...unity. This document, the Declaration of Independence, was written by Thomas Jefferson, in order to break away from Great Britain and escape from the further wrongdoings caused by King George III. Jefferson declares the United States of America independent from Great Britain while uniting all of the colonists to take action and claim their unalienable rights. In the opening, Thomas Jefferson states that there are certain rights that colonists are naturally born with and that they must protect it, even in the face of war and isolation. In the first sentence, Jefferson claims that it is...
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...Thomas Jefferson was who authored extraordinary words and it was there words that changed a nation. Jefferson’s ability to write made him prominent author of write the Declaration of Independence, (among other significant works). Jefferson’s writings reflected on the rights of mankind and what rights a government must offer its people. His use of words to fight for Human rights makes him one of the greatest American Hero’s. Thomas Jefferson’s writings on basic human rights caused a radical shift in American Colonist thoughts and these stunning ideas would influence the Americans to break away from Great Britain. “As a boy, Thomas Jefferson’s was shy and often tongue-tied…Preferred the company of books to that of most people.” (Wilmore, 1) These were words to describe the young Jefferson; his childhood would prove to be a key in shaping the man, who through his words would change a nation. Jefferson was born on April 13th 1743, in Shadwell Virginia. During his childhood he would spend 15 hours each day reading and writing, this would prove to make his writing skills at a high level (1). As he grew into an adult he would study law in his home of Virginia at the William and Mary College at Williamsburg (Bottorff, 15). During this time he would become a member of the Whig party and would advocate for the rights and liberties of mankind (Peterson, 1). It was in his childhood and as turned into an adult which he learned how to write and how to express his political views through words...
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...September 9, 2014 Thomas Jefferson: An American Icon Thomas Jefferson is one of the most important historical icons in American history. His legacy not only resides in his actions during his presidency, but also in his contributions to the nation before and after his terms in office. One of his most famous contributions to the nation was his role in drafting the Declaration of Independence that served as a formal declaration for the U.S. to separate from Britain and become a separate nation. It was because of this document that the U.S is the nation it is today and it will serve as a permanent reminder of his hard work and dedication to the country. However, more is to be learned of Jefferson for his actions helped shape and change the American ways of life forever. Beginning with his election in 1800, Jefferson’s election was a landmark of world history as it was the first time that a peaceful transfer of power from one party to another in a modern republic took place. While delivering his inaugural address on March 4, 1801, Jefferson spoke to the fundamental commonalities uniting all Americans despite their partisan differences. He is quoted as saying, "Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle.” He goes on to state, “We have called by different names brethren of the same principle. We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists." But what made president Jefferson's first term in office so remarkably successful and productive was Jefferson’s ability to strip...
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...Thomas Jefferson was the man who drafted the Declaration of Independence and was the third president of the United States. Jefferson was the third United states president. Coming from a very well educated family, Jefferson had the opportunity to have an interesting political career that would allow him to have great authority over the newly made country. From becoming a lawyer, to eventually become the third United States president, Thomas Jefferson would be one of the most important United States historical figures. Benjamin Bannekar who was a freed African American was a scientist and surveyor who wrote many works about his enslaved people. Bannekar’s viewpoints about slavery contradict those of Jefferson’s making a clash between two great minds. Analyzing these two men’s viewpoints about the controversial issue of slavery, examining the beliefs about these individuals, and determining what side has a more balance approach to these issues are discussed in this paper. Determining Jefferson view on slavery is a complex issue to many historians. He did not engage in the activity of buying slaves but did own some of his own in his plantation. Although, he owned 200 slaves on his Virginia plantation, he treated the slaves with dignity and respect. He considered them to be economic property in which they deserved the same kind of treatment any other individual would receive. Jefferson called slavery a “abominable crime” which, he personally believed would be the greatest threat...
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...A Comparison of the Founding Documents for the United States of America Liberty University A Comparison of the Founding Documents for the United States of America This document will provide a brief comparison and synopsis of some of the most important writings of our time: The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson’s letter to the Danbury Baptists, and the U.S. Constitution. Also, this will be an analysis of what I believe the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution thought about the separation of church and state, as well as God from government. The Declaration of Independence was written on July 4, 1776 by Thomas Jefferson. Its purpose was to officially separate the colonies from Great Britain and the tyrant of a king. In doing so, Jefferson lists out 27 reasons why they should separate, with the three main points being, “All men are created equal…, All men have some rights given to them by God…, That among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” (Carr, 2015). Therefore when the government infringes on these rights, the people of the county have the right to make changes or get rid of it, in this case, the King and Great Britain altogether. Some examples of the King of Great Britain’s wrongdoings were that “he interfered with the people’s rights to self-govern and for a fair judicial system… imposed taxes without their consent… and cut off trade with all parts of the world” (Jefferson, 2015). The end result of...
