Ap Us History Dbq Sample Essay

As tensions in Great Britain grew economically and politically, the American colony declared themselves an independent nation. Gaining their independence was significant, however, keeping it would be the challenge. The Americans knew a stable federal republic was essential to remaining independent, thus they created the Constitution. Although, the creation of the Constitution and the equality it ensues a controversial issue, the Constitution did not fulfil the job it was designed to do. The document did not establish a fair government.

“Independence, free will, and personal effort are considered primary virtues that contribute not only to personal achievement but also to the success and well-being of the nation.” This quote, stated by Charles Finney, means that people must be able to choose for themselves and make their own decisions in order for the country to become better than it is. The Second Great Awakening began for several different reasons, consisted of many different church revivals and leaders, and ultimately had a lasting impact for several more years after the end of the Second Great Awakening.

The Second Great Awakening was extremely influential in shifting the minds towards reform in people across America. The mentality of the people at this time was closed minded and had acceoted their way of living. Among other factors, Charles Finney played and important role in the success of the Second Great Awakening. “Much of the impulse towards reform was rooted in the revivals of the broad religious movement that swept the Untied States after 1790.” Revivals during the Second Great Awakening awakened the faith of people during the 1790s with emotional preaching and strategic actions from Charles Finney and many other influential preachers, which later helped influence the reforms of the mid-1800s throughout America.

Religion played an important role in each of the British colonies. Many Christian groups tried to enforce religious observance through the colony's government and the local town's rules. Some laws stated that everyone must attend a house of worship and pay taxes that helped fund the pay of ministers. Out of the thirteen colonies, only eight had official churches. In the colony, those who practice a different version of Christianity or a non- Christian faith were sometimes killed (www.facinghistory.org 1). After researching the American colonies, religion had a big impact on their lifestyle and culture.

Thomas S. Kidd wrote the book “The Great Awakening A Brief History with Documents” in a format that allows its readers to study history the way historians do. The book is broken down into two parts. The first part is a detailed introduction of what happened during the The Great Awakening. The second part includes and explores 36 primary source accounts from this era. These primary source accounts range from pastors’ sermons to the spiritual experiences of slaves, Native Americans and farmers, among others. In this paper I am going to analyze and evaluate a primary source account in this book by written by Nathan Cole.

Jonathon Edwards helped set off the Great Awakening because of in his “powerful” sermons, he would call on colonists, also young people, to examine their lives. He would preach of god’s sweetness and beauty, but at the same time he would warn the listeners to pay attention to the bibles teachings. Otherwise, they would be sinners.

The Constitution of America clearly states in the first amendment that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise”. As a result from this, throughout the 1790s until the 1830s many religious rose up and became known by the power of this amendment. This rise of different religious that really shook America and change the country forever is known as the Second Great Awakening. At the beginning of the American revolution the largest well known religious in America known at that time were the Congregationalist, who are related to the earlier people who came to America know as the Puritans, Anglicans as well those known

Throughout Washington’s presidency, he set many precedents including in his farewell address. As the first president he had nothing to go off of and set precedents for future successors which many didn’t follow well enough. He set precedents such as not to have political parties, the title of Mr. President, advice to remain neutral with foreign nations, a two-term presidency, use of force to maintain order, and having a Cabinet for advice.The precedents he set were split into the two categories of the ones followed by the nation to this day and the ones which were forgotten and regretted.

To reform is to make changes in something, typically a social, political, or economic institution or practice in order to improve it. America has reformed itself in multiple ways throughout history. In the era surrounding the Second Great Awakening, America was undergoing a period of reform. This period of reformation included new and, at the time, radical ideas. Examples include: evangelists, tax-supported public education, and the advocation for women’s suffrage. Furthermore, the temperance movement, abolitionists, and transcendentalism were other examples of reform during this time.

1.Page 11 notes,”Jeffersons plan for freeing his own slaves included an interim educational period in which they would have been half-taught, half-compelled to support themselves on rented land; for without guidance and preparation for self support, he believed, slaves could not be expected to become fit members of a republican society “. When I first red this a few questions popped up, why didn 't this plan ever follow through. I also would 've like to ask Jefferson what is his definition of fit and what requirements would have made a slave become a “fit” member of a republican society. Next on page 21, “We might go farther and say that it came without a decision. It came automatically as Virginians bought the cheapest labor they could get”. Everything you make is a decision. Whether you got up for school this morning or not was a decision you had to make. Buying labor is a decision Virginians had to make. Like modern day, most people buy the cheaper version of something. Slavering Negros didn 't not come automatically or without decision. Lastly, “ He attacked the Christian church not

The Second Great Awakening affected society in a both harsh way and also positive way. It affected the society in a positive way because of all the movements that started. An example of one of the movements can be Women’s Movement which helped women basically get more rights in terms of them living their own life. The women did this because they wanted to be equal with the men since men could own property and vote but on the other hand there were the women who couldn 't do any of those tasks. There was also the Temperance Movement which helped drunks drink less alcohol since the movement lessened the amount of alcohol available in the U.S. The Second Great Awakening also helped slaves since during that time period there were people that actually

Starting off his short term as president, James K. Polk had expanded the nation by two-thirds through the addition of Texas, the Oregon boundary, and the conquest of all Mexican provinces north of 31 degrees. However, having been elected on a platform pressing for Oregon to a northern boundary of

The United States-- a country of economic strength, freedom, and an endless sea of opportunity promises all of its citizens the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and happiness. This promise coupled with the hope of a brighter future attracted those from all walks of life. It also appealed to those who suffered political and religious persecution ; overall its divided branches of governing gave off the illusion of a fair and just political policy. Thus, when hit with the slightest of problems, the public was quick to turn to the government for a solution.

For the most part, I agreed with what historian David Barton had to say about the role of American government in terms of its relationship with religion and the family. I believed as well that the government should be limited and have little control over the church. It must rarely interfere with religious activities except in cases with legitimate cause, the immoral ones that involved the disruption of peace and the endangerment of others. The federal government should not be the authority on what the church could or could not do and should allow people to freely express their faith. With that being said, I also think that there must not be a strict separation between the church and the state. The government should not be entirely secular.

Like most things that are society based, religion has evolved alongside our own culture. America is a melting pot of different ethnic backgrounds and cultures making it a perfect place for religion to adapt and flourish. For this analysis, I am drawing from “Civil Religion in America” by Robert N. Bellah (1967) on his ideas of American civil religion. In the text Bellah (1967) argues that civil religion is an important dimension that needs to be recognized in sociology. While Bellah focuses specifically on the United States of America, he still gives a valuable perspective on civil religion and how it plays a part in religion as a whole. The connections of cultures and ideas through religion can be best explained by using Robert Bellah’s interpretation of civil religion.