1) Place a political cartoon about Imperialism, either American or European, on your blog and interpret it. 2) List the reasons why the United States decided to become an Imperialistic country in the last part of the 1800s.
Manifest destiny was the belief, held by people in the United States during the latter part of the 19th century, that American settlers were destined (by God) to expand across the continent. . The Native Americans were considered heathens. Many settlers believed it was a divine obligation to expand westward to spread Christianity to save the Indians' souls. Copy and paste this pic into your blog and describe the painting, in detail, as it pertains to this definition of Manifest Destiny. Make sure to look at all the parts of the painting and explain what is going on.
Click on the link above and read the document that set up the post Civil War Freedmen's Bureau.
Answer the following questions in detail:
After reading the Bill, what plans do you see laid out for the former slaves?
What do you think could have been added to the bill to garner broader
support? What could have been changed or taken away?
Aside from their opposition to the abolition of slavery, what problems do
you think the members of Southern States had with the Bill? Can you think of
anything that would have appeased them?
Part 2
Analyzing Primary Documents: American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the
Federal Writers' Project
Read the document below.
Answer the following questions:
What
is her attitude toward white Southerners and their treatment by the federal
government?
What do you think accounts for her views?
Would people with different views agree with her conclusions about
"peace" in the South? Why or why not?
Southern Treatment by the Federal Government,
American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writer's Project, 1936-1940
"When we came to Texas
following the close of the war, the state was going...thro' the reconstruction
period. The state was under military rule and Pease was Governor. Congress
passed a law that every white man in the South must take an oath whether he had
held any state or Federal office before the war and if later he had aided the
cause of the Confederacy. Those who had done these things were disqualified as
voters in the election's. This naturally barred most of the leading white
citizens of the state. This gave the negro the right to vote and hold office. .
. . the effect was [to?] [place?] the government in the hand of what we called
the "carpetbaggers" [white?] men from the North and the freed
negroes. . . .
"In the campaign of 1873 when Richard Coke of Waco
ran against Davis we had some real exciting
times. I remember when my brothers went to Marlin to vote. The white men from
all over the voting box were instructed to come armed and to vote, if
necessary, at the point of the gun's. The Judge of the election was a white man
he calls the "carpet-bagger Judge", he had been ..lectioneering to
the negroes all up and down the Brazos bottom
and they came in droves on election day. "The white men also came in droves and if any of them came unarmed they
were furnished something to . . . shoot . . . with and were told if they were
refuse the privilige of voting, to commence shooting. Some man decided to try
shooting to scare the negroes off and so he started shooting, I think, on the
Court House lawn. When the negroes heard this they piled into their wagons and
buggies and left town. Then the white men went ahead and had their vote. I
remember that we were so uneasy about my brothers when they did not return that
night, we were afraid there had been some trouble, but when day break came they
returned and said they had to stay to celebrate the victory at the polls. . . .
"I remember an amusing anecdote about Gov. Cokes campaign. Once when he
was making a speech I heard him tell this story. He compared the days of
reconstruction and the war between the states to a fight between two goats,
[one?] was a big goat and the other a little one. "The big goat kept
eating the little one up until there was nothing left but the little goats
tail, but the little goats tail just kept right on wagging. So it was with the
South, it kept right on fighting as long as there was anything to fight with
and now in the days of reconstruction, [pease?] God, they would still fight on
for their rights. "From the time Governor Richard Coke took the office of Governor, and
the rangers were doing their part under Captain Ross, things began to change
and gradually times became normal. The negro soldiers and guards were done away
with, and once more when the white men who had fought for their state rights,
as they [s?] it, were given back their citizenship peace decended upon
us."