Ap Us History Dbq Sample Essay

Starting off his short term as president, James K. Polk had expanded the nation by two-thirds through the addition of Texas, the Oregon boundary, and the conquest of all Mexican provinces north of 31 degrees. However, having been elected on a platform pressing for Oregon to a northern boundary of of 54 degrees 40’ and Texas to a southern boundary of the Rio Grande river, Polk came to an agreement with Britain on 49 degrees but went to war with Mexico in want of Texas, New Mexico, and California. The acquisition of Mexico was concerning because it surfaced the debate over the balance of power and slavery between the North and the South. Along with Polk’s decision, Democrats agreed in expanding territory because of their strong following of the Democratic doctrine, the Manifest Destiny, by expanding the nation’s territory through any means.

As tensions in Great Britain grew economically and politically, the American colony declared themselves an independent nation. Gaining their independence was significant, however, keeping it would be the challenge. The Americans knew a stable federal republic was essential to remaining independent, thus they created the Constitution. Although, the creation of the Constitution and the equality it ensues a controversial issue, the Constitution did not fulfil the job it was designed to do. The document did not establish a fair government.

Stephanson uses Josiah Strong, who is instrumental to the thought of American religious imperialism. Stephanson states, Strong’s ideas were central to the want to conquer particular social ills. In order to do so, Strong utilizes “three important strands of late-nineteenth-century U.S. Protestantism: ‘liberal’ theology; mission at home and abroad; and the social gospel ”. Liberal theology was a reinvention of natural theology in order to fuse God and history into a progressive evolution of the fittest individuals. Missionary activity was key to American church life, these organizations reached their peak toward the end of the century because of the following: the necessity to maintain a firm position while being against the changes of corruption, filth and aliens at home.

Question 1 Throughout Washington’s presidency, he set many precedents including in his farewell address. As the first president he had nothing to go off of and set precedents for future successors which many didn’t follow well enough. He set precedents such as not to have political parties, the title of Mr. President, advice to remain neutral with foreign nations, a two-term presidency, use of force to maintain order, and having a Cabinet for advice. The precedents he set were split into the two categories of the ones followed by the nation to this day and the ones which were forgotten and regretted. To begin with the one of the first two precedents on my list, he gave the advice to not have political parties.

To start, the 1st Great Awakening was a religious revival that swept through the American colonies in the early 18th century. It was characterized by a renewed focus on personal conversion, an emphasis on emotional experiences, and a rejection of tradition in the churches. One of the main focal points of this revival was the presence of intense emotional experiences among the believers, including weeping, shouting, and falling into trances. Many people at the time saw these emotional displays as evidence of God's presence and power, and they were certain of bringing many people to Christianity.

For the most part, I agreed with what historian David Barton had to say about the role of American government in terms of its relationship with religion and the family. I believed as well that the government should be limited and have little control over the church. It must rarely interfere with religious activities except in cases with legitimate cause, the immoral ones that involved the disruption of peace and the endangerment of others. The federal government should not be the authority on what the church could or could not do and should allow people to freely express their faith. With that being said, I also think that there must not be a strict separation between the church and the state.

A religious movement, that made religion more popular, between 1730 - 1740. Jonathon Edwards and George Whitefield were the two who set off the great awakening. Jonathon Edwards helped set off the Great Awakening because of in his “powerful” sermons, he would call on colonists, also young people, to examine their lives. He would preach of god’s sweetness and beauty, but at the same time he would warn the listeners to pay attention to the bibles teachings. Otherwise, they would be sinners.

The Second Great Awakening affected society in a both harsh way and also positive way. It affected the society in a positive way because of all the movements that started. An example of one of the movements can be Women’s Movement which helped women basically get more rights in terms of them living their own life. The women did this because they wanted to be equal with the men since men could own property and vote but on the other hand there were the women who couldn 't do any of those tasks. There was also the Temperance Movement which helped drunks drink less alcohol since the movement lessened the amount of alcohol available in the U.S.

During the 1800s, a drastic religious revival swept across the United States. Much change and reform took place within the nation that shifted the character of American religion and culture. The beliefs and religious views of the 1800s helped influence the American identity today. Religion in the 1800s led to a revolution that had far-reaching effects on the U.S. that allowed it to assert its beliefs that have impacted society today.

The Second Great Awakening was extremely influential in shifting the minds towards reform in people across America. The mentality of the people at this time was closed minded and had acceoted their way of living. Among other factors, Charles Finney played and important role in the success of the Second Great Awakening. “Much of the impulse towards reform was rooted in the revivals of the broad religious movement that swept the Untied States after 1790.” Revivals during the Second Great Awakening awakened the faith of people during the 1790s with emotional preaching and strategic actions from Charles Finney and many other influential preachers, which later helped influence the reforms of the mid-1800s throughout America.

“Independence, free will, and personal effort are considered primary virtues that contribute not only to personal achievement but also to the success and well-being of the nation.” This quote, stated by Charles Finney, means that people must be able to choose for themselves and make their own decisions in order for the country to become better than it is. The Second Great Awakening began for several different reasons, consisted of many different church revivals and leaders, and ultimately had a lasting impact for several more years after the end of the Second Great Awakening. There were several different factors that led up to the Second Great Awakening. Some such factors are listed by Richard Kaplan in his article titled, The Second Great

Protestant standards they held dear. Protestant values were now competing against more ad stronger forces in the public sphere” (Noll 100). This change is most noticeable in the twentieth century as the landscape of America changes through the decades. Most important in this era is that the trace of Protestantism is still evident in new forms of Churches.

Followers, who had once felt unfulfilled and disheartened during sermons, suddenly felt and experienced the spiritual connection to God that they had each been longing for after attending preachings from these two men. The Great Awakening brought about religious freedom and free will (Smith, 2011) that would grant all

I think that both the existence of modern and religious aspects in the United States, and the clear contradiction, can be accounted for by looking at the many links between the two. The link that I feel connects both factors is the Protestant work ethic. With around half of the American population belonging to the Protestant religion, it isn’t surprising if the traditions and values of that religion surface into modern, everyday life. The Protestant work ethic is very ambitious and to work hard to succeed, these values link very much to the ‘American Dream’ which is surrounded by prosperity and success and is still a symbol of America even in modern times.

The United States government is clearly founded on Christian beliefs however, it cannot be fully traced back to any one religion. In the early years after the Revolutionary war, Christianity was the only easily recognizable influence however, today almost all existing religions have had an impact on some part of this country. It would be simple minded to assume the separation of church and state has been at all upheld throughout the public issues that America has faced since it was founded. Even minor religions that have been dismantled for many years have influenced our government.