1. What is the role of nature in American literature? Develop a thoughtful analysis in response to that question using evidence from at least three texts we’ve read this semester. (Note: You might want to bring in a comparison to how science/technology/civilization is portrayed in American literature in order to make your point.)

  1. THESIS: Nature is seen by civilization as being a dark and evil force, but evidence from The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible, and Nature show that it can actually be an enlightening and positive place.
  2. EVIDENCE: The symbolism of nature in American Literature is best shown through the books The Scarlet Letter, The Crucible, and Nature.

The Scarlet Letter

  1. Civilization sees nature as evil and mysterious, but in reality nature is beautiful, peaceful, and a haven for the oppressed.
  2. Witches found in the forest as well as wild animals and native americans
  3. Nature is dark and unpredictable.
  4. The painful truth is revealed in and through nature.

The Crucible

  1. Witchcraft also takes place in the forest.
  1. Those two characters meet in the forest.

Nature

  1. Nature is enlightening and positive.
  1. Redefining yourself- “In the woods too, a man casts off his years, as the snake his slough,...”
  1. ANALYSIS:

Nature is largely seen by society as being evil and the opposite of themselves as shown through The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible. Nature is dark and undiscovered, the townspeople try as hard as possible to separate themselves from it and even create superstitions to back their beliefs. Such as that witches practice witchcraft in the forest as well as dangerous and wild animals live there. Also, Chillingworth gathered all of his supplies for his experiments from the forest which shows how people at that time were also wary of new scientific discoveries. Nathaniel Hawthorne uses nature to comment on the hypocrisy of the Puritans ...

Nature is ultimately a place of discovery and truth that Hawthorne and the author of the Crucible suggest from the truths that are revealed in nature.

  1. CONCLUSION: Nature is often portrayed as a evil, devastating force, withholding life’s darkest secrets known to mankind. Nature is blamed for causing diseases and injury, explaining life-threatening earthquakes and hurricanes, and for the natural flow towards disorder. This pessimistic view on nature is revealed even in American colonial times in works such as The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible. Society becomes entangled in an endless swirl of natural devastation, so often overlooking nature’s other face. While natural disasters occur frequently and millions of lives are destroyed by disease, nature carries above all else beauty. Wherever any one person plants his foot, nature is all around him/her. The solid ground, the endless oceans, the tempering skies, the dazzling sun. Ralph Waldo Emerson notices this beauty in nature and writes his renowned work Nature to convince society otherwise. Nature is not evil; nor is it malevolent. Nature is unpredictable, wild, secretive, and mysterious. Even though it may seem ill-intending, nature’s sole final purpose is for beauty and nothing less.

COLEMAN : QUESTION #2

  1. Show how an author we have studied this semester uses secondary characters (otherwise known as “minor characters”) to highlight a theme(s) in his or her work. Make sure you clearly define the theme and provide three examples from the piece to support your statement.

  1. THESIS: As Frederick Douglass retells his life, he intertwines the “overseers” throughout his story to depict the inhumane and atrocious treatment of blacks.
  2. EVIDENCE:

Plummer drunkenly cudgels the slaves

  1. Often drunk and ruthless
  2. Stumbles around the plantation beating slaves as he willed

Severe’s flogging

  1. flogged Frederick’s family on several occasions
  1. blood-stained backs of men, women, and children

Gore mercilessly killing Demby

  1. Demby wades in the water after a severe flogging
  1. Gore, shoots him dead, when Demby stands still in the water

Covey’s brutality

  1. intentionally causing harm and injury to slaves
  1. “slave-breaker”
  1. hides in waiting for the a sole chance to torture a slave
  1. ANALYSIS:

The overseers reveal the black slaves’ real living conditions, often glorified by American citizens who remain neutral in the Abolitionist vs Pro-Slavery debate.

Frederick Douglass’ purpose in his autobiography was to refute any misconceptions that undermine slavery’s severity. All three of Captain Anthony’s overseers and Farmer Covey are true stories and confirm the worst rumors among the Northern folk. In its success, this autobiography gained support for the American Civil War and the Abolitionist Movement.

