LAD #21

Carnegie believed that the problem with his age was the administration of wealth in society at the time. He believed that wealth at one point was more evenly distributed long ago. He points to the cause of this to the evolution of civilization. He says that this is not necessarily a bad thing, as this fills some homes with "the refinements of civilization" such as art, literature, and written music. Carnegie thinks that with money comes civilization, and that without some uneven distribution of wealth that all of civilization would be swept away. He believes though that money should not sit in a bank though and should be spread around the community for the betterment of the community. He thinks that a few men holding power is a good thing and that it is the duty of the wealthy "to provide moderately for the legitimate wants of those dependent upon him".

LAD #20 Emancipation Proclamation

Beginning on January 1st, 1863 "all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free." This basically set all the slaves in the Confederacy free. These states include Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, the Carolina's, and  Virginia. The United States would also protect the rights of the freed slaves. Lincoln then warns against unnecessary violence and asks for the full cooperation of the people to make this work.

LAD #19 Lincoln'd 2nd Inaugural Address

Lincoln starts of his speech by saying that he has little to offer the people of the nation and the people already know his views expressed in his first term. He reminds everyone that only four years ago all eyes were directed to the impending civil war. He says that while he was giving that speech that " insurgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war". He says the insurgents are "seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation". He says that one eigth of the population of was slaves and the issue of their freedom divided the nation.  He states the horrors of the current war but he famously ends his speech with "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. "

LAD #18 Dred Scott Decision

The Supreme Court met for the Dred Scott case to decide the "larger issues of Negro citizenship and the constitutionality of the Missouri Compromise". They questioned whether "A Negro, whose ancestors were imported into this country, and sold as slaves, become a member of the political community formed and brought into existence by the Constitution of the United States, and as such become entitled to all the rights, and privileges, and immunities, guaranteed by that instrument to the citizen?" Taney decided that a black American could not sue because they had no rights to begin with. For the Missouri Compromise he said that citizens in those territories could not be denied their rights guaranteed by the Consititution. He made it clear that there was "no distinction between the slaves and other types of property" meaning slaves were considered property not citizens. The Missouri Compromise was then decided unconstitutional because it denied people their property which is guaranteed in the Constitution. The case was dimissed for a lack of jurisdication and Scott remained a slave.

LAD #17 Sojourner Truth "Ain't I a Woman" Speech

Sojourner Truth delivered this, her most famous speech, at the Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio. In the beginning of the speech by saying that "That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere." She then says no ones ever helped her anywhere or given her the same courtesy, even though she's a woman. She then tells about her hardships as a slave and how she had " borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery". After she attacks the audience saying she is as smart as the other women, and that Jesus came from God and a woman. She ends her speech by saying that women were going to flip the world around again. 

LAD #16 5th of July Speech

Douglass gave this speech on July 5, 1852 in a place called Rochester, New York. The purpose of the speech was to inform the crowd of what July 4th would mean to slaves. He asks the crowd "What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence?" Douglass describes the "immeasurable distance". He talks about the justice, liberty, prosperity, and independence that people gained during Independence, and how slaves gained nothing during this time. He states that  "This fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn." He begins the end of his speech by revealing to the crowds the cruel injustices of slavery. He has a list of grievances that includes the treatment of slaves and the cruel work they are forced to do on daily basis. Toward the end he asks the crowd again "What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July?" He answers saying that it is a "hollow mockery".

LAD #14 Lincoln's First Inaugural

Lincoln starts off his speech by saying that he does not want "to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States”. He wants the states to decide the issue of slavery in their own state and that the federal government would not interfere with the institution. Lincoln's main goal is to keep the union intact and prevent an all out Civil War.Lincoln also promises that citizens do not need to fear that their rights are in danger in any way. He then says that he will hold to the Consitution and that he will not use violence if he doesn't have too. “In doing this there needs to be no bloodshed or violence, and there shall be none unless it is forced upon the national authority." Lincoln then offers security, but remains neutral on slavery saying that Constitutino neither permits or abolishes it. He warns against secession and continues to stress the importance of a united nation. He ends the speech by saying that “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection."

