Only have to be one-two paragraphs in length. No sources needed. Discussion Questions. One After reading Course Lectures 1-4 and completing activities 1.2 – 1.4 in the textbook, compare and contrast the societies of West Africa, Europe, and the Americas at the time when Christopher Columbus made his first voyage to America in 1492. How were they different? How were they similar? Why was there conflict when these cultures interacted? What can we in the 21st century learn about cross-cultural interaction from the experiences of these societies over 500 years ago? Two Read 2.4 (Economic Lens), 2.4 (Political Lens), 2.5, 3.2, and 3.5 in the Textbook and answer the following questions: Compare and contrast the colonization of the Americas by the English and the Spanish? What were their motivations? What strategies did they each employ to colonize these areas? What was the nature of their relationship to the indigenous peoples? Be sure to include in your discussions the sources from the textbook as evidence to support your positions on these questions. Three Discuss the ways in which religion impacted the society and culture of Colonial America. Be sure to include in your discussion the primary and secondary sources in 3.4 (Political Lens) and 3.4 (Social Lens) in the textbook. Does religion influence culture and society in 21st century America in the same ways? Four What arguments would a Loyalist in the colonies put forward in defense of British policies toward the colonies after 1763? How might a member of the Sons of Liberty have responded to such arguments? Be sure to bring into the discussion the sources in 4.4 (Artifact Lens -Source 2) and 4.4 (Economic Lens) in the textbook. Compare and contrast the arguments of some colonists against British taxation with the arguments against higher Federal taxes in 21st century America. Five Why would Congress choose the bald eagle as the the United States’ national symbol in 1782 near the close of the American Revolutionary War? Why would Congress choose a symbol that was associated with the ancient Roman Republic (See this link for additional information about the Roman Republic)? Why did Benjamin Franklin oppose this symbol (See 5.4 Artifact Lens in textbook)? Why did he prefer the turkey as the national symbol of the United States? What do his arguments against the eagle and for the turkey tell us about his views of Americans? Would a turkey or an eagle better serve as a fitting national symbol for the United States in the 21st century? Six The United States obtained no new territories or commercial advantages as a direct result of the War of 1812, yet historians refer to this conflict as the “Second War for American Independence”. Why have historians labeled this war in this manner? Be sure to include in this discussion the sources in 6.5 Artifact Lens in the textbook. Seven What is the relationship between Andrew Jackson’s opposition to the Bank of the United States and the growth of democracy in the Age of Jackson? Please bring into the discussion the sources in 9.4 (Economic Lens) in the textbook. Are Jackson’s criticisms of the Bank of the United States applicable to the Federal government’s recent handling of the 2008 financial crisis. For an overview of this latest crisis see http://www.propublica.org/article/cheat-sheet-whats-happened-to-the-big-players-in-the-financial-crisis Eight Read and analyze the sources for 7.4 (Economic Lens) and 7.4 (Social Lens) in the textbook and discuss the links between the Second Great Awakening, social reform, and nativism. Compare and contrast the concerns and outlook of these three different historical developments in ante-bellum America.
