The American Revolution - =Section 2- Part 3 Revolution and Part 4 Constitution-Making and War
This is your 2nd blog for the American Revolution by Woods. You may also comment on another person's blog. Make sure you are using the Reading Thoughts and the Thinking Like a Historian.
Wasana Pinsonneault Questions: What were the Coercive Acts of 1774? I had a hard time reading this part, it was confusing for me, and reading it over and over again made it more confusing. Vocabulary: “Tories” p. 58 Explanation 1: a member of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada. Explanation 2: a member of a political party in Great Britain from the late 17th century to about 1832 that favored royal authority over Parliament and the preservation of the existing social and political order: succeeded by the Conservative party. Through Their eyes: People in the past viewed their world as if it was a baby. America’s independence was all new and these people that were determined to make it work didn’t necessarily know each other or were best friends but they had to work together to reach a common goal; freedom. These people had to take care of America and set forth laws, taxes. It was as if everyone who was designated “powerful” were new parents because creating a new country is not something that happens daily. Their worldview directed their actions towards a goal of freedom. Change and Continuity: America’s Independence has changed, this was shown by the Declaration of Independence in 1776. (p.47) This separated Britain from the new found America. Each colony remained independent instead of joined together like what was intended p. 48 This created more controversy and eventually the colonies worked on creating a united nation. The citizens of America have benefited from the change because it means more freedom for them and does not attach them to Britain. P. 48
Alyssa Campbell Preview: Previewing part 3, Revolution, I figured that it would break down the different parts of the revolution. It got more in depth about the approach to the Independence, and the Declaration of Independence. Part 4, Constitution-Making and War, I previewed and knew it would talk about the Articles of Confederation, and the War for Independence. Questions: What were the Coercive Acts of 1774 and how did they provoke open rebellion in America? I searched and found that the Coercive Acts is another name for the Intolerable Acts. They were a series of laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 relating to Britain's colonies in North America. Such as They Boston Tea Party, The Stamp Act, and the Quebec Act. They Caused rebellion because many colonists viewed them as a violation of their rights. Vocabulary: A Corporate Charter is a document or file with a U.S. state by a corporations founders, describing the purpose, place of business, and other details of a corporation. Also called incorporation or charter.
Kaosheng Thao Reading thoughts: As i continue to read chapter 3 Revolution, i predicted that it would talk more about the different sections of the American Revolution. Example: it broke down to the approach to independence, then the Declaration of Independence, then an asylum for liberty. The Declaration of Independence was talked about a lot in this chapter. "...America was the only place where a free popular press still existed and where the people could still elect representatives who spoke for them and them only."(pg.62) this passage was about Americans now believing that America may actually be an free, independent place to stay. In chapter 4 Constitution-Making and War, i could picture the part on page 83 when the author was talking about how the British was using their new strategy, which was to leave Philadelphia and take a defensive position in New York and Rhode Island. This was a motion picture for me, i could see the British turning around and making a new plan, but in the end, they still lost the long war against us. Reading like a Historian: How the people in the past viewed their world was simple. For the British they pretty much wanted to rule the whole world. But the Americans wanted peace and freedom. The British took over Charleston, South Carolina on May 12, 1780 when General Benjamin Lincoln and his American army of 5,500 surrender. This was the most loss of soldiers in the whole war. But this decision of surrendering to the British didn't affect the future because even with the greatest loss of American soldiers on that day, America still won the war. And same with Wasana and Alyssa, i didn't understand or know what were the Coercive Acts of 1774 either. But i looked it up and found out that it was just the acts, bills, and laws that was passed by the British Parliament in 1774.
Preview/Predict: Part 3- Revolution - As I began to read this section, it predicted that it would go in depth into the actions and steps that took place during the actual revolution whereas sections one and two focused on the events that lead up to it. It included more detail than I thought it would because it also went into detail about how America went about gaining its independence. Part 4- Constitution-Making and War. I had a harder time predicting what this section would be about because I didn't connect until I read about it that the war they were referring to was the War for Independence which they went into great detail about. This section also talked about the Articles of Confederation.
Vocabulary: I didn't know what the word "seditious" meant, so I looked it up and it brought me to the word "sedition" which means the rebellion against the government and any action, especially in speech or writing, promoting the discontent or rebellion. (word found on p. 53) Another word I didn't know was "gubernatorial" which is an adjective that means "of or pertaining to a governor or the office of state governor." (word found on p. 67)
Reading Like a Historian: Using the Past: When America was in its earliest stages, people were working very hard to make it a success. They had to fight very hard to become independent but everyone wanted it to happen so they did their best to make it so. We can learn from this by realizing that if we want something bad enough, we are going to have to work for it. The past can help us to make sense of the present because we can learn from the mistakes that were made in the past to hopefully produce a greater present.
Through their Eyes: I feel that people viewed America as a great opportunity for everyone. They viewed it as a way to freely express themselves without being held down by Britain. They worked hard at it and began to build the foundations of governments, towns, etc. Their actions and choices were greatly limited because of Britain, but they took what they could get and ran with it and eventually gained their independence.
I had a hard time understanding what they meant when they were talking about the Coercive Acts too, but, in response to Wasana's question, I looked it up.
The Coercive Acts were another name for the Intolerable Acts. The Acts were passed in response to the Boston Tea Party. One of The Acts, for example, included the Boston Port Act, which closed the Boston Port until the King felt that he had been repaid for the lost tea that was dumped into the harbor.
Many people, in response, objected that these acts were a violation of their natural rights.
I also agree with Wasana's comparison of America to a baby. It is a very creative way of looking at the situation.
Evaluation: One historical event that impacted the civil war for America was the fact that the Declaration of Independence exempt the fact that 1/5 of their population was slaves/African Americans. If they would have cleared that contradiction and crime, Civil War would have been possibly stopped from ever occurring. In addition it would have also more than likely ended the civil right movement and human right cruelty.
Vocabulary: One word that puzzled me while reading was unicameral (pg. 73) which after looking up in the dictionary stated that it was “having or consisting of a single legislature".
Through Their Eyes: I believe that through the eyes of America their thought of the revolution was in fact that they were introducing a new world. What i mean by that is the world to America was absent of Freedom with oppression being everywhere. So in return fighting for their freedom showed that it was acceptable for the rest of the world to things that were wrong. Also they made America an "asylum" for all who are treated unfairly in the world.
Change and Continuity: Starting with continuity, one thing that has remained the same in America is how the government is divided with each branch. Also a central government stayed intact as well, unlike the confederation which lost its power later after the revolution. Some changes though were of course are the relationship between U.S.A. and the British which now they are very close allies. Lastly another change is the form of how the states were held together since back then they were a confederation and now we are a federation.
Comment: I agree with Becca that America in many people's perspective was an opportunity to have the freedom of expression and beliefs compared to everywhere else in the world.
Preview: I predicted part 3 titles "Revolution" would discuss the stratagy of how to approach declaring independence and the Declaration of Independence itself. I predicted part 4 would be about how the states seperately prepared, how the colonies together prepared, and the actual war.
Importance: As the Declaration of Independence was being put together by the Continental Congress in 1776, they drafted it as thirteen united States of America which act as free and independant states. As the war waged on and the colonies proved to have a fighting chance, they started to come together and act as one force against the British. The ratification of the Articles of Confederation and the signing of the document as the "United States of America" unified all the colonies and showed the world that if wanted bad enough, anything is possible. In my eyes, along with winning the war was the most important thing that happened in this era.
Through Their Eyes: If I were a red coat coming over from England during this war, I would be frustrated and angry with the guerrilla warfare style of fighting. This untraditional way of fighting would give the rebels an advantage and eventually allow them to win the war.
Using The Past: We can use the past to look at the different fighting styles of each side. The British wore bright red coats which stuck out like a sore thumb and fought the traditional way of standing in a line and firing. The Americans wore colors which blended with the surrounding enviroment and tried to be sneaky about their attacks. Obvioiusly, we learned which fighting technique is better and what not to do in a time of war.
Comment: I agree with Darian in saying that many changes have happened since the Revolution and one of the most important is that the U.S and England are once again close allies.
1)PREVIEW/PREDICT Section 2 (chapters 3 & 4) are entitled The Revolution and Constitution – Making and War. Just like I did in blog 1, I went back and looked over the Table of Contents and Chronology to predict what was going to occur in the book. I predicted that these chapters was where the turning point would occur, with the colonists fed up with taxation without representation. I also know that it would involve the creation of the Declaration of Independence.
2)IMPORTANCE As I began to read chapter 4, I thought of how important the beginnings were that eventually formed to make our Constitution today. This was where “government under the authority of the people” started from. These men made it obvious that “rule under the crown should be suppressed” which we had been fighting for all along. This time was so important as the Revolution was going on. The colonies wanted to push out tyranny once and for all. In the book the author also made note that “although they knew they would establish their own republics, they didn’t know precisely which forms of government they should take. This was another reason as to why this time was very important.
Thinking Like a Historian
1)DIFFERING PERSPECTIVES Common Sense by Thomas Paine is a great differing perspective example as It was in opposition to the opinion of George III’s. In the pamphlet, writing in the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the opinion of a colonist is given. Paine argued that British rule was unnecessary and our independence was crucial. Part of the reason it was so popular was that Paine wrote it so the common man would be able to read it without any Latin quotations but still using aspects of western culture.
