Supporting standards comprise 35% of the U. S. History Test 1 (A, B, & C)

Supporting standards comprise 35% of the U. S. History Test

1 (A, B, & C)

x

Supporting Standard (1)The student understands the principles

included in the Celebrate Freedom Week program.

The Student is expected to:(A) Analyze & evaluate the text, intent, meaning, &

importance of the Declaration of Independence & the U. S. Constitution, including the Bill of Rights, & identify

the full text of the first three paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence

http://www.awesomestories.com/images/user/db8a4e9200.jpg

The Student is expected to:

(A) 1 Analyze & evaluate the

text, intent, meaning, &

importance of the

Declaration of Independence

Written by Thomas Jefferson

TEXT—with a perfect pitch for language, Jefferson wrote one of the most eloquent pieces of prose ever

composed by man. The editorial emendations made by his fellow-

revolutionaries notwithstanding, it perfectly fulfilled Jefferson’s

revolutionary intent.INTENT—drawing upon developing Enlightenment political

theory, Jefferson justified the coming Revolutionary War that rested on contemporary ideas principally

including Lockean notions of the Social Contract.

MEANING—the declaration served Great Britain notice that the Colonies had passed the

point of no return; that the possibility of reconciliation no longer existed and patriot colonists would henceforth move into the

future setting their own new compass.

IMPORTANCE—the permanent separation of Colonies & Mother Country would all but

completely ensure the future of the fledgling United States as a nation-state with boundaries stretching from sea to shining sea; free Great Britain from the

troublesome task of managing her intractable colonists; & simultaneously leave open the door for

the eventual erection of an Anglo-American condominium that would set the agenda for the 20th

century



The Student is expected to:(A) 4 Identify the full text of the first three

paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence

Undoubtedly, one question of the STAAR exam will be

an excerpt from these three paragraphs, requiring you to identify the document

from which it comes.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to

assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the

opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these

are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes

destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to

abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more

disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of

abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to

throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is

now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of

repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted

to a candid world.

The Student is expected to: (A) 2 Analyze & evaluate the text, intent,

meaning, & importance of the Constitution



TEXT—in a tradition that extends backward in time at least to

Hammurabi (d. ca. 1750 B.C. )—writing down the law—the U. S.

Constitution perpetuates the practice of committing the rules of society to

the written word.INTENT—to prevent governmental abuses perceived by the Colonials as an

increasing affront & to establish a sustainable government with sufficient

flexibility to allow for use and, when necessary, appropriate or necessary

change long into the future

MEANING—the document heralded a coming “Age of Democratic Revolutions”

that would subsequently spread first throughout Europe & later still around the world. The newly independent & “united” states moved one step closer to becoming

the “City on a Hill” imagined by 17th century Puritans.

IMPORTANCE—the durability of the Constitution as a governing document continues to protect the rights and dignity of American citizens even to the present day; its imperfections and ambiguities

notwithstanding, after over two centuries, it continues to inspire the hopes & dreams of freedom-loving people around the world.

CONFEDERATION & CONSTITUTION

The Formation of U. S. Government—1781-1789

Which is better?

Freedom or rules?

The Revolutionary War involved more than simply gaining independence from Britain. It concerned the unprecedented

nature of establishing an elective system of government. The Americans had what one historian describes as a euphoric sense of

“special destiny.” The independent thinking colonials called into question the

idea of “special aristocratic privilege.”

U.S. history is at one level a working out of the tensions between the forces of liberty and

the forces of order

The Framing of the Constitution (1787-

1789)

Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the Unites States by Howard Chandler Christy

Independence Hall's Assembly Room

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The Student is expected to: (A) 3 Analyze & evaluate the text, intent, meaning,

& importance of the Bill of Rights



The Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U. S. Constitution were ratified and adoption certified on December 15, 1791

An anti-Federalist legacy

Protected basic civil liberties such as freedom of speech; right to a speedy trial and an impartial jury; freedom of assembly, religion, and press; the right to

bear arms; and the freedom from unlawful search and seizure

James Madison drafted what became the first ten

amendments to that document: the Bill of Rights. A speech he

delivered to Congress in 1821 suggests that Madison was less enthusiastic about securing individual

rights and liberties than he in inducing North Carolina and Rhode Island to ratify the

Constitution.

