Final Essay 2

The Battle of Saratoga is often called the turning point of the war. It was a 3-prong attack on the colonies who were in Albany, New York. Orginally Gen. Burgoyne, Gen. Howe and St. Leger were going to come in on all sides and attack the colonials. But it turned out that Gen. Howe wanted to attack and take Philidelphia so he decided to go there instead. St. Leger had gotten scared off by Benedict Arnold's resistance so he didn't continue down the Mohawk River. Even though 2 or the 3 prongs didn't come as planned this battle was what made lots of people view Americans as a big threat military wise. This battle also proved to the French that it was worthwhile for them to make an alliance with the United States. When looking back on this battle many say it is the turning point of the Revolutionary war for us.

Many people always say well what if this had happened or what if this was changed. The same can be said about this battle, what if Howe and St. Leger had actually showed up for the attack. If the generals could have stuck with the plans and not been scared off than the attack might have gone off without a hitch. This one little change could have made us lose the french as an ally in the war. It also could have helped the British pull ahead of us and they might have won the war. Essensiantly this one change in history could have changd the entire furture of our counrty. Saratoaga wouldn't have been considered the turning point of the war and we could have ultimately lost the war because of the lack of french alliance.

Today when looking back on the battle of Saratoga people say that is is where the Americans really pulled ahead in the war. But, there is always the question of what if the entire 3 prongs had come? We definately wouldn't have gained the French assistance. Besides just changing the past, it would change our current country. America might not have won the war and there is the possibility that British would still rule the country. We also might not have good relations with the French as we do now. We see Saratoga as the point that our counrty turned the Revolutionary War around.

Final Essay 1

Throughout our country's history we have experienced many wars in order to further ourselves and get into a better place, whether it be financially, socially or geographically. It is easy to see that war can help to achieve these goals, it is an unnecessary evil. War is one of the times that can bring the absolute worst or the absolute best out of people. There are many different reasons of course why people fight, but there are a few things that seem to be the main influences throughout time.

First it would have to be nationalism, every country thinks that theirs is the best in the world, and some would go to war just to prove it. For example, England, during the American Revolution King George thought that he could control every move and decision the colonists in America made. Even though he might have thought he was helping, all he was doing was making matters worse. Soon people began getting angry at the taxes and things he was putting on them and they began to rebel. Instead of trying to talk things out, both sides decided they had to go to war just to prove it. Although it turned out well for our country in the end, it could have saved many lives by just talking it out and not spending thousands on a war that was not necessary.

A second reason is simply out of a country's or it's leaders greed. Many times war is started because someone wants to expand their territory. Even if you have enough land to supply your people, you start to get greedy if there is more land that can possibly be used up. This happened in the French and Indian War of 1754-1763, the colonists were fed up with the king and decided to go to the New World to have a fresh start. When they got there the land was already inhabited with the Native Americans. There was a difference in opinion there, the Natives thought the land was rightfully theirs while the colonists did not see a problem with taking the land from these "savages". Even though they ended up coming to an agreement, the colonists got greedy and wanted to expand even further into the Native Americans land. If the colonies had just kept to their own land and didn't rile anything up than there wouldn't be a need for war. But of course there was disagreement and the wars began. This happens many times throughout history, if people get greedy than eventually a war will errupt.

Some countries think that if they send forces into a country to help than those people will greatly appreciate the assistance. Although when they get there that is not how the situation happens at all. Sometimes, even though you are trying to help others out, they don't want any and are offended that someone would want to step and tell them how to run their country. Though a war was not intended by any means, in result of an uprisal, a war may begin. This may have been the case in the American Revoluion, King George may have thought he was "helping" us, but in reality he was only making people angry. This is one of the main reasons war is so unnecessary, it often happens because of simple human faults.

The war in Iraq is most defiantely a result of human faults, although many do not see it this way. The Iraqies did attack our country and change our lives forever. I do beleieve that it is right that we do something to fight back and show them that it's not okay that happened. But, war is most definately not the answer, all this war did was cause even more distruption in our country. When we first went over, within the first few years we had evidently accomplished what was needed, so we could've just sent our troops home and it would be over. But no, we decided to keep our troops over there to help Iraq become a better country and start a good government and military. We have been there for far too long now and the Iraqies don't like us there either; this is quite evident from all the suicide bombings and fighting still happening. People say that we learn from our mistakes, but it is easy to see that we still have not seen how unnecessary fighting a war really is.

