In a 6 sentence paragraph, provide a detailed summary of an aspect of Spanish exploration of the Americas. You may focus on an explorer, an exploration or anything related to exploring in the time period described by the text.
Click this link to the Borgia Codex (Links to an external site.), a document preserved in Rome by the Catholic Church. Indigenous people created the document in Mexico before the arrival of the Spaniards. Choose one of the 76 images and view it. Write down the number of the image, and describe what you see in the image. What do you think the image means, and how do you think that the indigenous people of Mexico used it? Write a 6 sentence paragraph minimum. If the link doesn’t work, try this link: Borgia Codex additional linkLinks to an external site. **If you choose a detail of the image and draw it and post the image in the discussion board you will earn five extra credit points**
In 2019 and in 2020 the current president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, publicly asked the country of Spain and the head of the Catholic Church to apologize for their conquest of Mexico in 1519 and subsequent centuries of colonial rule. See these links for further details. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/27/world/americas/mexico-spain-apology.html Links to an external site.Mexico demands apology from Spain and the Vatican over conquest – BBC News Links to an external site. Do you think that the country of Spain and/or the Roman Catholic Church owes an apology to the nation of Mexico for the conquest of Mexico and forced conversion of the people there to Catholicism? Write a 6-sentence paragraph.
Discussion 2,
Describe two events or comments that you found interesting as you read the introduction and first two chapters of The Autobiography of Benjamin FranklinLinks to an external site.. Write a 6 sentence paragraph and cite at least one sentence from the source.
In colonial Massachusetts in the 1690s women and men were put on trial for witchcraft and multiple people were convicted of witchcraft and executed. Read the short article in the following link on admitting ‘spectral evidence’ into trials, that is, supernatural evidence of interactions with demons and the devil. Write a 6 sentence paragraph summarizing what you learned about spectral evidence and the witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts. Article about spectral evidence in trials (Links to an external site.).
The Great Awakening gathered many adherents to Christianity by preaching damnation to hell for remaining outside the Christian fold. Do you think the threat of hell changed the character of America? How so, or how not? Does hell still hold the imagination of America today?
Discussion 3
The American Revolution was fought between 1776 and 1781 along the eastern seaboard of North America. Describe one battle that was fought in the American Revolution, and describe one of the commanding officers that fought in the battles. 6 sentences minimum.
Search online for a painting that portrays an event or person from the American Revolution, and insert the image into your post to the discussion. Give the title, year it was created, and name of the artist. In a 6 sentence paragraph describe the painting, and how it affects your understanding of the American Revolution.
When the Americans fought against the British army and navy in the American Revolution, they were fighting the most well equipped and powerful fighting force on Earth. Despite their lack of resources and smaller numbers, they were able to succeed with considerable help from the French and Spanish. Initially, the Americans fought with small arms that they held as personal property. Does the history of the American Revolution prove that owning small firearms is a way for citizens to defend themselves against tyrannical governments? I would like you to post an image similar to :The Battle Of Lexington, 19th April 1775 by William Barne
Discussion 4, textbook- https://openstax.org/books/us-history/pages/1-introduction
Look at the text of the U.S. Constitution found in the appendix of your book, and find and read the first 10 amendments (also known as the Bill of Rights) as well as the 14th amendment. Relate a personal experience under which you exercised a Constitutional right guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Explain with a minimum of a 10 sentence paragraph.
The textbook gives some space to Alexander Hamilton’s influence on the writing of the Constitution, as well as his work the Federalist Paper No. 10Links to an external site. . Please revisit that part of the text, or follow the link to the paper and read it yourself. Please also search ‘Hamilton’ using the Open Stax search tool in the textbook to re-read sections on his life. After considering the history, explain one of Hamilton’s many political ideas as well as an aspect of his personal life that you found interesting. Write a minimum of 4-6 sentence paragraph.
The 10th amendment reads “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” The Constitution does not specifically give the federal government the power to regulate marijuana, but the Constitution does specify that citizens of one state are entitled to enjoy the rights of other states. The question is this: Should states be allowed to legalize marijuana for unrestricted use if the federal government deems it illegal?
5.
Please write a 1,500-word essay based on ONE of the four questions below. Send your choice to the instructor in an email.
Your essay will be graded in two general areas: written content and writing conventions. The conventions refer to the spelling, grammar, citations, capitalization, and format of your writing. The content refers to the style, topic, thesis, supporting evidence, and sophistication of your argument. I wrote the questions in an open-ended manner so that you will have room to express yourself freely while (hopefully) avoiding the plague that is internet plagiarism. You may need to express an opinion with these questions.
Please write your essay in Google Docs. Click on the link for a tutorial (Links to an external site.) if you are unfamiliar with Google Docs. Upload the link to complete the assignment, and please be sure to change the settings so that I will be able to open your document.
