Pilgrim Theological Seminary AMH 241.1 The Creation of a New Republic Study Resources Welcome to The Creation of a Republic. The purpose of this program of study is to help students develop an understanding of American History from the time of the American Revolution until the mid 1800's. We have made a sincere effort to select and organize the following learning resources in a way that will help you understand important concepts in the development of our nation and to help you master key terms, events, and the names of people and places. There are six areas of study that we will be exploring; each area corresponds to a chapter in the recommended textbook. First Area of Study: Toward the War for American Independence (1754-1776) Second Area of Study: The American People and the American Revolution (1775-1783) Third Area of Study: Crisis and Constitution (1776-1789) Fourth Area of Study: The Early Republic (1789-1824) Fifth Area of Study: The Opening of America (1815-1850) Sixth Area of Study: The Rise of Democracy (1824-1840) Learning Resources The primary learning resource for our study is: US: A Narrative History, Volume 1: To 1877, 5th Edition; Authors: James West Davidson, Historian; Brian DeLay, Christine Leigh Heyrman, Mark H Lytle,Michael B Stoff, Softcover, 400 pages. © McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009, ISBN-13 9780073385662 The textbook is supplemented by an Online Learning Center. The OLC provides helpful educational resources specifically related to the individual Area of Study guides we have provided. Please visit the OLC to familiarize yourself with its resources. If you would like to review a sample chapter of the textbook you can access Chapter One, Chapter Two, or Chapter Three. Print versions of textbooks are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Borders, and other retailers. The textbook may also be found occasionally in local public libraries. The entire textbook is also available as an e-book (a textbook in an electronic format that is read on your computer or portable device). E-books are less expensive than the printed text. You might also wish to consider purchasing an Institute of America customized e-book which includes only those chapters applicable to this study. Click here to purchase an e-book for AMH 241.2 The Creation of a New Republic. About this Program of Study The Creation of a New Republic is a self-paced program of study designed to provide men and women with the opportunity to learn about American History from the time of the 1 American Revolution until the mid 1800's. Those who wish to do additional study in American History could take AMH 241.1 The Creation of a New America and AMH 241.3 The Republic Transformed and Tested. There is also an American History II study available. A sequential study plan has been provided for each Area of Study to help methodically guide your learning efforts. Each study plan contains a variety of educational resources which will help you master the material and self test your knowledge. There are web links and interactive activities included in each study plan as well as numerous audio and video presentations. There are also computer scored practice quizzes to help you self- assess what you have learned. We recommend that you follow the study plan in its suggested order. Course Examination The examination for this course contains approximately 50 multiple choice questions (some from each Area of Study) and has a one hour time limit. You may take an examination after you have adequately studied the material presented or otherwise feel that you are prepared to do so. When you have completed the exam with a score of 75% or better you will have successfully completed the examination for this course. If you score less than 75% on the examination, please study the material more thoroughly. After seven days, you may take a second or, if necessary, subsequent exam. Grades are added to a student's official record only after the examination has been successfully completed. Examinations that have a score of 74% or less are marked as I for incomplete. I grades are not listed on a student's official record. The seminary uses the following grading scale for all examinations: Less than 75% = I 75-83% = C 84-92% = B 93-100% = A All exams must be taken at an authorized Pilgrim Seminary testing location or, when necessary, be proctored by an adult unrelated to the student. A proctor must be a person of high moral character and be willing to oversee the taking of an online exam. It is the preference of the registrar's office that students take proctored exams at settings such as public or school libraries, a local participating church, or a community based program center. Students may suggest a proctor who is an active or retired teacher, a clergy person, or another person knowledgeable of testing procedures. Please remember that individual proctors must be approved, in advance, by the Office of the Registrar. Academic Integrity Policy Pilgrim Theological Seminary students are expected to maintain the highest standards of personal and academic honesty and integrity. The seminary will not tolerate academic dishonesty, plagiarism or cheating on exams. Should a student be found in violation of the seminary's academic integrity policy, he or she will be prohibited from taking additional courses through the seminary and his or her entire academic record will carry a permanent notation of dismissal for academic dishonesty. 2 First Area of Study: Toward the War for American Independence (1754-1776) Suggested Reading Please read Chapter 6 of the recommended textbook. Learning Objectives At the end of this Area of Study students should be able to: 1. Summarize the outcome of the Seven Years’ War and explain the ways in which it affected relations between Britain and its colonies. 2. Describe the evolution of political thought and tactics among Americans who opposed British policies. 3. Explain the significance of the First Continental Congress and the collapse of royal authority in the colonies. 4. Explain the popularity and political importance of Common Sense. Area of Study Overview: The disunited colonies finally found a common enemy to unite them. Rivalry for the control of North America climaxed after 1754. The struggle waged among the English, the French, and the Indians had brought on three wars during the first half of the eighteenth century. That struggle culminated in a fourth conflict, the Seven Years’ War (1754-1763; known traditionally if misleadingly to Americans as the French and Indian War). But Britain’s total victory in that fight and the end of French power in North America did not bring lasting peace. Native Americans struggled to protect their territory and political sovereignty west of the Appalachians. At the same time, Britain’s determination to consolidate its American empire revived the ambivalence of many colonials toward the parent country. Parliament hoped to bind the colonies to the British empire with new laws and regulations. This legislation served only to alienate Americans already wary of the inequalities of English society and the corruption of English politics. Popular opposition to Britain’s new measures led ultimately to rebellion and independence. With the French enemy out of the way, the British government became the ultimate common enemy that made possible 13 “united states.” Presentation The classroom lecture for this Area of Study, entitled Empires in Conflict, covers some of the major geopolitical events for the British colonies in the 18th century, including the wars of the 1730s-1760s and the colonists' growing discontent with Great Britain. The presenter is Dr. David Noon. Websites Related to This Area of Study Americans liked being English. In spite of the disagreement and disunity discussed in an 3 earlier Area of Study, the one unifying cultural feature most Americans shared was a sense of English identity. Yet less than seven years after Bostonians celebrated their victory in the Seven Years' War and expressed pride in their young king, George III, their fellow Britons are portrayed firing upon these same loyal citizens. The same year the American painter Benjamin West completed the painting commemorating the death of General Wolfe at Quebec, the Empire's great triumph, Paul Revere, a Boston engraver, published an etching of the Boston massacre. What went wrong in less than a decade? As Parliament attempted to bind the American colonies more closely to the empire, once-loyal Americans became convinced that their rights were being violated. Encouraged by Thomas Paine's pamphlet, Common Sense, proclaiming "a new era for politics," Americans rejected the idea that they were English. The Web activities for this Area of Study explore the West and Revere images as important pieces of visual evidence of colonial affairs. You will examine the story behind Revere's engraving, and the decisions and choices made on both sides of the Atlantic that led most Americans to agree with Paine in 1776: it was the destiny of Americans to be republicans not monarchists; to be independent, not subjects of George III; to be American, not English. Web Activities 1. Visual evidence is an important source of historical information. In activities 1-3 you will analyze two key period images to assist you in answering the question, what went wrong between Britain and her American colonies during the years between the triumph at Quebec and the "massacre" in Boston? View the painting The Death of General Wolfe by Benjamin West and the widely circulated companion engraving (magnify image). Study the composition, the key figures represented—noting their dress—and other symbolic elements in this strictly imaginary scene.