Book Portfolio #4

"What's happening?" Annemarie asked when she and Ellen were alone with Papa in the living room. "Somethings wrong. What is it?" Papa's face was troubled. "I wish I could protect you children from this knowledge." This is a quote from the historical fiction book Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. Published in 1989, this is a story of love and understanding, but also extreme hardships. It follows 10 year old Annemarie and her family during one of the harshest times in history, the holocaust. Even though the Germans have been in Denmark for a while Annemarie and her friend Ellen, who happens to be Jewish, hasn't seen them at all near their apartment building. But coming home from school one day the girls have a run in with 2 of them and get frightened. Then the store down the road from them, owned by a Jewish woman gets closed. Soon Ellen's family must leave so the Nazi's won't capture them, so she joins Annemarie's family. With the Germans coming into Denmark now the two girls and Ms. Johansen go to their Uncle Henrik's on the countryside. There they narrowly escape being discovered and Annemarie must be strong and find the bravery inside her. Throughout this book we see that growing up and finding yourself is a difficult journey.

It was already hard enough for Annemarie growing up and dealing with the death of her sister, but the holocaust amplified this struggle. She was already having trouble deciding if she was still a child or turning into a lady. But when the war started and she had to play different roles it made her identity more confusing. When she must at times play mother for Kirsti, her little sister, but then switch to grown up mode. Whenever her mother had to go and get food or make sure other people traveling with them were safe, Kirsti looked at her for protection. Annemarie would do things such as tell her fairy tales where the people lived happily ever after, which is exactly what Kirsti needed to keep her calm. But when she took her journey to deliver Uncle Henrik his package, if she wasn't scared enough she ran into the German police. So this trip into the woods seemed like she went in a child but came out more like a young lady. This journey was a huge step in her process of growing up and finding herself.

Every child, even adults, have a hard time finding themselves and growing up. Back in the holocaust many Jews were forced out of their homes and into the unknown. When the families got on the trains and to the camps they were forced apart. It didn't matter if there was a 3 or 4 year old separated from it's mother. A lot of these children were forced to grow up very quickly and realize they were all by themselves now. Sometimes the adults had a hard time identifying just where they were. Being taken away from their family could depress them severely and take them back feeling young and alone. The Nazi's would degrade them and make them feel like they meant nothing at all. Even the young men who were in the army had to grow up very quickly. Many of them were from small families and grew up in little side towns. When they joined the army and were forced to murder hundreds of people every single day. Just this fact alone would force you to go from being a young man of 17, 18 years old to being a full grown man. War forces young people to grow up extremely quickly, the holocaust gave these young men a giant push into adulthood.

Everyone has trouble with their identity at some point in life and has to face the difficulties of growing up. Annemarie's experience with the war and her family's changes caused her to realize that she was growing up and was much stronger than she thought. Back in the Holocaust many women, children and men were faced with difficult shifts in life and had to grow into their new environment. Lois Lowry did a in depth job of showing the readers that even if you aren't sure who you are, if you just trust in yourself you'll be able to find what your looking for. If you go through life unsure of who you really are or what you want you'll never be able to fully live your life.

