American History 121 -- Fall 2010

Valley of the Shadow

As discussed in class on Saturday, please visit the Valley of the Shadow and examine the archives from before the war and during the war for both Augusta County, VA and Franklin County, PA. I want you to tease out of these primary sources what the people who lived in these counties were thinking during the years leading up to the war, and then about the war itself.

Slave Narratives -- Post Here

As we discussed in class on Saturday, post here your interpretation of the slave narrative you selected. Follow the outline in the course calendar.

Manifest Destiny!!

Manifest Destiny!!Take a look at the print, American Progress, and tell me what it tells you about the concept of Manifest Destiny. In other words, "deconstruct" the print. What's going on in here? Who is the woman? Why is she floating? What's she carrying? Why is she dressed in white?, etc. How does the print reinforce Manifest Destiny?  Second,  Do you think concept of Manifest Destiny as the United States applied it in the 19th century was valid? After all, it added what is now Texas, New Mexico, and California to the U.S. Do you belive the attitude (rather than the practice) of Manifest Destiny is alive in the United States today? If so, is it good or bad?

Chapter 9

If you were to identify one theme that ran through this chapter, what would it be?

Alexander Hamilton...Good Guy or Bad Guy?

 

This week we're going to start talking about the  drama over the Constitution and the battle between the Federalists and anti-Federalists, from what you've read on Alexander Hamilton so far, what are your impressions of the man? What motivated him? Is he a good guy or bad guy as far as "the people" and their rights are concerned? Defend your answer.

Articles of Confederation vs. the Constitution

When you read Chapter 6, I want you to take special notice of the differences between the the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of the U.S.; what is the most obvious difference between these two documents?

Considering the Constitution itself, what does the Constitution say about slavery? What does it say about political parties? What is the only crime mentioned in the Constitution and why do you think it’s in there?  

 Lastly, when you read the Constitution and then the Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments to the Constitution) what does each document accomplish in your view?

Major Projects -- Your 2 Sites

As stated on the syllabus for this week, please post the two sites you plan on visiting and writing about for your major project.

Becoming American

As you read chapter 4, I want you to look for ways the British  colonies were developing their own identies, separate from the "mother" country of Great Britain. In short, how the colonies were breaking away. What were some of the factors and events that lead to the development of this "American" identity AND what did it mean back then to be "American." What does it mean today to be "American"? Any similarities?

For chapter 5, I want you to consider four things: 1) How did an American identity contribute to the rebellion and then ultimately the Revolution (there's a difference between a rebellion and a revolution); 2) What did it REALLY mean when the colonists said "No taxation without representation." Was it REALLY about taxes? 3) How important were the lower classes as opposed to the wealthy/gentry class to the success of the rebellion/revolution? 4) In your opinion, could the slide from rebellion to revolution have been stopped? If so, where/when (no right or wrong answer to this).

Different Colonies, Different Peoples

I want you to consider the following. Discuss it here on the blog and also be prepared to discuss it in class on Saturday.

It's evident from chapters 2 and 3  that different English colonies developed in the various regions of North America. Just by looking at the listing of colonies and their original purposes on page 26 of your book (or 37, depending on your edition), you can see these differneces. Remembering our discusion on God, Gold and Glory the first day of class. Would you say that the majority of these colonies were founded based on the pursuit of God? Gold? or Glory? or all three?

ALSO from chapters 2 and 3, I want you to be aware of the differnt types and classes of people that settled these colonies. VERY different types of English colonists settled in the  New England colonies of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Plymouth, Rhode Island and Connecticut than settled in the Chesapeake colonies of Delaware, Virginia and Maryland, as well as the Southern colonies of North and South Carolina and Georgia. Who were the people that settled in these 3 different groups of colonies? Were they more interested in Gold, God or Glory? 

The time period discussed in these chapters is very important because two VERY differnt socities and cultures begin to develop in North America that will persist even up until today, so please read them very carefully.

Plymouth Colony Archive

As discussed in class and as stated on the class web site, select one individual's probate from the many listed  on the Plymouth Colony Archive, and write your interpretations of the individual on the blog. Base it on what you learned from Barbara Clark Smith's talk. Is the person rich/poor? Educated? Religious? What was his profession? How can you tell? What else comes out of the person's inventory that tells you who this person was?

The Blog...

