Monday, October 22, 2007
LAD #8: The Monroe Doctrine
In this Doctrine, which went into effect on December 2, 1823, was a statement made by the United States to all of the European powers. In this statement, the Untied States said that none of the European powers were to try and colonize any far of the New World from here on in. The United States, along with Russia and Great Britain believed that it was time for the European powers to end their colonial ventures in the new world and to keep their affairs domestic. The U.S urged that an attempt to colonize nations in the New World would present a threat to American security and the Americans would take appropriate action. The United States recognized many nations such as Mexico and Chile and bolstered a new era of Independence in the New World
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
LAD #7: Jefferson's Inaugural Address
In the first paragraph, Jefferson stated that America was a young emerging nation in which he is proud to be the new ruler of. He hopes to continue this path to prosperity as America moves into the nineteenth century.
In the second paragraph, Thomas Jefferson urges that the nation must remain united through this whole ordeal. He states that political parties do not divide our principles. He Urges that we must unite against evils such as slavery and lack of religious tolerance.
In the third paragraph, He wanted to keep the government pure and powerful, avoiding war with European nations and by remaining neutral. He also urged that we must maintain our good values and not turn to bad ones.
In the fourth paragraph, he states all of the things that he will do while he is in office such as keeping equal justice for everyone, maintaining neutrality, supporting the state AND federal government, and encouraging agriculture and trade.
In the last two paragraphs, he states that he will do his duties to the best of his abilities and will do the best for the nation.
In the second paragraph, Thomas Jefferson urges that the nation must remain united through this whole ordeal. He states that political parties do not divide our principles. He Urges that we must unite against evils such as slavery and lack of religious tolerance.
In the third paragraph, He wanted to keep the government pure and powerful, avoiding war with European nations and by remaining neutral. He also urged that we must maintain our good values and not turn to bad ones.
In the fourth paragraph, he states all of the things that he will do while he is in office such as keeping equal justice for everyone, maintaining neutrality, supporting the state AND federal government, and encouraging agriculture and trade.
In the last two paragraphs, he states that he will do his duties to the best of his abilities and will do the best for the nation.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Christopher Columbus - Hero or Villain
As we all sit down and enjoy the day off from our duties, we often think of Christopher Columbus and thank him for his accomplishments and contributions. Columbus had found the new world in an attempt to find Asia and had sent many expeditions to explore the area heroically. That is what the majority of people think about when they think of Christopher Columbus. Little do they know, Christopher Columbus had a dark side. He was deceitful and merciless, and would stop at nothing to obtain what he wanted , much like a villain. I would classify Columbus as a villain do to his horrible ethical treatment of others as well as his deceitful ways.
Christopher Columbus was not only a good explorer, he was a deceitful one at that, stopping at nothing to get his way or convince people that he is right. one example of this occurred when one of his crewmen spotted the land that is now known as the Bahamas. At the time, the Spanish government had promised a large sum of money to the first person who spotted land. The crewman should have received the prize. However, Columbus' deceitful antics persuaded the king and queen that he himself was the one that spotted land and he received the money. In addition to this, when Columbus reported back to Spain, he exaggerated the treasures that he had found there. he reported that the was gold all around when in reality, there was very little gold, only scarce amounts in rivers to be exact.
Perhaps more terrifying than his deceitfulness was the unethical treatment of the native Arawak Indians by the Spaniards under his command. His men had rounded up many of the Indians to transport as slaves to Spain, since Columbus had to send something in replacement of all the nonexistent gold. He also traded with the Indians unfairly, making they trade lopsided and bad for the Arawaks. This unethical treatment began to worsen more and more as the Spaniards under his command were at the island longer. The Europeans had taken many Arawaks as slaves and made them work on plantations called encomiendas. They also used the Arawaks for free labor forcing them to work in mines and separating families. However, the most unethical treatment of the Arawaks came when the Europeans became very interested in gold. Each Arawak was responsible for collecting a certain amount of gold in a couple months time. When they collected the gold, they would receive a medal from the Spanish. If an Arawak did not collect enough gold, they would be killed. These killings led to more and more. Eventually, the Spanish would kill the Arawaks just for fun, or to try out weapons. This led to a rapid decrease in the Arawak population due to death, disease, and suicide. Eventually, there were no Arawak Indians left in the area.
Next time you think of Columbus and his accomplishments, keep in mind what he had to do in order to fulfill those accomplishments. He lied, he tortured, he abused, and he killed many native people of the time.