LAD #15 Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Lincoln starts the speech by reminding the crowd about the founding of the nation and how the founding fathers worked for a nation free of tyranny. He then says that this war is questioning whether a country like ours can survive for any real length of time. Lincoln then says that the speeches that were made there on that day would not be remembered, but the deeds of the soldiers now buried in the cemetery would be. They were fighting for the task facing the nation. He then ends the speech by saying that the soldiers did not die in vain and that the nation would survive.

LAD #13 John C. Calhoun

In this speech, Calhoun says that slavery is a issue that can no longer be ignored. He says that he has 

"endeavored to call the attention of both the two great parties which divided the country to adopt some measure to prevent so great a disaster". He forsaw that slavery was an issue that one day might dissolve the union the founding fathers had worked so hard to create. The issue of slaery was dividing Congress, as even the dream of manifest destiny was beign haltered by the introduction of a new state into the union would cause a frenzy of activity from both sides of the issue. Next Calhoun addresses the tariff. He states that "It is well known that the government has derived its revenue mainly from duties on imports." He feels that the tarrif heavily favors the north and that if unity wants to be kept in the nation then the removal of the tariff might be in order.

LAD #12 Polk's War Message

The point of the message was to address "The grievous wrongs perpetrated by Mexico upon our citizens throughout a long period of years". The Americans were attempting to peacefully negotiate with the Mexican Government, but to no avail. The land disputes of the Rio Grande were growing and the Mexican Government was attempting to try and get rid of the Americans settling in the land that the Mexicans believed they already did. Trade with Mexico was virtually non-existent, and while the US had "[exerted] our best efforts to propitiate her good will", the relationship between the two countries was souring. Mexico was threatening to declare war on the United States if the U.S. annexed Texas, and volunteer soldiers, some under the command of future president Zachary Taylor, were being sent to Texas to defend American interests. After Texas was  incorporated into the Union, Taylor was sent down to defend the new state from a Mexican invasion. At the end of the Message Taylor states that "As war exists, and, notwithstanding all our efforts to avoid it, exists by the act of Mexico herself, we are called upon by every consideration of duty and patriotism to vindicate with decision the honor, the rights, and the interests of our country". This means that Polk does not want war but he is willing to fight to protect American interests, and will not hesitate to defend the growing country.

LAD #11 - Seneca Falls Declaration

The Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, written seventy two years after the Declaration of Independence, was basically a rewrite of the original declaration to include women. For example at the beginning of the second paragraph the document restates Jefferson's famous quote by saying "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness:". The Declaration then has a list of grievances of man against woman, similar to that in the Declaration of Independence. These grievances include the denial of education to women, unfair tax requirements, and subordinate postions in the church and the state. The second part of the Declaration then expresses how these wrongdoings can be resolved. It states that all laws putting women lower in society are against laws of nature, and that it was God's will that men and women be equal. The document by stating with the barrier laws taken down women would strive to the greater good along with men, and that women would pass on morals and religion along with men.

LAD #10

In a summary Monroe wanted the political powers of Europe to cease colonizing the American continents and to leave the Western Hemisphere to deal with is own problems without the guiding hand o of Europe. Monroe believed that "It is impossible that the allied powers should extend their political system to any portion of either continent without endangering our peace and happiness" and that it would be benenficial if the United States was the strongest power in the region. Monroe also states that he wants Spain and Portugal to improve the conditions of their colonial states. The main point of the Monroe Doctrine was still however to protect the rights of smaller countries in the region and for the United States to assert its dominance in the region. The United States alos wanted to keep its policy of neutrality unlesss its defense and liberties were threatened. It states that America lost a lot of blood securing this land and that if they were threatened the United States would not hesitate to fight back.

LAD #9

In Thomas Jefferson's first inagural address begins out very modestly. He says he does not know if he is up to the challenge of leading the nation. He then tells the people what a great land this is and that he is "humbled" to take on such "the magnitude of the undertaking." He was really showing his anti-federalist roots in an attempt to connect to the common man here. After that he says that the Constitution will guide him, and that he will consult it when he encounters difficulties. He then tells the people that they are in charge of Congress, and that he will rely on their adive and support to "steer with safety the vessel" that is the nation. He is basically saying that the fate of the nation is not in his hands alone, but the you the people will run the country with me, in order to steer to the greater. He talks  about how each person there has equal rights, no matter their social class or influence. He also talks about the potential that America has, and how it will rise to a greater status in the world. Then like many of the other leaders of the day, he talks about how important it is for the nation to stick together. Like Benjamin Franklin once said, "United We Stand, Divided We Fall."

