Here are some essay topics to consider prior to the test.
1) Considering the early history of the colonies (1607-1750), was revolution inevitable?
2) Evaluate Charles Beard's assessment of the cause of the American Revolution?
3) To what extent was British mismanagement responsible for the American Revolution?
4) Identify the three parts of the Declaration of Independence and the significance of each section.
5) Why is George Washington considered the indispensable figure of the American Revolution?
6) How did Saratoga change the outcome of the American Revolution?
7) In what manner did Ben Franklin help America gain its independence?
8) How did the Revolution change the social conditions for African Americans and women?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
"Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task." ~William James
138 comments:
do we answer the questions according to the book or what we think?
Emma,
For now, I would focus on what the book says. Once we have a number of perspectives, you can begin to put together your perspective.
When is said test again>?<
And we are having something on the book tomorow? or is that on the seventh? im so confused.... oh well i will just do my best.
So I was just reading in our book and it said only certain colonist were made to house troops under the Quartering act. which colonist were these? was it a substanial amount? Wasn't it against the English law (in either the Magna Carta, English Bill of Rights, or the Petion of Rights I cant remember) to make them house troops? If we'll cover this later just tell me to be patiant and I'll try to contain myself until then =] thanks
Ashley; it says right in the text of the book that Colonists were not given the rights of an English subject, and Mr. O said i class that the English thought that the colonists were a lesser class and not considered "british" but somthing seperate....
Mr. O if i got this wrong please correct me.
Ashley i hope this helps, i dont mean to sound snipy if i do.
Ry,
This is why the calendar is up in the room. The chapter is due on Friday and the test is somewhere around October 12th.
Ashley,
That is a fantastic observation. It was substantial in the sense that it was target "trouble makers." Remember how I mentioned that the Americans viewed themselves as British citizens. Well, the British didn't see it that way. Therefore, the quartering provisions you mention didn't apply to Americans.
Ry,
Well done. You beat me to it.
are these questions off of the chapter 7 reading?
Michaella,
Not all of them. A few of them apply to Chapter 7, a few to Chapter 8 and a few to lecture notes/activities in class
Did Grenville impose ALL of those Acts/Laws, etc?
In response to Natalies question,
No Greenville did not impose all those laws. As George III ran through his prime ministers, Geogre Greenville was dismissed in June of 1765. Hope that helps!
Laura
Excuse me, it was July of 1765.
Thanks Laura!
Mr. O. Who do you believe to be the most influential founder?
Mr. Rogers,
Hmm, interesting question. As it relates to American history and the Revolutionary era, my initial reaction is Washington. Franklin is awfully influential, as well. However, if you are looking at the effect on the world, Jefferson's Declaration sure is significant. Then again, Jefferson wrote it, but Adams is the reason the Declaration occurred, so who do you credit. Yup, ask a simple question and this is what you get.
do we have to answer these or are we just supposed to think about them and take notes on the reading?
Mr. O, are you going to collect the notes on the reading or do you just want us to be able to discuss chapter 7?
Mr, O.
This has no significance at all but, as I was reading "American Pageant" and it says that two red coats were found guilty of manslaughter for the Boston Massacre trial. Then the soldiers were released after being branded on the hand. That was not in the John Adams movie however. (Or I just missed it, but I doubt that) Is that just Hollywood or is there something more to it?
Just read and be prepared for a quiz
Texas textbooks just made 4th most read on BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11402606. interesting
Mr. O I was just wondering if on the test we should look out for questions about women, or canadians, or even canadian women on the test... thanks!
Deano,
If my suspicions are correct, you may be a princess.
Josh,
Interesting stuff. Just remember that Texas may not be whole enchilada...
Hey Mr. O,
I was just looking at the different Acts and I'm having a hard time understanding how giving Quebec religious freedom through the Quebec Act would upset the colonists.
MR. OOOOOOOO its Hanna R. and Althea and were trying to study for the quiz tomorrow annnnd i'm a little fuzzy on the exact thing we must know... is it basically chapter 7 and 8 names and dates? Are there going to be questions from our notes?
