A BASIC HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES

Transcription

1 A Teacher s Guide to A BASIC HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES Volumes One - Six by Clarence B. Carson

2 2 Basic History of the U. S., A Teacher s Guide Copyright Clarence B. Carson, 2001 American Textbook Committee 3105 Fourth Avenue Phenix City, AL Byron_Mallory@hotmail.com

3 Contents 3 Approach of A BASIC HISTORY: An Overview... 5 The Colonial Experience... 9 Prologue: Why the Study of History Introduction European Background The English and America The Establishment of the Colonies The Development and Growth of the Colonies The Mercantile Crunch The Spread of Liberating Ideas British Acts Become Oppressive The Beginning of the Republic Introduction Independence The War for Independence Confederation Period The Making of the Constitution The Fruits of Independence Establishing the Government The Struggle for Political Leadership The Jeffersonian Republicans Napoleonic Wars and Expansion of the Domain The Sections and the Civil War Introduction The Rise of Sectionalism Jacksonian Democracy Americans at Work Romanticism and Reform Westward Expansion The Coming of the Civil War The Civil War Reconstruction The Growth of America Introduction

4 4 Basic History of the U. S., A Teacher s Guide Economic Growth Naturalistic Outlook Radical Ideas and Collectivism Political Climate, Progressivism Progressives in Power World War I and the Disruption of Europe Bolshevism and the Spread of Totalitarianism The 1920s in America The Welfare State Introduction The Great Depression The Thrust of the New Deal Toward the Welfare State The Coming of World War II The United States in World War II The Cold War Welfarism at Home and Abroad A Second Radical Reconstruction, The Conservative Response America: from Gridlock to Deadlock Introduction The Philosophic and Religious Divide The Debacle of the Welfare State Conservative and Liberal: Surge and Evasion Political Gridlock I Reagan s Second Term The Collapse of Communism Political Gridlock II Bush Deadlocked Americans at Work and Play The Debasement of Learning Political Gridlock III Clinton s Tailspin Developments in General Impeachment and Trial Clinton s Assault on the Rule of Law Deadlock

5 Approach of A BASIC HISTORY: An Overview 5 The Basic History is made up of six more or less symmetrical volumes. Each of the volumes is similar in that all have similar features: an introductory chapter, are documented by notes which come at the end of the text, a similar plan for the make-up of chapters, glossaries, and are indexed. They differ somewhat in length and in the number of chapters. Volumes 2-4 cover about 50 years each of American history, while volume 1 covers a much longer time span, and volume 5 covers a half dozen more years. The approach of the Basic History is thematic. The basic theme of each of the books is suggested in the title. Of course, each volume will have a good many themes, some of which are developments of the general theme, but others may take up other aspects of the subject. The thematic approach is often further underlined by headings within chapters. Since it is history, the approach is also chronological but within themes. That is, the works are not always told in chronological sequence, but may move back and forth in time, as different themes are developed. Politics is only one aspect of history, and it is treated as such in these books. In addition to political developments, these histories deal with religion, economics, the development and spread of ideas, culture, and social arrangements. There is an attempt, too, to show how all of these are intertwined. The focus shifts from time to time: thus in the book dealing with the colonial period, there is greater emphasis upon religion than elsewhere; volume 2 focuses more sharply on political developments. The following are special features of the Basic History. Each of the volumes has an introductory chapter, which emphasizes the main themes in that book. It should be read and discussed before going into the book, and should be assigned once again to be read when the book has been covered and prior to a major examination on the materials. Each of the regular chapters begins with one or more quotations. These frequently illuminate the theme of the chapter, are usually contemporary and original sources, and are often quotations