Columbus Blog #8

Christopher Columbus. Inspirational explorer or greedy fame hunter? Most likely the greedy fame hunter. While most people in the United States think that Columbus is  an inspirational person, who defied the common logic that the world was flat and sailed to a distant world. Firstly, the Ancient Greeks had figured out that the world was sphericaly shaped in the third century B.C., meaning that people had already discovered Columbus' great "discovery" seventeen hundred years before he set sail. Second, Leif Erikson had already discovered the North American continent well before Columbus, almost 500 years in fact. And thirdly and most importantly, the autrucities that Columbus and his men commited once landing in the new world, while highly overlooked, is a stain on Latin American culture that cannot be erased. First look at his encounter with the Taino Indians in his first encounter with the native people in the New World. The Taino were peaceful people, virtually defenseless and little military power. They proved almost too easy for Columbus and his men, being almost wiped out soon after the arrival of Columbus. Five hundred of them were captured and sent back to Europe, as part of the blunders that were sent back to Queen Isabella in Spain. Columbus states in his own journal that “They [Indians] have no weapons and are all naked without any skill in arms and are very cowardly so that a thousand would not challenge three,...Thus they are useful to be commanded and to be made to labor and sow and to do everything else of which there is need and build towns and be taught to wear clothes and learn our customs.” This shows that Columbus was not going to the New World for a peaceful exploration of the area or to prove that the world was round, but to exploit the native people of the area for their labor, wealth, and livelihood. Columbus does not deserve a day in his honor, and people should remember the millions of native people that lost their lives as result of his fateful landing.

LAD #7: Washington's Farewell Address

In his farewell address Washington states that they his now and forever leaving the social politcal scene and is finally retiring to Mount Vernon, as he originally planned after the war. In the address he tells the listeners the importance of a central government, showing that he was beginning to lean in Aleander Hamilton's federalist direction. He wants a fifty-fifty split when it comes to the government. Individual state governments with half the power but a united central government that has the other half of the power. The most important topic though is the subject of war. He expresses his desire for the nation not to form permanent alliances and keep a policy of neutrality, feeling that that would best serve the nation. His main goal was for the young nation to avoid war to let it grow and prosper.

LAD #6: Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality

In the beginning Washington states that the United States would stay out of Europe, even though he calls it the "belligerant Powers". He says that the United States does not want anything to do with the wars of Austria, England, France and all of those countries. Washington then says that future leaders would be wise not anger countries with significantly larger armies. Probably good just good advice in general but apparently Washington had worries so he included it in the there. He also pins the American character perfectly when he says that if an inidividual person gets in trouble they were on their own, that teh United States was not going to start a war because of one dumb person.

Republican Motherhood Blog

Republican Motherhood

What role did the Revolutionary War play in the transformation of housewifery to Republican Motherhood?
   With the men out at war and not home helping to raise their families, it was up to the women to raise the children of the time in a respectable and patriotic manner. It was also the women that would carry out the war and the homefront. Gathering supplied and ringing up support for the soldiers. So the nation was depeneding on housewifes to bring up the next generation in support of the United States and lay that foundation of nationalism for generations to come.

What were the consequences of Republican Motherhood on women?
   As shown in Document B, men started to think that maybe women should have and education, at least a basic knowledge of such necessities as English and geography. They are supposed to be the moral guide of the family it would only make sense for them to have an education to better make those decisions. Alos as refrenced in Document C women were beginning ot realiz at beacause of republican Motherhood that they did not need to serve their husbands, and such groups as teh daughters of Colombus were starting to organize to protest for "the honour of their sex".