2)USING THE PAST As the Central government was forming and the Articles of Confederation were being written, leaders had to use the tyranny of England as a learning lesson of what they knew they didn’t want for the future of our country. Even though the Articles were an “extraordinary degree of political, military, and economic power over Americans” they still failed. However, this is besides the fact that the United States were headed toward freedom and their own country that was to be very different than the monarchy in England.
-I found it interesting the Nick pointed out in "Using the Past" the colors of mens jackets in the war. It was something that I did not think about that he brought to my attention.
Preview & Predict: The sections for this part were Revolution and Constitution Making and War. I predicted this section would explain in greater detail the steps the colonists took towards independence and the actual revolution, as well as specific information on certain battles during the war and constitutions made by the colonists during their fight for independence.
Importance: The information I found the most important in the section Revolution was that the start to their independence started with small rebellions and people speaking out about the idea of independence. Then on July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was formally written, and then little changes changed to big changes into actually becoming fully and officially independent from Britain. The section Constitution Making and War talked about how each state made separate constitutions and were basically just independent states unified very loosely. Until the Articles of Confederation, states weren't considering themselves together in the union. Congress needed a basis for its authority.
Reading Like a Historian-
Differing Perspectives: This book is written from mainly the colonists perspective, but it also shows a little from Britain's views. Everything Britain did, they did because it's what they've always done.. They've been the greatest power in the world for a long time and got used to being in charge, and everything being done when they said it. However, being in a new country, colonists got very independent and annoyed with all of Britain's ruling over them. Also, like Nick said above, Britain thought the guerrilla warfare was unfair, just because they've always fought open battles face to face. It's almost as if Britain wasn't used to or even open to change.
Turning Points: During the fighting, Britain came into it thinking it would be a short, easy victory. Because of this, the first generals tried to be easy on the rebels, hoping that they might give in and mend things with the mother country. However, after discovering that British troops didn't know the terrain they were fighting on, and the rebels guerrilla warfare style, they went to a more aggressive fighting approach. When commander Cornwallis of the British Army withdrew to Virginia, Britain lost the war. One simple move like that gave the Americans the opportunity they needed. Cornwallis surrendered and America gained their independence.
Comment on Someone Else's Post: I found it interesting how Alexandra realized in "Importance" that during this time the colonists weren't only fighting a war for independence, but were also creating a very futuristic form of government that was by and for the people.
Peyton Stefan Predict: At the beginning of section three, entitled "Revolution", I predicted the colonists were going to demonstrate their irascible feelings toward Britain by preparing an action plan that would create a path allowing them to break away from the British government and be their own country. After glancing over the subtitles, my prediction was reinforced by the agname, "The Declaration of Independence". I then knew this section would be about the settler's decision to gain freedom from British control.
Visualize: On page 108, it is said that an educated gentleman named William Henry Drayton, who was an Oxford-trained landowner, was participating in government, "...with men who knew only how to cut up a beast in the market or to cobble an old shoe." During this explanation I envisioned chaos and frustration resulting in harsh tempers among government members. I thought about how I would feel if I was an educated politician in a room with inexperienced commoners. I believe it would be difficult to make decisions and accomplish goals when not everyone is on the same page referring to the understanding of politics and degree of education.
Change and Continuity: In section three, “Revolution”, the colonist’s government was described as having many different social groups to represent every aspect of the community. Having each element of society represented ensured the settlers that their opinions and beliefs would be shared and fought for. Today, this has changed into more organized groupings of people that we know as our representatives. Instead of having several groups of people, some educated and informed and others not, everyone over the age of 18 is given the opportunity to vote for a representative of their choice who embodies their values and beliefs and who they trust to do their best in government. These changes allow for our government to be centered on a democracy and also ensure that each individual is given the opportunity to voice their opinions.
Turning Points: As shown by the early and unorganized system of government in section three, “Revolution”, the soon to be Americans were in need of a change. This process of trial and error allowed for a system of voting to be incorporated so that less chaos would be created among individuals. This turning point can be seen today in our unique system of voting by the use of ballots, whether paper or electronic.
Comment: I agree with Nick when he says that the Declaration of Independence was not just a document, but that it was an agreement that bound separated states into the united force that we know as America.
Preview/Predict: Just by the title of the chapter I figured that it would be about the colonies becoming independent from Britain and how they did that I also thought that the events would be brief and not so detailed. Questions: What were the Coercive Acts and how specifically did they effect the colonies final decision to start a revolution and declare their independence from Britain? I found that the Coercive Acts were also called the Intolerable Acts and were series of laws passed by the Parliament that angered the Colonies. Some of these acts were the Massachusetts Government Act and the Boston Port Act. Cause and Effect: The Colonies started their independence from Britain because of the Intolerable acts and many other mistreatments to them by the Parliament. Since fighting had broken out in Boston, Britain sought to isolate the problem by punishing the colonies. They developed the Coercive Acts and used British military to arrest the rebel leaders. These actions affected the future of the Colonies by starting the battle at Lexington, which killed and injured over 200 people. British forces later attempted many attacks on the Colonies which resulted in about 1,000 British deaths. This was the first formal battle of the revolution. Soon after George III accused the Colonies of aiming at independence. Finally the Declaration of Independence was created. Vocabulary: Long-Latent (p.51) which means something is present but not visible or went unnoticed for a long period of time.
Hayden Witucki Big Idea/Generalizations: "committes... leveid taxes...organized milliia...and supervised or closed courts...Royal governors stood by in helpless amazement." (48) I think the bigger image here is that the colony's governements was beginning to overrun the power of Great Britain. I also believe that this was a big moment or realization of how powerful America was becoming to the British. As the British could only watch and do nothing.
Change and Continuity: With the Coervice Acts of 1774, many things changed. A major change was the colonists feelings towards Britain. The change went from bad to worse, as the colonists continued despising the world power. Since the Coercive Acts were such a big turning point towards the revolution, not much remained the same. A beneficiary of the change was America as the Coercive Acts united the patriots with a common enemy: Great Britain. Great Britain didn't benefit from the colonists growing intimidation. The Coercive Acts were the breaking point that started the Revolutionary War.
Cause and Effect (of the Intolerable Acts): A cause of the Intolerable Acts was the Boston Tea Party. This led to the creation of the Ccoercive Acts and the closing of Boston Harbor. The straw that broke the camel's back and forced the Boston Tea Party were taxes. The Americans supported change, demanding less strict taxes declaring, "no taxation, without representation." The intentional effect of the Boston Tea Party was the placement of the Coercive Acts on the colonists, heightening their rage and readying them for conflict.
Prediction: When fighting broke out in Boston in April of 1775, what the British thought to be on quick swipe of the patriots quickly ecame something more. I predicted that the one battle of Concord with 273 Redcoats abd 95 Patriots dead was to much death to be shrugged off and that the British could'nt do anything at this point, as they had already had plenty of chances of calming the colonists. I was right. No treatys were given, war was raged, and the Patriots became free.
Comment: Hannah Mezei, Differing Perspectives. I agree with you. Along with Britain thinking that the Patriots tactics were unfair, i believe that they went in their expecting a quick war, that lasted years. I think they underestimated the colonists and most definitely their tactics, which gave the Patriots an immeditate advantage.
Natalie Schael READING THOUGHTS Importance: When reading the next part of the book one quote really stood out to me; “…John Burgoyne, put it, that no numbers of ‘untrained rabble’ could ever stand up against ‘trained troops’” (p.54). This is important because John Burgoyne makes the British seem as if they are invincible and cannot be defeated. Yet, ironically after he said this, the British forces attempted a series of attacks that, although were successful, cost them 1,000 British casualties. And at the battle of Bunker Hill the British “…suffered their heaviest losses in what would become a long and bloody war” (p.54). So it’s important to understand that even though the British had more intelligence, it does guarantee them to be better than less skilled peoples and it doesn’t mean that they can’t be defeated in some manner(s).
Questions: In the original draft of the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson included a section that blamed George III for the slave trade; my question is how can he blame the king? Regarding slaves and slave trade, many states engaged in this act, it was not just specifically the king.
THINKING LIKE A HISTORIAN Cause and Effect: The cause was the Coercive Acts of 1774 to which the effect was that more rebellions occurred. Specifically, committees came together and “…manipulated voters, directed appointments, organized the militia, managed trade, intervened between creditors and debtors, levied taxes, issued license and supervised or closed the courts” (p.48). Another effect was the First Continental Congress which was held in September 1774 in Philadelphia; here, Samuel Adams, John Adams (from Massachusetts) and Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee (from Virginia) led resistance to the Coercive Acts.
Perspectives: Pertaining to slavery in the Declaration of Independence most people had the view of not including them in the declaration because slavery was part of everyday life, it was “a national institution” (p. 57) and most Americans benefited from it in some way. On the other hand, every American leader understood that “…its continued existence violated everything the Revolution was about” (p.57). Personally, I agree with the American leaders’ perspective. The Revolution was all about independence, for everyone. However, keeping slaves denied independence to blacks therefore violating the goal of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolution.
--Hayden, you were right that as the realization that America was becoming very powerful the British could not do anything but stand by and watch it unfold; I would add that as they watched what America was becoming they didn’t do anything partly because they were in such awe that something like this could happen. Also, your prediction was the same as mine. The battle at Concord was too much to just shrug off and that the British had wasted all of their chances of calming the colonists. Everything concerning peace was over and war was on.
Predicting: Going into section III Revolution, I made the assumption that these next couple chapters would be, obviously, about the revolution. But also, about how the revolution in it's entirety was broken down. Before I started reading the section, I also made the prediction that the declaration of independence would be talked about more in depth, and I was right. I was very happy to find that they talked about it more, because I had forgotten most of the small details about the document and how important it was to the revolution.
