Tuesday, January 29, 2013

project due Wednesday 2/6, test Thursday 2/7

You are free of homework for tonight (huzzah!).  I will be testing you next week (Thursday 2/7) and you'll have a project due Wednesday 2/6.  You're done with reading, notes and other nightly homework, though, so you can focus on those two things.  Here's the project description.  You'll have time to work on it in class on Friday 2/1.

Here are the study questions to help you prepare for the test (which is the usual format:  multiple choice and open response):


  1. What events, foreign and domestic, defined Jefferson's presidency? Did he have a successful presidency overall? 
  2. In what ways did Jefferson’s policies as president exemplify Republican ideals?
  3. How and why did the Supreme Court gain power during this period?  What similar trends and themes do the key cases decided by the Marshall Court share?  
  4. What significant legal precedents has the Supreme Court set in the last century?
  5. Does Jefferson deserve to be called a great American?
  6. Did Madison make a wise decision when he asked Congress to declare war on Britain in 1812?  Was it the right decision? 
  7. What were the causes, course and effects of the War of 1812?
  8. What key figures emerged from the war?
  9. Did the U.S. win the War of 1812? 
  10. Does the "Era of Good Feelings" (1816-1828) deserve its name? 
  11. Why was the Missouri Compromise only a temporary fix?  How did it fail to fully address the slavery issue?
  12. What impact did the Monroe Doctrine have?
  13. Why was John Quincy Adams’ presidency relatively unsuccessful and unremarkable? 
  14. Was there a more “U.S. is” or “U.S. are” sentiment during this time period (1800-1828)? 
(Along with the political issues in the last question above, consider:  How did artists and writers attempt to create works that were truly American?  Why were different regions of the country developing differently, leading to growing sectionalism?) 

As you're reviewing, you may also find this political parties chart helpful.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Due this week and next

Due Friday 1/25:  one page of notes on p. 209-214

Due Monday 1/28:  two pages of notes on p. 216-225

Due Tuesday 1/29:  one page of notes on p. 225-233 (you can skip the section on the Marshall Court--but do take notes on the "court and the tribes"--since you already did the chart assignment)

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

due Thursday 1/17

Reading/summary of major Supreme Court case due Thursday.  Your case assignments are below.  You can find the cases on the following webpage: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/pop_landmark_cases/index.html

You can see which case you're assigned by checking this document.  Please read the case summary and respond to the questions in this document based on your assigned case.







Jefferson lab assignment (to be done in class on Tuesday 1/15)


Jefferson lab assignment

Websites for you to explore in class during the period we go to the lab are below.  There aren't any specific areas you're required to view or read, but you need to collect evidence that helps you answer the central focus question (does Jefferson deserve to be called a great American?).  You should consider his works and contributions from his lifetime as a whole, not just from his terms as president.

Start at the top of the list and work your way down--I found the sites closer to the top to be richer and more interactive, but the others are worthwhile as well.       

There is a lot of worthwhile material on these sites, so I expect you to spend the whole period browsing through them.  I will check your "t" chart and responses to step 2 (below) for 5 points next class.  You need to have at least 3 detailed, specific pieces of evidence for each side (yes and no) beyond what you had already done in class based on the Time magazine article.  This may be a future essay topic, so taking good notes from the sites will help if that’s the case.

Step 1:  use the following cites to add to your T-chart on Jefferson:
http://www.monticello.org/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jefferson/
http://www.pbs.org/jefferson/ (photo essay and archives are recommended)
http://cti.itc.virginia.edu/~meg3c/classes/tcc313/200Rprojs/jefferson_invent/invent.html

Step 2:  explore the following cite about the Lewis and Clark expedition:
http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark/ (The "into the unknown" and "interactive map" links are recommended)
Record any 5 facts that you think highlight the purpose or results of the expedition:  

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

due this week

Due Thursday:  1 1/2 pages of notes based on pages 180-188 of the textbook

Due Friday:  please bring your Brinkley textbook to class

Due Tuesday 1/15:  reading/notes on pages 194-204 (2 handwritten pages)
Please also meet me in the computer lab (322) on Tuesday.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

party politics project and test

Your project is due Friday - see previous posts for the description.

Your test on the rise of political parties and parties today will be next Tuesday, 1/8.  The format will be multiple choice and open response.  Here are some questions to help you review:


-Why was Washington a good choice for the first chief executive?
-How did political parties emerge, and how did they differ in their views?
-What would the country be like today if Jefferson’s vision for America had been adopted?
-What did Washington and Adams do to shape and define the role of the presidency?
-What events defined each administration, foreign and domestically?  What were each administration's successes and failures?
-How would you interpret the major themes of the first part of U.S. history (U.S. is vs. are, liberty vs. security, the meaning of freedom) in the context of this period?
-What generally defines Democrats and Republicans today?