LAD #7: Washington's Farewell Adress

     In 1796, after Washington already had two terms as president, he says that he will not be putting his name in contention for the next election. The citizens of the United States were in his mind as he chose to resign, and he wanted to assure them that he was still very motivated about the future of America. He had considered retiring earlier, but it wouldn't have been appropriate at the time. He still thanks the nation he helped create for the opportunities it gave him, and he hopes that now he can finally end his public life.
     He goes on to give his remarks and ideas about things that were changing in America. He begins by saying that this new union of states was powerful, but only if the people that comprised them saw each other almost as family. They may have different religions, or they may be of different background but they share common values and goals. He gives an example of the this dependence by using the different regions of the United States. The North relied heavily on its maritime commerce and commercial goods, while the South was more agricultural. But it was the rivers of the South that allowed the ships of the North to get to different markets, while the South relied on the goods that the North could supply. The East and West also relied on a similar relationship. The East produced the goods that would be sent West, while the West was shipping raw materials into the East that they desperately relied on. Cooperation was the key as America forged its future. There may be people that try to divide America, and if they succeed then the nation would end in shambles.
     After he is finished explaining the importance of union, he goes on to give his opinions on certain parts of the government. He emphasizes the need for checks and balances, as so many of the time did. Taxation should be used sparingly, and shouldn't be relied on to pay for an outrageous debt. During peace, people should hardly be taxed because there is no need to pay for military expenses. But for this new government and nation to work, the nation should be guided by religion and strong morals. Because, according to Washington, this is what promotes political prosperity.
       Next, Washington condemns the formation of political parties. Parties are never to be formed, and especially on geographical lines which would only cause resentment and hatred. If parties gained power, it would eventually lead to parties ruling over parties. And as history has shown, this kind of government only leads to a Despotic government. The tensions caused by political parties would also leave the nation susceptible to foreign influence, which is never good. This is where Washington goes on to further support his Proclamation of Neutrality.
     While his main piece of advice is to stay neutral, he says that a friendly relationship should be kept with all nations. But if there is too much devotion, or hate for that matter, the United States will practically be slaves to the other nations. If policy is changed to help or hurt a foreign nation, policies that America was founded upon, then they do practically own us. They can bend us to their will almost unintentionally. 
     Washington concludes by saying that he can retire knowing that this new nation is under the supervision of a united and free government.

LAD #6: Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality

   


        In 1793, Washington takes the position that the United States should keep a "friendly and impartial" relationship with the European powers. Basically he is stating that the United States should stay neutral. He goes on to warn the general populous that if they in someway violate the relationship, or lack there of, that they are to completely avoid those actions. He also declares that a citizen will not receive the protection of the United States, if they are caught transporting contraband. And that all people will be prosecuted if they violate the laws of the United States, or any other nation.

Republican Motherhood Blog

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

     As a free nation, life in the colonies was about to change. Ideas that had been stewing in the minds of the colonists, now could be expressed. And it was these very ideas that America unique and great. With these changes in thinking came a change in how women were perceived in society. There was a shift from seeing woman as solely child bearers to them being educators in a way. People thought at the time that since women were so instrumental in the raising of the future leaders of the nation, that they should have an education that would allow the to teach their sons in the principles of liberty and government (Doc. B). And that they should have a strong enough knowledge of written English, arithmetic, and geograpy (Doc B.) But they should be educated in these sujects just enough that they can prepare their sons for their lives.  

2. What were the consequences of Republican Motherhood on women?

       As I said previously, there was a shift from women being seen as almost exclusively as childbearers to them gaining importance as educators. As Mary Morris said women were the ones behind boys "ripening into manhood" and facilitating the "gradual openings of their minds." (Doc. C) With this came respect, and some recognition that her influence played an important role in America. 

3. What was the significance of the ideology of Republican Motherhood as a stage in the process of women's socialization?

     Even though women had a very important role in America's infacy, women did some restrictions. Since the only, and these are ideas of the time, useful place for women was in the sphere of the home they didn't have much power outside of it (Doc A). They were also responsible with raising sons, and daughters, with good morals and a strong character (Doc D). This expectation would restrict the women to the home for hundreds if years to come.

1. Describe the setting.

     The potrait is set inside of a home, with the family sitting on a couch. The home seems to be modest and well kept, even though not much can be seen. The light seems to be shining on the mother, or Mary Gibson Tilghman, and then it falls onto her sons.

2. Who serves at the center of the portrait and why? How does the woman look? How is she "republican" rather than aristocratic?