Importance: Bringing up the Declaration of Independence again, I found that this was a very important and key event/document in our nation's history. It was the building blocks of our society, and stated our freedom from britain.
Differing perspectives: I believe that this is mostly in the eyes of the colonists, and that the author did a good job in expressing both sides, the colonists and the british. I also feel that the author did a good job on discribing how the colonists felt about the british and how their anger drove their efforts to rebel the british tyrany.
Using the Past: In my opinion, I think that we can use the drive that the colonists had to influence our own lives. It took the colonists years to gain their independence, but sooner or later they got their freedom. I also agree to what Alex said earlier about how they used their knowledge about how the king ruled, and made sure that they ruled a completely different way for the improvement of their society. Today, we can use the history of how the king treated the colonists as a reminder of what we can do as a nation.
In response to Natalie's post, I found it very interesting how you put the slaves perspective in your post. Most perspective posts are about the colonists or the king, but yours was very original.
Importance: A fair portion of this segment was devoted to explaining and revealing colonial ideas about their new government. Although this was studied last year in 9th grade American Institutions, I still think that what they were thinking at the time affected us and our government as well as the world and its spread of democracy. Pages 110-113 described how the distasteful and arrogant acts of the British left the colonists creating their own informal governments that assumed all of the powers that had been exercised by the British, but, in a much more democratic and respectful way. The colonists were that devoted to separating themselves from the oppressing British that informal governments actually worked. If, at school, there were no teachers, do you think that us students could handle a democracy like that on our own? Of course not. The feeling of desire for justice, liberty, and humanitarian rights were popular among the colonists and was probably why they could work together in such a way and why our government was set up the way it was -- in a way that protects everyone's rights.
Visualize: I can, while recalling memories of paintings of the colonists, visualize the committees going about their governmental business and the eager farmers all so excited to stand up and state their opinion in the way that they have never done before. In my mind, they are all sitting down on wood benches or stranding up, crowded towards the back while there is a table for the heads of the committee sitting in the front of the room. To me, this reminds me also of the rooms of congress and rooms for judicial proceedings, which is most likely no coincidence.
Change and Continuity: After the Articles of Confederation were in place, many things changed. The colonists were no longer able to to control themselves in their individual states as they used to -- instead, they had to follow the direction of a higher power that had to meet the needs of the entire country. The Confederation now was the one that had the power to levy war, sign treaties, and other powers that the states had been used to themselves. However, due to a common fear of a strong central government, most final decision making was left to the states. This made Congress less of a power and more of an alliance between the states so that they did not separate. Eventually,, this would be changed with the Constitution, but that happens many years later.
Using the past: Obviously, the colonists' experiences and struggles in the 17th century have greatly affected our government today. Our executive power has many limits on his possible affects on our legislative and judicial power, as well as having to be elected. This is because of the kind's relentless and excessive use of influence on the rest of the government. Like the parliament, we elected senators/representatives to create our laws. However, we do it with much more public input. People in America are guaranteed humanitarian rights as well as other freedoms that allow them to peruse happiness in a way that was rare at the time.
Commenting on Natalie Schael's post about Cause and Effect: Like you said, the Coercive act was really what pushed the colonists over the edge and is probably what angered them enough to start governing themselves. This caused the effect of true revolution against the British.
Preview: It was rather obvious that these sections would be about the revolution and the Constitution, but it thoroughly discussed the official call for independence (The Declaration Independence)and the initial government of the United States (The Articles of Confederation).
Perspectives: Some different perspectives were the different reasons for fighting the war. The colonists had a specific reason for fighting the war, they wanted independence because they felt that the British were abusing their power. However, the British, never had a clear cut reason to be fighting the America. Basically, the Colonists had everything to fight for, while the British were just along for the ride.
Importance: The Declaration of Independence was extremely import because it literally created our country. It officially said that we were independent from Great Britain, and that we were our own, new nation.
Using the past: I think we should learn from the colonists perseverance. They never gave up, no matter how badly the were beat, because they couldn't, because if they did, their whole cause would be defeated. That is something I think we take for granted today.
I agree with Hannah Mezei when she said that the British were expecting a quick and easy war with the Americans, they underestimated them, and in the end, were defeated because of it.
When I saw that the third chapter was titled Revolution, I predicted that this chapter would go into more depth into each individual event leading up to the revolution. Chapter four is titled Constitution-Making and War. I predicted that this chapter would tell more about how the colonies would come together to form and prepare for war and also about the specific events in the war.
Importance
The most important thing that came across to me in this section was the Declaration of Independence. The most important thing that the declaration did was that it officially stated our independence and separation from Britain along with stating America’s philosophy of human rights. It also became one of the most important if not the most important document in American history. One other thing that stood out to me is how the small battles that were occurring had a strong effect in the idea of independence in the colonies and how that eventually affected the Declaration of Independence.
Differing Perspectives
In chapter three Thomas Paine’s pamphlet titled Common Sense was brought up. The pamphlet showed anger towards George III and Britain and he called for independence as soon as possible. When Paine wrote these he did it from a common person’s perspective and he wrote it for other common people. He avoided using Latin quotations and fancy words. His pamphlet became the most popular pamphlet of the Revolutionary era. Although he was criticized by some, Paine showed common people that they could have opinions in politics and he helped alter many people’s opinions about the idea of a Revolution.
Through Their Eyes
I think that if I were an American militia man during the war that I wouldn’t be as confident as one would think. I would be very intimidated by the British army. They had been the best army in the world for a long period of time. I believe that many people had that same idea back then and that is why they started using untraditional ways of warfare to try to gain an advantage. The British army was very well trained and everyone was lined up perfectly. If the American army did the same they would lose the war soon, but instead they started using a warfare style were they are hidden and aren’t lined up in straight lines.
Responding to Zachary Bluestein’s comments on Using the Past, I agree that the colonist’s struggles still have an impact on our government today. I think that when they saw the British government leaders abusing their power that they wanted to create a system were that would be impossible for a leader to get to much power.
Preview/Predict: In the first draft of the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson, the section on slavery was removed. It spoke about how terrible the slave trade was, but the section was removed because the colonists themselves had slaves. I predicted that this was a small spark to what would happen in the future – the slaves would break free.
Importance: In May of 1776, the Continental Congress suggested that each colony make state constitutions and exclaimed that any authority from England should be ignored. This is significant because it shows that the colonists’ were taking leadership roles and were showing independence which is exactly what they wanted.
Through Their Eyes: Much of the battles in the Revolution took place in America. This must’ve been very difficult for the British soldiers because they didn’t know the terrain as well, and their homeland was miles across the sea, making it difficult for them to restock on supplies, such as food and ammo.
Differing Perspectives: During the Revolution, England seemed to have a lack of communication. The British commanders and Parliament had different views on what to do with the colonists. The commanders wanted to make peace with the Americans and therefore they weren’t so harsh with their attacks. On the other hand, Parliament wanted to force the colonists to be loyal, but the commanders thought otherwise.
In reply to Spencer's thought on the importance of the Declaration of Independence, I agree with you. It showed that the Americans were very serious about getting their independence.
Katrina Raskie Preview/ Predict: When i started to read Part 3- Revolution -i assumed that it would focus on specific actions that went on during the actual revolution. I predicted this because in previous sections it explained events that came before the actual revolution. Then i predicted that Part 4- Constitution-Making and War i predicted it would be about steps in the war for independence and different strategies for both sides. Vocabulary: A word that I didn't know was contemptible on page 77. I tried to figure it out by using context clues, but i couldnt. After looking it up, I found that it means despicable. Using the Past: In America's early days people had to fight hard to gain independence, but all peolpe were willing to do whatever it took to make it happen. Today, we can take a lot from this. In these hard times, if we all work together we can get out of it. Through their Eyes: I think that people thought America was a place of opportunity and expression without the controlling hand. After struggle, they began to colonize, start governments, and create a stable place to live. Although they were being controlled by Britian to such a great extent, they took whatever they could and built off it until they gained full independence. In response to Carolines differing perspectives, i really see where she is coming from with the miscommunication between British commanders and Parliament. Things may have gone differently if communication was better.
Preview/Predict: In section two I predict that the novel will explain what the colonies had to do to reach independence. I also predict that the novel will explain the different battles that occured during the war. Also in section two I think that it will explain how the colonies fought for there independance.
QUESTIONS: As I was reading the American Revolution section two there was one word that I didn't quite understand: loyalist. Once I did some research, I found out that a loyalist was actually a colonist who supported the way the British were handling the colonies. In fact, there were a lot of loyalists in the colonies, but they never came together to organize and fight the colonies.
Defering Perspectives: The American Revolution novel has mostly one main perspective which is the colonists but the novel also explains a little bit of the Britians perspective. The British were not used to "new ways" so they acted in ways that they always have for many years. The British have been a world power, and have been in control for many years having colonies all over the world. Since the colonies were in a new area that the British weren't fimilar the colonies had a greater chance of becoming indpendent unlike the other colonies over the world.
TURNING POINTS:
The beginning of the war was supposed to be easy for the British. They had the best army in the world at the time. However, they didn't know the terrain of the colonies and underestimated the colonies and their guerilla warfare style. They were really easy on hte colonies. The turning point of the war had to be when Washington crossed the Delaware and beat hte Hetians. At the time, America was desperate for a victory from a morale standpoint and a political standpoint. Washington put pressure on the british after that victory, which forced them back all the way to the Atlantic, where Cornwallis surrendered. The war was then over.
