Before this year, I was starting to think that I had stopped improving as a writer. All my writing classes in high school were focusing on making us write essays about facts, and only facts, the obvious intent being to test us to see if we were paying any attention in class. I was proven happily incorrect once I came to PSEC. I never could have guessed how much room I still had to grow as a writer, including learning a whole new method of writing that included analyzing the text, trying to find its meaning as it applied to me, as opposed to listing facts. I feel that I have grown a huge amount as a writer this quarter, as shown by my grades on the two actual essays we wrote this year, and my use of the They Say/I Say format for writing.
As I am a little bit of a “glass half empty” personality, I feel it prudent to begin with my weaknesses as a writer that I am still learning to overcome (made all the more difficult considering I would have never guessed that I was having these problems just one year ago). One of the primary problems I am having as an academic author is using an abundance of quotes. In my two essays titled “A Story of a Delawarean” and “Final Draft; Now in Color!” I used very few quotes. I feel that once I begin putting more quotes in for me to analyze and support my argument my writing will become much better. My other weakness as a writer is my reluctance to change. In my first essay (an analysis of Bacon’s Rebellion), I went through five drafts before I even realized that I was not properly using the They Say/I Say format, which was new to me at the time. I have since fully adopted this new form of writing essays, and I dare say that I have got a solid grasp of how to use it now.
Of course, there are things that I have been doing well on, one might call them strengths. These include an understanding the concepts of They Say/I Say (post stupid drafts of my essay one), and my ability to do my work in a timely fashion. The proof for my understanding of the They Say/I Say format is conveniently given in a numerical representation. I am talking about my grade. On both essay one and two I received a ninety-one percent, even though my information was not the best quality. This shows that even when I was having a hard time including information that was relevant I was able to use the They Say/I Say format well enough to significantly impact my final grades. The second point is slightly harder to prove, but there evidence is still there. I managed to get essay one done in all of one weekend, and that included a total rewrite. All I did the final day was some grammar and semantic fixes. The same happened with the second essay, although I had it fully written out about three days ahead of schedule, as opposed to only one. I still had to do some grammar and semantic fixes, but I really don’t count those toward total time spent writing as they are often just me being a perfectionist.
I feel that this year I have improved a significant amount as far as writing is concerned. I know that I still have room to improve, but I feel that I am much better prepared for future writing courses than I was a year ago. My strengths outweigh my weaknesses by a lot, which is not something I would have said at the beginning of the school year. With my newfound grasp of the They Say/I Say format, I feel that I will be able to do better on future essay style assignment that my teachers assign.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Reflective Letter
---Before this year, I was starting to think that I had stopped improving as a writer. All my writing classes in high school were focusing on making us write essays about facts, and only facts, the obvious intent being to test us to see if we were paying any attention in class. I was proven happily incorrect once I came to PSEC however. I never could have guessed how much room I still had to grow as a writer, including learning a whole new method of writing that included analyzing the text, trying to find its meaning as it applied to me, as opposed to listing facts. I feel that I have grown a huge amount as a writer this quarter, as shown by my grades on the two actual essays we wrote this year, and my use of the They Say/I Say format for writing.
---As I am a little bit of a “glass half empty” personality, I feel it prudent to begin with my weaknesses as a writer that I am still learning to overcome (made all the more difficult considering I would have never guessed that I was having these problems just one year ago). One of the primary problems I am having as an academic author is using an abundance of quotes. In my two essays titled “A Story of a Delawarean” and “Final Draft; Now in Color!” I used very few quotes. I feel that once I begin putting more quotes in for me to analyze and support my argument my writing will become much better. My other weakness as a writer is my reluctance to change. In my first essay (an analysis of Bacon’s Rebellion), I went through five drafts before I even realized that I was not properly using the They Say/I Say format, which was new to me at the time. I have since fully adopted this new form of writing essays, and I dare say that I have got a solid grasp of how to use it now.
---Of course, there are things that I have been doing well on, one might call them strengths. These include an understanding the concepts of They Say/I Say (post stupid drafts of my essay one), and my ability to do my work in a timely fashion. The proof for my understanding of the They Say/I Say format is conveniently given in a numerical representation. I am talking about my grade. On both essay one and two I received a ninety-one percent, even though my information was not the best quality. This shows that even when I was having a hard time including information that was relevant I was able to use the They Say/I Say format well enough to significantly impact my final grades. The second point is slightly harder to prove, but there evidence is still there. I managed to get essay one done in all of one weekend, and that included a total rewrite. All I did the final day was some grammar and semantic fixes. The same happened with the second essay, although I had it fully written out about three days ahead of schedule, as opposed to only one. I still had to do some grammar and semantic fixes, but I really don’t count those toward total time spent writing as they are often just me being a perfectionist.
