Explain how the slave states and free states were becoming more different in the 1830s, 40s, and 50s.

Explain how the slave states and free states were becoming more different in the 1830s, 40s, and 50s.

Answer the following question with a minimum of 250 words. Be sure to cite from the Davidson text, lecture, and primary sources in your answer. After you post your answer, be sure to respond to at least two other students. In the discussion boards, the best answers will provide references to several different sources, as well as consider all sides of a given question.

Explain how the slave states and free states were becoming more different in the 1830s, 40s, and 50s. Your answer should draw upon economic, religious, political, and cultural differences from the primary source documents as well as the Davidson text. Given the differences between the two regions, was a Civil War inevitable? What ties still bound Americans together during this period?

Resources

– Davidson, A Little History of the United States, chapters 19 & 21- reformers, religion, sectional crisis to 1860

Describe how Benjamin Franklin established the public library in Philadelphia.

Semester Writing Assignment

Develop the topic into a well-organized essay, following the guidelines below. Correct spelling and grammar will be considered during grading. Part of your grade will depend upon including four block quotes from Franklin’s Autobiography. If you do not include the 4 required block quotes to support your position, your paper will lose one letter grade. Be sure to answer all parts of the question.  A block quote is typically several sentences long.

Students will generally compose the essay inside their word processor and then COPY and PASTE (using CONTROL V) the text into the space provided below. The essay should be a minimum of three double-spaced pages long. This assignment is limited to one submission.  There are no opportunities to rewrite and resubmit.

Finally, DO NOT copy material from another source and paste it into this essay response box, representing it as your own work. Doing this will cause a grade of 0, and it is not difficult for instructors to detect.

The Autobiography of Ben Franklin

Relying on material from the The Autobiography of Ben Franklin (especially Chapters 8 and 9), click link below 

http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/20203

thoroughly answer the following questions:

Section 1: Describe how Benjamin Franklin established the public library in Philadelphia. What was the effect of this library on Franklin?  What was the effect of the library on his community?

Section 2: Explain Franklin’s quest for moral perfection. What process did he use?  Be specific.  How successful was he?  Which virtues did he find the most challenging to maintain?  Providing some detail, what was meant by his saying, “a speckled ax is best?”  Name one virtue that Franklin omitted from his pursuit of perfection that you feel should have been included.

Section 3: Was Franklin a religious man? Why, or why not? Provide specific evidence from the autobiography to support your conclusions.

Section 4:  A critic one said, “Franklin was a shameless self-promoter with numerous achievements, almost all of which were accomplished primarily to gain fame for himself, along with bragging rights. Moreover, he was blindly idealistic, and did not concern himself with Americans of less success or economic means.”  In a single paragraph, defend or refute this accusation.

 

*****Include at least four direct, multi-sentence block quotes from the Autobiography to support your position.  Be sure to put your citation for these quotations in parentheses and in all caps. For example, your citation might look like this:

“She assisted me cheerfully in my business, . . . .” (FRANKLIN, P. 119) or, if there is no page number, (FRANKLIN, Chapter 6).

Do not use resources that are not provided by this course.

 Reconstruction The Second Civil War

The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865, and the original goal of the North to preserve the Union was accomplished. The task that lay before Lincoln and Congress was to reintegrate the rebellious Southern states into the Union. For many white southerners “Reconstruction was a vicious and destructive experience – a period when vindictive Northerners inflicted humiliation and revenge on a pro-state South.”

In order to prepare for this discussion forum:

  • Review and identify the relevant sections of Chapters 17  and 18 that support your discussion.
  • Review and identify relevant information on the linked PBS American Experience site, Reconstruction The Second Civil War
  • This link will direct you to the full transcript of the Wade-Davis Bill.  What does it suggest about the prevailing Reconstruction sentiments in Congress?
  • Read the section in Chapter 17 which discusses the Black Codes, and the linked site on the Black Codes.
  • Read the linked document, a selection from The Ills of the South, written by Charles H. Okten, a Mississippi Baptist preacher, and schoolteacher, in which he describes conditions for Black Americans under the sharecropping and crop-lien system.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                After you have completed your readings, post your response to ONE of the following questions:
  1.  Were the Black Codes another form of slavery?
  2. Based on Okten’s statements, discuss how the sharecropping/crop lien system created a vicious cycle.  Was this system simply another version of slavery?  Why or why not.
  3. Consider the following statement:  “The persistence of racism in both the North and the South lay at the heart of Reconstruction’s failure.” Agree or disagree, and explain your position.

The underlined writing is links to the material in question

Should the law allow an employer to fire an employee without a good reason?

Should the law allow an employer to fire an employee without a good reason?

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Employment-at Will

Should the law allow an employer to fire an employee without a good reason? Conduct research to provide examples to support your position and use your own personal employment experiences when possible. Have you observed situations where an employee was fired? Did the employer give a reason? Do you believe the employer’s actions were legal?

Guided Response: Review your classmates’ responses. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings by Day 7, expressing whether you agree or disagree with their assessment of the employer’s actions.  Explain your position.

