...My topic matters to history because George Washington was an important historical figure that helped shape America today. My topic has made an impact on society because George Washington was the first president of the United States. But he learned most of his skills from his previous career as a war general. Few have investigated the assumption that Washington was a war general solely based on the fact that he had a military background and that he could help Virginia reunite the colonies. Many people assume that Washington did no greater good during his time as a war general. George Washington was the best war general in 18th century America. The significance of George Washington being a general cannot be overstated, particularly in the context...
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...The Father of America: George Washington James Butler, a founding father of America, stated during the first Presidential elections, that “many of the members cast their eyes towards General Washington, as President, and shaped their ideas of the powers to be given a President, by their opinions of his virtue” (“George Washington” 127). In saying this, he meant that George Washington was a man that, in the eyes of all the chair-holders, fit all the characteristics that a President should have. For over 150 years before George Washington’s time, America was a colony of the British Empire that controlled the do’s and don’ts of the people living there. However, with the accumulation of laws and acts set forth by the distant British Empire, the...
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...HIST101 American History to 1877 A Man of Honor George Washington was the first president of the United States and is known as “the Father of Our Country. He was a man with much conviction, humility, and integrity. George Washington trusted in God, was willing to sacrifice much, and he was selfless. All of these qualities were important to his success as a military leader and as the leader of the nation. It is apparent by how revered Washington is today that he was a man of honor. George Washington begin life in Virginia in 1732. He was the son of Augustine and Mary Ball Washington. The tale of him cutting down the cherry tree, is just a tale created by author Mason Locke Weems. Weems wanted Washington's life to appear more interesting in the biography he wrote. The biography, A History of the Life and Death, Virtues and Exploits, of General George Washington, “supplied the American people with flattering (and often rhyming) renditions of the events that shaped their hero”. Lawrence Washington was George's older brother. Lawrence was a great influence on George's life. After the death of their father, George spent a lot of time with Lawrence at his home, Mount Vernon. Washington learned the gentlemanly ways and manners of the time from Lawrence. One of the things George enjoyed most was fox-hunting. When Lawrence died, Mount Vernon was left to George. Washington received little formal education. This was due to his father dying when he was a boy...
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...between the two groups. The feeling that Chapman had captured were feelings were that of acceptance by the colonists because Pocahontas has become one of them by accepting their faith and practices, eventually marrying colonist John Rolfe. The Indian tribe not so much, they want to befriend the colonist just not at the cost of one of their own; not all felt that way as you can tell in the painting. Mr. Chapman received the commission in 1837, and the painting hung or “installed” in 1840. The events in this painting had occurred when America was breaking away from British rule. Then the rift between the English colonist and the Indian tribes that already inhabited the new world. The message of this painting is that no matter the differences that people face they can come together as one and live in harmony. Mr. Chapman is successful in communicating his message through the painting because it makes aware that part of history and what Pocahontas did to bring peace between the two groups. There is a clear connection between the context and content of the piece the two groups coming together to witness the momentous occasion in this young woman’s life. Once bitter enemies, and now friends and family together in unity. Declaration of Independence John Trumbull Mr. Trumbull portrayed this important part of history; it was the first sign that the United States as finally a nation, a place of their own. I believe the feeling that he was trying to evoke is a sense of pride and...
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...The Man Who Shaped America During the year of 1783, the heroic war for American Independence was coming to a close as King George III of England granted the colonists their independence to be a new and free nation. However, great challenges still laid ahead for the new citizens of the United States, ones that would still be debated to this day. In the midst of this turmoil, one man led the polarized nation through the battles that won them their independence and the crucial decisions afterward that would forever affect the entire course of history. George Washington was agreeably the most influential individual that impacted the history of the United States. Washington led an army of farmers to victory against the British military, the strongest...