6 6 Basic History of the U. S., A Teacher s Guide from major characters in the chapter. The quotation is followed by a chronology, which tells when and in what order major events in the chapter took place. Often, too, these events highlight the theme of the chapter. The text of each chapter then begins with a brief overview of the chapter. Most chapters contain several biographic sketches of major characters whose activities are discussed in it. Usually, a sketch will be accompanied by a photo of a painting, bust, or other likeness of the person. Men make history, and these sketches and photographs are supposed to emphasize the role of men and women in history, as well as provide valuable information about them. Students will find these sketches quite useful in identifying the people and fixing their identities in their minds. One of the distinct features of the book is that the texts of Amendments to the Constitution is presented at the places where they are discussed. For example, the text of the 14th Amendment is printed in the midst of the discussion of Reconstruction. The complete Constitution is printed in the Appendix in volume 2, The Beginning of the Republic. But later Amendments, except for the first ten, appear at the appropriate place in the book in later volumes. This makes the Amendments much more a part of the history of the United States. Each of the volumes has a Glossary at the back of the book. Words and phrases are defined there not simply because students may be unfamiliar with them, but mainly to provide historically appropriate definitions. The presence of the glossary should not only be pointed out to students, but some exercises in which the glossaries are used should be given from time to time. Each book is also indexed. Probably students need even more practice in using the index than the glossary, because few have ever formed the habit of doing so. While there is considerable emphasis on geography in the text, there are only a few maps scattered throughout the book. These should be supplemented with wall maps when possible. This is a literary approach to history, that is, an approach through the written language almost exclusively. The text is logical and can be read as a continuing story and exposition. Pictoral materials have been kept to a minimum, and there are no charts and graphs. This does not mean

7 7 that such illustrative materials may not be quite useful. Rather, they have been used sparsely so as not to detract from the written text. Again, wall display charts and graphs may be used in the classroom discussion of the material. None of the books contain any exercises for students, questions, suggestions for projects or like materials. These have been reserved for the Teacher s Guide. This will enable the teacher to use such of these materials as he wishes, to supplement, reword, or omit them entirely as he sees best. That way, the book is left to tell the historical story, and is not cluttered with aids which the teacher may not want or need.

8 8 Basic History of the U. S., A Teacher s Guide

9 VOLUME 1 The Colonial Experience 9

10 Prologue: Why the Study 10 Basic History of U. S., A Teacher s Guide of History Brief Summary This short chapter is both an attempt to answer the question why we study history and a brief introduction to history itself. It begins by distinguishing between learning from personal experiences and the experience of others in times past. The economy of learning from the experience of others is emphasized. There is an attempt also to make it clear that what one may encounter in history books is by no means the whole of history, and to emphasize that we are always using history whether we are aware of or much versed in it or not. Considerable emphasis is placed on learning lessons from the past, and other examples might be added to those given in the text. The actuality and concreteness of history as contrasted with the abstract, theory, or works of the imagination is pointed out. Identify: Lord Bolingbroke Colonial Williamsburg William Bradford Caligula Ivan the Terrible Henry VIII Project: When this chapter is assigned, have each student bring to class an item from a newspaper or magazine in which there is some reference to past history. Questions to ponder and discuss: 1. In what ways is direct experience not always the best or most desirable teacher? 2. List as many ways as you can in which history can be used.

11 11 3. What is the meaning of the statement that History is philosophy teaching by example? Would it be an improvement to say that History is God teaching by example? What is the difference between the two statements? 4. Think of the broadest and most inclusive definition of history you can make. 5. What is the meaning of the statement: Those who know no history are doomed to repeat it?

12 12 Basic History of the U. S., A Teacher s Guide Chapter Introduction I Brief Summary This short chapter serves as an introduction to the rest of the book. It is concerned mainly with justifying the having of a whole book on the background to when the history of the United States does not properly begin until the mid-1770s, at the earliest. Yet this book goes down only to Moreover, the chapter on the European background goes back to the ancient world of Greece and Rome, however briefly, covers the advent of Christianity, and gives a synopsis of the Middle Ages, as well as dealing with the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. The contention here is that it is necessary to understand something of the civilization from which European settlers came in order to grasp the meaning of what they did during the colonial period. So far as the colonial period itself is concerned, from our vantage point, not only was the stage set for an eventual independent America, but the institutions which came to characterize the United States were taking shape. Questions to ponder and discuss: 1. Is recent history more important than that of the more distant past? 2. What is the advantage of studying long past events? 3. In what ways is the United States a part of Western Civilization? 4. How many generations elapsed between the first English settlements and American independence?

