First test in western civ

Today we took our first test in western civ. I think I did really good on the multiple choice part but I think I bombed the last essay. I had no clue what it was about and I don't remember learning about it at all sooo. However I know I aced the Paul revere question because I know the poem like the back of my hand. I'm still really confused about the last essay question about the Declaration of Independence so I know I definitely got a 0/15 on that but oh well, not the first time. I think the last question was unfair because we didn't learn 3 distinct sections of the Declaration of Independence we just talked about little parts of it. So if I get a bad grade I'm going to ask Mr. Schick where and when we learned that. Once again I failed the last question if you didn't et it the first time.

DOI Test Review

Today in class we watched a video and stopped throughout it to talk about certain lines in the Declaration of Independence.  Jefferson wrote that if a government does not protect the rights of citizens, people have the right to form a new government. This idea was not new. Jefferson used ideas that John Locke and other English thinkers had written about. Jefferson listed many ways that Britain had not served the colonists. He wrote, for example, that King George had tried to take away rights and force taxes on the colonies. Jefferson showed that the colonists had a right to separate from the king and have their own government. We also reviewed the material for our test tomorrow. It is from slides 1-28 in the 85 slide powerpoint.

Declaration of Independence

Today in class we watched a video and stopped throughout it to talk about certain lines in the Declaration of Independence. One thing that stuck out to me is that written in the DOI it states " all men are created equal" however at the time slavery still existed. Also women didn't have any rights at the time. Jefferson wrote that if a government does not protect the rights of citizens, people have the right to form a new government. This idea was not new. Jefferson used ideas that John Locke and other English thinkers had written about. Jefferson listed many ways that Britain had not served the colonists. He wrote, for example, that King George had tried to take away rights and force taxes on the colonies. Jefferson showed that the colonists had a right to separate from the king and have their own government. 

American Revolution Review

We learned about the American Revolution. Any men from the ages of 16-60 had to be ready to fight in a minutes notice. They were known as minutemen. The colonists stored guns and ammunition at Concord. The British tried to go and destroy their weapons. Colonists were watching them and warned the minutemen. Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott were to go through the towns and let everyone know.  Representatives from every colony except Georgia showed up. This is because Georgia was fighting a Native American uprising and needed British supplies. Congress made a Declaration of Rights which affirmed its loyalty to British crown allowing the right for British to tax it. Congress passed Articles of Association to atop importing goods from the British if the intolerable acts were not repealed.

Declaration of Independence

On June 11, 1776 the Continental Congress gathered five leaders. They were called the Committee of Five. They were told to complete a document explaining why they were declaring their independence. The five members were Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, and Thomas Jefferson.Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft. In this document, Jefferson wrote what many Americans believed about their rights. Jefferson wrote that people have the right to live, the right to be free, and the right to seek happiness. The Declaration explains why the colonies should break away from Britain. It says that people have rights that cannot be taken away, lists the complaints against the king, and argues that the colonies have to be free to protect the colonists’ rights. Thomas Jefferson presented it to Congress on June 28, 1776. Some people didn't want to declare independence but others did. On July 4, 1776 the Congress officially adopted the final version of the Declaration of Independence. 

American Revolution/ First Continental Congress

In Mr. Schicks class we learned about the First Continental Congress. On Sept 5th 1774, colonial leaders met in Phili. Representatives from every colony except Georgia showed up. This is because Georgia was fighting a Native American uprising and needed British supplies. Congress made a Declaration of Rights which affirmed its loyalty to British crown allowing the right for British to tax it. Congress passed Articles of Association to atop importing goods from the British if the intolerable acts were not repealed. 

We also learned about the American Revolution. Any men from the ages of 16-60 had to be ready to fight in a minutes notice. They were known as minutemen. The colonists stored guns and ammunition at Concord. The British tried to go and destroy their weapons. Colonists were watching them and warned the minutemen. Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott were to go through the towns and let everyone know.  

Boston Massacre

The colonists decided to boycott British goods. The Boston Massacre broke out on March 5th, 1770. 5 colonists were killed. After the Massacre the British repealed most of the township acts. However they did not repeal the tax tea because they wanted to show superiority. The British passed a law saying the colonists could only buy tea from the British. This put the colonists tea companies out of business. The Boston Tea party happened in December 1773 and was lead by Samuel Adams. The colonists dressed like Native Americans. To rebel they dumped the British tea into the water. The British leaders punished the colonists by banning public meetings, closing the Boston Harbor, and sending more British soldiers to Boston. The colonists called these new laws the Intolerable Acts.

French and Indian War

Today in class i learned about the French and Indian war. It all started when the French had control over the Ohio River valley and Great Britain wanted to take that land. The French were allies with the Indians and they fought against Great Britain. Britains army was much better then the French. They had a million redcoats to their 65,000 french people. They had more advanced weapons. However, the French took a surprise lead in the fist battle killing many of the British. The British made a comeback and won the war resulting in the Ohio River Valley. The British then proceeded to enforce many taxes on the colonists.

First day of western civ

Today was the first day of Western Civ. Mr. Schick told us his class expectations. For example he wants us to post a blog every night covering what we did in class that day. We don't have to post one if we didn't meet that day. If you are absent on a day we meet, you are still responsible for posting a blog explaining why you are absent. He also wants us to hand write all of our notes in our composition books. Apparently you take in more when you hand write things rather then typing it on your computer. He explained that each blog is only 2 points but they are a easy 2 points. They all add up at the end of the quarter and end up being worth as much as a test. He also explained what to do if we are going to leave early or are going to be absent. He wants us to tell him before so that he's prepared for us to not be in class.