Study Guide

For Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs

The Eras of Exploration, Colonization, and Revolution through Marc Aronson’s Books

Introduction

This study guide is intended to be used in conjunction with the trilogy Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado; John Winthrop, Oliver Cromwell, and the Land of Promise; and The Real Revolution: The Global Story of American Independence along with Witch-Hunt: Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials, all written by Sibert Award-winning author Marc Aronson. Each book provides not only historical narrative but also discussion of alternate historical interpretations and points-of-view; evaluation of the reliability of sources; assistance with interpretation of written documents, political cartoons, and visual imagery; along with extensive end-notes detailing the primary and secondary sources upon which Dr. Aronson has based his histories.

Teachers who will find this study guide most appropriate for their students are teachers of AP and Pre-AP United States History and IB History of the Americas (exercising the regional option of the Americas). There are also elements in this guide appropriate for teachers of Pre-IB World History and AP and Pre-AP World History. In addition, interdisciplinary links provide opportunities for collaboration with colleagues in AP or IB English (American or World Literature), Music, Art, or Government.

The lessons in this guide were designed to prepare students for both the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Diploma assessments by providing them with in-depth examination of six historical themes that thread through the eras of American exploration, colonization and revolution. Activities are intended to develop students’ knowledge of content, but also their analytical, research, and writing skills. A variety of assessment techniques will be used so students will gain experience they may later apply to the IB Internal Assessment in History, IB Extended Essay, Document Based Questions on the AP or IB Diploma Exams, or free-response essay questions on the AP or IB Diploma Exams. Each lesson is designed with multiple objectives in mind, to make the most efficient use of teachers’ time.

The guide consists of six lesson plans drawn from topics investigated in Marc Aronson’s books:

· The American Dream

· Liberty and Slavery

· Rights and Rules

· War and Change

· Information and Revolution

· History in the Eye of the Beholder: Perceptions, Prejudice and the Colonial Experience

Within each lesson plan you will find all or most of the following information:

· Synopsis of lesson

· Time required

· Materials needed

· The lesson (with lesson-starter and lesson procedures)

· Assessment

· Interdisciplinary activities

· Additional resources

Although the study guide is designed so that the six lesson plans provide an integrated course of studies, it is not expected that students will complete all the listed activities. Teachers may assign selected activities to their classes or allow students to choose an activity for themselves. Some activities lend themselves to independent research while others are suitable for a group activity. Recognizing the constraints of time and district/state accountability that classroom teachers face, in addition to requirements of the AP and IB programs, we encourage you to select and adapt the activities that best meet your students’ needs and abilities, curriculum requirements, and your teaching style.

Curriculum Standards - AP

This study guide correlates with themes and topic outlines as described at the College Board’s AP Central for Educators located at http://apcentral.collegeboard.com.

AP United States History

The lessons in this guide support the following areas of the Topic Outline which might appear in any one edition of the AP United States History Examination:

2. Transatlantic Encounters and Colonial Beginnings, 1492-1690

· First European contacts with Native Americans

· Spain’s empire in North America

· French colonization of Canada

· English settlement of New England, the Mid-Atlantic region, and the South

· From servitude to slavery in the Chesapeake region

· Religious diversity in the American colonies

· Resistance to colonial authority: Bacon’s Rebellion, the Glorious Revolution, and the Pueblo Revolt

3. Colonial North America, 1690-1754

· Population growth and immigration

· Transatlantic trade and the growth of seaports

· The eighteenth-century back country

· Growth of plantation economies and slave societies

· The Enlightenment and the Great Awakening

· Colonial governments and imperial policy in British North America

4. The American Revolutionary Era, 1754-1789

· The French and Indian War

· The Imperial Crisis and resistance to Britain

· The War for Independence

The lessons in this guide also support the following Themes in AP U.S. History that might appear in any one edition of the AP United States History Examination:

· American Diversity – The diversity of the American people and the relationships among different groups. The roles of race, class, ethnicity, and gender in the history of the United States.

· American Identity – Views of the American national character and ideas about American exceptionalism. Recognizing regional differences within the context of what it means to be an American.

· Globalization – Engagement with the rest of the world from the fifteenth century to the present: colonialism, mercantilism, global hegemony, development of markets, imperialism, cultural exchange.

· Politics and Citizenship – Colonial and revolutionary legacies, American political traditions, growth of democracy, and the development of the modern state. Defining citizenship; struggles for civil rights.

· Religion – The variety of religious beliefs and practices in America from prehistory to the twenty-first century; influence of religion on politics, economics, and society.