13 Chapter 2 European Background 13 Brief Summary This chapter deals with the civilization from which the European settlers came to America. It defines and gives examples of the development of a civilization. The idea of progress is denied, so far as it implies continual improvement over the ages, and the reality of the rise and fall of civilizations is affirmed. The origins of Western Civilization in the lands around the Mediterranean is traced briefly, with particular emphasis upon Greece and Rome. The Classical age in Greece focuses upon the development of philosophy, the arts, and sciences. The Roman contribution to the development of government, natural law theory, and the laws of nations is especially emphasized. The beginnings of Christianity are told within the framework of the Roman Empire and Hellinistic Civilization. The remarkable story of the spread of Christianity in the centuries after the Resurrection is recounted. The Judeo-Christian framework of the background of America is central to this discussion. That Christianity is a religion of the book, The Bible, is emphasized, with its significance for the written word and original sources. Christians inherited the Roman vision of uniting the world under law, and the Roman Catholic Church was organized along the lines of the empire. The Middle Ages was a compound of Christian, Classical, and Germanic elements. The early Middle Ages saw civilization almost snuffed out by successive tides of invasions by Germanic tribes, as well as invaders from the East. But by the 12th century a new civilization was taking shape in Europe, centered in France. The most noteworthy influence on this civilization was the church, but there was also a revival of forms which owed much to Rome. Although the Renaissance is usually thought of in connection with the 15th and 16th centuries, there was a major revival of interest in Greek thought in the 12th and 13th centuries. This was spurred both by contacts with Moslem thought, especially in Spain, as well as a renewed interest in philosophy, in which the ancient Greeks had

14 14 Basic History of the U. S., A Teacher s Guide excelled. But there was one large difference between this earlier revival and the later renaissance. In the Middle Ages, thinkers attempted to fit Greek thought into a Christian framework and purge the pagan elements from it. Medieval civilization was declining and decaying in the 14th and 15th centuries. The Roman Catholic church was in disarray, had no great reforming movements, was rent by divisions, so that at one point there were three popes. The class system was breaking down, and by the beginning of the 16th century, serfdom had been widely abolished. Individuals emerged from the group or corporations to which they had belonged to become scholars, explorers, thinkers, and adventurers. The plague which swept over Europe (the Black Death) in the middle of the 14th century greatly disturbed the existing order. Politically, kingdoms began to cut loose their feudal ties and set the stage for the emergence of nation-states. The decline in the authority of the Church set the stage for the Renaissance. The discovery, exploration, and early settlement by Europeans in the New World took place within the framework of the Renaissance and Reformations, both Protestant and Catholic. The separation of individuals from groups provided discoverers and explorers. The nation-states provided the equipment for voyages. The interest in the world about them associated with the Renaissance spurred voyages of exploration. Religious differences growing out of the Reformation provided settlers, particularly in North America. While the Renaissance emphasis upon humanism accelerated the movement away from the Medieval outlook, the Protestant Reformation gave a new intensity to religious life. The leaders in discovery and exploration were Spain, Portugal, France, England, and Holland, all newly emerged independent kingdoms. Although Italians played a considerable role in the discoveries, they did so by finding support from monarchs in other lands. Europeans became aware of America generally and much more quickly because of the publication of books with the recently invented printing press. Larger ships and new sailing devices made the voyages to America practical.

15 Questions to ponder and discuss: How would you determine whether a people was civilized or not? 2. Has progress been constant throughout the ages? Or, have civilizations risen, declined, decayed, and disappeared? What evidence can you bring to bear on these questions? 3. What evidence is there for high civilization in the Middle Ages? 4. In what ways was the Middle Ages an Age of Faith? 5. Why would the original document be considered more valid than later copies? 6. In what ways did the Renaissance prepare the way for the Protestant Reformation? 7. Give some examples of the individualism of the Renaissance. Did classes disappear during the Renaissance? 8. What changes had occurred by the 16th century to make discovery and exploration more likely and practical? 9. Would you consider Columbus a success or failure? Why? Identify: Plato Herodotus Alexander the Great Cicero Leonardo da Vinci Erasmus John Calvin Martin Luther Christopher Columbus Vasco da Gama John Cabot Amerigo Vespucci Thomas Aquinas Define or describe: Gothic cathedral Great Schism Dark Ages Civilization Humanism Nation-state Medieval Classical Treaty of Tordesillas

16 16 Basic History of the U. S., A Teacher s Guide Place in chronological order: Defeat of the Spanish Armada Beginning of the Protestant Reformation Discovery of America by Columbus The Hundred Year s War The Black Death Magellan s ship sails around the world Suggested activities: 1. Have each student check with his family and make a brief report on his religious background, denominations or churches with which his family has been associated. Connect these, if possible, with the European background. As an alternative, for those who would prefer not to do this, have them report on the ethnic or national background of their ancestors. 2. Demonstrate by pictures or drawings how churches dominated the landscape in Medieval towns and cities, What buildings dominate in modern American cities? 3. Present a drama in which Columbus describes his plan to reach the East by sailing West, and have Isabella s experts make the arguments against such a voyage. 4. Have someone explore the topic that if Vasco da Gama had made his voyage a few years earlier, the discovery of America by Europeans might have been delayed for hundreds of years.