Before the STAAR Exam on

Wed., May 7, you should examine &

think about all of these. For today, we’ll

examine part of Article I

“Free Exercise” Clause vs. “Establishment”

ClauseThe First Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the

free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to peaceably assemble,

and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Free Exercise Clause

This clause guarantees Americans the right to practice the faith of their choice freely.

The Establishment Clause

This clause prevents the government from imposing religion upon any individual. The Founding Fathers intended to provide “maximum religious freedom to all people while

favoring no community of faith over others.

James Madison—a devout man who

trained for the clergy before choosing law

instead—warned against any

configuration that allowed for free rein

of “the superior force of an interested

and overbearing majority”

These two clauses are the “Twin

Pillars” of religious freedom and liberty. They mandate that, in religious matters, the government is

neutral by law

James Madison’s ViewMadison wrote “the religion then of every man must be left to the conviction and conscience of every man. . . . In matters of Religion, no man’s

right is abridged by the institution of Civil Society and. . . Religion is wholly exempt from its cognizance. . . . Religion, or the duty we owe to our Creator, and manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and, therefore that all men should enjoy the fullest toleration in the

exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience, unpunished and unrestrained by the

magistrate, unless under color of religion any man disturb the peace, the happiness or safety

of society, and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love and

charity toward each other.”

Thomas Jefferson’s View

Jefferson proposed keeping government out of the business of

religion by erecting a “wall of separation between church and

state.”

In his First Inaugural Address in 1801, Thomas Jefferson looked back on to the birth of the nation. He reminded his

listeners of the Founders’ intent to banish “from our land that religious intolerance under which mankind so long bled and

suffered.”

In Jefferson’s Second Inaugural Address, he further developed the ideas he presented

four years before, saying, “in matters of religion I have considered that its free exercise is placed by the Constitution

independent of the powers of the General Government. . . . I am for freedom of Religion, and against all maneuvers to

bring about a legal ascendancy of one sect over another

The challenge for the courts has been finding the appropriate delicate balance—the proper equilibrium—between the Establishment and

the Free Exercise clauses of the First Amendment. The two sometimes collide or overlap. The right to worship and the act of

worshipping are two distinct, although related, activities. Neither the U.S. nor state

constitutions equate freedom of religious belief with absolute freedom of religious practice—

especially if a practice conflicts with other existing law.

“The Founding Fathers were well aware of the grief that religious controversy had wrought in Europe. It was precisely the kind of excesses represented by the St. Bartholomew’s Day

Massacre [in which some 3,000 French Huguenots died on August 24, 1572] that the First Amendment seeks to avoid. Consequently, the United States became the first nation to

construct a constitutional framework that officially sanctioned the separation of church and state. It was a noble experiment

in the founding era and remains so today. The experiment was undertaken by the Framers in the hope that it would enable

Americans to escape the persecutions and religious wars that had characterized the Christian West since the emperor

Theodosius made Christianity the Roman Empire’s official religion in 380 A.D.”

St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre—Aug. 23, 1572

Once I saw this guy on a bridge about to jump. I said, “Don't do it!” He said, “Nobody loves me.” I said, “God loves you. Do you believe in God?”

•He said, “Yes.” I said, “Are you a Christian or a Jew?” He said, “A Christian.” I said, “Me, too! Protestant or Catholic?” He said, “Protestant.” I said, “Me, too! What franchise?” He said, “Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Baptist or Southern Baptist?” He said, “Northern Baptist.” I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist or Northern Liberal Baptist?”

The insight shown by the Founding Fathers in the First Amendment (as well as the way in which denominationalism has evolved in America) is well shown in this fictional story:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=jump%20off%20bridge&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=o3gwOLLzKRYJpM&tbnid=COoTC6dqz7FyOM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.picstopin.com%2F300%2Fbridge-cartoon-pictures%2Fhttp%3A%257C%257Cwww*pattayabridge*com%257Cbridge-cartoon%257Cbridge-cartoon-1*gif%2F&ei=uafrUobvPI-qkQfx_ICQCg&psig=AFQjCNFpp_-5upKve2wXJ7w4RqOfvtOXbQ&ust=1391262008397708

•He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist. I said, “Me, too! Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region, or Northern Conservative Baptist Eastern Region?” He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region.” I said, “Me, too!”

