Getting Prepared for the Debate

Thank you to all the groups who shared their documents yesterday, I appreciate that you got it completed in a timely manner.  This will make It easier for me to give you helpful feedback as well as to collaborate with your group more efficiently.

   On Thursday, your rough drafts or outlines are due for the debate.  Openers and Closers you can use this format to create your outline:

I. Opening Sentence


II.  Main Ideas(s)

   These are the topics or ideas that you are going to stress upon in you Opening or Closing, i.e. treaties, use of land, land rights, ect.  Try and have at least 3 Main Ideas that you will mention in your statement.


III.  Final Sentence

A quotes, a note of thanks, something to end your speech on a strong note.


   For the Questioners, I want you to work on writing questions for specific groups.

   For example

       To the Cherokee, "Whiat are some ways that you have become civilized?"

By Thursday, there should be three questions directed at each of the groups

Sharing Group Information

For the Indian Removal Act Debate we are going to be using Googledocs again.  Attempting to make sharing this a little easier, for the First Share have one person from the Group create the Googledocs account but be sure to share it with all the group members and myself.

1.  Log on by using your regular school log in and password at this URL:

docs.apps.wellesley.K12.ma.us

2. Click on the left hand red button which says Create.

3. Next, click on Document.

4. Then, click on "Untitled Document" at the top of the blank document.  A box to rename your google doc will then appear.

5. Name your document this way:  Period # and Group Name.  For example, Period 1, Cherokee

6.  Follow this outline for the document:

  Opener: George

  Closer:   Thomas

 Question/Answer: Teddy

  When you are done writing on your document, click on the blue Share button at the top right hand corner.  When the new box pops up, go to Share With at the bottom and write in Mullady  My name will appear. Be sure to share this with all of your group members 

7.  Finally, edit the Permissions so that all of your group members can contribute to the document.

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to e-mail me.

Thank you

Mr. M

Whose Who of the Jackson Era

    This week in class you will be working with your groups on preparing to debate the Indian Removal Act.  In order to develop a better understanding of the Jackson Era it would be useful to identify the following leaders of that time.  Use the format that we have used in class to Identify people and places from the textbook, in your answer be sure to explain how the person is connected to Andrew Jackson and or the Indian Removal Act.  Use the Henry Clay  example to help you form your answers.

    You can use your textbook, notes, class handouts, or sources online to find your answers.
 

Henry Clay: Representative from Kentucky, and Speaker of the House.  Clay used his political influence to help get John Quincy Adams elected in the 1824 Presidential Election.  Clay was a fierce opponent of Jackson, Clay spoke out against the Indian Removal Act.


Identify


Lewis Cass:




Major Ridge:




John Ross:




Samuel Worcester:



Thomas Hart Benton:



John C. Calhoun:



Elias Boudinot:



Chief John Ross:


Sequoyah:



Chief Justice John Marshall:



David Crockett:



Daniel Webster:

Jackson vs. The National Bank

        Alexander Hamilton believed that in order for the United States to become an economic power, the nation needed a strong central banking system.  Hamilton's Plan was very controversial, many Americans did not trust banks, and critics like Thomas Jefferson warned that a strong bank would favor the wealthy and take advantage of the farmers.

     Andrew Jackson did not trust the National Bank of the United States, and when he became President he made it known that he planned on  "killing" The Bank.  The Bank ran on a charter, or a license that needed to be renewed after a certain period of time.  In the past, Congress had consistently renewed the Bank's charter allowing it to grow and become strong.  The President of the Bank, Nicholas Biddle was accused of granting special loans to states that had Congressmen that supported the Bank.  Today, we would say that the Bank acted like a special interest group and was buying votes from members of Congress over the years.

     Biddle asked Congress to renew the Bank's charter ahead of schedule.  This was a political gamble, but Biddle thought he would be successful in having Congress renew the charter. Congress complied and both the Senate and the House renewed the charter.  When Jackson heard of this plan, he shouted, "The Bank is trying to kill me, but I will kill it!"

    Jackson vetoed the Bill as promised, then made a controversial move to finally kill The Bank.  He ordered that all of the nation's gold and paper money be removed rom the National Bank and placed in smaller state banks.  By removing the money from the National Bank, Jackson made it impossible to the N.B. to give out loans making it useless.

   To his supporters, Jackson was a hero to the common man.  Jackson claimed that the state banks would make it easier  for farmers to get a loan and would not favor the rich and wealthy.

His critics claimed that Jackson was acting like a monarch and ignoring the authority of Congress. Without a strong, central Bank, the claimed it would be impossible to support business growth and to get loans for state projects.


   

The Nullification Crisis

In 1830, a tariff was placed on imported goods to America. This additional tax increased the price of products coming to the United States from Europe. Lawmakers who wrote and approved of the tax were hoping to protect Northern factories and businesses. Companies from cities and towns like Lowell were competing against companies from England in the textile market.

For a plantation owner or a yeoman farmer in the South the tariff was an economic burden. Goods from Great Britain were typically cheaper then American made products. A farmer could enter a store and purchase a pair of shoes from England that would cost them (i'm making this number up) $1.00 while shoes from Lynn would cost him $2.00. Once the tariff was in place, the shoes from Britain would end up costing more money then the shoes that were made in the U.S. These protective tariffs would force people from the South to buy goods that were made in the North. Many Southerners objected to the tax because it was costing them to pay more.

