The Extra Credit Assignment In Topic 6 you and your classmates considered Lin-Manuel Miranda's choice of Alexander Hamilton as an archetypical American. For this extra credit assignment choose one person about whom you have learned this summer session who you think is an archetypical American and explain what "American" characteristics you think they embody.
You may not choose Alexander Hamilton. Rather, for this assignment, I want you to find your own Hamilton!
Your assignment should be at least 500 words.
Your choice must appear in Out of Many and/or in one of the assigned primary or secondary sources. But a lot of interesting historical figures from lesser-known people like Phyllis Wheatley or James Otis to even well-known people, like Pocahontas, Thomas Jefferson, Frederick Douglas, or Abraham Lincoln only get brief coverage in the assigned reading due to time-constraints. So, for this assignment I want you to do a bit of additional research. In your essay, in addition to drawing on information from the assigned reading, also incorporate information from one good-quality internet source. The website you use must end in .edu (= associated with a college or university), .gov (= associated with the US government), or .pbs.org (= associated with PBS). I highly recommend getting your website approved by me before you write your essay. (Email me at any time to check.)
Topic 6
The Revolutionary War
We're covering a lot of important ground with Topic 6.
To supplement Ch. 7 of Out of Many I have added two brief files to the Topic 6 folder. With regard to covering wars, the trend in textbook-writing today is to focus less on specific battles and more on the experiences of participants. But like learning about the battles! I have therefore included a file titled The Battle of Trenton in the Topic 6 folder. The file contains a picture (Washington Crossing the Delaware) and a discussion (by me) of the importance of the Battle of Trenton (1776). One of your key terms for this topic is the Northwest Ordinance (1787). It gets a brief mention in Out of Many (pp. 145?46), but this brief mention does not effectively communicate how important the act was for American history, so I have also added a discussion of this ordinance to the Topic 6 folder.
While I think it's important to discuss important battles, I also think that the current trend in writing about warfare, in which the experiences of average men and women are paramount, is important. One of my favorite accounts of the Revolutionary War is by Private Joseph Plumb Martin, one of the few Patriots who served in the Continental Army for the entire war. His autobiography provides an important counterpoint to many narratives of the Revolutionary War, which focus on "big men", like George Washington and other generals.
Note: Joseph Plumb Martin has an awesome, and very dry, sense of humor; it is easy to overlook if you don't read carefully.
Finally, you have a number of audio and visual clips pertaining to the Broadway musical Hamilton. To steal a phrase from Justin Timberlake, Hamilton puts the sexy back in the Founding Fathers. Over the course of the summer session we will use the musical Hamilton to think about a couple of important aspects of early American history: What does it mean to be American? What relevance do the actions and writings of dead white men have to do with an America today in which the vast majority of Americans are not white men?
Remember: graded posts need to be at least 300 words long. And try to ensure that every focus question is answered at least once on the Topic 6 discussion forum so that you can get that point of extra credit!
Key Terms (Discuss relevant key terms in your answer.)
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Continental Army
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Articles of Confederation
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Friedrich von Steuban
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Treaty of Paris (1783)
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Valley Forge
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Land Ordinance of 1785
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Patriots vs Loyalists
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Northwest Ordinance of 1787
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"Molly Pitcher"
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Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom (1786)
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Battle of Trenton
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Phyllis Wheatley
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Hessians
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Joseph Plumb Martin
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Battle of Saratoga
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Alexander Hamilton
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Joseph Brant
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Elizabeth Schuyler
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Battle of Yorktown (1781)
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Angelica Schuyler
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Focus Questions
Tying the readings together (Tie together information from more than one of the assigned readings.)
1. What advantages did the Americans have during the Revolutionary War? What advantages did the British have? (Tip: remember to draw on the textbook and at least one of the sources.)
2. Why did Washington think it important to have a national army? Why were some Americans against the idea of a national army? Based on your reading of the excerpt from Joseph Plumb Martin's autobiography, do you think Washington was right about the importance of a national army?
