Reading #1 Questions

1.  Why did Congress have so much trouble passing laws under the terms of the Articles of Confederation?
2.  Why was it difficult or impossible for the government of the United States, under the Articles, to raise money to pay its expenses?
3. Why was it difficult or impossible for the government of the United States, under the Articles, to settle disputes between the different states?
4. Which of the weaknesses of the Articles proved most significant in causing the failure of government under the Articles?
5.  Why was it so difficult or impossible to make changes, or amendments, to the Articles of Confederation?
6.       What amendments might the states have added to the Articles to make this plan for government more effective?

Reading #1: Articles of Confederation

Excerpts From the Articles of Confederation

Presentation Rubric **Grades are Completely Individual

Presentation Grading Rubric #2

American Revolution Presentation Directions

Directions for American Revolution Presentation2

Chapter 7 Notes

Primary for Reading #2

Dragging Cannon From Fort Ticonderoga to Boston

Primary for Reading #1

A Patriot to Loyalist Father

Reading #2 Questions: Dragging cannon from Ft. Ticonderoga to Boston, 1775

1. Why was Henry Knox an unlikely hero?
2. Describe the obstacles and challenges that faced Knox and his soldiers.
3. What role did the winter weather play in the transportation of the cannon from Ticonderoga?
4. How did the delivery of the cannon help the Revolutionary forces achieve an early and important military victory?

Reading #1 Questions: A patriot's letter to his loyalist father

1. Select a portion of the letter Timothy Pickering Jr. wrote that indicates the respect he had for his father. Why do you think he included this in his letter?
2. From your knowledge of American history, describe another conflict, recent or distant in time, in which Americans opposed each other during times of war.
3. Why do you think the letter notes a “difference of sentiment” but never specifically mentions the war?
4. Put yourself in the place of both Timothy Pickering Jr. and Timothy Pickering Sr. Make two lists that would support the revolutionary arguments of the son and the loyalist rationale of the father.

Update for 11-17-15 through 11-19-15

Tuesday 11-17-15: Study Guide
Wednesday 11-18-15: Study Guide review; Jeopardy review
Thursday 11-19-15: Chapter 5 & 6 Test; Everything except Written Response #5 Due

• Readings 1-5
• Study Guide
• Notes
• Written Response in-class questions

Written Response #5 will be due December 2

Chapters 5 & 6 Study Guide

Chs. 5 & 6 Study Guide

Primary for Written Response #5: Declaration of the Rights of Man

Declaration of the Rights of Man (Modified)

Primaries for Written Response #5 (3 versions)

WR #5 Primaries (All 3 Versions)

Directions for Written Response #5

Directions for WR #5

Chapter 6 Notes

Update for 11-5-15 through 11-10-15

Due to the Museum of Tolerance field trip as well as students writing a thesis for the first time, the due date for written response #4 has been moved to November 10.

Reading #5 Questions

1. According to the first paragraph, how did the Declaration of Independence have an impact on the rest of the world?

2. To whom was the Declaration of Independence addressed to?

3. Which facts became the basis by which the colonial subjects could rightfully leave the British Empire?

4. After the Declaration of Independence was signed, what rights did the newly free and independent states obtain?

5. By implication, what question was being asked to the rest of the countries around the world when the Declaration of Independence was finalized?

Reading #5 Declaration of Independence in Global Perspective

The Declaration of Independence in Global Perspective

Update for 11-3-15 through 11-9-15

Written Response #4 will be due on Monday, November 9.  Chapter 5 & 6 test will take place somewhere around November 17.

Biography of Thomas Paine

A Biography of Thomas Paine

Primaries for Written Response #4

Primaries for WR #4

Written Response #4 Directions

Directions for WR #4

Reading #4 Battle of Lexington

Before reading Document A
1a. Who is the author of the source?
1b. What kind of source is this?
1c. When was this written?
1d. Whose side does this document represent?
1e. What do you predict the soldier is going to say?
After reading Document A
1f. Describe the setting, conditions, or atmosphere in which the account takes place.
1g. How many minutemen were there according to the author?
1h. According to the author, who fired the first shot?
1i. Why could the men hear no orders?