COLEMAN : QUESTION #3

  1. [Adapted from a past AP lit. question.] Many texts use contrasting places (for example, two countries, two cities or towns, two houses, or the land and the sea) to represent opposed forces or ideas that are central to the meaning of the work. Discuss one text from this semester that contrasts two such places and explain how the places differ, what each place represents, and how their contrast contributes to the meaning of the work.

  1. THESIS: In his autobiography, Frederick Douglass contrasts the slaves on plantations with the slaves in Baltimore to represent the two juxtapositions on the humanity of blacks.
  2. EVIDENCE:

Southern Plantations

  1. the owners on Southern plantations believed blacks were animals
  2. when black slaves were sold/traded : men were sold as horses, women were priced like cows, and children were considered pigs
  3. many overseers, like Gore, shot the “negligent” slave Demby as a farmer would shoot a troublesome rooster
  4. Covey whipped his black slaves, like a man whips his mule

Baltimore

  1. black slaves were treated as human servants instead of animals
  1. a white man’s integrity was measured by his kindness towards his black slaves, rather than the severity that he flogged his slaves
  1. black slaves could roam around the city freely, just like a “human servant” would during that time
  1. ANALYSIS:

Frederick Douglass, proves his literacy, when he is able to intertwine theme metaphors while recounting the days of his slave past.

The white boys on the street represent how society should view differences race. This view is complete and perfect equality is what we should aspire to as human beings and citizens of this earth.

The Southern plantations reveal the worst of black mistreatment, while the owners in Baltimore represent the human-association (yet forced labor) of blacks.

In the view of masters: a person in servitude is indebted to work but should be treated as a fellow and equal human being; a person in slavery is similarly indebted to work but should be treated nothing more than an animal.

COLEMAN : QUESTION #4

  1. Based on the literature we've studied this semester, what conditions or experiences are necessary for an individual’s moral development? You may want to consider conditions and experiences that prohibit or limit moral development when formulating a response to this question. Use examples from at least two different texts to support your answer.

  1. THESIS: For an individual to develop and improve moral standards, he/she must experience certain situation(s) that reveals a harder truth previously unknown.
  2. EVIDENCE:

Huckleberry Finn

  1. Saving Jim from the patrol by claiming smallpox infection
    1. first moral step towards thinking of others before himself
    2. Stage 3 of Moral Development (social contract)
      1. “Huck! you’re the best friend old Jim’s got!”

Stealing gold from King and Duke that rightfully belonged to girls

  1. friendship and loyalty obligation
    1. Stage 3 of Moral Development

Dilemma concerning Jim’s livelihood and safety

  1. Carried thru each stage of moral development
    1. Stage 1.A → self-concern and avoid punishment
    2. Stage 2.B → what is lawful
    3. Stage 3.A → he is my friend

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

  1. starving of slaves; slave being shot when Frederick was young, Frederick’s true father, city slaves, flogging of women and children
  1. ANALYSIS:

There are two methods necessary for moral development : learning from moral challenges and moral awareness.

  1. Huckleberry Finn develops morally from learning from his internal conflicts of whether to save Jim or break the law and protect him. At the very beginning of the book, Huck and Tom debate on tying Jim up. Huck believes that if they do tie Jim up, then they would likely get caught so in order to avoid punishment they decide to not tie Jim. This is related to Stage 1 where the characters make decisions just so that they are not negatively affected. Huck is later conflicted when he believes that he is breaking the law by helping Jim escape. Stage 2 of Kohlberg’s Moral Development makes Huck want to abide by the law even if that law, such as returning escaped slaves, is immoral. Soon after, Huck saves Jim’s life when he is confronted by a group of slave catchers. This final result is of Huck realizing that Jim is his friend and that giving him up would be worse than being alone without his new-found friend.
  2. Frederick Douglass’ develops a high moral development at a very young age. This is due to the cruel environment he was raised in.

While Frederick did not personally face many moral challenges, he witnessed the immoral and cruel actions of others. From the atrocious treatment towards slaves, Douglass develops a sense of moral awareness. From which he bases the entirety of his autobiography.

COLEMAN : QUESTION #5

  1. Compare two characters from two different texts we have studied this semester. Discuss what similarities of the two characters reveal about American values and/or ideals. (In order to construct an in-depth response, you select just one or two values and/or ideals.) You must provide at least two examples from each text to support your argument.

