Name:
Per:
Date:
Unit 1 – “A Gathering of Voices”
Part 3 Text Set: A Nation is Born
Instructions: After completing the readings, please answer the questions fully and in complete sentences.
Write the definitions for the vocabulary words listed. (cite) means to use evidence from the text.
READINGS
Pg. 98-103
“Speech in the Virginia Convention” by Patrick Henry
Pg. 104-107
Various readings about Benjamin Franklin (read all)
ASSIGNMENT
Pg. 108 #8 a & b
a) What political assumptions does Henry make about the nature of government? (cite)
b) Does Franklin make similar assumptions? Defend and clarify your interpretation. (cite)
READINGS
Pg. 110-115
“Declaration of Independence” Thomas Jefferson
Pg. 116-119
from “The American Crisis” by Thomas Paine
ASSIGNMENT
Pg. 120 #7
7) Jefferson presents a long list of grievances against King George. What counterclaim do you think
the list attempts to answer? Explain, citing details from the text to support your reasoning.
READINGS
Pg. 122-126
“To His Excellency” by Phillis Wheately
ASSIGNMENTS
Pg. 126 #3 (a-c)
a) Which details in the last two lines reflect the influence of the British political system? (cite)
b) What position in a new government does the speaker assume Washington will occupy? (cite)
c) How do these details hint at the debate about the kind of government to be established after
the war? (no cite needed)
READINGS
Pg. 136-150
Various readings for Benjamin Franklin (read all)
Pg. 156-157
Autobiographical Writing (read all)
Pg. 158-164
“Straw Into Gold: The Metamorphosis of the Everyday” by Sandra Cisneros
Pg. 166-17
from “The Interesting Narrative of - The Life of Olaudah Equiano”
ASSIGNMENTS
(Changed from calendar.)
Pg. 152 #1
a) Why do you think Franklin devoted such a large chunk of his autobiography to a discussion of
failures to achieve perfect virtue?
b) What message do both his efforts and his failures convey?
ASSIGNMENTS
(Changed from calendar.)
Pg. 165 #3
a) What details does Cisneros include that you would find surprising in Franklin’s writing?
b) Is this due to the time period, the writer’s gender, the writer’s cultural background, or another
element? Explain.
READINGS
Pg. 178-185
Primary Sources reading (read all)
VOCABULARY – Define each word.
Insidious:
Despotism:
Vigilant:
Acquiesce:
Rectitude:
Propitious:
Avarice:
Incorrigible: