JC+Responses+to+Essential+Questions-

8/30/2009 In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, England started to expand and begin colonizing the New World. Although competition from countries like Spain was pushing England to colonize globaly, other pressures were ultimately the ones which caused them to colonize. Everything from a bad economy to over population, and even the want of indepenence caused them to venture and indure hardships in the New World. Beginning in the 1550's England's wool industry took a downhill turn and plummeted into a depression. There were thousands of families without homes or money who were desperate to find work and food. William Pelham, in the letter,"An English Landlord Describes a Troubled England (1623)", said "Dog's flesh is a dainty dish and found upon search in many houses, also such horse flesh as hath lain long in a deke for hounds." People were eating anything that they could possibly get their hands on. In that letter, he also went on to say how somebody had stolen a sheep from him and ate it raw. All of these homeless people were desperate to do something that would help save them from this downward sprial. Going to the New World in search of gold began looking better and better to them. England was quickly becoming overpopulated and was having social problems. People were living on top of eachother and the bad economy did not help. Some people suggested forcing the thieves to go for a certain amount of time and doing hard work like cutting down trees. Population overgrowth caused less food and less jobs for people. Many people began to see salvation in going to the New World. During the renaissance period, people were becoming more optimistic and expressing themselves through music, art, and writing. The renaissance also brought new technolgy and weapons. New technology and weapons made it possible to go to the New World. Once people reached the New World and the colony of Jamestown was in exsistance, settlers dealt with many hard times. Most of the people who went, would die quickly from disease, starvation, or attacks from the local Native Americans. The settlers were there for the sole reason to find gold and make money, but of course there was no gold near the Jamestown settlement but, the settlers kept searching, no matter what happened. These English colonists proved that they would rather risk dying for personal freedom and liberty than go back to England. The men who came to the New World in search of wealth and individual liberty were rugged and brave. Competition with Spain was not the only reason England wanted to colonize and stay in the New World. The bad economy and social problems had a great impact on England's want for new land and other's indivdual independence. The Jamestown settlers may not have found gold, but they did begin the first permanent colony of our country today.

9/6/09 In the late seventeenth century, many of the colonies beliefs and morals clashed drastically with one another. Some colonies, like the Massachusetts Bay Colony had very strict religious views and many laws. When Pennsylvania was established in 1681, it took on a completely different society. Pennsylvania was the better choice in many people's opinions, including my own because of their prosperous economy and tolerant soicety. Pennsylvania was the first colony to be open with all types of people and religions. They were also the first colony to adveritse themselves to attract immigrants. They would give each settler land and worshipped however they wanted. The Pennsylvanians kept at peace with their Native American neighbors and traded and would even go among them unarmed. They had only two crimes that were punishable for death, while England had over two hundred. Pennsylvania did not have a provision for military defense, nor did they allow slavery. These attributes attracted any people from all over Europe. With so many different languages and people coming, it could help educate the youth with knowledge of different cultures and languages. With many different ethnicities coming to Pennsylvania, there were also many religions. The religions were tolerated very well becuase of the Quakers belief that all people were children of God, which also meant that there were not different social classes, and everyone was created equal. Since Pennsylvania attracted so many types of people, it also attracted many different products that they could use to trade. Generally, different countries offer different exports and things to trade, the people who went to Pennsylvania had many different skills. Dutch engineers, Swedish farmers, and English ship builders helped make everything that people needed in and outside of the colony. This created a very prosperous economy. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the biggest city by the time the American Revolution began. In contrast the the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Pennsylvania was full of freedom and big dreams. The people there were kind and their economy was booming. They were much more successful, in modern terms, than their northern neighbors. They could believe what they thought was right, they could trade goods with other countries and the Native Americans as well, and they got along with one another even if they did not share the same views on a subject.