Britain would respond to the American tariff with a tariff of their own. The British could place a tax on American goods that were being imported to Great Britain. These goods included: rice, tobacco, flour, cotton, sugar, and indigo. All goods that were being grown in the American South. Once that tax was put in place many British companies started to not purchase goods from America, choosing to buy cotton from China, Egypt, and India. American farmers of the South were now hurt by falling prices in their exports in addition to high prices for manufactured goods.

Vice-President John C. Calhoun was against the tariff and called for the federal government to remove it. Jackson and Calhoun had some heated exchanges regarding the tax. Calhoun would resign the following year and travel back to South Carolina to help lawmakers there plan on handling the issue. Calhoun would find his answer to the crisis by seeing how other states had responded to unpopular federal law.

His answer was the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions. During the Presidency of John Adams, the Alien and Sedition Act were passed. Both of these laws were criticized for being unfair and unconstitutional. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison drafted a resolution for Virginia and Kentucky which said that a state had the right to cancel a federal law that was unfair. Since the Alien and Sedition Act were never brought to the Supreme Court, nobody really knew what the answer was. Calhoun felt that the V and K Resolutions were a precedent for other states to follow.

Lawmakers met in Colombia South Carolina and voted to not pay the tariff. Soon other state representatives were being asked by people from South Carolina if they would consider joining South Carolina in breaking away from the Union.  Opponents to nullification kept the Preisdent up to date on the growing crisis.

Washington D.C. was filled with talk of Civil War. Members of the South Carolina State Legislator had reached out to outher Southern states trying to get support for their cause. Jackson began to meet with military advisors to see what would be the best way to defeat South Carolina if they withdrew from the Union. Jackson let in be known publicly that he would not let South Carolina leave the Union. To Jackson the country was not a league, with each state a member that can choose to leave whenever it wanted to. "The Constitution forms a government, not a league."

Ultimately Jackson would win over Calhoun on the issue of Nullification. South Carolina eventually backed down, and Congress voted to lower the tariff shortly after. Calhoun would serve in the Senate until the 1850s becoming a symbol of state's rights. For Jackson the victory would increase his popularity and have him earn high marks with historians decades after his death. The issue over state's rights would not go away however.

The Spoils System

     Following his election in 1828, Andrew Jackson began to change the way government agencies were run.  Since George Washington's Presidency, the Preaident was responsible for appointing  officials to various jobs.  The President appoints federal judges, attorneys, tax collectors, postmasters, custom officers, and many other positions.  When Andrew Jackson became President there were some government officials that had held their position since Thomas Jefferson was elected.

     Jackson saw this lack of government turnover as a sign of corruption.  He believed that new people should have the opportunity to serve.  During his first term, Jackson replaced 900 government officials, roughly 10% of the Federal Government.  The six Presidents before Jackson typically replaced 9 government officials during their terms, Jackson's moves shocked many in Washington. Many  of his new appointments were members of the newly formed Democratic Party, a fact that did not escape his critics.
   
     Jackson's enemies saw these appointments as a threat to liberty, and claimed the President was acting like a conquerer.   They called these appointments "The Spoils System", taken from an old military saying, "to the victor goes the spoils". While his critics looked down on his actions, many later Presidents would follow Jackson's example by appointing loyal party members to government jobs after being elected.

     In 1831, Jackson formed an unofficial group of advisors that met at the White House to assist the President with policy making.  This group included two editors of a pro-Jackson newspaper, his nephew, his business partner from Tennessee, and a political ally from upstate New York. These men were given access to the President and the White House that alarmed members of the President's Cabinet as well as members of Congress. His enemies described this group as the "kitchen cabinet" to highlight how they were not officially appointed  by Congress to advise Jackson.

    Both the "spoils system" and the "kitchen cabinet" became two terms forever linked with the Jackson Presidency.  To his critics these were signs that he acted more like a king than a President, to his supporters these were just signs that he was changing the office of President for the better.

Andrew Jackson Questions

       The "Corrupt Bargain", that is what the Presidential Election of 1824 is mostly remembered for, the belief that Henry Clay used his influence in the House of Representatives to get John Quincy Adams elected as President. When Adams appointed Clay to be the new Secretary of State after taking office, many Americans were convinced that the government was corrupt and that election was stolen.
      As President, Adams had some successes: the national debt was reduced from $16 million to $5 million, the Cumberland Road was constructed, and a tariff was passed to protect Northern industries.  All of these success would not matter though in the election of 1828.
     The 1828 Presidential Election was a very messy one, both candidates found themselves and their families attacked on their morals and their  virtues.  John Q. Adams was accused of being a compulsive gambler, an atheists, and to have worked as a pimp for the Czar of Russia.  Jackson was accused of being the next Napoleon, a gambler, and a man who was living in sin.  The picture above is from a "Coffin Ad", that was used to describe how Jackson had ordered the execution of some of his soldiers during the War of 1812.  Despite the negative mudslinging, and relying on strong "grass roots" support, Jackson won the election in a landslide.

For H.W. Please answer the following questions using your notes and handouts.


 1. Andrew Jackson's military success made him a national hero to many Americans but some people saw Jackson a threat to democracy.  Why were some of Jackson's critics scared of electing a military hero to the Presidency?


2. Andrew Jackson won the popular vote of the election of 1824 but did not become President.  Explain how John Quincy Adams was able to become President.  How was this viewed by most
Americans?





