Section #1 - Bell Ringers
Bell Ringers and Thought-starter Questions
| # | Event Topic & Visual | Thought-starter Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1607-1775: Colonial Period | ||
| 1 | The first 13 colonies Map of Europe ➔ America | Where did your own family ancestors live before they migrated to America? In what year did they first arrive? In what state did they settle down? |
| 2 | Early American tribes Photo of Sitting Bull | Native American tribes populated the nation before any Europeans arrived. How do you think they got here? |
| 3 | Beginning of slavery Photo of cotton harvesting | True or false? There would never have been a large cotton industry in America without enslaved workers? Why do you say that? |
| 4 | British taxing the colonials Washington in British dress | What is our own George Washington doing here dressed in the uniform of a British Army General? Did he fight on the side of Britain before he fought against them in the Revolutionary War? |
| 5 | The call for revolution Colonial currency | Test your math on Colonial money. If there were 12 pennies to 1 shilling in 1700, how many pennies is this 20 shilling note worth? |
| 6 | The first battle of the war Minuteman photo | Why do you think the American colonists who fought the British were called “minutemen?” |
| 1776-1781: Independence | ||
| 7 | The formal break with Britain Large John Hancock signature | In what city did the Founding Father John Hancock live and can you locate it on a map? |
| 8 | Early American losses Photo of Nathan Hale | What quote from the about to be hanged 21 year old Nathan Hale attests to his bravery and patriotism? |
| 9 | The tide begins to turn Washington crosses the Delaware | What do you think it was like to be in that boat with Washington as it crosses the frozen Delaware River to fight the British? |
| 10 | The British surrender World turned up/down music | In what ways did the United States’ victory over Britain turn the world upside down for the other European Kings? |
| 1781-1787: New Government | ||
| 11 | America’s 1787 Constitution House Chamber photo | How did the creation of a second legislative branch (the Senate) and the Electoral College help the smaller states and the slave states? |
| 12 | The Bill of Rights James Madison | After James Madison wrote the first Ten Amendments to the Constitution, why were they called the Bill of Rights? |
| 13 | Initial boundaries on slavery Map of the Northwest Ordinance | How did the Northwest Ordinance separate the Free States from the Slave States? |
| 14 | President George Washington President Washington photo | In 1788 the U.S. population total 3.6 million and yet Washington became President with only 28,000 popular votes. Can you explain how that could be? |
| 1787-1829: Dual Economies | ||
| 15 | Early expansion of slavery Simplified Triangle Trade map | What prompted the enslavement of Africans around 1650 and how did that turn into the triangular trade involving America, Europe and Africa? |
| 16 | Competing economic visions Photos: Hamilton/Jefferson | In 1800 Thomas Jefferson argued that America should become a nation of farmers, while Hamilton called for more factories and diverse jobs. Which side do you think won? |
| 17 | The movement west begins Map of Louisiana Purchase | What were Thomas Jefferson’s goals behind the 1803 Louisiana Purchase from Napoleon and France? |
| 18 | Another battle with Britain Star Spangled Banner Lyrics | Do you know where Francis Barton Key was situated when he wrote the words to the Star Spangled Banner during the War of 1812? |
| 19 | Blacks fight for survival Black Preacher photo | Why do you think Black Churches were so important to achieving racial equality? |
| 20 | Another compromise on slavery Map of the 1820 Compromise | What is the meaning of a “compromise” and does this 30’36” line solve the conflict? |
| 21 | America asserts it hegemony President James Monroe | As the sixth U.S. President, his claim to fame was the Monroe Doctrine. Do you know what it said? |
| 22 | The Age of Jackson begins Andrew Jackson | What were the 5 main goals Jackson set out for his presidency? |