Haile,
The colonies had a strong anti-Catholic streak. This come from their anti-French approach in the century prior to the Revolution. Altheae-everything is fair game from notes and lecture. This is designed to encouraged you to have you ready for the content portion of the test.
Thank you so much Mr. O'Donnell for giving us the opportunity to retake our tests. As I know that's a lot of extra work on your part and many complications come about because of it. Thanks so much for caring enough to do that:) It was greatly appreciated.
Thanks Kylee. It looks like almost everyone improved their score. That makes it worthwhile.
Mr.O
I forgot exactly what we are supposed to do with the green boxes, i have gone through the reading but there are not enough books in it to fill all the blanks are we expected to go online and do resuch or use the text book or something?
Mr. O
for the "context of the author's era" box, would that be things like WWI and the great depression for the progressive authors, WWII for neo-con etc?
Yeah, i'm also fairly confused about this assignment. Is this sheet supposed to be filled out based on the white packet titled "American Profiles", the one that's first article is about Ben Franklin?
Addison,
the green sheet with the chart is for the historiography packet- "The American Revolution: Revolutioary or nonrevolutionary?"
Based on what I remember its not perfect.
Ryleigh I think he said that there were extras in class I am not sure, It does feel suspiciously like several of the same thing stapled together.
Justin The example he gave in class suggested exactly that to us. It is what I did anyways.
Addison I believe it has to do with the founders project. The paper on Ben Franklin was supposed to be a source for the founders project as well.
Still all of this is provided my memory serves me right.
Mr. O for question option # 2 on the test do you want us to say we disagree/agree and then explain why or do you want us to elaborate on each of his points behind his theory? Thanks Josh
Addison in case i misunderstood looking back
Green papers is for white reading packet
White paper with person and accomplishments is supposed to be for founders project.
hey mr. o, why deos the first possible topic in your docushare sheet have an astrix by it?
could that mean that we really should study that question?
Thank you Josh for paying attention in class. You have it down. The sheet of charts is applied to the revolutionary or not revolutionary packet. There will be extra spaces for many of you. A few overachievers may be able to break it up enough to get all of them filled but that is not necessary. Typically, the back page is mostly empty. The large biography packet is fro your founders project.
Justin-That would be fine, but I would like some explanation on how that might influence the author.
Emma-There is no special meaning for you. There will be in April of 2012.
was salutary neglect "repealed" by the king or was it a general consensus amoung the british elites that Britian needed more money and they were going to get it by cracking down on the regulations in the American colonies?
for #4, do we have to have a thesis for it? Cause it doesn't seem like it could have one..
Is it okay if on our green packet we have some blankes on some of them i cant find some things. Like on the book History of the United States View i cant find the school of history?
Kaylee,
For a few of them you have to infer the school of history from background knowledge. For the historian you are referring to, George Bancroft, I put traditional because he believed that the Colonies were for freedom (good) and Britain was a tyranny (evil), one of the main points of the traditional school of history.
Yeah, in the green boxed assignment, there's not too much involved but picking up the underlying themes of the different schools. Like, if one group of historians are really focused on class-conflicts, then you would probably want to make some connections to Progressives.
Kaylee,
Haile and Addison are on the right track with the schools of history.
Miles-The thesis is assumed within the questions.
What about Emma?
im having trouble coming up with ideas for #7. We won the battle of saratoga which finally convinced the french to enter the war on our sides, which gave us weapons, clothes blahblahblah. That helped us win the war. Is there something big im missing thats essential to this? cause i dont know if i could write a 4-5 page essay on that.
Mr. O
with the Great Leaders worksheet, does (ranked by importance) for offices held and achievements mean importance to the person or to the revolution?
Miles, you could look at his liberty parties from Pre-Saratoga. He essentially had the French Nobles hold parties where he collected donations. He also shipped supplies back he bought with that money. A key part of getting french aid was how he endeared himself to them. As Mr. O. said in our class. He recreated the Franklin as a sort of local hero. Almost every french home had a picture of him. He also saved our behind at the end of the war by getting the french to actually support our peace treaty. This is important because it kept the french from declaring war on us. (we had agreed to keep fighting until we signed a peace treaty jointly.) If we had done that it could have been possible that the ensuing alliance to France would have subjugated us politically. He also somehow got a six-million dollar loan out of them at the same time. You could say he didn't just save us from changing political masters but also benefited us out of the process. I hope that helps
Mr.O
On the first question, when you say the early history of the colonies do you mean, before the harsh taxes or after?
