From These Beginnings Critique - Assignment Example

Book Essay: From These Beginnings, Volume One Thomas Jefferson (Chapter 5) a. What were some of the reservations Thomas Jefferson had regarding the Constitution of 1787? What was his opinion of the Articles of Confederation? Thomas Jefferson was particularly alarmed by the omission of the bill of rights on the constitution. A firm believer in the rights of man, Jefferson was alarmed by the fact that the constriction so gallantly endorsed the necessity for the formation of the confederation and mentioned no word to the effect of the principal issues of the welfare of the new state. Since the constitution was ratified in his absence, Jefferson was a bit perturbed as per the wisdom of the other delegates and had grave misgiving. He laminated why the other delegates considered doing a lot of their activities in secret. He termed the use of such secrecy as an abominable precedent. He also thought that rebellions among the citizens were a normal medicine to the political organic body of the new. b. How did the Bill of Rights ease some of his misgivings about the Constitution? The bill of rights introduced into the constitutional processes the safeguards and defenses of the rights of the individuals which were more critical to the stability of the confederation. When the bill of rights was introduced, Jefferson believed that the nation would then safeguard individual liberties in a more concrete manner (Nash & Graves 120). When the Bill of Rights was introduced, the ordinary citizens were adequately represented and their rights defended along constitutional lines. Moreover, the laws made it possible for popular participation of the citizens which had the effect of easing some of the tensions and civil unrest or protests. c. Identify some of the basic philosophical differences between Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton? Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton had differences regarding the nature of the confederation in a constitutional sense. However, the question of political parties also pitted the leaders in philosophical differences. Jefferson believed in a weaker central government and stronger and autonomous states. This was contrary to Hamiltonian convictions. As a very prominent and influential secretary of the treasury, always insisted in the strengthening of the federal government and made a lot of financial programs of taxation to modernize the state. Hamilton insisted in some interpretations of the constitution to favor greater federal controls which Jefferson detested. These included the creation of a National, Federal Bank and several taxation laws. Their differences emerged principally on Jefferson’s consideration that the Federal government needed not tax the ordinary citizens too much. d. As president, Jefferson drew back from his weak central government philosophy to engage in some actions that outraged even the Federalists. Discuss some of those actions and the Jeffersonian rationale behind them. As president, Jefferson nevertheless did not abolish much of the programs that had been instituted by Hamilton. There were minimal withdrawals of the tax programs apart from the withdrawal of the excise tax regime between the states. Jefferson’s party believed that a strong national government would undermine the rights of the ordinary citizens and wanted the states to retain greater autonomy. The Jeffersonian programs nevertheless tried to interpret the constitution in very strict terms unlike what Hamiltonian considerations felt flawed. The rationale that Jefferson considered more profoundly was that a stronger national and federal government would be tyrannical to the ordinary states and deprive the citizens of crucial rights and liberties. It was also in his rationale that the poor citizen needed no such a plutocratic government structure in their present circumstances of squalid dwellings. 2. Tecumseh (Chapter 6) a. Tecumseh’s concept of land stood in stark contrast to the views of the people of the United States. Analyze the significance of those differences with regard to the treaties of the late 1700s. The people of the United States believed in the freedom to purchase land and to put land to good and productive uses. In contrast, Tecumseh believed in the concept of communal ownership of land and as such, tended to defend the Indians from the encroaching Americans. Land was critical to the livelihoods of the Americans. It was central to the welfare of the Indians. Whereas the Americans preferred plantation farming and large-scale agribusiness, the Indians lacked technical capacity to compete and thus needed protection from encroaching white Americans. b. How did the outcome of the War of 1812 spell an end to Tecumseh’s Indian confederation and resistance to white incursions into the Ohio Valley? When Tecumseh was killed in the war, his men fled and the organization disintegrated. Americans whisked the Indians away from the valley and spread their settlements into the region. Most of the officers in his battalion which had previously fought alongside the British were dispersed, others captured and some killed. These looses meant that the Indians could no longer hold on to their land and the Americans took over the region of Ohio. After the resistance was broken, the Americans gradually infiltrated the once contested lands. After the American side took control, the laws that had been established about land among the Indians were abolished American legislations took charge in full swing. 3. Frederick Douglass (Chapter 8) a. What were some of the unusual circumstances of Frederick Douglass’s early years that heightened his desire to escape slavery? Fredrick Douglass was taken away from his mother as a child. He never had memories of ever seeing the mother during the day and could only recall, the mother held her to sleep when it was night. After so much criticism, Douglass continued on his own way to gather a lot of literacy. He often aid and believed that “knowledge is the pathway from slavery to freedom.” Douglass was dedicated in his efforts to gain literacy and escape slavery at an early age and made every effort to attain just that. Douglass strived to escape from slavery severally and always failed. There were rumor that Douglass’ slave master was his father and this troubled young Douglas as a slave. As was the custom, he was always separated with the mother and rarely ever saw his mother afterwards. b. Trace Douglass’s experiences in the North up to his publication of ‘A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.’ Fredrick Douglass was born in 1818 in Maryland, Talbot County. He was a slave child and spent his childhood hating slavery but with nothing else to do. Up to the time of his escape from enslavement in 1838, he grudgingly complied with the master. However, he secretly made every effort to gain literacy. Hugh Aulds wife Sophia taught the little boy the alphabet and gave him a foundation into literacy. Although it was widely believed that if slaves became literate, they would demand freedom. After arriving into David Ruggles’ house in New York, the escapee recalled to invite his fiancée and soon later Anna Murray in 1838. Between 1838 and 1845 when he wrote the autobiography, a lot took place in the life of the Douglass’ household than all the time when he was a slave. Fredrick Douglass was immensely engaged in the abolitionist movement and wrote a lot of criticisms of the constitutional basis of the slavery. Douglass joined a predominantly African church and soon became a preacher. As a preacher from 1839, Douglass honed his oratory skills and served in various positions in the church. Douglass participated in several organizations in New Bedford. His gradual attendance of the black causes meetings led him to take the position of an anti-slavery lecturer. In 1843, Douglass joined and became an ardent supporter of the American Anti-Slavery Society. In several occasions, Douglass and others were attacked or beaten in the activities to abolish slavery. c. How did Douglass view President Lincoln’s actions in the early years of his administration with regard to ending slavery? What actions changed Douglass’s views? President Lincoln assumed the presidency on a rather humble and unaggressive tone. Even thought he patiently criticized the practice and laws that enshrined slavery, Douglass thought that the presidency was a useful platform to institute one’s beliefs regardless of the constructional mandate. Nevertheless, when the president failed to make radical changes, he was disappointed. He thought the president was too taken with gradualist piecemeal solutions. When Douglass was elected to assist with the recruitment of black soldiers into the army and he met the President at the White house, the President received him so warmly and cordially. The president listened to all his questions and gave close attention to his demands. Nonetheless, there were a lot of white guests who flocked to the Whitehouse to see the president and were bypassed to create room for Douglass. It is during the American civil wars that Douglass appreciated the efforts of the president to end abolish slavery in the United States. 4. Choose any other chapter from the book (a different chapter, a fourth chapter), read it and answer any 2 questions under For Consideration. Works Cited Nash, Roderick and Graves, Gregory. From These Beginnings: A Biographical Approach to American History. (Volume 1, 8th Edition). Pearson Education. 2007. Read More