Welcome to History 121 at Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria, VA campus.

This blog will be used to further facilitate discussion and debate outside of class on topics that you or I think important. In most instances, I will post a weekly topic for you to consider. This topic will usually relate directly to our class discussions or readings, however, sometimes it may relate to such things as current events or some discussion that erupted in class. Bottom line, the topics and discussions are intended to spark debate and critical thinking.   In addition, you are encourage to begin dicussions on subjects of interest to you, maybe something from the readings, a program you saw on the History Channel, or something unrelated to history. Those initiating discussions rather than just responding to my posts will receive extra credit. This blog will also be the discussion mechanism for reading assignments I give in class.  Lectures will frequently begin with a discussion of the posts, so posts must be made by 9:00 p.m. the Friday before class; I will close the posting at 9:00 p.m.  Postings to the blog are worth 15% of your grade. Those missing these required weekly posts will not receive the full 15%.  Please note that your posts must be well thought out and substantive. You will not get credit for one-line entries OR just copying/rewording someone else's post.

Some things to note about postings: 1) At the end of each post you are required to enter your name. Please use the same name through out the semester, failure to do so may result in you not getting full credit for all your posts; 2) Please be respectful of the thoughts and beliefs of others; 3) I'm not as concerned with how well you write or spell as I am about how well you present and defend your ideas; 4) This blog is for your benefit. While I post weekly discussion topics and I read the blog daily, I may not post replies or comments to student posts; 5) Enjoy yourself.

This blog will be used to further facilitate discussion and debate outside of class on topics that you or I think important. In most instances, I will post a weekly topic for you to consider. This topic will usually relate directly to our class discussions or readings, however, sometimes it may relate to such things as current events or some discussion that erupted in class. Bottom line, the topics and discussions are intended to spark debate and critical thinking.   In addition, you are encourage to begin dicussions on subjects of interest to you, maybe something from the readings, a program you saw on the History Channel, or something unrelated to history. Those initiating discussions rather than just responding to my posts will receive extra credit. This blog will also be the discussion mechanism for reading assignments I give in class.  Lectures will frequently begin with a discussion of the posts, so posts must be made by 9:00 p.m. the Friday before class; I will close the posting at 9:00 p.m.  Postings to the blog are worth 15% of your grade. Those missing these required weekly posts will not receive the full 15%.  Please note that your posts must be well thought out and substantive. You will not get credit for one-line entries OR just copying/rewording someone else's post.

Some things to note about postings: 1) At the end of each post you are required to enter your name. Please use the same name through out the semester, failure to do so may result in you not getting full credit for all your posts; 2) Please be respectful of the thoughts and beliefs of others; 3) I'm not as concerned with how well you write or spell as I am about how well you present and defend your ideas; 4) This blog is for your benefit. While I post weekly discussion topics and I read the blog daily, I may not post replies or comments to student posts; 5) Enjoy yourself.

This blog will be used to further facilitate discussion and debate outside of class on topics that you or I think important. In most instances, I will post a weekly topic for you to consider. This topic will usually relate directly to our class discussions or readings, however, sometimes it may relate to such things as current events or some discussion that erupted in class. Bottom line, the topics and discussions are intended to spark debate and critical thinking.   In addition, you are encourage to begin dicussions on subjects of interest to you, maybe something from the readings, a program you saw on the History Channel, or something unrelated to history. Those initiating discussions rather than just responding to my posts will receive extra credit. This blog will also be the discussion mechanism for reading assignments I give in class.  Lectures will frequently begin with a discussion of the posts, so posts must be made by 9:00 p.m. the Friday before class; I will close the posting at 9:00 p.m.  Postings to the blog are worth 15% of your grade. Those missing these required weekly posts will not receive the full 15%.  Please note that your posts must be well thought out and substantive. You will not get credit for one-line entries OR just copying/rewording someone else's post.

Some things to note about postings: 1) At the end of each post you are required to enter your name. Please use the same name through out the semester, failure to do so may result in you not getting full credit for all your posts; 2) Please be respectful of the thoughts and beliefs of others; 3) I'm not as concerned with how well you write or spell as I am about how well you present and defend your ideas; 4) This blog is for your benefit. While I post weekly discussion topics and I read the blog daily, I may not post replies or comments to student posts; 5) Enjoy yourself.