Discussion Needed in 5 days

Discussion 1

· Why was T. Hall singled out for scrutiny?

· How did T. Hall’s neighbors respond to the gossip that this person’s sex was unclear?

· What authority did women claim in assessing the situation?

· What authority did men claim?

· What does the struggle to  T. Hall’s gender identity suggest about the structure of community life and the roles of men and women in colonial America?

Discussion 2

· How does Pontiac describe the relationship between Native Americans and the British?

· What did Pontiac aim to accomplish by giving his speech?

· According to Pontiac, how has the presence of non-natives affected the lives of Native Americans?

Discussion 3

· Compare the backgrounds of Jefferson and Paine; did Paine have an advantage or disadvantage by not being born in the colonies? Explain.

· Examine the language used in both documents; who is the audience for each writer?

· What did Paine and Jefferson say about the monarchy in their respective documents?

· Why does Jefferson focus more on the king than parliament?

Discussion 4

· Why do you think the accusations made by Callender were ignored during Jefferson’s lifetime and later by historians? Why do you think Madison Hemings’ assertions were ignored?

· Why do you think Callender’s claims failed to hurt Jefferson politically? Do you think a similar scandal would hurt an American president or elected leader today? Why or why not?

· Based on Madison Hemings’ family history, how common was racial intermixing in 18th and 19th century Virginia?

· According to Eric Foner, how and why has the work of Annette Gordon-Reed fueled a controversy over the Hemings-Jefferson relationship?

· Should his relationship with Sally Hemings influence how we view Jefferson and his place in American history? If no, why not? If yes, how should they influence how we view him?

Discussion 5

· The Monroe Doctrine became one of the crucial foundations of American foreign policy over the next century; what was the occasion for Monroe's articulation of this doctrine, and what were the circumstances motivating its adoption?

· What reasons were used by Monroe to justify this foreign policy pronouncement, and how do they relate to arguments made during the revolutionary and early republic periods?

Discussion 6

· What does this account reveal about the nature of slavery and how slavery affected southern society?

· How did Jacobs resist the sexual predation of her master?

· Describe the relationship between Jacobs and her mistress.

Discussion7

· Why did Lincoln decide to issue the Proclamation at this particular time?

· What factors determined this decision?

· What did the President hope to gain?

· What were the limitations of the Proclamation, and what was its larger historical significance?

Discussion 8

· What ultimately were these codes designed to do?

· Precisely how did the codes aim to accomplish these objectives?