American History Homework Two Answers - Student 33

Joseph M

1What do you think were the three most important causes of the American Revolution? The first big cause was the taxation without representation and the quartering act. The second was the oppression and the micromanaging of the colonies by the king. And the third reason is that the colonists were used to being free. That is one of the reasons they came to the new world, to be free, and when the king started to take that freedom away, they rebelled.

Superb, especially the "micromanaging" point.

2. Who used the phrase "taxation without representation," and why? Patrick Henry used the phrase “taxation without representation” to describe the fact that the parliament was taxing the colonies and the colonies did not have anybody to represent them in parliament.

Good.

3. What was the Boston Tea Party? The Boston Tea Party was when a group of colonists headed by Samuel Adams dumped millions of dollars worth of tea into the Boston harbor to protest the English tax on tea and also to hinder the East India Company.

Good, could explain a bit more about the cause. (Minus 1).

4. Do you blame anyone for the Salem Witch Trials? Explain. I blame the entire town because when the girls first named names the townspeople were not skeptical because the people the girls were naming were people that the town looked down on, for instance, a slave and a women who smoked and sweared and was generally unpleasant. Then when somebody finally named a person that was held in esteem ( the governor’s wife) they immediately stopped the trials and found many of the “witches” not guilty. I think that shows bias in the judging because they were more likely to accuse and execute people who they looked down on.

Right. Good insights.

5. True or false: colonies having more religious freedom had less conflict with the King. Explain your answer. True As some examples, I would take Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Rhode Island was founded on the ideal of religious freedom for all, among other things. But then there is Massachusetts, founded by separatists who were against Quakers and other religions. Massachusetts had much conflict and many disagreements with the king, including the Boston Tea Party, so I believe that the colonies that had more religious freedom had less conflict with the king.

Excellent.

6. Briefly discuss (in a few sentences) any of the debate or discussion topics from the lecture, or mysteries (see H3 below for the link). George Washington. was he so great, and why? I believe that Washington was a truly great man. In the first place, when he was caught during the French Indian War and he was humiliated, he did not stop his military career, but learned from his mistakes. Secondly, when times were tough and the outlook for the revolutionaries was bleak he did not abandon his men, as Benedict Arnold did. Finally after the war was over, when offered a position of great power (at Newburgh) he turned it down for the good of the people. This shows that George Washington was one, a person who learned from his mistakes, two, someone who had perseverance and was not a quitter, and three, was not just looking out for himself but for the entire nation.

Superb.

7. Explain the meaning of the political cartoon on the right. As with all cartoons, pay particular attention to all of its details. Provide a rough estimate for its date. This cartoon was written by Benjamin Franklin and first published in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754. The different parts of the snake represent the key colonies along the coast. South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and also New England. Published during the French and Indian War, the cartoon’s message then and during the American Revolution was roughly the same, that if the colonies did not join together they would “die”.

Well done!

Honors Questions (answer any 3)

H3. Pick out any mystery of your choice prior to or during this period and suggest an explanation for it.

Did FDR have advance knowledge of the attack on Pearl Harbor?

I believe he did, for a variety of reasons.

Reason 1: By the summer of 1940 the U.S. had cracked the Japanese code nicknamed “purple”, so that they would be able to monitor and know what the Japanese were up to. Reason 2: Messages intercepted in 1941 also pointed to what the Japanese were planning. On October ninth, 1941, Japan told its consul to report on the numbers and models of all U.S. war craft, since FDR and the U.S. had deciphered the code he would have known about this. In light of these facts I believe that FDR had some foreknowledge of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Great answer, but wrong time period. (Minus 1).

H4. Identify key differences between colonial America and England in their cultures, their laws, their economy, or anything else.

 The key difference between the colonies and England was that England was making much more money than the colonies through the system of mercantilism. Another difference was that the colonies were made up of hard working men, women, and children, whereas the “gentlemen” in England were more refined and had more money and time for luxuries and amusements. Also, England was united under one king whereas the colonies did not truly unite until the Revolutionary War although there were groups, pacts, and agreements.  

Superb analysis.

H5. Discuss any of the debate or discussion topics from the lecture. Do you think that juries should be able to overturn the law? Yes , according to Clay S. Conrad, author of “Jury Nullification: the Evolution of Doctrine”, “the purpose of a trial by jury, as the supreme court itself has noted, is to prevent “oppression of the government.” To perform their role jurors must act independently and conscientiously, they must be prepared to just say” no” if they believe that a conviction would be unjust,” Thus, I believe that we need jury nullification to prevent the government from getting too much control over the justice system. Also, some times the law can be unjust or biased, and at those times the people should be able to overturn it.

Excellent.

Terrific answers! 99/100.--Aschlafly 10:22, 29 September 2008 (EDT)