II. 1608-1800
(AP Historic Periods 2 & 3)
In Reading Guide I, we discovered how England's North American Colonials were distinct and unique by the 18th century--we have studied the long-term conditions that could make revolution possible and will now discover the events that determined when that revolution took place!
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TIME PERIODS
AP Period/Unit 2 (1607-1754)
AP Period/Unit 3 (1754-1800) ADVANCED PLACEMENT CHAPTERS Chapter 6. The Duel for North America, 1608-1763 Chapter 7. The Road to Revolution, 1763-1775 Chapter 8. America Secedes from the Empire, 1775-1778 Chapter 9. The Confederation and the Constitution, 1776-1790 Chapter 10. Launching the New Ship of State, 1789-1800 _ COLLEGE PREP. CHAPTERS Chapter 1 (c. 1492- c. 1754) Chapter 2 (c. 1763- c. 1800) |
READING GUIDE DOCUMENT
OTHER LINKS |
AP Tools for Success
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Themes (Use these to tie evidence together across time periods for easy "complex thinking." TIP-Choose one with which to focus for the year.):
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Historical Thinking Skills (Use these to practice the skills graders are looking for on AP Rubrics.):
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Document Analysis Acronym (Use this when analyzing documents to add the words--actually use the words in responses-- and skills graders are looking for on AP Rubrics.):
C-Context (This is often used as 'H' for Historical Situation.)
A-Audience
P-Point of View (POV)
P-Purpose
A-Audience
P-Point of View (POV)
P-Purpose
The French
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RevolutionaryWarAnimated.com
"Watch 300 years of Colonial Expansion develop in North America as Spain, France, England and Holland explore, claim, and settle vast territories. Eventually British and French interests collide in the French and Indian War. French and British colonial ambitions collide in 1753 as 21-year-old Major George Washington accidentally ignites the French and Indian War. The War is but one component of the worldwide Seven Years War, but the war will determine the future of North America and set the stage for both the American Revolution and the French Revolution. The animation offers more detailed coverage George Washington’s fight at Fort Necessity, Braddock’s disastrous expedition of 1754, and the fabled Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759." Click below to see the war unfold before your eyes! This site is gone! We shall see if it returns. This is a great loss if it does not.
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The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 (1826)
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James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans was one of the first great American novels. The story is set in the French and Indian War in the colony of New York. This story has been made into a motion picture many times, the last being 1992's version staring Daniel Day Lewis as hero Natty Bumpo (Hawkeye). What Cinematography!!! In this scene, Major Duncan Heyward witnesses American colonial militia interacting with British military leadership. Pay attention to the relationship that exists between colonists and the British. Still looking for the scene to upload - Watch the scene at 9:14.
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LAST OF THE MOHICANS by N.C.Wyeth's 1919. This is the famous book cover.
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"Who invented scalping?"
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Read the American Heritage Article by clicking on the magazine below.
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Famous Ambush Scene. Violent.
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UNITE OR DIE
SIMULATION!
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You are General Edward Braddock, c. 1755. Can you lead the largest army in the Colonies into the wilderness to secure the Ohio Valley from the French? Let's see how your decision-making stands up to the test of time.
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The Road to Revolution
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Lecture: The Road to Revolution
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The Sons of Liberty and the Committees of Correspondence.
Boston, 1770
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Benjamin Franklin compared sending English soldiers to Boston to setting up a blacksmith's forge in a room full of gunpowder. In the winter of 1770, an incident that seemed destined occurred between soldiers and civilians, galvanizing colonial resistance to British colonial policy. From HBO's John Adams series.
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Lives of the American Revolution
Explorations in American History-A Skills Approach, Stoler & True. Under Construction
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The "Party"
Tasting History with Max Miller
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The Patriot Spy
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Just a bit of fun, Boston, 1775. Can you slip past Loyalists and English soldiers to deliver a message to Paul Revere? The message is to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock, leaders of The Sons of Liberty in Lexington, of their imminent arrest! Click below to try on this National Park Service page. WebRangers activities were retired at the end of 2019. Another FLASH loss.
