LAD #10 - Monroe Doctrine

1.  What did the issuing of the Monroe Doctrine express from an American perspective post War of 1812?

The Monroe Doctrine expressed isolationist policies and stated that new colonies could not be settled in the United States by foreign powers. Doing so would be seen as an act of aggression towards the United States. By doing so, this doctrine would help to prevent the United States from being caught in another European conflict as it did during the War of 1812.

2.  What was Secretary of State Adams' hope when he wrote the Monroe Doctrine?

Adams hoped that the United States would be taken more seriously after the Monroe Doctrine. He believed that if the United States defined the consequences of treading on our ground and disrespecting our borders, foreign powers such as Europe would take us much more seriously than before.

3.  What is the key phrase in the entire document that you need to remember as the cornerstone or American Foreign Policy?

"...the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers."

Columbus Blog

Christopher Columbus, although considered to be an excellent navigator and may have faced some odds when it came to traversing the Atlantic Ocean, is not all that we celebrate him to be. He never truly "discovered" the New World, merely stumbled upon it on his search for a more efficient trade route to Asia. Columbus' original intent for the journey was for gold, not to discover whether or not the Earth was round (most people of that time didn't even believe that the Earth was flat). His opinions of the natives? They were weak and he could "could conquer the whole of them with fifty men, and govern them as [he] pleased." His treatment of the natives in the New World was even worse. Columbus enslaved the natives, taking some back, and a great deal of them died on their way to Europe. The only reason he is "celebrated" and has become a federal holiday is because of lobbying from a group called the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic group during Roosevelt's administration, all because they wanted a celebrated Catholic figure. Before that, Columbus Day had been celebrated since 1892 as the 400th anniversary of Columbus' arrival because of President Benjamin Harrison.

And so every second Monday of in October we dedicate an entire 24 hours to a man who mistreated an entire group of people and cared only for the potential gold that lay beneath the surface of the New World.

LAD #9

In Jefferson's Inaugural Address, Jefferson begins by celebrating and thanking the people for electing him as president. He continues by stating how the country should continue to provide for the individual rights of the people through the Constitution. Jefferson additionally states how it is important to consider the opinions of the minority, even though they may not be reasonable. He believes that in this country, "every man, at the call of the law, would fly to the standard of the law, and would meet invasions of the public order as his own personal concern." In the next paragraph, Jefferson lists and emphasizes the parts that make the "sum of good government," such as practicing a "benign religion" that inculcates "honesty, truth, temperance, gratitude, and the love of man." Jefferson also lists the principles by which he will lead the country, such as treating his citizens with equality, "honest friendship with all nations," and avoiding alliances. Jefferson ends his inaugural address by acknowledging the fact that not all of his policies and ideas will be met with complete acceptance, but he asks for his citizens' "indulgence for [his] own errors."

LAD #7: Washington's Farewell Address

Washington's farewell address starts off with an explanation of why he is not running for a third term. He states how he wanted to step down after his first term, he saw how the country was still in need of his assistance and so stayed for another term. Now that the country is in a relatively ok situation, he feels that it is right to allow someone else to run as president. He thanks the country for its support and adoration, and also has some advice for the country. He states how a unified country is very important, and that other people or nations will try to tear it apart. The South relies on the North, the North on the South, the East on the West, and the West on the East. Thus, it is important to always be aware of this and make sure not to become torn apart. He also states the danger of political parties and how they can harm the unity of the country. One party may gain more power and eventually create tyranny in the country. Because of this, people need to be aware of this, even when parties are supporting popular causes. In addition, he talks about alliances and peace. Alliances should be made only in times of emergency during a defensive war, and on all other occasions the country should not make any alliances, especially when it comes to conflicts in Europe. Peace should be maintained with other countries, and in the end will be the best for the future of the United States.

Washington's Farewell Address

LAD #6: Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality

In Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality, Washington acknowledges the fact that there is conflict between Austria, Prussia, Sardinia, Great Britain, the United Netherlands, and France. However, Washington also states that the U.S will be neutral during this conflict and that any citizen that is caught assisting these nations would not be protected by the U.S government and will be punished if caught.

Washington's Proclamation of Neutrality

LAD #5: Federalist #10

1. Why are factions so difficult to eliminate?
Factions are difficult to eliminate because man will always have differing opinions when he has the right to do so. Thus, factions can never be truly eliminated unless the right to do so is revoked. The second option is to give everyone the same opinion, but then that would be contradicting to the rights that the U.S fought for in the Revolutionary War.

2. If factions cannot be removed, then how can they be controlled?
Balancing the powers of the factions and keeping them in check through voting. Although one faction in a state may spark some kind of commotion, keeping the factions in balance would prevent the commotion from spreading to the rest of the state because a minority would not gain any beneficial power due to the election process.

Federalist Papers

Republican Motherhood Blog

1. What role did the Revolutionary War play in the transformation of housewifery to Republican Motherhood?
The Revolutionary War affected the role of women by giving them more rights, such as better education, on the premise that they would be teaching future generations of Americans in order to preserve the republic. As Benjamin Rush states, "This cannot be done without the assistance of the female members of the community" (Document B). Mrs. A.J Graves also emphasizes this notion, stating, "Let her employ it, then, in leading those young, inquiring minds, which look up to her for guidance, along the pleasant paths of knowledge" (Document A).

2.  What were the consequences of Republican Motherhood on women?

Women were still expected to stay at home and serve as a maternal figure in the household, and the common consensus was that "home is [women's] appropriate sphere of action; and whenever she neglects these duties, or goes out of this sphere of action to mingle in any great public movements of the day, she is deserting the station which God and nature have assigned to her" (Document A). However, as Jonathan F. Steams states, women are responsible for "the destiny of our country" (Document D), which implies that some "respect" was present towards women of the house. 

3. What is the significance of the ideology of Republican Motherhood as a stage in the process of women’s socialization?

This ideology can be seen as a stepping stone towards the larger feminism movement that would take shape later in American history. A more respected view of women could be seen to emerge from this, as people are depending on women to educate and care for the future of the United States of America. As Mary Morris states, "While you thus keep our country virtuous, you maintain its independence" (Document C).

A portrait of Mary Gibson Tilghman and her sons by Charles Willson Peale (1789) 

1. Describe the setting.

The portrait depicts a mother (Mary Gibson Tilghman) with her two sons sitting on a coach, one on her lap and the other next to her. 

2. Who serves at the center of the portrait and why?  How does the woman look?  How is she “republican” rather than aristocratic?

The center of the portrait appears to be Mary Gibson Tilghman, the mother of the two sons. This is most likely done in order to promote the idea of republican motherhood. The woman appears to be dressed plainly, with little extravagance. She is more "republican" than aristocratic because of this. The plainness and "everyday-ness" of her attire support that she is, in fact, a woman of a middle class and not of a higher, upper class of the aristocracy. 

3. What values do her sons exhibit?

Her sons seem to be depicted as rather innocent, and dressed rather modestly. The older son's attentive look shows that he is relatively well raised, while the younger one, with his hand outstretched towards the older son, seems to still exhibit the traits characteristic of younger children. 

4. Is there a significance to the position of Mrs. Tilghman's arm?

Mrs. Tilghman's arm, holding the younger child in place, seems to represent the power she has over her children. The younger child, not yet developed in behavior, must be taught how to properly behave, which the mother is to teach to the child, hence the position of the arm. However, the seemingly older child, who is most likely more behaved than the younger child, does not need the same guidance, and therefore Mrs. Tilghman's arm is not on the older child. This most likely meant to show the perceived role of women at the time, in which women were meant to be the head of the household and raise children.