Valley Forge Letter

February 14, 1778


Dearest Abigail,
I know that I have not written in a long while, for these past few months have been long and cold. The weather here is nothing like back in Georgia,it seems that it rains or snows all the time. I hope that everything is going well for you back at home. I have been missing you terribly, and thinking about our new child constantly. Enough time has passed that I'm sure we have been blessed with a beautiful little son or daughter. From your last letter I can see that you have been worrying. Just know that I am doing fine, even though the fire cakes we eat are nothing near your home cooked meals.
When I first enlisted for the army I was extremely proud and ready to fight for our colonies. Though I am still proud to be part of this army, it is very tiresome. It seems that we haven't won a single battle since the start of this war. Most nights we sleep in our drafty, dirty huts with 10 or 11 other men when it is extremely frigid out. If I had known this I would've brought my own blankets with me! Anyhow, for a while there seemed to be no one who cared about our needs as simple as clothing and food. Gen. Mifflin who is in charge of these tasks seems to not care at all about his duties. It is saddening to see my brothers begin to lose hope in our cause and become weakened. This simply because of a lack of a man not wanting to do his job.
Even I, who was so ecstatic about the idea of a new start, am beginning to lack zeal for our fighting. I have been putting a lot of thought into whether I should re-enlist or whether I just want to come home to my wife and child. There is also the issue with sickness. We have lost hundreds of men to various illnesses, many are not well enough to fight any longer. I am just glad that you are not here to experience the horrors of this war and life in the camp. Though I am tired and weary I am going to keep fighting to ensure that you and our family is kept safe.
Sadly, I must go for there are many duties that I need to fulfill for today. Just know that I am thinking of you day and night. I love you with all of my heart and send my love to our darling baby. I will write as soon as I can.

Your loving husband,
Benjamin

4th Quarter Project

Our fourth and shortest president, James Madison, was born in Port Conway, Virginia on March 16, 1751. He is the oldest of 12 children, and only 7 of them reached their adult years. His parents were Colonel James Madison Sr. and Eleanor Rose "Nellie" Conway. Most of this childhood was spent on the family's tobacco plantation in Orange County, Virgina. He then went on to attend and graduate from The College of New Jersey, known as Princeton University now. Where he finished their four year course in only two years, and was named America's first graduate student. On September 14, 1794 he married Dolley Payne Todd, even though she was 17 years younger than him. Dolley Madison is accredited with being the first ever First Lady, being the political ally and the president's advisor. The Madisons never did have any children of their own throughout their marrige.

James was a representative of the state of Virginia, and was often labeled as another Thomas Jefferson. He was a member of the Continental Congress, helped in framing the Virgina State Constitution and he was a member of the Virgina Assembly. He also, with the help of John Jay and Alexander Hamilton, wrote the Federalist Essays. These were one of the most important documents for the changing of the Constitution. Madison was frequently called the father of the constitution, he was also part of the "Founding Fathers". Although these men are assosiated with a new free country, many of them were slave owners or owned plantations which employed many slave workers. This group included men such as Richard Basset, William Blount, James Madison and even Benjamin Franklin, who later became an abolitionist. James beleived that the new America needed a system of checks and balances, and thought that they needed to go agaisnt the ideas of aristocracy and wanted the United States to be a republican country. He was one of the leaders in the House of Representatives and helped George Washington to put together and organize the new systems of government. He was the man who introduced our 3-branched government system which we have today. As mentioned before, he was our fourth president of the United States. His vice president was George Clinton and Elbridge Gerry, Secretary of State was Robert Smith and James Monroe and attorney generals Ceasar A. Rodney, William Pinkney and Richard Rush. Above all, James was known as and therefore named "Father of the Constitution".

James Madison had a great love for the United States, and wanted to keep it well and alive forever. He beleived in all men were created equal and deserved to be treated that way. He also supported the idea of the separation of church and state, James helped to write the Declaration of Religious Freedom with Thomas Jefferson. He wanted to separate from the Church of England and let people in the new country participate in whichever religion they wanted to. He also thought that the government was not as organized as well as it could be. With all the state governments often cancelling out one another, he advocated for one, united, government.

This great man deserves much more recognition than he currently recieves. Although his wife is extremely popular with many people, not a lot of people take the time out to look at his acheivements. Some historians are finally beginning to realize this, even some say he "Handles the war simliar to Lincoln's war time management" which is quite the compliment. Madison really showed England that America is not a force to be reckoned with and that even though it was still growing up, it was still a potential great country. He even gained respect for our rights from those countries like England and France across the Atlantic. What other president was able to come out of every disscusion they get into on the winning side. On a note opened after his death, James had written this, "What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary."

4th Quarter Notes

1763-1789
Revolution Notes

1763—Proclamation Act

What was it?----The king decided to give the native americans their own land, and did not allow the colonies to invade on that land.
Why was it made?----To make the indians sure that the colonies would not expand any further out.



