Lab_Report

Sierra Scales History Primary Source Documents 10-27-09 Republican Experiment: 1. Jacob Bigelow, "Inaugural Address" (1816) - Was America a nation born of commerce' a. Yes, America was a nation born of commerce. The founders of the country were traders. When the Country was first started the settlers would trade goods for money. - What does Bigelow see as the most important challenges to America - what must it do to survive and thrive' a. He believes the most important challenges to America are the land and the way the weather affects how they can harvest. b. They must trade to survive in the area because there is only so much they can do in the winters. 2. The Textile Mills - How did working in the textile mills affect the lives of young American women' a. Working in the mills was hard on young American women. They had to rise early and work long tedious hours for little pay. If they were late or didn’t work efficiently they were beat or punished severely. - Were the textile mills only concerned with the economic welfare of these workers'   a. No, the mills weren’t concerned with the economic welfare of these workers because they didn’t pay much. They would make the women work for a long period of time for only a small wage. Democracy in Distress 1. Thomas Jefferson on the Whisky Rebellion - What were Jefferson's primary fears about the Whiskey Rebellion' a. Jefferson’s primary fear about the Whiskey Rebellion were he thought that the government's use of force to utterly suppress the rebellion was a misuse of power and that it would set a precedent for boiling democratic trends in the future (like protests). - What did he believe were the underlying causes' a. Jefferson believed the underlying causes to the Whiskey Rebellion were that farmers were being taxed the most since they turned corn into whiskey so that it could be moved easily. He believed the underlying causes to the militia being sent out were a terrible act that happened because the federal government wanted to prove its power and oppress people. 2. William Maclay on Hamilton - What did Maclay think of Hamilton and his plans' a. Maclay thought Hamilton and his plans were not what was best for the country. Maclay believed Hamilton did whatever he wanted with money and that was why US lay in such ruin. - Were his fears warranted' a. Yes, his fears were accurate for the time because the US already was in debt and the Alexander Hamilton (the secretary of the treasury) gave George Washington funds. - Are they warranted today' a. His fears are somewhat reasonable today because yes you should worry about those things but the constitution is better equipped to handle those certain circumstances because of the past. Jefferson Ascendancy 1. The Louisiana Purchase - Did the Louisiana Purchase raise serious questions of constitutionality' a. Yes. The Louisiana Purchase raised serious questions of constitutionality because nowhere in the constitution does it state that the federal government can purchase land. - Were the Republicans acting consistently with their own principles' a. Yes, they were acting consistently with their own principles because they bought the land but there wasn’t really anything that said they couldn’t. 2. Margaret Bayard Smith Meets Thomas Jefferson (1801) - What image of Jefferson comes out in these letters'   a. The image of Jefferson being a lover and also a viewer of the government rather than a participant. - How does looking at these documents change the image you get of Jefferson in the textbook'   a. It makes me see him as a person and also as a viewer who isn’t really sure if his influence is going to help or hurt the country. His image has changed to me. I feel like he is the opposite of everything I’ve learned.