Course number: HIST1301
Course title: U.S. History to 1865
Semester hours: 3
Foundational Component Area
A. The course “focuses on the consideration of past events and ideas relative to the United States [or to
the State of Texas].”
HIST1301 provides a chronological overview of U.S. history from the pre-historic period through the
present time. These courses introduce students to the long-term trends in U.S. history and are the
foundation for creating informed citizens for the 21st century.
B. The course “involve[s] the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the
world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States
and its global role.”
HIST1301 places the significance of the United States’ development in a global context. These
courses increase the awareness of diverse historical, cultural, and ideological perspectives for an
interdependent world.
Core Objectives
A. Critical Thinking, Aspect 3: “Students will analyze information effectively.”
In this course, students will analyze information through a variety of written and oral assignments that
cover a wide range of topics that correspond to assigned readings and visual material. Students must
produce written work that shows the ability to take primary and secondary sources and analyze the
relevance and impact of the material on historical development. [Appendix C]
B. Critical Thinking, Aspect 4: “Students will evaluate information effectively.”
In this course, students will evaluate information from primary and secondary sources. The students will
look at biases, agendas, and content to evaluate the significance of the material. [Appendix B]
C. Critical Thinking, Aspect 5: “Students will synthesize information effectively.”
Students will synthesize a variety of resources for historical significance. Students will demonstrate the
ability to take a variety of resources with multiple viewpoints and develop a logical response. [Appendix
C]
D. Communication, Aspect 1: “Students will demonstrate effective development, interpretation, and
expressions of ideas through written communication.”
Students will write clear and concise essays using a variety of source materials. They will analyze events
and ideas, interpret information, and develop arguments based on primary and secondary sources through
essay, papers, or homework assignments. [Appendix D]
E. Personal Responsibility: “Students will demonstrate the ability to connect choices, actions and
consequences to ethical decision-making.”
Students, through a variety of methods, will demonstrate personal responsibility. Students are required to
do outside reading, turn in work on time, and attend class regularly. Students will demonstrate an
understanding of plagiarism and how to avoid it. Students will be held accountable for their actions
within the class. [Appendix B]
F. Social Responsibility, Aspect 2: “Students will demonstrate knowledge of civic responsibility.”
Historical knowledge is the basis for social engagement. Students will gain an understanding of the
historical roots to today’s world. Through various assignments, the students will demonstrate how
historic people and events shaped the present-day world, connecting the past to the present. [Appendix E]
APPENDIX A
NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
The North Central Texas College (NCTC) Course Syllabus provides the following as required by the Texas
Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB): (1) a brief description of the course including each major
course requirement, assignment and examination; (2) the learning objectives for the course; (3) a general
description of the subject matter of each lecture or discussion; and (4) any required or recommended
readings. Contact information for the instructor is also provided. The Course Syllabus also provides
institutional information to indicate how this course supports NCTC’s purpose and mission. Information
specific to a particular section of the course will be included in the Class Syllabus and distributed to
enrolled students.
Course Title: U.S. History to 1865
Course Prefix & Number: HIST1301
Section Number:
Term Code:
Semester Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 3
Lab Hours: 0
Course Description (NCTC Catalog):
A survey of the social, political, economic, cultural, and intellectual history of the United States from
the pre-Columbian era to the Civil War/Reconstruction period. United States History I includes the
study of pre-Columbian, colonial, revolutionary, early national, slavery and sectionalism, and the
Civil War/Reconstruction eras. Themes that may be addressed in United States History I include:
American settlement and diversity, American culture, religion, civil and human rights, technological
change, economic change, immigration and migration, and creation of the federal government.
Course Prerequisite(s): None
Course Type:
 - Academic General Education Course (from Academic Course Guide Manual but not in NCTC Core)
 - Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course
 - WECM Course
Name of Instructor:
Crystal R.M. Wright
Campus/Office Location:
Gainesville Campus, Room 824
Telephone Number:
940-6687731, ext. 4320
E-mail Address:
cwright@nctc.edu
Office Hours:
MWF 9:00-10:00, TR 10:00-12:00
Name of Chair/Coordinator:
Crystal R.M. Wright
Office Location:
Gainesville Campus, Room 824
Telephone Number:
940-668-7731, ext. 4320
E-mail Address:
cwright@nctc.edu
REQUIRED OR RECOMMENDED COURSE MATERIALS
Tindall and Shi. America: A Narrative History. 8th ed. Norton. ISBN #978-0-393-93405-2
COURSE REQUIREMENTS, EVALUATION METHODS AND GRADING CRITERIA
# of Graded Course
Elements
Graded Course Elements
Percentage or
Points Values
4
Exams
60%
2
Writing Assignments
30%
3
Xtreme assignments (note-taking, advising, and
supplemental instruction)
5%
Attendance, participation, in-class assignments
5%
INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING GOALS

A quality general education curriculum in all associate degree programs.