•“Northern Conservative†Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1879, or Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912?” He said, “Northern Conservative Baptist Great Lakes Region Council of 1912.” I said, “Die, heretic!” And I pushed him over.

http://thedailydose.com/comic/occupy-march-madness-math/

If the Founding Fathers crafted a set of governing rules that have weathered the test of more than two centuries of

time, the governmental formula that they created is far from a hard and fast solution for all the conflicts that are

fated to emerge in a democratic society. Indeed, the Framers of the Constitution consciously fashioned their

product leaving sufficient flexibility—even certain intentional vagueness and ambiguity—making possible

adjustments and adaptations along the way. They placed immense confidence in the court system to interpret the

“broad, general language” of the nation’s governing documents. Because the Constitution permits

considerable room for change with evolving tastes, preferences, norms, and times, it virtually foreordains a

measure of legal controversy.

The Student is expected to: (A) Analyze & evaluate the application of those founding principles to historical events in U. S.

history



• Rejecting the oppression of the past, America’s Founding Fathers established the American republic on our principles to secure our freedom and liberty.

• We are the first, perhaps the only, nation that holds as self-evident truths that all men and women are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; and that governments are instituted to protect those rights and derive their just powers from the consent of the governed. Stated differently, America was founded on the late-17th century principles—the Social Contract—articulated by John Locke & others.

The rule of law is a first principle that mandates that the law governs everyone

• The principle of unalienable rights recognizes that everyone is naturally endowed by their Creator with certain rights

• Equality is a principle that recognizes that all persons are created equal

• The principle of the Social Contract recognizes that governments are instituted by the people and derive their just powers from the consent of the governed

• The principle of limited government means that the protection of unalienable rights is the legitimate purpose and limit of government requires the government to be strong enough to fulfill its purpose yet limited to that purpose

• A final principle is the right to declare revolution when the other principles are being infringed by the government.



The Student is expected to:(C) Explain the contributions of the Founding

Fathers such as Benjamin Rush, John Hancock, John Jay, John Witherspoon, John Peter Muhlenberg,

Charles Carroll, & Jonathan Trumbull Sr.

The usual

suspects

TEA has given us a brand new list



The Student is expected to:(C) 1 Explain the contributions of the

Founding Fathers such as Benjamin Rush

Rush was active in the Sons of Liberty; advised Thomas Paine in the writing of the pro-

independence pamphlet Common Sense; signed the Declaration of Independence; attended the

Continental Congress; served as Surgeon General in the Continental army; was blamed for

criticizing George Washington; & in 1788 led Pennsylvania in ratifying the Constitution.

Benjamin Rush (1746-1813) was a Founding Father from Pennsylvania who was also a

physician, writer, educator, humanitarian, & the founder of Dickinson College in Carlisle,

Pa.

Dr. Rush’s order “Directions for preserving the health of soldiers” became one of the foundations of preventative military medicine and was

repeatedly republished, including as late as 1908.

Rush accompanied the Philadelphia militia during the battles after which the British occupied Philadelphia and most of New

Jersey and the Continental Congress fled to York, Pennsylvania.

As a leading physician, Rush had a major impact on the emerging medical profession. As an

Enlightenment intellectual, he was committed to organizing all medical knowledge around

explanatory theories, rather than relying on empirical methods. He promoted public health by advocating clean environment and stressing the

importance of personal & military hygiene.

Rush opposed slavery, advocated free public schools, and sought improved

education for women and a more enlightened penal system.



The Student is expected to:(C) 2 Explain the contributions of the Founding Fathers such

as John Hancock

He was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence & is remembered for his large and

stylish signature on the Declaration of Independence, so much so that the term “John

Hancock” became, in the United States, a synonym for “signature.”

John Hancock (1737-1793) was a highly successful merchant (& sometime smuggler with a taste for

luxury & extravagance); a statesman; and a prominent Patriot. He served as unanimously elected president of the Second Continental

Congress and was the highly popular first & third Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Hancock joined the resistance to the Stamp Act (1765) by participating in a boycott of British

goods, which made him very popular in Boston. After Bostonians learned of the impending repeal

of the Stamp Act, Hancock was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representative in May

1766.

Before the American Revolution, Hancock was one of the wealthiest men in the 13 Colonies, having

inherited a profitable mercantile business from his uncle. Hancock began his political career in Boston as a protégé of Samuel Adams, an influential local

politician, though the two men later became estranged.