Questions: My main question for both of these sections was who thought of all this; who thought to make representatives, or who thought to write a constitution. another question i had was Why weren't there more fights over political leadership, how didn't the states just fall apart with greed for power.
Importance: One quote that i found on the last page before section four was from Thomas Jefferson speaking of what Britain was doing to america " a deliberate systematical plan of reducing us to slavery." this quote is all true Britain was treating america as if they were peasants and nothing more.
Through Their Eyes: on page 54 the book talks about the actions by the British to take control back form the rebels. A quote said by a British soldier after the battle of Bunker Hill says, " Never had the British army so ungenerous an enemy to oppose the american rifleman conceal themselves behind trees ect till an opportunity presents itself.... What an unfair method of carrying on a war" this style of warfare was uncommon to the British for they were used to fighting in an open area with fronts exchanging fire. In my opinion it doesn't seem so unfair.
in response to Alex's thought on the turning points of the war. Your right it was supposed to be really easy for the British but the were ignorant and under estimated the colonies.
Questions: The book talks about how royal government was displaced in a variety of ways, I'm wondering in what ways? They never say.
Evaluation: When I think about the overall two sections, I think about what if it never happened? The entire world would be different. We would most likely still be paying taxes in Britain. There MIGHT be slavery still going on, and you never know how the entire world would be. Africa could have been the biggest super power for all we know. All of this information, well most of it, is overall new to me. I never knew much about the certain battles that went on, just about the basic story of how our country started.
Cause and Effect: Thomas Paine wrote the pamphlet, Common Sense. It resulted in people understanding that fancy quotes and long words that were used in politics were not as important as honesty and sincerity.
Using The Past: We can use the past to not make mistakes in the future. The past actually guides many things that we do today. Like warfare for example, the skill of taking a shot and retreating behind a fortrace until taking down your enemy is something we still do today in wars. It's still a skill that even police officers use when trying to take a dangerous person down.
I strongly agree with Ian when referring to the fairness of the type of warfare they used. It was something new, yes, but that does not make it unfair in any means.
Miranda Resch Preview/ Reading thoughts: Before reading I looked at the titles and depicted their meaning and what it I thought that section 3 would be reading was about. From “Revolution” I was able to predict that I would discussing the steps to the revolution; such as events leading to revolting and the Declaration of Independence. Section 4 I predicted would be about how the 13 colonies came together and formed a plan to start a war against England. Questions: Why is it that those living in America claimed that all of their problems were a result of King George III? An example of this is stating in the Declaration of Independence that the reason there were slaves in America was because of King George III. How could that be his fault? Reading like a Historian: This section was a very important part of the book because before the Declaration of Independence the 13 colonies was just that, 13 separate states that refused to get along. I agree with Nick and Alex in saying that the Declaration wasn’t just a document. It joined many people together to work for one cause in which they all believed in and that was their freedom. This is something in which continues to make our country strong; many different people with one very strong belief.
Prediction: I predicted that in these two parts it would go into more details like specific dates of certain battles but one thing that surprise me. I didn't know that so many people, even the everyday, normal people, were doing anything they can to get someone kind of political power. I learned a lot about the Revolution but I never knew that the people would go to such lengths to gain power and at such a crucial time too.
Question: My only one question is that why would General Benedict Arnold betray the Colonists and Congress to the British when the tide of the battles and war is shifting in favor of the Colonist and Congress. He would have been better off if he didn't resort to treason because he is a brilliant battlefield commander. I know that he didn't like the way the other generals were treating him but in my opinion, he should have just stuck with America.
Turning Point: It says on page 81 at the bottom of the page that at Saratoga was the turing point because of some of their losses showed maybe that they didn't have the might or power for the re-conquest of America. This is a huge deal because it is the British, at the time the most powerful and basically conquered everyone else, and they are have troubles dealing with the Americans, who had to start everything from the beginning like supplying artillery, food, and rely up untrained people to be in an army. It just goes to show that they really believed in their cause a lot and never gave up that they were able to gain their independence from the British. Well also thanks to the generals who contributed greatly to the war and the three diplomats who were able to convince Great Britain to recognize their independence and also extending the boundaries much further than what France and the Spanish were really going to give them.
Reading Thought #1 – Big Idea / Generalizations This section seemed to focus on a lot of the political ideas at this time. It is interesting to note that during that time the colonialists feared giving the governors too much control and intensely wanted the power to remain within the states. I had no idea before I read the book that at one time states could declare war. It was also interesting to see that the Articles of Confederation were not accepted immediately by everyone. This is a document that made the United States the United States, but there were a few hold out for a few years. When you look at politics in the United States today you see many of the same battles….battles for the power, how much power they have and whether an issue should be handled federally or at the state level. Generally, one can say that political issues do not change but only the names of the issues do.
Reading Thought #2 – Importance This section of the book focused a lot of attention on state constitutions versus the need for a unified constitution for all of the states. There were two main points in this section. In my opinion, the first point was the need for balance. The states struggled with the desire to write their own laws with the need for general laws. No one wanted what they had with England, but at the same time they could not all remain self-contained within each state. Again, in my opinion, the entire section focused on the need for balance - how to stay away from the old system, create a new system that satisfied the needs of the colonials and make the colonies an international force. The second point that the author demonstrated was learning. The states had to go through a process of trial and error to get to the system that we ultimately have today. Initially the states thought they wanted all the control contained in each state. They even wrote the laws so that each individual state could declare war…..in the end this system became chaotic and messy.
Reading Like a Historian Category #1 – Turning Points One of the turning points in this section was during the actual war. Initially the war was fought by Washington from a defensive stand. In the beginning of the war Britain was “destined to win”….they were the most powerful nation in the world. It was 11 million people versus 2.5 million in the colonies. On page 81 of the book, Wood says, “Saratoga was the turning point. It suggested that reconquest of America might be beyond British strength.” It also became the time when the colonists began believing that they also could win their independence.
Category #2 – Cause and Effect The Articles of Confederation did not create a national government. Instead the main law making and governing was still held in each individual state. The cause of this distinction was the fear of re-creating the British Empire and control. The effect was that there was no centralized government as we know it today. The book described it as similar to the European Union – each state like a separate country.
Comment: In the previous post by Nao Shoua Thor, the question that was asked regarding Benedict Arnold was the same question that I had while reading the book. Why did he change sides it he saw the tide turning? As I thought about it some more it occurred to me that information probably moved at a very slow pace. When a battle was being fought in one area, how long did it take to reach another battlefield? I also wonder what happened to Benedict Arnold after the war.
Preview/predict: The titles of the chapters and the orders in which they are presented suggest that while america declared its independence, it really had no major government organizations to control after the british were out. this means that at the same time that they were fighting the war, they were also struggling to find organisation.
Importance: The main point in these chapters is that americans believed that law should be a set thing, that cannot be easily changed to suit whoever requires that change. This is shown through the many legal documents that americans made. In Britain law was just always known, but not truly written down. Americans saw this as a way for corruption to ensue, so they decided that constitutions and other legal documents were required for a just legal system.
Cause and Effect: Not only did the injustices already done to the colonists, but also the fear of tyranny in the future caused the colonists the write the declaration of independence. The fear of further corruption in the newly established colonial government caused the colonists to create many new constitutions to safe guard against it.
Turning point: The major turning point that pushed the colonists into the revolution is that since britain believed that the only way to stop a revolt was that they needed to place a policing force in the colonies, which was the last straw that the colonists could take. Since the British were so unwelcoming to the colonists demands, they pretty much dug themselves into a hole which they couldn't get out of.
Comment: as to brianna's comment on the battle of saratoga, you said that one battle was what made American's believe that they could win the war, however i disagree as i believe that if american's didnt have hope before then, then the war would have ended with america surrendering.
Vocabulary: In this section of the book there were quite a few words I wasn't sure of. One was "gubernatorial" (found on page 67) it means of or relating to a state governor or the office of state governor.
Preview/Predict: Part 3 Revolution- I predicted that the author would break down each different part of the American Revolution. It went into much greater detail then I expected including some details about the approach of their independence and also even further the Declaration of Independence. Part 4 Constitution Making and War- I wasn't really sure what to expect from this part. But once I got further into the part it talked about the War of Independence and even talked about the Articles of Confederation.
Thinking Like A Historian
Using the Past: We have defiantly learned a lot from the past. Weather it be fighting styles in army or government. One thing was fighting styles. The British soldiers wore red coats and marched in lines. As apposed to the colonist with there more am-mature style. Now we sort of have that same style as the colonist.
Differing Perspectives: A major example of this is when writing the Declaration of Independence there were many different perspectives on what to put and include into it. One that was controversial was slavery. There were people for it or very against it. American Leaders said that not including it would be against everything the revolution was about. In my opinion, the American Leaders are correct. Not including them is a double standard.
Comment: I agree with Allie Folino comment on the Differing Perspective. She went more towards the government part of it and I agree with her.
Wasana Pinsonneault
ReplyDeleteQuestions: What were the Coercive Acts of 1774? I had a hard time reading this part, it was confusing for me, and reading it over and over again made it more confusing.
Vocabulary: “Tories” p. 58 Explanation 1: a member of the Conservative Party in Great Britain or Canada. Explanation 2: a member of a political party in Great Britain from the late 17th century to about 1832 that favored royal authority over Parliament and the preservation of the existing social and political order: succeeded by the Conservative party.
