P.S.

Sorry,

The Homework is to read and mark up the L.M.G. Handout.  Do not just highlight random quotes!! Highlighting is like hot sauce.  If you do it to much your going to ruin it and give yourself heartburn.

Introduction to the Industrial Revolution

      Today we finished our two day presentation on the Introduction to the Industrial Revolution.  

I want you to examine the I.R. from the point of view of one of the owners of the mill or the plantation. 

   Men like Francis Cabot Lowell and Samuel Slater had some decisions to make for their business ventures.  Where will they construct their mills?  Who will work the machines?  How will they get people to work in their mills?  

First Issue: Location, Location, Location.

New England is rich in natural resources.  Beautiful coastlines, excellent harbors, forests, fertile land, ice cream parlors... But, the most important resource are the rivers.  Rivers like the Merimack, Connecticut, and Pawtucket provide a constant supply of energy.  Water power is the first energy source for the Industrial Revolution.  New England has plenty of fast moving rivers and streams so it was the perfect location for the early mills.

Second Issue: Good Help is Hard to Find.

     These owners needed to have a cheap reliable source of labor. Who could they get to work for less money?  Women!  Slater and Lowell both advertised for women to work in their mills.  They believed that female workers would be more docile and obedient then male workers.  In other words, they would not protest as much as make workers if they did not like their working conditions.   

     We saw that the women that went to work for these mills had their own agendas and various backgrounds.  Some were poor farm girls who were hoping to make some extra money and then eventually leave and find a new job or get married.  Some mill workers were educated women who were trying to earn some of their own income for the first time.  Traveling to a city to start a new life allowed them to meet new people and be introduced to new ideas and beliefs.  They did not plan on settling down at the mills for more then a few years.

     Third Problem:  Advertising.

  How was life in the mills advertised?  What did the owners promise the families of New England?  Why did the owners make all these claims about what life would be like for the mill workers. 

Finally,

Here are some higher level questions.  Feel free to respond in class.

1.) In the L.M.G. reading it is mentioned that the owners were looking for a temporary source of labor.  What does that mean?  How might conditions in the mills have been different if they were looking for life time employees?

2.)  How did Lowell Mill Girls find themselves competing against the Irish for jobs?  How did the massive amounts of immigrants force the average salary of a mill worker to go down?

Revolutionary War Part II

Since Jay's Treaty the relationship between Great Britain and the United States could be considered frosty at best.  The British navy had been attacking and imprisoning American merchant ships and sailors on and off for the past decade.  Many Americans were tired of British aggression on the high seas. Out in the Western frontier, the British had been supplying Native American tribes with weapons to use against American settlers.  The British promised the Indian tribes that they would never encroach on their land and that the Americans were intruders who should not be trusted.  

   After the Battle of Tippecanoe it became clear to many Americans that the British were attempting to weaken the United States.  The Shawnee and other Indian tribes were discovered to be using British made weapons.  Across the West and South, Americans were demanding that their leaders do something to protect them from the British.

   One leader, Henry Clay from Kentucky, demanded that the U.S. declare war against the British.  Clay believed that the war would allow the young nation to expand further west.  This would ensure that new acres of land be opened up for farming of cotton as well as tobacco. Clay's home state of Kentucky was one of the most western states of the union.  He felt that the people of Kentucky and the West needed to be protected and not denied the right to expand.

   Like Clay, John C. Calhoun from South Carolina was another supporter of the War of 1812.  Calhoun felt that the British were not respecting the rights of the U.S. as a sovereign (independent) nation.  Calhoun also felt that the U.S. would benefit economically from expanding into other parts of the continent.

   Against the War Hawks were members of the Federalist Party.  Still strong in New England these Senators spoke out against fighting a war with the British.  They believed that the New England states would suffer economically from the fighting.  Shipping and trade would decrease and many businesses could close.   "Mr. Madison's War" would only help the South at the expense of the North.

    For Homework, and I am sorry that there is alot of it you need to do the following.

1.) complete that handout where you write a (brief) speech explaining why the war should be fought, or why it should not be fought.  You can choose from several different perspectives on this.

2.) Read and markup or highlight the handout on the War of 1812.  This reading will give you some valuable information that will help you complete part III of the homework.  There are several major facts and people that are important to understand the War of 1812.

3.) Finally.  You will fill out the graph on the important people from the War.  The reading will help you understand how you should complete it.

Best of Luck to you.

Enjoy your day off 

Tecumseh

Today in class we looked at often ignored period in American History: the settling of the Northwest Territory.  Most history books spend very little time on this topic.  In the beginning of the year we talked about how historians have to choose what to include in history text books.  Sometimes certain events and people do not get to be recorded or have their voices heard.  That is why I wanted to examine the American expansion from the point of view of Tecumseh and other Native Americans. 

