Module 14: Final Essay

Hannah LaJoye

HIST 151 Early America- U.S. History

July 29, 2018

 Over the course of this semester we have learned about the early era that began

what we know today as the United States. Our country was built off of a myriad of

beliefs. One of the most important motivators for the founding of our nation comes from

Politics and Bureaucracy.

Our founding fathers were often driven by the right to their own freedoms. The

bureaucracy in England seemed to be one of the only things holding back the original

colonies. The large part of fighting for liberty was the drive to free the young nation

from bureaucratic leaders who were overinvolved.

In our final readings we had to focus on history’s place in our lives. As stewards

of the earth we are in charge of our own futures. Our collective history as a society, and

really as a human, contains the tools as to how we conduct ourselves and make decisions.

Taking collective history out of our lives is like taking a parent away from a child.

Without a parent in our lives no one can tells us about the mistakes we are making.

There would be a lack of moral guidance, and each person would have to start over with a

clean slate rather than learning from other’s discoveries.

I believe that I can contribute to society by better understanding my own

limitations and knowing the faults of the historical figures that have come before me.

Especially in today’s social and political climate, I find that I am somewhat illiterate

politically.

This semester I really enjoyed studying Thomas Jefferson and Alexander

Hamilton. Reading about their political aspirations and their vision for our young nation

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was truly impactful. I surprised myself by actively taking note of my own stance on

political agendas from the era after the revolution. Though it is in the past, it still speaks

volumes about our growth and opinions as a nation. In one of many political arguments

following the birth of our nation, Adams and Hamilton stood on opposing ends. Adams’

stance in this instance I believe shows the fears and trials of our young nation in

opposition to existing global super powers.

“If Hamilton based his policy upon close collaboration with England, he may

have thought that we could rely upon the protection of her naval forces. Adams,

on the other hand, wished above all that we follow an independent course, as he

feared and distrusted England even more than France. To follow such an

independent course we needed first of all a navy; and events proved that Adam’s

judgment was superior to that of Hamilton, who wanted a large army, and that of

Jefferson, who wanted neither” (Charles 418).

This particular argument stood out to me because it stated a clear cause and effect lesson.

We were given the opinions before the battle and the evidence to prove whose line of

thinking was successful and whose was not. While they all were acting in favor of their

own politics, the route that opposed bureaucratic reinforcement was ultimately the one

that lead to success.

After this course, I feel more equipped to contextualize the history that is being

made today. After learning about our country’s hard earned beginning, I find that I feel

less complacent. Part of understanding our nations impact is seeing it through the eyes of

others. Much like our own decisions, it is hard to see their impact until we understand

what they look like through the eyes of someone else.

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 “Ironically, the United States, the forerunner of independence in the Americas and

the political model for many of the new republics has, for many Latin American,

come to embody the antthesis of it’s early ideals. For them, the issues of freedom

and equality opened by the American Revolution remain urgent concerns. Now,

however, the demands for independence and revolution are not modeled on the

United states, but are responses to its domination and economic imperialism”

(McFarlane 9).

Understanding the global impact of our nations complacency was really a shock for me. I

have always been intrigued by our founding fathers and their tenacious leadership. In a

way, I put them on a pedestal and allowed myself to believe that the changes they made

were impossible for the average person, perhaps even impossible for myself. But as a

steward of this earth, I understand my duty is to wake up and take notice of the choices I

make as well as the choices my leaders make.

When I wrote about the Seneca Falls convention, I was reminded of the

importance of minority groups and how their place in History should be acknowledged.

One of the common problems that history has shown us is the underestimation of the

underdogs. We ourselves managed to win a war against England. The French assisted

us, but we ourselves had a cause worth fighting for.

“The demands for reform based on the women's grievances were contained in

twelve resolutions. These were prefaced by a paragraph claiming that woman's

inferior status was in violation of nature's primary law: "that man shall pursue his

own true happiness” (Coughlin, 18)

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At the core of existence, we all want to lead a life that is full of happiness. All semester

we have been studying about the leaders who built our country. Women in the Seneca

Falls convention reminded me that those leaders are just a part of the story. Choosing to

speak up for one’s own justice can sometimes be just as impactful. We are to remember

to speak up for our rights, our needs, and ourselves.

Strangely enough, American happiness was defined by independence. The hard

part of independence is when it leads to extreme individualistic thinking. This kind of

mentality is dangerous because it leads to a certain level of selfishness. In order to tend

to society today, I think we need to remember what it means to be independent as an

individual living in a United Country.

“Why, then, was America different from Europe? To Crèvecoeur, the answer was

unlimited economic opportunity. Except for a few towns, most of the people

from Nova Scotia to West Florida were farmers, because every man worked for

himself” (Brown 258).

This land of opportunity is something we must conserve and stand up for. I know that I

need to listen to what history has taught me and actively partake in the history that we are

making now. For our present and future all depend on the choices we make, so they

better be good ones.

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 Works Cited

Charles, Joseph. “Adams and Jefferson: The Origins of the American Party System.” The
William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 12, no. 3, 1955, pp. 410–446. JSTOR, JSTOR,
www.jstor.org/stable/1917102.

This article focuses largely on the political decisions of Adams and Jefferson during their
administrations. There is contrast between political views and acting parties.

Coughlin, Elizabeth Myette and Charles Edward Coughlin. "Convention in Petticoats:

The Seneca Falls Declaration of Woman's Rights." Today's Speech, vol. 21, no. 4,
Fall1973, pp. 17-23. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=22096385&site=ehos
t-live.

Coughlin’s article outlines the women who wrote the declaration at Seneca Falls.
Coughlin also talks about the context of the time period and explains what the rhetoric
behind the document was supposed to mean for the women’s rights movement.

McFarlane, Anthony. "America & the Americas: Independence and Revolution in the
Americas." History Today, vol. 34, no. 3, Mar. 1984, p. 40. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=hia&AN=4863386&site=ehost-live.

This article talks about the history of the revolutionary war and the impact of the United
states on the rest of America. Latin American history and the life of Napoleon is
emphasized as a turning point in history.