America to 1775 Assignment

UPDATE: Click here for a good chart summary that pertains to your current assignment.

I know there are vast amounts of raw information to analyze, summarize, evaluate, and spit back out in this time frame. However, a well done product will be an invaluable guide to this time period later on. Follow the assignment as a guide and use the outline below if you need a bit more guidance in structure:

Intro - Explain that the 13 colonies were all founded for different reasons by different people, yet that by 1750 there were events, institutions, and trends that intertwined to create a uniquely American identity.

New England P1 - Brielfy explain a timeline of how the colonies in this region developed differently (again use your assignment sheet to figure out exactly what should go here)

NE P2 - Make generalizations about this region (colonies combined) that describe it's identity. Always back up generalizations with EVIDENCE! Go from general to specific. Highlight a trend present in this region and then explain it using events/people/facts from a specific colony.

(example: Religion played a major role in the development of this region socially and politically. In Massachusetts, Puritans made the church the center of town. People would gather here for social events including sermons and town meetings. Sermons (like that of Cotton Mather's) were one of the few leisure time activities Puritains could take part in. Town meetings were an early sign of democracy in the region, and tied the church closely to the state.)

Middle Colonies - Repreat steps for NE

Southern Colonies - Ditto

Conclusion P1 - Summarize the major differences between the regions

Conclusion P2 - Formulate a description of what the 'American Identity' was in 1750. Give some insight here! You won't find your opinion in any book. Make a judgement and support it. You have to become a historian seeing the value of facts as evidence for an argument, not the plot of the past.

Good Luck!