Tuesday, September 25, 2012

George Washington: Millionaire at Risk!


Discuss the social, political, and economic concerns that George Washington had in his rise to power and prominence in America from his early days to becoming the first President of the United States of America under the Constitution.  Be sure to deal with the impact of Shays' Rebellion on his thinking, especially about the need to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation that would eventually lead to the creation of an entirely new form of government defined by the Constitution.

DUE DATE:  Friday, September 28, 2012 by midnight

WORD COUNT:  300 words minimum

Helpful Links:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgewashington

http://www.mountvernon.org/

http://www.pbs.org/georgewashington/

http://www.ushistory.org/us/15a.asp

http://shaysrebellion.stcc.edu/

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

A Conversation of Complaints: Native Americans vs. The Founders


Discuss the relations between the Native Americans and the Colonists from the early 1700s through the Revolutionary War and its aftermath by drawing upon the information from your American Pageant textbook (chapters 6, 7, and 8) and from your Norton Anthology (pp. 206-218) with special focus on Pontiac's Speech at Detroit and Red Jacket's Speech to the U.S. Senate and the Declaration of Independence (pp.342-346 Norton Anthology).  I am looking to see that you Assert, Prove, and Explain a position on this relationship (was it postive, was it negative, was it inevitable, was it avoidable, etc.).  Begin your response with a complex-split introductory thesis.

DUE DATE:  Friday, September 21, 2012 by midnight

Word Count:  300 words minimum

Monday, September 10, 2012

Puritan Worldview and the Salem Witch Trials

Discuss the relationship between the Puritans' (Separatists') worldview and the consequences of that worldview as exemplified by the Salem Witchcraft Trials 72 years after they first landed and established their colony of Plymouth. Draw upon information from your American Pageant textbook, from The Crucible, and from the links to additional materials below (since you do not have your Norton Anthology of American Literature, yet, I have included John Winthrop's A Model of Christian Charity below. Remember, The Crucible is not an historic document, it is a dramatization of the historical record, so be careful when you speak about it in your blog post. Remain "accurate" both in terms of history and literature.

DUEDATE:  Friday, September 14 by midnight.

Minimum Word Count: 300 words

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/285064/Separatist

http://www.academicamerican.com/colonial/docs/winthrop.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritan

http://history.hanover.edu/texts/winthmod.html

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Jamestown v. Plymouth

PocahontasWampanoag indians with pilgrims pictureCompare and contrast the settle-ments of Jamestown and Plymouth.  Include in your comparison the type of settlement each was, the kinds of settlers that established each, the purposes behind the founding of each, and the relationship each had with the Native Americans closest to each.  Include key historical figures so that you do not confuse the one with the other (for instance, Pocahontas and her story is associated with Jamestown, not Plymouth).



DUE DATE:  Friday, September 7, 2012

Minimum Word Count: 200 words