a. The Colonists were used to independence and self-determination b. Britis...

American History Homework Two-SarahW

1. I think the three most important causes of the American Revolution are
a. The Colonists were used to independence and self-determination
b. British burdens affected all Colonists
c. Virtual Representation.

2. The phrase “taxation without representation” was used by the colonists, protesting against taxes put on them by Britain without a representative in parliament to speak on their behalf.

3. The Boston Tea Party was a protest against the Tea Act, which allowed the East India Tea Company to sell the colonies tea without having to pay the normal import taxes. Samuel Adams led the Sons of Liberty in boarding the British East India Company ships and dumping all of their tea in the Boston Harbor.

4. I blame all of the Puritans for the Salem Witch Trials. I don’t think it was any one person’s fault that the Salem Witch Trials occurred, but the fact that everyone believed that so many girls were witches that they had to have trials to empty the jails.

5. True, Colonies with more religious freedom (like Pennsylvania and Rhode Island) had less conflict with the King. I say this because I don’t remember reading (and can’t find) any conflicts between the King and Pennsylvania or Rhode Island.

6. I don’t think a jury should be able to ignore a law to find a defendant “not guilty”. In the Zenger Trial, it makes sense because the law was stupid. Now though, all, or most, of our laws are logical and should not be changed.

7. The political cartoon of a broken snake represents the colonies. Each part of the snake is a colony or group of colonies. The words “Join, or Die” mean that the colonies will not survive if they are separate, but if they join together, they will be strong. This was created by Benjamin Franklin in 1754.

H2. Britain taxed the Colonies through Acts. There were many acts, such as the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, and the Townshend Act, which were huge taxes on the Colonists. It was unfair of Britain to do this, because there was no representation for the Colonies in Parliament.

H3. No one knows why the girls in the Salem Witch Trials had possession-like symptoms. I think they had a form of dementia which caused them to hallucinate and believe they were witches and others were witches.
H5. England did not have the right to impose direct taxes on the Colonies. The Colonies only had “virtual representation” in parliament, which doesn’t really count because they weren’t looking out for the Colonist’s best interests. The taxes didn’t affect the people making them, so they were unfairly biased.

American History Homework One Answers - Student Nine

2008-09-11T15:32:43Z

SarahW:

American History Homework One-SarahW

1. Spanish, English, French

2. I find Christopher Columbus' persistence most inspiring. He was rejected for 10 years the money to sail around the world, but he kept at it.

3. The early American settlements failed because there was no plan, structure or system. They didn't work for what they needed. They also didn't know how to survive the harsh winters in America.

4. The first settlements in Massachusetts were founded because of religious differences. The pilgrims wanted complete religious segregation, having nothing to do with outsiders. The mainstream Puritans wanted a fresh start to purify the church.

5. William Penn was remarkable because his colony was the only one to offer religious freedom. Pennyslvania is one of the few colonies to last under private rule. He was also kind to the indians.

6. The four types of colonies are Joint-Stock Colony, where people invest their money in a colony, like Virginia and Massachusetts Bay; Charter Colony, where the land is granted from the King to a governor to rule it, like Connecticut and Rhode Island; Proprietary Colony, where it is run by at least one person, like Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York; Royal Colony, where a King owns or takes ownership or a colony and is run by a governor, like Virginia.

7. One debate question we talked about was wether or not the Puritans had the right to expel and kill people based on their religious differences. One side of the story is the Puritans came to America to have their own religious community, and they warned the people to stay out or die. The other side is that no man has the right to tell people where they can or cannot live and then kill them.

H2. The Massachusetts Bay Company moved a group of Puritans to Boston in 1629 to create a perfect community. It did very well, and many people moved there from Europe. It was financed by the Massachusetts Bay Company, and managed by John Winthrop, its first govenor.

H3. A mystery in American History is where did the American Indians come from. One explanation is that before the continental drift, people lived on the Americas, and stayed there while the earth was shifting. A different explanation is that God put people there after the Tower of Babel, when He scattered people over all the earth and confused the languages.

H5. A topic of discussion is why would some people want to discredit Columbus for the discovery of America. The argument is that Columbus didn’t really “discover” America, because there were already people there. On the other hand, if Columbus didn’t come to America and bring its news to Europe, who knows how long until someone found it, and if it would’ve been as successful as it was?

American History Homework One Answers - Student Nine

2008-09-10T23:41:57Z

SarahW: New page: American History Homework One 1. Spanish, English, French 2. I find Christopher Columbus' persistence most inspiring. He was rejected for 10 years the money to sail around the world, ...

American History Homework One

1. Spanish, English, French

2. I find Christopher Columbus' persistence most inspiring. He was rejected for 10 years the money to sail around the world, but he kept at it.

3. The early American settlements failed because there was no plan, structure or system. They didn't work for what they needed. They also didn't know how to survive the harsh winters in America.

4. The first settlements in Massachusetts were founded because of religious differences. The pilgrims wanted complete religious segregation, having nothing to do with outsiders. The mainstream Puritans wanted a fresh start to purify the church.

5. William Penn was remarkable because his colony was the only one to offer religious freedom. Pennyslvania is one of the few colonies to last under private rule. He was also kind to the indians.

6. The four types of colonies are Joint-Stock Colony, where people invest their money in a colony, like Virginia and Massachusetts Bay; Charter Colony, where the land is granted from the King to a governor to rule it, like Connecticut and Rhode Island; Proprietary Colony, where it is run by at least one person, like Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York; Royal Colony, where a King owns or takes ownership or a colony and is run by a governor, like Virginia.

7. One debate question we talked about was wether or not the Puritans had the right to expel and kill people based on their religious differences. One side of the story is the Puritans came to America to have their own religious community, and they warned the people to stay out or die. The other side is that no man has the right to tell people where they can or cannot live and then kill them.

H2. The Massachusetts Bay Company moved a group of Puritans to Boston in 1629 to create a perfect community. It did very well, and many people moved there from Europe. It was financed by the Massachusetts Bay Company, and managed by John Winthrop, its first govenor.

H3. A mystery in American History is where did the American Indians come from. One explanation is that before the continental drift, people lived on the Americas, and stayed there while the earth was shifting. A different explanation is that God put people there after the Tower of Babel, when He scattered people over all the earth and confused the languages.

H5. A topic of discussion is why would some people want to discredit Columbus for the discovery of America. The argument is that Columbus didn’t really “discover” America, because there were already people there. On the other hand, if Columbus didn’t come to America and bring its news to Europe, who knows how long until someone found it, and if it would’ve been as successful as it was?