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April Morning
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April Morning is a novel by Adam Cooper about a young man shaped by the events of April 19, 1775. A film version was made for television starring Chad Lowe as Adam and Tommy Lee Jones as Moses, and is one of the few cinematic attempts to portray the events at Lexington Green, however accurate or inaccurate they may be. I saw this in Gloria Jones' US History class at Grossmont a lifetime ago (in 1985). Enjoy.
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Brandon Fisichella, at Nativeoak.com, checks the historical accuracy below.
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Gloria and I met up again, after I took over her APUSH class in 2000, in San Antonio to grade AP essays--what a great way to show her how much she inspired me to take on more. From there, she and the "Old Guard" went to Louisville to grade for a year, leaving grading after realizing that grading had changed forever. I was a proud grader and table leader for many years, always honoring this great lady. I left grading when Tampa became our new home, but still remember Gloria and the friends I enjoyed for those several days a year, every year.
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Colonial Unity?
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Peek into the Pennsylvania State House (soon to be "Independence Hall") meeting of the Second Continental Congress, after the fighting has already occured at Lexington and Concord in the Spring. How close do you think they are to declaring independence? From HBO's John Adams series.
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King George's response to the peace petition (The Olive Branch Petition).
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Propaganda for the cause
Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"
It was going to take a lot of convincing to get enough Americans to support a declaration of independence for Britain. The two examples below were key:
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The Importance of Thomas Paine's Common Senese
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Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" speech.
One of the most famous and celebrated speeches in American History. Click below to understand the emotional appeal that helped shape the discussion toward independence. Click the button below.
IIa. Document Analysis & Comparison/SAQ Practice
From the Cengage Learning Teacher's Resource Guide
From the Cengage Learning Teacher's Resource Guide
Causes of the American Revolution
EXCERPTS
Carl L. Becker, Beginnings of the American People (1915).
“It was the opposition of interests in America that chiefly made men extremists on either side…. Those men who wished to take a safe middle ground, who wished neither to renounce their country nor to mark themselves as rebels, could no longer hold together.”
Bernard Bailyn, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution (1967).
“The colonists believed they saw emerging from the welter of events during the decade after the Stamp Act a pattern whose meaning was unmistakable….They saw about them, with increasing clarity, not merely mistaken, or even evil, policies violating the principles upon which freedom rested, but what appeared to be evidence of nothing less than a deliberate assault launched surreptitiously by plotters against liberty both in England and in America….This belief transformed the meaning of the colonists’ struggle, and it added an inner accelerator to the movement of opposition….It was this…that was signaled to the colonists after 1763, and it was this above all else that in the end propelled them to Revolution.”
QUESTIONS
- According to each of these viewpoints, what provided the fuel that drove the colonists from particular political disagreements to Revolutionary assertion of independence?
- How would each of these historians interpret the common view of the American Revolution as a fight for liberty?
- How would the sequence of events leading up to the Revolution (for example, the Stamp Act and the Boston Tea Party) be treated according to each of these perspectives?
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Declaring Independence and Setting the
Course of US History
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Morgan Freeman visits the American Philosophic Society to learn about the Declaration of Independence, and the meaning of "inherent rights." He also hosts a celebrity reading of the document.
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The War for Independence
The American Revolution Animated
HistoryAnimated.com provides an interesting and unique look at the American Revolution. "If a picture is worth a thousand words, a good animation is worth ten thousand. After reading book after book about . . . war and finding only complicated maps with dotted lines and dashed lines crisscrossing the pages, we decided to depict the key naval and land battles using animation technology." Click below to see the conflict unfold! This site is gone. Tragedy!
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What did a soldier eat?
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Christopher Ludwig, the Unknown Patriot
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The Conway Cabal
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If you thought everyone loved General Washington you are wrong! By the end of 1776, there were a growing number of influential people in Congress and in the Army that had doubts about Washington's ability to command. At this point in the War there had been only defeat, and everyone was in a desperate mood. Whether it was part of a plot (conspiracy or cabal) or not, a letter criticizing Washington is sent from Thomas Conway to General Horatio Gates--Washington learns of this letter, and other talk, prompting him to inform Congress that, if they have any doubts, he will resign his command. This threat to leave ended any serious attempts to replace Washington as head of the Continental Army. In this scene from "The Crossing," Gates (Nigel Bennett) visits Washington (Jeff Daniels) days before the famous Crossing of the Delaware River. Enjoy.
