Dear All!

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Love and Spy Letters of the American Revolution

Rachel Revere gave this letter and some money to a friend to deliver to her husband Paul Revere after his "Midnight Ride."  Rachel didn't know that her friend was a British spy!  He delivered the letter to the British and pocketed the money.

My Dear by Doctor Church I send a hundred & twenty five pounds / and beg you will take the best care of yourself and not / attempt coming in to this town again and if I have an / opportunity of coming or sending out anything or / any of the Children I shall do it pray **** keep up / your spirits and trust your self and us in the hands / of a good God who will take care of us tis all my / Dependance for vain is the help of man aduie my / Love from your /affectionate R. Revere

British troops captured this letter from Benjamin Tallmadge as he was carrying it from George Washington to the Culper Gang.  The letter illustrates the spy network which worked in New York City and Long Island alerting Washington of  British troop movements.

         New Windsor June 27th, 1779 / Sir, / I observe what you say respecting /your position at Bedford--and the fatigue / of the horse--with regard to the first, when / Bedford was pointed out, it was descriptive / only of a central place between the two Rivers / and as near the enemy as you could with / military prudence take post for the purpose / of [covering] the inhabitants, and preventing the / ravages of small parties. The judgment / of the officer commanding, is, under the / idea just [captured], to direct the [practices]. / [Sport] and choice of ground which ought to be / varied continually, while you re near / enough to the enemy to give assistance to / the people.--With respect to the second / matter I have only to add that I do not / wish to have the horse unnecessarily esc[-] / posed, or fatigued, but if in the discharge / of accustomed duties they should get worn /down, there is no help for it.-Col. Maylans / Regiment is on its march to join you, which / will render the duty [carrier] and Your Troops / there more respectable.-- / The inclosed contains matter for our knowledge only.- / I am Sir- / Your Mo. Respect. [Servant] / Gon. Washington 

Abigail Adams (Nov 11, 1744 - Oct 28, 1818) advocated an expanded role for women in public affairs during the formative days of the United States. Married to John Adams (1797-1801) she was an invaluable partner to him as he developed his political career, culminating in the presidency of the United States.  In 1761, the then 17-year-old Abigail Smith spent hours together with her 26-year-old suitor, John Adams.  Their hours apart were consumed with thoughts of each other, expressed in playful and passionate love letters.  The intimacy of their courtship remained throughout their marriage, as did their copious letters. 

From their initial courtship in 1761, through their time as President and First Lady over three decades later, the couple shared insights on their lives and times through their letters. John and Abigail Adams wrote over a thousand letters to each other during the months (sometimes years) that John was away from home helping found a new nation.

As was the custom of the time, they adopted pen names:

• Abigail was Diana, after the Roman goddess of the moon and later she adopted the pen name, Portia, wife of the great Roman politician Brutus.
• John adopted the name, Lysander, after the Spartan war hero.

John often addressed his letters to his "Dear Adoreable" or "My dear Diana," or “My Dear Portia,” but Abigail addressed her letters to John, as she would for the rest of her life, to "My Dearest Friend."

My Dearest Friend,

…should I draw you the picture of my Heart, it would be what I hope you still would Love; tho it contained nothing new; the early possession you obtained there; and the absolute power you have ever maintained over it; leaves not the smallest space unoccupied. I look back to the early days of our acquaintance; and Friendship, as to the days of Love and Innocence; and with an indescribable pleasure I have seen near a score of years roll over our Heads, with an affection heightened and improved by time -- nor have the dreary years of absence in the smallest degree effaced from my mind the Image of the dear untitled man to whom I gave my Heart...

The American Revolution Reading.

Ideological Origins of the American Revolution

In A Nutshell

In retrospect we tend to view the history of colonial America as nothing more than a prologue to Revolution, and to assume that colonial Americans were in some way predisposed to seek independence from Britain. Americans seemed to have been destined to declare independence. The settlers of all but one of the thirteen original colonies had left the mother country to seek new opportunities 3,000 miles abroad; only Georgia was the result of a royal charter. Though their motivations varied from the religious to the commercial, they had physically departed from England to begin anew in a new world. Britain itself—a six-to-eight-week journey away by ship—became an increasingly remote concept for subsequent generations of colonists who had never set foot in the country.

