In class, we took part in a town hall simulation where the citizens had to make a choice between joining the patriots or staying loyal to Britain.
The activity showed that there are many personal issues and factors that influence how a person might vote on a matter of this kind. Someone who might believe in one side can be driven to the other when they feel betrayed or wronged. Some are simply motivated by which position provides them with better opportunities and a better future. Such is the nature of revolutions or civil wars. It can be argued that the American Revolution is a bit of both.
Note:
The simulation featured a number of individuals. See the list below as a reminder:
1. Moderator - - This person is impartial and neutral. At no time will he attempt to influence anyone's vote.
2. Matt Tavern - - 16 years old. He attends Yale College rather than working in his father's tavern and helping with the family store. His family has agreed to spare him from the family business so that he can get an education. Matt has been active in debates for the patriotic side of the war and has enlisted in the Continental army to fight the King and to remain an American. He has stolen his father's musket, "Brown Bess" to fight in the war. (PATRIOT)
3. Chris Tavern - - 13 years old. Chris idolizes his older brother and everything he does. Chris lives at home in the family's combined tavern and store and does all the chores around the tavern and store because his brother, Matt, is away at college. Chris can often hear travelers and customers speaking of war news. Chris can be swayed to the views of a Patriot, like Matt, or a Loyalist, like his father, Zeb. (NEUTRAL)
4. Zeb Tavern - Father of Matt and Chris, Zeb owns and runs the tavern and store. He has fought in the French and Indian War and seen the horrors that accompany war. He wants to keep out of this upcoming war. He does believe in being loyal to the King. (LOYALIST)
5. Abigail Tavern - - Wife of Zeb and mother of Chris and Matt. She is a soft-spoken woman and keeps her feelings inside her. She usually lets her husband do the talking. She is a hard worker around the tavern. When she is stirred up, she will speak up. (LOYALIST)
6. Mr. Preacher - - A close follower of the King. He preaches against the Patriots. He embarrasses families who side with the Patriots. He is paid for his services by the food and money the townspeople give him. If the town fails, he is out of a job and food. (LOYALIST)
7. John Torypate - - A wealthy nobleman living in a large mansion in Redding. Mr. Torypate's allegiance is not well known to the people. He speaks to Patriots and Loyalists. He many be a double agent, a spy for the Patriots or for the Loyalists. He always has money and food. People do not trust him because they are not sure of his political leanings. (PATRIOT OR LOYALIST?)
8. Ed Banker - - A banker in Redding who definitely favors the Loyalist side. He will allow no credit to people who deposit commissary scrip. He will only honor Loyalist money backed by the Exchequer of England. He is a likeable person, but separates business from pleasure and will not give a loan just because you are his friend. (LOYALIST)
9. Professor Scholar - - An educated former college professor, Mr. Scholar has been keeping up with both the Loyalist and Patriot causes by reading both newspapers, although to read the Loyalist (Tory) papers at this time, was illegal. He has seen the same incident reported in different ways depending upon which paper he is reading. Mr. Scholar has many friends and can be counted on to come up with good suggestions because he is not involved directly with the war. (NEUTRAL)
10. Susannah Green - - Widow of a soldier who had been fighting on the Patriot side, Mrs. Green hates all Tories for what they did to her husband. In town, she has refused to help in any way to help the Tory sympathizers even by giving travelers food or a place to sleep. (PATRIOT)
11. Josh Brewer - - Orphaned when he was 10 years old, Josh is being raised by Professor Scholar. He has had many discussions about the war with the professor and has not yet decided which side he will favor. He is now 13 years old and he is a friend of Chris Tavern. His parents had raised him to look at both sides of an issue. His parents died of cholera. (NEUTRAL)
12. Adam Hobart - - Adam is a trader and spends much of his time in different parts of the country. He feels comfortable with the animals way up in timber country and he does not feel one way or the other about the war. He figures they will settle it without him. He is away from Redding most of the time. All he wants is to be left alone to do his trapping and trading. He came to this meeting because he wanted to know whom he would be dealing with in the future when he was getting paid for his furs. (NEUTRAL)
13. General X. Ample - - This Patriot general believes in discipline for his soldiers. He is always setting examples of strict behavior so his soldiers will not desert his regiment. He uses fear for discipline. He is not fair. Hie is not liked by his soldiers. His life has been threatened many times. He is at this meeting because he is stationed in Redding with the commissary buyer scouting ahead to buy food for his soldiers. (PATRIOT)
14. Cyrus Butcher - - A Tory and the only butcher in Redding. He slaughters meat and cures it for food for the people. He sells it to the townspeople. He gets much of his cattle and meat from nearby towns. His business is a cash business and he prefers not to take commissary scrip. Patriots have stolen some of his beef from his warehouses in the past and he dislikes this. (LOYALIST)
15. Jonah Inkspot - - The local newspaper publisher, Mr. Inkspot has Patriot inclinations. He reports the news as he sees it. He has a tendency to over-react to statements and to exaggerate his writing.