Quality freshman and sophomore level courses in arts and sciences which parallel the lower
division offerings of four-year colleges and universities.

Quality technical programs leading directly to careers in semi-skilled and skilled occupations,
and quality technical education programs up to two years in length leading to certificates and
associate degrees.

Quality programs and services in support of adult literacy and basic skills development as a
mean of workforce enhancement and expanding access to higher education.
PROGRAM PURPOSE STATEMENT
NCTC seeks to implement its goal of offering quality general education curriculum in all associate
degrees by offering a core of general education courses designed to help students achieve academic,
career and lifelong goals. Acquiring knowledge, thinking critically, and utilizing the methodologies of
various disciplines exposed students to experiences that serve to advance their personal growth. The
chief focus of the General Education Core Curriculum at NCTC is to emphasize Exemplary Educational
Objectives and Basic Intellectual Competencies.
DEPARTMENTAL PURPOSE STATEMENT
The purpose of the History, Humanities, and Philosophy Department is to provide students at NCTC a
strong foundation in the liberal arts that is essential for career success, leadership, global citizenship,
and a lifetime of learning. The department provides students with a broad knowledge and
understanding of the world; significant intellectual, critical thinking and practical skills; and a strong
sense of civic responsibility for enriching their lives and making a difference in society.
STATEMENT OF SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE EXPECTED OF NCTC GRADUATES
NCTC seeks to implement its goal of offering a core of general education courses designed to help
students achieve academic, career and lifelong goals. The chief focus of the General Education Core
Courses at NCTC is to emphasize basic intellectual competencies and broad intellectual perspectives.
CORE CURRICULUM COMPONENT AREA
The overall objective of the Social & Behavioral Science component area is to increase students’
knowledge of how social and behavioral scientists discover, describe, and explain the behaviors and
interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, events and ideas. Such knowledge will better equip
students to understand themselves and the roles they play in addressing the issues facing humanity.
SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE: EXEMPLARY EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES (EEOs)
 (SBS1)
To employ the appropriate methods, technologies and data that social and
behavioral scientists use to investigate the human condition.
 (SBS2)
To examine social institutions and processes across a range of historical periods,
social structures, and cultures.
 (SBS3)
To use and critique alternative explanatory systems or theories.
 (SBS4)
To develop and communicate alternative explanations or solutions for
contemporary social issues.
 (SBS5)
To analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and global
forces on the area under study.
 (SBS6)
To comprehend the origins and evolution of U.S. and Texas political systems, with
focus on the growth of political institutions, the constitution of the U.S. and Texas,
federalism, civil liberties, and civil and human rights.
 (SBS7)
To understand the evolution and current role of the U.S. in the world.
 (SBS8)
To differentiate and analyze historical evidence (documentary and statistical) and
differing points of view.
 (SBS9)
To recognize and apply reasonable criteria for the acceptability of historical
evidence and social research.
 (SBS10) To analyze, critically assess, and develop creative solutions to public policy problems.
 (SBS11) To recognize and assume one’s responsibility as a citizen in a democratic society by
learning to think for oneself, by engaging in public discourse, and by obtaining information
through the news media and other appropriate information sources about politics and
public policy.
 (SBS12) To identify and understand differences and commonalities within diverse
cultures.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
EEO
Student Learning Outcomes
1,4,6,10,11
Create an argument through the use of historical evidence.
1,2,6,8,9,12
Analyze and interpret primary and secondary sources.
1,2,3,4,5,
6,7,12
Analyze the effects of historical, social, political, economic, cultural, and global
forces on this period of United States history.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SUBJECT MATTER
Topic
General Description of Subject Matter
A New World
Collision of cultures, Britain and Its Colonies, Colonial Culture
Move to Independence
Imperialism, Colonial Discontent, American Revolution
Shaping a Federal Union
Adopting the Constitution, Federalist Era, Early Republic
An Expanding Nation
Nationalism and Sectional, Jacksonian Era, Dynamic Growth,
the American Renaissance
A House Divided
Manifest Destiny, Old South, Crises in the Union, Civil War
BASIC INTELLECTUAL COMPETENCIES FOR THIS COURSE
 READING – Reading at the college level means the ability to analyze and interpret a variety of
printed materials – books, articles and documents. A core curriculum should offer student the
opportunity to master both general methods of analyzing printed materials and specific methods for
analyzing the subject matter of individual disciplines.