Before reading Document B
2a. What kind of document is this? Do you trust it more or less than a diary entry?
2b. When was this written?
2c. Whose side does this document represent?
2d. What do you predict they will say?
After reading Document B
2e. What story do the minutemen tell?
2f. How does this differ from Barker’s account?
2g. What is the significance of the phrase “to our knowledge?”
2h. Which account do you find more reliable? Why?
2i. Are there any facts that both accounts agree on?

Which of the two images is more accurate?
Who do you think fired the first shot?  Why?

Reading #3 Questions

1. While there are many similarities in the engravings by Henry Pelham and Paul Revere, there are also significant differences. Carefully examine both documents and explain how they differ. Consider both the image of the event and the text at the top and bottom of both documents. 
2.  Revere’s document was well known at the time while Pelham’s was less regarded. Over the years, Revere’s painting has gained notoriety and has been frequently reproduced in textbooks and popular publications. How can this be explained?
3. Compare the trial testimony to the image in either the Pelham or Revere work. How accurate are the engravings? Create a list of the discrepancies between the trial testimony and both images.
4. Why has this image been referred to frequently as a work of propaganda?

Reading #3 Trial Testimony

Ch 5 Trial Depositions

Reading #3 Links to Engravings

Link to Pelham engraving:
http://www.americanantiquarian.org/Exhibitions/View/6/6.6.jpg

Link to Revere engraving:
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/content-images/01868p1_1.jpg

Reading #3: Revere and Pelham Engravings

Paul Revere Primary Engraving

Reading #2 Sources Stamp Act

Stamp Act SHEG Primaries

Questions for Reading #2 Stamp Act

For Document A:

1a. Who wrote this? What do we know about him?

1b. What newspaper does this come from?

1c. What would you predict the author’s perspective will be on the Stamp Act?

1d. When was it written? Was it before or after the Stamp Act went into effect?

1e. Is it reliable? Why? Why not?

1f. What does the author call Britain?  What does he call America?

1g. When the author urges people to speak to their representatives, who is he referring to?

1h. Why does the author state the British were "enemies of truth and liberty"?

1i. According to this document, why were the colonists upset about the Stamp Act?

For Document B:

2a. Who wrote this? What do we know about him?

2b. What newspaper does this come from?

2c. What would you predict the author’s perspective will be on the Stamp Act?

2d. When was it written? Was it before or after the Stamp Act went into effect?

2e. Is it reliable? Why? Why not?

2f. What happened in Boston according to this article?

2g. Why was the author surprised?

2h. Who reads the newspapers, according to the author?

2i. According to this document, why were colonists upset about the Stamp Act?

For Document C:

3a. (Sourcing) Who wrote this, and what is his job? Does he side with England or

with the colonists? How do you know?

3b. (Contextualization) Based on his account, what’s going on in America in 1766?

How has the Stamp Act affected him personally? Provide evidence from the

document to support your answer.

3c. Do you believe his account? Give one reason why you would trust his account

and one reason why you might not trust his account.

3d. (Corroboration) How does the account in this document compare to the accounts

in Documents A and B? Do you think most colonists were upset about the Stamp

Act, or do you think a few leaders riled up everyone?

Reading #1 Questions

1. In your own words, why did Thomas Pownall claim that the American colonies would never unite?

2. Define the main idea of the second paragraph.

3. According to the third paragraph, which issue was responsible for the problems between the colonies and Britain?

4. What were the results of the Stamp Act? In what ways was the Declaratory Act worse than the stamp Act?

5. How did the colonists demonstrate a resistance to the unjust acts of Parliament?

Reading #1 Road to Revolution Part I

The Road to Revolution

Chapter 5 Notes

Chapter 4 Study Guide

Chapter 4 Study Guide

Thesis for Written Response #3

The First Great Awakening paved the way for the American Revolution by encouraging the ideals of liberty, equality, and resistance to authority.


You're welcome!

