Midterm or Mid-semester Opportunity

Choose one of the following options:

Option 1: 
In what ways does John Adams' essay "Thoughts on Government" reflect the problems facing the former British North American colonies after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776? In addition to the Foner textbook, you may use the following documents to answer this question:

• John Adams' "Thoughts on Government"
• Fears of the Federalists/Fears of the Republicans essays
• Alexander Hamilton "The Few and the Many"
• Thomas Jefferson on Shay's Rebellion

You MAY NOT use any other sources to answer this question. References to other sources, cited or not, will result in a failing grade for this assignment.

Option 2:
At the time of the American Revolution, how did the former British North American colonies define freedom? In addition to the Foner textbook, you may use the following documents to answer this question:

• Felix's Petition for Freedom
• Ebeneezer Fox
• Lucy Knox Letter
• Washington Returns Slaves to their Owners
• J. Hector St. John Crevecoeur's "Letters from an American Farmer"  (For some reason, the title of this document on StudySpace is "Noah Webster on Property." This is a mistake, but you may use the document. It is also available with the correct title in the Chapter 7 StudySpace documents).

You MAY NOT use any other sources to answer this question. References to other sources, cited or not, will result in a failing grade for this assignment.

Requirements:

• A clear thesis that presents the argument and outlines the essay
• Reference to a MINIMUM of three sources; every reference must include an MLA or Chicago style citation
• Detailed explanation of examples: who, what, where, when. 
• Analysis for each example: how this example prove the main argument? 
• Organized structure: present evidence in chronological order, organize evidence to follow outline of thesis, include strong topic sentences

Submission Instructions: 

• Submit your essay to www.turnitin.com  by Friday, March 13, 11:59 PM 
• Course ID: 9525664
• Password: History

• Late submissions will be reduced by one letter grade for every day they are late.
• Late submissions will not be accepted after Tuesday, March 17.
• The grading rubric is available on turnitin.com, and you may find it valuable to review before submitting your essay. Click on the blocks icon on the assignment page to view the grading rubric.
• Grades and comments will be posted on turnitin.com

Feel free to email me with any questions. Remember that we will NOT meet on Friday, March 13, and I will not have regular office hours on Friday.  You may also post questions in the comments to this post, or on the course help page.

Constitution

Given the threats looming over the nation if the Constitution was not ratified, it is understandable that both Republicans and Federalists made concessions to put even a flawed government in place. If you could whisper in the ears of the framers in Philadelphia in 1788, what would you say? Knowing what you know today about historical and current events, how would you advise the framers to proceed in 1788?

This post will be available for comments until Sunday, March 8.

American Revolution

Historians frequently debate the periodization, or beginning and ending, of events. Considering the primary sources we'll discuss this week as well as your textbook readings (and feel free to read additional sources/images from Studyspace), how would you periodize the American Revolution? When did it begin and end? You are welcome to be creative, but be prepared to support your choice with specific examples. The more specific you can be, the better!

UPDATED 2/24/15: Consider both the Letter from the Virgina House of Burgesses and the Olive Branch Petition that we discussed in class today. Note the similarities and differences between the two documents as you contemplate the "start" of the American Revolution.

This post will be available for comments until Sunday, March 1.

British North America

This week we'll think about what made colonists in North America identify as British. Timothy Breen's essay discusses the role of "stuff" or "material culture" in supporting the colonists' British identity.

Browse the Luce Center's collection of objects to find items that you think might contribute to colonists thinking of themselves as British. Describe the object and why you think it made colonists feel British in the comments. Please provide a link to your object! Instructions for pasting your link in the comments can be found here. Keep an eye on previous comments and avoid discussing an object someone already posted. There are thousands- plenty for everyone!

This post will be available for comments until Sunday, February 22.

Chesapeake and New England Colonies

This week we'll discuss the development of British colonies in the Chesapeake region (Virginia and Maryland) and New England (Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island). Read this essay by historian Kathleen Brown about women in the Jamestown colony and consider the following questions:

How were colonists' experiences similar or different in the different regions? 

How were women's experiences similar or different? 

Consider how Brown constructs her argument? What role do primary sources play in helping her prove her point? Would her argument be as effective without primary sources? 

UPDATE: 2/13/15

Read the transcript of the Trial of Anne Hutchinson, and consider our class discussion from today. What does the transcript reveal about the Puritan settlement? How does this document relate to the Brown essay?


***Note: you do not need to answer every question in a single comment. Please DO NOT write multi-paragraph, essay-like comments. Limit yourself to one idea per comment, and check back in a few hours or a few days to follow up. The goal is conversation, not monologue!

This post will be available for comments until Sunday, February 15.