 One of the questions that I want you to consider is the legitimacy of the sale of the Northwest Territory.  The British agree to give the land to the United States following the American Revolution.  American settlers that move into the Ohio River Valley feel as though they have a legitimate claim to that land.  The Native American tribes that live in that region view the Americans as intruders.  So did the British really control or own the land that they sold?  Was this sale legitimate? 

    Some tribes fought back and attacked American settlers that crossed the Ohio River.  As the death toll mounted the American government was put under pressure to protect these settlers.  Some members of Congress and the Senate did not want to help these farmers and settlers.  They (the settlers) knew that the land was dangerous and that there would be a chance that Indians could attack them.  Eventually, President Washington asked General Anthony Wayne to go into the Ohio Territory and protect the Americans that were living there.

   "Mad" Anthony Wayne was able to defeat the Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.  His tactics took advantage of Native American religious beliefs and gave his army the upper hand.  The Treaty of Greenville ended the fighting between settlers and Indian tribes.  *You should be able to tell me the conditions of the treaty.

   We ended class talking about Tecumseh and his background information. 

You should be able to tell me the following:

1.)  Why did Tecumseh refuse to sign The Treaty of Greenville?

2.) What present day states were part of The Northwest Territory?

3.) Why did Tecumseh dislike certain settlers?

4.) Why didn't the Native Americans attack the British

Quiz tomorrow Good Luck

Lewis and Clark

Thomas Jefferson asked fellow Virginian Merriwether Lewis to lead an exhibition to the Louisiana Territory. Lewis then asked his friend and fellow soldier William Clark to help lead the exhibition.  

   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.  These journals would become helpful for future American farmers that moved into the lands that Lewis and Clark explored.  

   On the political side of the trip, the men had a very important job.  They represented the United States of America whenever they encountered Native American tribes.  They were ambassadors for the U.S.  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.  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.  We looked at two letters today.  One letter was written in June of 1803, 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.  For each letter you should be able to explain to me the content.  (we made a chart in class). 

   Why did the tone of the letters change?  What was different about the two letters?

finish the map for h.w.

have a good day

Mosquitos and Revolts

       Napoleon Bonaparte had conquered almost all of Europe by 1801.  He began to turn his attention to the Western Hemisphere to establish an empire across the Atlantic.  France controlled the Louisiana Territory and the port city of New Orleans.  He sought to reclaim Haiti and use that as a launching point for his new empire. 

     History is not always neat and organized facts.  World changing events often occur because of things that we may not even seem to be significant at that time.  The defeat of the French army in Haiti could be possible if not for the mosquito.  French troops succumbed to yellow fever and malaria that spread in the tropical climate.  Unfamiliar with the disease, the French suffered heavy casualties.  They would never be able to retake Haiti and Napoleon would abandon his dreams of an overseas empire.

        Many Americans were concerned over French interest in the Louisiana Territory. Thomas Jefferson sent delegates to France to try and purchase the city of New Orleans.   The French minister informed the Americans that for $15 million they could purchase the entire Louisiana Territory.

        Things you should know

1. One reason why Napoleon was willing to sell Louisiana to the United States.

         2.  What personal dilemma did Jefferson face with the Louisiana Purchase?

         3. Why Napoleon wanted to control Haiti?

  4.  Why did Jefferson send Lewis and Clark to explore the Louisiana Territory?

Quiz Tomorrow...

Thomas Jefferson

Many Historians refer to the election of 1800 as a crucial turning point in history.  Some go as far as calling it "The Revolution of 1800".  For the first time in American history one political party was voted out of office and replaced by another.  While other nations in the world had (and still have in some cases) experienced violence and bloodshed when governments changed hands, the transition of power in the United States was peaceful.

John Adams did not stay for the inauguration of Thomas Jefferson.  He missed Jefferson's speech that outlined the goals of the new President. In it, Jefferson outlined his goals for uniting the nation.  Many Federalists were concerned that with the Democratic-Republicans in power, they would try and get revenge on the Federalists for the policies that Adams had passed. 

Jefferson quickly put those fears to rest. He allowed some Federalists to keep their jobs in the government and even kept the National Bank that Hamilton had created.  In an effort to cut back on government spending, Jefferson cut military spending.  He reduced the size of both the army and the navy, saving the nation millions of dollars.

     Important Questions you should be able to answer.

1. Who became Jefferson's Sec. of State?

2. Who was the Sec. of Treasury under Thomas Jefferson?

3.  Why did Jefferson keep the National Bank?

4. What Federalist policies did Jefferson not keep?

Chance of Quiz on Friday 88%

H.W.

page 339, answer questions 1 and 2