· Slavery and Its Legacies in North America – Systems of slave labor and other forms of unfree labor (e.g., indentured servitude, contract labor) in Native American societies, the Atlantic World, and the American South and West. The economics of slavery and its racial dimensions. Patterns of resistance and the long-term economic, political, and social effects of slavery.

· War and Diplomacy – Armed conflict from the precolonial period to the twenty-first century; impact of war on American foreign policy and on politics, economy, and society.

AP World History

The lessons in this guide support the six AP World History themes, unifying threads across the time frame of the course and helping students to put what is particular about each period or society into a larger framework:

· The dynamics of change and continuity across the world history period covered in this course, and the causes and processes involved in major changes of these dynamics

· Patterns and effects of interaction among societies and regions: trade, war, diplomacy, and international organizations

· The effects of technology, economics, and demography on people and the environment (population growth and decline, disease, labor systems, manufacturing, migrations, agriculture, weaponry)

· Systems of social structure and gender structure (comparing major features within and among societies, and assessing change and continuity)

· Cultural, intellectual, and religious developments, including interactions among and within societies

· Changes in functions and structures of states and in attitudes toward states and political identities (political culture), including the emergence of the nation-state (types of political organization)

Curriculum Standards – IB

This study guide correlates with the following periods, themes, and assessments as stated in the IB Diploma Programme guide: History, February 2001:

IB History of the Americas – The Americas Regional Option

The Americas regional option covers the United States, Latin America, including the Caribbean, and Canada. The option extends from the mid-18^th century to 1995. It is recommended that schools select a period of approximately 100 years for in-depth study. Within this option students should be aware of the key political, social, economic and cultural events and themes that have had an impact on the Americas. Some of these might be: characteristics of colonial rule; achievement of independence; slavery and its effects; evolution and changes in governments; causes and effects of the Great Depression; different paths to, and effects of, industrialization; and foreign policies of the region. Several themes, a wide range of events and more than one country should be studied.

1. The colonial period

· Political and economic relationship with the colonial powers: Britain, France, Spain, Portugal

· Social and economic organization of the immigrant population

· Role of religion in the New World

· Treatment of indigenous peoples

· The origins of slavery

2. Movements of independence

· Causes – political, economic, social, intellectual, religious—and conflicts leading to war

· Role of outside powers

· Roles of the social classes

· Role of leadership: Washington, Jefferson, Bolívar, San Martín

· The Declaration of Independence

· Independence of Brazil

· Haitian Revolution and the Republic: Toussaint L’Ouverture

4. Slavery in the Americas

· Conditions of enslavement: adaptation and resistance

· The pro-slavery arguments

· Insurrections and reactions

· Life of the free African-Americans

· Pro-abolition arguments

IB Internal Assessment – Historical Investigation

This study guide correlates with the following parameters for internal assessment as stated in the IB Diploma Programme guide: History, February 2001:

1 Introduction

The historical investigation is a problem-solving activity which enables candidates to demonstrate the application of their skills and knowledge to an area which interests them and which need not be syllabus related. The emphasis must be on a specific historical enquiry tied to classroom activities that enables the candidate to develop and apply the skills of a historian, such as making sense of source material and managing conflicting interpretations. The activity demands that candidates search for, select, evaluate and use evidence to reach a decision or solve a problem. The investigation is not a major piece of research – candidates are only required to evaluate two of the sources they have used. However, these must be appropriate to the investigation and critically evaluated. The account should not be written up as an essay but in the style outlined later in this section. The internal assessment allows for flexibility and should encourage candidates to use their own initiative. Examples of the types of investigations candidates may undertake are:

· A historical topic or theme using written sources or a variety of sources

· A historical topic based on fieldwork: for example, a museum, archeological site, battlefields, churches

· A historical problem using documents (this could include newspapers)

· A local history project

· A history project based on oral interviews

· A historical investigation based on interpreting a novel, film, piece of art, for example

2 Requirements

2.1 Candidates will be required to:

· Undertake a historical investigation

· Provide a title for the historical investigation which, in order to give focus and direction, may be framed as a question

· Produce a written account, of between 1500-2000 words for HL and SL, which must consist of:

o An outline plan of the historical investigation

o A summary of evidence

o An evaluation of sources

o An analysis

o A conclusion

IB – Extended Essay General Guidelines for History

This study guide correlates with the following parameters for extended essay as stated in the IB Diploma Programme guide: History, February 2001:

Introduction

An extended essay in history or history of the Islamic world (for the rest of this section, ‘history’ will be taken to include both subjects) should provide candidates with the opportunity to undertake an in-depth study of a limited topic containing a valid historical question.

