Revolutionary War: Part One

1) What rebel leaders does Paul Revere ride at midnight to warn?
Samuel Adams and John Hancock.

2) In detail, describe how the battle of Concord looked.
The British lined up in rows and marched into Concord. It was basically a brawl, which took place on the way back to Boston. Throughout the march, the rebels' numbers were increasing while the British continued to die.

3) Why was the Revolutionary War the most important event in U.S. History?
It legally created our self-government. It upheld and proved all of our ideals, such as 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness'.

4) How many cities over 10,000 were there in America at the time of the Revolution?
Four.

5) Describe the country before the Revolutionary War. Why might not we, in the 21st century, recognize it?
There was vast untamed wilderness. Rivers served as highways. There was so much forest and so many trees that it was said you could travel the continent without ever touching the ground, just going tree to tree. We wouldn't recognize it because we have largely urbanized America today. There are paved roads and skyscrapers and cars. There isn't too much forest left, which is why some larger cities are called 'concrete jungles'. There are also many more people here today.

6) Why was James Otis important?
He was a Boston lawyer and political theorist. His writings were the inspiration for our founding fathers and leaders of the revolution. Otis was the mind, and Sam Adams was the mouth.

7) What was Samuel Adams known for?
He was the closest people came to a professional revolutionary. He was ornery and rebellious and basically talked a lot. He also organized the Sons of Liberty.

8) Describe the Patriotic Leaders.
They had self-interested motives and were very cunning. They were basically willing to do anything they had to achieve what they wanted. They definitely had a personal agenda.

9) What percent of the population, according to John Adams, wanted liberty?
One third of the population wanted liberty.

10) Discuss how the events of the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party lead to the Revolutionary War.
The events were exploited through propaganda to get more people on the side of the rebels. The idea that the Boston Massacre is called a massacre at all is propaganda, because only five people were killed, and the British did not go in intending to fight, they were provoked. The Boston Tea Party worked more to unite the revolutionaries in all of the colonies, bringing them together rather than having them all functioning separately.

The War That Made America, Part Two

1) Why do only the Mohawk agree to fight with General Johnson?
The Mohawk chief has a close friendship with Johnson. Both are cultural mavericks and accepting of the differences between them. Johnson tries to convince the Iroquois Nation that the British are there for their own good and will protect the best interests of the Natives. He provides them with many gifts and shows that there were long ties between Six Nations and the Crown. The Iroquois have made it their policy to remain neutral, so they don’t want to shed Indian blood to fight for a White man’s war. For this reason, only the Mohawks decide to break their neutrality.

2) What are the results of the Battle of Lake George?
The Mohawk and British walk into a trap, basically an ambush. However, the Canadian Mohawk don’t want to shed the blood of New York Mohawk, so they appeal to each other as members of the same tribe and agree not to fight, but it’s too late. The battle becomes known as The Bloody Morning Scout because it was a massacre of the Colonials and New York Mohawk. Johnson retreats with what troops are left and directs the building of a hasty defense. The French charge the entrance to Johnson’s camp. When they are within 75 yards, Johnson’s men are ready. Fighting continues through the day and is very costly to both sides. Johnson’s men succeed in forcing the French to retreat, but Johnson has taken a musket ball in the backside. The Mohawk leave to mourn their dead, and Johnson’s men are too exhausted to continue to Lake Champlain.

3) For what purposes did the Native Americans take captive? (List three)
They took captives as a weapon against encroaching settlers, to frighten them into leaving. They also used captives as a way to replace warriors killed in battle. A third reason is as a ransom for guns and trade goods, which they are in desperate need of.

4) Why is the story of Mary Jemison presented? What purpose does it serve?
Her story survives as a vivid account of life on the dangerous frontier in those days. It was dangerous to live in Pennsylvania backcountry, which was where she lived. The Shawnee captured her and her family after killing her father. They then killed the rest of her family and she was taken 70 miles to live with the Seneca. She has a real live account of being captured by Natives and surviving, and assimilating into their culture.

