American History Homework One Answers - Student Fourteen

Ruth L 9/11/2008 American History Andrew Schlafly

1. The Spanish were the first to settle in the New World. They were followed by the English and then the French.

Excellent.

2. What I find most inspiring about Christopher Columbus is the fact that he had a goal for his life was he was only ten.

Excellent.

3. The reason that many of the early settlements in America failed was because they lacked strong leadership. For example, in 1492, Columbus started a settlement in Haiti. However, he left the settlement without a good leader and it eventually died off. In contrast, Jamestown had a strong leader: John Smith, who kept Jamestown alive.

Superb again.

4. The first settlement in Massachusetts was made up of Pilgrims. The Pilgrims came to America in 1620 with the hope of religious freedom. They landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts and although they had a hard start, they did survive and became a prosperous colony. The second settlement in Massachusetts was made up of Puritans. The Puritans landed in Salem Massachusetts with the purpose of purifying the Church of England by creating a more perfect community. Immediately after landing in Salem, they moved to Boston Harbor and despite the difficult weather and climate, flourished almost instantaneously.

Good, but you haven't explained the specific difference between Pilgrams and Puritans. (Minus 1)

5. William Penn’s Quaker beliefs got him in trouble with the law in England. However, even though he was arrested and prosecuted, he was never convicted. Finally, in desperation to get him out of the way, the king gave Penn a piece of land in America. When Penn began his colony there, the land was little more than woods. Defying all odds, this troublemaker from England used his Christian principles to found one of the most successful colonies in America: Pennsylvania.

Good, but mention Penn's religious tolerance. (Minus 1).

6. 1. “Joint-Stock Colony”-A colony that is funded by a joint-stock company. (example: Virginia) 2. “Charter Colony”-A colony that is governed by a company or person that was granted the land by the king. (example: Rhode Island) 3. “Proprietary Colony”-A colony that is owned and controlled by at least one person. (example: Delaware) 4. “Royal Colony”-A colony that is either founded by, or repossessed by a king, who appoints a governor to rule over it. (example: Virginia)

Good.

7. Debate: were the Puritans right to be strict and to expel people of other religions?

Expelling Christians of other denominations is certainly not Christ-like. However, it is understandable why the Puritans did this. The Puritans had left everything they had ever known in England to travel across an ocean (a trip that took months) to some desolate land that they had heard nothing but bad things about. They did all this so that they could have religious freedom; so that they would not persecuted for their Puritan beliefs. It is very understandable why they would want to keep their new land in America free from other denominations that might try to harass the Puritans. Also, harsh punishment was all the Puritans knew from England. They were taught that when your religion is different from the majority’s, the strictest punishment is required. This is what the Puritans were used to, which is why they treated people of other religions so badly.

Excellent point about how the Puritans were used to harsh punishment. Superb answer!

Great start: 68/70 points.--Aschlafly 20:26, 11 September 2008 (EDT)