3.  Jackson's supporters claimed that if he was elected, Andrew Jackson would be a true representative of the people.  What are two facts that would go against this claim that Jackson was "A Man of the People"?




4.  Why were more Americans able to vote in the Election of 1828 than the Election of 1824?  How did this benefit Jackson?

Here is the powerpoint from today.

Andrew Jackson: War Hero and Slave Master

         When the War of 1812 broke out Andrew Jackson was elected to be the leader of the Tennessee militia.  Jackson was eager to fight against the British who he blamed for the deaths of his mother and two brothers during the American Revolution.  Jackson's militia was ordered to fight against Creek Indians who were allies with the British and attacking American settlements across the South.


           In 1814, Jackson and his militia units were accompanied by members of the Cherokee and Choctaw tribes his forces had grown to 2,600 men.  On March 27th, Jackson and his army attacked the Creek forces that were encamped at Horseshoe Bend.  Cherokee warriors set fire to Creek buildings in order to distract the Creeks, while Jackson ordered the settlement bombarded from across the river.  After two hours of cannon fire, Jackson ordered his men to charge the barricades.  Once inside the camp, the battle became a massacre, and all the 1,000 Creek warriors were killed as well as several hundred women and children.  After the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, the United States gained 23 millions acres of land from the Creek in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia.


   
      In December of 1814, Jackson was sent to bolster the defenses of the port city of New Orleans that was under threat of attack from the British. With the assistance of Jean Lafitte, Choctaw Indians, and the free black population of New Orleans, Jackson created an effective and successful defensive strategy to protect the city.  On January 8, 1815, the British launched an attack on the city, thinking that the U.S. troops would flee the battlefield as they had done in previous battles during the war.  The Americans were well hidden behind walls and trenches and held their ground during the battle.  British had over 2,000 casualties while Jackson lost 8 men and 13 were wounded.
        The American victory occurred weeks after the British and the Americans had already signed a treaty ending the war, but it made Jackson a celebrity and a national hero. In the 19th century, a popular engraving of the battle was made and sold across the country making Jackson a household name.





   When the war was over, Jackson returned to his plantation the Hermitage.  On his plantation, Jackson bred horses, and grew cotton and corn.  Over the years, Jackson had made a fortune investing money in  selling land recently acquired from Native Americans.  There were over 140 slaves on the Hermitage, and Jackson was a slave master that encouraged his slaves to see him as a father, master, and provider.   Jackson believed that people of African descent were put on earth to labor for white people.  His supporters would claim that Jackson was a true representative of the average American and ignore the fact that Jackson had more in common with the rich planter class than the middle class.


Here is the handout that goes with today's class.

Andrew Jackson: Good, Evil, and The Presidency

  I was born for a storm and a calm does not suit me.

                        ~ Andrew Jackson




  Andrew Jackson was one of our nation's most successful and most controversial Presidents.  He had fiercely loyal supporters who would do anything for him and enemies that did everything in their power to destroy him.   Jackson is our driving force behind our Conflict in the West Unit.  In order to have a better understanding of Jackson's Presidency we are going to look at Jackson's early years and the origins of his political views.

In class we are going to be viewing segments of the PBS Documentary Good, Evil, & The Presidency.  Here is a link to the documentary online.     Today we watched the sections: Introduction and Wild Young Man.

Today's handout that goes with the Video.

Lewis and Clark

                                    

           Following the Louisiana Purchase, President Jefferson began to organize an exhibition to explore the new American territory.     Thomas Jefferson asked fellow Virginian Merriwether Lewis to lead an exhibition to the Louisiana Territory. Lewis was the President's secretary and shared a passion for science with Jefferson.  Given the task of organizing the members of his party, Lewis asked his former military commander William Clark to co-lead the newly formed "Corps of Discovery."

         Their mission was both scientific and political. Jefferson wanted the group chart a water route to the Pacific Ocean. This would allow American merchants to trade with nations in Asia and increase American commerce. Jefferson also ordered the group to catalogue and chronicle the plant and animal life that they encountered on their journey. The men kept journals of the trip detailing the different species they had seen along the way as well as the climate of the land they journeyed through. They also sent back to the President plant and animal species to be further studied back in Washington D.C.  The journals that Lewis and Clark kept were later published, and helped increase interest in the Louisiana Territory. 

        On the political side of the trip, the men had a very important job. They were the representatives of the United States of America whenever they encountered Native American tribes.  As representatives of the U.S., they were ordered by the President to try and establish peaceful relationships with the tribes that they met. Jefferson also wanted the group to gather as much information on the tribes as possible. Jefferson hoped that the United States would be able to establish healthy economic relationships with Native American tribes. These facts would allow Americans to further their understandings of the different native groups in the American West.

       Jefferson wrote various letters to Captain Lewis before he left for his journey. Tonight you are analyzing two of those letters, one written in June of 1803, and the other was written in January of 1804. He instructed the men on the following: how to behave towards the tribes, what to tell the tribes, and what to ask them.

Below are some links that you might find useful

Lewis and Clark letters

Louisiana Purchase Powerpoint

Vocabulary for the June 1803 and January 1804 letters

The Abiel Smith School

   During our Life in the North Unit we learned how mill employees and immigrants created independent and successful lives for themselves during the Industrial Revolution.  Both groups were met with obstacles and discrimination but fought against them.  The final group of our North Unit is how African Americans fought against discrimination and found success in the North.