What is the significance of the ideology of the Republican Motherhood as a stage in the process fo women's socialization?
   Again as shown in Document C women were already beginning to come together and form groups like the daughters of Colombus to "[assert] the importance and the honour of their sex". Also just by the how the author of Document C is expressing her thoughts one can see that shwe believes that women are equal to men. She makes acknowledgements to the Marie's and Elizabeths saying that they have "broken the chains of slavery" and that men are ignorant to the power of women. Because women played a significant role in the Revolution they believed that they were not equal to men and that now that the government was being redone they hoped women could have an equal role and avoid the male dominated government that had existed in England. While this did not happen it was a step in the right direction toward equal rights and eventually the 19th Amendment. 


1) The setting appears to be her house, possibly the parlor where a nice couch would have been. Peale most likely did this to show the importance of the home in the upbringing of a child and that was probably the biggest influence in their lives, the mother and the home.

2) Mary Gibson Tilghman is at the center of the portrait, possibly to show here center spot in family. She is the most important person in bringing up the children and so is the most important part of the family to most of the family. Tilghman looks dignified in this picture. She is sitting up and appears to be calm and collected. She is not aristocratic however first because of how she is holding the children. The children are not sitting at her feet or away from her. They are in her arms close to her showing that she is involved in their lives and they are a significant part of hers.

3) The sons show a definite relationship between them and their mother. The son in her arms is reaching for her arms showing that he trusts her completely and that he most likely spends quite a bit of time in her arms and that she is key in his upbringing. The other son too sits close to his mother showing the trust between the two.

4) Tilghman's arm is across her son, holding him on her lap. This again shows the connection between the two and distinguishes it from aristocratic paintings where the children would have been on the floor. This painting is a key representation of Republican Motherhood and the trust between the two.

LAD #5: Federalist #10

1.  Why are factions so difficult to eliminate?

Factions are hard to take down because the people supporting the faction are passionate about what they believe in and will not go down easily. So to take away these people beliefs is to take awat their civil rights, and that is exactly what the colonists were trying to fight in the first place.

2.  If factions cannot be removed then how can they be controlled?

Since the cause of the faction cannot be controlled the only way to control factions would be by use of a republican type of government instead of a direct democracy. A republic would limit the amount of factions in the government and people elected to office are more likely to pass laws for the betterment of the nation and not themselves. 

Blog #4 - Revolution Article

1) British soldiers killed civilians in during the Revolution, raiding houses and destroying businesses. With the exception of Sherman's march to the sea the civilian population was virtually untouched with only 1/2% of the civilian population was actually killed.

2) Most of the most memorable names in the American Revolution were political leaders such as John Adams and Patrick Henry, while generals like Nathaniel gGreene go more unnoticed. The opposite is true in the Civil War with Generals like Grant, Lee, and Jackson in the spotlight and politicians all but staying out of it.

3) If the same percentage of people died today that died in the Revolutionary War the losses would be almost 3 million.

4) British calvary commander Banastre Tarleton killed 3/4 of the Continental force that had already surrendered to him in one of the worst massacres of the war.

5) Washington rarely said anything great about his army. He honored teh "unparalleled perseverence of the Armies of the U States" and the "peculiar Service" of his officers but never suggested a holiday for those who died and the Veterans and never glorified them for their service against the British.

LAD #3: Declaration of Independence

1) When Thomas Jefferson was writing the Declaration of Independence, he was mainly echoing the thoughts of John Locke in the first section. "Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" are the things Jefferson says the government is supposed to guarantee citizens certain "inalienable" rights and that the government cannot take those away. He also says that if the government takes away these rights, that it is not only the right, but the duty of the people to overthrow that government in order to gain those civil liberties.

2) The second part of the Declaration of Independence is the grievances the Continental Congress has compiled against King George III and the rest of the British government. They were mainly upset about the sudden enforcement of the Navigation Acts that severely stagnated their economy. They were also upset by teh fact that they had no representation in Parliament even though they were forced to pay laws passed there. The other main grievance was the trying of colonials in British courts in England, where they were almost guaranteed to be convicted of their crime, because of the bias of the court. With all these grievances that pushed the colonists to revolution.

3) It is in the last section of the Declaration that the colonists finally say that they are breaking away from England because England is not upholding thier rights as natural born citizens of England, and that they were breaking into "free and independent states". This split the colonies and sealed the fate of the future United States.