1764—Grenville Acts (direct tax)
Sugar (molasses, wine)
Stamp



Quartering
Currency
Virtual/ Direct Representation


The Grenville Acts were Britan's first attempt at taxing the colonies. These taxes on the colonies were essential for Britan, because they were paying debts that they had made in the 7 years war. The quartering act was when soldiers could come into your house no matter who you were.



1765—Stamp Act Congress
Sons of Liberty
Samuel Adams
Paul Revere
John Hancock
Propaganda
Boycotts
Lobsters (Lobster-backs, Thomas Lobster)

The Sons of Liberty was a group of men who acted like the mafia, they were fighting for colonial freedom, but they sometimes used violence to enforse their ideas. They first started because they were opposing the Stamp Act. Propaganda was used to make people even more angry and against the king. They even boycotted Britian, by throwing the Tea overboard one of their ships.






1766—Declaratory Act
What is it?-----the act that allowed the parliment to make laws and have a say in the colonies government. The king said that he would take away certian laws they didn't like, but he would have the right to tax them as much as he wanted.




1767—Townsend Acts (indirect tax)
Charles Townsend
Writs of Assistance (search warrants)
Revenue used to pay Royal officials in the colonies
Tea Act (glass, paper, paint) support British East India Company

Britian's second attempt at taxing the colonies. Britain is just trying to get their money by taxes, but not make the people angry.



1770—Boston Massacre
March 5, 1770
Local reaction (primarily)
5 dead colonists
John Adams defends British soldiers/5 exonerated-2 convicted
Convicted men discharged and thumbs branded

This event helped the Sons of Liberty to prove that the government was bad and to put the colonies against them. It also brought out many propaganda peices from those who were already against the government.



1773—Boston Tea Party
November 30, 1773--Dartmouth sails into Boston Harbor
December 16, 1773--Tea dumped into harbor
340 chests of tea dumped (value of 10,000 British pounds)

This was a boycott by the Sons of Liberty against British government rule. All the men were drunk and it was yet again an act just to prove the point that they did not want any part in Britain or their taxes.






1774—Intolerable Acts (Coercive Acts in Britain)
Close the port of Boston
Shut down Provincial and Town Governments
All offices appointed
Named General Thomas Gage as Governor
Gave all western lands north of the Ohio R. to Quebec, allowed Catholic Church to practice

These were punishments to the colonies for the Boston Tea Party.



1774—1st Continental Congress
September to October (7 weeks)
Carpenter’s Hall, Philadelphia
New England—John Adams, Paul Revere, Silas Deane
Virginia—Washington, Patrick Henry, Peyton Randolph, Richard Henry Lee
Pennsylvania—John Dickenson, Joseph Galloway (Plan for American council under Parliament, to avoid war)
New York—John Jay, James Duane
Maryland—Samuel Chase (future Supreme Court Justice), Charles Carroll (richest man in Maryland, Catholic)
Declaration of Rights—rejects Parliamentary authority over internal colonial affairs, colonies manage own defense, united aid to Boston if Intolerable Acts continue, absolute boycott of British goods to be enforced rigidly

12 of the 13 colonies sent delagates to represent them. Their goal was to stop all the bad things that Britian was doing to the colonies.



1775— January
William Pitt urges Parliament to withdraw troops from America because the idea of managing the colonies through force was “too ridiculous to take up a moment of your lordships’ time”



1775—April 19
Lexington and Concord
Gen. Gage sends 700 men to Concord to seize the powder supplies
Paul Revere and William Dawes raise alarm the night before
Town of Lexington is on the way to Concord
Minutemen are assembled on the town common
“Shot heard round the world”
18 colonials killed and the rest run away
British march on to Concord and find the munitions were moved overnight
Minutemen ambush the British the whole way back to Boston
430 Redcoats make it back to Boston
30,000 Colonists surround Boston

First battle of the Revolutionary War.


