American History Homework Three Answers - Student Three

KaraH

1. There were both Foreign Policy and Financial problems with the Articles of Confederation. Due to these flaws, the Articles only lasted for eight years before they were replaced with the Constitution.

Good, but please be a bit more specific. (Minus 1).

2. The first Article was the Legislative Branch which established Congress. The second was the Executive Branch, and that established the Presidential powers. Finally, the third Article is the Judicial Branch which establishes the Supreme Court.

Excellent.

3. The fact that George Washington stepped down from presidency for the better of the people impresses me. Very few people would do that, they would instead try to hold onto power as long as they possibly could, only stepping down when they were tired, or things just got too difficult.

Good.

4. The most important invention in the 1790s was the cotton gin. The gin was a machine that could do the work of 50 men in pulling the cotton off of the branches in order for the same amount of work to be done in a shorter amount of time, and probably for less money. The machine was so powerful that the South became the main source of cotton for the entire world.

Good.

5. It looks as if this cartoon represents the Shays' Rebellion when there was a revolt involving farmers who were angry that they were told to pay their loans in gold or silver instead of the paper money that was used in every state at the time, asides from Massachusetts. The artist of the cartoon was probably thinking that they needed a new form of government when he drew this since it looks as if all the other states represented by pillars are tied together and Massachusetts is breaking off and burning. If they were supposed to be a united union, then certain branches of it shouldn't be breaking off and burning. What they needed was one person to step in and try to organize everything for an outside angle and earn respect, instead of the states themselves trying to build the puzzle when they were in fact the pieces!

Superb analysis.

6. The Northwest Ordinance spoke of what procedures to use for a state to be settled peacefully and legally, and it also laid out which land America expected to use for settling and notified the countries that it could effect later on.

"affect", not "effect". Otherwise good, but a bit more detail would be better. (Minus 1).

7. John Adams not only had to deal with being the man who followed in George Washington's footsteps, but he also had to deal with the respect (or lack thereof) of the other countries. Thinking of where he came from, the Alien and Sedition Acts are understandable in a way, even if they were a tad ridiculous. That would make the most remarkable thing about Adams in my opinion, was his ability to keep going even if things are rough, to at the very least try to gain America some respect and integrity.

Good insight!

H1) Washington's Farewell Address would only be relevant in that it should be used as an example today. Americans should follow Washington's example in putting others first (Washington stepping down for the better of the people) instead of focusing solely on themselves. It would teach Americans to stay out of conflicts in which they don't belong, which could lead to division among the people (then conflicts with Europe, now conflicts with the Middle East, where we may or may not belong), and it would teach that religion and morality should be the base of what they do ("Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports." -Farewell Speech). So few people follow that last statement that it's obvious that very few people followed what Washington said.

Because of this, I don't believe the speech is necessarily relevant to life today, but it should be taken into consideration by any future presidents who wish to make a change for the better.

Superb.

H3) I think Debtor's Prison is wrong in the fact that it isn't always the debtor's fault that he is in debt. Rarely, if ever, is the economy entirely fair. Because of that those who do the most work (laborers) normally end up with the least amounts of pay. Although it doesn't really take a degree for that kind of job, degrees cost money, money a lot of people don't have so a lot of the time the most brilliant people end up with a low paying job because they didn't have the money in the first place for a degree, and with the low pay they probably won't ever get that chance. That's the vicious cycle. Those with the higher paying jobs normally had more money before hand, that's how they could earn a degree to gain that high paying job.

Once one gets into the lower paying cycle, it's very difficult to get back out, that's why I say it's not always their fault.

I'm not saying that it's not always something people can't deal with, though. Some people could be lazy and "just not get around to" paying who they're supposed to pay. Or others could be spendaholics and not set aside the money they would need for taxes and the like.

And one interesting thing that my dad pointed out, is that if a person who's in the low paying cycle ends up in debtor's prison, he will no longer be able to work unless officials give him a job while he's in jail. No work, no money, he becomes a burden since he now has to rely on the jail to give him food, water, and shelter.

Excellent analysis.

H5) After John Adams passed the Alien & Sedition Acts, Jefferson and Madison viewed it as a direct attack on the Democratic-Republican Party, in which they were both leaders, and took matters into their own hands. They drafted resolutions so that the Act would be deemed "unconstitutional" as they claimed that a state doesn't have to follow an "unconstitutional federal law." In my opinion they had some right to do what they did. Although it might not have been a direct attack, Jefferson and Madison should have done what they did. The only issue is when they nullified this Act, it gave the Southern states something to use as an example when they wanted to nullify other Acts and federal laws, which ending up leading to the Civil War.

Great work.

Superb answers! Grade: 99/100.--Aschlafly 19:11, 2 October 2008 (EDT)