Thomas Jefferson Resigns as Secretary of State

Thomas Jefferson did not want to be Secretary of State. He enjoyed his time working as a diplomat in France and believed that he would serve his country best as an ambassador. He only took the position after George Washington insisted on it. Jefferson quickly grew to dislike his position, he did not like living in New York City and Philadelphia. Government ceremonies and regal forums reminded him of the monarchies in Europe.

He also began to quickly distrust the Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. He thought that Hamilton's Financial Plan was unwise and that the National Bank was unconstitutional. When Hamilton announced that the Federal Government would be assuming the debts of all the states, Jefferson saw this as a means of weakening the authority of the states. Jefferson believed that Hamilton and his supporters were betraying the values and principles of the American Revolution.

Tiring of arguing with Hamilton and realizing that he was a minority in the Cabinet, Thomas Jefferson asked George Washington to allow him to retire. Washington begged Jefferson to stay on for another year, to which Jefferson complied. On December 31, 1793, Thomas Jefferson submitted his resignation to Washington and returned to his home in Virginia.

Homework Tonight

Use your notes and the textbook to complete the Identification on p. 315 and #4.

Thank you

The Neutrality Proclamation

As the armies of Prussia, Great Britain, Austria, the Netherlands, and Sardinia prepared for their war against the French Republic, thomas Jefferson was preparing for how own battle. As the Secretary of State, Jefferson was supposed to be President Washington's key adviser on the war in Europe but he felt that the President was relying more on the advice of Alexander Hamilton. Jefferson had originally supported the French in their revolution, believing that the French people were entitled to the same rights that Americans had. When the revolution turned excessively violent, Jefferson's support became less vocal.

The French Republic asked the United States to continue selling weapons, food, and other supplies to the French army as well as the use of American ports to launch attacks against the British in the Caribbean. Jefferson wanted the United to support the French in their struggle, but understood that the U.S. would be vulnerable to attack if they did.

Alexander Hamilton saw the French Revolution as continued proof that the common man was only capable of violence and needed to be controlled. Hamilton distrusted the French Revolution, and hoped that the British, with their powerful navy would emerge as the winner in their struggle with the French. To Hamilton, the British were the future. An economy based on trade and manufacturing, with access to cities and ports across the world. Hamilton knew that the United States could not afford to fight a war against either the British or the French, the nation was struggling to pay off its debt. To Hamilton the best way of supporting the British was to let it be known that the United States was not supporting the French. He felt that without any future aid or assistance from foreign nations, the French would be defeated and the U.S. would be safe from any bloodshed.

For Homework tonight:

Read pages 311-315.

Then answer the following questions:

1. Who was France at war with?

2. What did President Washington decide to do in regards to the war in Europe?

3. What were the warnings that President Washington gave U.S. citizens? Why did he feel the need to do this?

4. What Cabinet member disagreed with the decision to be neutral? Why?

Checklist and Practice Questions for Quiz

For the quiz tomorrow make sure you have the following:

~ The Vocabulary assignment from last night

~ The Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin Reading

~ Notes on George Washington's Cabinet

~ Notes on Alexander Hamilton's Financial Plan

~ Birth of a Political Party

~ Foreign Policy Challenges

~ Map "A" and Map "B"

Some Practice Questions:

1. Some historians claim that Catherine Greene deserves some credit for the invention of the cotton gin. Give two reasons that would support that claim.

2. Thomas Jefferson believed that the United States should be supportive of the French. Why?

3. The United States government was faced with the daunting task of trying to pay back its debt from the American Revolution. The government owed money to banks, foreign nations, as well as private citizens. If you were the Secretary of Treasury who would you pay back first? Why?

4. Between the years 1790 and 1860, cotton production in the United States grew to over 2 billion pounds a year. At the same time, the U.S. saw a dramatic increase in the slave population of the United States. Explain the connection between the growth of cotton and the growth of slavery.

5. What river flows into the Mississippi River and borders Kentucky?

Rest up, bring a snack tomorrow, and good luck.

~ Mr. M

You Say You Want a Revolution

Here is some background on the French Revolution. This information will not be on the quiz, but it might be helpful in understanding why many Americans were so concerned about the French Revolution.

On July 14, 1789, an angry mob of Parisians attacked the Bastille, a medieval fortress in the center of Paris. The crowd was hoping to free the hundred of political prisoners rumored to be held captive inside and gain access to weapons and gun powder. For decades the fortress served as a symbol of the power of the French King, and caused resentment amongst the population of Paris.

