War of 1812 -- Fort McHenry

The Battle for Fort McHenry is the basis for the "Star Spangled Banner," the national anthem of the United States. Use the links to answer these questions:

1. Baltimore was an important site for shipping. Look at the map and give at least two reasons why Baltimore was a good location for merchants and shipping. 

2. Why do you think Fort McHenry was located where it was?

3. Find "Lazaretto Battery." A battery is a term used for a group of big, long range cannons. Why do you think Lazaretto Battery was located where it was?

4. Fort McHenry was known as a "star fort." Closely look at the diagram of the fort. What advantages would a fort shaped like Fort McHenry have? 

(Lesson adapted from the Teaching with Historic Places Website)

Barbary Pirates

As you have learned, one of the most important issues facing President Jefferson was how to handle the issue of the Barbary pirates. To help you see one of the U.S. government's responses, let's examine a primary source document. You'll need to click on page 1 and page 2 of the document, and work with your partner to complete the "Written Document Analysis Worksheet." 

For extra credit, click on the "comment" link and explain how the issue that President Jefferson faced with the Barbary pirates in the early 19th century is still a current issue in 2009. 

The Sedition Acts

Thomas Cooper was a lawyer and newspaper editor in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, was charged with violating the Sedition Act. He went on trial in 1800, convicted, and fined. To learn more about the case, view the arrest warrant that was issued in the case. To see a transcript of the warrant, click here, and select "sedition_acts_cooper" from Mr. Albert's web page. Use these documents and what you know about the Sedition Act to answer the questions below:

1. In your own words, describe what Mr. Cooper was charged with based on the arrest warrant. Use your online dictionary for unfamiliar words.

2. As you know, James Madison wrote the Virginia resolutions, and Thomas Jefferson wrote the Kentucky resolutions. These resolutions said the states could declare a federal law "unconstitutional," and not follow that law. What would happen if states actually refused to follow laws that the states feel do not follow the Constitution? 

Washington's Farewell Address

As George Washington retired from the Presidency in 1796 after serving two terms in office, he wrote a "farewell address" to the American people. Although many people today think that the Farewell Address was a speech, it was actually published in newspapers. Alexander Hamilton, who had been the Secretary of the Treasury, wrote the first draft, and Washington made changes.

Washington made three main points. First, he said that while the newly independent United States should trade with other countries, the US should not make military alliances (agreements) with any foreign country since that could pull us into a war that did not affect us directly. He also warned against having political parties. Washington felt that if there were political parties, voters would follow who the party said to vote for, rather than being informed and voting for the best candidate. Finally, he felt that religion was an important "pillar" for American morals. In others words, if people went to church regularly, they would know the difference between right and wrong, and make better decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Now it's your turn. Do you believe that Washington's advice in the farewell address is still good advice for the United States in 2009? Write a well written paragraph, and address Washington's three major points:

• The US should avoid foreign military treaties
• Political parties are bad for the country
• Belonging to a church helps make people better citizens since they know right from wrong

Be sure to explain your answers and give reasons to back up your ideas

Washington's Rules of Civility

George Washington wrote his "Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior" when he was a teenager as an assignment in school, probably to practice his handwriting. Although he didn't invent these rules, respect and proper behavior were important to him, and he tried to live by these rules throughout his life and career as a general of the army and President of the United States.

Your assignment is to put 3 of the rules into your own words, and explain why following them might have helped Washington as a military and political leader. Be sure to "copy-paste" the text of the rule to your response.

Federalist Paper No. 10

In November 1787, Number 10 in a series called the "Federalist Papers" was written in support of the Constitution. James Madison describes the way federalism will overcome disagreements within society:
"A landed interest, a manufacturing interest, a mercantile [trading] interest, a money interest, with many lesser interests, grow up of necessity in civilized nations, and divides into different classes, moved by different views. The regulation of these interests is the principal task of modern government.

The federal Constitution forms a happy combination; the great interests, being referred to the national [central] government, and the local interests to the state governments. The influence of local leaders may start a flame within their own states, but will be unable to spread through the other states"

Questions:
1. In your own words, what was the problem facing the government?
2. How does Madison think federalism will prevent disagreements?
3. Do you agree or disagree with Madison, and why?

Thomas Jefferson on Slavery

"The whole commerce between master and slave is a perpetual exercise of the...most unremitting despotism on the one part, and degrading submissions on the other.....Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever."

--Thomas Jefferson, "Notes on the State of Virginia, 1782

1. In your own words, what are the two points that Jefferson is making about slavery?

2. Do you agree or disagree with his two ideas? Why?

Pioneer Travel Tips

Captain Randolph Marcy was a cavalry officer in the US Army who wrote "The Prairie Traveler" in 1859 to help settlers make it safely to the West. 

Your assignment:

1. Find 5 bits of advice that Captain Marcy gives travelers, put them into your own words so that a modern traveler could understand them. 

