Thank you all for your work on your group presentations to wrap-up the first semester. Most of you demonstrated an understanding of the history that we’ve been covering, and of the various options given for this assignment.
By looking at alternative outcomes (the options that did not actually happen) we are practicing what is called counterfactual history. In the case of our activity, it helps us understand what the founders may have been considering before they settled on independence. We do have to be careful when working with counterfactuals that our understanding of what actually happened is not confused. You all are intelligent enough to avoid this problem.
So let’s work a little more with our alternative outcomes. We all know that it was Option 4 that was chosen by our founding fathers, but what if they had made a different choice. What do you believe would have been their best choice out of the three alternatives (Options 1-3)? Why would have it have been the best alternative? Do you think the outcome would have lasted, or would have independence eventually come?
Give serious thought to your answers, and think carefully about the “Why” question. I’m looking for serious and thoughtful responses. As always, I encourage you to respond not only to my post, but to the comments of your classmates.
When you finish this blogging assignment I hope you focus on having a great Christmas holiday and an unbelievable New Year!!
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38 comments:
To be honest, I think that the foundindg fathers made the best choice of all, option 4. This was a risky desicion though. because they could of been hung for treason for choosing to fight for independence. You have to think about this too, they probably went through and had many choices to pick from. The founding fathers put a lot of time and effort into thinking what to do, and they chose option 4. Although I think that that was the best of the choices, I will say that option 3 is the second best choice that I would make anyway. option 3 is much like the 4th one, except without as much violence. The other two are just about how the colonists should be peaceful with Britain and stop boycotting. Well if the colonists want independence, they are going to work at it and get it done. Option 3 is different from option 4 because it involves the aspect that Britain should be ashamed of themselves and it is in their wrong doing by governing the colonies. I think that option 3 would have worked better than option 4, but without as much fun. Option 3 would work sometime faster than what was actually chosen because it involves more peaceful situations. I'm not saying that there wouldn't be wars an all, i'm just saying that Britain would probably of understood what we want faster. All the colonists want is their independence and to govern over themselves. I don't think that it would change much nowadays because eventually, we would have got what we wanted.
Yes indeed it was risky, but they made a good choice. I think they should have done option 3, even though theres really no difference, but it would be a little gentler to handle things. Option 3 declares that the only way for them to really compromise, is for Britain to find out that they are rude, reckless, and should be ashamed of themselves, for ding this to the colonists. We all know at that time that everyone desired independence. They could almost taste it, but with option 4, they were 1 step closer.
I agree 100% with adam. Option 4 was the best route to go and thats what our founding fathers choose. Options 1 and 2 were not good because it involved staying with Britain but reasoning with them. If they would have choosen that one it would end up with Britain under control of us today if everything would have worked out and Britain would have agreed with the colonist request. Again back to option 3, it had smiliar characteristics with option 4 but not as violent.... if they would have choosen option 3 i think it would have had the same outcome.
:) lots of love to yall!
like i said, the founding fathers probably discussed option 3 as well. But for some reason option 4 was best for them. I guess they were mad at Britain and decided to take the more violent path to victory. In the end they knew that they would get exactly what they wanted. No one can be sure why they made the choices that they did, because we can't go back in time.
where is everybody? there is only 2 blogs
I agree with what everyone has put on so far. Option 4 was the way to go. I also agree with everyone else about option 3 being the picked over option 1 & 2. The first two options would not have left us in control over are own land, but instead under the control of the British. Option 3 had similar goals witht option 4 but i think it would have taken longer to gain independence by choosing option 3. But option 3 does make alot of sense because it is less violent. If the colonists would have chosen option 3, it would have taken longer but it would have a similar outcome to option 4.
believe it or not, I think that the half class will say that option 4 was the way to go, but option 3 was the 2nd best.
peace
Dave's here! Alright, just to say something, the blog said to put what would be the best option if 4 was not one of them. So...ya.
If we had no option 4, the best way to go would be to compromise, and settle our differences. Eventually independence would come, but much less violently. If we compromise, we could settle all the problems, taxes, taxation without representation, and other good stuff too. Now, I know Margo't' is gonna say "they won't listen! Just like the olive branch petition!" Well, what we could do is actually send some convincing men to Britain and talk to the king. Simple! We could work out alot of stuff. f/e: if we stop boycotting, and stop the rebelling, the king would probably say that he would stop taxation without representation.
Word.