The crowd beheaded the captain of the guard, and freed all the prisoners inside (there were 7). The people of Paris now had weapons and confidence and the kings guards were forced to flee the city. The French Revolution had begun.

There are major political revolutions in history that you will study later in high school and college, most far more violent then the American Revolution. No matter if the Revolution is taking place in Russia during the early 1900s or France during the 1780s, there are always common themes and demands of the groups revolting. These are: Power, Money, and Land. The holy trinity of revolutions.

The Power issue in France had to do with the political system that was set up. The King had absolute power, and did not need the help of the Estates General (French legislative branch). He could raise taxes or declare war on a whim. The people who had power were a small percentage of the population, members of the nobility and the clergy. They had special privileges and held the best jobs in government. In addition to that, these people controlled the majority of the land in France, forcing farmers to pay heavy fees to work the land.

Soldiers returning from fighting in the American Revolution spread the ideas of democracy and freedom. Many of these men did not understand why they had to fight for freedom against a king, to return home to a king. Americans now had a government of elected rulers, not officials appointed by a king. In America people who were qualified got a job, not people who were born into the nobility.

Those special privileges had to deal with money. The clergy and the nobles did not have to pay taxes. The middle class, the farmers, and the poor city workers paid the brunt of France's taxes. In addition to the tax burden, a series of droughts and famine caused the price of bread and grain to become unaffordable for many middle class and city workers. These people became upset that the government did not step in and help them. Farmers could not sell their crops and had troubles paying their taxes and rent to the rich land lords.

Hungry People+Poor People= Angry People.

The majority of the population of France was ready for a change, and change happened quickly.

Within the matter of a few months, Louis XVI, the king of France was removed from office, replaced with an elected Republic. The French government issued "The Declaration of the Rights of Man", which promised that the people of France were entitled to "liberty, property, security, and the resistance to oppression". Ideas that were borrowed from the Declaration of Independence.

Many politicians and Americans were pleased with the French Revolution. Happy to see that the ideas of democracy and freedom were spreading to Europe. This happiness, would soon disappear.

France became immersed in bloodshed. Governments changed, and mass executions of political enemies took place. The King and Queen of France were among the 40,000 people who would become a victim to the "Reign of Terror". The guillotine, invented as a more humane way of executing someone, became the symbol of death and anarchy. Monarchs across Europe, declared war against the French, hoping to prevent the violence and disorder from spreading to their nations.

Back in the United States, President Washington faced the task of deciding what course the United States should take.

Hamilton vs. Jefferson

Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson were two of the most talented men to ever work in the National Government. Both were intelligent, hardworking, and highly opinionated on how the nation should be run. Within a few years the two men would become political enemies and sought to destroy the other's political career.

Tonight for homework please read pages 305 to 310 in the textbook on Alexander Hamilton's Financial Plan.

When you finished the reading, use the text to identify the following terms:

national debt

bonds

speculators

protective tariff

strict construction

loose construction

Bank of the United States

Thank you,

Mr. M

The Cotton Gin Controversy

Eli Whitney is most famously known for being the inventor of the cotton gin. In recent years, scholars have debated as to how much credit Mr. Whitney deserves for the invention. Tonight's reading explores the roles of Catherine Greene, slaves, and Southern planters played in the creation of the cotton gin.

When you are finished with the assignment please watch the following video.

Thank you

Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin

When Henry Ford created his Model T automobile, he knew that he had a product that would make him a fortune. Ford's invention was going to make transportation faster and more efficient. What he did not envision, was that his car would change the way Americans live and work and have a negative impact on the environment. Sometimes or actions have unforeseen consequences.

Eli Whitney was hired by Catherine Greene to solve a problem with cleaning cotton. For years, cotton production was very costly, denying farmers from making a profit on their labor. Whitney's invention was supposed to make cleaning cotton faster and more efficient. As a result cotton production became more profitable and more farmers stared to plant cotton, and there was an increase in slavery.

For Homework complete the Graphic Organizer on Eli Whitney then the handout on the connection between slavery and cotton.

Go to this link to complete the chart on cotton production be sure to write down the amount of cotton that was grown as well as the value.

Go to this link to complete the chart on the spread of slavery.

Have a Good Day

I really enjoyed hearing your 9/11 interviews today in class. Thank you for all those who shared their families' experiences with us. Over the weekend I received an e-mail that contained two links to videos that highlighted some amazing examples of generosity and courageousness that occurred on September 11, 2001. For me 9/11 is a day of a million stories, and these two are worth sharing. Thank you very much Chris T. for sending me those links.