Update Correction for 10-15-15 through 10-16-15

• The chapter 4 test will be on Thursday, October 15th as scheduled.
• Written Response #3 will be due on Friday, October 16th because it took slightly longer to go through the primaries than I had expected.

Primaries for Written Response #3

Primaries WR #3

Directions for Written Response #3

Instructions for the Great Awakening Paper WR #3

Reading #2: Why Was George Whitefield So Popular?

1a. Who wrote document A?
1b. What type of document is document A?
1c. When was the document written?
1d. What is the main idea of the document?
1e. Hypothesis 1: According to document A, why was George Whitefield so popular?

2a. Who wrote document B?
2b. What type of document is document B?
2c. When was the document written?
2d. What is the main idea of the document?
2e. Hypothesis 2: According to document B, why was George Whitefield so popular?

3a. Who wrote document C?
3b. What type of document is document C?
3c. When was the document written?
3d. What is the main idea of the document?
3e. Hypothesis 3: According to document C, why was George Whitefield so popular?

Sources for Salem Witch Crisis

Salem Witch Crisis

What Caused the Salem Witch Crisis of 1692?

1a. What type of evidence is Evidence A?
1b. According to Evidence A, why did the people of Salem believe the girls' accusations?

2a. What type of evidence is Evidence B?
2b. According to Evidence B, why did the people of Salem believe the girls' accusations?

3a. What type of evidence is Evidence C?
3b. According to Evidence C, what was happening economically in Salem in 1692?

4a. What type of evidence is Evidence D?
4b. According to Evidence D, what conclusions can you draw about the accusations in Salem in 1692?















5a. What type of evidence is Evidence E?
5b. According to Evidence E, why is it possible that Ergot poisoning was responsible for the witch crisis in 1692?

6. Write a paragraph in your notebooks explaining your conclusion to the causes of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692.

Chapter 4 Notes

Chapter 4 Definitions

Define each of the following words and use them in a sentence:

1. Economy

2. Commerce

3. Rights

4. Parliament

5. Petition (verb)

6. Revolution

7. Revival

Update for 9-25-15 through 9-30-15

Friday 9-25-15: Lecture/information from the high school

Monday 9-28-15: Study Guide

Tuesday 9-29-15: Study Guide and Jeopardy Review

Wednesday 9-30-15: Ch. 2 and 3 Test; Everything Due;

• Written Response #2
• Written Response in class questions (#s 1 and 2)
• Ch. 2 & 3 Notes
• Readings 1-7
• Study Guide

Chapter 2 & 3 Study Guide

Chapter 2 & 3 Study Guide

Mayflower Compact and Fundamental Orders in Modern Language

Mayflower Compact & Fundamental Orders Interpretations

Sources for Written Response #2

Primaries for WR #2 (New)

Thesis for Written Response #2

Your paper should have 3 body paragraphs, for a total of 5 paragraphs (introduction and conclusion)

• Body paragraph #1 should detail a similarity between all three documents (self government)
• Body paragraph #2 should detail a similarity between the Mayflower Compact and the Fundamental Orders (religion)
• Body paragraph #3 should detail a similarity between the Fundamental Orders and the House of Burgesses (structure)

Thesis: There are several similarities between the Mayflower Compact, the Fundamental Orders and the House of Burgessses, such as self government, religion, and structure.

Chapter 3 Notes

Slight Changes to Directions for Written Response #2

• Papers must include three body paragraphs
• One body paragraph must detail similarities between all three sources
• One body paragraph must detail similarities between the Mayflower Compact and the Fundamental Orders
• One body paragraph must detail similarities between the Fundamental Orders and the Virginia House of Burgesses

Directions for Written Response #2

Directions for Written Response #2

Reading #7 Primaries

Puritans Primaries

Reading #7 Questions

Document A:

1. Sourcing: Who was John Winthrop speaking to in this sermon? What do you
think is the purpose of this sermon?

2. Contextualization: Imagine what his audience might have been thinking and
feeling as they listened to him on the ship. Describe it.

3. Close reading: What is the main idea of this speech? What do you think
Winthrop means when he says, “We shall be as a City Upon a Hill?”


