Homework Two Answers - Student Ten

1. Two important trials or series of trials occurred in the colonies between 1690 and 1750. What where they, and why were they significant?

The first trial was the Salem witch trial. This changed what qualifies as evidence in a court, as apparitions and hearsay were no longer allowed as evidence.
The Zenger trial set three major precedents: first, it set the precedent for jury nullification, second, it set the precedent for freedom of speech, and last, it set the precedent for freedom of the press.

Terrific answer. You should consider becoming an attorney.

2. What do you think were the two biggest causes of the Revolutionary War, and why?

First, is the fact that the colonists were taxed without representation, and second is the fact that they were taxed harshly after the French-Indian war, when they were already trying to recover from the harms of the war, but they were also in a state of post war economic depression, so they were taxed without representation, and those taxes came at an inopportune time.

Very good answer.

.4. The "Tea Party" today takes its name from which event? Explain how that event connects to the views of the Tea Party Movement today.

The Tea Party takes its name from the Boston Tea Party, both are against too much government regulation, otherwise known as “big government”

A bit imprecise. See the model answers. (Minus 1)

5. Explain and discuss the Great Awakening, and its effect in uniting the colonies.

The great awakening was an intellectual and spiritual movement known for dynamic preachers such as George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards. It united the colonies under one faith: Christianity.

Good, but provide more detail, such as the approximate time period. (Minus 1)

6. What was the significance—and the outcome—of the French and Indian War? Should it have a different name?

I would say that nobody “won” the French and Indian war, The French lost all of their possessions and land in North America while the Indians legally lost their land, although in practice they were loathe to relinquish their grasp on it.

Although nominally on the winning side, the colonists lost the war, since they had lost people due to the war in addition to not having profited from it. The English seemed to have profited from the war, but the fact that the war had happened eventually led to their losing the colonies. This was due to the postwar economic depression that eventually lead to the revolution, so while the war was significant, there was not an especially clear outcome, because all parties lost.

Also, Indians fought on both sides so it should not be called the “French and Indian War”.

Good, thorough answer. The problem with the name is not merely that Indians were on both sides of the war. The name omits one side entirely: the British. But your argument that no one won is fascinating.

H1. Do you find political cartoons to be effective? Discuss in the context of the cartoon illustrated in the lecture, and note what you find to be effective or ineffective about it.

This cartoon was one drawn by Benjamin Franklin in 1754. It represented the disunity of the colonies, and was an effort to get them to unite, otherwise they would be powerless. The reason there are only eight parts and not thirteen is because New England grouped four colonies, and Delaware and Georgia were left out. In the 1700s, there was a myth that a snake that was cut into pieces would come back to life if the pieces of the snake were put together before sunset.

Terrific answer, which may become a model answer.

H3. "All political issues are actually economic issues." Discuss this in the context of the conflicts leading up to the Revolutionary War, with reference to at least one specific dispute.

Political issues are economic issues; this is best represented by the three major reasons the Revolutionary War started. The first was taxation without representation Although this is a political issue, because the colonialists were unhappy because they had no representation in the parliament when deciding how harsh the taxes were to be, the fact is that after the French and Indian War the English had to tax the colonists more harshly to make up for the post war losses. This led to more animosity towards the English, leading to the Revolutionary War. Yet this was also an economic issue as it involved post war economic losses. However, I would not say that all political issues are economic issues, for instance the Zenger trial and the Boston massacre were both key political issues, but they did not affect the economy in any meaningful way.

Excellent. (Note: "colonists", not "colonialists").

H5. Discuss any of the debate or discussion topics from the lecture. Is jury nullification good?

The jury should be able to overturn the law at times, allowing the citizens to have a check against the government powers; This is key for a just society, for instance in the eighteen hundreds, when there were unjust laws prohibiting slavery, we needed some kind of check against the unjust law, and so we nullified the laws and let people get off with breaking an unjust law. Jury nullification is needed as a check against unjust government laws,

Terrific answer.

Joseph M.

Grade: 88/90. One of the best homeworks in the class!--Andy Schlafly 22:55, 20 February 2011 (EST)