Week 6

This week we learned a little about the battles of Lexington and Concord. I recommend watching the movie April Morning for a good, dramatic depiction of those battles. We also began talking a bit about John Adams and the kind of man he was. Make sure you finish the John Adams book by next Thursday for our book discussion!



Check out this video of the dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence that I told you about in class:







We have Friday, December 2nd on the calendar for a class pizza and movie night, so keep watching the blog for more details!

Assignments This Week:

• Presentations: We will be pleased to hear from Paige on life as a soldier in the Continental Army, and from Taylor on hospitals and doctors in the War.

• Opinion Paper: Define the word stubborn. Is it good to be stubborn?

• Reading: Finish John Adams: Reluctant Patriot of the Revolution. I would like Lucy to lead the book discussion this week, so please read through the page in your binder titled Steps in Leading a Colloquium, which gives you information on how to do this. If you have any questions about this, please call or email me before Thursday.

• Declaration of Independence: Memorize through the Statement of "Patient" by Thursday for a candy treat!

• Other: Try working on 2 items for the Heritage Award to mark them off your list, or memorizing the 10 Commandments.

 

Have a fun and safe Halloween, and don't each too much candy!

 

-Mrs. Hellyer

Week 5

We had a lengthy discussion this week on the tipping point of the revolution. We learned that the colonists were more angry at being taxed without representation than they were about paying the taxes themselves. What really sent them over the edge, though, was the Massachusetts Government Act which took away MA colonists' right to govern themselves (which they had been doing for the previous 83 years). I also forgot to mention the Administration of Justice Act which replaced all locally elected magistrates with judges appointed by the king. The colonists wouldn't hear of it! They showed up by the thousands at courthouses all over Massachusetts and blocked the entrances, and non-violently demanded the king's judges to disavow the king and leave their posts, or else the judges would be chased out of their homes. The judges were greatly outnumbered, as were Governor Gage's troops, and so did as they were told. No royal courts were ever held under the Administration of Justice Act, and thus the colonists successfully overthrew the British government in Massachusetts, eight months before "the shot heard 'round the world" began the war!

“So how do the people resist unjust authority, which, we all agree, they must and should do and have done in the past? The best solution anyone has come up with is to say that violent revolutions can be avoided (and therefore, violent mobs legitimately suppressed) if 'the people' are understood to have the right to challenge the laws through nonviolent civil disobedience.”  -David Graeber

Assignments This Week:

• Pay attention to the news! We would like to hear from everyone this week, something in the news that is relevant to our rights or liberty.
• Opinion Paper: When is it right to defend your liberty with guns?
• No presentations this week, but awesome job to Ethan this week on teaching us about the Boston Massacre and the Sons of Liberty! Our next presentations will be on November 3rd given by Paige on Life as a soldier, and by Taylor on hospitals and doctors.
• Reading: John Adams: Reluctant Patriot of the Revolution. Please have this book completed before class on November 3rd. One of you lucky scholars will be leading the book discussion that week!
• Award Requirements: Work on memorizing the Declaration of Independence through the Statement of "Train;" we will recite it together in class, and treats will abound for those who can meet the challenge! Also, keep plugging away at that Heritage Award and the others!

Carry on, scholars!

-Mrs. Hellyer

Week 4

This week we discussed unalienable rights, which are entitlements that come from God alone and cannot be taken away by any man. The Declaration of Independence names life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as among these rights, and implies that we have more rights that are not specifically named.

"The state of Nature has a law of Nature to govern it, which...teaches all mankind who will but consult it, that being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions; for men being all the workmanship of one omnipotent and infinitely wise maker; all the servants of one sovereign master, sent into the world by His order and about His business; they are His property..."  -John Locke

We also discussed the Landing of the Pilgrims, and the important influence their sacrifices and courage have had on all the generations of Americans who have come after them. Thanks, everyone, for sharing your thoughts!

Assignments this week:

• Opinion Paper: What are your God-given rights? *If you need some ideas, try reading the Bill of Rights (the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution).
• Presentations: Ethan will be presenting his research on the Boston Tea Party and the Sons of Liberty. Nice work, Leila, on your presentation on the Boston Massacre!
• Memorization: Try to have through the "Statement of Prudence" memorized by next Thursday (more is better!) if you want a treat!
• Reading: Work on John Adams: Reluctant Patriot of the Revolution, which we will discuss in class on October 26th. Please have the book FINISHED before class on that day!

As always, don't neglect your other award requirements. We know you all have a lot to do each week, so use your time wisely! By the end of the year, you will look back and be very proud of all you will have accomplished and learned!

Keep up the good work, young patriots!

-Mrs. Hellyer

Week 3 Update

This week we learned the importance of morality in government. People cannot practice republicanism or "self-governance" without first practicing virtue. We also learned a surprising insight by Thomas Paine, that most Americans were more virtuous because they were free-holders of property, and this led to an increased involvement by the colonists in public affairs. A spirit of reformation swept through the colonies in the 2 years prior to the revolution, which inspired the colonists to want to maintain their improved quality of life by becoming independent from Britain, which they viewed as wallowing in "elegance, luxury, and effeminacy."

"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters." -Ben Franklin

"The sum of all is, if we would most truly enjoy the gift of Heaven, let us become a virtuous people; then shall we both deserve and enjoy it." -Samuel Adams

Here is the video I tried to show in class:



Your opinion paper topic this week is: Why is a moral people required for good government?

Kudos to Dean and Leila for their well-done presentations! Next week, we will hear from Leila again on The Boston Massacre. I'm excited to see what creative visual aid you come up for this one, Leila!

Make sure to complete The Landing of the Pilgrims by Thursday for book discussion, and please come prepared with some questions and/or comments to share.

Please keep working on your award requirements. Remember, I will bring a special treat next week for the scholar who can recite from memory the most of the Declaration of Independence!

-Mrs. Hellyer