Barbary Pirates: A Difficult Test in Jefferson's First Term

An often overlooked episode of American history involved North African pirates and our young navy. Jefferson's first term is often praised, and rightly so, for the Louisiana Purchase + the Lewis & Clark Expedition. However, his first four years were not all roses and ponies.

American merchants, constantly being harassed by European powers in the Atlantic, were now facing impassable waters north of Africa. Bribes were demanded. Threats were made. It was all very difficult.

Read these two links (one and two) and answer the following two questions in the comments section.

1) Describe the difficult situation we were put in by the Barbary Pirates.

2) How does the second link relate America's 19th century struggle with piracy to our 21st century struggle with terrorism?

Jefferson in the White House: Our Third President

Thomas Jefferson was just a different kind of cat. According to contemporary sources, his voice was high-pitched which made him very self-conscious. In fact, he would write out his State of the Union Addresses and have them read aloud to Congress rather than read them himself! He also would answer the door to the White House in his slippers. Could you imagine ringing the doorbell to the White House today and President Obama answering the door in his jammies?

Read this account of Jefferson in the White House. In the comments section, answer the following two questions:

1) What does Mrs. Smith's account of Jefferson in the White House teach you about the man?

2) Do you think the job of President is different today than it was when Jefferson was President?

George Washington: Man or Deity?

George Washington was our first president. You know this. Heck, Caedmon probably knows this. So, what's the big deal about Washington? Was he really that smart and great?

For this week's blog, you are going to read an eyewitness account of George Washington's inauguration and analyze a piece of art called "The Apotheosis of Washington" which is painted on the ceiling in the U.S. Capital Building. Be sure to read the accompanying explanation of the painting on that website.

For the comments section, please complete the following:
1-Write 50 words on your reaction to the inauguration story.  What do you think the "feeling in the air" was on that day?
2-Write 50 words on your reaction to the art.  What does this art say about how Americans view Washington?

Domestic Crisis: Washington + The Whiskey Rebellion

We left off with the creation of a new government, under the Constitution, and the election of our first president, George Washington. He was a war hero to the public and seen as a great leader, but he was not a politician. Our new country would face many new challenges in the first decade of existence, many of which we had no idea how to handle because it was all so new. One of the major domestic (which means happening in your own country) issues Washington faced was the Whiskey Rebellion.

The Whiskey Rebellion caused many controversies not yet seen for the young United States Watch this video for an excellent, and brief, overview of the conflict. Follow this link to go into detail about the Whiskey Rebellion. Use this link to read Washington's proclamation regarding the Whiskey Rebellion.

Answer these two questions for the comments this week.
1) How was the Whiskey Rebellion similar to the years leading up to the American Revolution?
2) Would the rebellion have had a different outcome if a weaker president had been in charge? (I don't mean weak physically like...Mr. Haston is so weak...He has no muscles. I mean weak like...a president who was not respected by the people or who had no interest in using his federal power.)