   As a case study we examined the Abiel Smith School of Boston, a school that was established for the sole purpose of educating the black children of the city.  The story of the Smith school is the story of people taking care of their own and providing better opportunities for future generations.




Courtesy of Ms. Taylor, here is the h.w. for tonight organized on a Googledocs form.

When you are doing the Identify, I want you to give me two of the most important facts in your answer.  Here is an example that we used in class:


The Louisiana Purchase:

     Land extending from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, purchased from France for $15    million.

To my homeroom..

  Over 100 years ago, President Teddy Roosevelt spoke about the responsibility of giving,

"Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds."

I always believe that actions speak louder than words and this year your generosity spoke in volume. Thank you guys for making this the most successful Turkey Promenade that we have ever had, you guys brought in 1,328 items for the Safe Haven Shelter.  I am so proud of the way that you came together with generosity and school spirit.


I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving.

Mr. Mullady.

Immigrant Backlash

       By 1850, Irish immigrants made up 43% of all foreign born residents of the United States. Many of the Irish immigrants came to learn that moving to the U.S. to  escape the horrors of a famine stricken Ireland would come at a costly price.
     Competition for working class jobs created animosity among the working class towards the immigrants. Many Protestant Americans became suspicious of Catholic immigrants and believed that their was a Catholic conspiracy to take over the United States.  As Catholic Churches and schools began to be constructed in many cities, some Americans felt that it was a clear sign that the Pope was staking a claim in the U.S.  Frustrated and suspicious Americans began to form political parties such as the Nativist and Know Nothing Party that sought to remove immigrants from the United States and pass anti-Irish and anti-Catholic laws.  
   
    For H.W. I would like you to read the handout on the Backlash to Irish Immigrants and then answer the following questions.


1. What were two ways in which the media negatively portrayed Irish immigrants?

2. The reading mentioned that the Irish were slow to assimilate.  Define assimilate, then explain how ethnic neighborhoods would slow down assimilation for a group.


3. Why do you think Catholic Churches and schools were targeted by anti-immigration groups in Northern cities?

Studying for the Life in the North Test

         The test on Monday has questions on the Industrial Revolution, Sam Slater and the Slater System, the Lowell Mills, the Transportation Revolution, and early U.S. Immigration.  Unlike the quizzes, you can not use your notes and there is partial credit.  Like the quizzes you get to omit questions, for this test you can omit 3 questions.


   Over the weekend you can work on this study guide. I recommend you try and complete it without using your notes first, then going back and using notes to answer questions that you did not know.  After you finish the study guide you can work on these practice questions below.

Good luck, and have a good weekend.

       ~Mr. Mullady



1. In the 1840s there was competition between working class Boston residents and Irish immigrants.  How did this competition help lead to anti-immigrant sentiment?




2. Most of the Transportation Revolution occurred in which part of the country?



3. What were three reasons that explain why the Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain?



4. What was the credit system?  Who did it benefit and who did it hurt?


5. Define Industrial Revolution:

Donating for the Turkey Promenade

       Over the past few weeks I have been hearing stories from friends and family members living on Long Island about how devastating Hurricane Sandy was.  Homes, schools, and businesses were damaged and destroyed leaving many people left with nothing.  Fortunately, support and help for these storm victims have been coming in from all over the United States as people reach out to help those in need.  The Red Cross and FEMA has been sent to help distribute food and clothing and to provide housing for thousands of victims.
       Our school has a wonderful tradition of coming to the aid of the Safe Haven Shelter in Framingham run by Voices Against Violence.  This organization comes to the assistance of victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, victims that often do not national attention or support.  Voices Against Violence provides clothing, shelter, food, legal counseling, and safety for hundreds of victims a year.
     As a school we provide all of the food needs for the shelter for the entire year through our Turkey Promenade, a feat that is truly remarkable. Voices Against Violence has been able to use our donations to help feed hundreds of men, women, and children at their shelter as well as shelters in the Greater Boston Area.

  Below are items that you are encouraged to bring in:

  Jelly, Coffee, Tea, Peanut Butter, Mustard, Mayo, Salad Dressing, Syrup, Canned or Dried Fruits, Diapers, Toothpaste, Shaving Cream, Combs, Brushes, Pasta, Crushed Tomatos, Rice, Vegetable Oil, Bread Mixes.


Thank you

Mr. Mullady

The Push and Pull of Immigration

        Historians explain immigration as  system of "Push" and "Pull". Negative factors of an immigrant's native land were "push factors" driving people out of their country.  The "pull factors" were the positive aspects of the United States that made people want to move there.  Most immigrants came to the United States for either Social, Political, or Economic reasons.
       In the late 1840s, hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Ireland and Germany began to arrive in the United States.  Port cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Boston saw their populations dramatically rise over a short period of time.  Tonight for H.W. finish reading and marking up the handout on the Irish in Boston.


Here are some practice questions for the quiz tomorrow:

1. What are two reasons that explain why the Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain?


2. Who invented the waterframe?


3. Why did New York State spend millions of dollars constructing the Erie Canal?  What were two results of the Erie Canal?


4. What is a turnpike?

Checklist for the Quiz.

        Welcome back.  For H.W. tonight I want you to make a T Chart on the Positive and Negative Aspects of living and working at the Lowell Mills.  Your chart should have at least 3 positive aspects and at least 4 negative aspects of Lowell.

