Livia's APUSH Blog

PresidentsLAD/Blog #8: Washington's Farewell Address. In Washington's Farewell Address, Washington states that he won't be serving another term. Even though the people wanted him to serve another term, he refused and said he was satisfied with the work he did. Without him, he says that the people must abide by the Constitution and, especially now, the country must unite. He encourages the US to avoid military rule or dictatorships which tend to rob the people of liberty. Rather, the people must treat union as liberty and the love of the union will cause them to preserve liberty just like the love of liberty will cause them to preserve the union. Washington warns the people  about political factions. These parties can take upon influence in a certain geographical location and therefore misrepresent the passions or opinions of the people. The US should be united in the sense that these parties should have "affection" toward eachother, but the factions only divide...

LAD/Blog #7: Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality acknowledges the state of war between foreign powers. It goes on to say how US citizens will respect the decisions and actions of the nations and will avoid intervening. Also, Washington states that citizens can be punished if they aid or perform hostile actions against any power or by bringing forbidden items to them. Citizens who do this will not be protected by the US government. In fact, Washington instructed officers to prosecute anyone who breaks the laws of these nations. Like Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality, Woodrow Wilson established a policy of neutrality at the start of World War I. Wilson wished to remain "impartial in thought as well as in action," similar to Washington's statements of how the US government and citizens should not intervene or act against the foreign countries.

LAD/Blog #6: Federalist Paper #10 1.  What is a faction? A faction, as defined by Madison, is a group of citizens (in the minority or majority) who are united and motivated by their own economic or political interests and opinions. 2.  Are factions good or bad? Factions can be both good or bad. While factions promote ideas that the public may be in agreement with, they divide up mankind in to parties which frequently are in disagreement. The parties often oppose the institutions of the government, threatening the political stability. Factions can bring about changes that many people are not in favor in.  3.  Why are factions so difficult to eliminate? Factions are difficult to eliminate because one must remove its causes to eliminate a faction. However, the only way to remove the causes is to destroy liberty or give every citizen the same economic or political passions and interests. Destroying liberty is impossible because it is essential to the politi...

Blog #5: Republican Motherhood. What role did the Revolutionary War play in the transformation of housewifery to Republican Motherhood? The Revolutionary War transformed housewifery to Republican Motherhood in the sense that women were now expected to nurture the future men of America. The domestic sphere, the household, is the "cradle of the human race" (Doc A) and women were held to the standard of raising men through "mental nourishment" (Doc C) and "training up good citizens" (Doc A). Also, the idea of female education was reformed to prepare women for their domestic duties. This outlines how the rising sense of patriotism and independence made women entitled to keeping order in society, since they were responsible for the future of America. What were the consequences of Republican Motherhood on women? In some aspects, Republican Motherhood made people realize the importance of women. Women were the ones who kept order in society. They were respo...

Blog #4: Rethinking the Revolution I learned the reason that the American Revolution is more commonly referred to as a revolution than a war. Although it was both these things, the American revolution was an event that began as a revolution and ended as a war while events such as the Civil War began as a war and ended as a revolution. Also, when people think of the American Revolution, they think of civilian leaders such as Franklin and John Hancock instead of thinking of military men. On the contrary, the leading figures of the Civil War, (Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant) were mostly military men. I found it interesting that after Washington left the Continental Army, he did not acknowledge much about the awfulness of the war. He did recognize the actions of his officers but failed to recognize the many enlisted men who risked their life for America. Washington also did not commemorate any battle nor did he ask Congress to set a date for remembering these battles during his p...

LAD/  Blog #3: Declaration of Independence. 1.  List the democratic principles discussed in the opening. In the opening, the Declaration of Independence discusses the principles which America is now founded upon. First of all, this document established that all men are equal and have the undeniable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. To maintain these rights, America has a democratic government based on consent of the governed. However, if this government abuses power or denies citizens their rights, the people have the right to abolish it and establish a new, fair government. 2.  List 5 grievances the colonists were making the King aware of. The colonists made the King aware of his wrong-doings by criticizing how he dissolved representative houses for objecting to his injustice in the colonies, kept armies in America even in times of peace, implemented taxes without their consent, took away their charters and didn't let them have the benefit of...

LAD/Blog 2: Who was Peter Zenger? Peter Zenger was a German Immigrant and eventually a New York Printer who published the New York Weekly Journal . In a publication, the journal criticized the royal governor, causing Peter Zenger to be tried for "Libel," or publicizing information opposing the government. What was the controversy over his charges? Although Peter Zenger published the journal, he did not write the issue which exposed the corruption of the royal governor. Zenger was only responsible for printing the papers and would not reveal who was responsible for writing them. Therefore, was Peter Zenger really guilty of Libel? Even though the judge instructed the jury to determine if Zenger was responsible for printing the papers, Hamilton convinced the jury that what Zenger said was true and they concluded that he did not deserve to be tried with such charges finding him not guilty. What influence did his case have on American governmental traditions? Zenger's def...

LAD/Blog1: What concepts are included in the Mayflower Compact? The Mayflower Compact is a document that includes concepts of religion, fairness, authority and setting up a government. The settlers believe they have "undertaken the Glory of God"; this demonstrates the voyage to the New World as a religious pursuit and how the forming of a new colony was, to a great extent, based on a religious foundation. Also, the Mayflower Compact constitutes the idea of government with respect to "just and equal laws." This provides the idea of fairness in this document and makes people keep the good of the colony in mind. This agreement also demonstrates the authority of King James. The settlers refer to themselves as "Loyal Subjects" of King James, showing their loyalty to the King and how his authority and reign has impacted their colony. Lastly, this document focuses on the idea of creating a new government in their new colony. The colonists establish their con...

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