...George Washington and John Adams were the first two presidents of the United States. They played vital roles in creating the American Republic, and had it not been for them, our current American Republic would be very different or possibly even nonexistent. Yet, despite the hard work they put into our nation’s beginnings, they were also very different. Both men came from the same era, but could one be considered better than the other? George Washington, born on February 11, 1732, in Westmoreland Country, Virginia was our nation's first President. Washington and his ancestors were quite influential in Virginia “The patriarch of the family, John Washington, had come over from England in 1657 and established the Washingtons as respectable, if not...
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...1.) John Quincy Adams was an ardent expansionist. What actions did he support to help the United States became the “first and mightiest nation in the world”? John Quincy Adams supported and drafted the Monroe Doctrine which called for: the opposition of any further colonization by European powers, avoidance of wars of Europe, and the avoidance of interference with newly independent Latin American states (Foner 361). It helped the United States claim “the role of the dominant power in Western Hemisphere” and eventually allowed the new nation to “assume Britain’s economic role” (Foner 361). Adams rooted for “the American System of government-sponsored economic development”, in which he hoped to expand and encourage American commerce (Foner...
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...paper, I will examine how Greek education, Greek lifestyles, and Roman ideologies apply to understanding the founders of our nation. To create the foundation for American democracy today, our founders utilized their knowledge of the classics to formulate ideas create and create effective communication. Starting from the as young as the age of eight, our founders began Greek classical condition in order to be able to recite pieces of work for college admission (F.1, 2). These pieces of literature included Greek works such from Isocrates, Homer, Xenophon and the Greek New Testament (F. 2). Because grammar masters focused little else besides literature, teachers “required young scholars to display their knowledge of Latin and...
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..."As much as Americans like to think that we invented democracy, liberty, and freedom in the modern world, the reality is that almost every good idea of the founding period was stolen from European, and especially British, sources. Thus, America's founding ideas are really just the ideas of the English 'country party' put into action in British colonies. This is an achievement, to be sure, but it is in no way an especially or exceptional American achievement." There are many sources of influence for America’s ideals of liberty, freedom, and democracy in the modern world. Such as Democracy of ancient Greece, The Republic of ancient Rome, and the writings of Baron de Montesquieu. Many of these sources are distinctly English such as English common law, The Magna Carta. In regards to the specific comment above we look at the ‘Country Party’ and ‘The Cota Letters’. As an American I would like to think that our founding fathers’ have created something new and completely unique in t our country, however my readings have lead me to the understanding that the founding fathers had several sources of inspiration as to how to form and what kind of government to form in these states, united. The “Country Party” as mentioned in the quote above, is of particular importance to the ideas of Democracy, liberty, and freedom. The Country Party was especially inspired by political theorist, writer and philosopher Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke. Bolingbroke’s ideology was that of opposing...
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... The Sons of Liberty used their power and influence to manipulate popular opinion, thereby inciting the public to act against the laws and control of England. They were one of the most influential groups behind the American Revolution. The start of the Sons of Liberty is something of a mystery. The group always met in secret and it is disputed where it all began. Some say it started in New York and some will say under the leadership of Samuel Adams the Boston chapter was first. One thing is certain though, they all had the same goal, to organize public opinion and coordinate patriotic actions against Great Britain. The Sons of Liberty met at night so not to attract the British soldiers and to keep their activities secret until they felt it was time to make them public. One of the main reasons the groups were started was to protest and campaign against the Stamp Act. That was just the start of what the group would protest against and continue to fight for liberty against Britain. The Sons of Liberty name actually came from a speech given to parliament by Colonel Isaac Barre, “the behavior of Britain’s officials toward Americans on many occasions has caused the blood of those Sons of Liberty to recoil within them”, which wasn’t intended to imply disloyalty towards the crown but when word got back to the colonies and they saw his words they used them to their benefit. Barre made it known he thought it was ridiculous Americans owed Britain any money and the debt they now...
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...2, 2015 The Shaping of American Politics Some would say that American politics began September third 1783 when the American Revolution ended, or that they began the fourth of July 1776 with the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Regardless of the starting date, it can be unanimously decided that the Federalist party was a major political influence during the beginnings of the country, especially after the signing of the Constitution. Even though it was not the only major political party in the United States at the time, the Federalists greatly shaped American politics during their reign of power through dominating government powers, using their beliefs to strengthen the central government,...