Your Quiz on the Industrial Revolution is on Thursday and I want you to go through your notes and look for the following.


#3. The Industrial Revolution Intro

#4. Samuel Slater and Pawtucket


#6. Slater Check In

#7. Transportation Revolution

#8. Transportation Revolution Table

#9. Lowell Mill Girls

11. Lowell Mill Station Activity.

The Lowell Mill Girls

   With the success of Slater, Almy, and Brown in Rhode Island other New England business leaders sought to make money from the growing textile mills.  Boston merchant Francis Cabot Lowell created a  textile empire in Massachusetts and transformed the way people lived and worked.  Unlike Slater's Mills, Lowell specifically recruited young single New England woman to work in his factories. These women became internationally famous as the "Lowell Mill Girls".

   For H.W. please read the Lowell Mill Girl Reading that was given out today in class.  I really recommend that you spend time marking it up.  When you are finished, complete the worksheet based on the reading.  This will be due on Thursday, November 8th.

Election Day Tomorrow

   Tomorrow millions of Americans will head to the polls and perform their important civic responsibility and vote.   Here in Massachusetts the U.S. Senate Race between Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren has gained national attention.  Elections are being held for positions in government from President and Congress to municipal positions in city and town governments.


Your Election Menu is due to be completed by Thursday, November 8th.  That is when I am going to be collecting the Menu sheet.   For those of you who are choosing the Participate Option of going and reminding five adults to vote here is the form that you need to have completed.

Good Luck!

The Transportation Revolution

 
           In 1828, the editor of the Boston American Traveler published an editorial commenting on the changes and improvements that were occurring in transportation in the United States.  “There is more traveling [in the United States] than in any part of the world. Here, the whole population is in motion, whereas, in old countries, there are millions who have never been beyond the sound of the parish bell.” The editor of the same paper remarked two years later that whereas in 1786 it had taken as long as six days to travel by stage from Boston to New York, now the trip was made easily in only a day and a half.  The editorial ends with an optimistic question, “Who will undertake to predict the wonderful results of the next half century?” 
  
      Across the United States roads, canals, and turnpikes were being constructed connecting the nation's farms, towns, and cities.  As methods of transportation improved the U.S. economy began to grow.  With factories and farms paying lower shipping costs the prices of goods and food began to go down making them more affordable.

For H.W. please complete the following assignments:

  1. The Slater Mills check in that given on Friday.

  2. The Transportation Revolution Table that was given out in class.

Here are the notes for today.

Samuel Slater

      In 1789, Samuel Slater boarded a ship to New York from England with the goal of making a fortune in the United States.  For the last seven years Slater worked as an apprentice under Jedediah Strutt at the Cromford Mill.  Slater memorized the blue prints of the waterframe and other factory machines with the hope that he would be able to replicate them when he arrived in the United States.

     In 1790, Slater partnered with Rhode Island businessmen Moses Brown, William Almy, and Smith Brown to establish a textile mill.  Slater and his business partners chose Pawtucket located on the Blackstone River as the site for their new mill.

Here are today's class notes. 

For H.W. Answer the following questions using your notes and your Mill Village Reading.

Introduction to the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution transformed how people worked, purchased goods, and where they lived.  In U.S.  History we are looking at the early part of the Industrial Revolution and why in the United States it started in New England.

Here are the notes from today's class.

Have a Happy Halloween.

Helpful Links for the Paragraph

      For your paragraph I want you to use your notes and handouts for gathering evidence in your paragraph.  If you want to have some additional information you can use these links below.




Here is a link for Nat Turner

Denmark Vessey


Garbiel Prosser




Here is the Rubric for the Heroism in History assignment.  When you are finished have a friend or someone from home proof read your work to offer any advice or recommendations.

Google Docs

Several times during the year we are going to be using Google docs for our writing assignments. Please click the link below to log onto Wellesley's Google Apps.  You will need to use your regular school LOG IN and PASSWORD. 

docs.apps.wellesley.K12.ma.us

Once you have successfully logged in, you need to create a google document. Once you create it, please rename your blank google doc immediately using your class period and last name:

Period 1, Mullady

To learn how to create a new google document click this link

GA create and upload.pdf

Once you have finished working on your document, you will need to share it with me.  Click on the PDF link to learn how to share your work. 

GA Sharing and Collaborating.pdf

1.  Log on by using your regular school log in and password at this URL:

docs.apps.wellesley.K12.ma.us

2. Click on the left hand red button which says Create.

3. Next, click on Document.

4. Then, click on "Untitled Document" at the top of the blank document.  A box to rename your google doc will then appear.

5. Name your document this way:  Period # last name.  For example, Period 1, Mullady

6.  When you are done writing on your document, click on the blue Share button at the top right hand corner.  When the new box pops up, go to Share With at the bottom and write in Mullady  My name will appear.

7.  Finally, edit the Permissions if you want the person that you are sharing with to edit, comment, or ONLY read your document.  Then, save and share!

The Alabama Slave Codes

      In the wake of Turner's Rebellion Southern lawmakers struggles with how to respond to the events in Virginia. The death of 55 white families in Virginia terrified planters in the South.  What would prevent their slaves from uprising?  Some states proposed ending slavery in the South all together, while others began to impose a harsher policy towards slaves and free blacks.

