LAD #7: Washington's Farewell Address

LAD #7: Washington's Farewell Address


When George Washington gave his farewell address in 1796, he both set precedents and gave warnings to America. He began this speech by telling the people of the United States that he would not be running in the next election, which set an example to future presidents and ultimately influenced the restriction of the president only being allowed to serve for two terms. However, he did assure the citizens that he did not want them to forget about him or become disinterested with him, and thanks them all for a great time while he was in office as well as expressing his patriotism. After this, he stated that the different regions of America were different from each other in much more than where they were located. Furthermore, he said that if a stronger sense of union and unity was achieved, then there would be no limit to what the United States could do. He went on to say that a "government for the whole is indispensable," and that there cannot be alliances between parts of the government or things are bound to go wrong. Another warning he gave was that the authority of the government and its rules should not be taken about loosely and that they should always be enforced. To add to that, he said that factions that gain a lot of power over another faction are very dangerous and should be prevented from happening. However, he said that spirit for a certain party should not be encouraged in elections. He went on to support the idea of government branches having a set of checks and balances, as to avoid corruption. On an unexpected note, he supports religion and morality, which is unlike many politicians throughout the years. To go along with that he states that the public should let their opinions be heard. Then, he reaffirms his neutrality proclamation and says that people should stay pleasant towards all nations and that particular attachment to a certain nation is dangerous and bad. However, he was not against the people being informed about world issues. Also, he does not support isolation from nations, and tells the citizens that it is important to interact in the world community. Washington ends his speech by stating that he did not intend to make any errors, but he realizes that he is not perfect, and that he anticipates a nice life under the free government of the United States of America. This entire speech essentially summed up what his presidency stood for and restated his thoughts for what works and what does not work in a good nation.

LAD #6: Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality

LAD #6: Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality


Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality in 1793 is his statement that the United States would be impartial and friendly to all countries regardless of who they were fighting at the time. He also warns the citizens of America not to show any disposition towards any of these countries through their actions, and that they would be punished if they chose to do so. In essence, the whole proclamation was saying that the United States of America would remain neutral to all countries and not show any partiality.

Republican Motherhood Blog

Republican Motherhood Blog

1. What role did the Revolutionary War play in the transformation of housewifery to Republican Motherhood?

After the Revolutionary War, people began to respect the role that women played in society much more. They realized that women were a necessity to a strong republic and that they were the ones that trained the good citizens of tomorrow. Even the women thought this. As is written in From The Sentiments of an American Woman, women embraced the fact that they needed to "distribut[e] the mental nourishment to the fond smiling circle" (Doc C). Both genders agreed that women were crucial to creating a great society with virtuous people.

2. What were the consequences of Republican Motherhood on women?

While women were looked upon more fondly in American culture, they did not gain many more freedoms in society. She still did not have the right to vote after the revolution. Also, it took a very long time for women to grow out of this stereotype of being housewives. Even today, there is still discrimination against them. It was not until much after the revolution that women began to break out of gender roles and get jobs outside the home. Even in 1841, more than 50 years after the revolution began, people still viewed them as the trainers of good citizens (Doc A).

3. What is the significance of the ideology of  Republican Motherhood as a stage in the process of women's socialization?

This was very significant in that it lead to great strides forward for women, ultimately leading them to be equal in basically every way politically to men. It encouraged women to become more educated, including them being exposed to many pieces of literature (Doc B). This eventually led to women that were so educated that they began to think "We should be more equal to men." That led to the feminist movement being started. However, this also set a stereotype for women that would last for years to come that they were supposed to be faithful housewives that raised the family's children to be good adults.



1. Describe the setting.

This portrait clearly was drawn of the woman and her two sons while they were in what appears to be the living room of their home. It is not a fancy house, but it is not a dirty one either. It appears to be the house of an average American at the time that it was drawn.

2. Who serves at the center of the portrait and why? How does the woman look? How is she "republican" rather than aristocratic.