17 Chapter 3 The English and America 17 Brief Summary The British were the first permanent settlers along most of the East Coast of what became the United States. Their culture became the dominant one in shaping the United States. From the English came the language, the dominant literature (or translations of it), the political heritage, the modes of commerce, and the particular tint to leading religious bodies. Thus, the better portion of a chapter is devoted to discussing what England was like at the time of the settlement of America. A part of this chapter is devoted also to describing the geography of the eastern portion of North America that became the United States and the Indians who sparsely inhabited these lands. Technically, England was a monarchy, or kingdom, at the time of the settlement of America. In the 17th century, however, as the English began to settle in America, the House of Commons began to assert itself, and Parliament was an important branch of the government. In any case, Britain had a mixed form of government. It had rule by one represented by the king, rule by a few represented by the House of Lords, and rule by many represented by Commons. This pattern would eventually be adopted in modified form in the United States. The British government was oppressive during the early settlement of America. The House of Commons was restrained and sometimes oppressed or ignored by the monarch. The people in general were oppressed by economic regulations, as relies of feudalism were imposed along with the monopolies associated with mercantilism. Religious oppression bore most heavily on Protestant dissenters, Puritans, and Catholics. There was a vigorous effort to make the Puritans conform to the Church of England under Archbishop Laud and Charles II. Religious persecution led to large migrations to America in the 1630s. Even so, England was a land of great vitality in the late 16th and early 17th century. It was in the midst of what has since some-

18 18 Basic History of the U. S., A Teacher s Guide times been called the Age of Shakespeare an era in which the raw language of English was being honed and sharpened into a vigorous literary language. The poetic flavor of the language was still manifest, not yet blunted by the prose that would largely displace it during the Age of Reason. The most influential work of the period was the King James Version of the Bible, which was first published in The vitality was apparent in the assertion of British naval power, the settlements in the New World, the strong religious belief, and the political turmoil. This vitality gave birth to English America. A good case can be made that Europeans were drawn to explore and settle in America in regions that resembled in significant ways the lands from which they came. While eastern North America was not on an island as England was, it did have a heavily indented coast line, especially from the Cheasapeake northward, and was well suited to a sea faring people. It is well to emphasize, too, that while America, excepting Canada, is southward of Great Britain, it is generally colder in winter and warmer in summer than England. The Indians in the area where the English settled were generally among the most backward in the Americas. Nor were there any significant quantities of precious metals in English America. What were centuries later hailed as the great natural resources of America were mostly only natural materials which became resources at the hands of developers. The greatest influence of the Indians on the white settlers was in domestic plants and methods of cultivating and storing them. Points to emphasize: 1. The discovery, exploration, and development of America shifted the trading center of Europe away from the Mediterranean toward the Atlantic. This made Britain s location much more vital. 2. Settlers from Europe preferred areas in America that resembled the lands from which they came. 3. The established church in England makes a good mental model for an established church. 4. Government is the source of monopoly-a point well made in 17th century England.

19 19 5. The impact of government regulation on the economy is also well demonstrated in 17th century England. 6. Natural materials only become resources when uses are found from them, and, usually, when they are developed and refined. Questions to ponder and discuss: 1. How does the British Constitution differ from ours? 2. What is a mixed government? 3. Examine this proposition: the early Stuart kings sought to make Parliament an instrument of their power. 4. How did the defeat of the Spanish Armada prepare the way for permanent English settlements in America? 5. Were there any limits on the powers of the king in the early 17th century? 6. What did King James I mean when he said: No bishop, no king? 7. Where did the most advanced Indians in America live? 8. Why did the American Indians not trade or travel over wide areas? 9. Why was it so difficult for Indians and White settlers to live side by side peacefully? Identify: Roger Bacon William Shakespeare Sir Edmund Coke Sir Walter Raleigh James John Cabot Elizabeth I Describe or define: House of Commons Established church Conventicles Enclosure Monopoly Magna Carta Wigwam Native Americans

20 20 Basic History of the U. S., A Teacher s Guide Place in chronological order: Publication of King James Version of the Bible Drake sails around the world Civil War in England Suppression of Puritans Elizabeth I comes to throne Stuart reign begins Activities: 1. Make a chart which shows the lines of descent of the Tudors and Stuarts. 2. Debate the proposition: The success of English America can be attributed to the abundant natural resources of eastern North America ) 3. Make a model of an Indian longhouse.