During the year you will be completing stamp assignments for most decades in the 20th century. Today however, you are going to visit 10 sites that will fill in a little of our pre-1900 history.

Puritan Values

Many people believe that the Puritan Work Ethic is the model of the American hard work ethic and that it led to our place as a modern industrial giant.

Question 1: Why did the Puritans immerse themselves in their work?

The Web site: http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/Lesson_3_Notes.htm

To find the answer to that question, go to the Social Studies Help Center and read about how the Puritans affected the development of America.

Enlightenment Thinkers

The European Enlightenment had a profound effect on the founders of our nation. Two of our founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson were heavily influenced by the Enlightenment writers. Jefferson would later apply many Enlightenment ideas to the Declaration of Independence.

Question 2: Which three English Enlightenment thinkers influenced Thomas Jefferson the most?

The Web site: http://www.ansp.org/museum/jefferson/otherPages/enlightenment.php

To find the answer to that question, go to the Academy of Natural Sciences and read Product of the Enlightenment.

John Locke

In an era where many assumed that Kings had a Divine Right to rule, John Locke questioned that assumption. He claimed that the power to rule came from the consent of the governed and that the purpose of government was to protect Natural Rights.

Question 3: What are Natural Rights and when does one acquire them?

The Web site: http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/B/locke/locke.htm or http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke-political/

To find the answer to that question, go to A Biography of John Locke or Locke's Political Philosophy and read about his life and times.

The First Great Awakening

Between 1730 and 1770 many colonists experienced a rise in religious enthusiasm. Religion spread throughout the colonies and many religious groups saw a large increase in followers.

Question 4: One of the leaders of this religious revival was Jonathan Edwards. What did Jonathan Edwards warn would happen to unrepentant sinners?

The Web Site: http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/eighteen/ekeyinfo/grawaken.htm

To find the answer to that question, go to the National Humanities Center and read about The First Great Awakening.

Social Contract

Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote the Social Contract in 1762 and it would have a profound affect on people like Thomas Jefferson.

Question 5: According to Rousseau, why would people be willing to enter into a Social Contract?

The Web Site: http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96jun/rousseau.html

To find the answer to that question, go to Lucid Café and read the biography on Jean Jacques Rousseau.

Ben Franklin

When the Constitutional Convention was held in 1787, Ben Franklin was its senior spokesman at age 81.  Although he did not agree with all of the provisions included in the Constitution, he argued passionately for its ratification.

Question 6: Today we have a single President that heads the Executive Branch. How did Ben Franklin think the Executive Branch should be set up?

The Web Site: http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/l3_citizen_founding.html

To find the answer to that question, go to PBS and read about Citizen Ben.

Separation of Powers

The founding fathers wanted to ensure that power would be distributed between different branches of our new government. As a result, they established three distinct branches (Legislative makes the law, Executive enforces the law, and the Judicial interprets the law). Each branch has specific powers and responsibilities.

Question 7:Although James Madison is credited with persuading the writers of the Constitution to include the concept of Separation of Powers, he borrowed that concept from a famous French philosopher. Who was that famous French philosopher?

The Web Site: http://www.answers.com/separation of powers

To find the answer to that question, go to Answers.com and read about Separation of Powers.

Checks and Balances

The writers of the Constitution did not want to see unchecked power concentrated in one place. As a result, they created a system of checks and balances to ensure multiple voices would be heard when creating law for our nation.

Question 8: Using the following situation: The House of Representatives passes a Bill (proposed law), then Senate also passes the same Bill,  and finally the President signs it making it a law. Using checks and balances, what is the only way to get rid of that law?

The Web Site: http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/Lesson_13_Notes.htm

To find the answer to that question, go to the Social Studies Help Center and read about Checks and Balances.

The Second Great Awakening

During the late 1820's and 1830's, the United States experienced a Second Great Awakening. Church membership in the nation grew and preachers began to say that an individual could attain salvation through their own efforts. In other words, Heaven on Earth is a possibility.

Question 9: Because people now believed that salvation could be attained through their own efforts, social activism increased   during the Second Great Awakening. What were three social reform movements that began during this time?

The Web Site: http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1091.html

To find the answer to that question, go to u-s-history.com and read about the Second Great Awakening.

Manifest Destiny

The term Manifest Destiny was coined by John L. O'Sullivan in 1839. It referred to our God given right to spread from sea to shinning sea.

Question 10: How did Dragoon soldiers help settlers fulfill our nations Manifest Destiny?

The Web Site: http://www.nps.gov/fosc/mandest.htm

To find the answer to that question, go to the National Park Service and read about The Dragoon Expeditions.