     In 1833, the state of Alabama passed a series of slave codes with the hopes of preventing a slave uprising from ever happening in their state.  These laws impacted the entire black population, free and enslaved in addition to the white population.  The Alabama Slave Codes would inspire other states to adopt similarly strict laws under the belief that strict slave codes would save the lives of southern whites.

Class Notes:  Slave Code Presentation.

For H.W.

Finish the Alabama Slave Code handout that was given in class today.

Turner's Rebellion

Background:

  Nat Turner was born a slave in Southampton County Virginia in 1800. Turner was a deeply religious man who eventually became a preacher as an adult.  In 1821, Turner ran away from his overseer but returned after having a vision that told him to honor his earthly master.  Turner would have two more visions while a slave, each one he felt was a sign from God that was calling him to action.


Method of Recruitment:

    After witnessing a solar eclipse, Turner believed he had received his final vision calling him to action.  He gathered four of his closest followers on August 21st,  and they prepared a dinner where he explained what their mission from God was.

Plot:

   That night Turner and his followers killed his master and his family while they were sleeping.  The group then traveled to nearby plantations killing the slave owners and recruiting the slaves to join them. Over a period of 36 hours Turner and his men had killed 55 white men, women, and children.  His forces numbering over 40, Turner attempted to take over the town of New Jerusalem.  They were met by militia and federal troops and fighting occurred scattering Turner's forces.  Turner went into hiding and was captured on August 30th.

Results:

   Turner was hanged and later skinned on November 11th.  The government of Virginia executed 55 slaves over the next two months.  While across Virginia and North Carolina angry white mobs began to execute any slave or free black man that they believed was connected to Turner's Rebellion.   200 people were executed for believing to have been connected to Nat Turner.   Many state's began to reorganize their slave codes to impose harsher penalties on slaves and further limit the rights of free blacks in the South.

Denmark Vessey

Denmark Vessey

Background Information:

    Denmark was born on the island of St. Thomas and sold to the captain of a slave ship, Joseph Vessey when he was fourteen years old.  Over the years Denmark traveled between the Caribbean and the United States helping transport, brand, and sell slaves.  In 1799, he was able to purchase his own freedom after winning a lottery.  Vessey eventually settled in the port city of Charleston South Carolina.


Method of Recruitment:

   In 1815, the black population of Charleston voted to separate from the white Methodist Church of the city.  Vessey and other prominent members of the black community helped form a church that was strictly for the black population of the city.  Vessey became one of the leaders of the  African Church and taught Bible study classes with an emphasis on the Book of Exodus and the escape of the Israelites from Egypt.  Vessey recruited both slaves and free blacks from his church to join his rebellion and his supporters numbered over 1,000.

Plot:

  In 1882, Vessey and other members of his church planned an uprising of the black population of Charleston and the surrounding area.   They planned on launching an attack on July 14th and to take over the city's arsenal and set fire to Charleston.  They intended to kill the governor of South Carolina as well as all the slave owners of Charleston.


Results:

       A member of Vessey's conspiracy alerted his master  of the planned uprising.  That slave owner then informed the authorities who sought to arrest the leaders of the church.  Vessey was arrested on June 22nd, and was executed with five other leaders of the rebellion on July 2nd.  By the end of August over 35 slaves were executed for their connection to Vessey's plan.   Following Vessey's execution the African Church of Charleston was destroyed and the city government passed a series of laws that further restricted the rights of slaves.

Gabriel's Army

Gabriel Prosser:

Background: A slave living in Virginia.  As a skilled blacksmith, Gabriel was allowed to hire out his services to others and worked in various towns and on other plantations. Along with his brother Solomon, Gabriel was arrested and branded after attacking a white man.  While in jail the two brothers began to plot a rebellion to end slavery in Virginia.


Method of Recruitment:   Gabriel sought support from poor whites, free blacks, and slaves for his rebellion. In his blacksmith shop Prosser turned shovels and other pieces of farm equipment into spears and sword and made bullets from stolen pieces of metal.


Plan:  Prosser and his supporters numbered over 1,000 and planned on attacking Richmond and liberating all the slaves that lived there.  They would then kidnap the governor of Virginia, James Monroe  and hold him hostage to negotiate the liberation of all the slaves of Virginia.


Results:  On the night of the planned attack a sever thunderstorm occurred.  After meeting by a bridge Gabriel decided that the attack be postponed because of the weather.  Two slaves that were part of the conspiracy alerted their master of the planned uprising.  Their master warned James Monroe the governor, who sent out the militia to find the rebel slaves.  Gabriel and 22 other supporters were found guilty of attempting to start a revolt and sentenced to death.


Aftermath:  Members of the state legislature of Virginia proposed  a bill to end slavery in the state.  The bill was narrowly defeated and the state adopted new laws that further limited the rights of slaves.

Checklist for the Quiz

Your Quiz is Friday and is multiple choice and fill in the blank.  Check your binder for the following notes:

  * Getting a Sense of the South Handout (#8)

  * Covert and Overt Resistance Notes (#12)

  *Marronage Reading (#13)

  *The Reading on Yeomen (#7)

  * Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin (#2)

  * The Cotton Kingdom Reading (#9)

  *  Slave Resistance Reading. (#11)

  * White Culture of the Antebellum South (#6)



Practice Questions:

   1. What were three cash crops that were grown in the South?

   2. Explain how  the three regions of the United States were interdependent.

   3. ______________ is a song by Toby Keith

   4. Who were the Yeoman?



I can stay after Wednesday and Thursday if you have any questions.