  1. THESIS:

Victor from “The lone ranger and tonto fist fight in heaven” and Frederick Douglass from “Frederick Douglass” reveals the American value of pursuing education.

EVIDENCE:

“The Lone Ranger And Tonto Fist-Fight In heaven”

  1. Victor Goes off to college but leaves to pursue his own form of education (learning from his experiences and from the experiences of others).
  2. When Victor goes to Arizona to pick up his fathers ashes, he learns more about himself and about his father.

Frederick Douglass

  1. The shipyard boys taught him how to read after he had been forbidden to learn from his master.
  2. Frederick Douglass seeks to educate others about his experiences thus continuing the American dream of education (educating others)

c.ANALYSIS:

Frederick Douglass and Victor both pursue self education which follows the American dream because

COLEMAN : QUESTION #6

  1. Use evidence from at least two of the texts we have read this semester to develop a thoughtful response to one of these questions: What do these texts reveal about faith and/or organized religion?

  1. “Unforgiving! All that dark treasure to be lavished on the very man, to whom nothing else could so adequately pay the debt of vengeance!” (Hawthorne, 260) Characters from The Scarlet Letter and The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas are consistently driven by guilt, from factors uncontrollable by the character, to unforeseen characteristics dormant inside. Guilt is the main reason people do some of the things they do, including denial or harm to oneself or others. The two authors, Ursula Le Guin and Nathaniel Hawthorne, believe guilt is always inside, and even if characters get away from the thing they are guilty of, they will never be fully relieved.

OR

  1. THESIS: While the ideals of Christianity and the Bible are just; however, the stringent structure of Puritan society mutates these ideals, resulting in corruption and exploitation.
  2. EVIDENCE:

The Puritans left England to flee from religious intolerance, but when they settled in the colonies, they had no religious tolerance for people with different religious belief, Hawthorne uses The Scarlet Letter to critique the Puritan Faith

In Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain juxtaposes superstition with Christianity suggests the depth of his skepticism of religion in general.

  1. ANALYSIS:

The Scarlet Letter-

  1. Dimmesdale maintains an illusion of purity as a minister in the public eye; he is perpetuating this image although he knows it to be a lie. He only allows his secret to be revealed in the dark of the night, where nobody is able to see the truth
  2. Dimmesdale also portrays the hypocrisy of Puritan society by not initially taking his place on the scaffold.
  3. In Dimmesdale’s sermons, he speaks out against sin while at the same time he commits his own sins of adultery and deceit, just as the Puritans committed sins. Dimmesdale’s character models Puritan society in the way they treat religious persecution. He perpetuates his career as a minister instead of telling the truth. In public, he perpetuates a lie and a false image, making him a hypocrite.
 

  1. The wooden stocks were a form of public indictment — and, therefore, deterrent — of bad behavior. Those who disagreed with the laws of the colony were banished, persecuted, and, in some cases, executed.
  1. Hawthorne says that, "All were characterized by the sternness and severity which old portraits so invariably put on; as if they were the ghosts, rather than the pictures, of departed worthies, and were gazing with harsh and intolerant criticism at the pursuits and enjoyments of living men."
  1. There’s no difference between God’s law and man’s law in Puritan Society. Breaking colonial law is the same as breaking God’s law.
  1. A Puritan Society is intolerant and authoritarian with no room for human mistakes or flaws.
  1. Everyday, Dimmesdale has to wake up and receive the adulation of his community for being basically a saint on earth.

Frederick Douglass

  1. Mr. Covery, the “slave-breaker” who atrociously treats blacks, is considered one of the most devout men in Talbot County.
  1. Thomas Auld becomes more “devout” (vicious and harsh towards his slaves) after he returns from a Summer Bible Camp.

COLEMAN : QUESTION #7

  1. Use evidence from at least two of the texts we have read this semester to develop a thoughtful response to one of these questions:
    1. What do these texts reveal about knowledge and/or education?

THESIS: The readings The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn both show formal education is not completely necessary to succeed.