---I feel that this year I have improved a significant amount as far as writing is concerned. I know that I still have room to improve, but I feel that I am much better prepared for future writing courses than I was a year ago. My strengths outweigh my weaknesses by a lot, which is not something I would have said at the beginning of the school year. With my newfound grasp of the They Say/I Say format, I feel that I will be able to do better on future essay style assignment that my teachers assign.
---As I am a little bit of a “glass half empty” personality, I feel it prudent to begin with my weaknesses as a writer that I am still learning to overcome (made all the more difficult considering I would have never guessed that I was having these problems just one year ago). One of the primary problems I am having as an academic author is using an abundance of quotes. In my two essays titled “A Story of a Delawarean” and “Final Draft; Now in Color!” I used very few quotes. I feel that once I begin putting more quotes in for me to analyze and support my argument my writing will become much better. My other weakness as a writer is my reluctance to change. In my first essay (an analysis of Bacon’s Rebellion), I went through five drafts before I even realized that I was not properly using the They Say/I Say format, which was new to me at the time. I have since fully adopted this new form of writing essays, and I dare say that I have got a solid grasp of how to use it now.
---Of course, there are things that I have been doing well on, one might call them strengths. These include an understanding the concepts of They Say/I Say (post stupid drafts of my essay one), and my ability to do my work in a timely fashion. The proof for my understanding of the They Say/I Say format is conveniently given in a numerical representation. I am talking about my grade. On both essay one and two I received a ninety-one percent, even though my information was not the best quality. This shows that even when I was having a hard time including information that was relevant I was able to use the They Say/I Say format well enough to significantly impact my final grades. The second point is slightly harder to prove, but there evidence is still there. I managed to get essay one done in all of one weekend, and that included a total rewrite. All I did the final day was some grammar and semantic fixes. The same happened with the second essay, although I had it fully written out about three days ahead of schedule, as opposed to only one. I still had to do some grammar and semantic fixes, but I really don’t count those toward total time spent writing as they are often just me being a perfectionist.
---I feel that this year I have improved a significant amount as far as writing is concerned. I know that I still have room to improve, but I feel that I am much better prepared for future writing courses than I was a year ago. My strengths outweigh my weaknesses by a lot, which is not something I would have said at the beginning of the school year. With my newfound grasp of the They Say/I Say format, I feel that I will be able to do better on future essay style assignment that my teachers assign.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Kentunky Resolution
--Who is writing? The General Assembly of Kentucky
--Who is the audience? The American Government
--Who do the writers represent? The people of Kentucky
--What is being said, argued and/or requested? They are stating that the Alien and Sedition Acts are unconstitutional
--How is it being said, argued and/or requested? The tone of this document is serious, legal, and definate
--What proof and/or justification is being used to legitimize the request? They state that the acts are unconstitutional in paragraph one. Paragraph four is their actual resolve, declaring against the acts.
--Who is the audience? The American Government
--Who do the writers represent? The people of Kentucky
--What is being said, argued and/or requested? They are stating that the Alien and Sedition Acts are unconstitutional
--How is it being said, argued and/or requested? The tone of this document is serious, legal, and definate
--What proof and/or justification is being used to legitimize the request? They state that the acts are unconstitutional in paragraph one. Paragraph four is their actual resolve, declaring against the acts.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Essay Two Reflection
This essay was not really all that similar to the first essay that was assigned. Instead of having two-three weeks to do research, we had to get most of our research done in three days. I am not saying that this is a bad thing, however. I feel that it made us pay a LOT more attention to what we were doing, and the content was up to us a lot more than it was in the first essay. I do wish that I had had an additional week to write it, but that is only because I am a perfectionist and hate having anything wrong with my work.
I feel that I did a good job on this essay, and am proud of myself for getting it done not just on time, but actually early, although I did wind up doing some final revisions to the conclusion to make Craig happy. I felt that the four page maximum was quite generous of you, and it served an excellent purpose for me, in forcing me to not put entirely to much flare in my writing. If there is anything I would have to say I could have done better, it would be my research. I had a heck of a time finding anything Delaware specific, and wound up having to take some general information and trying to merge it with slightly more specific information.
I feel that I did a good job on this essay, and am proud of myself for getting it done not just on time, but actually early, although I did wind up doing some final revisions to the conclusion to make Craig happy. I felt that the four page maximum was quite generous of you, and it served an excellent purpose for me, in forcing me to not put entirely to much flare in my writing. If there is anything I would have to say I could have done better, it would be my research. I had a heck of a time finding anything Delaware specific, and wound up having to take some general information and trying to merge it with slightly more specific information.