1775—May
Gen. Howe, Gen. Clinton, Gen. Burgoyne
5,000 British troops
Ethan Allen, “Green Mountain Boys” seize Fort Ticonderoga
Henry Knox uses canon to lay siege on Boston
Benedict Arnold (Connecticut) takes Fort Crown Point to impede an invasion from Canada

1775—May 10
2nd Continental Congress
Sam Adams pushes for Independence
John Dickenson (Penn.) urges restraint
Agree to form Colonial Army
Delegates unanimously agree to Washington as Commander of Continental Army (John Adams suggestion)

supports and discusses the colonial war effort and decide to make George Washing the Commander of the Continental Army

1775—June 17
“Battle of Bunker Hill”
Actually fought on Breed’s Hill
Gen. Howe leads assault without canon support (his canon had been matched with wrong-sized cannonballs [Amherst at Ticonderoga])
Militia waited to within 30 yards (some say 15 yards)
Militia target British officers
Militia ran extremely low on ammunition
On the third assault, led by Gen. Howe, British troops overtake the colonial position
Britain losses almost 1000 men (about half the attacking force)
Colonials lose about 500 men

British ends up losing, Americans build a group up the hill to entrap Gen. howe and his men in Boston, makes it difficult for the British to come back from.



1776—January,
Common Sense
Written by Thomas Paine

120,000 copies sold in three months

Challened the authority of the British governemnt and it's monarchy. First document to ask for independence from Great Britian and the language in it was easy for the more common people to understand.

1776—March
Gen. William Howe evacuates Boston
July 2, lands in Staten Island, New York (Loyalist base)



1776—Declaration of Independence

June 7, Richard Henry Lee (Virginia) introduces legislation to declare independence from Britain
Before voting on Lee’s proposal Congress appoints five-man committee to draft a formal Declaration of Independence (Thomas Jefferson, 33, does most of the writing)
June 28, Declaration presented to Congress
July 2, Congress approves Lee’s legislation to declare the United States of America independent of Great Britain
July 4, Congress officially adopts the Declaration of Independence
The Declaration intended to:
Undermine loyalty to King George III
Outline basic principles of representative government
Establish the “right” of rebellion

The document that declared, officailly, that we were dependent from Great Britian. It was intended to undermine the loyalty to the king, outline the basics of a representative government and to establish the right of rebellion. There was a 5 man committee that wrote it, but Thomas Jefferson was the main writer.




1776—August
Brooklyn Heights, New York
Largest Naval group Britain will launch until the 20th century
British victory, city falls to England
As winter came “sunshine patriots” left the American Army
Initial colonial enlistments due to expire

George washington is faced with having to defend Long Island from the huge British Forces coming from the Sea. He forgets to protect one passageway, and that is all it takes for them to make their way in. Thank goodness for the fog that rolled in and gave him a free pas to get away and not lose all his troops.




1776—December
Battle of Trenton
Howe believes war almost won
1,400 Hessians stationed at Trenton
Colonel Rall (Hessian) builds no fortifications
Washington “Crosses the Delaware” Christmas night
2,500 men; 18 artillery guns
Surprise attack at dawn
106 Hessians killed, 918 captured
No colonial casualties
Washington retreats in secret to avoid Gen. Cornwallis counter-attack

Washington and his troops had an sneak attack on the Hessians by crossing the delaware late at night. Then, even when he had been warned by a message sent to him, the leader of the Hessians ignored the message and got absolutely defeated by Wahsington and his army.

1777—January
Princeton
Washington ambushes British troops
Colonial victory establishes this will not be a quick war for Britain

Washington's troop's were almost at re-enlistment time but he convinced them to stay with him for another 6 weeks. Gen. Cornwallis forced Washington's troops up to Princeton but Washingon ends up ambushing Cornwallis' troops.

1777—September
October, Saratoga
Gen. Burgoyne plans a three-prong attack on colonials at Albany
Plan does not consider the terrain, forcing British troops to march through swamps, lakes, hills and forests full of rebels
Two of the three “prongs” never arrive (Howe goes to Philadelphia instead, St. Leger retreats to New York afraid of Benedict Arnold)
Sept. Burgoyne crosses Hudson River
Oct. 17, Burgoyne surrenders
Establishes American Army as real threat
Helps secure open French Alliance
Turning Point of the War


Gen. Howe had his own plan to take Philidelphia, and had gotten no offical orders to hlep Gen. Burgoyne and his other prong, St. Leger, got scared off by Benedict Arnold's Resistance to him, so he stopped heading for Saratoga. Burgoyne was afraid he wound't have enough supplies to keep his armies well enough to fight the advancing British. But he ended up facing the Hessians and British troops combined, but on Oct. 17 he surrendered. Seen as the truning point of the war, this is what gains the French Alliance.


