LAD 17

Carnegie starts his rant by tackling the question of dividing money. He speaks about the gap between the rich and the poor, and how it is a new part of society. He says that money can be used in the following three ways: given to descendants after death, given for public use after death, or spent in one's lifetime. He thinks that it is better to spend your money on things for the good of the public while you are living; why make people wait for you to die? Finally, he ends his schpeal by speaking about spreading money, not equally; he is a true philanthropist.

LAD 14

A large part of this whole ordeal can be seen as a court problem. It was a problem waiting to explode at any moment, and this certain slavery issue set the courts on fire. Much of the controversy was based on the higher courts completely reversing the lower courts decision, even when all the laws favoured Dred Scott. Also, they brought up the points of citizenship, rights of blacks, and states vs the union. All of these things fueled the controversy, but the most controversial part of this situation was that one man or one court could declare a major part of the governement "unconstitutional" at will. Taney easily deemed the Missouri Compromise "unconstitutional", which is what makes this case so terrifying. Altogether this situation can be seen as an entry to the civil war, and people all over the United States were very interested in it.

LAD 13

Lincoln is very discusted with the people who are involved with the South trying to seceed, and you can tell it through his mood during the whole speech. It was short, but he said that the people who died at Gettysburg should not have died "in vain", but that the north should continue their efforts.

LAD 12

Lincoln begins his speech talking about how the Southerners feel about the Northern (republican) power. They fear that the North will invade, but Lincoln assures them that there is no reason to invade at the present time. He then goes on to talk about how if there ever is a rebellion or something that prevents the growth of the Union, that he would invade and do anything to protect the Union. He keeps bringing up the fact that he isn't against the institution of slavery, and he even helps aid the Fugative Slave Law. He is a firm follower of the constitution, and he brings up that word many times throughout his speech. Altogether, Lincoln seems to show the American people that he will try to avoid war, but since he firmly backs the constitution, any unlawful rebellion will be crushed.

LAD 11

Calhoun starts off asking the question, "what can preserve the unity?". He begins to speak about the massive differences and dislikes between the North and the South, and he also speaks about what caused their falling out. He speaks about possible solutions, one of which would be giving dominance in the governement to the north rather than the south. He also brings up the fact that there is a new territory, Texas, and how the manifest destiny relates to it. Many of these topics are also included in the larger issue dealing with slavery and morality. At this point his views seem a bit more biased, somewhat attacking the north and their unfair power in the governement. HE wants the north to agree to these terms, but of course, he cannot make them. He finishes with an opened hand reaching to the north, hoping for the best.

LAD 10

Polk starts his message asking for peace with Mexico, who doesn't want to give up Texas. He goes on to speak about how negotiations failed, and how Texas slowly became part of the Union of the United States of America. He describes aspects of the war in some detail, and then he brings up the losses of both sides. Economicallym, trade had a large impact on both the countries in a profitable way. Now that the two countries did not get along, trade decreased dramatically. He finishes his message cordially, showing respect to the Mexicans even in a time of strife.

LAD 9

The sentiments started off briefly reflecting the opening views of the women at the Seneca Falls Convention. They write that they consider themeselves equal with men, and they do not want to suffer based on old traditions; they even go as far as calling the men tyrants over the women. Then the women went on to speak about the sentiments, or the things that the men were doing at the time against women. They talk about being degraded, limited property rights, limited voting rights, the denial of education and the lack of respect. These points are filled with fury and passion, and easily persuade one to follow the side of the women at the convention. They finished their article by saying that they would not stop easily, and they would continue to pursue their freedoms in the future.

LAD 8

Madison begins his speech to Congress speaking about the friendly propositions of Russia, assumingly the purchase of Alaska. He says that Russia offered these terms to Britain, but they declined. He goes on to talk about foreign affairs with Europe, and how the American people are closely tied to them in many ways. He brings up the policy of non-allignment, and puts light on the fact that the US does not interfere with European wars unless they instigate a fight. His final thoughts are about Spain and Portugal, and then he finishes off the speech with a desire to share democracy to help our "brethren" in other parts of the world.

LAD 7

Jefferson speaks about many things in his First Inaugural Address; and while all the issues mentioned are important, one of the most important idea he brings up is that relating to his foreign policy. He was happy that the United States was separated from the radical and reckless Europeans, who were always fighting. Also, he speaks about the rights of further generations, claiming that they will have land for many, many years. He seeks to put into place a "wise and frugal governement", that can keep people in order. He brings up some minor issues, and then he speaks about mending the Presidency back up. Altogether Jefferson shows the people that he is ready to rule the infant nation and will rise to the task set before him.

Columbus Blog

It is easy to claim that Columbus was a villain, seeing as he came to the Americas and "discovered" the continent, which caused great difficulties for the natives living there at the time. In a different perspective, Columbus can be seen as a hero, because if it wasn't for his determination and his persistance, the United States and all other countries on this side of the hemisphere could have never been rediscovered and populated. He was seen as unintelligent in Europe, as many people believed the world was flat. He was an outsider who did not stop when others told him too, and eventually led the Europeans to the "New World".