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A House Divided
The relationship between Patriot father Ben Franklin and Loyalist son William symbolized the division that existed between Americans in the American Revolution. It wasn't just the Civil War that divided families! Watch the Nation Archive speech with author Daniel Mark Epstein.
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Still Searching for the right video . . .
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LIBERTY!
This is a great series perfectly constructed in teachable segments and episodes. It is a classic must for teachers. "The American Revolution is a dramatic documentary about the birth of the American Republic and the struggle of a loosely connected group of states to become a nation. The George Foster Peabody award-winning series brings the people, events and ideas of the revolution to life through military reenactments and dramatic reading of primary sources performed by a distinguished cast.
This is a great series perfectly constructed in teachable segments and episodes. It is a classic must for teachers. "The American Revolution is a dramatic documentary about the birth of the American Republic and the struggle of a loosely connected group of states to become a nation. The George Foster Peabody award-winning series brings the people, events and ideas of the revolution to life through military reenactments and dramatic reading of primary sources performed by a distinguished cast.
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Each episode segment is about 2 minutes long--perfect for a clear and short visual!
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SIMULATION!
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You are Lord Germain, c. 1777. Can you crush the American rebellion before the French become involved in directly aiding the Rebels? Let's see how your decision-making stands up to the test of time.
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Was Our Revolution Revolutionary?
Many look at the American Revolution as far less significant than other revolutions. Why is our Revolution given less respect? Here are some of the most respected historians on the issue:
1. The Radicalism of the American Revolution (edited), by Gordon S. Wood, 1992.
2. The American Revolution Considered as a Social Movement (edited), by J. Franklin Jameson, 1926.
3. A People's History of the United States (chapter 5) , by Howard Zinn, 1980.
4. Progressive Historiography of the American War for Independence, by Author Mike Crane
Click the buttons below to compare the opinions of these historians.
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The Classic Jameson
Written when political and military history dominated the discipline, J. Franklin Jameson's The American Revolution Considered as a Social Movement was a pioneering work. Based on a series of four lectures he gave at Princeton University in 1925 , the short book argued that the most salient feature of the American Revolution had not been the war for independence from Great Britain; it was, rather, the struggle between aristocratic values and those of the common people who tended toward a leveling democracy. American revolutionaries sought to change their government, not their society, but in destroying monarchy and establishing republics, they in fact changed their society profoundly. Jameson wrote, "The stream of revolution, once started, could not be contained within narrow banks, but spread abroad upon the land.?" | ||||||||||||
IIb. Document Analysis & Comparison/SAQ Practice
From the Cengage Learning Teacher's Resource Guide
From the Cengage Learning Teacher's Resource Guide
Origins of the American Revolution
EXCERPTS
Bernard Bailyn, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution (1967).
“The colonists believed they saw emerging from the welter of events during the decade after the Stamp Act a pattern whose meaning was unmistakable. . . . They saw about them, with increasing clarity, not merely mistaken, or even evil, policies violating the principles upon which freedom rested, but what appeared to be evidence of nothing less than a deliberate assault launched surreptitiously by plotters against liberty both in England and in America. . . . This belief transformed the meaning of the colonists’ struggle, and it added an inner accelerator to the movement of opposition. . . . It was this . . . that was signaled to the colonists after 1763, and it was this above all else that in the end propelled them to Revolution.”
Theodore Draper, A Struggle for Power: The American Revolution (1996).
“The struggle for American independence was a struggle for power because—most simply—the essential issue was this: Who would make the ultimate decisions? . . . In these tumultuous years between 1763-1766 and the outbreak of the war in 1775, the struggle for power was marked by various ideological, constitutional, and political issues. But these controversies invariably turned on who had the power of decisions to settle them. They were not intellectual exercises between rivals groups of ideologues. In the end, the issue was dependence versus independence—colonial dependence on Great Britain, meaning that Parliament would make the ultimate decisions, or American independence, meaning that the assemblies would make the ultimate decisions.