Friday, November 21, 2008
A Story of a Delawarean
-----Twelve years ago, we Americans won independence from our “Mother”, England, in a brutal and bloody war that lasted 8 years, but cost the lives of far too many of our sons. This war that England forced upon us took a terrible tole on us, both economically and spiritually, but we can finally claim to have freedom. No longer will we have to put up with England’s stranglehold on our trade, their oppressive ruler-ship and unjust taxes. Instead we are a continent that cries out in the face of the British tyranny, a place of freedom and fairness, a place where everyone is equal, no one standing above another, with no chance of the corruption of the central government that is so rampant in England. My business can now reach a broader market with Britain’s polices and acts abolished. My fellow Delawareans and I have been ready to rule ourselves for a long time, with our strong economy and healthy government, and we can finally do so.
-----My business of buying the inner colonies’ grain and other produce and selling it to markets across the ocean is flourishing now that we are out from under the cloud that was British rule. We merchants of Delaware have always found a lucrative business in trading with the more inland Americans, and then with the various English merchants (and only the English merchants). Now though, we still have the trade with the inland people, but also with French, and Spanish merchants, who don’t completely control what they pay for our goods and we for theirs. The Navigation Acts that Britain had set were slowly destroying my business, as the English merchants knew that I could not sell my goods to any other people, allowing them to demand absurdly high prices for their goods, while paying only paltry sums for my own. Is that how a Mother should treat her children? Does it seem decent that a country half a world away should be able to so control the economic well-being of so many people, all because a piece of inconsequential paper saying that we could not legally trade with any other sovereign nation? Larry Sawers published the article The Navigation Acts Revisited, which reads, “The Navigation Acts reserved all commerce between the colonists and Europe to British Citizens (which included therefore the colonists themselves). Certain ‘enumerated’ goods bound for Europe from the colonies had first to be landed in a British port and then re-exported. Similarly, ‘enumerated’ imports from Europe had to routed through England. The Navigation Acts also mandated the subsidy of certain commodities in the colonies such as naval stores and indigo, and forbade the manufacture of other goods such as fur hats.” With such stringent rules that made it so that we had to pay England a substantial sum to get our goods to any buyers from other countries, many merchants were having a hard time keeping their money from running out. My business, and that of many of my neighbor merchants required a constant flow of trade between the inner colonies and from that to the English, so when most of the inner colonies’ products that they desired to be sold were being taken as taxes, our business took a turn for the worst. How could I not be proud that I was part of the Revolution that broke us away from England and her constraints?
-----Now, there is no way that one could claim that there were not financial problems that occurred after our bid for freedom and liberty won out. Immediately after the war our economy in the State of Delaware suffered severely, as we had to create our own currency, to further separate ourselves from the British. This combined with many soldiers returning home and demanding their promised land grants deeply scarred our economy, but not irreparably so. We have already started to recover, and the process has been helped with our new found freedom to trade with new countries, countries that until now had been forced to buy our goods at incredibly high prices from England. My business has almost completely recovered, and with the inner colonies once again shipping their surplus food to me for processing and shipping I expect that I will soon be fully back on my feet.
-----Besides our economic situation vastly improving after our break from England, our governmental system is working splendidly. I am told that we were the first colony to develop and implement a State Constitution, one that encompasses our ideals and laws. Part of our Constitution of Delaware has been entirely too long in coming, and including Article 26, which states that “No person hereafter imported into this State from Africa ought to be held in slavery under any presence whatever; and no negro, Indian, or mulatto slave ought to be brought into this State, for sale, from any part of the world.” Slavery has been a stain on our country’s economy and image for entirely too long, and I can only hope that all of our Sister colonies have similar statements in their constitutions. Our own Declaration of Independence stated that all men were created equal, and no matter their skin color, all people are still people. Another right that has been far too long in coming to fruition has been the freedom for every man to choose his own way to worship. This is covered in Article 29 of our Constitution, in the words of, “There shall be no establishment of any one religious sect in this State in preference to another; and no clergyman or preacher of the gospel, of any denomination, shall be capable of holding any civil once in this State, or of being a member of either of the branches of the legislature, while they continue in the exercise of the pastorial function.” It is about time that every man is allowed to worship God in his own way, without the requirement of a Church to dictate how he does so.
