John Galloway: Traitor and Philospher

              Joseph Galloway, an American politician and Loyalist, was born on 1731 in West River, Maryland. Galloway is most popular for becoming a loyalist during the Revolutionary War and a delegate of Pennsylvania in the First Continental Congress.He was also reputable for winning cases before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. John Galloway proposed a Plan of Union to the Congress arguing the reconcile of the colonies and Britain and that there should be a presidential general to be appointed by the king and a colonial legislature to have rights and duties similar to the House of Commons. The colonies that were in favor for the proposition were New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
               On October 22nd, 1774, the Plan of Union was rejected by Congress. Upset by this matter, Galloway left Pennsylvania and joined General Sir William Howe's army and accompanied him on his seize of Philadelphia. Galloway earned the title of administrator. Galloway organized many of the Loyalists of the city. In 1778, the British pulled out of Philadelphia and Galloway fled to Watford, England after the French joined the war. John Galloway fled with his daughter and that same year he was convicted of treason and was confiscated of his estates. On August 10, 1803 he passed away in England.
               
             

Francis Bacon

Rene Descartes

The Constitution and Declaration of Independence
 

Time of Illumination: The Enlightenment

               Superstitious and ignorant ideas hindered Europeans and early American colonists to "think outside the box." During the mid 1600s and 1700s the human ability to reason finally broke through in what is known as the Enlightenment, Age of Reason or Time of Illumination. In this important period in the history of western civilization, scholars, writers and scientists used rational thought to replace the irrational ideas of humanity. The Enlightenment led to improvements in math and science and the belief in basic human rights and a democracy. The founding fathers of the Enlightenment were Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes. Bright individuals as they were, published books that inspired scientists such as Isaac Newton and Robert Hook.
               Francis Bacon and Rene Descartes strongly believed that science was essential to get rid of ignorance. Francis Bacon promoted experimentation and conclusions based on experimentations. Descartes reasoned that math and reasoning was all that was needed for science. During the Age of Reason, the scientific method was developed as well as major discoveries in chemistry, physics, biology and electricity. From Bacon and Descartes, Isaac Newton was able to derive ideas of calculus, laws of gravity and laws of motion. In addition, Anton van Leuwenhook and Robert Hook developed experiments in biology and microscopic organisms.
               As well as science, the Enlightenment focused on ideas of the mind and political subjects. One of the great philosophers of the time was John Locke (1632-1704). Locke believed the people should choose who governs and that some of the basic rights of humans were life, liberty, ownership of property, freedom of press, religious tolerance and education reform. These ideas shaped revolutions in both America and France and led to the creation of two important documents: the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Other great thinkers include the French philosopher Voltaire that emphasized the importance of freedom of speech and Montesquieu believed in the separation of powers and that has influenced America's form of government as the separation of legislative, executive and judicial branches.

Virginia --> The Virginia Company

               The Virginia Company was founded by English stock companies and it was a combination of the Plymouth and London companies. The Virginia company was chartered by King James I on April 10, 1606. Even though, the royal crown of England owned the Virginia Company, the settlers in New World were able to govern themselves. In order to finance the voyages to settle in the New World, the English encouraged individuals to purchase shares of stocks in the New World. This would help in the expenses of overseas settlement. Money would also contribute to the purchase of ships and supplies as well as to recruit laborers.
              
               Merchants hoped that new industries would be developed and King James I wanted Protestant Catholicism to be the established religion in the colonies. There were also hopes that the New World would become a trade market for English goods and the finding of the Northwest Passage. However, the Virginia Company encountered an early problem: not every person wanted to buy stock in the Americas. The only way for the English to make money was from running lotteries.

               The London Company settled Jamestown by John Smith and Sir Thomas Gates was the governor of the Virginia Colony. It was established on May 14,1607. John Smith made alliances with the Powhattan tribe until both waged in war. On the other hand, the Plymouth Company established their settlements in Chesapeake Bay. Before the Pilgrim settlement in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the Plymouth Company established the Potham Colony in what is now present day Maine. The Pilgrims arrived one year later and formed Plymouth Colony in which they engaged with the Patuxet, Wampanoag, Mohagan and Nipmuck tribes.

Magnet APUSH Post #1

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado

              Francisco Vasquez de Coronado is lauded with the discovery of the Grand Canyon as well as credited with the exploration of the American Southwest. His story begins in 1510 in Salamanca, Spain born to a prosperous and wealthy family. However, seeing that he was the youngest and would not inherit the family estate Coronado decided to go to New Spain. There, Francisco Vasquez earned a position in the colonial government and soon enough met his wife, Dona Beatriz who was the daughter of the colonial treasurer.

              Through the explorer Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, Vasquez found out about the Seven Gold Cities of Cibola. European explorers believed that due to the immense wealth discovered in the Aztec and Inca empires, the same amount of treasures would be found in the Americas. In 1539, he decided to go out and find Cibola. Coronado set out with 300 soldiers and 1,000 Indians. He ended up encountering Indians in New Mexico. He destructed the tribe of the Zunis that offered no type of wealth or luxuries and also encountered other tribes such as the Hopi. Continuing on his exploration, one of Coronado’s men, Garcia Lopez de Cardenas spotted the Grand Canyon located in Arizona. Coronado continued on his search to Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

                                    

               He returned to Spain in 1542 and became the governor of Nueva Galicia. The inability to find wealth in the explored lands broke off the friendship between Coronado and Antonio de Mendoza. Coronado was removed from his position as governor due to his cruel treatment towards the natives. He later lived in Mexico City where he ended up passing away on September 22^nd in 1554. After Coronado's attempt to find the Seven Golden Cities of Cibola, many Spanish explorers branded him a failure. He is one of the first Europeans to explore the American west.

Blog Post 7B

I think that students can't finish their homework that lasts 20 minutes because people rather spent hours doing nothing than do homework that is boring. Students woould rather relax their brain and not stress out about their homework until one day before it's due. It makes sense because even I would rather sleep than do homework because sometimes the homework I get is hard and I want nothing to do with it until later especially if it's spring break.

Blog Post #6B :)

Is this ship still the ship of Theseus?

I do not believe that this is the ship of Theseus anymore because the same material that was on his boat is not the same. It is not the same boat that he himself constructed. It has been renovated and changed. If I leave Boyle Heights and return twenty years later to see that everything is very clean and the trees are sparkly and glittery, it's called Boyle Heights but it's not Boyle Heights. It's not the one I knew. The same thing with the boat, if Theseus came back to see the boat and saw that the wood and everything else was replaced, he's going to wonder what happened to his boat. If it was his boat his hard work would be shown the exact same way he left it. No one would change Abraham Lincoln or John F. Kennedy's speeches just so it sounds better or the English Language has changed since then, or put a parenthesis next to their words to say what they meant. No! Original is original and that is why original can't be changed. No one wants their creations changed if it's not the way they made it or remembered it. That is why the boat is called Theseus' boat because he made it with his own hands and left it the way they did. No one should have messed with the boat even if they thought it was for the greater good of the boat. Even a small modification results in a tragic change and it's just not the way it used to be. There are old artifacts rotting in museums but they haven't been recreated into something else, why, because it wouldn't be the same. The original work of someone is what is most important.