Through Their eyes:
People in the past viewed their world as if it was a baby. America’s independence was all new and these people that were determined to make it work didn’t necessarily know each other or were best friends but they had to work together to reach a common goal; freedom. These people had to take care of America and set forth laws, taxes. It was as if everyone who was designated “powerful” were new parents because creating a new country is not something that happens daily.
Their worldview directed their actions towards a goal of freedom.
Change and Continuity:
America’s Independence has changed, this was shown by the Declaration of Independence in 1776. (p.47) This separated Britain from the new found America.
Each colony remained independent instead of joined together like what was intended p. 48 This created more controversy and eventually the colonies worked on creating a united nation.
The citizens of America have benefited from the change because it means more freedom for them and does not attach them to Britain. P. 48
Alyssa Campbell
ReplyDeletePreview: Previewing part 3, Revolution, I figured that it would break down the different parts of the revolution. It got more in depth about the approach to the Independence, and the Declaration of Independence. Part 4, Constitution-Making and War, I previewed and knew it would talk about the Articles of Confederation, and the War for Independence.
Questions: What were the Coercive Acts of 1774 and how did they provoke open rebellion in America? I searched and found that the Coercive Acts is another name for the Intolerable Acts. They were a series of laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 relating to Britain's colonies in North America. Such as They Boston Tea Party, The Stamp Act, and the Quebec Act. They Caused rebellion because many colonists viewed them as a violation of their rights.
Vocabulary: A Corporate Charter is a document or file with a U.S. state by a corporations founders, describing the purpose, place of business, and other details of a corporation. Also called incorporation or charter.
Kaosheng Thao
ReplyDeleteReading thoughts: As i continue to read chapter 3 Revolution, i predicted that it would talk more about the different sections of the American Revolution. Example: it broke down to the approach to independence, then the Declaration of Independence, then an asylum for liberty. The Declaration of Independence was talked about a lot in this chapter. "...America was the only place where a free popular press still existed and where the people could still elect representatives who spoke for them and them only."(pg.62) this passage was about Americans now believing that America may actually be an free, independent place to stay. In chapter 4 Constitution-Making and War, i could picture the part on page 83 when the author was talking about how the British was using their new strategy, which was to leave Philadelphia and take a defensive position in New York and Rhode Island. This was a motion picture for me, i could see the British turning around and making a new plan, but in the end, they still lost the long war against us.
Reading like a Historian: How the people in the past viewed their world was simple. For the British they pretty much wanted to rule the whole world. But the Americans wanted peace and freedom.
The British took over Charleston, South Carolina on May 12, 1780 when General Benjamin Lincoln and his American army of 5,500 surrender. This was the most loss of soldiers in the whole war. But this decision of surrendering to the British didn't affect the future because even with the greatest loss of American soldiers on that day, America still won the war.
And same with Wasana and Alyssa, i didn't understand or know what were the Coercive Acts of 1774 either. But i looked it up and found out that it was just the acts, bills, and laws that was passed by the British Parliament in 1774.
Becca Wittek
ReplyDeletePreview/Predict:
Part 3- Revolution - As I began to read this section, it predicted that it would go in depth into the actions and steps that took place during the actual revolution whereas sections one and two focused on the events that lead up to it. It included more detail than I thought it would because it also went into detail about how America went about gaining its independence.
Part 4- Constitution-Making and War. I had a harder time predicting what this section would be about because I didn't connect until I read about it that the war they were referring to was the War for Independence which they went into great detail about. This section also talked about the Articles of Confederation.
Vocabulary:
I didn't know what the word "seditious" meant, so I looked it up and it brought me to the word "sedition" which means the rebellion against the government and any action, especially in speech or writing, promoting the discontent or rebellion. (word found on p. 53)
Another word I didn't know was "gubernatorial" which is an adjective that means "of or pertaining to a governor or the office of state governor." (word found on p. 67)
Reading Like a Historian:
Using the Past:
When America was in its earliest stages, people were working very hard to make it a success. They had to fight very hard to become independent but everyone wanted it to happen so they did their best to make it so. We can learn from this by realizing that if we want something bad enough, we are going to have to work for it. The past can help us to make sense of the present because we can learn from the mistakes that were made in the past to hopefully produce a greater present.
Through their Eyes:
I feel that people viewed America as a great opportunity for everyone. They viewed it as a way to freely express themselves without being held down by Britain. They worked hard at it and began to build the foundations of governments, towns, etc. Their actions and choices were greatly limited because of Britain, but they took what they could get and ran with it and eventually gained their independence.
Becca Wittek
ReplyDeleteI had a hard time understanding what they meant when they were talking about the Coercive Acts too, but, in response to Wasana's question, I looked it up.
The Coercive Acts were another name for the Intolerable Acts. The Acts were passed in response to the Boston Tea Party. One of The Acts, for example, included the Boston Port Act, which closed the Boston Port until the King felt that he had been repaid for the lost tea that was dumped into the harbor.
Many people, in response, objected that these acts were a violation of their natural rights.
I also agree with Wasana's comparison of America to a baby. It is a very creative way of looking at the situation.
Darian Woller
ReplyDeleteEvaluation:
One historical event that impacted the civil war for America was the fact that the Declaration of Independence exempt the fact that 1/5 of their population was slaves/African Americans. If they would have cleared that contradiction and crime, Civil War would have been possibly stopped from ever occurring. In addition it would have also more than likely ended the civil right movement and human right cruelty.
Vocabulary:
One word that puzzled me while reading was unicameral (pg. 73) which after looking up in the dictionary stated that it was “having or consisting of a single legislature".
Through Their Eyes:
I believe that through the eyes of America their thought of the revolution was in fact that they were introducing a new world. What i mean by that is the world to America was absent of Freedom with oppression being everywhere. So in return fighting for their freedom showed that it was acceptable for the rest of the world to things that were wrong. Also they made America an "asylum" for all who are treated unfairly in the world.
Change and Continuity:
Starting with continuity, one thing that has remained the same in America is how the government is divided with each branch. Also a central government stayed intact as well, unlike the confederation which lost its power later after the revolution. Some changes though were of course are the relationship between U.S.A. and the British which now they are very close allies. Lastly another change is the form of how the states were held together since back then they were a confederation and now we are a federation.
Comment:
I agree with Becca that America in many people's perspective was an opportunity to have the freedom of expression and beliefs compared to everywhere else in the world.
Nick Sierakowski
ReplyDeletePreview:
I predicted part 3 titles "Revolution" would discuss the stratagy of how to approach declaring independence and the Declaration of Independence itself. I predicted part 4 would be about how the states seperately prepared, how the colonies together prepared, and the actual war.
Importance:
As the Declaration of Independence was being put together by the Continental Congress in 1776, they drafted it as thirteen united States of America which act as free and independant states. As the war waged on and the colonies proved to have a fighting chance, they started to come together and act as one force against the British. The ratification of the Articles of Confederation and the signing of the document as the "United States of America" unified all the colonies and showed the world that if wanted bad enough, anything is possible. In my eyes, along with winning the war was the most important thing that happened in this era.
Through Their Eyes:
If I were a red coat coming over from England during this war, I would be frustrated and angry with the guerrilla warfare style of fighting. This untraditional way of fighting would give the rebels an advantage and eventually allow them to win the war.
Using The Past:
We can use the past to look at the different fighting styles of each side. The British wore bright red coats which stuck out like a sore thumb and fought the traditional way of standing in a line and firing. The Americans wore colors which blended with the surrounding enviroment and tried to be sneaky about their attacks. Obvioiusly, we learned which fighting technique is better and what not to do in a time of war.
Comment:
I agree with Darian in saying that many changes have happened since the Revolution and one of the most important is that the U.S and England are once again close allies.
Alexandra Folino
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts-
1)PREVIEW/PREDICT
Section 2 (chapters 3 & 4) are entitled The Revolution and Constitution – Making and War. Just like I did in blog 1, I went back and looked over the Table of Contents and Chronology to predict what was going to occur in the book. I predicted that these chapters was where the turning point would occur, with the colonists fed up with taxation without representation. I also know that it would involve the creation of the Declaration of Independence.
2)IMPORTANCE
As I began to read chapter 4, I thought of how important the beginnings were that eventually formed to make our Constitution today. This was where “government under the authority of the people” started from. These men made it obvious that “rule under the crown should be suppressed” which we had been fighting for all along. This time was so important as the Revolution was going on. The colonies wanted to push out tyranny once and for all. In the book the author also made note that “although they knew they would establish their own republics, they didn’t know precisely which forms of government they should take. This was another reason as to why this time was very important.
Thinking Like a Historian
1)DIFFERING PERSPECTIVES
Common Sense by Thomas Paine is a great differing perspective example as It was in opposition to the opinion of George III’s. In the pamphlet, writing in the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the opinion of a colonist is given. Paine argued that British rule was unnecessary and our independence was crucial. Part of the reason it was so popular was that Paine wrote it so the common man would be able to read it without any Latin quotations but still using aspects of western culture.
2)USING THE PAST
As the Central government was forming and the Articles of Confederation were being written, leaders had to use the tyranny of England as a learning lesson of what they knew they didn’t want for the future of our country. Even though the Articles were an “extraordinary degree of political, military, and economic power over Americans” they still failed. However, this is besides the fact that the United States were headed toward freedom and their own country that was to be very different than the monarchy in England.
-I found it interesting the Nick pointed out in "Using the Past" the colors of mens jackets in the war. It was something that I did not think about that he brought to my attention.