-----It has taken twelve years, but we Americans are finally beginning to truly form a nation. It took a war, and has led to many compromises that have displeased many people, but now those who fought for so long are now starting on the upward slope leading to creating a country recognized as more than the bastard son of England. We are succeeding in forming our country because we already had a system of government that could stand without the crutch that was England, and because we gained so many trade options with other countries. Without this, there is no way that our country could have succeeded in our bid for liberty. The citizens of Delaware have been ready to separate from England for a long time, and I am glad that we finally have. It is my hope that our Sister Colonies’ economies will recover as well as ours has, and that their governments will work as well as ours does.
Smith, Barbara. "Food Rioters and the American Revolution." The William and Mary Quarterly 51 (1994): 3-38.
Sawers, Larry. "The Navigation Acts Revisited." Economic History Review XLV(1992): 262-268.
Declaration of Independence, July 4 1776. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/declare.asp
Thomas Paine, Common Sense: Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs http://www.bartleby.com/133/3.html
Constitution of Delaware; 1776. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/de02.asp
The American Promise
-----My business of buying the inner colonies’ grain and other produce and selling it to markets across the ocean is flourishing now that we are out from under the cloud that was British rule. We merchants of Delaware have always found a lucrative business in trading with the more inland Americans, and then with the various English merchants (and only the English merchants). Now though, we still have the trade with the inland people, but also with French, and Spanish merchants, who don’t completely control what they pay for our goods and we for theirs. The Navigation Acts that Britain had set were slowly destroying my business, as the English merchants knew that I could not sell my goods to any other people, allowing them to demand absurdly high prices for their goods, while paying only paltry sums for my own. Is that how a Mother should treat her children? Does it seem decent that a country half a world away should be able to so control the economic well-being of so many people, all because a piece of inconsequential paper saying that we could not legally trade with any other sovereign nation? Larry Sawers published the article The Navigation Acts Revisited, which reads, “The Navigation Acts reserved all commerce between the colonists and Europe to British Citizens (which included therefore the colonists themselves). Certain ‘enumerated’ goods bound for Europe from the colonies had first to be landed in a British port and then re-exported. Similarly, ‘enumerated’ imports from Europe had to routed through England. The Navigation Acts also mandated the subsidy of certain commodities in the colonies such as naval stores and indigo, and forbade the manufacture of other goods such as fur hats.” With such stringent rules that made it so that we had to pay England a substantial sum to get our goods to any buyers from other countries, many merchants were having a hard time keeping their money from running out. My business, and that of many of my neighbor merchants required a constant flow of trade between the inner colonies and from that to the English, so when most of the inner colonies’ products that they desired to be sold were being taken as taxes, our business took a turn for the worst. How could I not be proud that I was part of the Revolution that broke us away from England and her constraints?
-----Now, there is no way that one could claim that there were not financial problems that occurred after our bid for freedom and liberty won out. Immediately after the war our economy in the State of Delaware suffered severely, as we had to create our own currency, to further separate ourselves from the British. This combined with many soldiers returning home and demanding their promised land grants deeply scarred our economy, but not irreparably so. We have already started to recover, and the process has been helped with our new found freedom to trade with new countries, countries that until now had been forced to buy our goods at incredibly high prices from England. My business has almost completely recovered, and with the inner colonies once again shipping their surplus food to me for processing and shipping I expect that I will soon be fully back on my feet.
-----Besides our economic situation vastly improving after our break from England, our governmental system is working splendidly. I am told that we were the first colony to develop and implement a State Constitution, one that encompasses our ideals and laws. Part of our Constitution of Delaware has been entirely too long in coming, and including Article 26, which states that “No person hereafter imported into this State from Africa ought to be held in slavery under any presence whatever; and no negro, Indian, or mulatto slave ought to be brought into this State, for sale, from any part of the world.” Slavery has been a stain on our country’s economy and image for entirely too long, and I can only hope that all of our Sister colonies have similar statements in their constitutions. Our own Declaration of Independence stated that all men were created equal, and no matter their skin color, all people are still people. Another right that has been far too long in coming to fruition has been the freedom for every man to choose his own way to worship. This is covered in Article 29 of our Constitution, in the words of, “There shall be no establishment of any one religious sect in this State in preference to another; and no clergyman or preacher of the gospel, of any denomination, shall be capable of holding any civil once in this State, or of being a member of either of the branches of the legislature, while they continue in the exercise of the pastorial function.” It is about time that every man is allowed to worship God in his own way, without the requirement of a Church to dictate how he does so.
