GB+Response+to+essential+questions

__ Why did they stay? __  The Jamestown settlers faced constant challenges after they arrived in the new world on May 14th, 1607. Food shortage was already becoming a problem because rations were not provisioned properly on the voyage to the New World. Indian attacks became frequent as the settlers slowly encroached on the Native tribes of the area. The cold winter and disease took the lives of a large number of settlers which leads us to ponder the question, why did they stay? Economic conditions were not the best in England at the time. The New World was seen as an opportunity to make more money. Competition with Spain was not a major factor that encouraged the colonists to stay in the Jamestown settlement. Competition for colonization of the New World was not as influential in the settlers’ decision to stay in the dying Jamestown settlement. The Spanish were rapidly colonizing the southern part of North America. Spanish conquistadors claimed countless acres of land in places such as modern day Mexico and Florida for Spain. Their main goal was to spread Catholicism and claim gold for Spain. The Jamestown settlers went in search of gold but were not successful because the area of North America they settled geographically did not contain any gold. The vast amounts of land Spain had claimed did not compare with the sole Jamestown settlement. Competition with Spain was not the main factor for enduring the harsh winters, Indian attacks, and starvation of the new settlement. The economic status of England was in a decline around the beginning of the 1600’s. The wool market, a vital industry to England’s economy was in a depression which affected many people. The investors who put money into the wool market needed to find a new investment if they wanted to continue making money. The plan to voyage to the New World was seen as an opportunity. John Cabot had returned from his exploration voyage of the New World with news of rich resources, opportunity, and gold. This interested the investors in the new land. They funded the trip in hopes of turning a profit. The interest in a profit drove the Jamestown settlers to tolerate the hardships that came with settling in Jamestown. Although they had no intention to stay long, they had not discovered the vast amounts of gold they spent time searching for. They wasted so much time looking for gold that they had not stockpiled enough provisions to last them through the winter. This was one of the reasons so many people died in the ‘starving time’ 1609. An account of this time even included a hungry and desperate man eating his ‘powdered (salted) wife’. This horrific thought shows how unprepared the settlers were for the harsh winter they had to endure. The Jamestown settlers lost many to the harsh winters, Native attacks, disease, and starvation. Through all of this loss they decided not to abandon the weak Jamestown settlement, not because of the global competition with Spain but the desire to make a profit in the New World. In a way, the early settlers were stubborn because they did not want to go home empty handed. The yearning to make money off the New World ultimately led to the deaths of prominent Englishmen in an attempt to settle in America.

9/6/09 The thirteen original colonies each had their own unique attributes. Each colony was established for a variety of reasons. Colonies like Virginia were originally intended to make money in the new world. Colonies like Maryland were established by leaders who sought religious freedom. Pennsylvania was given as a gift William Penn who took full advantage of the land he was given. Pennsylvania was a place where someone could become economically and socially successful very easily. Because of Penn’s liberal land policy, anyone who agreed to settle in “Penn’s Woods” was given fifty acres of land to cultivate and live on. I would like this opportunity because it made it easy to come by good land in the new world. Penn advertised his new colony to many different groups of people which created a melting pot of various religions and cultures in Pennsylvania. This created a general tolerance of all religions. I would like to live in a tolerant colony because religious controversy is something I would not want to endure day in and day out.

Colonist and English Relationships (9/17)  During the time of the French and Indian war, the British and American colonists fought alongside each other for the first time. The war was a very costly one. This cost was reflected mostly back on the English tax payers overseas. Between 1763 and 1774 the economical and social differences were becoming apparent in the American colonies. __Now that the colonists and English did not have a common enemy, the relationship between the two was not as strong. The war debt was placed mostly on the English citizens. This angered them into taxing the colonies as well. __ The social relationship between the English and the colonists was important during the French and Indian war. In order to be successful, both forces needed to come together to fight a common enemy. After the war was over, the bond between the two was not as important. Now that King George had an army in the colonies, he could enforce his own agenda. With the Proclamation Line of 1763 and other taxations brought heightened tensions between the colonists and the citizens of England. War is a costly endeavor no matter what time period it takes place in. The French and Indian war left a severe debt to England which fell upon the tax payers. In order to relieve the debt from the English citizens, the King made several attempts to tax the colonists for the war. This type of control angered the colonists who were used to the salutary neglect from England in the years leading up to the war. This economical tension led to a resentment of the King and Parliament in England in which they were not represented. The French and Indian war had social and economical influences on the American colonists as well as the English. These influences were so drastic that it created tension between the two. The strained economical and social state of England and the colonies led to a hate for the power and control of England.