Christopher Columbus was not only a good explorer, he was a deceitful one at that, stopping at nothing to get his way or convince people that he is right. one example of this occurred when one of his crewmen spotted the land that is now known as the Bahamas. At the time, the Spanish government had promised a large sum of money to the first person who spotted land. The crewman should have received the prize. However, Columbus' deceitful antics persuaded the king and queen that he himself was the one that spotted land and he received the money. In addition to this, when Columbus reported back to Spain, he exaggerated the treasures that he had found there. he reported that the was gold all around when in reality, there was very little gold, only scarce amounts in rivers to be exact.
Perhaps more terrifying than his deceitfulness was the unethical treatment of the native Arawak Indians by the Spaniards under his command. His men had rounded up many of the Indians to transport as slaves to Spain, since Columbus had to send something in replacement of all the nonexistent gold. He also traded with the Indians unfairly, making they trade lopsided and bad for the Arawaks. This unethical treatment began to worsen more and more as the Spaniards under his command were at the island longer. The Europeans had taken many Arawaks as slaves and made them work on plantations called encomiendas. They also used the Arawaks for free labor forcing them to work in mines and separating families. However, the most unethical treatment of the Arawaks came when the Europeans became very interested in gold. Each Arawak was responsible for collecting a certain amount of gold in a couple months time. When they collected the gold, they would receive a medal from the Spanish. If an Arawak did not collect enough gold, they would be killed. These killings led to more and more. Eventually, the Spanish would kill the Arawaks just for fun, or to try out weapons. This led to a rapid decrease in the Arawak population due to death, disease, and suicide. Eventually, there were no Arawak Indians left in the area.
Next time you think of Columbus and his accomplishments, keep in mind what he had to do in order to fulfill those accomplishments. He lied, he tortured, he abused, and he killed many native people of the time.
Monday, October 1, 2007
LAD #6: Washington's Farewell Address
After Washington served for two terms as the United States' first President, he decided to return to retirement as soon as his second term had expired. He stated that he missed retirement and wished to return to a life with little worries and less stress. He stated that he would have retired after his first term but due to the conditions that the country was in, he had to stay in office. He stated that he is thankful for the United States and that the Constitution will continue to be influential to the country.
Washington then goes on to explain how great the new Government is, one that the people established, one that will continue to flourish. Washington states that the different areas of the nation are flourishing and complementing each other. The north and south are feeding off of each other in trade and agriculture while the east and west help each other with supplies that each area needs. This union between the states helps aid them in security, strength, and other perks.
Washington stressed that unity in the new government must remain for it to flourish. No matter what the outside affairs happen to be, the states must not let it affect their unity. He also stressed that the Constitution is the most important thing in the new government and he urged people to respect and abide by the rules that were written in it. It is a terrible thing to brake one of the laws of the Constitution and that one who does is a threat to society.
Washington also warned against the formation of political parties. He wanted the nation to be united, not ideologically divided. Parties not only divide people, they can also lead to extremists and people who believe so much in their party that they are willing to riot for the cause.
In his farewell address, Washington stated that the American people must maintain their virtues and good morals in order to create a peaceful society. People that owe money should pay their debt and people should be honest. In addition, he stated that the United States must remain neutral and not make allies or enemies. He also believed that the U.S. should remain out of foreign affairs. He stated that the United States should trade with other nations but they should keep their trade strictly economic, not political.
George Washington's Farewell address was an excellent article that addressed many important issues of the time. It not only set up guidelines for the next Presidents, it also set the stage for the future of America
Washington then goes on to explain how great the new Government is, one that the people established, one that will continue to flourish. Washington states that the different areas of the nation are flourishing and complementing each other. The north and south are feeding off of each other in trade and agriculture while the east and west help each other with supplies that each area needs. This union between the states helps aid them in security, strength, and other perks.
Washington stressed that unity in the new government must remain for it to flourish. No matter what the outside affairs happen to be, the states must not let it affect their unity. He also stressed that the Constitution is the most important thing in the new government and he urged people to respect and abide by the rules that were written in it. It is a terrible thing to brake one of the laws of the Constitution and that one who does is a threat to society.
Washington also warned against the formation of political parties. He wanted the nation to be united, not ideologically divided. Parties not only divide people, they can also lead to extremists and people who believe so much in their party that they are willing to riot for the cause.
In his farewell address, Washington stated that the American people must maintain their virtues and good morals in order to create a peaceful society. People that owe money should pay their debt and people should be honest. In addition, he stated that the United States must remain neutral and not make allies or enemies. He also believed that the U.S. should remain out of foreign affairs. He stated that the United States should trade with other nations but they should keep their trade strictly economic, not political.
