The Puritans

Read this article and watch the short video about the Puritans.

Puritans.

Read this article about Ann Hutchinson.



Anne Hutchinson.

How do you think Puritanism and Ann Hutchinson's experience influence United States culture?

Additional reading:

Puritan ideology.

Letter From A Birmingham Jail

MLK on "patience" and civil rights. How is MLK's statement similar/dissimilar to the Black Panther platform.

The Vietnam War

Pick a document from this site, describe the document, who wrote it and why it was important in the context of the war?

Some great photography from the war.

Classic photos from the Vietnam War.

The Dust Bowl

Interpret this graphic.


Pictures of what many Oklahomans thought was the end times.

Causes of the Dust Bowl.

The Depression and New Deal

Pick one of the people in this set of photo essays and describe what they thought of or how they experienced the Depression and New Deal.

If you are able listen to one of the interviews here: how did the 1930's change these peoples lives?

A nice summary of the New Deal. Examine this summary of the New Deal. Which parts have had the most long term impact?

Take the quiz (in the right margin) on the New Deal.

Progressivism

Here are the four primary goals of progressivism. Describe each of the goals and give a specific accomplishment of each.

Check out this photo gallery of child labor during the late 1800's early 1900's.

Do you think these ideas are still relevant today?

The Triangle Factory fire. What happened?

What is Race?

10 ideas about race. Pick 3 of the points made here. Describe the points and critique the ideas you chose.

Chinese-American Lisa See. Here's a biography of the author of "On Golden Mountain."

Try this exercise on sorting people.

The Gospel of Wealth

Andrew Carngie wrote, as did other writers of the day, about the duties of the rich in "Wealth," also known as the Gospel of Wealth. What are his arguments and what do you think of them? Here's an audio clip if your interested.

Reconstruction

Eric Foner on the long term inpact of Reconstruction.

What is his point?

What do you think?

You must answer both questions or you will not get credit for this assignment.

Eric Foner interviewed this week.

Time Travel

Time travel graphically explained. More on time travel.

Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism. Some of the most important Transcendentalists are
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and Margaret Fuller.

Make sure you look at these important works of the movement; Walden, Resistance to Civil Government and Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass.

Women's Suffrage

Read the Declaration of Sentiments. How is it similar/different than the Declaration of Independence. Who wrote it/signed it? What was the purpose of the Seneca Falls Convention?

John Brown

Listen to:

October 13, 2005
Segment 3: "David Reynolds on John Brown."

Was John Brown a terrorist?

John Brown biography.

The conspirators at Harpers Ferry.

Race and Manifest Destiny

What is Reginald Horsman's thesis? How did the founders ideas on expansion differ from later ideas of Manifest Destiny? Do you think these ideas are still relevant today? The entire text is in the library if you are interested in checking it out.

What is this painter trying to say about expansion?

Jacksonian Democracy

What are the fundamental ideas of "Jacksonian Democracy?" Read this article and answer the question.

Lewis and Clark

Read the excerpt from the journal of Meriweather Lewis and answer the questions in "comments."

Examine the three maps at this site. What can you infer about European and American understanding of the Americas at this time, the 17 and 18 century?

How democratic is the Constitution?

One of the most well respected Political Scientist's of the United States looks at the question; how democratic is the United States Constitution? Read excerpts from Robert Dahl's critique of the US Constitution and comment.

British Debate Terrorism In Parliament

Go to this site and watch the debate in the House of Commons between Prime Minister Tony Blair and oppostion leader Michael Howard over a bill to detain suspects without charge for 90 days. By the way the Prime Minister lost the vote. Also take a look at the background feature that explains "question time." Imagine a debate like this with George Bush on either side?

Send Yourself an Email in 20 Years

Cool idea. This email timecapsule will send you an email in the future. I would suggest not using your MPS account. Get a free one at Yahoo or Google or some other free site.

The Supreme Court

Howard Zinn on the Supreme Court's role in US History.