Oh, now I feel stupid. Thanks Josh.
thanks josh that helps a bunch. But i just realized i put #7 instead of #6 which is what question i really meant to ask about. wow do i feel stupid.
I completely agree with Miles. The impact of Saratoga is pretty fuzzy. Any help?
Okay, no clue why that says "dusted memories." It should say Elena.
I know we took notes on the declaration of independence in class but I'm still a little confused.
What exactly are the "three parts" of the declaration?
Hey Mr. O!
So I was doing some outlines and came upon question 8. I was wondering if these bucked ideas would best repersent the new changes for the minorities after the revolution. Start with the Refusal of Political Rights, then the Social Conflicts or Opinion, and then Dominance of Slavery. I would be weaving Beard throughout there and take some of what Zinn was saying. Any criticism, suggestions, etc? Thanks!
If some people are stuck on Question #8 and looking for a resource, here is a copy of Zinn online of what we read in class for some memory jogging. Its just a resource, not an answer.
http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/zinnkin5.html
Since I'm bored again and my last help failed somewhat. Saratoga had some effects that don't come to my mind immediately but I will list all that I can think of.
1. Morale. America Up. Brits way down. They offered us a peace treaty but we brought France on Board. Led to greater concessions from the British at wars end.
2. Open French support, and support from other nations. Need I elaborate?
3. You could say it really helped America's military in the north. 1 less British army and a surge in american volunteers. It also crushed a lot of British Strategic potential.
You could take it other ways too.
As far as Dec of Ind.
1. Preamble
We will do this, we will tell you why and then we will do it. We have a right to choose this
2. Reasons
You are terrible leaders. You violated are rights. We have been ignored.
3. Declaration
We conclude that separation is necessary.
Laura
You might want to mention that the British offered Freedom to slaves but were forced out of it. A lot of slaves tried to escape to Canada or for a few back to africa. (Mostly Sierra Leone)
Hope that helps
great resource Laura Thanks.
What are the 2 and 3 part of the Independence? I can only find what is significant about the first part. :/
Emma-It was a consensus between the King and Parliament, particularly with the conservative members of the Parliament.
Miles, Elena - Although Josh is hitting the French point pretty well, I think there are a couple of other ideas. I think he may be too narrow. For one point, take a look at what the victory did for America on the ground. It stopped the British from splitting the nation, it led to equipment and a morale boost. It also let to the elevation of both Arnold and Gates. On another point you may want to look at the long term effect on 1781-1783. 2nd battle lost, Whig takeover,negotiations,I answered number six on this one.
Justin-Don’t get too worked up about the ranking, but it is an interesting question that you ask.
Colin- I assume you saw the dates.
Laura-Nice source. For Q8, I might look at the seeds of change that are implemented. It will take generations, but the ideals of the Revolution will continue to inspire.
Ashlee, Kaylee- Kaylee see Josh’s answer above. Josh is right, but you will need much more detail to complete an essay.
Mr. O
do you jude the essay by page numbers at all? 'Cause I write really small...
for #1...could we use 3 reasons for the colonists leaving Britain in the first place for our 3 buckets, then compare those reasons to how they pushed te colonists all the way into revolution? the 3 reasons i had in mind were 1-religion controversy 2-monarchs expansion of land and 3-the longing for new land and advnture. would that work or no?
Justin - Not at all. I am watching for analysis, organization, and content.
Amber- I am not sure that those are the actual reasons for the revolution. Pt 1 is an issue, but a relatively small one. Point 2 is a bit different because after departure they have the British blessing. I would take a look at your notes for the first lecture regarding this unit.
Mr. O
would Benedict Arnold eventually turning traitor be in the short term or long term effects of Saratoga or would it even be in there at all?
Justin,
It could be a detail within a bucket. It would fit nicely in the immediate effects of Saratoga.
how are you supposed to put historiograpy into #4? Aren't you just telling what each section means and events pertaining to them?