LAD #2: John Peter Zenger

1. Who was John Peter Zenger?
      John Peter Zenger was an immigrant who moved from Germany to the colonies in 1710. He was served as an apprentice to William Bradford, printer of the New York Gazette. In November 1734 he was arrested for libel. A group of wealthy people who were outraged at Governor Cosby’s decision to remove Chief Justice Lewis Morris and to prosecute the interim Governor Rip Van Dam hired Zenger to write articles politically opposing Cosby. Zenger then began to print articles criticizing the governor and all his decisions.  Zenger’s trial took place on August 4, 1735 and he was defended by Andrew Hamilton. On August 18, 1735 Zenger’s own newspaper the New York Weekly Journal announced his acquittal.

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

                The controversy of the charges was that libel is defined as “a published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation”. Even though Hamilton admitted that John Peter Zenger had offended certain individuals what he had written was true and therefore it was not libel. Zenger in fact had not broken the law. This was just an attempt Cosby to cover up his wrongdoings from the press. Even at the trial Hamilton had to directly tell the jury this because he was rebuffed many times by the new Chief Justice, James Delancey.

 3. What influence did his case have on American governmental tradition?
                This case set the standard for the freedom of the press in this country. In many countries back then and even today in different parts of the world people are punished for criticizing public officials, especially in newspapers. But in the colonies, as long as it was not false rumors the newspapers were free to say what they wanted without risk of reprimand. This was a huge advancement in human rights.

4. What is the lasting significance of his trial? Explain.

                Since the verdict of the trial was that publishers were free to print what they wanted to as long as that information was truthful, people could now criticize anything without risk of punishment. This set the stage for the beginning of the American Revolution where radical colonists could now print articles criticizing the British government and its policies like the Stamp Act. For example Paul Revere’s famous engraving of the Boston Massacre could travel around the colonies unchecked, spreading the resentment for Britain and gaining support for the coming revolution.  

LAD #1 Mayflower Compact & Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

1) What concepts are included in the Mayflower Compact?

Concepts such as political unity and democracy are included in the Compact. It says that that they will meet to enact "just and equal laws" for the betterment of the colony. It also says they will meet when convenient for the general good of the colony, for which they are meeting. Meaning that the laws they are going to make will benefit the colony, so the colony is there to benefit itself, not for the gain Great Britain.

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

The Compact reflects the "Old" world in the very beginning and at the very end, when the Pilgrims reflect their allegiance to King James, Great Britain, France and Ireland. They call the king the "Defender of the faith" showing the respect they still have for the king and their total allegiance to Great Britain, even though they are on the other side of the ocean. However, the Compact also says that the colony will meet and create laws at their own disposal for the benefit of the colony. So while the Pilgrims still considered themselves British they were politically separate from the crown and were capable of running their own system of government separate from Britain, showing their attachment to the “New” World.

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

The Fundamental Orders differed from the Mayflower Compact in the respect that the Fundamental Orders laid out a clear and detailed plan on how the government of Connecticut was to be set up and run, down to the election times and when the General Assemblies would meet. The Mayflower Compact was just a rough idea of what the Pilgrims were going to do. The Compact has no mention of a specific law making body and simply states that colony would form its new laws when they needed to. Also the Mayflower Compact also seems to point in the direction of democracy where everyone in the colony would meet to discuss the laws and ordinances, while the Fundamental Orders sets up a republic where elected officials are sent to the General Assembly instead.

4) What prompted the colonists of Connecticut to take this approach to government, i.e.: use of a written Constitution?  
            The colonists of Connecticut were prompted to take this approach to government in order to stabilize their new colony and officially establish it.  By writing the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut it combined several towns, especially Windsor, Hartford and Wethersfield, into the colony of Connecticut stabilizing the area and giving it more political influence in the area.

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 Fundamental Orders reflect a fear of one person having too much power by creating committees that can overrule the governor. This includes magistrates, public officers and many others who the governor needs to pass serious legislation. The General Court for example consists of the governor, only four magistrates, with the main amount of people there being deputies from surrounding towns. Combine this with the fact that the elections happen every year and a governor can only serve for two terms means that no one can stay in office very long, especially not a lifetime like monarchs can.

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