MJ+Responses+to+essentional+questions-

 1. A Young African Boy is Taken into Slavery (c. 1735) The most disconcerting features of Smith’s forced removal from Africa to New England would have to be seeing his father murdered and having two different masters. Being only seven, he had to watch as his father was tortured to death by white men. His master’s son, James, would tell him to do things other than what his father said and he would get in trouble for it. Marrying Meg, another slave of about the same age helped him to adjust to life in his new world.  2. The Intolerant Act of Toleration (1649) Catholics received specific protection from the final law. Because Catholics believe in Jesus Christ, neither group can give the other one trouble. If the law had been strictly enforced, Jews and Atheists would have been sentenced to death and all of their property would go to the Lord Proprietary.  3. Framing of the Mayflower Compact (1620) The compact was the first American constitution because it clearly states that they were forming a just political system that would be limited to what the majority decides. It foreshadowed the development of democratic institutions when it started that pretty much all decisions would be made for the general good of the colony which can only be found by voting.  4. Anne Hutchinson Is Banished (1637) The record of the court reveals that Puritans were a very strict-minded society. If you weren’t what they said you should be, then very harsh punishment was coming your way. The punishment against Anne Hutchinson was unjust because they robbed her of her ability to speak and believe freely which is why they came to America.  5. The Blue Laws of Connecticut (1672) The punishment for a majority of these crimes was way out of line. Only laws 4 and 5 have appropriate punishments. Laws 4, 5, 10, and 11 are the only laws from that time that would still be considered illegal today.

Pennsylvania vs. Massachusetts

 __The French and Indian War was a major turning point in British and Colonial relations because of the attempts by the British to repair their war debts by putting them on the colonists.__ The Bristish had a massive national debt following the French and Indian War and the people that were paying for it were not the colonists. The British had almost their only source of income coming from the Colonies. This made them look to the colonies to make more money for themselves to make up the national debt and less for the colonists. The first two acts, Sugar and Quartering, were major influences on the Constitution. The Sugar Act, 1764, meant that there was to be a tax on sugar and meant that a British ship could search a ship with or without probable cause to see if they were smuggling. Then if anything was found, the admiral of the ship became the judge and the jury. This inspired the amendment that guaranteed a trial by a jury of your peers. The Quartering Act meant that you were required to harbor soldiers and that militias were banned and disarmed. The Colonists felt that they were helpless against the British soldiers and wanted some sort of weapons. The Second Amendment meant that they had the right to bear arms and was inspired completely by the Quartering Act.

Essential Question 9-24-09  The Colonists were just in declaring their independence from Great Britain and to fight for it because of Parliament stripping them of their rights. When the original colonists left for America, they were guaranteed the same and equal rights as Englishmen. When the members of Parliament passed the Stamp Act in 1765, they were directly violating the rights of the Colonists. According to the British Constitution, Englishmen could not be taxed unless they have given their consent. The way to give consent was through representation, since no Colonists were allowed to elect members of Parliament, they were not being represented. This violation of the British Constitution was not the first time that it had happened. Just a year prior, the famous Sugar Act was passed. It was repealed before the Colonists were able to realize that their rights were being violated but looking back, they realized that they do not have the same rights as Englishmen. This realization is what sparked their quest for independence. If they do not have the same rights as Englishmen, then they must not be Englishmen; they are Americans. As Americans, they should be able to make their own laws, pass their own bills, and levy their own taxes. If they continued their path under British rule, then they would have been taken advantage of and not known the true meaning of the word freedom.