-DM+Responses+to+Essential+Questions-

__Essential Question #1__

There were many factors that drove the English toward new settlement in America. I think that many of the factors dealt with how rapidly Spain was taking over the New World and England's need to compete with them. However, there were other more important factors. England was on the edge of destruction. The economy was slipping and there was no where else to turn for the country. Overpopulation was hitting them like constant punches from Mike Tyson and there was no where for anyone to go. Jails were filling up and the prisoners that were inside them were being executed at a faster rate than ever before. Then America was found and this was their key to saving their country. This land full of opportunity seemed to be the perfect salvation for a country in such strife and agony. There was land for people to colonize and live, solving the population problem. This also gave a reason to keep all the prisoners in jail alive. Their imprisonment would be turned into working in fields and farms rather than being executed mercilessly. The New World was a perfect place for colonization for the English. This place would help England turn their problems around and get them back on their fee. This is just another addition to how the United States of America was formed.

__Essential Question #2__ If I was an English settler, i would choose to go with the Pennsylvania colony over the Massachusetts colony. Mainly the reason is how the Quakers are so accepting of everyone and the Puritans are not. I tend to not consider myself a religious person so the Puritan life is not for me. I do not believe religion should be a set part of any society because there is no way of proving that any of that exists, they are just beliefs. The Quakers set up their society upon fact, not opinion, and they let anyone join their colony. Also, I could not be a part of the Puritan colony if i wanted to. According to their rules, i would rather choose a painful death than live the way they do. The "Blue Laws" are utterly ridiculous and i could not spend my entire life following the majority of them. The Quaker life is the life for me because they believe what i believe, and that is acceptance of anyone.

__Essential Question #3__ The French and Indian war was a major turning point for the relations between Colonial America and Great Britain because it sent Britain into an economic plunge by increasing its debt by such a leap. This sparked the George Greenville Program in 1763. It started with the Sugar Act which began in 1764. It was a way to stop illegal smuggling in America so that England could get it's full share of income from the Americas. They taxed every bit of sugar used in America, and since the English breathed tea, this was a lot of money being taken from the colonies. This enraged the people of the New World. Another contributing factor was the Currency Act which also began in 1764. England forced Americans to use a universal British currency instead of their own way of trade. This was another aggravating factor to the break up. Next was the Quartering Act in 1765. This kept people from keeping to their own privacy because they were forced to house soldiers without their own consent. What really aggraveted everyone was the Stamp Act in 1765. This was a tax that covered pretty much every single piece of paper. It affected everyone from sailors to lawyers. This was really what set off so many people. This caused many groups to start including the Sons of Liberty-A terrorist group of 4-5 men that sabatoged British production. This is what led to Americans wanting freedom and the Revolutionary war.

__Essential Question #4__ The Americans were cheated. They were cheated out of the same life that the British had and being "British" themselves, they deserved the same rights. They were treated and, most importantly, taxed unfairly. The Royal Parliament thrusted so many taxes on them so fast, most men couldn't feed their families. This is why America needed to secede from England like they did. If they needed something during that time, it was freedom, and that is what they fought for, and I support their actions like my own. It's not even like they started the war in the first place. Britain stormed some minutemen in a small village and shot them all. How fair is that? They were just defending their lives and families. This shooting and other onslaughts, like the Boston Massacre might I add, were just even more reasons for England to hand over the freedom that America deserved. And, like Thomas Paine explained, the mother country can't be smaller than its child. Things were just out of proportion and out of line. These are the reasons America acted out like they did. They deserved fairness and equality and they did not receive it. So in return they fought back and dominated. The End.

__Essential Question #5__ The Constitution allows for a debate because there are very many unique views that can be brought up from what the Constitution states. From the debate we had we learned that the constitution already brought up such debates as The Bank, The French Revolution, and others. These turned into arguments because two men had bery different political views on why or not the situations that they were brought upon were to be deemed necessary. Some of the things written in the constitution can be viewed as questionable to what they mean. For instance, Thomas Jefferson took everything the constitution said very very literally while Alexander Hamilton viewed this as unfair and thought there should be some exceptions for such a powerful document. The Constitution was a great thing to debate over and I hope we can use it more in the future.

__Essential Question #6__ According to dictionary.com, a revolution is a pervasive change in society and the social structure. In my opinion the Revolution of 1800 was exactly this. The government during this time was publicly named the Federalist Party. Multiple members of the United States did not see this as a fit form of government for their country. This resulted in the forming of the Democratic Republican party ultimately created by Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was a big part of the United States Government even while it was still a Federalist nation. Going through multiple public debates and arguments, Jefferson always stood his ground and stood up for what he wanted. He showed true qualities of a leader and that's what sparked the Revolution of 1800. With the help of his party and right hand man, James Madison, Jefferson was elected president in 1801 and changed the entire shape of the United States Government. He persuasively changed America's society and social structure, thus making his actions during his presidency, a revolution.