 WRITING – Competency in writing is the ability to produce clear, correct, and coherent prose
adapted to purpose, occasion, and audience. Although correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation
are each a sine qua non in any composition, they do not automatically ensure that the composition
itself makes sense or that the writer has much of anything to say. Students need to be familiar with
the writing process including how to discover a topic and how to develop and organize it, how to
phrase it effectively for their audience. These abilities can be acquired only through practice and
reflection.
 SPEAKING – Competence in speaking is the ability to communicate orally in clear, coherent, and
persuasive language appropriate to purpose, occasion, and audience. Developing this competency
includes acquiring poise and developing control of the language through experience in making
presentations to small groups, to large groups, and through the media.
 LISTENING – Listening at the college level means the ability to analyze and interpret various forms of
spoken communication.
 CRITICAL THINKING – Critical thinking embraces methods for applying both qualitative and
quantitative skills analytically and creatively to subject matter in order to evaluate arguments and to
construct alternative strategies. Problem solving is one of the applications of critical thinking, used
to address an identified task.
 COMPUTER LITERACY – Computer literacy at the college level means the ability to use computerbased technology in communicating, solving problems, and acquiring information. Core-educated
students should have an understanding of the limits, problems, and possibilities associated with the
use of technology, and should have the tools necessary to evaluate and learn new technologies as
they become available.
Last day to Withdraw
For the semester, the last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is April
12, 2013.
Student Rights &
Responsibilities
NCTC Board policy FLB (Local) Student Rights and Responsibilities states that
each student shall be charged with notice and knowledge of the contents and
provisions of the rules and regulations concerning student conduct. These
rules and regulations are published in the Student Handbook published in
conjunction with the College Catalog. All students shall obey the law, show
respect for properly constituted authority, and observe correct standards of
conduct.
Scholastic Integrity
Scholastic dishonesty shall constitute a violation of college rules and
regulations and is punishable as prescribed by Board policies.
Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but not be limited to cheating on a test,
plagiarism, and collusion.
STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES
Disability
Accommodations
The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for
students who have a documented disability. A disability is anything that can
interfere with learning, such as a learning disability, psychological challenge,
physical illness or injury. Accommodations may include extra time on tests,
tests in a distraction reduced environment, volunteer note taker in class, etc.
On the Corinth Campus, go to room 170 or call 940-498-6207. On the
Gainesville Campus, go to room 110 in the Administration (100) Building or call
940-668-4209. Students on the Bowie, Graham, Flower Mound, and online
campuses should call 940-668-4209 to arrange for an intake appointment with
OSD.
North Central Texas College is on record as being committed to both the spirit
and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ADA Amendments Act of 2009, and Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112).
Student Success Center
The Student Success Center is designed to help all students at NCTC develop
tools to achieve their academic goals. This program also links students to FREE
tutoring, including a Writing Center, a Math Lab, and free 24/7 online tutoring
and helps new students acclimate to college by providing computer lab
services for prospective students. All students are invited to visit the Student
Success Center on the Corinth Campus go to rooms 170, 182, or 188; on the
Gainesville Campus go to rooms 114 or 111; on the Flower Mound Campus go
to room 111, on the Bowie Campus go to room 124.
Financial Aid,
Scholarships, and
Veterans Services
The Financial Aid Office is responsible for administering a variety of programs
for students who need assistance in financing their education. The first step
for financial aid is to complete a FAFSA. For more information, please visit
your nearest Financial Aid Office.
ALL campuses of North Central Texas College are tobacco-free.