Hannah Mezei
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts-
Preview & Predict:
The sections for this part were Revolution and Constitution Making and War. I predicted this section would explain in greater detail the steps the colonists took towards independence and the actual revolution, as well as specific information on certain battles during the war and constitutions made by the colonists during their fight for independence.
Importance:
The information I found the most important in the section Revolution was that the start to their independence started with small rebellions and people speaking out about the idea of independence. Then on July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was formally written, and then little changes changed to big changes into actually becoming fully and officially independent from Britain. The section Constitution Making and War talked about how each state made separate constitutions and were basically just independent states unified very loosely. Until the Articles of Confederation, states weren't considering themselves together in the union. Congress needed a basis for its authority.
Reading Like a Historian-
Differing Perspectives:
This book is written from mainly the colonists perspective, but it also shows a little from Britain's views. Everything Britain did, they did because it's what they've always done.. They've been the greatest power in the world for a long time and got used to being in charge, and everything being done when they said it. However, being in a new country, colonists got very independent and annoyed with all of Britain's ruling over them. Also, like Nick said above, Britain thought the guerrilla warfare was unfair, just because they've always fought open battles face to face. It's almost as if Britain wasn't used to or even open to change.
Turning Points:
During the fighting, Britain came into it thinking it would be a short, easy victory. Because of this, the first generals tried to be easy on the rebels, hoping that they might give in and mend things with the mother country. However, after discovering that British troops didn't know the terrain they were fighting on, and the rebels guerrilla warfare style, they went to a more aggressive fighting approach. When commander Cornwallis of the British Army withdrew to Virginia, Britain lost the war. One simple move like that gave the Americans the opportunity they needed. Cornwallis surrendered and America gained their independence.
Comment on Someone Else's Post:
I found it interesting how Alexandra realized in "Importance" that during this time the colonists weren't only fighting a war for independence, but were also creating a very futuristic form of government that was by and for the people.
Peyton Stefan
ReplyDeletePredict: At the beginning of section three, entitled "Revolution", I predicted the colonists were going to demonstrate their irascible feelings toward Britain by preparing an action plan that would create a path allowing them to break away from the British government and be their own country. After glancing over the subtitles, my prediction was reinforced by the agname, "The Declaration of Independence". I then knew this section would be about the settler's decision to gain freedom from British control.
Visualize: On page 108, it is said that an educated gentleman named William Henry Drayton, who was an Oxford-trained landowner, was participating in government, "...with men who knew only how to cut up a beast in the market or to cobble an old shoe." During this explanation I envisioned chaos and frustration resulting in harsh tempers among government members. I thought about how I would feel if I was an educated politician in a room with inexperienced commoners. I believe it would be difficult to make decisions and accomplish goals when not everyone is on the same page referring to the understanding of politics and degree of education.
Change and Continuity: In section three, “Revolution”, the colonist’s government was described as having many different social groups to represent every aspect of the community. Having each element of society represented ensured the settlers that their opinions and beliefs would be shared and fought for. Today, this has changed into more organized groupings of people that we know as our representatives. Instead of having several groups of people, some educated and informed and others not, everyone over the age of 18 is given the opportunity to vote for a representative of their choice who embodies their values and beliefs and who they trust to do their best in government. These changes allow for our government to be centered on a democracy and also ensure that each individual is given the opportunity to voice their opinions.
Turning Points: As shown by the early and unorganized system of government in section three, “Revolution”, the soon to be Americans were in need of a change. This process of trial and error allowed for a system of voting to be incorporated so that less chaos would be created among individuals. This turning point can be seen today in our unique system of voting by the use of ballots, whether paper or electronic.
Comment: I agree with Nick when he says that the Declaration of Independence was not just a document, but that it was an agreement that bound separated states into the united force that we know as America.
Emilee Mytinger
ReplyDeletePreview/Predict:
Just by the title of the chapter I figured that it would be about the colonies becoming independent from Britain and how they did that I also thought that the events would be brief and not so detailed.
Questions:
What were the Coercive Acts and how specifically did they effect the colonies final decision to start a revolution and declare their independence from Britain? I found that the Coercive Acts were also called the Intolerable Acts and were series of laws passed by the Parliament that angered the Colonies. Some of these acts were the Massachusetts Government Act and the Boston Port Act.
Cause and Effect:
The Colonies started their independence from Britain because of the Intolerable acts and many other mistreatments to them by the Parliament. Since fighting had broken out in Boston, Britain sought to isolate the problem by punishing the colonies. They developed the Coercive Acts and used British military to arrest the rebel leaders. These actions affected the future of the Colonies by starting the battle at Lexington, which killed and injured over 200 people. British forces later attempted many attacks on the Colonies which resulted in about 1,000 British deaths. This was the first formal battle of the revolution. Soon after George III accused the Colonies of aiming at independence. Finally the Declaration of Independence was created.
Vocabulary:
Long-Latent (p.51) which means something is present but not visible or went unnoticed for a long period of time.
Hayden Witucki
ReplyDeleteBig Idea/Generalizations:
"committes... leveid taxes...organized milliia...and supervised or closed courts...Royal governors stood by in helpless amazement." (48) I think the bigger image here is that the colony's governements was beginning to overrun the power of Great Britain. I also believe that this was a big moment or realization of how powerful America was becoming to the British. As the British could only watch and do nothing.
Change and Continuity:
With the Coervice Acts of 1774, many things changed. A major change was the colonists feelings towards Britain. The change went from bad to worse, as the colonists continued despising the world power. Since the Coercive Acts were such a big turning point towards the revolution, not much remained the same. A beneficiary of the change was America as the Coercive Acts united the patriots with a common enemy: Great Britain. Great Britain didn't benefit from the colonists growing intimidation. The Coercive Acts were the breaking point that started the Revolutionary War.
Cause and Effect (of the Intolerable Acts):
A cause of the Intolerable Acts was the Boston Tea Party. This led to the creation of the Ccoercive Acts and the closing of Boston Harbor. The straw that broke the camel's back and forced the Boston Tea Party were taxes. The Americans supported change, demanding less strict taxes declaring, "no taxation, without representation." The intentional effect of the Boston Tea Party was the placement of the Coercive Acts on the colonists, heightening their rage and readying them for conflict.
Prediction:
When fighting broke out in Boston in April of 1775, what the British thought to be on quick swipe of the patriots quickly ecame something more. I predicted that the one battle of Concord with 273 Redcoats abd 95 Patriots dead was to much death to be shrugged off and that the British could'nt do anything at this point, as they had already had plenty of chances of calming the colonists. I was right. No treatys were given, war was raged, and the Patriots became free.
Comment: Hannah Mezei, Differing Perspectives.
I agree with you. Along with Britain thinking that the Patriots tactics were unfair, i believe that they went in their expecting a quick war, that lasted years. I think they underestimated the colonists and most definitely their tactics, which gave the Patriots an immeditate advantage.
Natalie Schael
ReplyDeleteREADING THOUGHTS
Importance: When reading the next part of the book one quote really stood out to me; “…John Burgoyne, put it, that no numbers of ‘untrained rabble’ could ever stand up against ‘trained troops’” (p.54). This is important because John Burgoyne makes the British seem as if they are invincible and cannot be defeated. Yet, ironically after he said this, the British forces attempted a series of attacks that, although were successful, cost them 1,000 British casualties. And at the battle of Bunker Hill the British “…suffered their heaviest losses in what would become a long and bloody war” (p.54). So it’s important to understand that even though the British had more intelligence, it does guarantee them to be better than less skilled peoples and it doesn’t mean that they can’t be defeated in some manner(s).
Questions: In the original draft of the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson included a section that blamed George III for the slave trade; my question is how can he blame the king? Regarding slaves and slave trade, many states engaged in this act, it was not just specifically the king.
THINKING LIKE A HISTORIAN
Cause and Effect: The cause was the Coercive Acts of 1774 to which the effect was that more rebellions occurred. Specifically, committees came together and “…manipulated voters, directed appointments, organized the militia, managed trade, intervened between creditors and debtors, levied taxes, issued license and supervised or closed the courts” (p.48). Another effect was the First Continental Congress which was held in September 1774 in Philadelphia; here, Samuel Adams, John Adams (from Massachusetts) and Patrick Henry and Richard Henry Lee (from Virginia) led resistance to the Coercive Acts.
Perspectives: Pertaining to slavery in the Declaration of Independence most people had the view of not including them in the declaration because slavery was part of everyday life, it was “a national institution” (p. 57) and most Americans benefited from it in some way. On the other hand, every American leader understood that “…its continued existence violated everything the Revolution was about” (p.57). Personally, I agree with the American leaders’ perspective. The Revolution was all about independence, for everyone. However, keeping slaves denied independence to blacks therefore violating the goal of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolution.
--Hayden, you were right that as the realization that America was becoming very powerful the British could not do anything but stand by and watch it unfold; I would add that as they watched what America was becoming they didn’t do anything partly because they were in such awe that something like this could happen. Also, your prediction was the same as mine. The battle at Concord was too much to just shrug off and that the British had wasted all of their chances of calming the colonists. Everything concerning peace was over and war was on.
Alexis Phaneuf
ReplyDeletePredicting: Going into section III Revolution, I made the assumption that these next couple chapters would be, obviously, about the revolution. But also, about how the revolution in it's entirety was broken down. Before I started reading the section, I also made the prediction that the declaration of independence would be talked about more in depth, and I was right. I was very happy to find that they talked about it more, because I had forgotten most of the small details about the document and how important it was to the revolution.