     Mrs. Tilghman is seated in the center of the portrait. This is to emphasize her importance in the context of the home. She is modestly dressed and she is smiling, to suggest that she is happy but also working. Her clothing and the positioning of herself and her children or more "republican" than aristocratic. She isn't wearing an elegant dress, and she is sitting casually with her children on her lap.

3. What values do her sons exhibit?

     They are sitting up with good posture, and are smiling slightly. This suggests that they are well mannered.

4. Is there significance to the position of Mrs. Tilgham's arm?

     It is on her sons lap, in a slightly protective position. This displays the role women took in the lives of their children, while also depicting the love and affection of a mother for her son.

LAD #5: Federalist #10

1. Why are factions so difficult to eliminate?

     The only way to eliminate factions is to limit the civil liberties of the people. But this restriction is in complete contradiction of the ideas laid out in the Declaration of Independence. It also causes great damage to the rights of other citizens. In an attempt to control the factions that are in a nation, officials may pass legislature that would also limit the rights of law abiding citizens. Freedom also allows factions to form, and for them to spread their harmful ideas. And since each person is entitled to their own beliefs, it is extremely difficult to weed out the bad without attacking peoples civil liberties.
2. If factions cannot be removed then how can they be controlled?

     If a faction is a minority, then eventually it can be defeated by the majority. This is very unreliable though, because malicious factions can take control over the country if they get more than fifty percent of the population to side with them. Two solutions to this problem are the Electoral College, and the other is a bicameral legislature. The Electoral College relies on people with better morals that are given the power to control votes. This is how the theory behind how the president is elected. While a bicameral legislature would give large and small states the same amount of power, and say in the government.

Blog #4 - Revolution Article

This article dispelled some ideas that I had about the Revolutionary War. It was interesting and shocking to learn about something I thought I knew well.

1. The first thing that struck me was that many people thought that the Civil War was more significant than the Revolutionary War. I had always thought the birth of our nation was more important than a war fought over slavery. But learning this lead me to discover something intriguing. That history can be changed as it happens, it can be diluted or concentrated so that many years later what happened and what is thought to have happened are very different.

2. It is odd how people thought of the revolution compared to the Civil War. They found the Civil War to be a great war with sacrifice and death. And this was true of the revolution, they saw war as a way to solidify American nationalism and that it was a critical step in the building of a new nation. But when the militiamen were easily beaten in the War of 1812 may have caused this idea to shift. How could this ragtag army be so powerful? And it was after this that there was a shift from politics being more significant than war. This changed the way the revolution was remembered, and it eventually caused people to think that the revolution was less bloody than the Civil War.

3. This leads to the next thing I learned. The American Revolution was bloody. Very bloody. This my seem obvious, but I seem to have become a victim of the manipulated history of our nation's birth. Paintings of time almost romanticize the Revolution. Washington Crossing the Delaware isn't exactly what happened that night, but we take it almost as fact. When I think of the Revolutionary War I think of the protestation of taxes, civil disobedience, political maneuvering, but not as much of the gruesome battles that actually happened. This may be the fault of contemporary artwork, but nonetheless the grotesque battles of the revolution can't be ignored. Soldiers described the battles as the "most infernal fire", with cannons destroying everything in their path, or musket fire mangling the enemy lines. This was not a war won only through politics, but also through the horrendous acts that soldiers had to endure to ensure that their nation had a chance.

4. The amount of suffering that soldiers went through is shocking. I had prieviously thought that Valley Forge had been the worst time for American soldiers, while in fact the war was terrible all of the time for everyone. Men didn't have enough supplies to keep them healthy, many died as a result. Bloody footsteps would be left behind by soldiers without even shoes to wear. The only thing they lacked more was food. These men would resort to very desperate measures to stay alive. It has been documented that some soldiers would try to eat bark or boil their shoes down into a soup with melted candles. These are horrible conditions that I had severely underestimated.

5. Not only did the soldies suffer, but the atrocities committed by the soldiers on civilians is more shocking. Learning about the Revolutionary War in school, it was never really mentioned how soldiers would treat civilians, or how they played into the revolution (other than protest and civil disobedience). So when I read that many civilians had been "killed in their beds" while trying to get to safety is eye opening. DIsease and Native American attacks also took a toll. But it is also not explained to a good extent how badly Loyalists were treated. After the war was over five percent of Loyalists went into exile, compared to not even one percent of Confederates in the Civil War.

Overall, this article made the revolution real in a way that shocked me into really re-thinking our nation's history.