EVIDENCE:

  1. Frederick Douglass
    1. Drive to learn
    2. Help from white boys
    3. Key to freedom

Huck Finn

  1. Tom, not always right
  2. “Street Smarts”
  3. Mrs. Watson

ANALYSIS:

  1. Frederick was a black slave and was deprived of any education in his early life. After hearing that the key to freedom is literacy, he was determined to learn, even if the result was punishment. With the help of boys on the street, he learned to read and write. These skills he shared with other blacks later in his life.
    1. The white boys on the street represent the pureness before racial injustice. The racial equality shown by the boys how all human beings (of any race, gender, or beliefs) should treat each other.
  1. Huck Finn had little formal education but he was street smart and was able to formulate an ingenious escape from pap that left everyone believing he was dead. Tom on the other hand had more education as well as having a better reading foundation. However, even though Tom is better educated, Mark Twain shows that this “advantage” only complicates and puts more stress on life. Huck’s uneducated lifestyle keeps things simple, and as a result, he is efficient and effective in life.

AMERICAN HISTORY

Question #1

  1. Detail the problems the new United States experienced under the Articles of Confederation. How did the Constitution of the United States resolve some of those problems? Be able to explain, in detail, the concepts of Federalism, Checks & Balances, and Separation of Powers as embodied in the US Constitution.

  1. THESIS: The Constitution resolved the problems found under The Articles of Confederation by creating a stronger central government that included safeguards against tyranny.
  2. EVIDENCE:
    1. Problems with Articles of Confederation
      1. The government was designed to be very weak, giving states the most power.
      2. Huge debt from the Revolutionary War (about $50 million).
      3. Central government could not control fiscal or monetary policy.
      4. The government could not enforce any of the decisions that it made.
      5. Needed unanimous support from all of the 13 states to change the Articles of Confederation.
      6. The paper money was so worthless, it ceased to pass as currency
      7. No power to tax.
    2. Resolution of these problems
      1. Make government with three branches-Legislative, Executive, Judicial (separation of powers).
      2. Disperses powers allowing for a system of checks and balances.
      3. Each branch has some power over the others so that no one branch. becomes too powerful. Also protects against tyranny.
      4. Federalism-two levels of government-national and state.
      5. Constitution gives much more power to the federal govt.
  1. ANALYSIS:
    1. Fear is a powerful motivator. When the Founding Fathers sat down to write the Articles of Confederation, they were itching to prevent an absolutist government ruled by a monarchy or such. As a result, they placed an amount of “chains and padlocks” to prevent a catastrophe as they had witnessed in England. The Founding Fathers were so fearful of America’s safety that they placed the colonies in greater danger than before. With such restrictive power, the Congress was powerless. Congress could not protect the people it represented, nor care for those who struggle in society. As a result, the Confederatory system soon collapsed; it was replaced by a much more stable system, comprising of checks and balances. That same system is used today; many nations across the world use the American Constitution as their framework.

Question #2

  1. It has been argued that the government established under the Constitution was a government established by a few for the benefit of a few. Examine the Constitution and other readings from the semester. Is this an accurate statement based on the time periods studied this semester?

  1. THESIS: While the Constitution was meant to benefit all American citizens, the government established under the Constitution only benefitted a few.
  2. EVIDENCE:
    1. In most states, you could only vote if you were a white man - AND you owned property, like a house or a farm or a store.
    2. If you rented your house and worked on somebody else’s farm or in somebody else’s store, then you couldn’t vote. While most of the Framers of the Constitution were wealthy, all were white men! However women, slaves,poor whites and native americans had no say in government and it would take a change to the constitution to fix this. Since this excluded population vastly outnumbered rich white men then the rule by the minority was now the law of the land, only about a quarter of the people in the United States could vote.
  1. ANALYSIS:
    1. While most of the Framers of the Constitution were wealthy, not all were, but they were all white men! However women, slaves and native americans had no say in government and it would take a change to the constitution to fix this. Since women and slaves vastly outnumbered white men then the rule by the minority was now the law of the land.
    2. African Americans didn’t get to vote Instead, the rich white men writing the Constitution agreed that only rich white men could vote, and they agreed that when the census takers were counting the population of each state, a black man would count as only three-fifths as much as a white man.
    3. Like women and black people, Native Americans were not allowed to vote in the first hundred years of the United States government.
    4. The way the Constitution was written in 1789, which white men could vote
    5. This meant that most white men living in the United States at this time could not vote. Rich men said this would make sure that only smart, sensible people voted.
    6. Abolition of property qualifications for white men, 1812-1860.
    7. Citizenship in both the US and US States by birth or naturalization, 1868 14th amendment.
    8. Non-white men, 1870 15th amendment
    9. Women, 1920 19th amendment
    10. Native Americans, 1924
    11. Poor, 1964 prohibiting imposition of poll tax in Federal elections 24th amendment.
    12. Before the seventeenth amendment was passed Senators were elected indirectly by state legislatures making it a “millionaires club” because the state legislatures would elect someone in return for favors.
    13. A key point is that only white property owners could vote, they didn’t have to be rich and nearly everyone had some amount of property.

