Declaration of Independence and other Founding Documents 92 pp.
Taylor (chaps. 14-15; 18) 82 pp.
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (50-100) 50 pp.
Points of Entry:
Seven Year's War
http://www.militaryheritage.com/7yrswar.htm
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/frin.htm
Benjamin Franklin:
http://www.pbs.org/benfranklin/
http://www.english.udel.edu/lemay/franklin/
Founding Documents:
http://www.ushistory.org/DECLARATION/
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/declare.asp
http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/articles.html
Pontiac's War:
http://www.forttours.com/pages/pontiac.asp
Questions for discussion:
Do you think the Seven Years War was the first global war? Why?
How do the early founding documents relate to the Seven Years War?
What do you think are the most important causes and outcomes of the war? Why?
According to Taylor, the seven years war gave the British and the British colonists a common goal of gaining Canada and fighting against the Indians and French. Once that was over, the British began to realize that with the new debt from the war, the colonists should be more taxed to help pay for that debt and they also decided to have British troops stay in the colonies for protection.
ReplyDeleteThese new taxes on the colonists but a strain on them when they were already in a depression of their own. Taylor says that because of this and the grudges that form in the colonists, it leads to the American Revolution and eventually the Declaration of Independence years later. Without a common enemy for the British mainland and the colonies and the new taxes being put on the colonists while they are struggling, the Seven Years War will have lasting effects that will forever change the American Colonies.
Many historians believe that the Seven Years War, a war that was the foundation to the American revolution, was the first global war. This was because the fighting was found all over the world. In addition it was the European French and English fighting in the Americas and resulted in the redistribution of land all over the world, not just in the Americas.
ReplyDeleteThe causes of the war was the growing conflict over land between the French (with their Native allies and also the Spanish) and the English. Their conflicting cultures and societal views also intensified the problems. After the war British colonists were basically the only settlers in the greater North American area. This created a sense of unity among the settlers. The settlers also wanted more representation in the British Parliament, however England was opposed. In addition to this the British were in great debt do to the war effort. In order to relieve some of the debt the British attempted to give heavier taxes to the colonists, which the colonists refused to pay. This struggle and conflict grew until the boiling point which was the Revolutionary War and the creation of the US Constitution.
The creation of the documents were in direct correlation to the Seven Years War and the conflict that was created from it. Feeling that they were oppressed by the British, the Constitution has many clauses in it that directly contradict how Britain governed the colonies. The Seven Years War was the foundation for some of the most important documents in United States history.
Yes I believe the seven year war was the first "Global War" for the reason that never before has there been a war fought over such expanse of the continents for example the British and French were fighting wars in India, while at the same time fighting in Europe and the New World never before has this expanse of war been seen. I also believe that the early founding documents pertain to the seven year war by giving many people living in America incentives for suceeding from Great Britain with a various amount of new taxes put on the colonies and also the presence of a large amount of troops that put an ever increasing pressure on colonists food and capital. I believe the most important causes and outcomes in the seven year war was the final defeat of the French in America which led to an ever growing expansion of Anglo/American settlements into the hinterlands and later set the stage for American Independence from Great Britain some thirty years down the road.
ReplyDeleteThe Seven Years War did call attention to the world, causing conflicts in Europe and Africa. It was not just in the colonies, although the main fight was over the American territories. While nations may have stood by, it caused them to lean a certain way, passively supporting a group. Britain grew farther away from the European standard, gaining military power and dominance from the french. this puts them at the top, but alienates them from the rest. At the end of the war, Britain had basically ousted the french from Canada and their territories in N. America.
ReplyDeleteI believe the Seven Years War was a factor in the creation of the Founding Documents, although it wasn't specific to its creation. It was only an example of the many grievances the colonist had of a far away arbitrary king. The aftermath of the Seven Years war had placed doubt in the colonists, and slowly worked its way up to the Revolution.
The greatest outcome of the war was the exile of french from their territories. In thought, conquering more land and winning a war should bolster an economy, but the reverse happened to the British. They suffered major debt and had to tax their colonists. While the land did open up more land for subjects to move in, it created a large tax that colonists felt was not their duty to pay. WHile it was a victory for the British, the Seven Years War did not win the morale of the colonists.
The Seven Years War can be viewed as the first global war because it was fought on many different parts of the world over territories on different parts of the world, but there was only two main players during this war. France and Great Britain were the main actors in this war and they were the ones which had the most to loose or gain from it. So it can be viewed as the first global war but I don't see it as that.
ReplyDeleteThe early founding documents for the U.S. were greatly influenced by the Seven Years War. After the war, Englang wanted to play a bigger role within the colonies but the colonists were unsupportive of this. Many of the policies that Parliament wanted to impose on the colonies after the war are found in the Declaration of Independance, Constitution, and Bill of Rights as acts that the governemnet is prohibited from commiting or as unacceptable.