Yet the fact of American independence was truly revolutionary. Most colonists had shared a sense of British identity throughout the first 150 years of settlement, and breaking with the only state authority that many of them had ever known was a difficult decision to make, let alone execute. Independence was never an inevitable outcome or an assured success, despite the fact that colonial resentment towards the British government had been building since the end of the French and Indian War. No society had ever done what the American revolutionaries attempted to do: unseat an aristocracy and defeat the world's most powerful navy and a great army, all while establishing a new republican government without falling prey to the forces of chaos and despotism.

The origins of the political philosophies and governmental theories that underlay the American Revolution stretched back across centuries. Generations of intellectual theory, political philosophy, and scientific empiricism all culminated in the Revolutionary War, which sought to transform these abstract ideas into an actual blueprint for a new kind of society.

 

Why Should I Care?

Many (teachers, parents, politicians) will tell you that it is imperative to learn about the ideas and the people who framed American independence. It is where we (as a nation) come from. If you're an immigrant, or come from a family of immigrants, then this is supposed to help you understand what this country is all about and why it is so great. These are all very solid points. Studying the history of the American Revolution and the ideas behind it will certainly help to provide you with an enhanced understanding of a truly remarkable generation and the unprecedented battle they waged for self-determination and liberty.

It's just that this same history can also teach us about some of the central contradictions at the heart of this nation's history (like slavery), and some of the paradoxes that abounded in the republican ideology. This ideology was supposed to liberate us from corrupt aristocracy (but keep women subordinate to their husbands). Politicians, pundits, and others continue not only to worship the founding generation as though they were infallible, but they keep claiming to know what the Founding Fathers would think or say on all matter of current events. This is a frequently employed "political football," so to speak; if Ben Franklin or John Adams would have disapproved of increased immigration quotas—they might argue—then we must follow suit. Yet even if we had cryogenically frozen Thomas Jefferson and could bring him back to life today, who is to say that his opinion on matters like Constitutional law or modern political subjects should direct our thinking on such twenty-first-century matters?

There is a sort of bizarre time-zone effect to these debates; our reverent attitude towards the founding generation often loses sight of the point that they would be entirely unprepared to deal with a radically different historical setting hundreds of years later. Not only that, but they really weren't very certain of what they were doing in their own time; they didn't have the benefit of hindsight and they had no idea that this experiment in republican government would work. It almost didn't, as you'll see if you go on to read about the choppy history under our first government (guided by the Articles of Confederation). They gave it their best shot and they kept trying. As Ben Franklin said, "Do not fear mistakes. You will know failure. Continue to reach out."

There is no question that these were exceptionally bright people, and that their opinions and thoughts are to be valued by all patriotic Americans. At the same time, such patriotic Americans would do well to remember that the founding of this nation was not so much a perfectly executed display of omniscience as it was a noble goal that managed to gain military victory (with the critical aid of the French) and then enough stability to overcome the hardships that lay in wait. Our Founding Fathers were well read and they had admirable hopes and dreams; but they were human beings, flawed and fallible, with their own sets of contradictions and shortcomings. This is not so much a reason to revere them any less as it is a testament to the fact that what they managed to accomplish should be all the more noteworthy, given that they were human, like the rest of us.

Feel free to read a couple of pages from this book  

http://books.google.com/books?id=EjJHUVVzDR8C&lpg=PP1&ots=5jyDB5goPs&dq=inauthor%3A%22Bernard%20Bailyn%22&pg=PA95#v=onepage&q&f=true