Course Calendar/Brief Syllabus
(subject to change, if necessary)
Dates
Section #1:
1-14
1-16
1-18
1-21
1-23
1-25
1-28
1-30
2-1
2-4
2-6
2-8
2-11
2-13
Section #2:
2-15
2-18
2-20
2-22
2-25
2-27
3-1
3-4
Topic
Orientation
America before European Conquest
Europe in Age of Exploration
No class-MLK holiday
Spanish & Portuguese Colonization
French Colonization
British Delay
Britain’s early colonies
Middle Colonies
British Colonization
British Colonization
Society in New England
The Great Awakening
EXAM #1
Reading or Assignments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
3-6
3-8
3-11 thru 3-17
Prelude to War
American Revolution
American Revolution
Confederation Period
Developing & ratifying Constitution
Federalist Era
Early Republic
Jeffersonian Democracy
Writing Assignment #1 Due
Jeffersonian Democracy
EXAM #2
Spring Break
Section #3:
3-18
3-20
3-22
3-25
3-27
3-29
4-1
4-3
4-5
War of 1812
Nationalism
One-Party Politics
Era of Good Feelings
Election of 1824
Jacksonian Democracy
Jacksonian Democracy
Dynamics of Growth
American Renaissance
Chapter 9 (from page #364)
Chapter 10
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9 (up to page #364)
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
4-8
4-10
Section #4:
4-12
4-15
4-17
4-19
4-22
4-24
4-26
4-29
5-1
5-3
Antebellum Reform
EXAM #3
Manifest Destiny
Annexing Texas
War with Mexico
The Old South
The Old South
Writing Assignment #2 Due
Sectional Crises
House Divided
Call for Secession
Civil War
Civil War
FINAL EXAM:
MWF 11:00 class- May 6 @ 11:00
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
EXAMS: There will be four examinations over the material discussed in class as well as any
assigned reading. The first three exams will include objective (multiple choice, true-false,
matching, etc.), short answer, and essay. There will be no essay on the final exam. The
instructor will retain all exam papers. The exams will count 60% of your grade.
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: There will be two writing assignments during the semester.
Each one will require the student to write a critical essay on a historical topic. The papers will be
three to four pages, typed, double spaced. Late papers will be severely penalized. The writing
assignments will count 30% of your grade.
XTREME ASSIGNMENTS: There will be several assignments intended to improve your
college success. These assignments include note-taking skills, academic advising, time
management, and supplemental instruction. Xtreme assignments will count 5% of your grade.
CLASS ASSIGNMENTS & PARTICIPATION: There will be several class assignments
during the semester. These assignments require analysis and interpretation. Missed class
assignments cannot be made up. Participation in topic discussions and regular attendance will
affect your grade. Students will be called upon to analyze and critique historical ideas, actions,
and consequences. Attendance and participation will count 5% of your grade.
MAKEUP POLICY-A student can take ONE makeup exam. THE MAKEUP EXAM WILL
CONSIST OF FOUR ESSAYS EACH WORTH 25 POINTS. Any makeup exam must be taken
according to History, Humanities, and Philosophy Department regulations, at a time other than
our regularly scheduled class. Late writing assignments will be penalized ten points for every
day that a paper is late. There is no makeup for missed class assignments.
NO GRADES ARE DROPPED OR CURVED
A=100-90, B=89-80, C=79-70, D=69-60, F=59-0
*Additional course information can be found on ANGEL
APPENDIX B
HISTORY 1301
WEB ACTIVITY-Jefferson and Monticello
Few men have left such an indelible mark on American history as Thomas Jefferson. He
embodied the Enlightenment spirit. He not only witnessed some of the most important events in
U.S. history, but he laid his stamp on the nation as a whole. He was what many call a
Renaissance man, with many skills and interests. This web activity allows you to explore some
of the lesser known facets of Jefferson. Begin by reading the pages on Jefferson in your textbook.
Then visit the website www.monticello.org. On the home page, click on the Jefferson tab and
read through the sections Brief Biography and A Day in the Life. Next, click on the House and
Gardens tab and take a tour of Jefferson’s home. You can then go into the Monticello Explorer
and see a 3D animation of the house.
After reading the documents, please write an essay discussing the following issues. Your essay
should be 3 pages in length, double-spaced, 12 point font. Grammar and spelling count toward
your final grade. Please do not use contractions (don’t) or personal pronouns (I or me) in your
paper.
1. What did Jefferson say was “one of my favorite amusements”? How did Monticello reflect
Jefferson’s personality and interests?
2. What innovations at Monticello can be attributed to Jefferson?
3. Why did Jefferson refer to Monticello as his “essay in architecture”?
4. What did Jefferson view as his greatest accomplishments? What did he exclude from this list,
and what does that tell us about him?
DUE DATE March 7, 2012
Upload the paper into the Drop Box on Angel before class AND bring a physical copy to me
on the above due date. Failure to upload the paper or to turn it in on the due date will
result in points being deducted.
