Motes Test 2
What long-term factors led to the Seven Years' War in America (a.k.a. "the French and Indian War")? How did the outcome of this war create effects that led to the American Revolution and Revolutionary War (a.k.a. "the War of Independence")?
A long term factor that led to the Seven Year's War was the French and British interests in the land between the Mississippi River and the Appalachian Mountains. Another factor was the competition for fur trade with the natives in the surrounding areas. These two factors led to a war in America in which the British defeated the French and took the French's land in America. When the British won the war, they were able to focus solely on the colonies because there were no more threats in America with the French gone. With their focus on the American colonies, they cracked down on colonial smuggling. The colonists smuggled in goods from Cuba because it was much cheaper. They restricted self governing in the colonies and put British in power. The war was very costly towards the British so they made the colonists pay higher taxes to pay for the costly war. The colonists were not happy with these new taxes because they didn't want to be involved in the war.
Based on the family letters between Abigail and John Adams, what did Abigail Adams think about men's attitudes and actions toward women? What did she want her husband to do regarding these issues? How did John Adams respond?
Abigail wrote to John Adams about how all men would be tyrants if they had the opportunity to. She stated that the male sex is naturally tyrannical. She thought that men saw themselves as masters of women and just a part of their property. She urged her husband to not forgot about the women in the Constitution and to be more favorable than his predecessors had been. She also said that if care and attention is not given to the ladies that they could stir up a rebellion. She wanted her husband to show more care towards getting more and more women educated.John Adams responds by saying that they n=know better than to change the way things have been and that men don't exert their full power to its full potential. He also teased her in saying that men were not really the "masters" of women but were "subject to the despotism of the petticoat."
Were American colonials united or divided regarding whether and to what extent to oppose British demands? Why? How did this condition shape both the political and military efforts of the revolutionaries?
American colonists were divided when it came to British demands. On one side you had the loyalists who backed the British and on the other you had the patriots who opposed the British. Even the patriots were divided when it came to what extent they wanted to oppose British demands. Some wanted to split entirely from British rule while others wanted to make peace with the British. Some people still saw themselves as British citizens and didn't want to rebel fully. This shaped the political effort of the revolutionaries by having them put out political propaganda to have more people join to the revolutionary side and to also join the military they were beginning to form.
Was Thomas Paine correct to write in Common Sense that "Europe and not England is the parent country of America?" What does he mean? In his view, why should that concept be considered a factor for separation?
I don't think that Thomas Paine was correct in saying that Europe was the parent country of America not England but I can see where he is coming from. I think that England was still the parent because they were the authority over the colonies. Paine argued that Europe was the mother country because of two reasons. The first was that America was not a British nation because it was composed of influences and peoples from all of Europe. And the second that England could not be our mother country because no mother would treat her children with such brutality that they were treating the colonies with. With this point of view he believes that they should separate because they are not being treated the way that they want or need to be treated.
What were the primary characteristics (both shared and different) of the societies created and lived in by the British colonists of New England, the Middle Colonies, and the South? How did the differences foster tensions during the Revolution and during the creation of the US Constitution and government? How did those differences limit what the founders could achieve politically?
In New England this is where you found the most educated and least diverse people. In the Middle Colonies is where you could find the most diverse and the most urban societies. In the South is where the wealthiest but also most rural people resided. Tensions rose during the Revolution because the South weren't nearly as oppressed as the other two regions were by the British. Because of that the South is where you found the most loyalists which also led to most of the battles occurring in the North. When they were creating the Constitution, there was the most tension between the Northern and Southern colonies. The founders had to make compromise after compromise because if they did not then one of the states would not ratify the newly written Constitution. The founders were not able to achieve everything they wanted too because of this so they had to settle with what they could achieve and roll with it from there.
Why does Madison begin his essay with questions about the ends or goals of a federal government? What does he say is the ultimate goal of government?
Madison starts his essay by questioning what the ultimate goals of the government are. He does this as a way to get his audience to start to question the way a government should be structured and uses this opportunity to put in the goals of the Constitution. He states the ultimate goal of the government is that the Union is necessary to the people's happiness and that the balance of power between the states and the national government will support the greatest happiness for the people. He argues that the primary purpose of government, and hence of the Constitution, is the people's happiness, and therefore only a government that promotes the people's happiness is legitimate, writing, "Were the plan of the Convention adverse to the public happiness, my voice would be, reject the plan. Were the Union itself inconsistent with the public happiness, it would be, abolish the Union"
What factors motivated some of the revolutionary American founders to illegally throw out the Articles of Confederation and replace that document and structure with the US Constitution and the government structures it created? What did they hope to achieve with this change?