As tensions between colonists and the Mother Country increased in the 1760s, Hancock used his wealth to support the colonial cause. He became very popular in Massachusetts, especially after British officials seized his sloop Liberty in 1768

and charged him with smuggling.Following the Tea Act of 1773, Hancock and

others tried to force the resignation of the agents who had been appointed to receive the tea

shipments. Unsuccessful in this, they attempted to prevent the tea from being unloaded after three

tea ships had arrived in Boston Harbor. Hancock did not take part in the Boston Tea Party, but he

approved of the action.

Soon after the battle of Lexington (April 1775), British governor Thomas Gage issued a proclamation granting a general pardon to all who would “lay down

their arms, and return to the duties of peaceable subjects”—with the exceptions of Hancock and

Samuel Adams. Singling out Hancock and Adams in this manner only added to their renown among

Patriots.

On March 5, 1774 (4th anniversary of the Boston Massacre), Hancock gave a speech denouncing the presence of British troops in Boston, who he said had been sent there “to enforce obedience to acts of Parliament, which neither God nor man ever

empowered them to make.”

Hancock was one of Boston’s leaders during the crisis that led to the

outbreak of the American

Revolutionary War in 1775. Hancock returned

to Massachusetts and was elected governor of

the Commonwealth, serving in that role for most of his remaining

years.




Founding Fathers such as John Jay

John Jay (1745–1829) was an American lawyer, statesman, Patriot, diplomat, a

Founding Father, signer of the Treaty of Paris (1783) which officially ended the

Revolutionary War, & the first Chief Justice of the U. S. (1789–95).

Jay joined the New York Committee of Correspondence and organized opposition to British rule. He also served a member of the First & Second Continental Congress (& served as the Congress’s President in 1778–79).

During and after the American Revolution, Jay was an Ambassador to Spain (1779-82);

France (1782-83); & the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, helping to fashion American foreign

policy.

Jay attempted to reconcile the colonies with Britain, until the Declaration of

Independence. Jay’s views became more radical as events unfolded; he became an

ardent separatist and attempted to move New York towards that cause.

Jay, a proponent of strong, centralized

government, worked to ratify the new

Constitution in New York in 1788 by pseudonymously writing five of the

Federalist Papers, along with the main authors Hamilton & Madison.




as John Witherspoon

Witherspoon was born at Gifford, a parish of Yester, at East Lothian, Scotland, as the eldest

child of the Reverend James Alexander Witherspoon and Anne Walker, a descendant of

John Welsh of Ayr & John Knox.

John Knox Witherspoon (1723–1794) was a Scots Presbyterian minister and a signatory of the

Declaration of Independence as a representative of New Jersey. As president of the College of New Jersey (1768–94; now Princeton University), he

trained many leaders of the early nation and was the only active clergyman and the only college

president to sign the Declaration.

Of particular interest to Witherspoon was the crown’s growing interference in the local and colonial affairs

which previously had been the prerogatives and rights of the American authorities. When the crown began to give

additional authority to its appointed Episcopacy over Church affairs, British authorities hit a nerve in the

Presbyterian Scot, who saw such events through the same lens as his Scottish Covenanters.

Witherspoon was a staunch Protestant, nationalist, and supporter of republicanism. As a native Scotsman, long wary of the power British Crown, Witherspoon saw the

growing centralization of government, progressive ideology of colonial authorities, and establishment of

Episcopacy authority as a threat to the Liberties of the colonies.

In answer to an objection that the country was not yet ready for independence, according to tradition, he

replied that it “was not only ripe for the measure, but in danger of rotting for the want of it.”

Soon, Witherspoon came to support the Revolution, joining the Committee of

Correspondence and Safety in early 1774.

His 1776 sermon “The Dominion of Providence over the Passions of Men” was published in many editions; he was elected to the Continental Congress as part of the New Jersey delegation; appointed Congressional

Chaplain by President Hancock; & in July 1776, voted to adopt the Virginia Resolution for

Independence.

He spoke often in debate; helped draft the Articles of Confederation; helped organize the executive

departments; played a major role in shaping foreign policy; and drew up the instructions for

the peace commissioners.

Witherspoon served in Congress from June 1776 until November 1782 and became one of its most

influential members and a workhorse of prodigious energy. He served on over 100 committees, most notably the powerful standing committees, the

board of war and the committee on secret correspondence or foreign affairs.

