Discussion Responses

Please respond to A (Discussion Responses), B (Identifications), and C (Introductions)

Assigned Reading:

Andrews & Burke, “Thinking Historically: The Five Cs of Historical Thinking” (All

Richard Frethorne’s “Letter from Jamestown” (In the module)

William Byrd’s “Secret Diary” (In the module)

John Winthrop, “Reasons for the Plantation in New England,” 1628

William Penn, “Some Account of the Province of Pennsylvania,” 1681

Recommended Reading: The American Yawp, Chs. 1, 2, & 3

http://www.americanyawp.com/index.html (Links to an external site.)

Due Dates: The first response is due Thursday night, two follow-ups by Sunday night.

Follow-Up Responses: Please respond to two of your peers’ posts as if you’re having a discussion; you can ask a question, make a comment, and so on. The follow-ups are due Sunday night.

Grading: In general, full credit will be granted so long as the student engages with the material, edits, and adheres to the guidelines.

Tip: Be sure to have a clear argument that you defend with relevant evidence (sources). Organize each answer with a logical structure and use clear topic sentences and transitions to help your reader understand the logic of your organization. Edit your answers thoroughly to avoid errors and to improve readability.

A) Discussion Responses: Please respond to one of the following prompts (roughly 150-300 words will do). You may answer all of them to earn up to four points of extra credit.

A1) The Columbian voyages initiated a process whereby the Americas, Africa, and Europe were linked in a network of exchange of biological and material products. Write a short piece in which you discuss this exchange and some of its major consequences.

A2) Describe life in the Americas prior to European colonization. How did Native Americans respond to the Europeans and vice versa?

A3) Compare and contrast colonial New England, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. What were the major characteristics of each? How were they similar and different?

A4) Briefly consider the history of servitude in British North America, including race-based slavery, and consider the social and cultural consequences of slavery. (Hint: Richard Frethorne’s Letter and William Byrd’s Diary will be useful for this one).

A5) What was the relationship between religion and government in the British colonies?

Source Requirement: Each discussion response should be supported by at least one source from the course in the form of a short, direct quote, a paraphrased passage, or a summary of a key point. You are free to use any of the course materials to meet this requirement, including the lectures, The American Yawp, the primary sources in The American Yawp that can be found at the end of each chapter, and other materials, such articles, documentaries, and so on that are posted in the modules. The primary sources at the end of The American Yawp will count as a source that is distinct from the main body of the book. Note: you can use sources that are not assigned but can be found in the course.

Citations: Please write the author and the title after the sentence in which you use a source. For The American Yawp, you can simply write the title…I don’t need the authors, etc., unless you cite a primary source, in which case I want the author and title.

B) Identifications: Please identify each term and explain its historical importance in this course in three or four sentences. Citations are not required, please write in your own words.

Cahokia

The Columbian Voyages

Columbian Exchange

William Penn

Indentured Servants

Bacon’s Rebellion

Puritans

John Winthrop

New England Church / Meeting House

King Philip’s War

Triangular Trade

Change

Context

Causality

Contingency

Complexity

Primary Source: Tip: See the Harvard Guide to Writing History

Secondary Source

Richard Frethorne’s “Letter from Jamestown” (You should briefly explain what this source tells us about servitude in colonial Virginia. This one might be longer than the other IDs).

William Byrd’s “Secret Diary” (You should briefly explain what this source tells us about slavery in colonial Virginia. This one might be longer than the other IDs).

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