Some of the revolutionary American founders wanted to illegally throw out the Articles of Confederation and replace the document and structure with the US Constitution because the former was way to weak. There was no national currency. It couldn't collect taxes for the government which meant there was no money to fund the government. There was no federal debt so they couldn't trade with any other countries because they didn't have any credit. There was not a military formed so if anyone attacked they had little to no way of protecting themselves. Shay's rebellion was a rebellion of the mobility which really scared the founders because it showed that some of the citizens were getting frustrated and could rebel on them the same exact way that they had just rebelled against the British. The founders hoped to achieve a government that could address and fix all of the problems that the Articles of Confederation had
What is the Bill of Rights? Why was the Bill of Rights added to the US Constitution despite not originally appearing in the document? What was the addition intended to achieve in the political short-term and over the longer term socially?
The Bill of Rights is a document that states the rights and liberties that a citizen of the country is born with that was later added into the Constitution. It was added later because debates over whether there should be one or not threatened the ratification process of the Constitution. In the end, the Federalists had to pledge their support for the addition of a bill of rights to the Constitution once the new government began operations. Otherwise they would risk the chance that the Constitution would not be ratified in a few states and that they would have to redo the entire process again. The addition of the Bill of Rights was intended to allow the Constitution to be passed in the short term but in the long term the addition of the Bill of Rights was intended to state the rights and liberties that people were born that the government could not deprive them of.
What role did the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party play in leading to the Revolutionary War? How did they reflect the development of both American revolutionary and British sentiments before the outbreak of war?
The Boston Massacre and Boston Tea Party played major roles in the leading to the Revolutionary War. The Boston Massacre united people in the colonies against the oppression of the British. The patriots took advantage of this and put out propaganda against the British. This lead to more and more people joining the side against British policies. The Boston Tea Party showed a major thing to the British. It showed that the colonies really didn't want them there. They could've taken the tea that was worth millions in today's money for themselves and not pay taxes on it but instead dumped all of it in the harbor. They essentially wasted all of the tea to prove a point to the British that they were unhappy how they were being treated. Both of these events were key components that united the colonists against the British and led to the start of the war.
What major advantages over the American colonial revolutionaries did the British empire's military possess at the outset of the Revolutionary War? How did the American revolutionaries win the war despite these seemingly overwhelming advantages?
The British empire's military possessed many advantages over the American revolutionaries. Anybody who looked at the war would pick the British over the Americans. The British had the greatest navy in the entire world. They were also a professional and experienced army. The gun the British used were also mass produced and they had plenty to go around. The colonials had all of the opposites of these. They had no navy, they had an army that had never been on the front lines of a war, and they were limited on their gun supply. Yet they still overcame these disadvantages because of a few things. They had spies who could relay information back to the revolutionists about every movement the British were going to make. They had the homefield advantage. All of their supplies were closer to them and they had knowledge of the land. Maybe the most important one was motivation. They had a reason they were fighting for while the British were there because they were told to be.
What anti-federalist arguments does James Madison counter in Federalist No. 45? How does he try to neutralize fears of federal authority?
The Federalists favored the creation of a strong federal government that would more closely unite the states as one large, continental nation.. The anti-federalists argue that that the central governing authority of a nation should be equal or inferior to, but not having more power than, its sub-national states or state government. In 'Federalist No. 45', James Madison countered anti-federalist arguments by saying that the strength of the federal government under the proposed United States Constitution does not pose a danger to the individual states, a major concern of the Anti-Federalists. Madison closes by asserting that the powers granted to the federal government are not really "new powers" so much as an "invigoration" of the "original powers" granted to it by the Articles. The Constitution does not expand these powers. It just "substitutes a more effectual mode of administering them."
Describe the core principles—including those drawn from Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau—that American revolutionaries used to justify their revolution. How did the founders of the United States attempt to enshrine these ideals in American society through the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution?
