Thursday, March 6, 2008

Plymouth Exam Essay!

Miles Standish contributed important protection to the early colonies by using violence. Benjamin Church provided vital leadership to protect the colonies during King Philip's War. Despite all of this violence, the colonies were also founded on religious idealism. It is important to understand the full history of these areas because this is what Americans generally consider to be our nation's beginning.

Standish provided important protection using violence for the early colonies. One of the many things that he did was broke into a wigwam (of which is like a home for the indian families) looking for Squanto. After inviting others to a pork dinner Standish stabbed one of the men that sat across the table of him, with the mans own sword. He was so set against the pilgrims and them being on the Indians land, that he killed any Indian that he saw with the pilgrims, to show the other Indians that if they are seen with a pilgrim they would be killed also. Standish strongly showed that violence was pretty much the only protection for early colonies.

Benjamin Church provided important leadership to protect the colonies during King Philip's War, because without a strong leadership the colonies would not have a strong colonie. Church had been protected by Philip, so when Philip was killed he wanted to make sure everyone had known that he was going to follow in Philip's leadership footsteps. After King Philips death Church and his men put the Kings head on a pike, so that the townspeople understood that the King would still be there no matter what. When Church found out where Annawon and his men had been hiding out he took Annawon, the 60 men, and his own 6 men to the town to show everyone that Annawon was alive. Church and Annawon had understood each other even though Annawon did not speak english. Church had made sure that Annawon knew that as long as Church could control it that his men and himself would live. When Church had to leave for a mission the townspeople killed Annawon and his men. When Church came back and found out that they had killed Annawon he was pretty upset, because Annawon was a good guy. This all shows that Church provide important leadership because Church let the whole town know that when Philip died he was not going to give up, and same for when Annawon came back to the town with him.

Even with all the violence the colonies also was founded with religious idealism. Puritans started coming to the colonies between the years of 1630 and 164o, and when they got there that wanted to be the "city on a hill" meaning that they wanted to be the center of attention. They started the blue laws and having a religion in the colonie. The blue laws consist of No Shaving, No hunting, No Shopping, No fishing. This was all for Sundays because that was the day of rest, and if you was clean shaved for Sunday it would not be right. It meant that you did not rest, and you did not follow the laws. These were all religious traits, and were not all about viloence.

The combination of idealism and viloence was combined in the English colonies which is now Massachusetts. Violence was the only protection for early colonies, and Standish was the one to show it. Church provided leadership that was important becuase he showed the whole town that after Philip's death Church was not going to give up. The blue laws made it so that Sunday was a day of rest, and it brought religious features into the colonies. All this information is important because it shows how viloence had protected a lot of people, and how little things that the blue laws consisted of could change a lot of things.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Plymouth Exam Outline

Outline for Plymouth Essay

I. Introduction

A. Thesis: The founding of English colonies in modern Massachusetts combined a strange mix of idealism and violence.

B. First Major Point: Miles Standish contributed important protection to the early colonies by using violence.

C. Second Major Point: Benjamin Church provided vital leadership to protect the colonies during King Philip's War.

D. Third Major Point: Despite all of this violence, the colonies were also founded on religious idealism.

E. Significance of Thesis: It is important to understand the full history of these areas because this is what Americans generally consider to be our nation's beginning.


II. First Major Point

A. Miles Standish contributed important protection to the early colonies by using violence.

B. Broke into a wigwam looking for Squanto.

C. stabbed a person across the table after inviting him to a pork dinner

D. killed any indians he saw with the pilgrims.

E. Significance of position (how it relates to thesis?)


III. Second Major Point

A. Benjamin Church provided vital leadership to protect the colonies during King Philip's War

B. Got protected by King Philip

C. Took Annawon and 60 men with his 6.

D. Putting King Philips head on top of the pike in the middle town

E. Significance of position (how it relates to thesis?)


IV. Third Major Point

A. Despite all of this violence, the colonies were also founded on religious idealism

B. City on top of Hill

C. Blue Laws

D.

E. Significance of position (how it relates to thesis?)


V. Conclusion

A. Restate thesis (not re-write)

B. Restate significance of first position

C. Restate significance of second position

D. Restate significance of third position

E. Summary of paper (why is it important)