Using the excerpts, answer parts a, b, and c.
a) Briefly explain ONE major difference between Bailyn and Draper’s historical interpretation of the American Revolution.
b) Briefly explain how ONE development from the period 1754 to 1776 not directly mentioned in the excerpts supports Bailyn’s argument.
c) Briefly explain how ONE development from the period 1754 to 1776 not directly mentioned in the excerpts supports Draper’s argument.
EXCERPTS
Bernard Bailyn, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution (1967).
“The colonists believed they saw emerging from the welter of events during the decade after the Stamp Act a pattern whose meaning was unmistakable. . . . They saw about them, with increasing clarity, not merely mistaken, or even evil, policies violating the principles upon which freedom rested, but what appeared to be evidence of nothing less than a deliberate assault launched surreptitiously by plotters against liberty both in England and in America. . . . This belief transformed the meaning of the colonists’ struggle, and it added an inner accelerator to the movement of opposition. . . . It was this . . . that was signaled to the colonists after 1763, and it was this above all else that in the end propelled them to Revolution.”
Theodore Draper, A Struggle for Power: The American Revolution (1996).
“The struggle for American independence was a struggle for power because—most simply—the essential issue was this: Who would make the ultimate decisions? . . . In these tumultuous years between 1763-1766 and the outbreak of the war in 1775, the struggle for power was marked by various ideological, constitutional, and political issues. But these controversies invariably turned on who had the power of decisions to settle them. They were not intellectual exercises between rivals groups of ideologues. In the end, the issue was dependence versus independence—colonial dependence on Great Britain, meaning that Parliament would make the ultimate decisions, or American independence, meaning that the assemblies would make the ultimate decisions.
Using the excerpts, answer parts a, b, and c.
a) Briefly explain ONE major difference between Bailyn and Draper’s historical interpretation of the American Revolution.
b) Briefly explain how ONE development from the period 1754 to 1776 not directly mentioned in the excerpts supports Bailyn’s argument.
c) Briefly explain how ONE development from the period 1754 to 1776 not directly mentioned in the excerpts supports Draper’s argument.
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Constitution
We are a nation founded on ideas represented by three documents: The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, defining our Nation's mission. Better said, we are the first nation founded on Enlightenment ideas, proving the validity of those ideas to this day--that ordinary people can create a government to protect their, and every American's, God-given rights.
The Articles of Confederation
Was America's first constitution a total disaster? Together, with the spreadsheet below, weigh the good and bad.
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The Constitution & Compromise
The Constitution was a series of compromises meant to ease fears of too strong or too weak a government. Can you identify the attributes of the Constitution meant to ease those fears? Click below to use the Constitution worksheet and the Constitution itself to complete the assignment. |
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Great Ratification Insight from the History Guy!
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SIMULATION!
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You are a Delegate at the Constitutional Convention, 1787. Can you earn the title, "father of the Constitution?" Let's see how your decision-making stands up to the test of time.
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"The Witch & We, The People"
"Did the fifty-five statesmen meeting in Philadelphia at the Constitutional Convention know that a witch-hunt was taking place while they deliberated? Did they care?" Click on the magazine.
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THE FEDERALIST PAPERS
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The Articles of Confederation failed to provide a government that could help solve the problems of the young United States. Debtors' rebellions, like Shays' Rebellion, convinced the leaders of the day that changes needed to be made to our government's structure.
Of course, this resulted in the Great Convention in Philadelphia that produced the Federal Constitution. This Constitution was just a suggestion that had to be approved by the majority of the States. From late 1787 through 1788, perhaps the greatest discussion of government to ever take place occurred in the United States. The question was whether or not the new Federal Constitution should be adopted and ratified. Those against the document became known as "Anti-Federalists." Those in opposition to the new Constitution were vocal and powerful, and nearly defeated motions in most states over the ratification of the document. It was only by the convictions of men Like Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, writing in the New York newspaper anonymously (The Federalist Papers) to argue for ratification. |
Ratification Table.
Are you a Federalist or Anti-Federalist?
Federalist #10. Read just the emboldened segments to answer the questions.
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Video Segments (28 Minutes Total):
All is Not well 20:00-25:42 A Convention in Philadelphia 25:43-35:10 The Ratification Battle 35:11-48:02 |
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IIc. Document Analysis and Comparison/SAQ Practice
From the Cengage Learning Teacher's Resource Guide
"The Constitution: Revolutionary or Counterrevolutionary?"
