Week 23 in Mr. Bruce's History

Parents and Students,

I went to start writing this, titling it Week 22, when I realized that this is actually week 23 and I missed getting last week's out. Bad, bad, bad. Sorry for not keeping you all in the loop with a regular email. I'll make it my goal to keep up for the rest of the school year.

We had a great week, in spite of the day off yesterday. When the reports came on Monday of a likely snow storm, I started planning for a day off. While today was a little crazy, we certainly accomplished enough this week to feel good about it. I'd like to make sure here that you know about/remember the video assignment: Washington's Foreign Policy (mrbruceshistory.wikispaces.com for videos and handouts).

The biggest thing I want you all to quiz your son/daughter about is our first real political parties. We spent the bulk of our time learning about how the Federalists and Republicans emerged as a result of early challenges to the new nation. As Washington struggled to keep us out of foreign conflict (at the same time Europe ignites as a result of the French Revolution), opinions about economy, government, how to interpret the Constitution, and whether or not we should support France all worked to divide leaders into these two distinct political divisions. Good questions to ask your students are:

• Why did more southerners align with the Republican Party?
• Why did Hamilton's plan for a National Bank upset Republicans?
• What do you think Jefferson's vision for America was? How did this differ than Hamilton's?

This period in our history, while probably as critical and fragile as (or more than) any other, gets far too little attention. Our political history begins here with the beginning of a two-party system. It also gives us a chance to explore the beginning of our nation's foreign policy. Washington's plan for isolation in foreign conflict will set a foundation for over 100 years. 

Monday, we will explore the Election of 1800 as it exposes a huge flaw in our Constitution and how it sets a standard for a peaceful transition of power from one group to another. From there, we will explore that idea of isolation as a new nation with no navy and no desire to get dragged into a war in Europe. We'll also learn how America deals with pirates.

Until next week I remain yours,

Mr. Bruce