-----It has taken twelve years, but we Americans are finally beginning to truly form a nation. It took a war, and has led to many compromises that have displeased many people, but now those who fought for so long are now starting on the upward slope leading to creating a country recognized as more than the bastard son of England. We are succeeding in forming our country because we already had a system of government that could stand without the crutch that was England, and because we gained so many trade options with other countries. Without this, there is no way that our country could have succeeded in our bid for liberty. The citizens of Delaware have been ready to separate from England for a long time, and I am glad that we finally have. It is my hope that our Sister Colonies’ economies will recover as well as ours has, and that their governments will work as well as ours does.
Smith, Barbara. "Food Rioters and the American Revolution." The William and Mary Quarterly 51 (1994): 3-38.
Sawers, Larry. "The Navigation Acts Revisited." Economic History Review XLV(1992): 262-268.
Declaration of Independence, July 4 1776. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/declare.asp
Thomas Paine, Common Sense: Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs http://www.bartleby.com/133/3.html
Constitution of Delaware; 1776. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/de02.asp
The American Promise
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
REALLY close to being the last draft. For real this time.
------- Twelve years ago, we Americans won independence from our “Mother”, England, in a bloody war that lasted 8 years, and cost the lives of far too many of our sons. This war that England forced upon us took a terrible tole on us, both economically and spiritually, but we can finally claim to have freedom. No longer will we have to put up with England’s stranglehold on our trade, their oppressive ruler-ship and unjust taxes. Instead we are a continent that cries out in the face of the British tyranny, a place of freedom and fairness, a place where everyone is equal, no one standing above another, with no chance of the corruption of the central government that is so rampant in England. My business can now reach a broader market with Britain’s polices and acts abolished. My fellow Delawareans and I have been ready to rule ourselves for a long time, with our strong economy and healthy government, and we can finally do so.
------- My business of buying the inner colonies’ grain and other produce and selling it to markets across the ocean is flourishing now that we are out from under the cloud that was British rule. We merchants of Delaware have always found a lucrative business in trading with the more inland Americans, and then with the various English merchants (and only the English merchants). Now though, we still have the trade with the inland people, but also with French, and Spanish merchants, who don’t completely control what they pay for our goods and we for theirs. The Navigation Acts that Britain had set were slowly destroying my business, as the English merchants knew that I could not sell my goods to any other people, allowing them to demand absurdly high prices for their goods, while paying only paltry sums for my own. Is that how a Mother should treat her children? Does it seem decent that a country half a world away should be able to so control the economic well-being of so many people, all because a piece of inconsequential paper saying that we could not legally trade with any other sovereign nation? Larry Sawers published the article The Navigation Acts Revisited, which reads, “The Navigation Acts reserved all commerce between the colonists and Europe to British Citizens (which included therefore the colonists themselves). Certain ‘enumerated’ goods bound for Europe from the colonies had first to be landed in a British port and then re-exported. Similarly, ‘enumerated’ imports from Europe had to routed through England. The Navigation Acts also mandated the subsidy of certain commodities in the colonies such as naval stores and indigo, and forbade the manufacture of other goods such as fur hats.” With such stringent rules that made it so that we had to pay England a substantial sum to get our goods to any buyers from other countries, many merchants were having a hard time keeping their money from running out. How could I not be proud that I was part of the Revolution that broke us away from England and her constraints?
------- Now, I am not saying that there were not a few hiccups after our bid for freedom and liberty won out. Immediately after the war our economy in the State of Delaware suffered severely, as we had to create our own currency, to further separate ourselves from the British. This combined with many soldiers returning home and demanding their promised land grants deeply scarred our economy, but not irreparably so. We have already started to recover, and the process has been helped with our new found freedom to trade with new countries, countries that until now had been forced to buy our goods at incredibly high prices from England. My business has almost completely recovered, and with the inner colonies once again shipping their surplus food to me for processing and shipping I expect that I will soon be fully back on my feet.
------- Besides our economic situation vastly improving after our break from England, our governmental system is working splendidly. I am told that we were the first colony to develop and implement a State Constitution, one that encompasses our ideals and laws. Part of our Constitution of Delaware has been entirely too long in coming, and that is Article 26, which states that “No person hereafter imported into this State from Africa ought to be held in slavery under any presence whatever; and no negro, Indian, or mulatto slave ought to be brought into this State, for sale, from any part of the world.” Slavery has been a stain on our country’s economy for entirely too long, and I can only hope that all of our Sister colonies have similar statements in their constitutions. Our own Declaration of Independence stated that all men were created equal, and no matter their skin color, all people are still people. Another right that has been far too long in coming to fruition has been the freedom for every man to choose his own way to worship. This is covered in Article 29 of our Constitution, in the words of, “There shall be no establishment of any one religious sect in this State in preference to another; and no clergyman or preacher of the gospel, of any denomination, shall be capable of holding any civil once in this State, or of being a member of either of the branches of the legislature, while they continue in the exercise of the pastorial function.” It is about time that every man is allowed to worship God in his own way, without the requirement of a Church to dictate how he does so.