Covert and Overt Resistance

          Prior to the Civil War, life in the South can be described as a culture of fear.  White plantation owners were afraid that the slaves would one day rise up agains them in rebellion similar to what had happened in Haiti.  Yeoman feared that they would lose their status in Southern culture and become poor and poor whites feared becoming poorer and worse off than slaves.  Free Blacks faced the possibility of being falsely accused of a crime and sent into slavery while slaves feared being punished at the will of their master or overseer.

     In order to prevent a slave uprising, plantation owners attempted to use fear as a method of controlling their slaves.  Slaves would be severely punished for a variety of reasons: resisting slavery, running away, stealing, speaking up against their master, and not working hard enough to name a few.  Below is a drawing of slave who is being punished with a muzzle, probably for speaking too much while working.



        Since the punishments for slaves was so severe, many slaves were forced to resort to covert  or secret means of resisting slavery.  These methods included: pretending to be sick, destroying farm equipment, and slowing down the pace of work.  

    Another form of resisting slaver was using overt methods.  These tactics were very clear and obvious that a slave was resisting their owner.  The most common form of resisting slavery was running away.  Since masters relied on their slaves for work, slaves used their master's dependency to their advantage.   For Homework tonight, please read and markup the handout on Marronage.

Writing for the North Star

   


      The North Star was one of the most influential anti-slavery newspapers in the United States.  Founded by Frederick Douglas in 1843, The North Star helped spread abolitionist beliefs and also championed the rights of women.

      Your assignment is to create an article for the The North Star that describes the evils of slavery.  Your audience already believes that slavery should end in the United States,  so your task  is to be as descriptive as possible to try and motivate your readers to take action.  Your Investigative Reporting of the South handout is going to provide you with the evidence and details to support your article and the Power of Persuasion handout from class today to help you organize your article.

Enjoy your weekend,

Mr. Mullady

The Cotton Kingdom

      Between the spring of 1998 and summer of 2000 Barbara Ehrenreich worked as a minimum wage employee at various jobs.  Her goal was to show the challenges that people faced in the United States that were living on a minimum wage salary.  Ehrenreich wanted Americans to gain a greater understanding to the challenges that many people were facing in their own community.   Her book became a bestseller and received both praise and criticism from various organizations and groups in the U.S.  

    Nickel and Dimed is an excellent modern day example of investigative journalism, when an outsider travels to a community to expose problems or issues that are occurring.  There have been many famous investigative journalists in American History, one of them Frederick Law Olmsted, wrote about Southern culture for a Northern audience.

     A publisher in London asked Frederick Law Olmsted to revise three travel essays that he had written previously and turn them into a book that was about Southern Culture.  Olmsted saw this as an opportunity to highlight how much progress had occurred in the North while also detailing the evils of slavery.  His book was published in 1861, right at the beginning of the Civil War.   The Cotton Kingdom became a best seller in Europe as well as the North and has provided historians with an excellent study of the economics of slavery.

Getting A Sense of the South

     To get a more complete understanding of the culture of the Antebellum South it is important to look at how the Southern economy developed during the 19th Century and how it developed differently from the North.  As the North became industrial economy that manufactured textiles and other goods, the South became more agricultural with an economy based on cash crops and raw materials.    As the nation began to grow and expand, the economy of the West became agricultural as well.

    While Western farmers supplied the corn, wheat, and grain crops that fed the expanding nation but did not rely on slave labor like farmers and planters of the South.

  onight for H.W. please finish the Getting a Sense of the South handout that we started in class.
Also,  on Friday, the "Yo-T.V.Activity" is due.

The Yeoman Farmers of the South

       The Plantation Class of the American South is the group that is most often associated with life in the South prior to the Civil War.  They were the ruling class of the South influencing politics, religions, and  Southern culture from the top of the social pyramid.  The planters were not the majority of the white population though, most whites were members of the Yeoman class.

    Yeoman farmers owned their own land and typically grew corn, wheat, and vegetables and raised pork and chickens.  They grew what they needed and sold any surplus crops to make a profit.  If the Plantation Owners were the Upper Class of the Antebellum South then the Yeoman would be the Middle Class of the South.

For H.W. finish reading and marking up The Life of Yeoman Farmers and then answer the following questions on the back of the reading.


1. True of False?  Yeoman farmers interacted with many different types of people in Southern society and spent much of their time in the markets of various cities in the South.  Explain your answer using evidence from the reading.

2. Which famous politicians might the yeoman look up to and why?

3. Explain why the yeoman were a transient group of people.

4. What is a stereotype about the work ethic of the yeoman?  Is it true? Use evidence from the reading to support your answer.

5. Did yeoman own slaves?  How was the relationship between slaves and yeoman different from the relationship between plantation owners and slaves?

6. What were three activities that brought yeoman together as a community?

7. Why do historians know so little about yeoman and know much more about plantation owners?

8. What concept united the yeoman with other whites in Southern society?

The Plantation Class

     By the mid 1800s, cotton was the king of the U.S. economy and slavery had become entrenched in Southern culture.  In less than a generation's span cotton had replaced tobacco as the nation's leading cash crop.  Owning slaves could put a farmer on the fast tract to success but many whites could not afford to own their own slave.

  Here are the notes for Friday's Class

Enjoy the weekend.

