Settler-Colonialism - Colonial America |
In this Unit we learned about the slavery that took place during colonization. We learned about the Transatlantic Slave Trade, in which Africans were taken from their country, packed like sardines into ships, and sold into slavery, mainly to the Americas. And the treatment of the enslaved Africans was justified using religious arguments like "they needed white rule in order for Christ to accept them" and that "God intended for white men to rule over black men." This is where white supremacy comes in, something we also learned about. It is the belief that white people constitute a superior race and should therefore dominate society. Believe it or not, this idea of white supremacy still exists in today's society. And many people, including myself with African-American ancestors, want to change that. |
Creating a New Country
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In this Unit we learned about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. These documents were written after The American Revolution and were meant to redo the previous form of government--the Articles of Confederation. I also learned that the word "slave" wasn't used in the Constitution because it wasn't wanted in there. This was said to be because they knew it was something history would judge them for. |
Expanding the Territory of the United States
In this Unit we learned about Manifest Destiny. Manifest destiny is the 19th century belief that the expansion of the United States was justified and inevitable. I learned that during the expansion of the U.S., Native Americans were forced from their home (land), in order to expand the states. |