EXCERPTS
Charles Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution (1913).
A view of the Constitution as a conservative “counterrevolution”:
“The concept of the Constitution as a piece of abstract legislation reflecting no group interests and recognizing no economic antagonisms is entirely false. It was an economic document drawn with superb skill by men whose property interests were immediately at stake; and as such it appealed directly and unerringly to identical interests in the country at large.”
Gordon Wood, The Creation of the American Republic (1969).
“Because new ideas had grown often imperceptibly out of the familiar, the arguments the federalists used in 1787–88 never really seemed disruptive or discontinuous. Americans had been prepared for a mighty transformation of political thought by a century and half of political experience telescoped into the rapid intellectual changes that had taken place in the three decades of the Revolutionary era. . . . Americans had destroyed the old concept of mixed government and had found new explanations for their policies created in 1776, explanations that rested on their expansion of the principle of representation. America has not discovered the idea of representation, said Madison, but it could "claim the merit of making the discovery the basis of unmixed and extensive republics."
QUESTIONS
a) Why was Beard's view of the Constitution and the Founding Fathers so shocking when it first appeared? What would be implications if Beard were correct?
b) Does Wood's view fit Beard's critique of those who see the Constitution "a piece of abstract legislation reflecting no group interests?" What would Wood see as the "interests" of the Founding Fathers?
c) How would the holder of each of these views understand the relationship between the Revolution and the Constitution? How would each of them interpret the Anti-Federalists?
EXCERPTS
Charles Beard, An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution (1913).
A view of the Constitution as a conservative “counterrevolution”:
“The concept of the Constitution as a piece of abstract legislation reflecting no group interests and recognizing no economic antagonisms is entirely false. It was an economic document drawn with superb skill by men whose property interests were immediately at stake; and as such it appealed directly and unerringly to identical interests in the country at large.”
Gordon Wood, The Creation of the American Republic (1969).
“Because new ideas had grown often imperceptibly out of the familiar, the arguments the federalists used in 1787–88 never really seemed disruptive or discontinuous. Americans had been prepared for a mighty transformation of political thought by a century and half of political experience telescoped into the rapid intellectual changes that had taken place in the three decades of the Revolutionary era. . . . Americans had destroyed the old concept of mixed government and had found new explanations for their policies created in 1776, explanations that rested on their expansion of the principle of representation. America has not discovered the idea of representation, said Madison, but it could "claim the merit of making the discovery the basis of unmixed and extensive republics."
QUESTIONS
a) Why was Beard's view of the Constitution and the Founding Fathers so shocking when it first appeared? What would be implications if Beard were correct?
b) Does Wood's view fit Beard's critique of those who see the Constitution "a piece of abstract legislation reflecting no group interests?" What would Wood see as the "interests" of the Founding Fathers?
c) How would the holder of each of these views understand the relationship between the Revolution and the Constitution? How would each of them interpret the Anti-Federalists?
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A moment for a bit of fun . . .
The Beginning of Political Parties
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Peek behind the governing curtain to see divisive faction develop in Washington's cabinet. Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane-Stannis Baratheon) questions Alexander Hamilton (Rufus Sewell) on his financial measures. From HBO's John Adams series
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Lecture:
The Federalist Period |
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Are you a Federalist
or Democratic Republican?
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Take the test, answering yes or no to the questions, to find the Faction to which you would have belonged! Count up your "yes" and "no" answers. Watch the video at right.
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SIMULATIONS!
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You are President George Washington. Can you successfully handle the many problems of the young republic? Let's see how your decision-making stands up to the test of time. Click on the image.
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Washington's Farewell Address
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What advice did President Washington have for the future United States? Click on the pdf below!
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SIMULATION!
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You are President John Adams, c. 1797. Can you manage a growing conflict with France? Let's see how your decision-making stands up to the test of time.
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Two Famous Friends
What would tv political attack ads have looked like in 1800? |
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IId. Document Analysis and Comparison/SAQ Practice
From the Cengage Learning Teacher's Resource Guide
IId. Document Analysis and Comparison/SAQ Practice
From the Cengage Learning Teacher's Resource Guide
Foundations of the Hamilton-Jefferson Conflict
EXCERPTS
John Fiske, Essays Historical and Literary (1902).