Cotton Gin Consequences

   Thank you very much for watching the debate last night and giving some feedback on how you thought the candidates did.  As we get closer to Election Day the impact of the debates increases and I think you will see both candidates handle themselves in a different manner then last night.
  
 In class today we examined how inventions can have both intended and unintended consequences. Alfred Nobel's invention of dynamite was intended to improve the safety of miners but during his lifetime he saw others use his creation as a destructive weapon.

  Eli Whitney's cotton gin was intended to improve the working conditions of slaves as well as white farmers who grew their own cotton.  The cotton gin would be a leading catalyst for the expansion of not only slavery but also the United States itself.

For homework tonight complete the table on cotton production and the growth of slavery.

Presidential Debate

      The first televised Presidential Debate was in 1960 between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon.  To the audience that followed the debate on their radios Nixon was the most impressive candidate.  Those who watched the debate on television saw a calm and relaxed Kennedy out debate a sweaty and nervous looking Nixon.  That debate changed politics and showed how much of an impact television can have on an election. Here is a link of some important debate moments that have been captured on television.

        Tonight is the first debate between President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney.  While you are watching the debate be sure to to have your Debate Bingo sheet with you.  There is a great deal of talk about how the two candidates are going to respond to the questions and how they will react to their opponents.  The two men are going to be challenged on their core beliefs and policies, their temperament and how they handle the challenges would be something to keep an eye out for.

Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin

     Sometimes or actions have unforeseen consequences.  When Henry Ford created his Model T automobile, he knew that he had created product that would make him a fortune. Ford new that his invention was going to make transportation faster and more efficient, what he did not envision was how his automobile would transform the culture of the United States. 

    

   Eli Whitney new that his cotton gin had the potential to make him money, he could foresee how his invention would revolutionize the American South and help cause the spread of slavery. 

      Eli Whitney was hired by Catherine Greene to solve a problem with cleaning cotton. Coastal cotton, which was grown in Georgia and South Carolina was very costly. Planters and farmers struggled to make a profit growing cotton.  Whitney's invention was supposed to make cleaning cotton faster and more efficient. In March of 1794, Eli Whitney was issued a patent for his cotton gin that could effectively clean 55 pounds of cotton in one day. 

   News of Whitney's invention made him famous across the South and many sought to recreate Whitney's cotton gin for themselves.  For the next 20 years, Whitney would spend a fortune defending his patent in courts across the United States.  The cotton gin would prove to be an economic success for the South, but an economic test for Whitney who would not make the fortune from his invention that he dreamed of.

    In the years following the invention of the cotton gin the production of cotton increased dramatically across the United States.  As more farmers began to plant cotton there was an increase in the demand for slaves.  

Over the past 20 years there has been an increased emphasis placed on the roles of slaves, southern planters, and Catherine Greene with the invention of the cotton gin.  Tonights reading offers different perspectives on the story of the cotton gin. 

Thank You...

   Starting on Monday we will begin a brand new Unit on Life in the North and South.  You can recycle all your notes from Unit I in your notebook but make sure to keep your ToolBox section intact.  Please say,  "thank you very much" to all of  the parents who came in last night for Back to School Night.  I appreciate you taking the time to meet with us here at the Middle School.

Enjoy your weekend,

Mr. Mullady

Quiz Practice Questions

1. Why was George Washington against political parties?



2. Why were most members of the Federalist Party located in Northern cities?



3. George Washington had originally intended on serving one term as President.  Why did George Washington serve a second term?



4. There are four themes that we need to keep in mind while we study history; Identity, Power and Resistance, Change, and Justice.  Connect Unit I to one of those four themes and explain how the theme is connected.

Jay's Treaty and Jefferson's Resignation.

       Washington issued the Proclamation of Neutrality in 1793, but he quickly found out that in order for the United States to remain neutral he would need the support and cooperation of the European powers.  Despite being neutral the United States was treated by the British as if they were at war.  Americans ships were attacked and their goods were seized by the British while in the Caribbean the British denied American merchants access to certain ports.  In the Great Lakes region the British had kept several forts on American soil and were trading weapons with Native Americans.

      George Washington sent John Jay to Great Britain to try and negotiate a treaty that would resolve these issues.  The British promised to remove the troops from the U.S., pay the U.S. for the damages done to merchant ships, and to reopen some of the Caribbean to American trade.  The British refused to compensate the Americans for money that was lost from slaves that were liberated during the American Revolution.   In return, the United States granted Britain a "favored nation" status that would guarantee the British exclusive trading rights as well as to pay the British back debt from the American Revolution.   John Jay knew that most Americans would not like these terms but understood that there was little the United States could do.  

        Alexander Hamilton and his supporters began to stage rallies in support of Jay's Treaty to help it get passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives.  Northern merchants and business leaders supported Jay's Treaty which guaranteed that trade with Britain would continue.  Thomas Jefferson and James Madison began to rally support against the treaty in the South and in rural communities.  Both groups used newspapers and demonstrations to try and convince the public.

       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.

H.W. Questions:

1.  Why do you think that most Southerners were against Jay's Treaty?

2. Thomas Jefferson believed that George Washington was favoring Alexander Hamilton.  What are two examples that support his theory?

3. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison organized a political party called The Democratic-Republicans.  In what part of the United States would you most likely find members of the party?

4.  What were two basic beliefs of the Democratic-Republican Party?