The mother serves as the center of the portrait because she was the center of family life. She is dressed fairly nicely and has a smile on her face, as opposed to being upset or sad. One can tell that she is "republican" and not aristocrat because she is not wearing any over-the-top gown or jewelry, but she is fairly plain-looking.

3. What values do her sons exhibit?

Her sons exhibit loyalty for they are both depicted as being kind to their mother and not as upset or misbehaving. They also represent the care that the mother clearly has given them through their childhood because of how tidy and happy they appear.

4. Is there a significance to the position of Mrs. Tilghman's arm?

Mrs. Tilghman's arm represents her role as a mother. The boy that is in her arms in much younger than the boy that is not. This shows that the mother is caring for the children to build them into virtuous people that are ready for the real world. The younger child is still being taught how to be independent, but the older one has already been taught and seems to be doing quite well.

LAD #5: Federalist #10

LAD #5: Federalist #10

1. Why are factions so difficult to eliminate?

Factions are so difficult to eliminate because it is very difficult to do so without going against democracy. The only sure ways to destroy a faction is to take away liberties that are bestowed upon the people, which would go directly against what the Americans fought for in the American Revolution. The other way would be to make it so all people have the same goals and interests, which is not only very difficult, but would lead to a completely different form of government.

2. If factions cannot be removed then how can they be controlled?

To control them, the government can remove the causes of the faction, which can be done by eliminating the freedom that allows it to exist. However, this would be the opposing the goals of democracy so the United States would not want to do this. The causes can also be removed by giving every single person the same opinions, passions, and interests, which would also not be smart and would be unfair. A better way to control the factions themselves are to control their effects and the extent of them. This is easy if the faction is in a minority because they can be outvoted. If it is in a majority, however, it is much more difficult to control. The goal would be to catch a minority faction early so that it does not turn into a majority ever. If a majority faction does rise though, the existence of a similar widespread goal should be prevented or the faction should be rendered unable to act upon its cause.

LAD #4 - Revolution Article

LAD #4 - Revolution Article



1. One new thing that I read in this article that I did not already know was that the Revolutionary War was the longest declared war that America has fought at more than eight years.

2. I also was unaware that twenty five percent of the people who served in the Continental Army were died, which is five percent more than in the Civil War, one I perceived to be the most deadly war of all.

3. It never struck me that the most famous people of the American Revolution were not military men at all, but civilian leaders, like Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin.

4. I now realize that the reason that I, as well as many other people, was oblivious to the fact that the Revolutionary War was such a deadly one, is because there have been so many other wars that have made the Revolution seem much less severe, when in fact it was quite terrible.

5. Another reason why I perhaps believed that the war was not as severe is because I always assumed that the American troops had good supplies. I now know that they were often poorly clothed and fed, to the point when some people were naked and people were eating pet dogs and shoes.

LAD #3: The Declaration of Independence

LAD #3: The Declaration of Independence


1. Democratic Principles

The Declaration of Independence included many different principles of democracy. The first one was that all men are created equal and have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It also says that the job of the government of a nation is to protect these rights. Furthermore, it states that if a government becomes corrupt, it is the duty of the people to instate different people in government to benefit the well being of the nation.

2. Grievances

Many grievances were stated in the Declaration of Independence. These include that the British imposed taxes on the colonies without their say in the matter, that they quartered troops in colonial houses, that they denied them trial by jury, and that they kept standing armies around during times of peace.

3. Conclusion

In the conclusion of the Declaration of Independence, the colonists declared that they were separate from Britain and would be their own country from then on forth. They then continued to state that they have the right to declare war, make alliances, and do other things that independent nations do. In the concluding statement, they declared their honor to the United States of America.

LAD #2 - John Peter Zenger

LAD #2: John Peter Zenger


1. Who was John Peter Zenger?

John Peter Zenger was a newspaper printer in New York. His newspaper, the New York Weekly Journal, attacked the royal governor, William Cosby, and said that his policies were corrupt. For this, Zenger was arrested on the charge of "seditious libel." This brought about an important court case in which Andrew Hamilton defended Zenger, who got him to be declared not guilty.