Dave, i said that option 3 was the 2nd best but the founding fathers did make a good choice.
so ya
im glad our founding fathersmade choice 4. If we could not chose that choice, i would most likly choose #3, technically they are the same, but like darya said, it i not as violet. another reason would be that option#3 letsyou not agree with the British and without any wars, if there were wars, they would probubly be small anyways. If i had a choice to choose my own plan, i would kind of base it on #3, the reason for this is because then i would be playing the defensive card instead of the attacking card, because you have to remember that this is the strongest nation that we are fighting, so we do not want to start anything, because that would just get Britain mad and they would send more troops down 2 the colonies
I agree with Adam. Option 4 was the best way to go. If they had not chosen this option I think that things today would be extremely different. America is strong enough to be on its own. We dont need Britain looking over us and their protection. But if there wasnt this option I would say that they should have picked option three because it is no different from the 4th option and I think that defending your rights as Englishmen would be the same thing as fighting for independence. I dont think that their would be a different outcome because they are basically the same.
Option three is just like option four. Defending your rights is the same as trying to fight for independence.
Options 2 would be a bad choice because they dont want to leave Britain. They wanted us to settle our differences with Britain. Mainly this option was worried about being taxed. If this option was chosen we would not have independence and we would still be under Britains control.
our class pretty much has agreed that option four was the best way to go and thats what our founding fathers did. If that wouldn't have bene the case and option three would have been the second choice. what if our founding fathers had decided to comprimise with britian? we could be under british rule!! <---thats scary! all in all most of us are thankful for the decision they made. (:
I know right,Angel
Let me start off by saying; great job with the comments everyone and may you all have a Merry Christmas/Happy Hanuka and a Happy New Year.
Ok, I'm pretty sure we all agree that option 4, the one chosen by the colonists was indeed the best option there was...and they went with it.
Option 1 was pretty stupid in considering that we should stop the Sons o' Liberty and just let Britian walk all over us what with the taxes, lack o' representation, and lack o' concern: Britian never actually cared about what happened.
Option 2... If you actually thought this was a good idea, than I almost pity you. Compromise with Britian?!?!?!? do you realize what's wrong with that statement? We have tried to "Compromise With Britain" plenty o' times. here's an example: Can you say, "Olive Branch Petition?" That was us giving compromise one last try and what did the king do? He acted like he never even received it. Compromise didn't work then, and it won't work now.
Now we all agree that option 3 was the best besides option 4 since they are alike except for 3 is a little less violent. But no compromising with Britain (it won't work) and absolutely NO staying under British rule... cause we've already been down that street... and we all knew what happened... and it wasn't pretty... and I'm gonna stop doing this(...)know...
so, is there anyone that does not agree that option 4 was the best choice and the 3 was the 2nd best
well Brennan would you want to be under Britain rule??????????
Isn't it weird that all of us agree with options 3-4. if you go and look at the other classes you will see that all of them agreed with either option 2 or 3 as the second best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I honestly agree with option 3-4.
it was tough for me to choose because some of those options could have gotten them selves killed exept for 3-2. 3-2 is deffinatly a no because they are sorta on britians side, when they really shouldnt because britians the one being a brat to us. and we deserve respect and independence, not to be treated like children. anyways i agree with de'erica on alot of this. (:
haha. thanx Jessica. But Jessica, you say that you agree with three but then again you say that option three is a bad idea?!?!?!?!
why hasnt everyone blogged yet. you only have 3hrs and 51 minutes left!!!!!! Im suprised kelly,mena,and margot haven't blogged!!
Hey guys it's me...
Woops didn't mean to close out of that last one. He he...
Well, I believe in the 4th option. But since the question posed was what would you choose otherwise I guess I would go with option 3 There was no doubt in their minds that they needed separation from Britain. So while the 4th would give them the total independence they needed the third gave a milder view of this. The other options either asked us to forget all that the British have done or compromise so we dont get in trouble. Both viewed the country as a toddler child that couldn't fend for itself. Creating a more independent but still British ruled country would be the next best thing. Why i believe option 4 is the absolute best is because all 3 of the other ones required some form of the Kings approval or cooperation. Yet the parliament had shown time and time again that it would refuse boycotts treaties or petitions. I think they wanted all or nothing on both sides. Both sides wanted conflicting results. Think of a fight between a couple that just wont work out. Say the guy wants to buy a modern and stylish home and the girl wants to but an antique homey kind of house. If even one side is not open to change then most likely it will end in heartbreak. That my friends is my simile for the revolutionary war... a home buying cranky couple!
Happy holidays everyone!