George Washington's Farewell address was an excellent article that addressed many important issues of the time. It not only set up guidelines for the next Presidents, it also set the stage for the future of America
LAD #5: Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality
In George Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality, he stated that the United States would not intervene in the warfare that was present in Europe. he stated that the United States would not choose a side in the war as well as the United States would not aid any side in the war. Washington also stated that any citizen that disobeyed these rules would not be protected by the United States and would also be punished for their crimes.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
LAD #4: The Federalist #10
1. Why are factions so difficult to eliminate?
Factions are so difficult to eliminate because in order to do so, one must either relinquish the liberty that allows the faction to be formed or to instill the same opinions into each citizen. Relinquishing the liberties of the faction would be difficult because liberty is the basis of democratic politics, and to take away that liberty would be going against the beliefs of the American Government. It would be hard to eliminate factions using the second method because everyone is prone to make different opinions of everything based on their outlook and their past. People will never see eye to eye and it would be impossible to make people do that in order to stop a faction.
2. If factions cannot be removed then how can they be controlled?
There are a few ways of controlling a faction. The first way can only occur if the faction makes up a minority of the population. In that case, one could turn to the principal of majority rules, in order to overrule the faction democratically. This allows the majority to override the faction by voting. Another way over controlling a faction can occur only when the faction contains the majority of the population. In order to do this, one must have the interests of the public good in mind. In addition, one must attempt to make the people hold different interests and opinions so they do not always agree so easily. Factions may also be controlled by introducing certain Republican ideas into the government such as choosing representatives for certain areas as well as having the different states unite like they did. The republican form of government prevents factions from spreading because one faction may influence a certain area, but it will be unable to spread to certain areas because the states have different representatives and different ideals.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Rethinking the Revolution
After read the article "Rethinking the Revolution" by John Ferling, i discovered many things about the Revolutionary and Civil War that i did not know before.
1. One of the rather interesting things that i found out about the Civil War from reading this article is that there were cameras present during the time of the civil war. This allowed battlefield pictorials to be taken and caused many to consider this war as the first modern war.
2. Another interesting fact that I came across while reading the article is that before the 1820's, Independence day celebrated the military aspect of the Revolutionary war. However, after the people who lived during the war died, the holiday turned its focus on the political aspects of the Revolution.
3. By reading this article, I learned that the American Revolution was thought of as less of a bloody and difficult war simply because it had 6 times as less casualties as the Civil War. However, the American Revolution was still a gruesome war where soldiers were forced to steal the clothes off their enemy and boil their shoes for dinner as well as march in formation into battle, leaving them with a greater chance of dying.
4. I also learned that during the Revolutionary War, a soldier had a higher chance of dying while they were captured then being killed in battle. Nearly 50% of captured soldiers died while in captivity. On the other hand, only 10% of the soldiers in combat died.
5. Another thing that I learned from reading this article is that the American civilians were heavily affected by this war. Many of the civilians died of diseases brought to their town by soldiers. In addition, civilians often took violent measures against each other if they took different sides in the war. Tories and Patriots would often clash in violence.
Overall, this article was very informative and contained information that I have never known before. It supplied me with additional information about the Revolution that I would not have known otherwise.
1. One of the rather interesting things that i found out about the Civil War from reading this article is that there were cameras present during the time of the civil war. This allowed battlefield pictorials to be taken and caused many to consider this war as the first modern war.
2. Another interesting fact that I came across while reading the article is that before the 1820's, Independence day celebrated the military aspect of the Revolutionary war. However, after the people who lived during the war died, the holiday turned its focus on the political aspects of the Revolution.
3. By reading this article, I learned that the American Revolution was thought of as less of a bloody and difficult war simply because it had 6 times as less casualties as the Civil War. However, the American Revolution was still a gruesome war where soldiers were forced to steal the clothes off their enemy and boil their shoes for dinner as well as march in formation into battle, leaving them with a greater chance of dying.
4. I also learned that during the Revolutionary War, a soldier had a higher chance of dying while they were captured then being killed in battle. Nearly 50% of captured soldiers died while in captivity. On the other hand, only 10% of the soldiers in combat died.
5. Another thing that I learned from reading this article is that the American civilians were heavily affected by this war. Many of the civilians died of diseases brought to their town by soldiers. In addition, civilians often took violent measures against each other if they took different sides in the war. Tories and Patriots would often clash in violence.
Overall, this article was very informative and contained information that I have never known before. It supplied me with additional information about the Revolution that I would not have known otherwise.
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