Period 3 - Your Questions, answered

1. How much Spanish do I know?  Yo hablo español bastante bien. Trate de no preocuparse demasiado acerca de la clase que estoy aquí para ayudarle!
2. I am a constructivist teacher.  What that means is that I want to use inventive and exciting ways to teach you rather than just stand at the front of the class and lecture you or just give you the answer.
3. I am over 400 years old.  This means I have made some good choices and survived the bad ones. :)
4. Yes, I have taught before.
5.  I have gone to 3 colleges.  I have a Bachelors degree from the University of California, San Diego in Political Science and International Relations, a Masters from Queen's University, Belfast in International Politics, and am working on a teaching credential at Cal State Dominquez Hills.  I am considering a PhD in political psychology. 
6. Before teaching I worked in politics.
7. I wanted to be a history teacher because I think teenagers are crazy awesome and I LOVE HISTORY because I love studying power and its effects.
8. Europe was awesome, you all should go, for reals!
9. I try to not give a lot of homework. I also do not believe in busy work.
10. I will absolutely be there for you if you need me for anything.  Just email or speak to me!  Seriously!
11. I have seen most of Europe as I lived there 7 years.
12. I am currently listening to a lot of Van Morrison, Adventure Club, Frank Ocean, and even Portishead.

Your Questions, answered - Period 1

1. Am I difficult person?  I hope not.  I will tell you that I really want to educate and challenge what you might already know.  So, I appreciate your participation and especially your patience.  
2. Why a teacher and not join the military?  I really enjoy humanity.  I also could never kill anyone...
3. How long have I been teaching?  Around 3 years.
4. What type of person are you?  I am passionate about politics and changing the game.  I LOVE ART. I am here to help you learn so whatever I can do to help you accomplish this and guide you let me know.
5. hahaha Why would I come back to the worse place ever?  Yes, high school can be, well, challenging, if not insane at times.  However, I have always found my students to be an awesome part of my day.
6. Where am I from? What college did I go to?  I was born in Long Beach.  I have gone to 3 colleges.  I have a Bachelors degree from the University of California, San Diego in Political Science and International Relations, a Masters from Queen's University, Belfast in International Politics, and am working on a teaching credential at Cal State Dominquez Hills.  I am considering a PhD in political psychology. 
7. I wanted to be a teacher for two reasons.  1.  The moment "the light goes on" and you guys understand something makes me very happy.  2.  Around 40% of students do not graduate high school.  I want to do my part to decrease that.
8. I lived in Cordoba, Spain for 4 months and Belfast, Northern Ireland for 7 years.
9. A good student is a person who nurtures their curiosity.  Many times students can feel either bored or frustrated with a subject.  I have found though that anyone can learn anything.  You must do two things though:  not fear the process (and sometimes the frustration of learning) and two, open yourself to all subjects.
10. The funnest thing I have done is travel.  Go see the world youngens.  It is awesome and insane and worth seeing. 
11. How will my class benefit you?  One, ALL education makes you stronger.  Two, most great events in the world were run by people who knew their history and how to control, maintain and manipulate power.  Learning history can help you avoid mistakes and maybe give you the tools to change things for your generation.
12. I am 475 years old and that means I have survived my mistakes and made some good choices too!

Unit 1 Notes

Unit One

Chapter 2 Notes 5 Founding Ideals

1. Equality (pg. 16)

• based on Christian beliefs
• applied to “freemen” but not to the 500,000 slaves in America or women in American during colonial time because both thought inferior
• For freemen, however, Americans rejected the unequal social classes of Europe like the idea of nobility, royalty, or masters.

1. Rights (pg. 17)
1. John Locke wrote about the idea of “inalienable rights” which were rights that were so basic or essential to being human that no one person or government can take them away.  Locke argued that government’s job was to protect these “rights.”
1. in 1776 this meant:
1. trial by jury
2. taxation by consent
2. Liberty = freedom (pg. 18)
1. political freedom - the public’s right to take part in government affairs.
2. civil liberties - protection from unfair government intrusion.
3. ⅕ of the American population at the time of the American revolution were slaves.
3. Opportunity
1. for Thomas Jefferson this meant the chance for people to persue their hopes and dreams and many came to America in search of this.
4. Democracy -
1. Colonialists had run themselves with little to no British assistance since the beginning by working together in local governments like town meetings and colonial assemblies.  
2. there was a British governor for every colony that was appointed by the King.
3. Those who “spoke for the governed” were landed white men.

