Assignment:
Discussion 1
Read the paper found here regarding the Trial of T. Hall. From the paper, begin your reading on page 14 with the first full paragraph and end the reading after the completion of the first paragraph on page 17. Once all reading is complete, respond to the following items:
· Why was T. Hall singled out for scrutiny?
· How did T. Hall's neighbors respond to the gossip that this person's sex was unclear?
· What authority did women claim in assessing the situation?
· What authority did men claim?
· What does the struggle to mark T. Hall's gender identity suggest about the structure of community life and the roles of men and women in colonial America?
Discussion 2
Read the information provided regarding the 1763 Treaty of Paris, which ended the Seven Year's War. Once all reading is complete, respond to the following items:
· What concessions are forced upon France by England, the victor, and what does England give in return?
· How significant a role do New World possessions seem to play in the treaty?
· What does this document suggest about the European balance of power and the economic philosophy of mercantilism?
Discussion 3
· Compare the backgrounds of Jefferson and Paine; did Paine have an advantage or disadvantage by not being born in the colonies? Explain.
· Examine the language used in both documents; who is the audience for each writer?
· Why does Jefferson not discuss slavery in the Declaration?
· What do Paine and Jefferson say about the monarchy in their respective documents?
· Why does Jefferson focus more on the king than parliament?
Discussion 4
Read the information included in Jefferson's Message to Congress (1803). Once all reading is complete, respond to the following items:
· Thomas Jefferson wrote this secret message to Congress about the Lewis & Clark expedition in 1803; what does it tell us about Jefferson's views of westward expansion and Native Americans?
· What solutions does Jefferson propose to the friction between the fledgling republic and the Indian tribes of the West?
· What arguments does he use to explain the Lewis & Clark expedition?
Discussion 5
Read the Monroe Doctrine. Once all reading is complete, respond to the following items:
· The Monroe Doctrine became one of the crucial foundations of American foreign policy over the next century; what was the occasion for Monroe's articulation of this doctrine, and what were the circumstances motivating its adoption?
· What reasons were used by Monroe to justify this foreign policy pronouncement, and how do they relate to arguments made during the revolutionary and early republic periods?
Discussion 6
Read the information included in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl; scroll down the document at this website and read through Chapters V, VI and VII of the account by ex-slave Harriet Jacobs. Once all reading is complete, respond to the following item(s):
· What does this account reveal about the nature of slavery and how slavery affected southern society?
Discussion 7
Read the Emancipation Proclamation. Once all reading is complete, respond to the following items:
In early 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
· Why did Lincoln decide to issue the Proclamation at this particular time?
· What factors determined this decision?
· What did the President hope to gain?
· What were the limitations of the Proclamation, and what was its larger historical significance?
Discussion 8
Read the information included in the Mississippi Black Codes. Once all reading is complete, respond to the following item(s):
During Reconstruction, Black Codes were enacted in several former states in the Confederacy. A Republican controlled Congress would later react to suppress these codes.
· What ultimately were these codes designed to do?
· Precisely how did the codes aim to accomplish these objectives?