5) Do you agree with Washington's disciplinary practices on deserters? Why or why not?
Yes, because he believes that discipline breeds success and he’s correct. He is showing the people that deserters will get hanged for their crimes, so it makes them not want to desert. He is creating a stronger army. He’s doing what teachers do all the time, using one bad kid as an example so that others don’t follow.

6) Who is Montcalm and why doesn't he like the Natives?
Montcalm is a French leader who was sent over to lead the French army. The Natives seem like barbarians to Montcalm, so he doesn’t appreciate them allies. He has no patience with the Natives. He thinks their war is cruel, sparing neither women nor children, but he intends to use them anyway.

7) What is the Native American code of honor? How does this differ from the Europeans' Code of War?
The Native American way was to take trophies of war including captives and other loot. Montcalm and other Europeans regard this as savagery. After the battle of Oswego Montcalm agrees to pay ransom for British captives and vows to restrain Natives. Europeans spare women and children, and once there is a surrender they allow the losers to leave with honor. The Natives just capture them.

8) Discuss the culture clash that happens at Fort William Henry.
The Natives seem like barbarians to Montcalm. Montcalm offers Monro a chance to surrender before battle begins. He invokes memory of Natives bad behavior in the past. Monro can surrender with honor only after the fort’s walls have been breeched. Montcalm designs the surrender to keep Natives at bay. British are granted safe passage, provisions and supplies will go to Canada, British keep personal effects, and Natives could take what's left. Natives felt betrayed because they had lost many, expecting to return to their people with honors of war. There is a banquet with the defeated, to which the Natives are not invited. Natives begin to see a European conspiracy. They attack the British on their way out. The British get looted and captured.

The War That Made America

1. George Washington is partially responsible for the start of the French and Indian war because he attacks the French. He made plans to attack the French and gain the Forks back. He decides to ambush a base of French soldiers. Not only were they French soldiers, but they were there on a diplomatic mission. They meant no harm and were no threat. Still Washington attacks them and the French end up dead. This is the first battle in the French and Indian war. It is only a result of Washington being young and inexperienced.
2. Half-King was an Indian leader. He was so named because of his limited authority in the area. His people were refugees from the east who were diven to the Forks of the Ohio by tribal war and colonist expansion. He is now the leader of no more than 3,000 people. They are far from powerful and are controlled, as were most tribes, by the Iroquois Nation. He must make a decision to ally with the French, as most Natives at the time to, or take a risk on the British. Either way he will be asserting his authority, as he has not asked permission to make an alliance.
   
3. Half-King murders the French as a way to get what he wants. He knows that if he orchestrates battle between the French and the British, his strength and authority will improve. He brutally murders a wounded French warrior and knows the blame will fall on Washington. This will cause the French to retaliate, marking the beginning of the French and Indian War. He does this as a revenge for the humiliation he has suffered at the hand of the French, and also as a message to them to back off.
4. The English were in the right during at least the beginning of the French and Indian War. Not only did they do things right, but everybody else did things wrong. The French were going to take the Forks by force, not regarding the Natives that were there or the wishes of the British. The Natives purposely try to orchestrate a war just so they can get what they want. They are selfish and even when they are allied to somebody, they aren't loyal to anybody but themselves. This is shown through Washington's abandonment at Fort Necessity. The British tried first to handle things with diplomacy. George Washington was sent to try to negotiate with the French before any blood was shed. The French immediately rejected this idea. The British also decided to trade with the Indians on their terms and get the rights to build a fort at the Forks. They went through all the acceptable diplomatic routes with both the Natives and the French before waging battle as a last resort, making them the only group in the war that was even remotely in the right.
   

Natives in America

Comprehension Questions:

3. The Puritans traveled to the New World because they wanted freedom of religion. They also wanted the ability to self govern. Their intentions upon arrival were to set up a royal colony where they could worship God the way they thought was correct. They wanted to establish trade, economy, and all other things that are important to a successful settlement.

4.