Chapter 4 Notes  Founding Ideals (Book review Pg. 45)
*Mayflower Compact - In 1620 a number of Protestant seperatists and others wanting to own land boarded the ship the Mayflower for America.  On the way over disagreements broke out and many said, “no one could command them” so the group made an agreement (compact) by which they would live.

1. Land and Liberty - all the colonies were founded for different reasons.  However, a core belief that drove people to America was the ability to own land.  
1. Owning land gave men:
1. the right to vote in most colonies
2. control over their work
2. American Indians
1. initially trade was mutually beneficial:
1. Indians gave:  native crops like potatoes, corn, tomatoes, tobacco, canoes and snowshoes.
2. White settlers gave: iron tools, guns, metal pots and woven cloth
2. However, the Indians:
1. Lost most of their land through purchase, wars, and unfair treaties.
2. many died from diseases brought over by settlers.
3. Slavery -
1. Indentured servants - voluntarily gave up freedom for 3-7 years in exchange for passage to America.  Problem because some indentured servants ran away or did not work well.
2. 1st slave brought by Dutch in 1619
3. first African slaves were held like indentured servants who worked and then were granted their freedom, however, this soon changed as many Southern plantations needed more workers and became dependent on the slaves to keep their farms working to make money on cash crops like cotton and tabacco.
4. Rights of an Englishman
1. based on Magna Carta of 1215
1. due process of law - cannot deprive person of life liberty, or property except according to law
2. King could not make demand for money without the consent of barons (nobility)
3. This later became (Parliament) legislature chosen to make laws.
4. these rights grew over time from due process of law -----> Parliment -----> English Bill of RIghts which decreased the King’s power over time.
5. Right to Self-Government (self=my and government=rules, my rules)
1. each colony needed to make their own rules through political get togethers because they were 3,000 miles away from King.
2. House of Burguesses - first legislature form in America in 1619.
1. not models of democracy because only landed white Christian men allowed to participate
2. DID believe in self-government
3. In 1754 war breaks out between France and Britain over claims for land.  Benjermin Franklin drafted Albany Plan of Union to bring all the colonies together (confederation) to defend the land the colonists own.  This is important because it brings the colonists together as a fighting unit.  This would be handy later during the American revolution.
6. Freedom of Religion -
1. just because many of the American colonists came to escape religious persecution (being harassed or jailed for their religion) they did not necessarily tolerate other Christians or religions. This divided colonies
2. Maryland a safe place for Catholics
3. Pennsylvania a safe place for Quakers
4. In 1649 Maryland passed the Act of Relgious Toleration which was to end fighting between all forms of Christianity, but did not extend to the Jewish or Muslim people.

Chapter 5 - American Revolt (chapter summary Pg. 59)