Document B:

1. Sourcing: Who was John Cotton speaking to in this sermon? Why is he
speaking about settling in a new land?

2. Contextualization: In this sermon, who are the ‘inhabitants’ in the new land?
Who are the ‘foreign people?’

3. Close reading: What does Cotton say that God will do for the foreign people
when they arrive in the new land?

Using evidence from Document A and Document B, answer the question below:

Were the Puritans selfish or selfless?

Reading #6 John Winthrop Describes Life in Boston

John Winthrop Describes Life in Boston

Reading #6 Questions

1. In this letter, John Winthrop described Boston as a functioning and prospering town.  What questions might a reader in Europe pose in a return letter to Winthrop?

2. What evidence did Winthrop offer to prove that Boston was approaching self-sufficiency?

Reading #5 Questions

1. Describe some of the struggles settlers faced upon their arrival in the New World.

2. In what ways were these settlers able to cope with these struggles?

3. In what ways were the settlers able to remake the New World in the image of the Old World?  Why would they do this?

Reading #5 Colonization and Settlement (The Settlement Process)

Colonization and Settlement Excerpt

Update for 9-9-15 through 9-14-15

Written Response #1 will be due on Monday, September 14

Written Response #1 Directions

Directions for WR #1 (Pocahontas)

Written Response #1 Sources

Pocahontas Original Docs

Questions for Reading #4

1. Considering their long military and economic rivalry, how can you explain the generous terms of surrender offered to the Dutch by the English?
2. If you had been a resident of the Province of the New Netherlands, would you have left or stayed once the English took over? Explain your response.
3. Select and explain three items in the document which indicate the English intention NOT to upset the “status quo”. Why do you think these items were included?
4. From the internet, obtain a current map of the five boroughs of New York City. Locate place names (streets, communities, geographic sites) on the map that indicate a connection to the Dutch presence 400 years ago.

Reading #4 The Surrender of New Netherland, 1664

The Surrender of New Netherland

Questions for Reading #3 A Jamestown Settler Describes Life in Virginia, 1622

1. In the very first sentence of Sebastian Brandt’s letter he mentions that his “brother and . . . wyfe are dead aboute a year” and does not mention them again. How does this matter-of-fact statement help us understand conditions faced by settlers in Virginia in the early 1600s?
2. What conclusions can you draw about Brandt knowing that he continued to search for precious metals after most Jamestown settlers were involved in agriculture?
3. Make a list of what you think you would need to survive a year in Jamestown. Compare it with the shopping list Brandt sent to the merchant in London.

Reading #3 A Jamestown Settler Describes Life in Virginia, 1622

A Jamestown Settler Describes Life in Virginia

Historical Inquiry #1

Using a Chromebook, smart phone, or other internet device, research and answer the following questions:

1. How much money was a beaver pelt worth at the beginning of the 18th century?

2. How much money would that be today (in U.S. dollars)?

Reading #2 The Americas to 1620 Part II

1. Explain the misunderstanding between the Natives and Europeans regarding trade and ownership.

2. Describe the Columbian Exchange  and explain the most significant aspect of it.

3. Describe two impacts of the Columbian Exchange on population in the New World.

4. How were Africans captured and sent to the New World?

Chapter 2 Notes

The Americas to 1620 Part I

(Exploration) the Americas to 1620

Questions for Reading #1 The Americas to 1620 Part I

1. What were Spain, England, France, and Portugal all trying to find?  How was Spain's approach different than Portugal's?

2. What did Columbus discover?

3. Which sorts of valuable goods had Europeans initially found in the New World?

4. Why were some Native American tribes so willing to make alliances with Europeans?

5. How did Europeans view Native Americans?

Map Test

Students, you have the opportunity to retake your map test on Monday, August 24.  This will be the first official grade submitted into the grade book.  STUDY!!

Blank practice map

Click on the map to enlarge

Map of the United States

Click on the map to enlarge

2015-2016 Welcome Back Letter & Class Description

Welcome Back Letter 2015-16