2. Would any of the advice given by Captain Marcy in 1859 apply for travelers today? Why or why not?

Be sure to post your class period and first names/last initial so that you get credit. Example: "P5 Jack A & Jill B"

p.s. Follow the link to see the actual text of Captain Marcy's book, "The Prairie Traveler"

Reconstruction Vocabulary

In your own words, explain how these terms and people relate to the Reconstruction era in the United States, 1866-1876:

1. Reconstruction   2. sharecropper   3. scalawag   4. Charles Sumner   5. Andrew Jackson   6. Presidential Reconstruction   7. Congressional Reconstruction   8. Radical Republican   9. carpetbagger   10. "40 acres and a mule"   11. Freedman's Bureau   12. impeachment   13. Black codes   14. Hiram Revels

Black Codes

In the aftermath of the Civil War, the Southern states passed a series of "Black Codes" that restricted the rights and opportunities for the freed slaves. With you partner, review the handout containing excerpts from the 1865 Mississippi Black Codes. For each of the sections, put the main idea of the law into your own words.

Andersonville

For soldiers that became prisoners of war, life was harsh. Confederate prisoners in the North suffered because supplies were often deliberately withheld as revenge for the South's actions in causing the Civil War. For Union prisoners in Southern camps, food, shelter and medical care was in short supply for them as well as the citizens of the Confederacy.

Start this assignment by reading the link to "Life as a Prisoner."

After you have learned about being a prisoner, click on the link to Andersonville, the most notorious prison camp of the Civil War, and work with your team to answer the following questions:

1. Why was Andersonville chosen to the the site of a prison camp? 

2. Why did the prison have such a high mortality rate?

3. Who was responsible for the conditions and deaths at Andersonville?

4. "Wirz" was the last casualty of Andersonville." Should Captain Wirz, the officer in charge of the prison,  have been hanged for the deaths that occurred under his administration? Why or why not?

Gettysburg Address

1. A score equals 20. To what year does Lincoln take us back? Why?

2. To what was Lincoln referring to when he says the United States was born "dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal?"

3. According to Lincoln, what is the Civil War testing?

4. What advice does Lincoln give? 

5. According to Lincoln, what might happen if the North loses the Civil War?

Civil War Soldiers

Although historians, teachers, and students concentrate mostly on the major battles of the Civil War, we can learn a great deal by studying smaller battles as well. The Battle of Rivers Bridge was fought in South Carolina on February 2-3, 1865. 

First, read the Surviving on the Battlefield (Reading 1) to find out about Civil War tactics and specifically the Rivers Bridge. Then continue on to letters and reports about the battle and respond to the following questions:

Reading 2:

1. Compare the 2 casualty reports. Why do you think the number of Union casualties was twice the number of Confederate casualties?

2. Compare the number of Confederate casualties estimated by the Union commander compared to the number reported by the Confederate commander. Why do you think accounted for the discrepancy?

Reading 3:

1. Read the memoirs of Sgt. Moore and Captain Wilson. Both reported about the medical treatment received by wounded soldiers during the battle. Describe the medical services given to the Union and Confederate wounded as reported in the two accounts.

2. Read Mrs. Cherry's letter. What was her purpose in writing it?

 

John Brown's Raid

1. Follow the link to the newspaper headline reporting John Brown's seizure of the arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Was the newspaper biased toward either the North or the South? What words or phrases support your idea?

2. There were 5 African-Americans among the 21 men that accompanied John Brown. One of the five, Dangerfield Newby, who died in the raid, wrote about the reason that he participated? Why did Newby join John Brown's group?

3. Click on the link to the drawing of John Brown holding hostages at Harpers Ferry. Do you think the artist admired John Brown or not, based on the drawing? Why or why not?

4. Click on the link to the painting of John Brown being led to his execution. Do you think that the artist admired John Brown or not, based on the drawing? Why or why not?

5. Read the letters submitted by Majala Doyle, Francis Watkins, and Henry David Thoreau. Did they support or oppose John Brown? What is the main idea of each letter?

"A Man Kidnapped"

1. Based on the poster, answer "who, what, when, where," and speculate on "why"

2. What do you think that this poster is about?

3. Where is Faneuil Hall? Is it still there?

Dred Scott: How difficult is it to become a naturalized US citizen?

As you have read, in the 1857  Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court ruled that Scott, as an African-American, did not have the right to sue (called standing) in a federal court because African-American slaves were not US citizens. Nine years after Dred Scott, the 14th amendment defined citizenship to include everyone born or naturalized in the United States.

How difficult is it to become a naturalized US citizen? Visit the link to read about the  steps to citizenship. Then respond to these two questions:

1. What are the two steps in the process that you consider most essential? Why are they important?

2. What are the two steps that are least important? Why are they not important? 

Seneca Falls Declaration

By basing the Seneca Falls Declaration (also known as the Declaration of Sentiments) on Thomas' Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her fellow reformers challenged the Nation to live up to its original creed.

1. Only 1/3 of the three hundred people at the convention signed the Declaration. Why do you think that the other 200 didn't sign? If you had been there, would you have signed? Why or Why not?