16. Commissary Buyer - - The Patriots send ahead a buyer to purchase the food and materials they will need for their troops. This commissary buyer pays for the materials using commissary scrip (unless he happens to have Loyalist money). Commissary scrip is money printed by the Continentals, as they need it. Most of the time, there is no gold to back it up so it is worthless. Because of commissary scrip both Patriot and Loyalist merchants dislike doing business with the commissary buyer. (PATRIOT)
17. Mr. Samuel Adams - - Guest Patriot speaker and recruiter. Mr. Adams is well known for his anti-British feeling and his ways of creating problems to stir up the people against the Loyalists. His information may be correct but he often holds back on some of the facts so that his listeners do not know all the information to make their decisions. (PATRIOT)
18. Mr. Cornwallis - - A Loyalist guest speaker and recruiter, Mr. Cornwallis is a true subject of the king. He has come all the way from England to command the Loyalist troops. He is aware that the colonists are responsible to the mother country for their existence. The Loyalist troops came to the aid of the colonies in previous wars, and Mr. Cornwallis sees no reason for their attitude to rebel against the king now. (LOYALIST)
19. Jonathan Farmer - - A Redding farmer, Mr. Farmer works hard to support his family. He raises his own vegetables and cattle so his family has food. He, his wife, and his two sons prefer to live on the outskirts of town without becoming involved in the war. (NEUTRAL)
20. Ned Butcher - - Son of Cyrus Butcher, Ned helps his father with the family business. He makes many trips to other towns to trade for cattle and brings them back to Redding for his father to slaughter and sell. (LOYALIST)
21. Nellie Brown - - The schoolteacher in town, Nellie has not made up her mind as to whether she will favor the Patriots or the Loyalists. She has no family in Redding and lives alone taking care of her own needs. (NEUTRAL)
22. Tom Omaha - - An Indian living in Redding, Mr. Omaha has no tribesmen living nearby. He gets along well with the people in Redding. He does scouting for Mr. Butcher and his son when they take their long trips to other towns. He works for Mr. Farmer when Mr. Farmer hires him during the season. He helps Mr. Inkspot by delivering news to nearby towns, telling what is happening in Redding and bringing back written information about what is happening in other towns. (NEUTRAL)
Friday, October 9, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Change in Plans...
We are now using Wednesday as a work period for the presentations. Please bring your presentation material in the form of a printed word document to Thursday's class.
You will need it for Thursday's activity...
If the activity stretches into Friday, we will obviously not be presenting until Tuesday, October 13. If we do finish our work Thursday, be ready to present Friday this week.
You will need it for Thursday's activity...
If the activity stretches into Friday, we will obviously not be presenting until Tuesday, October 13. If we do finish our work Thursday, be ready to present Friday this week.
Thirteen May Not be a Lucky Number, But it is a Free and Happy Number
We are now embarking on the colonial period. In addition to your study of the colonies, there is some additional information that you are responsible for. It is available in the drop box.
To get an idea of the colonial world in which the settlers found themselves, we must consider the way the world looked in 1620 when the Mayflower sailed.
Britain, France, and Spain were the preeminent European powers of the world. With their navies and exploratory forays, they were able to map the world in a high stakes, competitive race. This race was based on political and economic expansion. Each country would seek out new lands and claim them for their own. They would populate the new lands with their own people who would often brave unfamiliar conditions and tenuous relationships with the indigenous population of the area.
Ultimately, they used the raw materials they could find and harvested them for sale around the world or for their own use. Later, they made value added products by using the raw material to make something for sale (like the popular fur hats the beaver was trapped for in New France). We refer to this process and the battle between these nations as colonialism or imperialism .
The link below provides you with a very general overview of the history of European colonialism, which can be traced back to the 1400's. Over the years, the Spanish, British, French, and even the Dutch planted colonies in North America.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_colonialism
Here is a diagram that explains one aspect of how colonialism and the movement of goods worked.
http://europeanhistory.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&zTi=1&sdn=europeanhistory&cdn=education&tm=26&gps=180_259_1020_557&f=00&tt=14&bt=0&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.africanculturalcenter.org/4_5slavery.html
By 1664, James II (at the time the Duke of York and Albany) had taken New Netherland by force and renamed it New York. By 1825, Spain had lost all of its colonies in North America as a result of independence movements. There was even a Swedish colony (New Sweden existed from 1638-1655 in parts of what today is Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania), but it was quickly conquered by the Dutch.
