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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