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...Revolution. Through extensive research and attention to detail, McCullough examines the key figures, decisions, and battles that shaped the nation's destiny. He did research in twenty-five different libraries, archives, and special collections. He even went to several historical sights in the United States and the United Kingdom to make sure that all of his facts were correct and to give the best depiction of what happened in the year 1776. Throughout the book, McCullough puts a huge emphasis on specific military figures, such as General Charles Lee, John Sullivan, Nathanael Greene, Henry Knox,...
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...to end animosities. Due to wrangling over the legal language of the documents, official restoration was not made until 1800 in the Convention of 1800, for France was still bothering American ships, but the countries had ceased any thoughts of war two years before. To Adams, this was a huge relief. The young country he led had only just started to prosper after conflict with Britain during the Revolutionary War, and another war would cripple this progress. Adams had done his country a great service. Much can be learned from his example here: in the face of a vengeful thirst for war on the part of his country to “pay back” France for her actions, Adams sought peace rather than swaying with the wind, and by mediating the situation the way he did, he saved his country from possible ruin and certain instability. The biggest hurdle of his presidency was successfully leaped; his country was saved from war; and Adams was all too soon facing more political...
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...19 2014 Founding Brothers "Founding Brothers" by Joseph Ellis is a non-fiction book that analyzes several important events in America among the nation's founding fathers, that take place after the Revolutionary War. The author goes into detail chronologically describing how these events shaped the history of the United States. Joseph Ellis is an American historian and professor. He specializes in American history, and more specifically the founding fathers of America. Ellis has an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Yale University. He has written several biographies about the founders of America, including Adams, Jefferson and Washington. His book about Jefferson titled, "American Sphinx: The...
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...increased. It has also greatly increased the necessity and prevalence of our involvement in foreign alliances when it comes to war, trade, and global security, which Washington directly warned against. As far as political parties, globalization has increased their importance and the influence of them in economic and social spheres of life. Finally, globalization has increased the number of possible titles and “appellation[s] derived from local discriminations,” to divide ourselves. First, it is important to determine exactly what Washington’s stance on foreign affairs, political parties, and local divisions was and where they stemmed from....
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...------------------------------------------------- Minipulated African Americans and the Revolution Nikki Jones Genesee community college History 203: Fall 2014 Nikki Jones Genesee community college History 203: Fall 2014 Manipulated: African Americans and the Revolution One of the most notable intellectual paradoxes in American history is how the founding fathers could promote the equal rights of man and their perceived enslavement by the crown while simultaneously holding a fifth of their own population in bondage. Another question that plaques the history of this great nation is why abolition, or widespread emancipation, did not occur at this period in time when revolutionary and republican rhetoric existed alongside of anti-slavery sentiments. A case can be made that Americans were speaking more loudly for the end of political enslavement, rather than the freedom of slaves themselves. The exclusion of slaves from the political forefront made it easier for Americans to make these hypocritical claims. Whether or not whites were able to justify themselves the exclusion of the black community from their cries for freedom, the parallels revolutionary rhetoric had on their own condition were not lost on slaves. Many took advantage of the revolutionary crisis and ran away and joined either side in hopes to attain their own independence. There reasons that Blacks chose to join the revolutionary fight are as varied as the individuals who made them. The motives were...
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...though we were still confused leaving the store, we realized that we had to walk through an arch to get to the museum. The museum was located behind another building in what could be mistaken for an alleyway. This was something I found upsetting. I don’t want to be conspiracy theorists, but I really had to deeply question why the museum had to be located in such an area that encourages people to not want to find it. Nonetheless, I was very pleased that we found our way there and were on the way to gain more knowledge. Not to my surprise, the museum was empty aside from employees. I feel like if the museum was located in a better place perhaps there would be an increase in its attendance. Although there weren’t many people in the museum I did find it in some way inviting and comfortable. A peer and I began at the first mural and began reading. I liked that the first thing I read was information that I didn’t exactly know. Enslaved Africans were blacksmiths, tool makes and many other things. I knew that Africans had a way of life before they were captured as slaves, but...