The founders of the United States drew ideas from Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau to justify their revolution. The founders wanted to use the principles stated by these guys to be able to justify their rebellion so they could show the world that this is why they were doing what they were doing. The founders pulled the idea from John Locke that people are granted unalienable rights. Locke's natural rights were the right to life, liberty, health, and property. The framers used the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. They also pulled the idea from Jean-Jacques Rousseau that if the government does not pursue the best for the population as a whole then the government is therefore an illegitimate one. The founders used this idea to justify why they were breaking apart from the British empire. The founders also pulled an idea from Thomas Hobbes. Hobbes believed that man is in a war against man so there needs to be something in place for people to restrain people and keep them in check. The founders believed in this but government maintained order instead of a king.
What are the three primary branches of the United States federal government, and what are the basic roles of each within the overall governing structure? Why did the framers create this tripartite division, and what did they hope to achieve with this structure?
The framers created three different branches of the United States federal government. They created the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches. The Legislative branch is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Legislative powers include passing laws, originating spending bills, impeaching officials, and approving treaties. The executive branch is headed by the president. The President is responsible for implementing and enforcing the laws written by Congress and, to that end, appoints the heads of the federal agencies, including the Cabinet. The Judicial branch's purpose is that they are special judges who interpret laws according to the Constitution. These justices only hear cases that pertain to issues related to the Constitution. They are the highest court in our country. The framers created this tripartite division to ensure checks and balances. They hoped to achieve a government where one person or group could attain to much power
Did the framers of the United States Constitution intend for the document, and thus the government it created, to remain static and unchanging to forever reflect the values (both material and moral) of their era, or did they intend for it to be a "living document" that evolved (by addition, subtraction, or alteration) over the centuries to reflect some of the changing values of society?
The framers intended the document to be a living document that evolved to the values of the society. If they wanted the document to be static and unchanging then they wouldn't have put Article V in the Constitution which allowed it to be amended and changed. The framers created the Constitution to endure. They created the Constitution as a government to not only handle the problems of their generation but also to handle the problems of future generations as well. The Framers understood that they were trusting to future generations the responsibility to use their intelligence, judgment, and experience to be able to judge the broad principles in the Constitution over time. The Constitution sets forth broad principles and that the central challenge of constitutional interpretation is to define and then give life and substance to those principles in an ever-changing society. The principles enshrined in the Constitution do not change over time. But the application of those principles must evolve as society changes and as experience informs our understanding.
Which two battles do you think were most important for the American colonial revolutionaries during the Revolutionary War? Why those two?
The two most important battles in the Revolutionary war in my opinion were the Battle of Princeton and the Battle of Saratoga.The Battle of Princeton came a week after the Revolutionary army won a surprising battle in Trenton. I think the Battle of Princeton is of importance because this victory not only pushed the British army out of New Jersey but it also showed other people that they could join the war and they weren't guaranteed to die. After the battle 8,000 new recruits joined the Continental Army. I believe the Battle of Saratoga is also of importance because in this battle the Continental Army defeated a large British army which caused the French to recognize the USA as an independent nation. This allowed us to be able to trade with the French and also for them to become an ally which ultimately won us the war.
What series of events that occurred in the American colonies in the 1760s can be seen as precursors to the American Revolution? How were those events linked to the Revolution that occurred a decade later?
There was a series of events that occurred through the 1760's that can be seen as a precursor to the American Revolution. With the French influence out of America Britain was able to crack down on the colonies. They first passed the Writs of Assistance which stopped colonial smugglers. They created the Proclamation Line which didn't allow the colonists to explore out past the Appalachian Mountains. The British also made the colonists pay taxes at British Rates to repay the war. They also passed the Quartering Act which forced you to house soldiers. In rural areas in the North, there were people stockpiling guns and ammo. There were also illegal meetings and militia units created. People also started to boycott British goods. These events were linked to the Revolution that occurred a decade later because all of these events caused the Colonists to become more and more unsettled and frustrated with British rule.
How does the US Constitution represent a series of compromises between and among different constituencies in American colonial society?
When the Constitution was being written they thought they were going to have to make compromises between the large and small states but it actually ended up being the free and slave states that had to compromise. South Carolina and Georgia threatened to secede if their slaves did not count for representation in the House of Representatives so they had to make a compromise then. They also made it to where runaway slaves would have to be returned to the owner and that there would have to be 20 years before they could debate about it in congress. They also had to make compromise with the other citizens of the colonies. They made a compromise with them to where they gave the people enough power to make them satisfied but in the long run the wealthy elites still had total control and had the most power out of anyone in the country.