Importance: Bringing up the Declaration of Independence again, I found that this was a very important and key event/document in our nation's history. It was the building blocks of our society, and stated our freedom from britain.
Differing perspectives: I believe that this is mostly in the eyes of the colonists, and that the author did a good job in expressing both sides, the colonists and the british. I also feel that the author did a good job on discribing how the colonists felt about the british and how their anger drove their efforts to rebel the british tyrany.
Using the Past: In my opinion, I think that we can use the drive that the colonists had to influence our own lives. It took the colonists years to gain their independence, but sooner or later they got their freedom. I also agree to what Alex said earlier about how they used their knowledge about how the king ruled, and made sure that they ruled a completely different way for the improvement of their society. Today, we can use the history of how the king treated the colonists as a reminder of what we can do as a nation.
In response to Natalie's post, I found it very interesting how you put the slaves perspective in your post. Most perspective posts are about the colonists or the king, but yours was very original.
Zachary Bluestein
ReplyDeleteImportance: A fair portion of this segment was devoted to explaining and revealing colonial ideas about their new government. Although this was studied last year in 9th grade American Institutions, I still think that what they were thinking at the time affected us and our government as well as the world and its spread of democracy. Pages 110-113 described how the distasteful and arrogant acts of the British left the colonists creating their own informal governments that assumed all of the powers that had been exercised by the British, but, in a much more democratic and respectful way. The colonists were that devoted to separating themselves from the oppressing British that informal governments actually worked. If, at school, there were no teachers, do you think that us students could handle a democracy like that on our own? Of course not. The feeling of desire for justice, liberty, and humanitarian rights were popular among the colonists and was probably why they could work together in such a way and why our government was set up the way it was -- in a way that protects everyone's rights.
Visualize: I can, while recalling memories of paintings of the colonists, visualize the committees going about their governmental business and the eager farmers all so excited to stand up and state their opinion in the way that they have never done before. In my mind, they are all sitting down on wood benches or stranding up, crowded towards the back while there is a table for the heads of the committee sitting in the front of the room. To me, this reminds me also of the rooms of congress and rooms for judicial proceedings, which is most likely no coincidence.
Change and Continuity: After the Articles of Confederation were in place, many things changed. The colonists were no longer able to to control themselves in their individual states as they used to -- instead, they had to follow the direction of a higher power that had to meet the needs of the entire country. The Confederation now was the one that had the power to levy war, sign treaties, and other powers that the states had been used to themselves. However, due to a common fear of a strong central government, most final decision making was left to the states. This made Congress less of a power and more of an alliance between the states so that they did not separate. Eventually,, this would be changed with the Constitution, but that happens many years later.
Using the past: Obviously, the colonists' experiences and struggles in the 17th century have greatly affected our government today. Our executive power has many limits on his possible affects on our legislative and judicial power, as well as having to be elected. This is because of the kind's relentless and excessive use of influence on the rest of the government. Like the parliament, we elected senators/representatives to create our laws. However, we do it with much more public input. People in America are guaranteed humanitarian rights as well as other freedoms that allow them to peruse happiness in a way that was rare at the time.
Commenting on Natalie Schael's post about Cause and Effect: Like you said, the Coercive act was really what pushed the colonists over the edge and is probably what angered them enough to start governing themselves. This caused the effect of true revolution against the British.
Preview: It was rather obvious that these sections would be about the revolution and the Constitution, but it thoroughly discussed the official call for independence (The Declaration Independence)and the initial government of the United States (The Articles of Confederation).
ReplyDeletePerspectives: Some different perspectives were the different reasons for fighting the war. The colonists had a specific reason for fighting the war, they wanted independence because they felt that the British were abusing their power. However, the British, never had a clear cut reason to be fighting the America. Basically, the Colonists had everything to fight for, while the British were just along for the ride.
Importance: The Declaration of Independence was extremely import because it literally created our country. It officially said that we were independent from Great Britain, and that we were our own, new nation.
Using the past: I think we should learn from the colonists perseverance. They never gave up, no matter how badly the were beat, because they couldn't, because if they did, their whole cause would be defeated. That is something I think we take for granted today.
I agree with Hannah Mezei when she said that the British were expecting a quick and easy war with the Americans, they underestimated them, and in the end, were defeated because of it.
Spencer Ahles
ReplyDeletePredict/Preview
When I saw that the third chapter was titled Revolution, I predicted that this chapter would go into more depth into each individual event leading up to the revolution. Chapter four is titled Constitution-Making and War. I predicted that this chapter would tell more about how the colonies would come together to form and prepare for war and also about the specific events in the war.
Importance
The most important thing that came across to me in this section was the Declaration of Independence. The most important thing that the declaration did was that it officially stated our independence and separation from Britain along with stating America’s philosophy of human rights. It also became one of the most important if not the most important document in American history. One other thing that stood out to me is how the small battles that were occurring had a strong effect in the idea of independence in the colonies and how that eventually affected the Declaration of Independence.
Differing Perspectives
In chapter three Thomas Paine’s pamphlet titled Common Sense was brought up. The pamphlet showed anger towards George III and Britain and he called for independence as soon as possible. When Paine wrote these he did it from a common person’s perspective and he wrote it for other common people. He avoided using Latin quotations and fancy words. His pamphlet became the most popular pamphlet of the Revolutionary era. Although he was criticized by some, Paine showed common people that they could have opinions in politics and he helped alter many people’s opinions about the idea of a Revolution.
Through Their Eyes
I think that if I were an American militia man during the war that I wouldn’t be as confident as one would think. I would be very intimidated by the British army. They had been the best army in the world for a long period of time. I believe that many people had that same idea back then and that is why they started using untraditional ways of warfare to try to gain an advantage. The British army was very well trained and everyone was lined up perfectly. If the American army did the same they would lose the war soon, but instead they started using a warfare style were they are hidden and aren’t lined up in straight lines.
Responding to Zachary Bluestein’s comments on Using the Past, I agree that the colonist’s struggles still have an impact on our government today. I think that when they saw the British government leaders abusing their power that they wanted to create a system were that would be impossible for a leader to get to much power.
Caroline Gasao
ReplyDeletePreview/Predict: In the first draft of the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson, the section on slavery was removed. It spoke about how terrible the slave trade was, but the section was removed because the colonists themselves had slaves. I predicted that this was a small spark to what would happen in the future – the slaves would break free.
Importance: In May of 1776, the Continental Congress suggested that each colony make state constitutions and exclaimed that any authority from England should be ignored. This is significant because it shows that the colonists’ were taking leadership roles and were showing independence which is exactly what they wanted.
Through Their Eyes: Much of the battles in the Revolution took place in America. This must’ve been very difficult for the British soldiers because they didn’t know the terrain as well, and their homeland was miles across the sea, making it difficult for them to restock on supplies, such as food and ammo.
Differing Perspectives: During the Revolution, England seemed to have a lack of communication. The British commanders and Parliament had different views on what to do with the colonists. The commanders wanted to make peace with the Americans and therefore they weren’t so harsh with their attacks. On the other hand, Parliament wanted to force the colonists to be loyal, but the commanders thought otherwise.
In reply to Spencer's thought on the importance of the Declaration of Independence, I agree with you. It showed that the Americans were very serious about getting their independence.
Katrina Raskie
ReplyDeletePreview/ Predict: When i started to read Part 3- Revolution -i assumed that it would focus on specific actions that went on during the actual revolution. I predicted this because in previous sections it explained events that came before the actual revolution. Then i predicted that Part 4- Constitution-Making and War i predicted it would be about steps in the war for independence and different strategies for both sides.
Vocabulary: A word that I didn't know was contemptible on page 77. I tried to figure it out by using context clues, but i couldnt. After looking it up, I found that it means despicable.
Using the Past:
In America's early days people had to fight hard to gain independence, but all peolpe were willing to do whatever it took to make it happen. Today, we can take a lot from this. In these hard times, if we all work together we can get out of it.
Through their Eyes:
I think that people thought America was a place of opportunity and expression without the controlling hand. After struggle, they began to colonize, start governments, and create a stable place to live. Although they were being controlled by Britian to such a great extent, they took whatever they could and built off it until they gained full independence.
In response to Carolines differing perspectives, i really see where she is coming from with the miscommunication between British commanders and Parliament. Things may have gone differently if communication was better.
Alexandria Lee Fehlandt
ReplyDeleteSection Two:
Preview/Predict:
In section two I predict that the novel will explain what the colonies had to do to reach independence. I also predict that the novel will explain the different battles that occured during the war. Also in section two I think that it will explain how the colonies fought for there independance.
QUESTIONS:
As I was reading the American Revolution section two there was one word that I didn't quite understand: loyalist. Once I did some research, I found out that a loyalist was actually a colonist who supported the way the British were handling the colonies. In fact, there were a lot of loyalists in the colonies, but they never came together to organize and fight the colonies.
Defering Perspectives:
The American Revolution novel has mostly one main perspective which is the colonists but the novel also explains a little bit of the Britians perspective. The British were not used to "new ways" so they acted in ways that they always have for many years. The British have been a world power, and have been in control for many years having colonies all over the world. Since the colonies were in a new area that the British weren't fimilar the colonies had a greater chance of becoming indpendent unlike the other colonies over the world.