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... Homework: Journal response – The Sixties March 03 The Sixties journal response due Discuss Machiavelli/Jefferson essay prompt Man and the State: Machiavelli on Political Power Discuss rhetorical and critical reasoning implications Homework: World of Ideas – “Government Introduction: (14-19) Machiavelli’s “The Qualities of the Prince” (36-53) Journal response – Machiavelli text Prereading Questions (39); Questions for Critical Reading 1-5 (50) Define the terms ends and means, and explain why they are important. Compare Machiavelli’s advice with the behavior of a specific politician – past or present. Under what political circumstances might the ends justify the means? 05 The Old Globe 10 Machiavelli packet due Group presentation and discussion – Machiavelli Discuss rhetorical and critical reasoning implications Homework: World of Ideas – Jefferson’s “The Declaration of Independence” (76-84) Journal response to the Jefferson text Prereading Questions (80); Questions for Critical Reading1-5 (84) How does the document seem to define independence? Use this definition as a basis for your own. To what extent does your definition...
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...As it stand the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are the oldest documents within the American government. Essentially these two documents hold such value because they had a helping hand in the establishment of America and delivered us our freedom from the British. Although both documents contain key information in regards to the independence of this country, they differ in a many ways. The United States Constitution and Declaration of Independence differ in their intended objectives and appeal. Since being established the United States Constitution has been the highest law of this country. The Declaration of Independence however, is a document that was adopted by congress on July 4, 1776 and announced the 13 colonies who were at war with Great Britain at the time were seeking and declaring sovereignty from the British, thus signifying to all other nations that America had indeed become a free nation. The reason this document came to be was because Throughout the 1760s to early 1770s, North American colonists realized that they were constantly at the losing end of British policies regarding taxation. Although the most commonly remembered phrase within the context of the Declaration of Independence may be that “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”(Hole, 2001 ). In reality there are more to it than just that, although...
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...delegates from the colonies which met in 1774 to the reaction of the Coercive Acts which were a series of measures imposed by the British government on the colonies in response to their resistance to the new taxes imposed by the British. The American dream is built upon a foundation of struggles and gains, along with more struggles. A look back to early American history provides one with a timeline that seems endless and full of surprises. The First Continental Congress serves as one of those timeline markers and is a great example of the American way. Being one of the first meetings ever between the colonists, Congress laid one of the first bricks into the foundation of America. The First Continental Congress made its mark in history on September 5, 1774 in Philadelphia’s Carpenters Hall. The idea of such a meeting was advanced a year earlier by Benjamin Franklin, but failed to gain much support until after the Port of Boston was closed in response to the Boston Tea Party. Twelve of the thirteen colonies sent representatives to this secret meeting, “Georgia decided against roiling the waters; they were facing attacks from the restive Creek on their borders and desperately needed the support of regular British soldiers.” The Intolerable Acts of 1774 greatly fueled the First Continental Congress. In response to the Boston Tea party, the British Parliament decided that a series of laws were needed to calm the rising resistance in America. “One law closed Boston Harbor until...
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...parties were inconsistent. In the form of the Louisiana Purchase, the Embargo Act, and the War of 1812, the Jeffersonian Republicans can be seen as broad constructionalists, the opposition of the war, in the form of a two-thirds majority to declare war, and Madison's vetoing of the Internal Improvement Bill can make the Federalists seem as if they were the strict constructionalists. Through an analysis of these topics, it is easy to see that both parties crossed their political lines to some degree throughout this time period. In the election of Thomas Jefferson, the world was about to experience a new era of national and political authority. The ideals of Thomas Jefferson were very different from the previous President; Jefferson sought a peaceful and constitutionally strict way of life for his political party. As Jefferson began his presidency he claimed that his election was a recovery of the original ideals of the American people. Jefferson's true ideology was one that believed in a small, weak central government, and that a small central government was...
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...asked instead "name one defining characteristic of these founding fathers," or "describe in your own words the significance of these individuals," we would get various responses. Despite the randomness of answers we would receive on such a survey, a common consensus could be reached about America's Founding Fathers, that is these individuals were great figures in our nation's history. The role they played in the 18th century to establish the basis for a nation that would continue to grow for centuries was significant....