* Land and Property: The Pequots believed that you could never truly own land, you were only using it for the time being. They were nomadic and always tried to replenish what they took. They had a deep spiritual connection to the land and saw it as a gift. The English believed that land was something to be conquered and owned. The only way you could truly own land was to build permanent settlements and tame nature. They didn't think the Pequots owned the land because they didn't build anything there.
* Division of Labor and Gender: The English men worked the fields, built the houses, farmed and hunted, and generally did all manual labor. The women were primarily supposed to take care of the home and children. The Pequot men were often not home, hunting and battling. The women did all the labor such as farming and taking care of the fort, as well as cooking, cleaning, and watching children. The Pequot men thought the English babied their wives, and the English men viewed the Pequots as lazy men who made their wives do all the work.
* Warfare: The English were well versed in total war. They believed that you should wipe out everyone: men, women, and children. In their eyes, this was the only way to get rid of your enemy entirely. The Pequots spared women and children, thinking it too cruel to commit complete genocide. They either adopted women and children as servants or wives, or they left them to fend for themselves.

5. The Dutch did not have a desire to conquer the Native peoples. They needed the Natives for trade and thus to accomplish their goals. They didn't build permanent settlements or attempt to take away Pequot land, because that would disturb relations. They had no interest in taming the New World, they just wanted to get whatever trade they could and move on. The English, on the other hand, established permanent settlements and, after a while, didn't care about relations with the Natives. They saw them as a threat and wanted them out of the way so they could continue westward expansion.
12. It made it acceptable for other European groups to massacre Natives as a means to get more land or anything else they wanted. It also introduced the Natives to the idea of total war. It also disrupted the balance of power, as it wiped out most of the Pequots and made way for theEnglish to take over.

Primary Source Explanation:

1. Winthrop envisioned a sort of Utopia. He knew, of course, that everything wasn't going to be perfect from the beginning, but he hoped to reach perfection quickly. It was to be a colony where everybody worked together, lent helping hands to one another, and there were no disputes. I believe that a model society such as this is not as within reach as Winthrop expected it to be. It could be achieved eventually though, which is why the Natives had such a good society.
2. He means that their city will be raised above all others. He's saying it will be better than other society's before because it will be built on Christian values, and God will be watching over them.
3. Winthrop was most certainly not thinking about the Natives when he was delivering this sermon. The Puritans never treated the Native people they dealt with as equals. In their eyes, the Pequots were not human beings. They weren't upholding John Winthrop's vision in their dealings with the Natives because they weren't working with them. The Puritans viewed the Natives as less than people, just servants to do their bidding and get them what they need.
Extended Activity:

3. The Narragansetts escaped the epidemics for the most part. Smaller tribes suffered losses and the survivors became a part of the Narragansett tribe. The first documented contact with the Narragansetts took place in 1524 when Giovanni de Verrazano came to Rhode Island. The Narragansetts were one of the most powerful tribes in the area and offered protection to other tribes in exchange for goods or services. They had winter homes and summer homes. In the summer they would move inland for hunting, and in the winter they lived near the shore. Their culture was very similar to that of the Pequots, but they didn’t fare so badly in the wars. They tried to ally with the English rather than immediately being against them.
Scientific evidence shows Mohegan presence in Connecticut for over 10,000 years. At the time of European contact they were part of the Pequot tribe, but they soon separated. Mohegan means “wolf clan” in their language. Men were hunters and went to war. Women were farmers and also did most of the childcare and cooking. Both were storytellers and took part in art, medicine and music. Chiefs were men. Children had a lot of chores, and played games and with homemade dolls. The Mohegans favored collaboration with the English and became friends with them, starting an uneasy alliance. True to their word, they helped the English defeat the Pequots. This alliance kept the Mohegan people relatively safe during white vs. native wars.

First Impressions

Upon first impression, Howard Zinn seems very intelligent and different from other writers of history. He imparts a new perspective which students need to hear in order to develop a full understanding and opinion. He can be a bit grim at times, however he has to in order to stay true to his perspective and point of view. He does get a little biased at some points, but he admits this and tries to overcome it. I enjoy his ideas and admire what he is trying to do.