Choice of Topic

…An extended essay is an in-depth investigation of a focused issue, and the systematic and disciplined development of an argument or thesis following the conventions of scholarly writing. An extended essay in history is not a narrative exposition, a descriptive composition, a biographical chronicle or a factual report.

…The topic chosen should provide opportunities for some critical analysis of sources. Topics which are entirely dependent on summarizing general secondary sources (such as textbooks and encyclopedias) and topics likely to lead to an essay which is essentially narrative or descriptive in nature should be avoided.

…The following examples of titles for history extended essays are intended as guidance only. The pairings illustrate that focused topics (indicated by the first title) should be encouraged rather than broad topics (indicated by the second title).

…Varying interpretations of the Salem witch trials is better than Witch trials in North America

Treatment of the Topic

Candidates must choose a research question that is susceptible to effective treatment within the word limit and is not of a trivial nature. Research questions that do not allow a systematic investigation that demonstrates critical analysis, historical judgment and understanding, are unlikely to be suitable in history…

Many different approaches to the research question can be appropriate in history, including:

· Use of primary source material for a case study or local history project, possibly leading to a comparison of local and national developments

· Using primary and secondary sources in order to establish and then appraise varying interpretations

· Studies involving critical analysis and interpretation of documents, including important acts and treaties

· Analyzing sources (primary and/or secondary; historical and/or popular publications) in search of changing views, over time, of particular happenings or developments

· Explaining and considering varying interpretations identified through a study of secondary sources

· Collecting and analyzing data form family, friends and/or neighbours in order to establish past happenings, again possibly leading to a comparison of local and national happenings.

Some examples of titles and approaches chosen in the past are:

Title: Varying interpretations of the Salem witch trials

Approach: Background reading, enabling identification and explanation of two dominant theories as to why the trials took place; appraisal of the merits of the two theories using data obtained about the accused and the accusers.

…Candidates need to be able to evaluate relevant sources and data with skill and understanding. In history, effective evaluation can be demonstrated through considering, for example:

· The origins of sources used (who were the authors? What were their intentions? Is it likely that any of the sources have been altered?)

· The usefulness and reliability of the sources.

The value and reliability of sources should not be taken for granted in extended essays in history, especially when the authenticity of some of the sources is questionable.

Candidates should aim to produce a convincing argument which addresses the research question, and is well developed, well organized and clearly expressed. Good argument, whatever the topic of the essay, will have these qualities. On the other hand, opportunities for evaluation will vary with the topic; clearly some topics will be more controversial in nature than others and so offer more opportunities for consideration of different interpretations. In history it is, of course, particularly important that any evaluation is not subjective, and candidates will also gain more credit for assessing varying interpretations than they will for reporting them.

This study guide was written by Jean M. West, an education consultant in Port Orange, Florida.

I. The American Dream

Synopsis

Between John Cabot’s voyage of exploration in 1497, during which he staked the claim of England to North America, and the first attempts by England to colonize their territory at Roanoke Island (now North Carolina) in 1585, Europeans began to project their hopes for a new beginning onto the New World, from the Spanish conquistadors’ quest to find the fabulously rich El Dorado to the Christian idealists’ dream of a perfect society captured by English scholar Thomas More’s book, Utopia (1516). This lesson examines the origins, elements, and evolution of the recurring theme of “The American Dream” from the era of exploration through the revolutionary era. Ralegh and the Spanish Doradists’ view of America as a Land of Promise; the Puritans striving for perfection in what they believed was the Promised Land of scripture; and revolutionaries like James Otis, Thomas Paine, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin crafting their republic based on democracy that they named “The United States of America” – all are architects of “The American Dream.” Students will examine passages from primary sources to analyze the constituent parts of “The American Dream” and then will conduct a historical investigation of Roanoke, Boston, or Pennsylvania. (Students may also research communities established in other locales, or subsequent utopian communities.) There is a world history option to investigate whether “The American Dream” is an example of American exceptionalism, or whether other nations share this tradition of utopian experimentalism. This lesson is designed to be used in conjunction with Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado, John Winthrop, Oliver Cromwell, and the Land of Promise, and The Real Revolution: The Global Story of American Independence.

Time Required

This lesson will take one class period, unless research time is scheduled during class.

Materials Needed

Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado

John Winthrop, Oliver Cromwell, and the Land of Promise

The Real Revolution: The Global Story of American Independence

The Lesson

Lesson Starter

1. Ask students read the following four passages.

Reading A – Arthur Barlowe, The First Voyage to Roanoke (1584)

…we viewed the land about us, being, whereas we first landed, very sandy and low towards the waters side, but so full of grapes, as the very beating and surge of the Sea overflowed them, of which we found such plenty, as well there as in all places else, both on the sand and on the green soil on the hills, as in the plains, as well on every little shrub, as also climbing towards the tops of high Cedars, that I think in all the world the like abundance is not to be found: and my self having seen those parts of Europe that most abound, find such difference as were incredible to be written.

