The Duel: Hamilton vs. Burr

In what may be the deadliest example of the early political disagreements facing our young nation, Aaron Burr shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel in July 1804.  Read this primary source, read this article and watch this video (which is supposed to be a mix of comedy and history) to learn more about this incident. In the comment section, discuss your reaction to this episode and whether and why dueling was a popular conflict-resolution strategy centuries ago but no longer is acceptable.

Louisiana Purchase: When Jefferson Breaks His Own Rule & Totally Changes America

The Louisiana Purchase (1803) blindsided President Jefferson and left him with quite a predicament.  We had offered to purchase ownership of New Orleans from France for $10,000,000 and their counter-offer was to sell their entire Louisiana Territory for a mere $15,000,000.  U.S. Ambassador to France Robert Livingston made Jefferson aware of this offer and told him to act quickly before the French changed their mind.  This land purchase would double our country's size and vastly improve our ability to expand territoriality, politically and economically.  The problem was nowhere in the Constitution did it allow the president purchase land from foreign nations. And as I am sure you will recall, Jefferson was a strict interpreter of the Constitution...meaning if the Constitution did not specifically say the president could do something then it was illegal for the president to do it anyway.

Jefferson was facing a classic ethical dilemma: should he break his own rule, risk his integrity and purchase the land to benefit the nation OR should he stick with D-R beliefs and let Congress approve the purchase risking that it might take too long and the deal would be off the table.  Well, obviously he chose to buy the land without Congressional approval and that's how we got the Louisiana Territory.  Funny how Jefferson criticized Adams for "over-stepping the Constitution" but as soon as he became president he did the same thing!

For this week's blog, you are going to visit a website where the Lewis & Clark Expedition (also known as the "Corps of Discovery") is explained.  You are also going to play an online game making decisions along with Lewis & Clark.  Here is the link to the article and here is the link to the game.  After you have completed the reading and the game, in the comment section write your reaction to the Corps of Discovery.  You could include challenges they faced, what it would have been like to have been with them, what you would have done differently or anything else that seems significant about this journey.

John Adams: America's First Dictator?

John Adams had a miserable presidency. I honestly feel bad for him.  He was an excellent public servant leading up to, and during, the Revolutionary War, but sadly his legacy is tarnished with his time as president. His personality was not well suited to be an executive (he was short-tempered, easily offended and too smart for his own good) and he was constantly being compared to Washington.  Following in Washington's footsteps led to constant, and unfair, criticism that he was not able to handle.

Two things define Adams' presidency: The XYZ Affair and the Alien/Sedition Acts.  Of those two, the most damaging incident was the Alien/Sedition Acts.  Rather than explain them to you, I want you to explore these two websites: Website A and Website B.  On Website A, be sure to click the link for the "Virginia & Kentucky Resolutions" at the end of the reading because you need to read that as well.

For the comment section, give your thoughts on the following questions: Was Adams justified in passing these acts? Did these acts violate the Bill of Rights?  If they did, should he have been impeached? Should the government ever be allowed to "overstep their boundaries" in the name of "public protection"?

George Washington: Father Of Our Nation 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?

End Of The Semester: Reflection

Wow! You guys have worked very hard this semester! We have covered a lot of material and you have had great attitudes. Thank you for all of your hard work.

For this week's blog, please reflect on what we have studied since August.  In the comments section, discuss the one topic or lesson that has impacted you the most and why.  Please give this some real thought and reflection.

The U.S. Constitution: Our Second Attempt At Creating A Government

As you are going to learn this week, the U.S. Constitution was not the original set of laws for America.  During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress wrote, and the states approved, the adoption of the Articles of Confederation & Perpetual Union. The AOC would serve as our official governing document from 1781-1787 when they were replaced by the Constitution.

The AOC attempted to create a government where the people (states, voters etc.) retained most of the power within the government.  We had just rebelled from a system of government where one man (King George III) and one governing body (Parliament) had full access to all political power, leaving "the people' often helpless.  Naturally, in creating our new government we were going to spread the power around rather than centralize it in the federal government (Congress, President, Supreme Court etc.)  This sounds good in theory, but an essentially powerless central government can get nothing accomplished which causes lots of problems for the states.  Soon the leaders of America were rethinking the effectiveness of the AOC and chose to write a new document where power was more evenly distributed.

This decision to change, but eventually do away with, the AOC came in the summer of 1787.  Men from all over the country convened in Philadelphia (just like they had done in the 1st and 2nd Continental Congresses) to author a new governing document.  What emerged from those months of meetings and debates is our Constitution.  Adopted in 1787, the Constitution has withstood over forty different presidents, multiple wars (including the Civil War) and various other crises.  If you think about it, it is fairly remarkable that the AOC last about ten years and the Constitution has lasted 226 years. That was quite an improvement!

For this week's blog, visit this website and watch the videos on The President, The Legislative Branch & The Judicial Branch.  Each video is approximately 20 minutes in length, so you'll need to plan your time accordingly.  In the comments section, you will write three paragraphs.  Each paragraph should be 100 words long and summarize what you learned from each video.  This week's blog will be worth triple the points (150 instead of 50).

Chords Of Change: Music Of The Revolutionary War

This blog will be our last on the topic of the Revolutionary War.  This critical conflict was such a pivotal force in the creation of our country that it took three blogs to cover!

This week you will be examining some popular songs, on both sides of the war, during this time period.  Visit this website, listen to the five songs listed on the left and read the lyrics as you listen.  In the comment section choose two (2) lyrics to quote that really stood out to or that you thought were particularly insightful about this time period.