Miles,
Yes. You can easily get Locke in during the preamble and you should be able to slip a progressive or a neo-conservative into the second section.
Did the continental army take all the British supplies when the army at Saratoga surrendered?
Also, what did the continental army do with PoWs? did they have camps or something?
When we include Historiography, does it have to pe an author we agree with or could we use it to show other points of view?
Aagghhh... I keep asking little questions one at a time. Sorry if it complicates things.
Justin - Good questions. They did take their supplies, but the soldiers were shipped back to Britain with the promise that they wouldn't return to America. This was controversial because they simply replaced soldiers in European forts like Gibraltar who were then sent to America.
Wouldn't the replacement soldiers have cost the British a lot of money though? It takes quite a bit of management and it would have further complicated resources. Josh
ok...how bout these 3 for the firs quest. 1-poltitical(salutary neglect mostly) 2-Enlightenment philosophy 3- democratic institution??
Amber, I would use Political (allowed to run themselves), economic (best standard of living, most economic freedom), and social (religious and ethnic diversity etc.) causes each as a bucket. they all started in the early period of the colonies and were aided by the salutary neglect.
that was totaly my 3rd thought, thanks justin.
Justin-No you don't have to agree with the author or position that you take. Sometimes it is an interesting intellectual game to take an opposite position.
Amber-Justin has the right idea on your question.
Josh-The soldiers are simply switched out. The ones at Gibraltar are put on a ship to America. It was a bit of a scandal at the Continental Congress that the terms were so generous. However, Gates was afraid that if he made them too aggressive, Burgoyne would continue to fight.
for question 8, I have short term gains like a decline of slavery in the north and education for women, and the seeds that are planted to inspire the civil rights and women's rights movements, but what could i put under "missed major gains"?
Justin-I am not sure what you are asking about on "missed major gains" but if it is about the fact that they don't gain a great deal, you need to discuss their conditions after the Revolution. For many women, when their husbands return home they go back to their traditional female roles. They still can't vote, own property, testify in court without hubby's permission.
thanks. i realized that was a confusing question as soon as i put it up but didn't know how to reword it...
How would you back up class conflict in #2? I'm confused if there are any concrete examples of where this would be evident, or whether you need to take issues such as taxation and mercantilism and give your hypothesis on how the colonists felt about it? Or are there any other Progressive points (besides mercantilism and taxation) I am missing that could be addressed instead?
Paige-I think that class conflict does focus around the taxation and mercantilism, but you need to use the details of what happened to back those points up. I would also suggest looking at some of the smuggling that is going on by people like Hancock.
Paige Beard said that congress was trying to gain control of the poorer classes. By brainwashing them politically etc. The revolution was merely a power struggle between the upper classes of America and England
to quote Zinn on Beard" In short, Beard said, the rich must, in their own interest, either control the government directly or control the laws by which government operates." The link Laura posted has the entire chapter on this in there. Hope it helps
Mr. O.,How many seconds did you beat me by? lol
for my last bucket for #8, I have the civil rights and women's rights movements, but I'm having trouble thinking of specific examples. any suggestions?
LINK ADDED for ZINN
I have added a link to Zinn in the links box. Chapter 5 has some info on blacks and beard. Chapter 6 has some info on women. Please remember that this Zinn is very New Left/Neo Progressive. He is a lens!
josh you there? cause if you are you want to join in a study session tomorrow at colter coffee
Josh is always present... He does not always speak, but he is always watching.
wow... Zinn kinda looks like a TOS Klingon. just thought I'd throw that out there lol
Mr. O you are right, I am always watching. I check mark the little box that says email follow up comments to my inbox and i watch the number ratchet up. I then read. Also I will comment that my mom gets a forward of everything in my inbox. Mr. O. you beat me last time by 7 seconds. I should not have previewed. Derek-I cannot go to Colter in the morning this week, I live in lakeside (and all of the other family members are sick). But if anyone watching wants to, you could reach me on skype @ woodring_wanderoo. I can't talk too much but I could start a group chat if you wanted as some sort of online study group. justin please explain the start trek reference. I am confused.
The Original Series Klingons had an angry, commy look about 'em. no head ridges either... yeah, I'm a nerd.
wat time are u guysdoing the study session at colter?