Along the eastern coastline of North America, it was the British colonies - the Thirteen Colonies that made up what would become the United States.
These colonies were unique in that they were fiercely independent of each other and had their own laws and even different ways of governing themselves. But they shared a belief in democracy and individual freedom. This ultimately put them at odds with Britain and led to American Revolution in 1776.
The colonies were founded between 1607 (Jamestown -- Virginia) and 1732 (Georgia). They are generally divided into three groups:
The New England Colonies:
Future posts will look more closely at each of the groups of colonies.
To get an idea of the colonial world in which the settlers found themselves, we must consider the way the world looked in 1620 when the Mayflower sailed.
Britain, France, and Spain were the preeminent European powers of the world. With their navies and exploratory forays, they were able to map the world in a high stakes, competitive race. This race was based on political and economic expansion. Each country would seek out new lands and claim them for their own. They would populate the new lands with their own people who would often brave unfamiliar conditions and tenuous relationships with the indigenous population of the area.
Ultimately, they used the raw materials they could find and harvested them for sale around the world or for their own use. Later, they made value added products by using the raw material to make something for sale (like the popular fur hats the beaver was trapped for in New France). We refer to this process and the battle between these nations as colonialism or imperialism .
The link below provides you with a very general overview of the history of European colonialism, which can be traced back to the 1400's. Over the years, the Spanish, British, French, and even the Dutch planted colonies in North America.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_colonialism
Here is a diagram that explains one aspect of how colonialism and the movement of goods worked.
http://europeanhistory.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&zTi=1&sdn=europeanhistory&cdn=education&tm=26&gps=180_259_1020_557&f=00&tt=14&bt=0&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.africanculturalcenter.org/4_5slavery.html
By 1664, James II (at the time the Duke of York and Albany) had taken New Netherland by force and renamed it New York. By 1825, Spain had lost all of its colonies in North America as a result of independence movements. There was even a Swedish colony (New Sweden existed from 1638-1655 in parts of what today is Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania), but it was quickly conquered by the Dutch.
Along the eastern coastline of North America, it was the British colonies - the Thirteen Colonies that made up what would become the United States.
These colonies were unique in that they were fiercely independent of each other and had their own laws and even different ways of governing themselves. But they shared a belief in democracy and individual freedom. This ultimately put them at odds with Britain and led to American Revolution in 1776.
The colonies were founded between 1607 (Jamestown -- Virginia) and 1732 (Georgia). They are generally divided into three groups:
The New England Colonies:
- Rhode Island
- Massachusetts
- Connecticut
- New Hampshire
The Middle Colonies:
- New York
- New Jersey
- Pennsylvania
- Delaware
The Southern Colonies
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
- Virginia
- Maryland
Future posts will look more closely at each of the groups of colonies.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Colonial Assignment
The History of the Thirteen Colonies
You will be creating a PowerPoint presentation that should be between three to five minutes. It will either be on one of the Thirteen Colonies:
The New England Colonies:
•Rhode Island
•Massachusetts
•Connecticut
New Hampshire
•The colony was founded in 1629.
•The colony was founded by John Mason. He was a sailor, colonizer and also he was a captain who participated in the founding of Portsmouth in 1630, gave a New Hampshire its name.
•The first people of the colony were English settlers.
•Throughout the 1600s, people in New Hampshire made their living through a combination of fishing, farming, cutting and sawing timber, shipbuilding, and coastal trade.
•By the first quarter of the 1700s, the provincial capital of Portsmouth had become a thriving commercial port, exporting timber products and importing everything from food to European finery.
•Population data from inception to 1776:
1630 =500 people
1700 =5 000 people
1770 =62 400 people
*2007 =1 315 828 people
•New Hampshire was a Royal Province until 1771 except for two short periods, 1642-79 and 1690-92, when it was under the control of Massachusetts. Because of New Hampshire's status as a Royal Province, it was in the peculiar position of separating the two parts of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, present-day Maine and Massachusetts.