The most important cause of the war was just all the hostility amongst all the European nations. One nation could not do something without another becoming offended and reacting to it; for example, like expanding their armies. The most important effect of the war was how the British colonists realized that they could no longer remain loyal to the British crown once the war came to an end.
The Seven Years War was the first global war. It was the first time in history that multiple parts of the civilized world got involved in a fight. Although the main focus was the British and the French, it did involve different parts of Europe. For the first time countries that weren’t involved directly with obtaining land in America, took sides with the French or the British. This created allies that would be used in future disputes to come.
ReplyDeleteThe Seven Years War directly related to the creation of the founding documents. It was because of the British Victory that the colonists realized that they didn’t want to be oppressed but such a power. They saw the things that they didn’t like about Great Britain and declared that they would be the opposite. Through pieces like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution they were able to state their detachment from Britain and the crown, while being prepared to deal with the consequences.
A lot of important things came from the Seven Years War. One major outcome was the loss of French land and the British take over of America. It was because of the drastic change that the colonists decided that they needed to stand up for themselves. Britain’s need for more land resulted in more taxation which lead to further problems with the colonists. Also Pontiac’s Confederacy also developed after the war was over. He felt abandoned and taken advantage of due to the lack of French power in America. So as a result he rebelled against Britain and attacked them from multiple angles. He put up a good fight but he wasn’t strong enough to get what he wanted. The British took over and it was up to the colonists to make a stand and a name for themselves.
I believe that the Seven Year War is the first global war because the British had the goal of fighting the French and Indians. Mainly it was so that they could drive the French out of America. With them gone the British became the main power in America. Know the British colonists and the British Army in America had fought hard to drive the French out of America. So the colonists felt that it was wrong when the British would not allow them fair representation just because they were in America. For these reasons the Founding Documents were created to insure that the colonists who were the ones responsible for all the progress that was made in the colonies were treated fairly.
ReplyDeleteI think the Seven Years War qualifies as the first global war for several reasons. For one it had the geographical scope, since it was fought on multiple continents. It also had the political scope, because all the major powers took part. The Seven Years War also caused severe casualties on all sides and its outcome had a changing effect on the world.
ReplyDeleteExpelling the French from North America meant that the colonists could concentrate their anger on Britain. The fact that Britain made treaties about North America without the colonists input made them desire independence.
The most important cause of the Seven Years War was the conflict between Prussia and Austria over Silesia. Since each had allies who joined the fight, it progressively became a world war. The most important outcome of the Seven Years War was that it had a changing effect on the world. It opened the way for British control of almost all of North America (since the French got kicked out) and was important for the rise of Prussia because they got to keep Silesia after they took it away from Austria. Also, the Seven Years War was a prelude to the Revolutionary War, since the colonists learned to take things into their own hands and didn’t feel that they were as dependent upon the British after the French had been kicked out.
The Seven Years War was global in the sense that it was conducted between 13 different nations and took place on a large battlefield. However, it would not be considered the first global war. Between 1700 and 1721, the Great Northern War took place on a similar battlefield and with comparably powerful belligerents.
ReplyDeleteThe founding documents placed blame on the British for unjust levels of taxation. This increase in taxation resulted from the costliness of the Seven Years War.
The most important outcome of the war was that France was largely knocked off the North American Continent East of the Mississippi. Also, the taxes levied upon the American colonies to pay for the war would lead the colonies to revolt against the British.
The Seven Years War can be viewed as the first global war. This is because the European nations fighting, were fighting for land, not just in the Americas but all over the world as well. Although this land was not technically theres, they still felt they had the power to control who owns it. The war was also fought in Europe which means that it was not just an North American war.
ReplyDeleteThe early Founding Documents represent all the bad effects of the outcome of Britain winning the Seven Years War. The colonists wanted to distance themselves from the now superior power, who now seemed to be bullying them. Colonists found new identity forming and a distaste for the more strict British rule. They strongly disliked the higher taxes, that they felt were not their responsibility to pay. Therefore documents like the Declaration of Independence were created to show their new identity and needed independence from this "too-powerful" nation.
The most important outcome of this war was stated above: the formation of a dislike of the mother country. Before this time, American Nationalism was not present. Colonists still wanted to be a British colony. However after witnessing the affects of a too strict super power, they started to feel that they no longer wanted this restraint. Along with new ideas being formed (i.e. the Great Awakening) some colonists wanted to separate themselves from Britain. The seed was planted which later blossomed into the idea of complete independence from Britain.
Yes, i do believe that the seven years war could be considered the first global war. I believe this because the seven years was fought in different parts of the world. There wasn't a stationary location where the French and British were fighting amongst each other. The taxation of the British towards the colonies is what drove for independence. The taxation was a result of the seven years war. Britain had to get money back so they started taxing the colonies. The most important outcome of the seven years war is, in a British perspective, the expansion of land toward the west. They were able to get all of Louisiana, which was a majority of the central region of what is now the U.S.
ReplyDelete