Jack's AP American Blog

1. What is a faction? A faction is a natural grouping of people by ideas. Today they are commonly known in American politics as parties. While they may not always be beneficial they are natural, and the government cannot restrict them without restricting the people. 2.  Are factions good or bad?  In my opinion, factions are very bad for the people. They create competition between factions of people attempting the same goal, to better their nation. They force people to conform to two or three possible sets of beliefs thus limiting individual thought. They allow for uneducated voters to simply vote for the faction they like. They slow progress of important bills that could better the lives of people due to competition for votes. They divide people that should be united under one flag. They foster selfishness because people stop thinking for the betterment of the nation and only think of how to garner their faction more power. Overall, I do not like factions. 3.  Why a...

What role did the Revolutionary War play in the transformation if housewifery to Republican Motherhood? The Revolutionary War allowed enlightenment ideas to come into American society and influence American thought. For women specifically this meant becoming more politically and socially involved through boycotts and petitions. As motherhood is concerned, mothers were expected to educate their children to be "good citizens", who would make strong contributions to society. 2. What were the consequences of Republican Motherhood on women? Women were educated more frequently and thoroughly after Republican Motherhood because they were expected to pass down this knowledge to their children. They also became more respected members of society, because they had gained the job of educating the next generation. 3. What is the significance of the ideology of Republican Motherhood as a stage in the process of women's socialization? While women were not completely intro...

Summary: Washington created his farewell address as a signal that he would be capping his presidency at two terms, and as a thank you to the American people. Throughout the speech he remains humble and states any accomplishments he made were because of the support of the American people. He also uses this address to state his goals and worries for America to come. It serves as a both a blueprint and a thank you to the American citizens. Warnings: The American people should not form parties because it would cause competition between the two, and would hinder progress. He felt parties had no place in a republic.  He defended his proclamation of neutrality, stating that it would be a detriment to America to become involved in foreign wars that did not concern or benefit them.  Lastly, he spoke on how he felt the government should maintain a balanced budget and not take on debt from other nations so that we can maintain power and prosperity.  Washington's Farewell ...

America, and Washington, take the side of neutrality regarding the war in Europe, and decide not to send troops or get involved. Washington believed so strongly in this that he issued legal punishments for any citizens who went against this decision publicly. Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality America during the beginning of WW2

1. One in four American soldiers died during the Revolutionary war, as opposed to one in five soldiers dying in the civil war. 2. With the invention of the camera the Revolutionary War was the first modern war where the public was able to see the true horrors of battle, be it only in the aftermath due to primitive camera technology. This also came at a key time, seeing as many artists refused to show the gory scenes of this war in their paintings. 3. This was America's longest lasting war, lasting 8 years, and having nearly 30,000 American casualties. 4.  During the war many Loyalists had their land stolen and were sent into exile, in the end around 5% of the population was exiled. 5. Many of the founding father's written pieces were solely to further their legacy, rather than being driven by furthering knowledge. One example of this is Ben Franklin's autobiography.

1.  List the democratic principles discussed in the opening. -all men are created equal -all men have the unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness -the government is run  by the people, and given power by the people -the people always have the right to overthrow the government, should it not protect these rights 2.  List 5 grievances the colonists were making the King aware of. -Britain restricted American trade with other nations -British redcoats forced their way into colonist's homes during the revolutionary war for a place to stay -King George deprived colonists of trails by a jury of their peers -The British army terrorized American ships and burned down American towns -King George protected British citizens who committed murder in the colonies 3.  Summarize what the final paragraph is saying. The final paragraph legally separates the 13 colonies from the British Empire, and gives them all rights due to an independen...

1.)    Who was Peter Zenger? John Peter Zinger was a German immigrant who wrote for the New York Weekly Journal, and was not a huge fan of Governor Crosby. He was eventually arrested for his stance on the governor, on charges of Seditious Libel and rebellious tendencies. 2.)   What was the controversy over his charges? The controversy was that for Seditious Libel to be charged the statements that one makes condemning another need to be false, however the comments made by Zenger were all true. Despite the fact that he did publish the articles, and did criticize Governor Crosby, he only stated true facts so it was not a crime. This coupled with the judge's biases against him and previous incrimination in 1734 made for a very controversial trial.  3.)   What influence did his case have on American governmental tradition? The main influence on the American government came in the form of the first amendment. After the trial the Americ...

1.)   What concepts are included in the Mayflower Compact? The three topics discussed in the Mayflower Compact were what had happened, why it had happened, and what these settlers intend to happen. In this case that was landing in Virginia, because they felt compelled by god and their king to advance their faith and kingdom, for the purpose of settling a colony there.  2.)   How does the Mayflower Compact reflect and attachment to both the "Old" and "New" worlds? You can see the connection to the old world in the colonist's motives. Their reasoning for embarking on this journey is to honor King James of Great Britain, an old world king, and to further the spread of Christianity, an old world religion. You can also see this when they signed it "loyal subjects", showing reverence to their old flag. However, their attachment to the new world comes in the form of their new "civil body politick", in which they will govern themselves.  3.) ...

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