American History Homework One Answers - Student 36

1. List the order in which the English, French and Spanish settled in the New World. The Spanish, followed by the English and then finally the French

Correct.

2. What do you find most inspiring about Christopher Columbus? Christopher Columbus exhibited an inspiring picture of faith and confidence in his journey across the Atlantic Ocean. He had faith in two ideas—the generally-accepted idea that the world was round and his own personal belief that Asia was close enough to reach by sailing west. Contrary to popular belief, the former was generally accepted in his time, but the latter was unproven. Despite the fact that he could not see irrefutable proof for either idea, his faith in them was so firm that he decided to gamble his career, his reputation, even his very life upon them. I find this very inspiring. In our day of “relative truth” and tolerance for all beliefs it is easy to be passive in our ideas and believe only in opinions, not in truth. Yet this is so wrong. Like Columbus, we should let our beliefs define our lives.

Excellent!

3. Why do you think several early settlements in America failed? Many of the early settlers came to America with the expectation of getting rich fast and experiencing exciting adventures. They failed to understand the value of hard work, initiative and teamwork. Any difficult endeavor requires all three of these. Think of a sports team, a small business or new government. All of these require those three elements for success. The settling of America was no different; where there was not hard work, initiative or teamwork, there was failure.

Superb, with an analogy.

4. What was the motivation for the first settlements in the Massachusetts area? Include mention of how the Pilgrims differed from the mainstream Puritans. Both the Puritans and the Separatists (the Pilgrims) came to the New World seeking the freedom to practice Christianity in their own way. Both were at odds with the Church of England, which was the government appointed church at the time. Government persecution led both congregations to move to the New World. These are very similar situations, yet they differ at one point: while both the Puritans and the Separatists saw problems in the Church of England, they each saw different solutions. As their name suggests, the Puritans desired to purify the Church of England of the problems they saw with it, rather than leave it entirely. While the Separatists saw the Church of England’s problems as incurable, and desired instead to separate from it completely.

Excellent.

5. Explain how William Penn was remarkable. Many people came to America seeking religious freedom, yet of these most all ironically refused to offer the freedom that they so valued to people whose beliefs differed from their own. William Penn was different. He was a Quaker who had faced religious persecution from the King. After failing in his attempt to jail Penn, the King settled instead on getting rid of him by granting him land in America. Penn founded Pennsylvania, the only colony in the New World that allowed for the free practice of any religion. Penn demonstrated a true understanding of the Bible and its teachings on love by his astonishing decision to allow freedom for all religions.

Good answer, but Rhode Island also had religious freedom. (Minus 1).

6. What were the four types of colonies, and (if possible) give an example of each. Royal colonies were under the control of a governor appointed by the King. New Jersey was a royal colony. Charter colonies were established on land that the King granted to an individual or company. Rhode Island was an example of a charter colony. Proprietary colonies were owned by an individual or a group of individuals. For example, William Penn owned and controlled Pennsylvania. Joint-stock colonies were funded by investors through a joint-stock company. Virginia was a joint-stock colony before the King took control of it and made it a royal colony.

Good.

7. Briefly discuss (in a few sentences) any of the debate or discussion topics from the lecture. Were the Puritans right to be strict and to expel people of other religions? It is difficult to judge a people who lived in such a different world than we do today. It is easy now to point our fingers and call the Puritans “hypocrites” for denying others exactly what they themselves had wanted so desperately and “ignorant” for ignoring many of the teachings of their own Bible. Yet while their failure to allow religious freedom was wrong, both Biblically and ethically, they were justified. Religious freedom is a very new concept. Up until the past few centuries, almost all civilizations have been built upon a common religion. The Puritans did not have any reason to believe that it was even possible for people of different religions to live in peace, side-by-side. To the best of my knowledge, it had never been done before, and if it had, it’s unlikely that the Puritans would have known of or given much thought to such a phenomenon. Considering the world they lived in, the Puritans were justified.

Excellent answer.

H1. Explain mercantilism and add a sentence or two describing your view of it. Mercantilism is the policy of allowing fewer imports into a nation than exports, in order to increase financial gain. For example, today China is using mercantilism in an attempt to economically catch up with the Western world. Mercantilism is an extremely profitable economic policy. It ensures jobs for the citizens of the nation, who will then be able to spend money and benefit the economy even more.

Interesting analogy to China! But your answer should address the use of colonies to supply raw materials to the mother country. (Minus 1).

H2. Did triangular trade really exist? Triangular trade did exist. Skeptics argue that there was nothing to take from Europe to Africa, but that is exactly the point: rather than simply trading their goods in at each port, they actually gained money at the European stop because they did not need to purchase things in Europe to trade in Africa. Slaves could be taken for free (or at a minimal cost).

Good answer.

H3. What problems do you think a colony based on a particular religion or religious ideal might encounter? Do you think it can survive and thrive? Give at least one example. Assuming that the religion in question is compatible with “surviving and thriving”, a colony based on that religion could do quite well as a whole. From the outside looking in, it would be a functional, orderly colony, a pleasant place to live for the people who were adherent to the religion of the colony. Yet the there would be underlying problems: unjust treatment for those who questioned the official religion, a probable suppression of the growth of knowledge and creative thinking (freedom to question and explore different ideas leads to these), the possible discontentment of citizens and often a trade of a true, heartfelt faith for a phony religion based only on tradition and rules. In conclusion, a colony based on religion would generally be workable, yet not ideal. The Puritans were an example of a functional, yet imperfect religious colony.

Excellent.

Superb start: 98/100.--Aschlafly 22:11, 12 September 2008 (EDT)