BF+Responses+to+essentional+questions

8/29  The Virginia Company sent settlers to the New World to find gold like the Spanish have done. The settlers stayed in Jamestown, which was mosquito infested. The mosquitoes carried a bunch of diseases that killed a lot of people in Jamestown. These “gentlemen” did not want to do work or hunt. The settlers also did not pack enough food for the trip back and starved to death from lake of food. By being invasive on the local Indian tribes, many people were also killed from Indian attacks. Living this harsh lifestyle makes historians ask the question, Why did the Jamestown settlers stay in Jamestown? Some historians say that the settlers stayed in Jamestown because of the competition of gaining land of the New World between Spain and England. My opinion is that this was not a factor. The people in Jamestown did not care about gaining land. England’s mainland was only concern about that. Some settlers came to the New World so they can get gold. When they started to find out that they did not have gold on their land they still stayed in the colonies. The settlers themselves did not care for the gaining of land or the gathering of gold when they stayed in the colonies. At the time when the settlers came into Virginia, England was having an economic depression. Finding jobs were really hard in England. The streets were filled with cannibals and homeless people. My opinion is that the settlers came to Jamestown to get away from the lifestyle in England. Even though living in the dangerous area of Jamestown was deadly, their lifestyle was better than it was back in England. In Jamestown, people can own land and do whatever they please. So, the reason why people stayed in Jamestown was that the living conditions were better than they were back in England.

9/6

When the land across the ocean started to develop in the late seventeenth century, diverse cultures and colonies were being discovered and growing in a rapid rate. In the colony called Massachusetts, the Puritans were making towns that had a strict grasp on religion by following the exact word of the bible. In Pennsylvania, William Penn and the Quakers were settling in a colony where diverse populations and a growing economy were being developed. Both colonies were different in their own way to other colonies like the older, southern colonies. Because of the booming economy and the diversity of the colony, I would like to live in Pennsylvania so I can be accepted on my ethnic background. The way that William Penn, the founder, of Pennsylvania attracted so many people to the area was his way of advertising. He would go to England and set out flyers that basically said, “Come to Pennsylvania, and you will get 50 acres of free land!” In England, finding 50 acres of land to buy was very scarce, let alone for free. When King Charles II granted Penn Pennsylvania, Penn mad sure that anyone from any country was able to live there. William Penn was part of the Society of Friends, also known as the Quakers. Since the colony was run by Quakers, who did not believe in violence, Pennsylvania was a peaceful colony. The Quakers also were very peaceful with the local Indians, which was rare for Europeans to do. With all the diverse people in the area, technology and new ideas were booming because of the different people from different countries coming up with new ideas. I would settle in Pennsylvania rather than the other colonies because of the religious toleration, the increasing economy, and the diverse group of people.

9/16

During the late 18th century, one of the great world wars known as the French and Indian War was fought on the land of modern day United States of America. Before this war, the colonists thought that they were equal to Britain. The war was basically Great Britain against the French and the Indian tribes, with the aid of Spain. This war is known as one of the World Wars because it was also fought on European land as well. The war ended when the colonists and Great Britain took over Quebec, which was the largest city in Canada at the time. Even with the victory of the war, problems between the colonists and the great empire of Great Britain grew. Since a lot of the battles were fought in America, Great Britain had to send troops over to America to fight. This cost a lot to do, even when the British were going through hard times. At first the colonists did not have to pay for the war, since all the debt went to Great Britain. Later in time though, Great Britain passed Acts that would tax certain goods to raise money over in the colonies. Although none of the acts were successful, this did not go well with the colonists. Great Britain also stationed ten thousand troops around the colonies in order to find smuggling goods. This showed that Great Britain did not trust the colonists at all. The British also took away a lot of freedom from the colonists. The great empire did this so that they can gain the colonists obedience for sure. When the Proclamation of 1763 was signed, Britain wrote that no colonists can go past the Appalachian Mountains. The king made this law so he can have better power over the colonies. The colonists could easily not follow the laws and live their own lives. However, since King George III sent armed men into the colonies to show power, the colonists had no choice but to live by the laws.