1. Three main groups - (Pg. 53)
1. Loyalists - supported British government
2. Patriots - opposed British rule, separate from Britain immediately
3. Moderates - unhappy with some parts of British rule, but unsure of what would happen if left British rule.
2. Series of Events that Lead to Revolution
1. Taxation - after war with France British did not want more settlers moving West and creating more disagreements over land, so the British built forts, which they wanted the colonists to pay for through taxes.
2. Colonists had representation in local government, but not in England were taxation and other laws that were placed on colonists were made. The founding fathers believed taxing people without letting them be represented in government was tyranny (oppressive or unjustly severe government on the part of any ruler.).
1. Sugar Act (1764) -  1st act (law) enforced in history of the colonies.  Placed tax on non-British goods and sugar.
2. Stamp Act (1765) - placed tax on paper.  Colonists had to buy a stamp to use paper.  This made the colonists VERY ANGRY because it was on all paper from playing cards to newspapers and documents.
3. Townshend Acts (1767) - placed tax on British glass, lead, paints and tea.  Tax was repealed on all of the goods EXEPT TEA.
1. March 5, 1770 - Boston Massacre happened with colonists got into a fight with British soldiers.  British soldiers opened fire on the colonists and five died.
2. Samuel Adams forms the Committee of Correspondence which is a group of people who write letters and publications to inform the people and support colonial rights.
4. Tea Act (1773) - British Parliment gives British East India Company the sole right to sell tea in America.  The colonists were further enraged and dressed as Mohawk Indians and dumped 90,000 pounds of tea in Boston Harbor.  This was the Boston Tea Party.  The British got very angry and passed what the colonists called “the Intolerable Acts.”
5. Intolerable Acts (1774)
1. Closed Boston Harbor
2. shut down civilian courts
3. more British troops sent to Boston.
4. First meeting of Continental Congress suggests boycotting Intolerable Acts.
3. Lexington and Concord - Fighting begins
1. April 18, 1775 - 70-80 Minutemen (organized militias made up of colonialists) fought 700 British soldiers marching to Boston via the towns of Lexington, Virginia and Concord, Massachusetts. The British lost and gave Americans hope they could defeat the British at war.
2. Second Continental Congress - After battle of Lexington and Concord:  
1. Made George Washington leader of Virginia militia
2. formed Continental Army
3. Olive Branch Petition - attempt to end things peacefully but King George III would not even consider it.
4. Common Sense - book by Thomas Paine rejected all monarchy, “monarchy and succession have laid...the world in blood and ashes.”
5. Enlightment influenced American Revolution
4. Declaration of Independence - July 4, 1776  
1. Americans lost many of the beginning battles.
2. December 25 @ Princeton, New Jersey the Continental Army’s first win against German mercinaries hired by England.
3. Battle of Saratoga - October 17, 1777
1. Defeated British and convinced the French to support American (colonists) in war again England.
4. Battle shifts south after draw in battle between British and Continental Army in Monmouth, New Jersey.
5. Continential Army (colonialists) used guerilla warfare to win in the South.
6. Battle of Yorktown, Virginia - last battle of war, combined forces of French and the American army and naval forces.
7. British recognized American independence with Treaty of Paris in September 1783.

Chapter 6 - Creating the Constitution (book review pg. 71)
*avoiding an elected king

1. Articles of Confederation - gave states more power than the federal government
1. this was a problem:
1. army had a hard time maintaining men, money and supplies
2. individual states would make their own agreements with country
3. federal government did not have power to settle arguments between states
2. The Northwest Ordinance - established rules for creation of state governmeent in the Northwest Territory (pg. 63) and it also BANNED slavery.
3. Constitution of the United States (pg. 64-65) - because the Articles of Confederation were too weak Americans decided to completely rewrite government and create the Constitution.
1. separation of powers - between executive, legislative, and judicial no make sure none is too powerful.
2. checks and balances - each branch limits the power of the other.
4. GREAT COMPROMISE -
1. bicameral (two houses)
2. House of Representatives based on population
3. Senate has 2 Senators per state.
5. Slavery - representation in the House of Representatives every 5 slaves - 3 white men called Three-Fifths Compromise.
6. Electoral College - The U.S. Electoral College is the assembly of elected representatives who choose the president and vice president of the United States. The process is an example of an indirect election, as the president is not elected directly by voters. Citizens vote for electors by state, who then participate in the election. Officially, electors may vote for any eligible candidate. In practice, however, they pledge support and vote for specific candidates. Critics have argued that the system yields undue influence to swing states, and there have been instances, such as the 2000 election of George W. Bush, where the result of the popular vote was the opposite of the Electoral College results. However, no proposal to change the system has ever passed in Congress.
7. Ratifying the Constitution
1. Federalists - supported Constitution
2. Anti-federalists - did not support Constitution
3. Concerns from Anti-Federalists lead to the creation of the Bill of Rights.

Chapter 7 Constitution (Chp. Review Notes Pg. 87)
The greatness of the Constitution and Bill of Rights is its promise or dream of an effective government that serves the people under the founding ideals of democracy, equality, opportunity, rights and liberty.  America has always been in a race to push these ideals into reality.  The founding fathers knew that these ideals did not exist yet even though they had put them on paper in the Declaration of Independence, but their hope was to make the race to attain them permanent by creating a US government with a checks and balances system and formalizing “inalienable rights” in the Bill of Rights.  