Question #3

  1. In what ways have the founding documents--the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights--defined the nation since their adoptions? Be sure to discuss their relevance at least through the Civil War.

  1. THESIS: The key elements of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights have defined who Americans are ever since its inception.
  2. EVIDENCE:
  • The Declaration of Independence
    • All men are created equal
    • Unalienable rights including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
      • These principles have been found to be very controversial, especially “all men are created equal”
        • If all men are created equal then why do people own slaves? why can’t women vote? why can’t people without property vote?
        • One of the main causes of the Civil War was to make all men more equal by freeing blacks from slavery

The Constitution

Supreme law of the land, everybody must obey it including all of the states

The Constitution defines what the American government will look like as well as restrict each branch by defining what it can and cannot do

Specifies the basic rights that everyone is entitled to

The Bill of Rights

Protected individual liberties that Americans thought would be weakened under new Constitution

  1. ANALYSIS:
    1. The Declaration of Independence gave birth to what is known today as the United States of America. The document is symbolic of American democracy. One of the more immediate effects felt by the Declaration of Independence was the Emancipation of black slaves. Some say that Abraham Lincoln interpreted the Declaration in his own way and took literally the statement from the Declaration, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. The Declaration led to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. The Bill of Rights in the United States is the name by which the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are known. While the Declaration offered independence from Britain and made general statements, the Bill of Rights offers specific rights and laws, from freedom of speech, press and religion, to the right to keep and bear arms. The Declaration of Independence has also left lasting effects upon other foreign nations, including the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, and the Declaration of Independence for the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.The Declaration of Independence has left its effects not just in the small and large details of the United States of America, but also in the details of other foreign countries.

Question #4

  1. Discuss what life was like for Native Americans before the colonists arrived. Then, identify and discuss three of the Eras of Federal Indian Policy and their influence that each of them had on Native Americans in the United States. Do these past policies continue to affect Native Americans today? Answer yes or no, and be able to explain why or why not with specific examples.

  1. THESIS: Prior to white settlement, Native Americans lived a community-based cultural system built upon tradition, religion, and cultural significance.
  2. EVIDENCE:
    1. French Trading Outposts accepted Native American lifestyle
    2. Expansive Trading routes before whites came (Northwest - Great Lakes)
    3. Reservation Era (1850s-1887)
      1. US Citizens swarmed into the new Indian land.s
      2. Federal Policy was to alienate Indians and their culture from the white, dominant culture.
      3. Nearly 300 reservations established
    4. Allotment and Assimilation Era (1887-1934)
      1. Instead of letting tribes live on their reservations, the act tried to impose American ideals of owning land and lifestyles onto the Indians.
      2. No longer aloud to maintain their separate religions and cultures.
    5. Indian Reorganization Era (1934-1940s)
      1. Reversed the US’ allotment policy.
      2. Helped to strengthen tribal governments.
      3. Many Indians today still own the land given to them during allotment.
  1. ANALYSIS:
    1. Native Americans govern themselves contrastly to European civilization. Property and territory was divided by tribes instead of individuals. Trading and buffalo were crucial for survival. The eras of Reservation, Assimilation, and Allotment were destructive to the Native Americans being, and the European expansion encouraged the atrocities committed against the natives.
    2. Today, Native American territory is divided into checkerboard reservations. Much of the Native American’s culture has been lost:
    3. loss of culture, language, and blood line

due to the heavy American influence on Native American reservations, the Native tribes are losing:

  1. tradition and culture: due to increased interest in American lifestyles
  2. language: due to divided families, intermarrying with non-natives, and loss of cultural lingual importance
  3. bloodline: as more and more natives intermarry with foreign tribes and white Americans, the percentage of ancestry in “natives” is dying. Many tribal members are only ½ native, ¼ native, or even ⅛ Native American. The dying of strong blood ties in Native American tribes is catastrophic.
  1. Many of these culturally catastrophic downfalls are due to Manifest Destiny and the expansion of America. If the original leaders of America had thought of the Native Americans as equal human beings, the United States would be united and equal as it was intended.

