I am happy to report that Vlad spent a portion of the class period engaging in Halloween fun and assisting with set up for this afternoon's Halloween party. It was great to see Vlad out of his room, having some fun and being social in school today. We did have time for me to give Vlad feedback on his Chap. 3 Test performance and the Chap. 3 test and to review his performance in the aftermath of taking it and how we are going to continue working on building and strengthening his A.P. US History U.S. skills.

Resistance to imperial authority slowly begins in individual American colonial legislatures.
Colonial assemblies began to resemble small parliaments, each practically as sovereign within its colony as Parliament in England.
There were great appeals for colonial unity as each colony was like a small country unto itself.
The first proposition for the colonial assemblies to unite was known as the Albany Plan in 1754. Interestingly, NONE of the 13 colonies approved of this plan. The French & Indian War (1754 - 1763) cements England's commercial and colonial role in N. America and the world. It also raises underlying tensions in the colonial relationship between the American colonists and England.

Vlad spent today's period on the Chapter 3 Test regarding change and development in American colonial society in the 17th and early 18th centuries.

Chap. 3 Review to prep for test on Mon., 10/29.

We took more time to discuss what was introduced in class on Tues.: The establishment of public schools and growing literacy rates for only white males in the American colonies. The establishment of many colonial universities (following Harvard in 1636) and others from 1693 - 1766. These are schools such as William and Mary, the Univ. of PA, Columbia Univ., Yale Univ., The College of NJ - the name was later changed to Princeton Univ. and Rutgers Univ., originally known as Queen's College. We also talked more about the spread of science and the amazing risk and eventual success of the smallpox innoculation - literally the most daring scientific and medical experiment in the 18th century American colonies. This medical discovery was so important that it helped the small Colonial Army to survive and win the American Revolution! We also covered the growing legal and political system divide between the American colonies and England. Test review tomorrow. Chapter 3 Test will be on Monday, 10/29!

Today we focused on: the Salem Witch Trials, the growth of colonial cities, religious patterns of settlement in the colonies, how the Great Awakening and Enlightenment contributed to some of the great scientific and intellectual discoveries in the 16th and 17th centuries AND how they encouraged a new emphasis on education and heightened interest in politics and government.
Chapter 3 test will now be next Mon., Oct. 29.

We discussed the passage of slave codes and how each section of the country used different things to build their economies. While there was farming in the north, the economy began to change to that of commerce and trade. The Chesapeake region relied on growing tobacco, GA and S. Carolina relied on growing rice and indigo and colonies in the deep south relied on cotton. We discussed the great influx of Sottish and Irish immigrants in the early 1700s. We are going to see that the diversity of the northern colonies' economy vs. the south's reliance on some staple crops will have far reaching affects on the growth of the colonies and eventually, the United States of America.

Today we studied the growing populations and differences in life amongst the New England, mid-Atlantic and Southern colonies in late 17th/early 18th century America. We noted how the failure of indentured servitude leads to the rise of slavery in the colonies. We discussed the horrors of the Middle Passage and that 11 million people from Africa were forced into slavery in the American colonies. As a matter of fact,the number of African immigrants to the Americas was higher than that of Europeans until the late 18th century.

I began the lesson by asking Vlad the following questions: 1) what topics had he covered thus far?; what were his views on the historical periods he has covered, in particular the "narrative" of the history he's reviewed?; and, his understanding to the motives for colonization of America by Europeans? The lesson matriculated into important questions of comparative analysis of historical events and the driving forces behind colonization, revolution, and industrialization. We discussed the political, social, and economic motives of Europeans, our Founding Fathers, and the opposing factions in the US Civil War. This is a great starting point for Vlad and I to dig deeper and provide strong content support for these events and their historical context and controversy.

Great news! Vlad earned a "B" on today's test! Vlad was pleased with the grade and said that he will get an "A" on his next test. I have no doubt that will happen. So proud of Vlad's improved understanding and approach the A.P. U.S. History material!