------- It has taken twelve years, but we Americans are finally beginning to truly form a nation. It took a war, and has led to many compromises, but now we beginning to start on the upward slope leading to being a country recognized as more than the bastard son of England. We succeeded in forming our country because we already had a system of government that could stand without the crutch that was England, and because we gained so many trade options with other countries. Without this, there is no way that we could have succeeded in our bid for liberty.
Smith, Barbara. "Food Rioters and the American Revolution." The William and Mary Quarterly 51 (1994): 3-38.
Sawers, Larry. "The Navigation Acts Revisited." Economic History Review XLV(1992): 262-268.
Declaration of Independence, July 4 1776. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/declare.asp
Thomas Paine, Common Sense: Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs http://www.bartleby.com/133/3.html
Constitution of Delaware; 1776. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/de02.asp
The American Promise
------- My business of buying the inner colonies’ grain and other produce and selling it to markets across the ocean is flourishing now that we are out from under the cloud that was British rule. We merchants of Delaware have always found a lucrative business in trading with the more inland Americans, and then with the various English merchants (and only the English merchants). Now though, we still have the trade with the inland people, but also with French, and Spanish merchants, who don’t completely control what they pay for our goods and we for theirs. The Navigation Acts that Britain had set were slowly destroying my business, as the English merchants knew that I could not sell my goods to any other people, allowing them to demand absurdly high prices for their goods, while paying only paltry sums for my own. Is that how a Mother should treat her children? Does it seem decent that a country half a world away should be able to so control the economic well-being of so many people, all because a piece of inconsequential paper saying that we could not legally trade with any other sovereign nation? Larry Sawers published the article The Navigation Acts Revisited, which reads, “The Navigation Acts reserved all commerce between the colonists and Europe to British Citizens (which included therefore the colonists themselves). Certain ‘enumerated’ goods bound for Europe from the colonies had first to be landed in a British port and then re-exported. Similarly, ‘enumerated’ imports from Europe had to routed through England. The Navigation Acts also mandated the subsidy of certain commodities in the colonies such as naval stores and indigo, and forbade the manufacture of other goods such as fur hats.” With such stringent rules that made it so that we had to pay England a substantial sum to get our goods to any buyers from other countries, many merchants were having a hard time keeping their money from running out. How could I not be proud that I was part of the Revolution that broke us away from England and her constraints?
------- Now, I am not saying that there were not a few hiccups after our bid for freedom and liberty won out. Immediately after the war our economy in the State of Delaware suffered severely, as we had to create our own currency, to further separate ourselves from the British. This combined with many soldiers returning home and demanding their promised land grants deeply scarred our economy, but not irreparably so. We have already started to recover, and the process has been helped with our new found freedom to trade with new countries, countries that until now had been forced to buy our goods at incredibly high prices from England. My business has almost completely recovered, and with the inner colonies once again shipping their surplus food to me for processing and shipping I expect that I will soon be fully back on my feet.
------- Besides our economic situation vastly improving after our break from England, our governmental system is working splendidly. I am told that we were the first colony to develop and implement a State Constitution, one that encompasses our ideals and laws. Part of our Constitution of Delaware has been entirely too long in coming, and that is Article 26, which states that “No person hereafter imported into this State from Africa ought to be held in slavery under any presence whatever; and no negro, Indian, or mulatto slave ought to be brought into this State, for sale, from any part of the world.” Slavery has been a stain on our country’s economy for entirely too long, and I can only hope that all of our Sister colonies have similar statements in their constitutions. Our own Declaration of Independence stated that all men were created equal, and no matter their skin color, all people are still people. Another right that has been far too long in coming to fruition has been the freedom for every man to choose his own way to worship. This is covered in Article 29 of our Constitution, in the words of, “There shall be no establishment of any one religious sect in this State in preference to another; and no clergyman or preacher of the gospel, of any denomination, shall be capable of holding any civil once in this State, or of being a member of either of the branches of the legislature, while they continue in the exercise of the pastorial function.” It is about time that every man is allowed to worship God in his own way, without the requirement of a Church to dictate how he does so.
------- It has taken twelve years, but we Americans are finally beginning to truly form a nation. It took a war, and has led to many compromises, but now we beginning to start on the upward slope leading to being a country recognized as more than the bastard son of England. We succeeded in forming our country because we already had a system of government that could stand without the crutch that was England, and because we gained so many trade options with other countries. Without this, there is no way that we could have succeeded in our bid for liberty.