APPENDIX C
Quote from Christopher Columbus’s letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, sovereigns of Spain
The people of this island (Hispaniola) and of all the other islands which I have found and seen, or
have not seen, all go naked, men and women, as their mothers bore them, except that some women
cover one place with the leaf of a plant or with a net of cotton which they make for that purpose. They
have no iron or steel or weapons, nor are they capable of using them, although they are well-built
people of handsome stature, because they are wondrously timid. They have no other arms than the
arms of canes, [cut] when they are in seed time, to the end of which they fix a sharp little stick; and they
dare not make use of these, for oftentimes it has happened that I have sent ashore two or three men to
some town to have speech, and people without number have come out to them, as soon as they saw
them coming, they fled; even a father would not stay for his son; and this was not because wrong had
been done to anyone; on the contrary, at every point where I have been and have been able to have
speech, I have given them of all that I had, such as cloth and many other things, without receiving
anything for it; but they are like that, timid beyond cure. It is true that after they have been reassured
and have lost this fear, they are so artless and so free with all they possess, that no one would believe it
without having seen it. Of anything they have, if you ask them for it, they never say no; rather they
invite the person to share it, and show as much love as if they were giving their hearts; and whether the
thing be of value or of small price, at once they are content with whatever little thing of whatever kind
may be given to them. I forbade that they should be given things so worthless as pieces of broken
crockery and broken glass, and lace points, although when they were able to get them, they thought
they had the best jewelry in the world…And they know neither sect or idolatry, with the exception that
all believe that the source of all power and goodness is in the sky, and in this belief they everywhere
received me, after they had overcome their fear. And this does not result from their being ignorant (for
they are of a very keen intelligence and men who navigate all those seas, so that it is wondrous the good
account they give of everything), but because they have never seen peopled clothed or ships like ours.
Excerpt from Brevisima Relacion de la Destrucion de las Indias by Bartolome de las Casas
The Indies were discovered in the year fourteen hundred and ninety-two. The year following,
Spanish Christians went to inhabit them, so that it since been forty-nine years that numbers of Spaniards
have gone there…There are numberless …islands, all around on every side, that were all-and we have
seen it-as inhabited and full of their native Indian people as any country in the world…
God has created all these numberless people to be quite the simplest, without malice or
duplicity, most obedient, most faithful to their natural Lords, and to the Christians, whom they serve;
the most humble, most patient, most peaceful, and calm, without strife or tumults; nor wrangling, nor
querulous, as free from uproar, hate and desire for revenge, as any in the world…
Among these gentle sheep, gifted by their Maker with the above qualities, the Spaniards
entered as soon as they knew them, like wolves, tigers, and lions which had been starving for many days,
and since forty years they have done nothing else; nor do they otherwise at the present day, than
outrage, slay, afflict, torment, and destroy them with strange and new, and diverse kinds of cruelty,
never before seen, nor heard of, nor read of…
The Christians, with their horses and swords and lances, began to slaughter and practice strange
cruelty among them. They penetrated into the country and spared neither children nor the aged, nor
pregnant women, nor those in child labor, all of whom they ran through the body and lacerated, as
though they were assaulting so many lambs herded in their sheepfold…
They generally killed the lords and nobles in the following way. They made wooden gridirons of
stakes, bound them upon them, and made a slow fire beneath: thus the victims gave up the spirit by
degrees, emitting cries of despair in their torture…[T]he officer who burned them was worse than a
hangman,…he stirred up the fire, until they roasted slowly according to his pleasure. I know his name,
and knew also his relations in Seville. I saw all of the above things and numberless others.
That which led the Spaniards to these unsanctified impieties was the desire of God, the desire to
make themselves suddenly rich, to obtain dignities and honors for which they were not fit. In a word,
their covetousness, their ambition, the riches of the country, and the patience of people gave occasion
for their devilish barbarism. For the Spaniards so condemned the people that they used them not like
beasts, for that would have been tolerable, but looked upon them as if they were the dung and filth of
the earth, and so they little regarded the health of their souls. The Indians never gave them the least
cause to offer them violence. The Indians received the Spaniards as angels sent from heaven, until their
excessive cruelties, the torments and slaughters of their countrymen moved them to take up arms
against the Spaniards.
Black Legend Assignment
___________________________________
________________________________
___________________________________
________________________________
1. How does Columbus describe the people and the Spanish relationship with them?
2. What would be his motivation for characterizing them this way?
3. How does Casas describe the relationship that developed between the natives and the
Spaniards?
4. What impact do you think Casas’ writings had? Who would have believed Columbus
view? Who would accept Casas’ view?