Question #5

  1. Define Manifest Destiny, how did MD positively and negatively affect both Americans and other groups of people in the Westward Expansion era. Then discuss the impact it has had on American Identity. Excellent answers will include a discussion of Frederick Jackson Turner’s Frontier Thesis. http://www.pbs.org/weta/thewest/people/s_z/turner.htm

  1. THESIS: While Manifest Destiny generally affected the Americans for the better, it also greatly affected Native Americans in a negative way.
  2. EVIDENCE:
    1. American acts (Homestead, Allotment, Assimilation, Boarding School
    2. Treatment of Native Americans
      1. Disease, Boarding Schools, Battles between NA & Whites, Indian Territory
    3. Difference in ideas once settlers moved out
    4. “Kill the Indian, save the man” Carlisle (owner of Penn. boarding school)
  1. ANALYSIS:
    1. Manifest Destiny is the idea that the Americans’ god-given right was to claim all of the land from coast to coast as part of the United States.
    2. Americans
      1. With the power of divine-purpose, Americans felt the need to expand west and populate the great plains (which was what they REALLY wanted to do)
      2. gave an excuse mistreating native americans
      3. gave a purpose for the great sums invested in the Continental Railroad
    3. Native Americans
      1. They were negatively affected by Manifest Destiny
        1. lost their culture
          1. Boarding schools “Kill the Indian, save the man.”
        1. Many were massacred
          1. Sand Creek and Wounded Knee
        1. The buffalos were almost all killed
          1. Majorly affected the Native Americans because the Buffalo were such a necessary resource for them including food, clothing, and other resources
        1. Americans brought disease as they went west causing many Native Americans to die
    1. Frederick Jackson Turner’s frontier thesis said that American democracy was formed by the American frontier. The American frontier helped citizens establish their own liberty by releasing Americans from a European mindset. It took away old dysfunctional customs from Europe. He believed that the frontier had no need for standing armies, churches, aristocrats, nobles or any other European idea. It wasn’t for rich men who controlled the land and charged heavy rents the frontier was free for the taking.
  1. Manifest Destiny is the belief that Americans have the right to and that it is God’s will for them to spread from sea to shining sea. This idea was originally used in 1839 by a political commentator John O’Sullivan and became Polk’s campaign promise that he ultimately fulfilled. Manifest Destiny caused huge growth in America. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 was the first manifestation of MD by creating the Northwest Territory and by setting the boundaries for how new states were to be added. Then, in 1803, more territory was added with the Louisiana Territory. The Corps of Discovery traveled to the Pacific and claimed the land for America in 1805. Then Florida was added for 10 million from Spain in 1819 as a result of the Adams-Onis Treaty. In 1845, Texas became the 28th state. After the War with Mexico, the United States grew by New Mexico and California for 15 million. In 1853, the Gadsden Purchase added Arizona and parts of New Mexico. Now the only disputed territory was in the Northwest but America and its territories stretched from sea to sea. Now that the territory was open, people began moving West. Those that moved West were trappers, traders, mountainmen, miners, ranchers, and farmers. Inevitably, those that moved West changed the lives of those already living in the West, namely the Native Americans. In order to handle the “Indian problem” Jackson set aside Indian Territory in 1830. Indians received 32 million acres mainly in what is now Oklahoma. over 100,000 Indians were forcibly removed from other areas. Also, Native Americans were changed greatly by more White interaction. They had new disease, were exposed to new religions, new trading partners, were exposed to horses and guns. Americans were frequently helped by the Indians, for example the Corps of Discovery. Also, traveling out West could be extremely profitable for Americans for example, the gold rush in California. By traveling out West, outlaws, civil war veterans, and those facing religious persecution found refuge. The Homestead Act allowed for settlers to create their own homes. Frederick Jackson Turner was a historian who speculated on the significance of the frontier in America’s history. He argues that it shaped the American character. The frontier created Americans that were socially mobile, adventurous, committed to democracy and bent on individual self improvement. Those that settled West were individuals and were more rugged than those that lived in cities. Those that settled often began poor but because of the Homestead act and profitable opportunities like gold mining, men were allowed ownership of their own land and therefore were allowed to create a profitable life for themselves.

