AP US History research task #1—        Colonial America

Topic List:

1. The Realities of Chattel Slavery
2. The Great Awakening
3. Achievements in the Arts and Sciences
4. Institutions of Higher Learning
5. Imperial Wars, Funding, and Colonial Reactions (thru March, 1766)
6. Crossing the Rubicon:  Political Action that led to revolution (after March, 1766)

Justification:

Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur wrote a series of essays published in 1792 as Letters From an American Farmer (probably written 1765-1775).  As a young Frenchman of noble family, he served in the French army from 1758 to 1759.  He then settled in New York, married an American woman, posed a question, and offered his opinion:

        What then is the American, this new man?  He is either an European, or the descendent of an European; hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country.  I could point out to you a family whose grandfather was an Englishman, whose wife was Dutch, whose son married a French woman, and whose present four sons have now four wives of different nations.

        He is an American who, leaving behind him all his ancient prejudices and manners, receives new ones from the mode of life he has embraced, the new government he obeys, and the new rank he holds…

The American ought therefore to love this country much better than that wherein either he or his forefathers were born.  Here the rewards of his industry follow with equal steps the progress of his labor; his labor is founded on the basis of nature, self interest… …without any part being claimed, either by a despotic prince, a rich abbot, or a mighty lord…

        The American is a new man, who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas, and form new opinions.  From voluntary idleness, servile dependence, penury, and useless labor, he has passed to toils of a very different nature, rewarded by ample subsistence.

       This is an American.

As students of history, it becomes our job to understand the forces which caused this transformation- the transformation from old world to new world- to unfold in the peculiar manner in which it did.

To Do:

1. Identify specific people, events, and movements relative to your topic.
2. Tell your story.  Your response should have a beginning, middle and ending.  Be sure to find excerpts from key documents and visuals appropriate to your topic.  Arrange this on the computer so it can be projected on the board.
3. Identify SERP changes that occur, as they fit your topic.
4. Identify a general truth revealed by the specific details you present.

Format:

You should prepare a +/- ten minute presentation accompanied by computer stored text that satisfies the To Do list.  Visuals must be stored on the computer and arranged in such a way that your classmates can follow along with your story.  Any text must be clearly legible.

Your presentation must conclude with a check for learning of some sort.