Its ok I am one too, but I don't know much Trekkie stuff. Colter really must endorse the IB program. Somehow we seem to be a large customer base. :)
Mr O.
For question 1 I have the 3 buckets of political, economic, and social for my answer but do i have to have an over all thesis of, lets say, liberty?
i don't even know where to start. i can't focus.. but i'm really having trouble understanding beards postition on the causes of the revolution because we mainly talked about how he felt about the constitution
Mr. O
how did Franklin help with the declaration of independence?
P.S. sorry about the waisted space *see Star Trek comment*
Colter is at like 6:30 i believe
is there just one answer for #3 or could we ague either that mismanagement was or was not important to the Revolution?
is everyone invited to the Colter's thing?
Justin, I would say arguing against mismanagement is hard but may be doable. and on a related note there are a few people on skype. more are always welcome. woodring_wanderoo is my info, i will just add you o the group chat. ;)
do you need to subscribe or anything? i don't really do a lot of computer social things outside of games
Justin Skype is free(pc to pc, you can call phones for a small fee). Go to the skype website download and make an account then search for my acc name after clicking search for contacts. its quite easy
ehh... I'll do it over the weekend. really trying to focus but the blog has me destracted enough...
Sierra,
I think your overall thesis is that the colonies had grown apart from the British from the very beginning on multiple fronts.
Justin-Most of these questions have multiple approaches as you saw in the historiography packet. Franklin was a critical member of the Declaration drafting committee. He also contributed his name which give confidence.
Jaryn-Beard also says it starts a class conflict between the wealthy British and the American middle class. He then argues that the leadership betrays the people at the Convention.
back to the question bout colter....is evryone invited? i dnt wana show up to a study group an be rejected....
I think everyone is invited, but it might get full if 80 kids show up.
for the british mismanagment thing the only point i can think of is taxation.i cant think of any other ways britain mistreated us
ya im sure anyone could can come but ya like josh said we can't get tooooo many people in there
mismanagement doesn't have to be mean things it could be mistakes on their part. Salutary neglect could be called a mistake for example. Or the other neglects. Not replacing Franklin's position as postmaster for example
wait. franklin was a postmaster? like a mailman? i really dont know what that means
mismanagement doesn't neccisarily mean mistreat. they didn't enforce their navigation laws, which allowed smugglers (John Hancock) to make fortunes and feel that they could get away with it. When they tried to stop it they say it as infringement on their rights. The British also let the colonies pretty much govern themselves for awile, which led to democratic institutions (House of Burgesses). things like that...
ahhh Josh you beat me to it
I feel like some of my buckets don't have enough support in them...how can I make them stronger? (ex:Ben Franklin; got French support, helped with the Treaty of Paris, and smoothes over the Treaty with France)
Also I am having a hard time with Q.8....
heres one for you justin (; saratoga? i know it was french involment and one of the times when the fabian tactic worked, but thats about all i know. what else was important about it????
Jaryn,
Here are a few thoughts.
-Stamp Act hits the entire population with nickel and dime taxes
-They repeal an the Stamp Act after the Americans throw a fit. This encourages the colonies to continue to rebellious.
-Putting troops in the most dangerous city (Boston) almost guarentees a fight.
-Refusing to negotiate with more reasonable elements (Dickenson, Jay, originally Franklin) makes it worse.
-The Intolerable Acts were a massive over reaction, but couple it with Quebec and you irritate the other colonies.
-At Lex and Concord, the Brits don't send a strong enough force to route any resistance.
These are just a few thoughts.
got a British army to surrender. that was big because it influenced what Parliament thought about loosing another one at Yorktown. if it was their first, they might have kept on fighting.
Benedict Arnold feels unloved :P. helps him on his way to turning traitor.
stops British plan to divide and conquer the colonies.
when France joins, it encourages more nations to join as well.
hope this helps
Sierra,
When you look at your point on Franklin about French support, you add the impact of that support. Rochambeau, Navy at Yorktown, 90% of gunpowder, uniforms, and trade assistance.
At the Declaration, it is his reputation, Franklin's involvement in the committee to draft the Dec. His ability to convince Dickinson to back out.
im definatly going to colters tomorrow!!! can use all the help i can get!!!