1777-1778 Winter at Valley Forge
Under-funded troops
Low morale
10,000+ troops
4,000 troops listed as “unfit for duty” due to poor supplies (boots, blankets, coats, etc.)
2,500 troops die of disease (typhus, typhoid fever, dysentery, pneumonia)
George Washington mentioned a lack of shoes so severe that the men's "marches might be tracked by the blood from their feet”
Local farmers would sell produce to Brits who could pay cash

Troops has extremely low morale, they had firecakes for food and many got sick with disease and died because of the lack of treatment and hygene. Many men decided to un-enlist after the winter spent here.


1779—February, Vincennes


1780—August, Camden


1780—October, Kings Mountain


1781—October, Yorktown
British Gen. Cornwallis
American Gen. Washington (also “Mad” Anthony Wayne, Baron von Steuben)
French Gen. Rochambeau (also Marquis de Lafayette)
Essentially a French Naval victory
Last significant battle of the war


Last Battle of the War, is won by the French support of their naval skills and also the attacks on land by the american generals.

1783—Sept. 3,
Treaty of Paris
Britain recognizes American independence
America gets all land from Atlantic coast to Miss. River, Great Lakes to Florida
Fishing rights to the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and off the coast of Newfoundland
America must pay debts to Britain
American congress would “earnestly recommend” all Loyalist property returned (States ignore this request)

King George has to accept American Independence, fishing rights to Newfoundland. Benjamin Franklin ultimatliy gets France to agree to sign the treaty and end the wars.

Book Portfolio 3

In the non-fiction book, As The Future Catches You by Juan Enriquez, he talks about how the world is changing quickly and unless we want to get left behind than we need to keep advancing with the rest of world. In the near future,meaning in the next few years, genetics, genomes and technology will be the main source of power. So in order to advance in this new world having knowledge in these subjects is critical. This was the main theme throughout the entire book.

With this new era of technology coming up on us it is going to be very important to have knowledge on genetics. With all the new ideas that have evolved in technology over the past 20 or 30 years, many things that used to be far fetched can now be achieved. Such as changing the DNA of an mosquitoes so that instead of injecting us with harmful things, it would immunize us against things like malaria. In 1804 there were only 1 billion people on earth, and by 1999 there were 6 billion. Back then everyone would have starved, so if it was not for the evolution of agriculture and the ability to genetically alter food we would be dying. This just shows how even back then genetics were beginning to change and become ever more important. " The rules are different in a knowledge economy....it's a scary time for the establishment." This quote is talking about how some companies that think they will be the best for years to come, will start to downfall because of this new knowledge economy coming up. For anyone thinking that things are going to stay the same forever, this book will offer you a whole new look on what is happening to us in the near future.

Throughout history there have been times when one group has better technology than the other group does. Such as when the Powhatan Indians went against the British, the native Americans only had little bow and arrows. These weren't exactly the greatest match against the enemies having guns that could do twice the damage. There have even been advances in the medical field, which is closely related to the changes in technology. Such as back when people would die just because they had a common illness like the flu, simply because the medicines weren't as advanced as they are now. During the time of the Nazi concentration camps Adolf Hitler believed that one race was inferior to all others, truly that just because someone was Jewish made them a bad human being. Back then we didn't know all we know about genetics and that may have been a great help during that time if they had had the information we do now. It never changes, now and even years ago people always need to be ready for change, especially in the genetics and technological fields.

Now more than ever we are seeing the effects of how critical it is to follow the waves change the world is going through, and you need to be knowledgeable about them if you want to succeed. Juan Enriquez did a great job in showing how much things in genetics and technology has changed over the years and how some countries have gotten crushed because they didn't change along with everyone else. It has been seen over and over again in history that those with better knowledge, will indeed go further in the world. If our generations, and those to come, do not start learning and understanding genetics and technology it will be extremely difficult for us to succeed in the world ahead of us. The author stated this best, "The end.....actually it's just the beginning."