*checks and balances - a way for each branch (Congress, President or Supreme Court) to “check” or limit the powers of the other branch to prevent too much power in any branch.

1. The Supreme Law of the Land - The Constitution is the supreme law of the land.  It is the final word and has three parts: the preamble (explains the purpose of the Constitution), the articles (the structure of the government) and the amendments (changes we have made over time)
2. Three Branches of government - by dividing up the government into three branches it creates a strong central government but also distributes power so one branch cannot overpower another.  This is important because the founding fathers did not want an elected king i.e. another situation where one person or group of people had control of all the power. Examples: (see Pg. 75 too)
1. Legislative checks on Executive:  Can override presidential vetoes, approve or reject presidential appointments and treaties, and impeach and try the president.
2. Executive checks on judicial branch - Can nominate Supreme Court justices and federal judges.
3. Judicial checks on Legislative - can declare laws unconstitutional.
4. Legislative checks on Judicial - Can approve or reject nomination of federal judges, create lower courts, and remove judges through impeachment.
5. Judicial checks on Executive branch - Can declare treaties and executive acts unconstitutional.  Appointments are for life and judges are free from executive control.
6. Executive check on Legislative - Can approve or veto bills, call special sessions of Congress and recommend legislation.
3. The legislative branch (aka Congress) pg. 77 - is bicameral (two houses).

To balance power between small and large states they made the House of Representatives based on population and the Senate is based on equal numbers for each state i.e. every state has 2 Senators.

1. House of Representatives (435 members)
1. Each member represents a district
2. two year terms
3. HAVE TO: be 25 years old and a citizen for 7 years
4. Powers:  propose tax laws and can impeach the president
2. Senate:
1. each member represents a state
2. six year terms
3. HAVE TO: be 30 years old and a citizen for 9 years
4. Powers:  Approves presidential appointments, ratifies treaties, conducts trial of the president after impeachment
3. BOTH SENATE AND HOUSE:  Propose and pass laws, declare war, override the president’s veto with two-thirds vote, propose amendments to the Constitution with two-thirds vote.

**elastic clause - in Article 1 grants Congress certain powers to “make all laws wh-ch shall be necessary and proper” in order to fulfill its duties like in 1791 created a national bank, maintain an army or collect taxes.  Some feel that Congress can go too far sometimes.

4. The executive branch - (Pg. 79)
1. Four year term
2. Have to be 35 years old and born in America
3. Powers:  Approves or vetoes laws, conducts U.S. foreign relations and makes treaties with foreign governments, nominates cabinet members, ambassadors, and federal judges, serves as commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces, prepares the federal government’s budget
5. the judicial branch THE SUPREME COURT - “the guardians of the Constitution”  (Pg. 81)
1. Nine judges
2. job for life
3. salaries cannot be lowered
4. writers of the Constitution wanted to ensure they were a independent of influence
5. judicial review is what allows the court to review any law or action by the Congress or Executive (President)
6. Federalism - division of power between the federal and state governments.   Some powers are “concurrant powers” where both state and federal government can exercise powers independently like taxes. After the Civil War though federal powers trump state as supreme law of the land

**Supremecy Clause - makes the Constitution and federal laws the supreme law of the land and that judges are bound to them.

7. The amendment process (see diagram on Pg.84)  - The genius of the constitution is that it is a “living document” because the founding fathers allowed for change through amendments.  Even more brilliantly, they allowed for change but in a process slow enough that it would not give too much power, too quickly.  
1. The first 10 are, of course, The Bill of Rights.
2. while thousands have been proposed ONLY 17 have been ratified, bring the total number of amendments to 27.

The Constitution can be amended in four ways.  All the successful amendments but one - the 21st amendment - were proposed in Congress and ratified by the state legislatures.  

8. Political participation - Citizens can participate in government in various ways.
1. VOTE!
2. join a political party
3. run for office
4. exert political influence through public meetings
5. interest groups (like American Civil Liberties Union)