And by the way dave that was me going "They wont listen!" for any of you who have no idea what i am talking about refer to daves comment... the loyalist....
I agree with Adam. Our founding fathers chose a good but risky option with led to our independence. Personally. I think if there was no option four and I were in charge i would pick option two, they would get there rights and still hopefully have a good enough relationship with Britain so that if anything were to come up and they needed help, the British would help. We would fight the British so that we could get our rights, all they wanted was to get back their harmonious realtionship with Britain. I think that eventually the Colonies would have gained independence. They would have got their rights and then i'm sure would want more and it would end up in a fight where the colonies would win and gain independence. It might have taken longer, but i'm sure it would have happened.
Hey y'all it's Mena the novelist:] I'd like to go out on a limb here and say, "Oooh Yeah!!!!! Everyone wants to pick my option cause it's the best!!!" Jk not really. I originally was going to go the direction of Britain’s part because we all would have ended up with wicked cool British accents, but it became to difficult to stick up for human beings who were treating other human beings like dirt. They didn’t give them any respect nor did they receive rights. It’s not fair to send your children out to a new land, abandon them, and reprimand them for wanting to explore the land and grow into their own countries. I wonder what they were thinking? What were they thinking not sending supplies to Boston just because they weren’t going to stand for being taxed for their tea? Tea?! This is a smart business decision, but as one Englishmen to another this is an outrage. You tax tea because you know everyone buys it, but you buy tea just as your next door neighbor Joe does and because there is a tax on tea neither of you can afford it. So really you’re not making a profit because it costs more send ships out with goods and have it all dumped into the ocean. Only recently have I come to understand what “Taxation without representation” really means. It means that they put tax on items, such as tea, without reason or cause. I am restraining myself, summarizing this paragraph, and leaving you with a thought all in one sentence, if you were an average colonists living your life as you always do, and then as your wife goes to do the shopping she can’t afford tea because your job doesn’t pay enough for you to buy tea plus tax you only make enough, after the bills are paid and everything else that is important, to buy tea. What do you do now? Britain now is sending troops out into town because you’re not buying tea. You have to house not only ALL your family but a redcoat as well. Things are getting tough for you and your family and you’re about ready to hit the king and Parliament, but your country decides it is best for now to just defend our rights as Englishmen. You agree, but if it doesn’t work, you wonder, what is the next step?
Alright I'll admit it was long, but I have a lot to say and if I can't say it then I'm gonna type it. lol! Love to all (even jerks like justin:) Just kidding! Have happy holidays and a happy New Year! See you in 2009!!!
You know, why do we worry so much that we'll hurt someone's feelings if we say Merry Christmas to someone like Darya who doesn't celebrate Christmas. I mean it's not like she would get mad or anything. That's like someone saying to you "Happy Kwanza" and then you'd be all "Omg! I celebrate Christmas, God! I hate you!" Honestly, I think people should just say whatever their religion is (or isn't, for Margot) and not worry what anyone else celebrates. I mean sure you can say "Oh sorry, Happy/Merry _____" whatever they celebrate, but don't worry how they will react. Just the other day I asked Amanda Mbuya if she celebrated Kwanza because her parents are from like Africa and like I didn't know. And all she did was punch me in the stomach and face. Jk she just chuckled and said no I'm a Christian. So I say, say what you would like just as long as you don't say stupid happy friggin' holidays!
Merry Christmas! :p
I agree with Adamn D. It was rather risky for the founding fathers to go with Option Four and stand and start the idea of independance from Britain. For they could have been killed or tortured for the treason and "disrespect" towards Britain and its king.
The second best choice I'd say would probably be option three which was my group. Option 1 and 2 like angel s. said involved staying with britain, and option three had a bit of disagreement with that.
I couldn't imagine how life would be with option one, two, OR three, but i could get a sense of it.
(♥ happy holidays to you all ♥ )
I still think it would be better to go with option 3 second so that we stay with Britain and get our rights. In option 2, you try to sit down and compromise but if you don't pose a threat to Britain they won't really care.
I strongly disagree with option one. It pretty much says that Britain is taking care of them just fine, they don't need to do anything, and that they were against the rebels. If they don't do anything, they won't get any of the rights they deserve.
well, yeah, my presentation was on two but that is not why i think it is the best choice. i think we would have probably divided into loyalists and patriots and then we would have part of the country under british rule and part free. that would most likely cause much less violence and have a much more peaceful than options one and three.
Christmas is in 2 days arent you guys Happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
=D
SCHOOL IS IN 2 DAYS
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