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...The Declaration of Independence was written in 1776 by the Founding Fathers. The document was brought about during the period of Enlightenment where many thoughts and ideas unfolded. John Adams and Abigail Adams were two very important voices leading up to the document that helped shape our nation’s liberty. Due to John’s job, which called for a great deal of traveling, John and Abigail often exchanged letters to keep in touch. The letters expressed ideologies to one another on political matters while John was away serving his country. The early 1800s were an age of reason and marks a time of the Enlightenment Era. This was a period that really got individuals thinking as they would join in groups on their beliefs. It was a movement of ideas...
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... Professor Chuck Bumgardner Writing 9/12/14 The Life of John Adams John Adams was born on October 30, 1735, in the small town of Braintree, Massachusetts, the first...
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...Give some examples of major ideologies. 5. What does philosopher Thomas Hobbes believe in? 6. What does philosopher John Locke believe in? 7. What does philosopher Jean-Jacque Rousseau believe in? 8. Draw out a spectrum including the words individualism, collectivism, Hobbes, Locke and Rousseau. 9. Where was liberalism “born”? 10. What is meant by a liberal democracy? 11. What is meant by social contract? 12. What do the Magna Carta, French Revolution and Declaration of the Rights of Man, and American Revolution and Declaration of Independence/Constitution have in common? 13. Who is Adam Smith and famous book did he write? 14. Who is Karl Marx and what famous book did he write? 15. Draw out a spectrum with the words individualism, collectivism, Adam Smith and Karl Marx. Issue 2: Is resistance to liberalism justified? 16. What is liberalism? What are the major characteristics of liberalism? 17. What was mercantilism? Where did this occur, and between which countries? 18. What is meant by laissez-faire capitalism? 19. Why did capitalism emerge out of a response to mercantilism?...
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...to France is one of, if not the most, important event in American history because without his endeavors, America would have likely lost the Revolutionary War. Every single event which is in The American Pageant following the end of the Revolutionary War would likely have never happened without French support during the revolution. Their navy is what won the Battle of Yorktown where General Cornwallis of the British surrendered, winning America the war. Franklin’s envoy is also an indication of American Foreign Policy in its earliest days. After making a hard alliance with France, America soon realized the mistake they had made and this would cause America to pursue an isolationistic foreign policy in later years. The results of the negative drawbacks of the treaty are best seen in Washington’s Neutrality Proclamation during the conflict between France and Britain and his advice during his Farewell Address warning Americans to avoid long lasting treaties. The much later Monroe Doctrine also represents this isolationist ideal since it told European powers that they were no long welcome on the American Continent. Franklin’s belief of religious toleration also had influence in the country of France itself. Before Franklin arrived in France, the Edict of Fontainebleau was in effect which revoked the Edict of Nantes (which...
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...THE BIBLE’S INFLUENCE ON ENGLISH-AMERICAN LITERATURE by Zhang Lanlan June, 2007 Xiaogan University Abstract As the sutra of the Christianity, the Bible has a great influence on both English and American literature and offers an eternal theme of their literary creation .English and American writers use stories of the Bible by three main methods. First, they quote person's names or stories of the Bible as the characters' names or plots of the creations from the Bible directly. Sometimes they make some changes on the original stories. Sometimes they quote stories directly from the Bible as the writing materials. Second, they make use of symbolic meaning of the Bible by some technical such as simile, metaphor and symbolism, so that the stories could exert a great influence on contrasting with the new products. Third, they merge the plots of the Bible to give connotative efforts to the readers. Exploring the methods helps us know the western culture and consciousness, have a good appreciation and study for the English-American literature. key words: English-American literature ; the Bible; methods 《圣经》在英美文学作品中的影响 摘要 作为基督教的经典，《圣经》对英美文化影响深远，为英美文化创作提供了永恒的母题。英美作家化用《圣经》故事的主要方法有：直接引用《圣经》中的人名作为作品的人物名称，或直接引用《圣经》故事或对原型故事进行变形或处理，作为创作素材；通过比喻，隐喻或象征等手法，把《圣经》故事的寓意融汇到作品情节中或人物性格里，使这些故事发挥有力的陪衬作用；使作品中的人物，故事和情节与《圣经》故事大体对应，让《圣经》能穿越时空的限制，从而发挥隐含的参照作用。 探讨英美作家化用《圣经》的方法，有助于我们了解英美文化的思想意识，更好的学习，欣赏乃至研究英美文学作品。 关键词：英美文学；《圣经》；方式 ...