In November 1778, as British forces neared,

Witherspoon closed and evacuated the College of New Jersey. The main

building, Nassau Hall, was badly damaged and his

papers and personal notes were lost. Witherspoon was

responsible for its rebuilding after the war, which caused him great personal and financial

difficulty.




as John Peter Muhlenberg

Toward the end of 1775, Muhlenberg was authorized to raise & command as its colonel the 8th Virginia Regiment of the Continental Army. George Washington personally asked

him to accept this task.

John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg (1746–1807) was an American clergyman (Lutheran); soldier in

the Continental Army during the Revolution; & a political figure in the newly independent

United States, serving for Pennsylvania in the U. S. House of Representatives & U. S. Senate.

One family tradition suggests that on January 21, 1776, in the Lutheran

church in Woodstock, Va., Muhlenberg took his sermon text from the third

chapter Ecclesiastes, which begins with “To every thing there is a season . . . .” After reading the eighth verse, “a time

of war, and a time of peace,” he declared: “And this is the time of war,” removing his clerical robe to reveal his

Colonel’s uniform.

Muhlenberg's unit was first posted to the South, to defend the coast of South Carolina & Georgia. In early 1777, the Eighth Regiment was sent north to join Washington’s main army. Muhlenberg was

made a brigadier general of the Virginia Line and commanded that Brigade in Nathanael Green’s

division at Valley Forge.

Outside the church door the drums began to roll as men turned to kiss their wives and then walked down the aisle to enlist, and within half an hour,

162 men were enrolled.The next day he led out 300 men from the county to form the nucleus of the 8th

Virginia.

At the Battle of Yorktown, he commanded the first brigade in Lafayette’s Light

Division. They held the right flank and manned the two trenches built to move American cannons closer to Cornwallis’

defenses.

Muhlenberg also saw service in the Battles of Brandywine, Germantown, & Monmouth. After Monmouth, most of the Virginia Line was sent to

the far south, while General Muhlenberg was assigned to head up the defense of Virginia using

mainly militia units.




Founding Fathers such as Charles Carroll

He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress (1776-78) and Confederation Congress

and later as first U. S. Senator for Maryland.

Charles Carroll (1737–1832), known as Charles Carroll of Carrollton or Charles

Carroll III to distinguish him from his similarly named relatives, was a wealthy

Maryland planter and an early advocate of independence from Great Britain.

He was the only Catholic and the longest-lived (and last surviving) signatory of the Declaration of Independence,

dying at the age of 95, at his city mansion (largest and most expensive in town) in Baltimore.

As the dispute between Great Britain and her colonies intensified in the early 1770s, Carroll became a powerful voice for independence. In

1772 he engaged in a debate conducted through anonymous newspaper letters,

maintaining the right of the colonies to control their own taxation. Writing in the Maryland

Gazette under the pseudonym “First Citizen,” he became a prominent spokesman against the governor’s proclamation increasing legal fees

to state officers and Protestant clergy.

In the early 1770s Carroll appears to have embraced the idea that only violence could break

the impasse with Great Britain.

Following these written debates, Carroll became a leading opponent of British rule,

and served on various committees of correspondence. He also played an important

role in the burning of the Peggy Stewart, a ship which had been carrying tea to

Maryland, and was destroyed on October 19, 1774 as part of the tea party protests against

British excise duties.


included in the Celebrate Freedom Week program.The Student is expected to:

(C) 7 Explain the contributions of the Founding Fathers such as Jonathan

Trumbull Sr.

When General Thomas Gage sent Trumbull a request for assistance after the Battles of Lexington &

Concord, Trumbull refused and made clear his choice to side with the Patriots. He replied that Gage’s

troops would “disgrace even barbarians,” and he accused Gage of “a most unprovoked attack upon the

lives and the property of his Majesty’s subjects.”

Jonathan Trumbull, Sr. (1710–1785) was one of the few Americans who served as governor in both a pre-Revolutionary colony and a post-Revolutionary state. He was the only colonial

governor at the start of the Revolution to take up the rebel cause.

Trumbull was a friend and advisor of General Washington throughout the revolutionary period, dedicating the

resources of Connecticut to the fight for independence. Washington declared him “the first of the patriots.” When

Washington was desperate for men or food during the war, he could turn to

“Brother Jonathan.”

He also served as the Continental Army’s Paymaster General

(Northern Department) in the spring of 1778, until the untimely death of his mother forced him to

resign his post. As part of his resignation, he requested that the

remainder of his back pay be distributed to the soldiers of the

Northern Department.

Fini

Documents

Supporting standards comprise 35% of the U. S. History Test 1 (A, B, & C)