TURNING POINTS:
The beginning of the war was supposed to be easy for the British. They had the best army in the world at the time. However, they didn't know the terrain of the colonies and underestimated the colonies and their guerilla warfare style. They were really easy on hte colonies. The turning point of the war had to be when Washington crossed the Delaware and beat hte Hetians. At the time, America was desperate for a victory from a morale standpoint and a political standpoint. Washington put pressure on the british after that victory, which forced them back all the way to the Atlantic, where Cornwallis surrendered. The war was then over.
Ian Theiss
ReplyDeleteQuestions: My main question for both of these sections was who thought of all this; who thought to make representatives, or who thought to write a constitution. another question i had was Why weren't there more fights over political leadership, how didn't the states just fall apart with greed for power.
Importance: One quote that i found on the last page before section four was from Thomas Jefferson speaking of what Britain was doing to america " a deliberate systematical plan of reducing us to slavery." this quote is all true Britain was treating america as if they were peasants and nothing more.
Through Their Eyes: on page 54 the book talks about the actions by the British to take control back form the rebels. A quote said by a British soldier after the battle of Bunker Hill says, " Never had the British army so ungenerous an enemy to oppose the american rifleman conceal themselves behind trees ect till an opportunity presents itself.... What an unfair method of carrying on a war" this style of warfare was uncommon to the British for they were used to fighting in an open area with fronts exchanging fire. In my opinion it doesn't seem so unfair.
in response to Alex's thought on the turning points of the war. Your right it was supposed to be really easy for the British but the were ignorant and under estimated the colonies.
Sara Theobald
ReplyDeleteQuestions: The book talks about how royal government was displaced in a variety of ways, I'm wondering in what ways? They never say.
Evaluation: When I think about the overall two sections, I think about what if it never happened? The entire world would be different. We would most likely still be paying taxes in Britain. There MIGHT be slavery still going on, and you never know how the entire world would be. Africa could have been the biggest super power for all we know. All of this information, well most of it, is overall new to me. I never knew much about the certain battles that went on, just about the basic story of how our country started.
Cause and Effect: Thomas Paine wrote the pamphlet, Common Sense. It resulted in people understanding that fancy quotes and long words that were used in politics were not as important as honesty and sincerity.
Using The Past: We can use the past to not make mistakes in the future. The past actually guides many things that we do today. Like warfare for example, the skill of taking a shot and retreating behind a fortrace until taking down your enemy is something we still do today in wars. It's still a skill that even police officers use when trying to take a dangerous person down.
I strongly agree with Ian when referring to the fairness of the type of warfare they used. It was something new, yes, but that does not make it unfair in any means.
Miranda Resch
ReplyDeletePreview/ Reading thoughts:
Before reading I looked at the titles and depicted their meaning and what it I thought that section 3 would be reading was about. From “Revolution” I was able to predict that I would discussing the steps to the revolution; such as events leading to revolting and the Declaration of Independence. Section 4 I predicted would be about how the 13 colonies came together and formed a plan to start a war against England.
Questions:
Why is it that those living in America claimed that all of their problems were a result of King George III? An example of this is stating in the Declaration of Independence that the reason there were slaves in America was because of King George III. How could that be his fault?
Reading like a Historian:
This section was a very important part of the book because before the Declaration of Independence the 13 colonies was just that, 13 separate states that refused to get along. I agree with Nick and Alex in saying that the Declaration wasn’t just a document. It joined many people together to work for one cause in which they all believed in and that was their freedom. This is something in which continues to make our country strong; many different people with one very strong belief.
Nao Shoua Thor
ReplyDeletePrediction: I predicted that in these two parts it would go into more details like specific dates of certain battles but one thing that surprise me. I didn't know that so many people, even the everyday, normal people, were doing anything they can to get someone kind of political power. I learned a lot about the Revolution but I never knew that the people would go to such lengths to gain power and at such a crucial time too.
Question: My only one question is that why would General Benedict Arnold betray the Colonists and Congress to the British when the tide of the battles and war is shifting in favor of the Colonist and Congress. He would have been better off if he didn't resort to treason because he is a brilliant battlefield commander. I know that he didn't like the way the other generals were treating him but in my opinion, he should have just stuck with America.
Turning Point: It says on page 81 at the bottom of the page that at Saratoga was the turing point because of some of their losses showed maybe that they didn't have the might or power for the re-conquest of America. This is a huge deal because it is the British, at the time the most powerful and basically conquered everyone else, and they are have troubles dealing with the Americans, who had to start everything from the beginning like supplying artillery, food, and rely up untrained people to be in an army. It just goes to show that they really believed in their cause a lot and never gave up that they were able to gain their independence from the British. Well also thanks to the generals who contributed greatly to the war and the three diplomats who were able to convince Great Britain to recognize their independence and also extending the boundaries much further than what France and the Spanish were really going to give them.
Brianna Ziolkowski
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts
Reading Thought #1 – Big Idea / Generalizations
This section seemed to focus on a lot of the political ideas at this time. It is interesting to note that during that time the colonialists feared giving the governors too much control and intensely wanted the power to remain within the states. I had no idea before I read the book that at one time states could declare war. It was also interesting to see that the Articles of Confederation were not accepted immediately by everyone. This is a document that made the United States the United States, but there were a few hold out for a few years.
When you look at politics in the United States today you see many of the same battles….battles for the power, how much power they have and whether an issue should be handled federally or at the state level. Generally, one can say that political issues do not change but only the names of the issues do.
Reading Thought #2 – Importance
This section of the book focused a lot of attention on state constitutions versus the need for a unified constitution for all of the states. There were two main points in this section. In my opinion, the first point was the need for balance. The states struggled with the desire to write their own laws with the need for general laws. No one wanted what they had with England, but at the same time they could not all remain self-contained within each state. Again, in my opinion, the entire section focused on the need for balance - how to stay away from the old system, create a new system that satisfied the needs of the colonials and make the colonies an international force.
The second point that the author demonstrated was learning. The states had to go through a process of trial and error to get to the system that we ultimately have today. Initially the states thought they wanted all the control contained in each state. They even wrote the laws so that each individual state could declare war…..in the end this system became chaotic and messy.
Reading Like a Historian
Category #1 – Turning Points
One of the turning points in this section was during the actual war. Initially the war was fought by Washington from a defensive stand. In the beginning of the war Britain was “destined to win”….they were the most powerful nation in the world. It was 11 million people versus 2.5 million in the colonies. On page 81 of the book, Wood says, “Saratoga was the turning point. It suggested that reconquest of America might be beyond British strength.” It also became the time when the colonists began believing that they also could win their independence.
Category #2 – Cause and Effect
The Articles of Confederation did not create a national government. Instead the main law making and governing was still held in each individual state. The cause of this distinction was the fear of re-creating the British Empire and control. The effect was that there was no centralized government as we know it today. The book described it as similar to the European Union – each state like a separate country.
Comment:
In the previous post by Nao Shoua Thor, the question that was asked regarding Benedict Arnold was the same question that I had while reading the book. Why did he change sides it he saw the tide turning? As I thought about it some more it occurred to me that information probably moved at a very slow pace. When a battle was being fought in one area, how long did it take to reach another battlefield? I also wonder what happened to Benedict Arnold after the war.
Jason Parde
ReplyDeletePreview/predict: The titles of the chapters and the orders in which they are presented suggest that while america declared its independence, it really had no major government organizations to control after the british were out. this means that at the same time that they were fighting the war, they were also struggling to find organisation.
Importance: The main point in these chapters is that americans believed that law should be a set thing, that cannot be easily changed to suit whoever requires that change. This is shown through the many legal documents that americans made. In Britain law was just always known, but not truly written down. Americans saw this as a way for corruption to ensue, so they decided that constitutions and other legal documents were required for a just legal system.
Cause and Effect: Not only did the injustices already done to the colonists, but also the fear of tyranny in the future caused the colonists the write the declaration of independence. The fear of further corruption in the newly established colonial government caused the colonists to create many new constitutions to safe guard against it.
Turning point: The major turning point that pushed the colonists into the revolution is that since britain believed that the only way to stop a revolt was that they needed to place a policing force in the colonies, which was the last straw that the colonists could take. Since the British were so unwelcoming to the colonists demands, they pretty much dug themselves into a hole which they couldn't get out of.
Comment: as to brianna's comment on the battle of saratoga, you said that one battle was what made American's believe that they could win the war, however i disagree as i believe that if american's didnt have hope before then, then the war would have ended with america surrendering.
Mackenzie Biundo
ReplyDeleteReading Thoughts
Vocabulary: In this section of the book there were quite a few words I wasn't sure of. One was "gubernatorial" (found on page 67) it means of or relating to a state governor or the office of state governor.
Preview/Predict: Part 3 Revolution- I predicted that the author would break down each different part of the American Revolution. It went into much greater detail then I expected including some details about the approach of their independence and also even further the Declaration of Independence.
Part 4 Constitution Making and War- I wasn't really sure what to expect from this part. But once I got further into the part it talked about the War of Independence and even talked about the Articles of Confederation.
Thinking Like A Historian
Using the Past: We have defiantly learned a lot from the past. Weather it be fighting styles in army or government. One thing was fighting styles. The British soldiers wore red coats and marched in lines. As apposed to the colonist with there more am-mature style. Now we sort of have that same style as the colonist.
Differing Perspectives: A major example of this is when writing the Declaration of Independence there were many different perspectives on what to put and include into it. One that was controversial was slavery. There were people for it or very against it. American Leaders said that not including it would be against everything the revolution was about. In my opinion, the American Leaders are correct. Not including them is a double standard.
Comment: I agree with Allie Folino comment on the Differing Perspective. She went more towards the government part of it and I agree with her.
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