Your homework for tonight is to complete the Political and Physical Maps of the United States in 1790. If you did not finish the maps in class, you were to bring home a textbook to help you with the assignments.

The pages to complete the Physical Map were: xxii and xxiii.

The pages to complete the Political Map were: xx-xxi, p. 215, 252, and 342.

If you forgot the textbook check out this link for the Physical Map

and this link for the Political Map

Have a good day

History and Memory

9/11, Creating History and the Mirror Analogy

In class this week, we’ve discussed the importance of spending time in Social Studies thinking about the present, and how our experiences help shape who we are. We have also done activities designed to make you think about how historian create/summarize history. The idea to remember is that no one historian can give a complete history. 9/11 provides a good example of this.

HW: Since this is the 10^th anniversary of 9/11, there are a huge number of newspaper, TV, and radio articles. Your job this weekend is to explore some of them. Please note that some of this can be upsetting. If you find yourselves exploring a resource that feels like “too much” to you, skip it and try another. Do the best you can, but if you have trouble completing this for some reason, just let me know.

Directions:

For a check on HW, read or view one story and interview a parents/another adult.

For a +, read or view more than one story and interview a parent/another adult.

Resources:

http://www.tributewtc.org/programs/toolkit.html

This is a collection of 8 stories-each with a video- about how people experienced 9/11 and how they dealt with it after. The one about Susan Retik has a Needham-Wellesley connection.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/specials/sept_11_anniversary/?p1=News_links

This is the Boston Globe’s section on 9/11 anniversary. They are adding new stories every day, so look around. The story from 9/8 has good connections to what you may have discussed about religions last year. The articles from 9/6 (“the Rarely Noticed Casualties of 9/11”) and 9/4 have personal stories, while the one from 9/2 discusses how we saw the world differently before 9/11.

http://www.foxnews.com/september-11/

This has a collection of videos from individuals, as well as some interesting stories about how things like increasing airline security has worked or not.

TO DO:

For the story you read:

Write the name of the article/story and the source

Summarize the story in 3-4 sentences

Tell me what this added to “the history”(your knowledge) of 9/11 in 3-4 sentences

List 2-3 new questions you have from this

Parent interview: Ask them what they remember/what stands out about 9/11. You might also ask them if they remember what they were thinking/worrying about on the day and in the days/weeks after.

Summarize that in either several bullets or several sentences. The conversation is more important than you recording everything they say.

Vision

Our beliefs, values, and perspective are all shaped by our experiences. Today in class we looked at Saul Steinberg's famous cover of The New Yorker magazine titled, "A View of the World from 9th Avenue". Steinbger's cover drew praise from New York City residents and who took pride in their "NY centric" view of the world. This cover has been referenced by other artists, and parodied in movie posters, cartoons, and illustrations since its publication.

Your homework tonight is to create your own version of "A View of the World". You can use choose to use the same format the Steinberg used, similar to this drawing called, "A View of the World Atlanta. "

Make sure your artwork includes the following:

1. A Title

2. Streets that are important to you

3. Cities that are important to you

4. Buildings/Businesses that are important to you

5. Geographic features that are important to you

6. Other countries that are important to you

Help Decorate the Room

The classroom I teach in is also the classroom that you learn in. That being said, you should feel comfortable in room 224 and have a say in what it looks like. Please bring in something to decorate our class in by Friday, September 9th. It can be anything from a picture of your dog, to a bird statue that you found in your grandparent's house. I am going to ask that you explain why you brought your item, so please bring in something of significance and not a random item.

Thank you

Mr. M

Welcome to my website!

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

~ Theodore Roosevelt

I try and remember President Roosevelt's advice when I find myself struggling with a task or an assignment. Sometimes the only thing to do, is to simply do the best that you can. 8th grade offers new challenges but also plenty of new opportunities for you. I am looking forward to a successful school year.

My website is one of the resources that are here for you. On it you will sometimes find assignments, summaries, or study guides. If you are ever absent, be sure to check the website for any information on what you are missing.

Tonight for H.W. there are two tasks that need to be completed:

1. Have a parent or guardian sign the Class Expectations handout

2. Write one piece of advice for yourself on the How to Succeed in Social Studies handout. This advice can be some strategy that you have used in the past or a song lyric or quote that inspires you.

I am looking forward to a great year

~ Mr. Mullady