•After a 38-year period of union with Massachusetts, New Hampshire was made a separate royal colony in 1679. As leaders in the revolutionary cause, New Hampshire delegates received the honor of being the first to vote for the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
The Middle Colonies:
New York
Founders
• There used to be a large area of the West Coast that was founded by the Dutch called Nieuw- Nederland meaning “New Netherlands”
• The Dutch were the first to settle there but in 1664 the British took over and it became the colony of New York. Named after James The Duke Of York.
• They say the Duke of York is the founder because the state is named after him.
Culture
•There were Native American tribes living in the area before the Europeans came
•There was the Iroquois that lived in the western part of the colony but with the colonial western expansion being unlimited they got moved further west.
•The Algonquins were another tribe they lived in the Hudson Valley and on Long Island ( also known as the Lenape People ). They were respected and known for being a peaceful group of people.
• When the Europeans came they tried to change the way that the Native Americans lived and ran the areas they lived in which didn’t make the Natives very happy.
• The Europeans moved to New York because it was the biggest trading post out of the colonies. There was also more land there then in Europe so many people came for the farming opportunities.
• Many Patriots lived in New York and didn’t like how it was a British Colony.
• New York played a large role in the fur trade
Population
• 1630 – 250
• 1680 – 9830
• 1720 – 3619
• 1780 – 210, 541
•New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Year Founded- 1684
Who founded it? - William Penn
Culture- Quakers
•Relatively strict Christians
•Refused to bow or take off their hats to Social Superiors
•Believed all men equal under god
•Refused to say oaths of loyalty to the king
•Refused to pay taxes to carry on wars
•Did not swear....Population in 1790 was 434,373 people.
•Delaware
The Southern Colonies
•North Carolina
South Carolina
- Founded in 1670 by eight nobles with a Royal Charter from Charles II.
- The Royal Charter allowed the nobles to settle in the area south of Virginia.
- Because of internal problems the colony was divided into North and South Carolina in 1729. From that point on the crown controlled the colony.
- This colony was one of the wealthiest colonies.
- It was also the colony that had the most battles fought on its land.
- In the year 1670 when the colony of South Carolina was first created there were 200 people that lived in it.
- By the year 1776 when the American Revolutionary War started the amount of people living in the colony of South Carolina had soared to 124,244.
1776 1760 1750 1740 1730 1720 1710 1700 1690 1680 1670
124244 94074 64000 45000 30000 17048 10883 5704 3900 1200 200
- South Carolina became a royal colony in 1729. It was the second last colony to become a royal colony. Georgia became a royal colony in 1752. However five of the thirteen colonies never became royal colonies.
- A group of proprietors founded the colony with the purpose of trading goods and making profits from that.
- The main motivation of the founders of the Southern Colonies was to make money. They brought their family to live on the plantation but they were not the main concern.
Georgia
Georgia was the last colony to be founded in 1732
In 1732 King George issued a charter for the settlement of Georgia.
Georgia was founded by James Edward Oglethorpe in 1732, a British general, and philanthropist
In 1733 114 settlers arrived at the Savannah to establish the new settlement. Most were not from debtor’s prisons.
Georgia’s population in 1776 was around 40,000
Georgia is the eighth fastest-growing state in the U.S., with a population expected to exceed 12 million people by 2030. And that population is getting younger: more than half of Georgians are between the ages of 20 and 54.
The Population of Georgia today is 4,630,841
Royal Georgia refers to the period between the termination of Trustee governance of Georgia and the colony's declaration of independence at the beginning of the American Revolution. During this period the province was administered by the King of England.
Georgia's rich soil and good land attracted people when the first head right and bounty land grants came out in 1776.
In 1828 in Habersham, White and Lumpkin Counties gold was discovered bringing fortune and people to the land.
•Virginia
•Maryland
Future posts will look more closely at each of the groups of colonies.
Identify the following:
• Year founded
• Who founded it?
• Describe the culture of the colony
• Population data from inception to 1776
We will start presentations on Wednesday, October 7, 2009.
See the American History pick up box for the scoring guide.
You will be creating a PowerPoint presentation that should be between three to five minutes. It will either be on one of the Thirteen Colonies:
The New England Colonies:
•Rhode Island
•Massachusetts
•Connecticut
New Hampshire
•The colony was founded in 1629.
•The colony was founded by John Mason. He was a sailor, colonizer and also he was a captain who participated in the founding of Portsmouth in 1630, gave a New Hampshire its name.
•The first people of the colony were English settlers.
•Throughout the 1600s, people in New Hampshire made their living through a combination of fishing, farming, cutting and sawing timber, shipbuilding, and coastal trade.
•By the first quarter of the 1700s, the provincial capital of Portsmouth had become a thriving commercial port, exporting timber products and importing everything from food to European finery.