LAD 6

George Washington's Farewell Address was written as a resignation letter along with some guidelines for how he wanted the United States to progress after he left. Although he actually served another term, this article was written as if he were to leave. He brings up the idea of disunity among the United States, and he wants people to come together and forget their differences. He realized that problems can start internally (inside the United States) and then become external (foreign) and have very negative impacts. The different ideas between the North and the South are also brought to light, and he knew that they would lead to a problem in the future. He also promotes a policy of non-alignment, where the United States doesn't ally with any European countries, which was a tradition that continued for many years. Washinton speaks about checks and balances, debt and it's effects on the people, and some more political issues relating to the future. His final paragraphs relate to justice, religion, and morality, and show the person he was not only politically, but also personally.

LAD 5

George Washington's Proclomation of Neutrality in 1793 shows the attitude of the President towards the foreign policy of the United States. Not only did he set the United States as neutral in the war occuring in Europe at the time, but he banned any citizen of the United States to aid or infringe on the war whatsoever. These offences were punishable by law, and were aimed to keep any American out of the foreign wars in Europe. This Proclomation of Neutrality set a standard rule, in a way, to keep the United States out of many foreign affairs and wars until the Great War. Also, this was a way to ease the transgressions of the United States in the eyes of the Europeans. If the United States just stayed out of the foreign politics, then there would never be disputes among the differing nations. Altogether, this proclomation helped the United States rebuild after the Revolution and keep to itself for many years.

LAD 4

There are two ways to abolish factions. The first is to eliminate certain human rights, or liberties, which would limit the power they had to create factions or groups. The second would be to make everybody have the same beliefs, ideas, and opinions. Both of these are completely the opposite direction from freedom and democracy, which is why it is so hard to end factions altogether.
Since they cannot be removed, factions have to be controlled somehow. This is possible by created a true democracy, where there are only small amounts of people, which limits the effectiveness of the factions and their mischief.

Rethinking the Revolution

Five Facts from Rethinking the Revolution:

1) I learned that many people see the civil war as more important than the American Revolution because it seemed more "modern" to them, because of the camera and it's abilities.

2) It is easy for people to remember events of the American Revolution because they are famouse; the Boston Teaparty and the Sons of Liberty are both known throughout many households in America.

3) Although paintings can be seen as a portrayal of the past, many paintings about the American revolution "give a distorted view of events".

4) Many British troops died on the trip to the Americas because of diseases and unsanitary living conditions on the ships.

5) Although it seems like the American Revolution had little death among civilians widespread disease often came from the nearby military camps.

LAD 3

The declaration of independance was very important for many reasons, and set a foundation for modern American democracy. Democratically, it set out the rights of man in America. It specified how the leaders would be put into power, by the people. This gives the people the power to choose leaders who have the same ideals as them.

Some of the grievances were being angry at the king for taxes without fair representation, the kings soldiers in the colonies, and his obstruction of the administration of justice.

Altogether, the people of America were not able to continue functioning without a constitution of their own. This constitution helped them have order during the revolution, and they could fight for the same common causes.

LAD Zenger Trial

John Peter Zenger was a man living in New York who wrote articles in his newspaper critisizing the governor. The governor then tried to punish Zenger, but the public attention the trial recieved helped Zenger more than the governor.
This was a controversy because Zenger had done nothing wrong and had only printed the truth in his articles. Since Alexander Hamilton had presented such a case against the governor, freedom of speech in the colonies was greatly increased.
This case had influenced the way Americans think; we do not have to think about what we say. This tradition of free speech is different than a country without this right, and it has influenced our culture and government.
This trial had a long lasting signifigance because it gave inspiration to those who had thoughts about governement issues and wanted to speak out. This case showed many people that it is okay to say your opinion if it is true.

LAD 1 Mayflower Compact & Fundamental Orders of CT

The concepts included in the Mayflower compact were very new to the people who were writing it. They were setting down a foundation for rules and ordinances to be laid upon, and they were also basing it upon religion.
The Mayflower compact shows the attachment to the "old world" by setting a legal code to a place which did not have one. Order was a way the colonists were "attached" to the "old world". The attachment to the "new world" was shown by the religious aspect of the document.
The Fundamental orders of Connecticut are different than the Mayflower Compact because the orders were a set of rules already made and chosen, whereas the Mayflower Compact was just the choice of the colonists to eventually lay down those rules. Also, the Mayflower Compact had no specific type of government set up, whereas the orders clearly specified what would happen to maintain order in Connecticut.
The colonist in Connecticut most likely already had experience with disorder, so they knew to clearly lay down the rules, not just to agree on eventually having rules.
Since the orders are so specific, they were probably meant to safeguard against rebellion. There were laws set out to protect the government and to keep order.

hello