What were the negative effects of American slavery

What were the negative effects of American slavery (Transatlantic human traffic) on the economic, cultural and social development of African societies?  Do you think these effects paved the way for the European colonization of Africa and further exploitation of African persons by European societies?  Remember, European settler colonizers occupied large areas of Africa all the way to the 20th century; furthermore, foreign companies are still in control of African labor and resources in several countries.  Reflect on the numbers provided by our textbook, the community structures, family units, roles of absent persons and any other item that can produce a complex picture of the results of slavery.

How would you respond to someone who presents you with the arguments proposed by Social Darwinists, to explain the success or failures of individuals in the society?

Question: How would you respond to someone who presents you with the arguments proposed by Social Darwinists, to explain the success or failures of individuals in the society? What evidence would you use to support your position? For this discussion, you must first identify and present the arguments, and then your counterargument. As you collect your information for this discussion you should keep in mind the opportunities that were available to many, but also the climate of racism that permeated parts of the American society and the legalized discrimination that existed.

(give about a two paragraph response)

NOTE:  Industrialization brought great wealth to America, but the price was quite high. The growing extremes of poverty and wealth that were being exhibited at the end of the 19th century, caused some to seek ways to make possible a just and humane society, while others sought justification for the emerging social order. The promise of success was made, promoting the idea that America was the land of opportunity and that hard work led to success. Social Darwinism was used to provide a scientific explanation for why some acquired great wealth while others barely survived. Rags-to-riches stories presented a picture of the opportunities that were available to all, and the success of the self-made man.

Internet History Sourcebooks (fordham.edu)

Why does Hobbes compare government to the human body?

Why does Hobbes compare government to the human body?  What are its various parts?  What are their functions?

2 – What does Hobbes mean when he says that “nature hath made men so equal in the faculties of body and mind…” ? What are the consequences of this equality?

3 – What are the 3 causes of quarrel?

4 – What does Hobbes mean when he says that a state of “nature” is a state of war? 

5 – What is the one right that a person always possesses and never – indeed, can’t – give up?

6 – What are the advantages of a Commonwealth?  What are the two types of Commonwealth?

the link for the answers are below

https://people.uwplatt.edu/~drefcins/254hobbess.html

Nathaniel Bacon Declaration, 1676,”

Read Document 3-4 which is the source entitled, “Nathaniel Bacon Declaration, 1676,” and write a response answering at least one of the following questions:

  • According to Bacon, what were the real foundations of the trouble in Virginia? How did he propose “to unriddle the misterious wiles of a powerfull Cabal”?
  • What was Bacon’s plan for “the protected and Darling Indians”? Why did he favor such a plan, and why did others oppose it?
  • What did Bacon’s statement suggest about the distribution and exercise of political power in the seventeenth-century Chesapeake? What changes in political power did he seek? What principles did he believe should govern colonial society?
  • How might Bacon’s arguments have been answered by his opponents, both in the colonial government and among the Indians?

-Do not try to answer all the questions (that would take up too much time and space).-You should not do outside research or use online sources. You must use the sources in the book in order to receive credit. These assignments should be 1-2 pages in length, double-spaced, typed

why the United States decided to join the “Imperialist Club”

why the United States decided to join the “Imperialist Club”

The Republican victory in 1896 gave heart to proponents of prosperity through foreign trade.   McKinley sought neither war nor colonies, but many in his party wanted both. Called “jingos,” they included Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Theodore Roosevelt; John Hay, the ambassador to London, and senators Albert Beveridge and Henry Cabot Lodge.  Britain, France, and Germany were seizing territory around the world, and jingos believed the United States needed to do the same for strategic, religious, and economic reasons.

QUESTION (give response in 1-2 paragraphs):

  1. Several reasons are proposed explaining why the United States decided to join the “Imperialist Club”.  Which argument was the strongest, and which argument was the weakest?  Explain your position.

The Columbian Exchange’.

The Columbian Exchange’.

1. Select 3 items or elements of the exchange in the Columbian Exchange that you think had the greatest impacts on the Old and New Worlds and history going forward.  Explain in detail how and why?

2.  Decisions for slavery:  Why did the colonists make the decisions that led to race based chattel slavery rather than adopting other forms of labor like  wage based work or continuing to use indentured servants? What were the steps creating the legal framework? What factors went into these decisions?

Do you think slavery was inevitable under the circumstances or could things have gone differently?

3.Research a big London slave trader, Humphrey Morice, at the link below or listed in the assignment folder.  Describe his business operation in detail. What is your reaction to his story? How do you explain his participation and that of those like him in this trade?  What kind of a man was he?

http://www.ampltd.co.uk/collections_az/slavemorice/editorial-introduction.aspx

4. Search the article from the William and Mary Quarterly to learn about the operation and economics of the British slave trade, which supported the American colonies. Use highlights from the article to describe the many economic interests and persons involved in the slave trade in England and the colonies. Prepare 2 paragraphs discussing the various interests involved in the operation of the slave trade and what role they played and how they profited.

Think outside the box to include everyone who was in some way connected with the trade and slavery itself or who benefited, even those who never saw a slave, not just traders and owners.

In light of all this, can you make a case that nearly every American’s hands were in some way, directly or indirectly, sullied by slavery?