You must cite three sources, and your citations should follow the format of the Chicago Manual of Style. Please use only footnotes, do not use endnotes. The manual is widely available in bookstores, libraries, and online. Here is a link to the Chicago Manual of Style (Links to an external site.) :
When you write in this style you must have a Works Cited page at the end of your paper. The Works Cited page is a separate page that comes after the end of the essay.
Please email me if you need any clarification.
People using firearms and racial identity played huge roles in the 19th-century history of the United States. Write a brief of one specific 19th-century American event (that happened between the years 1801 and 1900) where gun violence and race were involved and explain if your research changed your understanding of the U.S. history you learned from your K-12 schooling.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben and Walt Whitman, two significant 19th-century American figures, may have been homosexuals. When public school students learn about them, should history textbooks and history teachers explain that they were homosexuals?
Read the following article from the New York Times about attempts to change the design of the state flag of Nebraska: Nebraska’s Flag Lacks Pizazz . Afterward, pick any state in the Union except California, and research the state flag of that particular state. Who designed the flag you chose, and what does the design say about the people that created it? After writing a brief history of that flag, create a flag of your own design that you think would represent the state of your choice today. You may design your flag by hand on paper, and send an image of your work, you may use the following website to design your own flag, and post the flag to the assignment: Flag Designing Software (Links to an external site.) you may also use a different software program if you like.
If you don’t submit an image of the current state flag and an image of a flag of your own design your work will be marked down an entire letter grade.
**Please do not write about the California state flag. I will lower your grade by a full letter grade if you write about the California state flag. Also, you should be aware that the history of the flag of the state of Georgia is long, winding, and complex. Should you choose that state flag you would be writing about an extra challenging history.**
Oral History Interview. ***This writing prompt is a little different from the other ones. ***
Interview a person who is older than 50 and has lived in the United States for most of their life. This is a good opportunity to interview a family member or loved one, and to keep that interview for posterity. In my experience, interviews can sometimes lead to new revelations and insights if the interviewer is brave, and the interviewee is willing to participate and speak at length.
-They should be talkative or friendly. Don’t try to force an interview, it may turn out to be uninteresting and frustrating.
Your name, the name of the class, and the date should be on the front page in the upper left-hand corner.
Step 1: Read the list of questions before the interview. Write one 4-6 sentence paragraph explaining your expectations of what you think your interviewee will say in general.
Step 2: Interview the person.
Step 3: Write a concluding paragraph reflecting on the interview. Compare it to your expectations before the interview. Explain how you think it did or did not change your understanding of early American history.
Ask the following questions.
What is your name, and when and where were you born?
Tell me about your parents or your family background.
Where was your family originally from?
What is an American?
Describe the times in your life when you learned what an American was.
Can you name one or two people in American history that you would consider a hero?
Is it important for young people to learn about American history?
Who decides which history should be taught in public schools?
Is it important to be a good citizen in the United States? What are some qualities of a good citizen?
In a typical year, what are some things you do as a good citizen?
Could you describe what the U.S. Constitution is in a few sentences?
How old is the U.S. Constitution?
In your opinion, is it important for Americans to understand the U.S. Constitution?
Which part of the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, speech, and press?
If the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, is America a Christian nation?
Do you think Americans should change the Constitution from time to time?
Name a part of the Constitution that you think is particularly important.
Can you name some famous Americans that lived before light bulbs were invented?
Should Americans know who George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are? Why or why not?
Should Americans know who Harriet Tubman or Sacajawea are? Why or why not?
Why do Americans celebrate July 4th?
Can you recite any part of the Declaration of Independence from memory?
Should teachers in public schools compel students to memorize important words like the preamble to the Constitution or the Gettysburg Address?
Did you memorize such things in school, and can you still recite it?
Should students be compelled to say the Pledge of Allegiance in schools? Did you say the Pledge of Allegiance in school? Can you recite it?
Should Americans know some patriotic songs? What are some songs they should know? Do you know any? Can you sing any?
In your opinion, does studying American history create citizens that are loyal to the United States of America? Why or why not?
Should immigrants be compelled to learn English and pass a test to show their knowledge of American history?
Does studying history create more intelligent and informed voters that will make sound decisions?
Have you ever seen someone make a terrible decision because they didn’t understand history? Could you share your experiences?
Does studying history create good neighbors that are tolerant of differences?
Have you been a good neighbor or enjoyed the company of a good neighbor because the person learned empathy and tolerance from their education?
Does studying early American history make a person a more well-rounded human being? Could you give an example of what makes a person well rounded?
Write your interview in the following format:
Interviewer: Question
Interviewee: Answer
As if you were writing a play or a dialogue, so the reader gets a sense of the back and forth between the two people.
You do not need to cite sources or write footnotes for this assignment.
The following links take you to websites with more details on how to create an oral history.
http://www.cla.csulb.edu/departments/history/oral-history-program/an-oral-history-primer/ (Links to an external site.)
https://oralhistory.library.ucla.edu/pages/family_history