LAD #3: Declaration of Independence

 

1. Democratic Principles

     The Declaration contain the democratic principles that this nation is founded upon. There are several very important ones that the Americans want to make sure that are conveyed. The first is that all men are created equal, a very important one that is used thoroughout American history. Secondly, it states that all men are granted certain unalienable rights that include life, liberty, and the pusuit of happiness. Thirdly, they go on to explain that a government gets its power from the consent of the people. In the case that this government begins to interfere with these rights then the people have the right to overthrow it and institute a new government. These are the quintessential American principles that make the United States the land of the free.

2. List of Grievances

      The Americans behind the Declaration wrote out a long list of grievances that they have with the British. But this long list can be boiled down to a few categories. The first category is primarily about the laws being passed, or the lack of, that were effecting the colonists in a negative way, or actions of British officials and primarily the king himself. For example, the Americans write that "He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importancem unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and, when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend them." The second category is concerned with the problems caused with the occupation of the colonies by British soldiers. The Americans are angry of the power that they have over the people, but also the injustices they feel were committed against them. For instance they were none too pleased with the acquittal of British soldiers after the Boston massacre. The third category talks about of foreign affairs and trade. They are angry with the restrictions of trade that have been placed on them, and also they are outraged the oppression that they are facing at sea.

3. The Conclusion

     In the end, the Americans write that they are now an independent nation. But, interestingly, they begin their conclusion with saying that they have almost been pushed to this division because of they failed attempts of the British to deal with the problems the Americans lamented about. So once again, they end by saying that they are now independent and that they have the powers that all independent countries have, which includes they ability to wage war.

LAD #2: John Peter Zenger

1) Who was John Peter Zenger?

          In 1733, John Peter Zenger began his publishing career in New York when he began to print his Weekly Journal. In his newspaper he criticized the decision of colonial governor William Cosby to remove Chief Justice Lewis Morris. Cosby had come to New York and argued over his salary, and when he lost control of the court he removed the Chief Justice.  Hired by the opposition party, Zenger published several stories critical of Cosby. Once Cosby found out, he had Zenger arrested and charged with seditious libel.

2) What was the controversy over his charges? Talk about Hamilton's defense.

       The prosecution said that the fact that these articles had been published was sufficient to convict Zenger. This meant that in the opinion of person in power anyone could be thrown in jail for publishing even the most harmless of stories. Hamilton didn't disagree that Zenger had attacked the governor, but he argued that it was only libel if what Zenger had said was false.

3) What influence did his case have on American government tradition?

       This case proved that truth was a defense for libel. Not only this, but by disagreeing with Cosby the jury created the power that they could disagree with the ideas of those in the government.

4) What is the lasting significance of his trial?

        The most important outcome of this case, was the freedom of the press. It was now legal to write about anything, as long as it was true. This is an extremely important right to the American people.








              

LAD #1 Mayflower Compact & Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

1) What concepts are included in the Mayflower Compact? 

        At the basis of the document there is one fundamental idea. That with it, the colonists would unite, and have a way to govern themselves. To do this they granted themselves the power to "enact, constitute, frame" laws and also the ability to appoint officials.

2) How does the Mayflower Compact reflect an attachment to both the "Old" and "New" worlds?

        It is similar to the Old World, because it states that the colonists with have the ability to appoint officials but that they have to be completely obedient and submit to his power. It is as if they are appointing a king. But it is also similar to the government that would come in the New World because it unites these people, and it allows them to write laws that keep them safe and to maintain order that are also voted on by those eligible.

3) How did the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut differ from the Mayflower Compact?

         In the Mayflower Compact it says that a single official will be appointed to rule the colonies, while in the Fundamental Orders several officials are elected. Also, in the Orders, it is very specific of the amount of power that the officials are granted. In the Mayflower Compact, the only mention of power is about that the colonists must follow the officials will.

4) What prompted the colonists of Connecticut to take this approach to government, i.e. : use of a written Constitution? 

        The people that were coming to found these colonies had been prosecuted by officials that had disagreed with their religious beliefs, and that also had all the power. So when they came the New World, they wanted a way to protect themselves from a tyrannical ruler coming to power and forcing them to give up there beliefs or to move like they had already. With elected officials the beliefs of the majority would be represented.

5) In what significant way(s) does the Fundamental Orders reflect a fear of and safeguard against the usurping of power by one person or a chosen few? 

         The fact they decided to use a constitution to govern themselves is the first example. Second, the way that the officials are elected and the amount of time they serve is very controlled by the people. The governor and magistrates can only serve for a year, then never again. Third, there are a set of courts that are set up in each town that communicate with the governor. Fourth, it seems that if the people that have been chosen to work in the government aren't doing there job or they are taking advantage of it, it is easy for the citizens to override them and institute officials that will do the right thing or for the people themselves to take control.