2. Re-read the next to last paragraph. What is the plan to gain equal rights? Is it a good plan? Why or why not?

Click on the link to the political cartoon drawn by Elizabeth M'Clintock, a supporter of women's suffrage.  

1. What do you notice about the figures in the cartoon?

2. What do you think is the cartoonist's message? Explain your answer.

Women's Rights Movement

Read about the early women's rights movement by going to the National Park Service website for the M'Clintock House, where many of the women and men who fought for equal rights met.  In which aspects of life in the early 19th century were women's rights restricted? How did people justify those restrictions?

Oregon Trail

What are the three most important things that students should know about the Oregon Trail?Why are those things important?   

Two Views of the Alamo

The Battle of the Alamo was took place between February 23 and March 6, 1836. It became the most famous battle of the Texas Revolution. Eyewitnesses report that between 182 - 252 Texans were killed, there were no survivors among the defenders, except for Joe, who had been a slave of one of the Texans. The women and children of the Texans were released. Estimates of the killed and wounded in the Mexican army are estimated at 400-600. 

Who was to blame for all of this bloodshed? You have read primary source documents written by Colonel Travis, the commander of the Texans, and General Santa Anna, commander of the Mexican army. Answer the questions below:

1. Summarize the main ideas of Colonel Travis' letter.

2. Summarize the main idea of General Santa Anna's letter.

3. Was Travis or Santa Anna more to blame for the deaths that occurred? Why?

4. Look at the dates on the two letters. Colonel Travis' letter was written during the battle, while General Santa Anna's letter was written many years later. Do you think that makes one source more believable or reliable than the other? Why or why not?

(General Santa Anna's letter, above, right)

John Locke & E-mail

1. What did you learn about John Locke's ideas?

2. What did you learn to do today with email?

Railroads: Good or Evil?

While railroads helped the United States become more prosperous in the first half of the 19th century, there are two sides to every story. Study the poster from the National Archives, and answer the following questions:

1. What is happening in the picture? Describe all the people, things and actions taking place

2. Who is the intended audience for the poster? What makes you think that?

3. What is the message that the poster is trying to tell to the viewer? 

Netiquette

Go to the link about netiquette, and post your responses to these three questions:
1. Where there any rules of netiquette that you did not know about? If so, which one(s)?
2. Which rule of netiquette do you think is the most important? Why?
3. If you had to add one rule to this list, what rule would it be and why?
4. Based on what you know, write a dictionary definition of netiquette.

Cherokee Nation in the 1820s

John Ross (pictured to the right) and Major Ridge were Cherokee leaders who felt that the best way for the Cherokee nation to remain independent and strong was to adopt parts of white culture. Click on the link to find out more about these leaders, and respond to the following two prompts:

1. Why do you think that many of the Cherokee opposed the ideas of Ross and Ridge. If you had been a Cherokee in the 1820s, which side would you have been on, and why?

2. Why do you think John Ross, who was only one-eighth Cherokee and raised and educated in the white community, might have felt so strongly about his Indian heritage?

Who really invented the cotton gin?

As you know, every history book says that Eli Whitney "invented" the cotton gin. And while it is true that Whitney received the patent for the cotton gin, your research from the Smithsonian Institution showed the real story about the cotton gin's invention might not be so simple. So, who really invented the cotton gin?

Nat Turner's Rebellion

1. Explain what is happening in the picture. Are there religious connections in the picture? What are they?

Document 1 --   The Richmond Enquirer, August 30, 1831:

We cannot say how long they were organizing themselves, but they turned out on last Monday morning early (the 22nd) upon their nefarious [sinful] expedition. They were mounted to the number of 40 or 50, and with knives and axes, knocking on the heads or cutting the throats of their victims. They had few firearms among them, scarcely one, if one, was fit for use. But as they went from house to house, they drank ardent spirits [alcohol] and it is supposed, that in consequence of their being intoxicated, or from mere fatigue, they paused in their murderous career about 12 o'clock on Monday.

2. How many slaves took part in the rebellion?

3. The census of 1830 shows that there were 7,756 slaves in Southampton County where the rebellion occurred. Why do you think such a small percentage of slaves participated in the rebellion?

4. Do you think that the author of this article was biased in favor or against the slaves? Why?

Document 2 -- Harriet Ann Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself:

Not far from this time Nat Turner's insurrection [rebellion] broke out, and the news threw our town into great commotion..... By sunrise, people were pouring in from every quarter within twenty miles of the town. I knew the houses were to be searched, and I expected it would be done by country bullies and poor whites. I knew that nothing annoyed them so much as to see colored people living in comfort and respectability. Those who never witnessed such scenes can hardly believe what I know was inflicted at this time on innocent men, women and children, against whom there was not the slightest ground for suspicion. Colored people and slaves who lived in remote parts of the town suffered in an especial manner. In some cases the searchers scattered powder and shot among their clothes, and then sent other parties to find them, and bring them forward as proof that they were plotting insurrection. Everywhere men, women and children were whipped till the blood stood in puddles at their feet. Some received five hundred lashes.

5. Why do you think that the "country bullies and poor whites" were allowed to harass the Africans?