Thursday September 24, 2015

Declaring Independence

Tasks: 

• Today, we are going to take a look at two documents that represent "expressions of the American mind" in 1776.  Both Paine and Jefferson make an argument for independence, our task is to figure out what is embedded in that argument.
• Task #1: Identify the characteristics of republic/republicanism.
• Citizens willingly subordinate private, selfish interests to common good
• Stability of government depended on "virtuous" citizens
• selfless
• self-sufficiency
• courage
• civic involvement
• emphasize individual talent over hereditary, hierarchical, and authoritarian institutions
• government official derive their just powers from consent of the governed
• Task #2: Analysis of Common Sense.
• Small group answers the following questions: 
• What are the reasons that Paine lists for why Americans should declare independence?
• What makes Paine's ideas radical?
• How do Paine's ideas compare to Jefferson's?
• Task #3: Analysis of Declaration of Independence
• Small group answers the questions: 
• What is Jefferson's thesis?
• What evidence does Jefferson use?  Why does Kennedy make the claim that Jefferson takes "certain liberties" when constructing his argument?
• What are the lasting legacies of the document.

Reminders: 

• Use the link to post your topic selection, which is due 9/25.
• Quiz on the acts from Chapter 7 Friday 9/25.
• Be able to define and connect the acts together.
• Acts to review: Proclamation Line, Stamp Act, Quartering Act, Declaratory Act, Townshend Duties, Tea Act, Intolerable Acts
• Period Two test corrections due 10/8.

Wednesday September 23, 2015

From British North America to United States of America

Tasks: 

• Introduction: Today we are going to be transitioning away from thinking about how the French and Indian War changed the relationship between Britain and its North American colonies toward an independent United States of America.  On the timeline below, we are moving from I to II.  We are going to be working to develop an argument (thesis) in response to the question from the AP 2015 Exam.

• Analysis of essay prompt:  Evaluate the extent to which the Seven Year’s War marked a turning point in relations with Great Britain, analyzing what changed and what stayed the same from before the war to the period after it.
• What is the subject?
• What is the time period?
• What is the task?
• Spend the rest of class working through the "mapping" of this essay.
• Assignment: 
• Write a thesis in response to the question. Remember, a thesis is an argument that provides degree and specifics about the topic.
• Source the Declaration of Independence.

Reminders:

• Topic selection due Friday 9/25.
• Short Answer Quiz on Chapter 7 (Friday 9/25).
• Test Corrections Period Two due 10/8.

Tuesday September 22, 2015

Eroding the Bonds of Empire

Tasks: 

• Question for class today: How did the acts passed by Parliament begin to erode the bonds of empire?  In other words, how did the acts change the relationship between England and her colonies?
• Task #1: 
• Explain the short-term causes of the independence movement by determining the cause-effect relationship among the acts.
• Small groups will be given a stack of cards with the names of each act passed by Parliament listed on it.  The group will then try to find a cause-effect relationship between different cards.
• Challenge: try to create as many different groups as possible.
• Example: Sugar Act leads to Declaratory Act leads to Townshend Duties
• Task #2: 
• Identify the reasons why the colonists protested, and explain the different ways in which the colonists protest the acts.
• Watch movie clip from John Adams to see different ways in which the colonists protest.

Reminders: 

• Topic selection due Friday 9/25.
• Short Answer Quiz on Chapter 7 (Friday 9/25).
• Test Corrections Period Two due 10/8.

Monday September 21, 2015

Logic of Rebellion

Tasks: 

• Question for class today: How did the French and Indian War change the relationship between England and her colonies?
• Task #1: French and Indian Quiz
• Task #2: Notes to set context for why England passes a series of acts from 1763 - 1776.
• War for Empire imposed great costs on Great Britain
• Great Britain begins to shift policies; tradition of salutary neglect comes to an end.
• Task #3: Why did the colonists rebel against the taxes?  
• Identify reasons colonists will use to openly rebel against British actions.
• Source the documents.  As you source the documents, consider the reasons why the colonists rebel.

Reminders: 

• Topic Selection due Friday 9/25
• Period Two test corrections due 10/8

Friday September 18, 2015

Transformation of the Imperial Order

Tasks: 

• Introduction: The French and Indian War transforms the relationship between Great Britain and colonial North America.  Our job is to figure out how.  
• Question: How did the French and Indian War (1754 - 1763) alter the relationship between Great Britain and the colonies?
• Source the document set.  Keep the question in mind as you source each of the documents.
• Small group debrief.  Meet in small groups to discuss the answers to the following questions: 
• How did changing territorial holdings influence European relationships with Native Americans?
• Did Native Americans gain advantages from the war?
• Both the soldier and the minister are from Massachusetts.  How does their perspective on the war differ?  Why is there a difference?
• Which events help to explain Parliament's motives in the British Order in Council document?

Reminders: 

• Historical Identity due Monday 9/21
• Period Two test corrections due 10/8

Thursday, September 17, 2015

From British North America to the United States of America

Tasks:  

• Setting the context: 
• Between 1750 and 1763, three significant events transformed colonial life
• French and Indian War, 1754 - 1763
• surge in trade boosted colonial consumption, but caused many Americans to become deeply indebted to British creditors
• westward migration sparked conflict
• Indians v. settlers
• Settlers v. land speculators
• Settlers v. eastern-controlled governments
• How did the French and Indian War alter the relationship between Britain and the North American colonies?
• To answer this question (a question that asks you to analyze the way in which the relationship changed), we must first establish what life was like before the war.
• Watch section two of Professor Freeman's lecture to identify characteristics of life in colonial America 1750.
• Debrief list as a class.
• Describe assignment: create a fictional character, born in 1750, using the parameters identified on the sheet distributed in class.  Historical character introduction "About Me" due Monday 9/21.
• If absent, see me for sheet.

Reminders: 

• Dr. Manderino reflection due Friday 9/18
• Unit Two test corrections due Thursday 10/8
• Topic Selection Google form due Friday 9/25

Wednesday September 16, 2015

Introduction to Period Three: 1754 - 1800

Tasks: 

• Begin class with a free-write: Why did American colonists rebel?
• Use timeline 1754 - 1800 to identify three major sub-units to this time period
• From British North America to United States of America
• French and Indian War, 1754 - 1763
• Imperial Crisis, 1763 - 1775
• Experiments in Government
• Articles of Confederation
• United States Constitution
• Empire of Liberty?
• Public policy, westward expansion and party politics under Washington and Adams' administrations
• Small group discussion: Interrogate the quote by asking as many questions as possible.  Label each question as "open" or "closed." 

“But what do we mean by the American Revolution? Do we mean the American war?  The Revolution was effected before the war commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and the hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments, of their duties and obligations...This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people was the real American Revolution.”

John Adams to Hezekiah Niles, 1818

• Debrief. 
• Questions will be central to your research project.  Use the idea of a closed/open question to help you generate questions for your project.
• Questions that you submit by next Friday, refer to the last box on the topic reflection sheet, should be open questions.

Reminders: 

• Dr. Manderino's reflection is due FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 18
• All Unit Two test corrections are due 10/8.