Reading B – John Winthrop, A Model of Christian Charity (1630)

Now the only way to avoid this shipwreck, and to provide for our posterity, is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with our God. For this end, we must be knit together, in this work, as one man. We must entertain each other in brotherly affection. We must be willing to abridge ourselves of our superfluities, for the supply of other's necessities. We must uphold a familiar commerce together in all meekness, gentleness, patience and liberality. We must delight in each other; make other's conditions our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, as members of the same body. So shall we keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. The Lord will be our God, and delight to dwell among us, as his own people, and will command a blessing upon us in all our ways. So that we shall see much more of his wisdom, power, goodness and truth, than formerly we have been acquainted with. We shall find that the God of Israel is among us, when ten of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when he shall make us a praise and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, "the Lord make it likely that of New England." For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world. We shall open the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and all professors for God's sake. We shall shame the faces of many of God's worthy servants, and cause their prayers to be turned into curses upon us till we be consumed out of the good land whither we are a going.

Reading C – Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)

Europe is too thickly planted with kingdoms to be long at peace, and whenever a war breaks out between England and any foreign power, the trade of America goes to ruin, because of her connection with Britain. The next war may not turn out like the last, and should it not, the advocates for reconciliation now will be wishing for separation then, because, neutrality in that case, would be a safer convoy than a man of war. Every thing that is right or natural pleads for separation. The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, 'TIS TIME TO PART. Even the distance at which the Almighty hath placed England and America, is a strong and natural proof, that the authority of the one, over the other, was never the design of Heaven. The time likewise at which the continent was discovered, adds weight to the argument, and the manner in which it was peopled increases the force of it. The reformation was preceded by the discovery of America, as if the Almighty graciously meant to open a sanctuary to the persecuted in future years, when home should afford neither friendship nor safety.

Reading D – Declaration of Independence (1776)

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.

2. What is the essence of the American Dream in each of these readings? In what ways and to what extent do the writers of each of these documents agree in their vision of America as an exceptional place? In what ways do they disagree?

3. Ask students to write a journal entry using the passages they have read and their own knowledge to explain what the American Dream meant before there was a United States of America.

Procedures

1. The American Dream is built upon several utopian visions in which human beings would live ideal lives, based on prosperity (El Dorado), Christian love (the Promised Land), respect (Sanctuary for the Persecuted), and freedom (Land of Liberty). Students will undertake a historical investigation based on the historical efforts made by at least one community in America to attain these ideals, also considering the practical compromises that were made in the community due to human nature, and evaluating the overall success or failure of a community in attaining their American dream.

2. Building on the quotes used in the lesson starter, students can begin their research on Sir Walter Ralegh’s Roanoke, John Winthrop’s New England and/or Thomas Paine’s Pennsylvania, by reading Marc Aronson’s Sir Walter Ralegh and the Quest for El Dorado; John Winthrop, Oliver Cromwell, and the Land of Promise; and/or The Real Revolution: The Global Story of American Independence.

3. The results of the investigation will be reported in a paper of between 1500-2000 words. The paper’s title should provide a focus for the investigation and may be framed as a question or hypothesis. Each paper should include the following:

· Outline plan of the investigation

· Summary of evidence

· Evaluation of sources

· Analysis

· Conclusion

· Bibliography/list of sources (not included in the word limit)

4. There are many other experimental communities in American which students might investigate including:

Woman in the Wilderness (founded by German Pietists in 1694)

Irenia (founded by Moravians in 1695)

Bohemia Manor (founded by the Labadists in 1683)

Ephrata Cloister (founded by Sabbatarians in 1732)

Bethlehem (founded by Anabaptists in 1740)

Salem (founded by the Moravians in 1766)

Mount Lebanon (founded by the Shakers in 1787)

Harmonie (founded by the Rappites/Harmony Society/Harmonists in 1815)

Zoar (founded by the Zoarites in 1817)

New Harmony (taken over by the Owenists in 1825)

Nashoba (founded by Fanny Wright in 1825)

Nauvoo (founded by the Mormons or Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1839)

Brook Farm (founded by the Transcendentalists in 1841)

Bethel (established by Wilhelm Keil in 1844)

Oneida (founded by the Perfectionists in 1848)

Amana (founded by the Inspirationists in 1855)