9/16/2009 When The French and Indian War was over in 1763, it effected both Britian and the American colonists greatly. For the first time, the British laws begun to be inforced in the colonies because of the sudden influx of British influence. This brought tensions between Britian and the colonists to an all time high. In result to the British influence, the colonists began to question their role as "Englishmen" and began to protest taxes and other laws. When the colonists first came to the New World almost one hundred fifty years prior to the French and Indian War, they were told they would have all of the rights as Englishmen. After the war, they began to think that this was no longer the case. The easy going temperment of the English colonits clashed with the snooty ways of the British, which began to show their differences. In the Proclamation of 1763, the colonists were banned to move west of the Appalachain Mountains. This angered many colonists and they thought that it was their right to be able to go where they wanted. When England proposed the Writs of Assistance, the colonists were angered. They could no longer trade certain goods with other countries without paying taxes or else it was considered smuggling. Because of the recent war, there were British troops to inforce these laws. For the first time, this united the colonists against one common enemy. Not only were the Writs of Assistance imposed on the colonists but so were many Acts which forced the colonists to pay high taxes to England. When the British imposed these outrageous laws on the colonists, they rebelled against them.The Sugar Act in 1764 was the first. It stopped illegal smuggling while taxing sugar but overall, it lost England money. That act messed with the mentality of the British colonists and began to make them angry. The Act that angered the most people was the Stamp Act of 1765. Thi is a direct tax and affects every single colonist. This angered everyone including people in power such as lawyers, newspaper people, and wealthy land owners. A group of nine men soon began to protest this law and came to be known as the "Loyal Nine" and many of them later went on to "the Sons of Liberty." These men heavily protested things they did not believe was right. After The French and Indian War, Britian and the colonists relationship took a drastic turn. The colonists wanted representation to be taxed and maintain their rights as Englishmen while harsh taxes were being pressed upon them.

9/23/2009 From 1760 to 1775, the British and the colonists had a very different relationship than ever before. For the first time, Britians government was taking a hands on approach to governing the colonies. The British began to oppress the colonist's rights, and this angered them. The British made up strict laws which were enforced by thousands of British troops. The British continued to tighten their grip on the colonists throughout the years with taxes and more forces of the army. The British tried many systems of taxes on the colonies to pay back their debt after the French and Indian War. The colonists did not like these taxes because they saw them as unfair. Prime Minister, George Greenville helped pass taxes that angered the colonists instantly. First, there was the Sugar Act 1764 which stopped illegal smuggling of sugar but taxed sugar as well. The Quartering Act 1765 was not fair becuase it let any soldier come into any persons house and they had to provide it with anything they wanted. His final and most controvercial act was the Stap Act 1763 which taxed every printed document. This affected all people because it was a direct tax and everyone used paper in some way. The Stamp Act was what sparked the Loyal Nine, a patriotic terrorist group who protested British athority. As protest groups like the Loyal Nine got bigger and more common, British troops became more prelavant in the cononies. When the British began to quarentine Boston, colonists began to get angry. The British gave the Ohio River Valley back to the French to show the colonists that they needed their help to keep safe. After the Coercive Act goes into place, the first Continental Congress got together to discuss what to do. They told the local militias to begin to prepare for any adventualities. When the British found out that the colonists were preparing militas, they got defensive and this is when the first battles of the Revolutionary War began. As it is shown, the colonists were deeply justified in fighting for their independence to stop British laws and troops from walking all over them.

10/11/2009 In the late 1700's, the constitution was fiercely debated. Many of the early debates were through federalist and antifederalists regaurding the righousness of the constitution and if it should be ratified without any changes. After the constitution was finally ratified, new types of debates were formed. Some people had very strict interpretations of the constitution while others thought of it as a loose guide line. People like Thomas Jefferson and other Democratic-Republicans wanted the follow the constitution very strictly and there were no loopholes, ever. Federalists like Alexander Hamilton believed they could manipulate the words of the constitution and find ways to pass laws. For example, Jefferson did not believe the making a federal bank in the United States was not constitutional because of the part that says "to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution the enumerated powers". Jefferson along with other Deomocratic Republicans thought that since the Bank of the United States was not completely necessary and only convienent, it was completely unconstitutional. Hamilton on the other hand thought it was more than just convienence becuase it would help get country out of debt as a whole, not only indicidual states. This was only one out of many arguments that took place arguing the constitution and these ongoing political debates.

10/25/09 In the late 1700's many Americans were beiginning to believe the Federalists and John Adams were not leading the country to the best of its capibility. When Adams lost reelection in 1800, there were going to be major changes in the United States. Although Federalists attempted to keep Jefferson out of office by voting for Andrew Burr, he won by a tie breaker and Jefferson took office as the President. The definition of a revolution is "a fundamental change in political organization; //especially// **:** the overthrow or renunciation of one government or ruler and the substitution of another by the governed;" and that is exactly what happended. When Jefferson took office, he over threw the Federalist party and represented Democratic-Republicans. He changed his cabinet from Federalists to Democratic-Republicans who shared many of the same views as he did. In Jefferson's early political career, before becoming President, he had very radical thoughts. He was completely the opposite of a Federalist. Jefferson was a strict follower of the constitution and thought that Federalist laws like the Alien and Sedition Acts went against everyone's constitutional rights.