Question #6

  1. Some have argued that the United States was “A House Divided” beginning as early as the colonial era. Relate the clash between the North and the South as it culminated in The Civil War to the fundamental and historical differences these two regions from colonial days.

  1. THESIS: The circumstances and regional politics defined this divide since the United States’ birth, yet no major violence between the regional divide existed.
  2. EVIDENCE:
    1. Abraham Lincoln’s speech
      1. “A House Divided Cannot Stand”
      2. “The House will become all one way, or it must become all another way”
    2. Loyalists were located in Southern United States
      1. last to join the Americans against Great Britain
      2. many pro-British were centralized in Southern colonies
      3. British armies were sheltered in Southern colonies
    3. Strong vs Weak Federal Government
    4. Cotton Gin and Agricultural Separation
      1. easy-to-peel cotton restricted to Southern colonies
        1. Short Staple → grow anywhere, but hard to peel
        2. Long Staple → grow ONLY south, but easy to peel

Cotton gin fixed problem

  1. ANALYSIS:
    1. Loyalists were mainly located in the south while the flame of the revolution began to burn in the North. The British soldiers were housed in the Southern colonies as opposed to being in the North. The economic opportunities of each region differs based on the resources that are available. For example the South has a climate that is well suited for an agriculturally based economy while the North has factories and the ability to import and export lots of materials. Because the South needed lots of labor that was also cheap, so they employed the use of slaves.
    2. North:

They were Union during the Civil war

Economy based on manufacturing and commerce. With 5x more factories than the South. Exports included textiles, iron and steel. During the Civil War factories helped the union mass produce weapons and other supplies for their army.

70% of railroad was in the North and this helped with the transportation of supplies quickly during the war.

People lived close together in cities and towns so they were friendly and social

They were also generally smarter and more educated. 1% african slaves. South exported 77% of cotton to North.

religion more important

  1. South:

Confederate in Civil War.

Agriculture was the backbone of their economy. They had large farms that manly grew tobacco,rice,sugar and cotton. Cotton was their biggest crop, they exported it all around the world and it was their main source of income (boom after cotton gin.) All crops grown relied on a huge slave force.

During the Civil War it was easy to demolish crops and farmland (Shermans march to the sea) so their economy weakened during war.

People lived far apart on separate plantations so they were not in contact with each other, not social, not neighborly, in competition

33% african slaves.North exported 2/3rd of manufactured goods to South

Typically had more money, wealth concentrated in land and slaves . South more represented in government due to the amount of slaves they had and the 3/5ths person they counted for

Tariffs caused tensions, South thought they were unconstitutional, made stated governments that could secede.

less slave dependent

encouraged abolition and lead movements against slavery

norths economy flourished during war, industries gave a reason to make supplies and weapons

word traveled fast, social, lived close together, neighborly

Abolitionist movements sprung up ( Womens abolitionist movement, William Lloyd Garrison)

religion less important

south’s economy was failing due to war

lived far apart, plantations, trust problems, wealthy slave owners tried to keep slaves and poor in the dark about abolition

in south rebellions sprung up (Nat Turner, Dred Scott vs. Stanford)

The civil war was inevitable, with the division of the north and south, not only with slavery but in agriculture, political and in a cultural sense it was impossible for the two parts of the country to agree on anything.Each side both had a distinct identity that were not compatible with one another.

Question #7

  1. Many contend that the Abolitionist Movement, Manifest Destiny of the 1840’s and economic forces played central roles in the start of the Civil War. Affirm or refute.