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...In the early days of the new American nation, just as in the modern world, political factions split the country in two with ideology. On one side were the federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams, and on the other were the democratic, or Jeffersonian, republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Federalists generally believed in a powerful, centralized national government, while the democratic republicans believe in states’ rights, and a weak federal government to prevent despotism. Alexander Hamilton mainly argued that federalism worked practically in the world because of the nature of people. He claimed that government should have the power to enforce the laws it passes when they are resisted, and only a strong federal...
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...Most Americans nowadays like to think that they have the American Revolution pretty well figured out. Conventional wisdom starts the saga in 1763 when Britain, saddled with debt at the close of the Seven Years' War, levied new taxes that prompted her American colonists to resist, and then to reject, imperial rule. Having declared independence and defeated the British, American patriots then drafted the constitution that remains the law of the land to this day. With George Washington's inauguration as president in 1789, the story has a happy ending and the curtain comes down. This time-honored script renders the road from colonies to nation clear, smooth, and straight, with familiar landmarks along the way, from Boston's Massacre and Tea Party through Lexington and Concord, then on to Bunker Hill and Yorktown before reaching its destination: Philadelphia in 1787, where the Founders invented a government worthy of America's greatness. Those Founders are equally familiar. Washington and Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and James Madison, Sam and John Adams, Patrick Henry and Alexander Hamilton: in the popular mind this band of worthies, more marble monuments than mere mortals, guides America towards its grand destiny with a sure and steady hand. "[F]or the vast majority of contemporary Americans," writes historian Joseph Ellis, the birth of this nation is shrouded by "a golden haze or halo."(1) So easy, so tame, so much "a land of foregone conclusions" does America's Revolution...
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...crusade and discuss the extent to which it accomplished its objectives. Why did it succeed or fail? Jonathan Riley-Smith, The Crusades: A Short History; Carole Hillenbrand, The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives; Christopher Tyerman, God’s War: A New History of the Crusades 2. How did anti-Semitism manifest itself in medieval Europe? Kenneth R. Stow, Alienated Minority: The Jews of Medieval Latin Europe; Mark R. Cohen, Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages; Solomon Grayzel, The Church and the Jews in the Thirteenth Century 3. What was the position of prostitutes in medieval society? Ruth Mazo Karras, Common Women; Leah Otis, Prostitution in Medieval Society; Margaret Wade Labarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life 4. Why did the French choose to follow Joan of Arc during the the Hundred Years War? Kelly DeVries, Joan of Arc: A Military Leader; Bonnie Wheeler, ed., Fresh Verdicts on Joan of Arc; Margaret Wade Labarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life 5. Discuss the significance of siege warfare during the crusades. You may narrow this question down to a single crusade if you wish. Jim Bradbury, The Medieval Siege; Randall Rogers, Latin Siege Warfare in the Twelfth Century; John France, Victory in the East: A Military History of the First Crusade 6. Why did the persecution of heretics increase during the high and later Middle Ages...
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...it is the original government document. The book, The American Perspective was written by Kent McGaughy, and published by Pearson Learning Solutions. Kent McGaughy was a partner of CPMG’s predecessor, a cardinal investment company in 1997, He worked in merger and acquisitions at Simmons & company International. He has a BA Education, University of Texas System, and an MBA, Harvard Business School . The Monroe Doctrine was written on December 2, 1823, it was addressed to the Congress by James Monroe who was then the President, but the document was put together by his secretary of State John Quincy Adams. The Monroe Doctrine was basically stating America’s stand on ensuring that the Europeans don’t encroach on the right of Americans, no new nation should be colonized except they so wish, at the same time stating the United States’ revolve to disentangle itself from European conflicts. Of most concerns to America was British and Spanish interventions in series of Latin American revolutions from Bolivarian independence movement in South America to the Mexican war for independence....
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