3. How much support did the civilian population give the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War?
Out of Many, Ch. 7
4. What do you think the most important battles or events of the Revolutionary War were? Explain your reasoning.
5. How important were the alliances that we made with the French, the Spanish, and the Dutch to our victory in the Revolutionary War? Explain your reasoning.
6. Describe the main achievements of the national government under the Articles of Confederation. What were the main strengths and weaknesses of the national government outlined by the Articles of Confederation?
Excerpt from the Autobiography of Joseph Plumb Martin
7. How does Joseph Plumb Martin justify writing his memoirs? Why do you think he apologizes for writing them?
8. What examples does Joseph Plumb Martin give of how dire conditions were in the Continental Army? Given these conditions, why did he remain in the army?
Hamilton: Round I (Draw on both CBS This Morning and the musical Hamilton.)
9. Why does Lin-Manuel Miranda think that Alexander Hamilton is an archetypical American and what "American" characteristics does Miranda think that Hamilton embodies?
10. Before the musical Hamilton came out last year, few Americans knew much about Alexander Hamilton. Why do you think that was so? And why did Lin-Manuel Miranda think it was important to tell Hamilton's story?
11. What do you find most surprising about the way that Lin-Manuel Miranda presents Alexander Hamilton's life and times?
Topic 8 Jeffersonian America
Remember to include dates and discussion of key terms in your answers! All graded posts must be at least 300 words long. And if all questions are answered at least once, everyone who participated in the discussion forum gets a point of EC!
Key terms (Discuss relevant key terms in your posts.)
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Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-06)
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Monroe Doctrine
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the agrarian republic
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Panic of 1819
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Marbury v. Madison (1803) and judicial review
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Missouri Compromise
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Louisiana Purchase
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Thomas Jefferson
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attack of the HMS Leopard on the USS Chesapeake
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Sally Hemings
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Embargo Act (1807)
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Madison Hemings
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Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa
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Eston Hemings
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William Henry Harrison
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Harriet Hemings
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War of 1812 (1812-14)
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Beverly Hemings
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Treaty of Fort Jackson (1814)
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John Wayles (aka John Wales)
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nullification
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James Callender
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Era of Good Feelings
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the Reynolds Affair
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the American System
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Aaron Burr
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Adams-Onís Treaty
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Focus Questions
Tying the Readings Together (Tie together information from more than one of the assigned readings.)
1. Do you agree with the stance taken by Hamilton and Jefferson that a person's personal life shouldn't matter in their public life, as long as one does one's job well and faithfully? Why or why not?
2. What does Article IV Section II of the US Constitution have to do with Sally Hemings' children? (This question requires you to tie the sources for Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson to the material from Topic 7.)
Out of Many, Ch. 9 (Draw on multiple sections of the chapter.)
3. What were the hallmarks of President Jefferson's vision for the country? Describe specific steps he took to make this vision a reality.
4. Describe the westward expansion of American settlement during the period from c.1790 to c.1820. Include in your answer a discussion of one of at least one the following:
a. how regional differences played a role in westward expansion in the northern and southern parts of the country.
b. the changing relationship between Americans, the United States government, and Native Americans.
5. Discuss the causes and outcomes of the War of 1812.
6. How did the American economy change during the period from c.1790 to c.1820? In your answer include a discussion of the American System.
7. What overall message was Secretary of State John Quincy Adams sending to European powers in the Monroe Doctrine? How does this message reflect the wider foreign policy concerns outlined throughout Ch. 9 of Out of Many?
Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings
8. Why do you think Callender's claims failed to hurt Jefferson politically? Do you think a similar scandal would hurt an American president or elected leader today? Why or why not?
9. Did Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson love each other? Were they and their children a family? And do you think these are valid questions to ask?
10. Based Madison Hemings' family history, how common was racial intermixing in 18th and 19th century Virginia?
11. Madison talks about two promises that were made to his mother. What were they?
Hamilton: Round III: See the "Tying the Readings Together" questions, above.
Attachment:- Attachments.rar