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...religion had on society in his short story, “Young Goodman Brown”. Hawthorne writes about how people during that time viewed behavior that they deemed “sinful” and how ostracized one could become if they went against what the church said. When tempted by evil, Goodman Brown said that he and his family, “are a people of prayer, and good works to boot, and abide no such wickedness,” and after being exposed to the sinfulness of others, Brown, “[became] a stern, a sad, a darkly meditative, a distrustful, if not a desperate man” (Hawthorne). During that time, religion was the essence of their society, and these ideas and values have been passed down from generation to generation to who would eventually become know as our founding fathers and presidents. These men determined the fate of this new land, and their religious beliefs impacted their...
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...tribulations, and successes in the early days there are countless well known individuals who played major roles in enabling and shaping that growth. To narrow down such a broad search to only a select three proves to be more difficult than one may think. However, even given the difficulty of this task I have in the end chosen three men, that without, this country may very well have shaped up much differently than the country that we have come to know to this day. The three men of my choice are John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. The reason for my decision on these three individuals is because they all played crucial roles in the formation of our great country and without their key insight and the driving force that they brought it could have turned out much differently. Each holds a very important place during this time in history which will be more fully understood and unveiled in the coming pages. To better understand these roles, and these men as a whole I believe it best to look at each individually to see what brought them to be such important figures in history and how it was that their fates intertwined. John Adams was born on October 30, 1735 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony of Braintree which is now known as Quincy (Bio, 2013). John was a direct descendent of Puritan colonists whose father was John Adams Sr. His father wore many hats which included being a farmer, a Congregationalist deacon, and a town councilman. Coming from these roots John...
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...1600s on economic development in the British North American colonies. Consider the period l650-1750 Analyze the cultural and economic responses of two of the following groups to the Indians of North America before l750/ British, French, Spanish Compare the ways in which religion shaped the development of colonial society in 2 of the following regions prior to l740/ New England, Chesapeake, Middle Atlantic How did economic, geographic and social factors encourage the growth of slavery as an important part of the economy of southern colonies between l607 and l775? Compare the ways in which 2 of the following reflected tensions in colonial society/ bacon’s rebellion, pueblo revolt, salem witchcraft trials, stono rebellion To what extent had the colonists developed a sense of their identity and unity as Americans by the eve of the Revolution? Dbq Analyze the impact of the American Revolution on both slavery and the status of women in the period from l775-l800 Evaluate the extent to which the Articles of Confederation were effective in solving the problems that confronted the new nations Analyze the contributions of 2 of the following in helping establish a stable government after the adoption of the constitution/ John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington Although the power of the national government increased during the early republic, this development often faced serious opposition. Compare the motives and effectiveness of those opposed to the growing...
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...-General William Maxwell to Adam Stephen, April 10, 17771 On New Year’s Day in 1777, Robert Morris sent George Washington a letter that rings strangely in a modern ear. “The year 1776 is over,” Morris wrote. “I am heartily glad of it and hope you nor America will ever be plagued with such another.” Washington shared that feeling, which was very far from our own. We celebrate 1776 as the most glorious year in American history. They remembered it as an agony, especially the “dark days” of autumn.2 Americans have known many dark days, from the starving times in early settlements to the attack on the World Trade Center. These were the testing times and the pivotal moments of our history. It was that way in 1776, after the decision for independence and the military disasters in New York. In early December, British commanders believed that they were very close to ending the rebellion, and American leaders feared that they might be right. Then came a reversal of fortune, and three months later the mood had changed on both sides. By the spring of 1777, many British officers had concluded that they could never win the war. At the same time, Americans recovered from their despair and were confident that they would not be defeated. That double transformation was truly a turning point in the war. 363 ~ Reprise: A Web of Contingency in History We have seen how it happened: not in a single event, or even a chain of events, but in a great web of contingency. This book...
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