5. How could a Christian nation like Spain justify its treatment of the Amer-Indians?
APPENDIX D
HIST1301, EXAM #3 (excerpt from)
ESSAY- On the paper provided please write a thorough essay on the following topic. (15
points)
Why did the U.S. go to war with Britain in 1812? Why was the War of 1812 almost a disaster
for the U.S.? How did the war affect the country during the conflict and after?
APPENDIX E
Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)
“There is something exceedingly ridiculous in the composition of monarchy; it first excludes a
man from the means of information, yet empowers him to act in cases where the highest judgment is
required. The state of a king shuts him from the world, yet the business of a king requires him to know
it thoroughly; wherefore the different parts, by unnaturally opposing and destroying each other, prove
the whole character to be absurd and useless…
In England a king hath little more to do than to make war and give away places; which in plain
terms, is to impoverish the nation and set it together by the ears. A pretty business indeed for a man to
be allowed eight hundred thousand sterling a year for, and worshipped into the bargain! Of more worth
is one honest man to society and in the sight of God, than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived…
In the following pages I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common
sense; and have no other preliminaries to settle with the reader, than that he will divest himself of
prejudice and prepossession, and suffer his reason and his feelings to determine for themselves; that he
will put on, or rather that he will not put off the true character of a man, and generously enlarge his
views beyond the present day.
Volumes have been written on the subject of the struggle between England America. Men of all
ranks have embarked in the controversy, from different motives, and with various designs; but all have
been ineffectual, and the period of debate is closed. Arms, as the last resource, decide the contest; the
appeal was the choice of the king, and the continent hath accepted the challenge.
The sun never shined on a cause of greater worth. ‘Tis not the affair of a city, a county, a
province, or a kingdom, but of a continent-of at least one eighth part of the habitable globe. ‘Tis not the
concern of a day, a year, or an age; posterity are virtually involved in the contest, and will be more or
less affected, even to the end of time, by the proceedings now. Now is the seed-time of continental
union, faith and honor. The least fracture now will be like a name engraved with the point of a pin on
the tender rind of a young oak; the wound will enlarge with the tree, and posterity read it in full grown
characters…
I have heard it asserted by some, that as America hath flourished under the former connection
with Great Britain, that the same connection is necessary towards her future happiness, and will always
have the same effect. Nothing can be more fallacious than this kind of argument. We may as well
assert that because a child has thrived upon milk that it is never to have meat, or that the first twenty
years of our lives is to become a precedent for the next twenty. But even this is admitting more than is
true, for I answer roundly, that America would have flourished as much, and probably much more, had
no European power had any thing to do with her. The commerce, by which she hath enriched herself,
are the necessaries of life, and will always have a market while eating is the custom of Europe.
But she has protected us, some say. That she has engrossed us is true, and defended the
continent at our expense as well as her own is admitted, and she would have defended Turkey from the
same motive, viz. the sake of trade and dominion.
Alas, we have been long led away by ancient prejudices, and made large sacrifices to
superstition. We have boasted the protection of Great Britain, without considering, that her motive was
interest not attachment; that she did not protect us from our enemies on our account, but from her
enemies on her own account, from those who had no quarrel with us on any other account, and who will
always be our enemies on the same account…
France and Spain never were, nor perhaps ever will be our enemies as Americans, but as our
being the subjects of Great Britain.
But Britain is the parent country, say some. Then the more shame upon her conduct. Even
brutes do not devour their young, nor savages make war upon their families…Europe, and not England,
is the parent country of America. This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil
and religious liberty from every part of Europe. Hither have they fled, not from the tender embraces of
the mother, but from the cruelty of the monster…
But where, says some, is the King of America? I’ll tell you…that in America THE LAW IS KING.
For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be King; and there
ought to be no other...A government of our own is our natural right…
O ye that love mankind! Ye that dare oppose, not only the tyranny, but the tyrant, stand forth!
Every spot of the old world is overrun with oppression. Freedom hath been hunted round the globe.
Asia and Africa have long expelled her-Europe regards her like a stranger, and England hath given her
warning to depart. O! Receive the fugitive, and prepare in time an asylum for mankind.
ASSIGNMENT
1. How did Paine criticize the legitimacy of monarchical government?
2. What arguments did Paine give for independence?
3. Why did he propose that law should be “king of America”?
4. Why did he believe that attempts at reconciliation would be unsuccessful?
5. Why do you think Paine’s pamphlet is still used by modern-day revolutionaries?