Smith, Barbara. "Food Rioters and the American Revolution." The William and Mary Quarterly 51 (1994): 3-38.
Sawers, Larry. "The Navigation Acts Revisited." Economic History Review XLV(1992): 262-268.
Declaration of Independence, July 4 1776. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/declare.asp
Thomas Paine, Common Sense: Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs http://www.bartleby.com/133/3.html
Constitution of Delaware; 1776. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/de02.asp
The American Promise
This is the best essay ever. Of all time.
Twelve years ago, we Americans won independence from our “Mother”, England, in a bloody war that lasted 8 years, and cost the lives of far too many of our sons. This war that England forced upon us took a terrible tole on us, both economically and spiritually, but we can finally claim to have freedom. No longer will we have to put up with England’s stranglehold on our trade, their oppressive ruler-ship and unjust taxes. Instead we are a continent that cries out in the face of the British tyranny, a place of freedom and fairness, a place where everyone is equal, no one standing above another, with no chance of the corruption of the central government that is so rampant in England. My business can now reach a broader market with Britain’s polices and acts abolished. My fellow Delawareans and I have been ready to rule ourselves for a long time, with our strong economy and healthy government, and we can finally do so.
My business of buying the inner colonies’ grain and other produce and selling it to markets across the ocean is flourishing now that we are out from under the cloud that was British rule. We merchants of Delaware have always found a lucrative business in trading with the more inland Americans, and then with the various English merchants (and only the English merchants). Now though, we still have the trade with the inland people, but also with French, and Spanish merchants, who don’t completely control what they pay for our goods and we for theirs. The Navigation Acts that Britain had set were slowly destroying my business, as the English merchants knew that I could not sell my goods to any other people, allowing them to demand absurdly high prices for their goods, while paying only paltry sums for my own. Is that how a Mother should treat her children? Does it seem decent that a country half a world away should be able to so control the economic well-being of so many people, all because a piece of inconsequential paper saying that we could not legally trade with any other sovereign nation? Larry Sawers published the article The Navigation Acts Revisited, which reads, “The Navigation Acts reserved all commerce between the colonists and Europe to British Citizens (which included therefore the colonists themselves). Certain ‘enumerated’ goods bound for Europe from the colonies had first to be landed in a British port and then re-exported. Similarly, ‘enumerated’ imports from Europe had to routed through England. The Navigation Acts also mandated the subsidy of certain commodities in the colonies such as naval stores and indigo, and forbade the manufacture of other goods such as fur hats.” With such stringent rules that made it so that we had to pay England a substantial sum to get our goods to any buyers from other countries, many merchants were having a hard time keeping their money from running out. How could I not be proud that I was part of the Revolution that broke us away from England and her constraints?
Now, I am not saying that there were not a few hiccups after our bid for freedom and liberty won out. Immediately after the war our economy in the State of Delaware suffered severely, as we had to create our own currency, to further separate ourselves from the British. This combined with many soldiers returning home and demanding their promised land grants deeply scarred our economy, but not irreparably so. We have already started to recover, and the process has been helped with our new found freedom to trade with new countries, countries that until now had been forced to buy our goods at incredibly high prices from England. My business has almost completely recovered, and with the inner colonies once again shipping their surplus food to me for processing and shipping I expect that I will soon be fully back on my feet.
Besides our economic situation vastly improving after our break from England, our governmental system is working splendidly. I am told that we were the first colony to develop and implement a State Constitution, one that encompasses our ideals and laws. Part of our Constitution of Delaware has been entirely too long in coming, and that is Article 26, which states that ““No person hereafter imported into this State from Africa ought to be held in slavery under any presence whatever; and no negro, Indian, or mulatto slave ought to be brought into this State, for sale, from any part of the world.” Slavery has been a stain on our country’s economy for entirely too long, and I can only hope that all of our Sister colonies have similar statements in their constitutions.
Another right that has been far too long in coming to fruition has been the freedom for every man to choose his own way to worship. This is covered in Article 29 of our Constitution, in the words of, “There shall be no establishment of any one religious sect in this State in preference to another; and no clergyman or preacher of the gospel, of any denomination, shall be capable of holding any civil once in this State, or of being a member of either of the branches of the legislature, while they continue in the exercise of the pastorial function.” It is about time that every man is allowed to worship God in his own way, without the requirement of a Church to dictate how he does so.