"It may be said that in American politics all men must be disciples either of Jefferson or of Hamilton. These two statesmen represented principles that go beyond American history, principles that have found their application in the history of all countries and will continue to do so....The question always is how much authority shall the governing portion of the community be allowed to exercise, to how great an extent shall it be permitted to interfere with private affairs, to take people’s money in the shape of taxes, whether direst or indirect, and in other ways to curb or restrict the freedom of individuals. . . .Now if we compare parties in America with parties in England, unquestionably the Jeffersonians correspond to the Liberals and Hamiltonians to the Tories. It is, on the whole, the latter who wish to enlarge the powers of the government."
Charles Beard, Economic Origins of Jeffersonian Democracy (1915).
"The spokesmen of the Federalist and Republican parties, Hamilton and Jefferson, were respectively the spokesmen of capitalistic and agrarian interests....
The party of opposition to the administration charged the Federalists with building up an aristocracy of wealth by the measures of government and appealed to the mass of the people, that is, the farmers, to resist the exactions of a 'moneyed aristocracy.' By the ten years' campaign against the ruling class, they were able to arouse the vast mass of the hitherto indifferent voters and in the end swamp the compact minority which had dominated the country."
QUESTIONS
a. What does each of these views see as the basic issue between the Hamiltonians and Jeffersonians, and how do these views differ?
b. Explain one specific detail from the period supports Fiske's view.
c. Explain one specific detail from the period that supports Beard's view.
EXTENSION QUESTIONS
d. How does each of them explain the extension of the Hamilton-Jefferson dispute into a sustained party conflict?
e. How would each of them explain the conflict over Hamilton’s Bank and governmental support for business?
EXCERPTS
John Fiske, Essays Historical and Literary (1902).
"It may be said that in American politics all men must be disciples either of Jefferson or of Hamilton. These two statesmen represented principles that go beyond American history, principles that have found their application in the history of all countries and will continue to do so....The question always is how much authority shall the governing portion of the community be allowed to exercise, to how great an extent shall it be permitted to interfere with private affairs, to take people’s money in the shape of taxes, whether direst or indirect, and in other ways to curb or restrict the freedom of individuals. . . .Now if we compare parties in America with parties in England, unquestionably the Jeffersonians correspond to the Liberals and Hamiltonians to the Tories. It is, on the whole, the latter who wish to enlarge the powers of the government."
Charles Beard, Economic Origins of Jeffersonian Democracy (1915).
"The spokesmen of the Federalist and Republican parties, Hamilton and Jefferson, were respectively the spokesmen of capitalistic and agrarian interests....
The party of opposition to the administration charged the Federalists with building up an aristocracy of wealth by the measures of government and appealed to the mass of the people, that is, the farmers, to resist the exactions of a 'moneyed aristocracy.' By the ten years' campaign against the ruling class, they were able to arouse the vast mass of the hitherto indifferent voters and in the end swamp the compact minority which had dominated the country."
QUESTIONS
a. What does each of these views see as the basic issue between the Hamiltonians and Jeffersonians, and how do these views differ?
b. Explain one specific detail from the period supports Fiske's view.
c. Explain one specific detail from the period that supports Beard's view.
EXTENSION QUESTIONS
d. How does each of them explain the extension of the Hamilton-Jefferson dispute into a sustained party conflict?
e. How would each of them explain the conflict over Hamilton’s Bank and governmental support for business?
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Did Washington Have An Accent?
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President Washington was from Virginia. Would he have sounded like a wealthy Southerner, or would he have sounded like he was English? Probably, he would have sounded somewhere in between, as culture, geography, and numerous other factors would have changed the language he spoke from that of his parents, grandparents, and great grandparents (the first to live in Virginia). You probably don't sound like your grandparents either.
Today, mass media is changing the dynamics of our language and creating a neutral type of unaccented speech, while in some areas our language is getting more complex. Watch the videos here to learn some of the historic complexities of our speech. How did the other Presidents, during the period of recorded sound, sound?
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Dialect Coach, Erik Singer's Tour of North American Dialects
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