Mr. O the skype group is worried about number 2. They are curious if you could elaborate more on what you want to have elaborated. Constitution or revolution or are both more or less the same? I'm a little overwhelmed here.
Jaryn,
Sort you material on Saratoga by time. What were the immediate effects on the day the battle was one, intermediate ones with a French alliance, and long term ripples because of the battle.
Josh,
The primary focus of question two should be the Revolution, not the Constitution. You should be stopping around 1783.
Josh,
One last point, it is a CAUSATION question. It is the taxation issue.
Mr. O the taxes is all I need to hear Thank you
Sierra Maxwell...
You should call me.
I cant get ahold of you.
I have some important questions.
Josh,
I would be looking at some of the arguments Beard made toward the manipulation of social classes by the upper and their economic interests throughout the entire Revolution. They had a way of stiring up the lower class to support the idea of no taxation with liberty, but this economic class conflict was the root. I would also maybe touch on the ideas of the progressive philosophies in general and look specifically at Sons of Liberty by weathly Sam Adams, the numerous Taxes where weathly did not want to pay, etc. Hope it helps!
Sierra (question 8),
I would argue that there were some smaller effects for both women and African Americans. However the effect were relatively small and the status quo was maintained. Nevertheless, the seeds for future social movements had been planted.
Thanks laura I will forward it
Laura is on the right track on the Beard issue.
Mr. O,
I know we have already discussed this, but I was solidfying my arguments. On question 3, by taking the stance that while British mismanagement had its place, but liberty triumphed as the biggest casue is this bucket scheme sound alright?
1. Political Mismanagment (leading towards development of liberty)
2. Economic Regimes (taxation a serious fault on liberty with ideas of franklin on Taxes)
3. Ideology of Liberty (discussing origins in Locke, English consitution and developing Bailyn's main ideas with ending at the declaration of independence) 0r would discussing the DOI be too far?
Thanks!
Hey Mr. O,
I'm still a bit fuzzy on question 4 about the declaration. I understand the different parts that make up the declaration, but I'm still confused as to what you mean when you ask us to identify the significance of each part. Significance to what? Or just in general?
Laura,
If you are going to argue liberty, argue it. Give the mismanagement its point or flow it throughout the essay, but spend at least two points on the liberty issue. For example,you could do the philosophy and then an examination of how liberty is impugned from 63-76
Haile
Significance is simply explaining in some detail what is dealt with in each section. For example the conclusion blames the British public/parliament, opens America for independence, offers reconciliation if the Brits play nice, declares independence, and then pledges the founders lives, fortunes, and reputations.
Okay, Thanks Mr. O! I was going to talk about the economic in term of the basis of liberty behind it, not mismanagement by the details I put down, but the broader sense of the time frame makes for an easier time of it.
any last words of advice?
Mr. O
I'm doing to ask my little questions all at once for a change lol
How could we relate historiography to 5, 6, ad 7?
would "British mishandled colonial policy after 1763" work as a bucket for #3?
Justin-that bucket could work. As for historiography, on #5 I might use McCullough or Boorstin. On #6, I could use any of neo-cons. On #7, you could use Ellis or Boorstin.
McCullough is the purple packet. Ellis is yellow.
Josh-My biggest suggestion is watch your buckets. Don't just come up with buckets because they are what you think of, but because they explain the answer the best.
Also, get some sleep.
Good night and good luck.
mr o, is there a way to organize this blog so its not just a bunch of students freaking out in an overwhelming tangle of questions that doesn't make sense to anyone but them, you and josh? Because that would be really helpful.
Mr.O
Can I get a pass tomorow for sixth period study hall to come and see you and study for the make up quiz>?<
I just looked at my grades and i cannot let the quorted end with my grades like that... Please!
Emma,
I apologize for the blog not suiting your learning style. I could make another post for each unit to handle the random stuff like how to download skype. I suspect your comment is not meant to sound quite as biting as it comes across. Remember, you are writing to a teacher who just spent his entire evening assisting students for a test.
Ryleigh-You are welcome to see me during my prep period. Please come get a pass.
Post a Comment