2. What was the controversy over his charges? Talk about Hamilton's defense.

The controversy over the charges on John Peter Zenger was to if what he printed was unlawful, whether it told the truth or not. The chief royal justice of the case told the jury that they should not consider whether his statements were truthful of not. Hamilton's defense, however, contradicted what the justice said. He said that the liberty of the people to expose and oppose the arbitrary powers was in jeopardy of being lost. He also claimed that if a person was telling the truth, then that defends that person from libel.

3. What influence did his case have on American governmental tradition?

This case forever influenced the way that Americans formed their government, as well as what freedoms they gave to their people. Most heavily, it created the feeling that people should have freedom of the press, which became part of the Bill of Rights in our Constitution years later. It also helped bring forth the feeling that democracy was a good form of government and made people realize that open public discussion should be encouraged, not discouraged.

4. What is the lasting significance of his trial? Explain.

The lasting significance of this trial is that it shaped the liberties that people in the United States of America have today. Without this trial proving that people should be allowed to voice their opinions publicly, America could end up as a completely different society. This trial, which led to a wide feeling that there should be freedom of press, moved people towards democracy being a good option for a government. As a result, people demanded more freedom from the British, and when they felt they were not getting it, they rebelled. The general feeling was that government should be ruled by the people and for the people. The freedom of press, which this trial proved was perfectly fine, was related to the freedom of speech and other freedoms guaranteed to people in the Constitution. What this trial demonstrated shaped the way that America was formed.

LAD #1 Mayflower Compact & Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

LAD #1 Mayflower Compact & Fundamental Orders of Connecticut:

1) What concepts are included in the Mayflower Compact?

The Mayflower Compact includes several concepts that provide the foundation of a new government that was to rise up in  where was supposed to be Virginia in the New World. The first of these mentioned is that they will form themselves into a civil body. That civil body was to enforce fair laws for the people of the new land. These laws would be enforced in order to serve the greater good of the colony they were forming.

2) How does the Mayflower Compact reflect an attachment to both the "Old" and "New" worlds?

The basis of the Mayflower Compact is that the people who sailed to the New World would set up a government their to benefit the colony, which is what the government of a country is also supposed to do. However, in the Mayflower Compact, the colonists also reflect loyalty towards the Old World in England. That can be demonstrated by their reference to them being "Loyal Subjects of our Dread Sovereign Lord King James" in the very second sentence. Of course, recognizing their settlement as the very word "colony" in itself shows a tie to Britain in that they recognize themselves still as belonging to the nation.

3) How did the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut differ from the Mayflower Compact?

While, in essence, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut and the Mayflower Compact are similar, they both serve fairly different purposes. Both are guidelines for how the colonists are going to run their colony. However, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut go into much greater detail and are much more specific on what the colonists will do. They are a set of laws on how they shall rule the colony, pertaining to elections and court trials, while the Mayflower Compact simply stated an outline on how they would run the colony.

4) What prompted the colonists of Connecticut to take this approach to government, i.e.: use of a written Constitution?

The reason that the people who came to Connecticut left Europe was to flee from injustices there, like persecution. Since they were fleeing from oppression, the colonists wanted to make sure that this would not happen again. With a government that was basically run by themselves, the colonists could have a say in what they wanted to happen and not to happen. To make this clear, they drafted written Constitutions, so that if someone violated their rights, then they would have something to back up their views on paper.

5) In what significant way(s) does the Fundamental Orders reflect a fear of and safeguard against the usurping of power by one person or a chosen few?

Since the people of the New world colonies wanted to get away from Britain, which was ruled by the King, they made sure that their written laws made sure that would not happen. This can be seen in the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut as early as the first Order, which created Two General Assemblies, not one. This way, the two assemblies would make sure that not only one of them had as much power. Furthermore, they introduced democratic elements into the way they chose their leaders so more people had a say. Since they voted on their leaders, the general views of the people would be more apparent. However, there was a strict limit on how long people could hold certain positions of power, such as the Governor, as to not let them gain too much power and turn into a tyrant. In all of this, it is clear that the colonists were afraid of becoming subjects to overpowered leaders once again.

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