Hutterite communities (established by the Hutterian Brethren in the Americas beginning in 1874)

Ruskin (founded by J. A. Wayland in 1894)

Point Loma (founded by K. Tingley in 1897)

Morning Star Ranch (founded by Lou Gottlieb in 1966)

The Farm (inspired by Stephen Gaskin, established in 1971)

5. The assignment may be adapted to World History by emphasizing historical

writings in which the European roots which inspired the utopian ideal in America may be found and examining whether utopianism is universal or so much more prevalent in the American experience that it is a characteristic of American exceptionalism. Suggested readings include:

The Bible, Genesis 2: 8-17 (the Garden of Eden)

Plato, The Republic

Thomas More, Utopia

Tommaso Campanella, City of the Sun

Francis Bacon, New Atlantis

James Harrington, The Commonwealth of Oceana

Johan Valentin Andraea, Christianopolis

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Noble Savage

The Levellers, Case of the Army, an Agreement of the People

True Levellers, The True Levellers’ Standard Advanced

Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote

Michel de Montaigne, Essays, “Of the Cannibals”

William Shakespeare, The Tempest

Assessment

The students’ papers may be evaluated on a twenty-point scale (which can be multiplied by five to convert to 100-point scale or for conversion to letter grades) using the following rubric:

	Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor
Plan (2)	(2) Scope and plan are wholly appropriate and focused	(1) Scope and plan are generally appropriate but slightly off focus	(0) Inappropriate plan	(0) No plan
Summary of Evidence (5)	(5) Paper is well researched from a variety of sources Good supporting evidence Evidence is correctly referenced	(4-3) Paper is adequately researched Some supporting evidence Evidence is referenced	(2-1) Paper is poorly researched Insufficient evidence Evidence is not always referenced	(0) There is no evidence
Evaluation of Sources (4)	(4) Source evaluation is thorough Sources’ historical reliability (origin, purpose, value, and limitation) is fully addressed	(3-2) Source evaluation is generally adequate Sources’ historical reliability is addressed in a limited way	(1) Sources are described Sources’ historical reliability is not addressed	(0) Sources are not described or evaluated
Analysis (5)	(5) Critical analysis of evidence Importance of material is put into historical context Different interpretations analyzed, when appropriate	(4-3) Evidence is analyzed adequately Importance of material is put into historical context Different interpretations analyzed, when appropriate	(2-1) Some attempt made to analyze evidence Some attempt made to set importance of material into historical context	(0) There is no analysis
Conclusion (2)	(2) Conclusion is clear and consistent with evidence	(1) Conclusion is not fully consistent with evidence	(0) Conclusion is not coherent	(0) There is no conclusion
Sources and Word Limit (2)	(2) List of sources is comprehensive Citations conform to a single standard method Paper is within word limit	(1) List of sources is incomplete Citations are not consistent to a single standard method Paper is within word limit	(0) Paper is not within the word limit	(0) List of sources not included Paper is not within the word limit

Interdisciplinary Activities

Art

Graphic artists have often interpreted the American Dream. Students might analyze the treatment of this theme in painting. Some may prefer to trace it over time by collecting a dozen or more examples for analysis, while others may wish to focus on a single work or artist. Suggestions include: Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze, Westward the Course of Empire Takes its Way; John Gast, Manifest Destiny; Albert Bierstadt, Discovery of the Hudson River; Archibald Willard, The Spirit of ’76; Ben Shahn, The Passion of Sacco and Vanzetti; John Steuart Curry, John Brown; Grant Wood, American Gothic and Parson Weem’s Fable; Thomas Hart Benton, Lewis and Clark at Eagle Creek and Boomtown; Normal Rockwell, Four Freedoms and The Problem We All Live With; Edward Hopper, Nighthawks and Gas; Andy Warhol, Mustard Race Riot; Peter Max, Flag with Heart.

Music

The themes of America as a land of promise and Americans as a chosen people have inspired composers and lyricists since the beginning of the United States. Students will examine the treatment of these themes in music. Some may prefer to trace it over time by collecting a dozen or more examples for analysis. Others may wish to focus on a single work (such as Bound for the Promised Land by Samuel Stennett; The Star Spangled Banner, lyrics by Francis Scott Key; My Country ‘Tis of Thee, lyrics by Samuel F. Smith; The Battle Hymn of the Republic, lyrics by Julia Ward Howe; America, the Beautiful by Katherine Lee Bates; Over There by George M. Cohan; God Bless America by Irving Berlin; This Land is Your Land, by Woody Guthrie; America (from the musical West Side Story) by Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim; America by Neil Diamond; Born in the U.S.A. by Bruce Springsteen;