  1. THESIS: The leading catalysts of the war included the Abolitionist Movement, for the violence it sparked; Manifest Destiny, due to its varying importance ; and the American economy, for the stark separation of industrial focus.
  2. EVIDENCE:
    1. Abolitionist Movement
      1. caused violence and division between American families and demographics
    2. Manifest Destiny
      1. Manifest Destiny benefited Northern and Central regions concerned with overpopulation and discovery; however, this movement discouraged the agricultural, consistent lifestyle of the South.
    3. Economic Variety
      1. North only manufactured and was unable to grow agricultural produce
      2. South invested in the agricultural lifestyle
      3. Immigrants entered the centrally through the North and infrequently moved Southward.
  1. ANALYSIS:
    1. An active abolitionist, John Brown, used his hate against slavery to hack several slavery advocates to death using his broad sword. Later after several business failures, he stormed a federal armory in hope of causing a nationwide slave revolution against the South. His violence, hate-driven schemes quickly failed. Many scholars believe John Brown was the “meteor of the war” the central cause of Southern secession.
    2. The Continental Railroad was constructed to span the whole United States to disperse the population mass and the open up more land due to Northern destruction farm soil. However, the railroad only benefited the North, because Southern colonies were underpopulated and efficiently maintained farmland.

Question #8

  1. Historians debate whether the course of a civilization is primarily driven by large forces (demographics, economics, etc.), by individuals (great person school), or by the ordinary people as a whole (social history theory). Make a case for one or the other, drawing on what we have learned throughout the semester.

  1. THESIS: The course of civilization is primarily driven by great individuals, idealists, and philosophers who strive to transcend and revolutionize the world as we know.
  2. EVIDENCE & ANALYSIS
    1. John Winthrop:
      1. City on A Hill
      2. In their escape and rebuilding of home in America, the Puritans were being watched by every Christian denomination in every foreign nation. The “eyes of the world” were watching them.
      3. Puritan leader, John Winthrop, was aware of the spectacle that the Puritans had created. He also realized that his Puritan folk would be set as an example for the rest of the world. If they succeed, they will be glorified. If they fail, they will be mocked and ridiculed.
      4. To ensure success, John Winthrop leads his people to hold their standards high, acting as a united family. He encourages generosity, harmony, good-doing, kindness, mercy, truth, and justice. Without their leader, the Puritan people would have surely fallen into an abyss of evil intent.
    2. George Washington
      1. even though he did not wish to lead the army, he accepted his duty and fought through the war, even through its most challenging times.
      2. after the Revolutionary War, the people of the United States wanted to place George Washington as king of the United States; however, he refused to be king since such power would be absolutist (the very thing they fought a revolution against).
      3. If the people had their way, the United States would have slipped into a tyrannical dictatorship (ensuring the removal of freedom and equality).
    3. Abraham Lincoln
      1. he despised slavery and black-inequality just as much as the Absolutists
      2. HOWEVER, he wisely aimed to compromise with the Southern states.
      3. If the radical Abolitionists had their way, the Civil War would have lasted much longer and resulted in absolute division.
      4. Lincoln’s wise decision still resulted in war, but in the end, saved the United States of America.

Question #9

  1. Since its inception, The United States has struggled with its identity as a nation. Create a thesis that characterizes the national identity in the early part of American history. Then describe three events in US history (from the colonial era up to the 20th century) that influenced your definition of the US’s national identity.

  1. THESIS: The Founding Fathers created the United States on three simple, but revolutionary principles: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The United States government should solely protect these principles; however, due to greed and ambition, these principles are not always ensured.
  2. IDENTITY POINTS:
    1. LIFE → Every American has a right to live their own life as a human being. No person should be forced to live/support the life of another. No American citizen has a right to murder / take the life of a fellow American. Every human being was created equal and should be treated as such.
      1. 17th Amendment
      2. “All men are created equal” AND
      3. “are endowed by their Creator with creator with certain unalienable rights”
    2. LIBERTY → No citizen of the United States should be enslaved or controlled by another person. Each person has a right to the ownership over their own lives and property. Every American citizen should earn his/her own living and receive just payment as due to his/her work.
      1. The sense of Liberty was shown by the members of the Boston Tea Party
      2. Emancipation Proclamation
    3. PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS → Each human being should be free and able to determine the course of his/her own life as he/she deems best.
      1. Revealed by Manifest Destiny
      2. The ability to follow your dreams
  1. OTHER POINTS:
    1. Protected by:
      1. Emancipation Proclamation
      2. 17th Amendment
      3. Constitution
      4. Declaration of Independence
    2. The slavery throughout American history broke all ideals of the 4 documents above.