9/23

After the world war known as the Seven Years War, the British and the colonists had some difficulty getting along. The colonists thought that they were as equal ad the British were before the Seven Years War, but after the war the British started to take away some of the colonists rights little by little. Whenever the colonists try to get their rights back the British just took more of their rights. __With the British taking away the colonist’s rights with the brutal acts, the colonists had no choice but to declare war for their independence.__ The Seven Years War was much of a hassle for England. This was because the British had to pay off the incredible war debt. Because of this, King George would not let anyone settle in the Ohio River Valley, since that will cost a lot more money. To pay off this “colonial debt” King George hired George Grenville to help with the colonists paying off the debt. Grenville passed numerous acts like the Sugar Act, Currency Act, Quartering Act, and the Stamp Act. These acts were not a smart idea since it cost England more money to enforce these acts. The one act that people got really mad about was the Stamp Act, since it affected every person neither poor nor rich. The act lasted a year and a half, but violence between the British and colonists were about to begin. After Grenville got fired since his acts were not genius, violent “terrorists” were being formed. The most famous ones were the people who belonged to the Sons of Loyal Liberty, who were behind many crimes, including the Boston tea Party. The British hated these people and wanted them dead. The Sons of Loyal Liberty would also find British officials, and “tar and feather” them, which was very unpleasant. The Townshend Act was passed later on, which made the colonists pay off the war debt and troops. This made the colonists furious that they have to pay for what the British were doing. With the Townshend Act, destruction was ahead for the relationship of the colonists and England. The Boston Massacre was one of the most terrifying incidents that led up to the American Revolution. The British soldiers in town square shot at the colonists, killing eight people. This was the most violent incident that happened yet. Two years later, the Gaspee Incident occurred, where the Sons of Liberty hijacked the ship called The Gaspee, took all the officers off the ship and set the ship on fire. A year later England makes the Tea Act, which tea from the East Indies would be sent straight to England and not to the colonies. This is when Americans would start drinking coffee. That same year the Boston Tea Party took place, where the Sons of Liberty dressed up as Indians went aboard a cargo ship and dumped all the tea into the sea. This was the final event leading to the American Revolution since it sparked the Coercive and Quebec Act. With all the tension rising and the unfairness in the colonies, it was no wonder why the Americans would start to revolt against the elite country of England.

10/11

 During the making of the constitution, the people at the convention were thinking of ways of how to run the country. The biggest argument was whether the constitution should give more power to the states or as a nation as a whole. The people that were for a national government were the federalists and the people that were for the state powers were antifederalists. The problem was that both ideas clashed and brought conflict into the convention. George Washington’s job was to decide how to run the country. Both Federalists and Antifederalists had different views on certain issues. All the issues are related to running the country. For example, the Federalists wanted to tax the nation to pay off the Revolutionary War debt. The Antifederalists on the other hand did not want to tax the nation, but instead each state paying off their own debt. Multiple accounts of these arguments were held at the Constitutional Convention, where George Washington settled down and chose between the views of the Federalists and Antifederalists.

10/25

The election of 1800 was probably one of the most important elections in US history. After the disappointing presidency of John Adams, the people of the US wanted a different president. People of both parties, Federalists and Democratic Republicans, were running. John Adams and Aaron Burr of the Federalists and Thomas Jefferson and C.C. Pinckney. The election came down to Jefferson and Burr tying in votes with 73 each. This made the votes come down to the House of Representatives. With the help of Alexander Hamilton, Jefferson won the election. In Jefferson’s presidential cabinet, he only picked Democratic Republicans, making the first peaceful change of parties. The Election of 1800 is considered a revolution for many reasons. When the country was found, Federalists mainly took over in the government. Jefferson was the first president that appointed Democratic Republicans into his cabinet. He was also the first president that did not include any federalists in their government. I would considered the Election of 1800 a revolution because it changes the source of power in the US. I do not think this could be compared with the American Revolution, because the election was not as revolutionized as the American Revolution.

11/8

When Andrew Jackson got elected as president, the way America ran was changed for the rest of history. From the way he ran the country to the way he got elected, Jackson was the first president to include the people. He was the cause of the bank of the United States to become bankrupt. Because of causing the bankruptcy of the bank of the United States, Jackson also changed the economy for time to come. The Jacksons presidency was a time for drastic change for the social and economic climate of America. The election that Jackson won was different then elections from the past. In the past the peoples vote did not mean anything to the election. Even though voting is supposed to be one of the most beloved freedoms that citizens have, the Electoral College decided who was president. Jackson was not favored because of his political views. He was favored because he was a national icon. Jackson’s election is the first election that the popular vote actually mattered. Jackson was the first president that was “for the people.” Jackson also changed the economy in America. During his presidency he got rid of the Bank of the United States. Jacksons view on the BUS is that he does not like it. To fuel his fire, his political rival Henry Clay was using the BUS to destroy Jackson’s campaign for the next election by convincing Nicholas Biddle to try to renew the BUS a couple years earlier. If Jackson rejects it, then Clay will ridicule his campaign for it. Jackson eventually would destroy the BUS causing the economy to change In the united states.