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...| The American and French Revolutions: Compared and Contrasted The history of the human race always has been, and most likely will always be, that of evolution and revolution. – Lewis F. Korns, Thoughts A revolution occurs when one government is overthrown and replaced with another (Yahoo). The American and French revolutions can be both compared and contrasted in their origins and outcomes. Both revolutions began due to the common peoples’ need to obtain independence and liberty from an oppressive government (2). The American Revolution was triggered by the American colonists’ need for financial independence from the overpowering nation of Great Britain, while the French revolution was a struggle to gain social equality among the masses. Although the American and French Revolutions were fought over some of the same ideas, the American Revolution is considered more "conservative" than the French is (2). The intent of the American revolutionaries was not to initiate a revolution, but rather to gain their freedom from a "long train of abuses" (Jensen). In contrast, the French were trying to cause a true revolution because they were not just fighting for freedom but rather to over throw and remove the monarchy (3). The American revolutionaries had no choice but to defend their liberties and the tactics used by the Americans were not as directly aggressive as those used by the French. The American...
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...U.S. History and Constitution HIS120 Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) At the end of the course, students will be able to: SLO1. Describe the cultural, geographic and climatic influences on Native American societies. SLO2. Compare and contrast religious, social and cultural differences among the major European settlers. SLO3. Describe the events that helped create American nationalism and lead to the American Revolution. SLO4. Explain the Constitutional Convention, the Articles of Confederation, and the emergence of a democratic nation. SLO5. Explain the U.S. Constitution as it related to the separation of powers, checks and balances, the Bill of Rights, and the major principles of democracy. SLO6. Evaluate the Jeffersonian dream of expansion and its effect on Native Americans SLO7. Describe Jacksonian democracy and the creation of a two party system SLO8. Explain slavery and associated issues that led to the Civil War and its aftermath. Module Titles Module 1—Early American exploration and colonization (SLO1) Module 2—British colonies (SLO2) Module 3—Road to the Revolution and the American Revolution (SLO3) Module 4—Early Republic (SLO4 and SLO5) Module 5—Jacksonian America (SLO 6 and SLO7) Module 6—Road to the Civil War (SLO8) Module 7—Civil War (SLO8) Module 8—Shaping American history: Signature Assignment (all SLOs) Module 1 Early Exploration and Contact with Native Americans Welcome to HIS 120: U.S....
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...Major Event/Epoch in American History | Time Period/Date(s) | Description and Significance of the People/Event(s) to American History | 1) Describe three different American Indian cultures prior to colonization. | 17,000B.C.–1492A.D. | One American Indian culture that existed prior to colonization was the Paleo-Indians. These were highly nomadic people who hunted mastodons, woolly mammoths, and other mammals of similar size with spears. They had nomadic tendencies, which led them to live a rather isolated way of life. This helped to avoid the spread of some extremely contagious diseases and allowed families to survive (Brands, 2012, p. 5). Another pre-colonization culture was the Plains Indians. This particular culture survived by using a combination of hunting, gathering, and farming. This development led to the establishment of villages near river valleys that assisted in the influx of population. The conditions in which the lived were optimal for multi-generation survival (Brands, 2012, p. 7). A third American Indian culture that thrived prior to colonization was the Aztecs. They were able to build enormous cities with complex governments, ruled by aggressive men. The Aztecs successfully developed their own hieroglyphic writing as well as a genuine solar calendar. Over time they conquered a great number of foes across the Valley of Mexico and participated in the practice of human sacrifice, which aligned with the maintenance of their crops. They considered human blood...
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...the idea of Slave Power. The Slave Power Conspiracy, to most American’s this conspiracy is probably unknown, but it relates to an idea which is a topic of debate among scholars and historians. The Slave Power Conspiracy is an idea that came to be in the 1840’s and lasted till the end of the Civil War. As was stated this idea is a conspiracy as there is no direct evidence to give it a strong foundation or validity in our time. The term “Slave Power” coined in 1864 in a book written by John Smith Dye entitled “History Of The Plots And Crimes Of The Great Conspiracy To Overthrow Liberty In America.” The term started off simply as the Slave Power (conspiracy was added in the modern era). In the book Dye alleges that since the time of Independence, the aristocrats of the South and politicians from the South have had an agenda to extend slavery to the Western United States and Latin America and thus increase their power, wealth, and influence in the United States.[1] There are certain events that happened in Dye’s time that can show this idea was real. They can also prove the legitimate and real threat Slave Power posed, to Latin America. By examining all angles of this argument both real and outrageous will ultimately prove why the Slave Power Conspiracy should remain as Dye put it simply the Slave Power. Slavery in The United States The focus may be the conspiracy’s effect on Latin America, but the conspiracy has its roots in the United States. Slavery in the United States...
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...|[pic] |Syllabus | | |College of Humanities | | |HIS/115 | | |U.S. History to 1865 | Copyright © 2011, 2009, 2008 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description This course provides an overview of the social, political, economic, and global events that have shaped the American scene from colonial times through the Civil War period. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: • University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. • Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class...
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