•Population data from inception to 1776:
1630 =500 people
1700 =5 000 people
1770 =62 400 people
*2007 =1 315 828 people
•New Hampshire was a Royal Province until 1771 except for two short periods, 1642-79 and 1690-92, when it was under the control of Massachusetts. Because of New Hampshire's status as a Royal Province, it was in the peculiar position of separating the two parts of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, present-day Maine and Massachusetts.
•After a 38-year period of union with Massachusetts, New Hampshire was made a separate royal colony in 1679. As leaders in the revolutionary cause, New Hampshire delegates received the honor of being the first to vote for the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
The Middle Colonies:
New York
Founders
• There used to be a large area of the West Coast that was founded by the Dutch called Nieuw- Nederland meaning “New Netherlands”
• The Dutch were the first to settle there but in 1664 the British took over and it became the colony of New York. Named after James The Duke Of York.
• They say the Duke of York is the founder because the state is named after him.
Culture
•There were Native American tribes living in the area before the Europeans came
•There was the Iroquois that lived in the western part of the colony but with the colonial western expansion being unlimited they got moved further west.
•The Algonquins were another tribe they lived in the Hudson Valley and on Long Island ( also known as the Lenape People ). They were respected and known for being a peaceful group of people.
• When the Europeans came they tried to change the way that the Native Americans lived and ran the areas they lived in which didn’t make the Natives very happy.
• The Europeans moved to New York because it was the biggest trading post out of the colonies. There was also more land there then in Europe so many people came for the farming opportunities.
• Many Patriots lived in New York and didn’t like how it was a British Colony.
• New York played a large role in the fur trade
Population
• 1630 – 250
• 1680 – 9830
• 1720 – 3619
• 1780 – 210, 541
•New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Year Founded- 1684
Who founded it? - William Penn
Culture- Quakers
•Relatively strict Christians
•Refused to bow or take off their hats to Social Superiors
•Believed all men equal under god
•Refused to say oaths of loyalty to the king
•Refused to pay taxes to carry on wars
•Did not swear....Population in 1790 was 434,373 people.
•Delaware
The Southern Colonies
•North Carolina
South Carolina
- Founded in 1670 by eight nobles with a Royal Charter from Charles II.
- The Royal Charter allowed the nobles to settle in the area south of Virginia.
- Because of internal problems the colony was divided into North and South Carolina in 1729. From that point on the crown controlled the colony.
- This colony was one of the wealthiest colonies.
- It was also the colony that had the most battles fought on its land.
- In the year 1670 when the colony of South Carolina was first created there were 200 people that lived in it.
- By the year 1776 when the American Revolutionary War started the amount of people living in the colony of South Carolina had soared to 124,244.
1776 1760 1750 1740 1730 1720 1710 1700 1690 1680 1670
124244 94074 64000 45000 30000 17048 10883 5704 3900 1200 200
- South Carolina became a royal colony in 1729. It was the second last colony to become a royal colony. Georgia became a royal colony in 1752. However five of the thirteen colonies never became royal colonies.
- A group of proprietors founded the colony with the purpose of trading goods and making profits from that.
- The main motivation of the founders of the Southern Colonies was to make money. They brought their family to live on the plantation but they were not the main concern.
Georgia
Georgia was the last colony to be founded in 1732
In 1732 King George issued a charter for the settlement of Georgia.
Georgia was founded by James Edward Oglethorpe in 1732, a British general, and philanthropist
In 1733 114 settlers arrived at the Savannah to establish the new settlement. Most were not from debtor’s prisons.
Georgia’s population in 1776 was around 40,000
Georgia is the eighth fastest-growing state in the U.S., with a population expected to exceed 12 million people by 2030. And that population is getting younger: more than half of Georgians are between the ages of 20 and 54.
The Population of Georgia today is 4,630,841
Royal Georgia refers to the period between the termination of Trustee governance of Georgia and the colony's declaration of independence at the beginning of the American Revolution. During this period the province was administered by the King of England.
Georgia's rich soil and good land attracted people when the first head right and bounty land grants came out in 1776.
In 1828 in Habersham, White and Lumpkin Counties gold was discovered bringing fortune and people to the land.
•Virginia
•Maryland
Future posts will look more closely at each of the groups of colonies.
Identify the following:
• Year founded
• Who founded it?
• Describe the culture of the colony
• Population data from inception to 1776
We will start presentations on Wednesday, October 7, 2009.
See the American History pick up box for the scoring guide.
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