Revolutionary War Exam

Revolutionary War Exam
By: Anna Payne
Mr. Viles
Honors History 10

In some ways the Revolutionary War resembles the Iraq War. The wars are not identical but some key points of both wars can be related. The current events of today can be seen in the events of the past. Lifestyles, cultures, beliefs and societies may be different today but learning of past mistakes help in the current issues. The Revolutionary Wars and the Iraq war are similar.

During the Revolutionary War Britain had begun to lose money and were growing poor fast. Britain had spent too much money on previous wars. The King saw an easy way of making money by making excess taxes on America such as the sugar, stamp, quartering and currency acts.

During the Iraq war the government invaded Iraq looking for weapons of mass destruction but soon found none. During the buildup to the war the Bush Administration explained that the war wouldn’t cost very much because Iraq oil would be paying the expenses. Over four years the Iraq war has cost American tax payers billions of dollars. Unfortunately America has not been able to have the oil as promised by the Bush Administration. The pipe lines and refineries had been neglected by Saddam Hussein and the refineries are constantly under attack by Iraqi citizens.

Britain taxed the American Colonies looking for a quick fix to their dept. In the best case America invaded Iraq looking to get rid of weapons of mass destruction to be paid for by the large amount of oil stored in Iraq. In the worst case America invaded Iraq for its oil and using weapons of mass destruction as an excuse looking for a quick fix to the oil crisis. Both wars are related by having two powerful nations invading less powerful nations looking for an economic benefit.

During the Revolutionary War Britain sent a small army over to the American Colonies by sea. Britain had the largest naval fleet but had limited amount of soldiers available to go to the American Colonies due to other commitments in other colonies. The British army was so small that they were forced to hire mercenaries to fight with them against the rebellious citizens. British went to the American colonies trying to control the revolt and keep the taxes flowing. The British armies were well trained in the European technique of war and were unaware of the Colonial war techniques.

During the Iraq War the Bush Administration decided to send a small amount of troops over to Iraq to help save money. This plan worked because American troops defeated all of the Iraqi forces. The American armies are so small that different troops end up going to Iraq 3 to 4 times. This happens due to the length of the war and the war in Afghanistan. The troops are running low. Iraq is so big that it is difficult for America to clear all of it because as soon as one section is cleared and the troops leave, the Iraqi rebels invade it again.

Both American and British Colonial troops were sent to fight with limited numbers. Both nations had other problems going on making it difficult to provide a large number of troops. British Colonial troops had long supply lines. Britain was separated from the American colonies by the Atlantic Ocean. The way to transfer supplies was by ship, taking long periods of time. During the Iraq war American troops are also separated from America by a large distance. Even with the modern technology that we have today, it still takes time to get supplies. Because of the limited amount of soldiers during both wars the amount of work required began to wear on the soldiers.

In conclusion, the issues involved with both the Revolutionary and Iraqi War are similar. Financing the government and having enough troops are major parts of all wars. Both armies fought against forces that they were not fully prepared for. The British Colonial army was well trained in the European fighting style while the American colonies were trained in the Colonial fighting style. The American soldiers use high technology as a large part of their combat while the Iraqi rebels fight with low technology warfare. Britain used taxes hoping to gain money from the colonies which started the Revolutionary War and America is still hoping to gain Iraqi oil from the Iraq War. In some ways the Revolutionary War resembles the Iraq War.

Essay Question

For our fourth quarter exam my question will focus on the effect of the taxes. How did each of the four taxes lead to the rebellious acts of the citizens which eventually lead to the Revolutionary War. Who were the major people involved in the start of the rebellion and how did they start it?

The Persuaders

Advertisements are always looking for the new angle of trying to sell their product. This show teaches the way the advertisement world functions. All of these companies were trying to show us what a commercial is really hinting towards, for example a Cheerios commerical is not just selling cereal but selling a feeling of reliability and warmth and building a friendship with it's consumers. It's just cereal. In one part of the show a man was interviewed about the feeling that bread can give. The man was asked if bread makes you feel warm, friendly, and other feelings. The man kind of laughed saying no he doesn't feel these things when he eats bread but then he answered yes that bread makes him feel lonely. How can bread make you feel lonely and why would he suddenly change his feeling on bread?
After the show we looked through magazines to find other advertisements trying to sell a feeling. We found that many car adds try to sell feelings of family and friendliness, reliability. One add was selling a mini van with a DVD player, the DVD player will make the kids happy keeping them quiet and behaved so mom and dad are happy. Is TV the answer to everything now? We discussed the Nike adds, just do it. Mr. Viles said what is just do it, he noticed that the commercial voice never says just do it because people would feel like they were being told what to do. When it's just written people will just do it. Advertisments try to sell a feeling with their products, does it actually work?

Merchants of Cool

The Frontline video was in tune to the lifestyles of teens and the marketing campagnes. I have to agree that parts of this video act superior to the society they are also apart of. I did think the video was correct about the "mook" and the "midriff". I can easily see people in my own high school who are perfect examples of the "mook" and the "midriff". The "mook" being the stupid, girl crazy guy and the "midriff" being a girl who is obsessed with her looks and shows a lot of skin. I liked the observation made that cool is always changing. Whats cool now is not cool later, so what is the deffinition of cool? Is there any way to tell what the next cool will be?

Local History Proposal

I grew up in the small, quiet town of Plymouth Maine. I have chosen the Village Store as the place that sums our town up the most. The village store is a small, friendly, unique and country like place. People go to the store in the mornings to catch up with friends and enjoy a nice hunter’s breakfast. While checking out you are greeted by a friendly cashier who knows almost everyone in town. The Village Store sells fishing and hunting gear which many people in Plymouth do.
I am planning to make my presentation on a slideshow. I am going to use pictures of the store and compare them to pictures of Plymouth as my first source. By comparing the pictures I will be able to show the similarity between the Village Store and Plymouth. For my second source I am going to find old articles from the newspaper that show what kind of a town Plymouth is and then compare it to The Village Store. For my last source I am going to interview people about the Village Store and find their perspective. This how I plan to present my Local History Project.

What is an American

We all know what America stands for, the land of opportunity and freedome. Who are the people know as the Americans. To me an American is anyone who legally lives in America. There are Americans who do good towards America by contributing to society, but if you choose not to, that doesn't make you any less of an American. I don't think there are a higher class of Americans, as long as you are legally an American you have a right to be an American. Being born in America doesn't effect if you are an American or not. It shouldn't matter where you were born, what matters is what you choose to do with your life.

Myths

A myth is a story to teach people the ways of the world, a way to understand the events of life. They are ways to solve a mytery, A way to cope with the uncertanties in life. Why do these mysteryies need to be solved? I don't understand why we have to have an answer to evrything. Part of the joys in life is the unknown, the mysteries. Myths are the stories that spell everything out for us. It's interesting to think about what is considered real, and what is myth. Every person should decide what is fact and what is myth for themselves.