9/24 In the years after the French and Indian War, tensions in the American colonies began to rise as England began to tighten its grip on the colonies. King George had implemented ordinances such as the Stamp Act and the Townshend Acts that angered the colonial merchants. The colonists believed that this form of control went against their rights as Englishmen living in the colonies. In a single document of defiance, the complaints and grievances of the American colonists are declared. __The colonists had the right to do this because they were being treated in an unjust way.__ At the time that the English settlers signed an agreement to colonize the New World, they were guaranteed certain rights. Each royal charter included a clause that allowed the settlers to have the same rights as Englishmen. After establishing many major settlements and cities, the policy of salutary neglect was put into place by Britain. This allowed each colony to form individual governments. The colonists enjoyed this freedom, it was one of the reasons many decided to stay in America. Once Britain decided to place control over the colonies through taxation, the colonists began to get angry. The taxations and acts that were placed on the colonies were extremely unjust. Because the colonists had no say in the British Parliament (the ones passing the laws), they should not have been subjected to the laws. There was no colonial representation in Parliament making these taxations so a change was needed. Because the colonies had no political representation, the only way change could come about was through military action.

10/11 The United States Constitution was the cornerstone for the American government system. The constitution applies to every citizen of the United States on a daily basis which makes it important. The framers of the constitution wrote it in such a way so that it can be amended and debated. __This allows room for adjustment when needed which sparks debates over laws. The constitution can also be interpreted different ways which causes an enduring political debate.__ George Washington was a very smart man. He recruited two of the nation’s brightest political minds at the time to help him make the important decisions. The only catch was that these brilliant political minds had drastically opposite opinions on the constitution as it had been written. Hamilton, a strong Federalist, did not view the constitution in a very literal context. He saw a very loose interpretation on the document in which he formed his viewpoints accordingly. Jefferson on the other hand, had a strict interpretation on the constitution. Jefferson was also a strong Democratic Republican. These conflicting viewpoints caused much debate between the two which was exactly what Washington wanted. The way the constitution is interpreted causes enduring debate. The constitution has room for change which is another quality that allows for debate. Not only can the interpretation of the constitution be debated upon but the document itself can also be deliberated. The founding fathers of the constitution allowed it to be amended which is very important for its longevity. New laws can be added at anytime but not without intense debate. The United States Constitution is a very important part of our governmental system. It can be interpreted many different ways which allows for an enduring political debate. It can also be amended. This debate was important to Washington during his term as President because it helped him make decisions that benefitted the nation as a whole.

The Revolution of 1800 10/25  As political parties emerged in the later part of the 1800’s there became a great divide among politics. The strong Democratic Republican interpreters of the Constitution were pitted the loose interpreting Federalists. In the election of 1800 the people of the United States were ready for a change. Thomas Jefferson had radical ideas that changed the way people viewed the government. A revolution is described as a fundamental change in government. __With Jefferson now at the head of the executive branch, a revolution was inevitable. After taking the Presidency, Jefferson repealed many Federalist imposed taxes as well as banned the importation of slaves.__  After the election of 1800, Federalist power was in decline. The Federalist’s lost the majority in congress as well as the Presidency. Federalist ideas were very different than those of the Democratic Republicans. Jefferson believed that it was very important to listen to the voice of the people. In response to outcries to the taxes imposed by the Federalists, Jefferson repealed these taxes. He gained the favor of many middle-class small farmers and shopkeepers that he sought support from.  Slavery was beginning to become a major issue in the United States. Slaves were crucial to the Southern plantation economy. The Northern states relied more on industry rather than agricultural means. In 1807, Jefferson signed a bill making slave importation illegal. This was one of the first steps in the fight to abolish slavery. This is almost ironic because it was said that Jefferson secured his Presidential victory by votes gained by the Three-Fifths compromise. The way slavery was viewed was starting to change. The bill approved by Jefferson was a clear indicator for the future of our nation.  The election of 1800 was clearly a revolution. Federalist power was lost from congress and the executive branch of the government. Because the Democratic Republican views differed so greatly from the Federalists’, revolutionary change was unavoidable. Jeffersonian views on federal taxes and slave importation were examples of the dramatic change that occurred after the revolution of 1800.