It has taken twelve years, but we Americans are finally beginning to truly form a nation. It took a war, and has led to many compromises, but now we beginning to start on the upward slope leading to being a country recognized as more than the bastard son of England. We succeeded in forming our country because we already had a system of government that could stand without the crutch that was England, and because we gained so many trade options with other countries. Without this, there is no way that we could have succeeded in our bid for liberty.
Smith, Barbara. "Food Rioters and the American Revolution." The William and Mary Quarterly 51 (1994): 3-38.
Sawers, Larry. "The Navigation Acts Revisited." Economic History Review XLV(1992): 262-268.
Declaration of Independence, July 4 1776. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/declare.asp
Thomas Paine, Common Sense: Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs http://www.bartleby.com/133/3.html
Constitution of Delaware; 1776. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/de02.asp
The American Promise
My business of buying the inner colonies’ grain and other produce and selling it to markets across the ocean is flourishing now that we are out from under the cloud that was British rule. We merchants of Delaware have always found a lucrative business in trading with the more inland Americans, and then with the various English merchants (and only the English merchants). Now though, we still have the trade with the inland people, but also with French, and Spanish merchants, who don’t completely control what they pay for our goods and we for theirs. The Navigation Acts that Britain had set were slowly destroying my business, as the English merchants knew that I could not sell my goods to any other people, allowing them to demand absurdly high prices for their goods, while paying only paltry sums for my own. Is that how a Mother should treat her children? Does it seem decent that a country half a world away should be able to so control the economic well-being of so many people, all because a piece of inconsequential paper saying that we could not legally trade with any other sovereign nation? Larry Sawers published the article The Navigation Acts Revisited, which reads, “The Navigation Acts reserved all commerce between the colonists and Europe to British Citizens (which included therefore the colonists themselves). Certain ‘enumerated’ goods bound for Europe from the colonies had first to be landed in a British port and then re-exported. Similarly, ‘enumerated’ imports from Europe had to routed through England. The Navigation Acts also mandated the subsidy of certain commodities in the colonies such as naval stores and indigo, and forbade the manufacture of other goods such as fur hats.” With such stringent rules that made it so that we had to pay England a substantial sum to get our goods to any buyers from other countries, many merchants were having a hard time keeping their money from running out. How could I not be proud that I was part of the Revolution that broke us away from England and her constraints?
Now, I am not saying that there were not a few hiccups after our bid for freedom and liberty won out. Immediately after the war our economy in the State of Delaware suffered severely, as we had to create our own currency, to further separate ourselves from the British. This combined with many soldiers returning home and demanding their promised land grants deeply scarred our economy, but not irreparably so. We have already started to recover, and the process has been helped with our new found freedom to trade with new countries, countries that until now had been forced to buy our goods at incredibly high prices from England. My business has almost completely recovered, and with the inner colonies once again shipping their surplus food to me for processing and shipping I expect that I will soon be fully back on my feet.
Besides our economic situation vastly improving after our break from England, our governmental system is working splendidly. I am told that we were the first colony to develop and implement a State Constitution, one that encompasses our ideals and laws. Part of our Constitution of Delaware has been entirely too long in coming, and that is Article 26, which states that ““No person hereafter imported into this State from Africa ought to be held in slavery under any presence whatever; and no negro, Indian, or mulatto slave ought to be brought into this State, for sale, from any part of the world.” Slavery has been a stain on our country’s economy for entirely too long, and I can only hope that all of our Sister colonies have similar statements in their constitutions.
Another right that has been far too long in coming to fruition has been the freedom for every man to choose his own way to worship. This is covered in Article 29 of our Constitution, in the words of, “There shall be no establishment of any one religious sect in this State in preference to another; and no clergyman or preacher of the gospel, of any denomination, shall be capable of holding any civil once in this State, or of being a member of either of the branches of the legislature, while they continue in the exercise of the pastorial function.” It is about time that every man is allowed to worship God in his own way, without the requirement of a Church to dictate how he does so.
It has taken twelve years, but we Americans are finally beginning to truly form a nation. It took a war, and has led to many compromises, but now we beginning to start on the upward slope leading to being a country recognized as more than the bastard son of England. We succeeded in forming our country because we already had a system of government that could stand without the crutch that was England, and because we gained so many trade options with other countries. Without this, there is no way that we could have succeeded in our bid for liberty.
Smith, Barbara. "Food Rioters and the American Revolution." The William and Mary Quarterly 51 (1994): 3-38.
Sawers, Larry. "The Navigation Acts Revisited." Economic History Review XLV(1992): 262-268.
Declaration of Independence, July 4 1776. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/declare.asp
Thomas Paine, Common Sense: Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs http://www.bartleby.com/133/3.html
Constitution of Delaware; 1776. http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/de02.asp
The American Promise
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