| 23 | First signs of Southern secession John C. Calhoun | What was the 1832 Nullification crisis the Calhoun sparked and how did it set the stage for Southern secession in 1861? |
| 24 | Opposition to Jackson appears Henry Clay | Clay chose the name of “Whigs” for his new political party. What was his reason for the choice? |
| 1829-1835: Great Awakening | ||
| 25 | America seeks spiritual guidance Rev Charles Finney | What was Finney’s evangelical movement all about and how did it impact efforts to abolish slavery? |
| 26 | The search for racial justice Frederick Douglass | Agree or disagree: Frederick Douglas should be considered the most important figure in the movement to end slavery? |
| 27 | Abolitionists get organized Lloyd Garrison | Did Northerners agree or disagree with the demand for immediate abolition that Garrison called for in the Liberator newspaper? |
| 1836-1848: Manifest Destiny | ||
| 28 | Movement west accelerates Map of population shift | What percent of the U.S. population had settled west of the Mississippi River by around 1848? |
| 29 | Native tribes lose homelands Trail of Tears map | How did President Jackson’s racial prejudices affect the fate of the Native-American tribes in the east? |
| 30 | “Slavery as a positive good” Rev. James H. Thornwell | How did this famous southern preacher justify slavery as a positive good for society and even for those enslaved? |
| 31 | Churches divide over slavery Photo of clergyman | What caused the North-South divisions in the Methodist and Baptist Churches in 1844 and 1845? |
| 32 | The search for new slave states Flag of Texas Republic | What was the The Republic of Texas and what was its policy on slavery? |
| 33 | The Mexican War adds land General Winfield Scott | How much land did Mexico cede to the U.S. in the Treaty of Hidalgo and did it support or oppose the presence of slavery? |
| 34 | The Wilmot Proviso resists expansion David Wilmot | What was the Wilmot Proviso and how did it frustrate the South’s wish to expand slavery? |
| 1848-1861: Broken Union | ||
| 35 | The Free Soil Party threat Salmon Chase | What did the Free Soil Party founded by Salmon Chase in 1848 propose on slavery in opposition to Douglass’ Popular Sovereignty solution? |
| 36 | “Popular Sovereignty” fails in Kansas Photo of Missourian Ruffian | How did the fraudulent election votes in Kansas destroy Popular Sovereignty and fracture the Democrat Party? |
| 37 | The 1850 Compromise fails both sides Provisions of the Act | Why are neither the South nor the North happy with this outcome? |
| 38 | Abolition gains ground Harriet Beecher Stowe | After Stowe published her Uncle Tom’s Cabin novel in 1851, why did Lincoln refer to her as “the little lady who started the Civil War?” |
| 39 | The Kansas-Nebraska Act proves fatal Map of the 1854 Act | How did Douglass’ 1854 Act renege on the 1820 Missouri Compromise and further enflame the North-South division over extending slavery? |
| 40 | Republican Party founded Little School House | In Wisconsin and elsewhere people who opposed the 1854 KN Act gathered to found the Republican Party. Did most members want to preserve the west for white settlers only? |
| 41 | High Court denies slave’s rights Roger Taney | Why did Lincoln and other Northerners refuse to accept the ruling that those enslaved had no rights except those granted by their owners? |
| 42 | Harper’s Ferry Raid fuels secession John Brown | What happened at John Brown’s 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry and how did it end all hope for reconciliation between the North and South? |
| 43 | Lincoln’s election ensures schism Abraham Lincoln | How is Lincoln able to win the 1860 election with only 39.8% of all popular votes and none in the South? |
| 44 | Confederate States secede Jefferson Davis | What abuses of power by the North are cited in the Confederate’s declaration that prompt the South to abandon the Union? |
| 45 | Failure of President Buchanan James Buchanan | What motivates the Northern President, James Buchanan, to support the 1854 KN Act and the Lecompton Constitution calling for Kansas to be admitted as a Slave State? |
| 46 | Crittenden’s Compromise fails John J. Crittenden | Could the war have been avoided by Crittenden’s call to extend the 30’36” boundary line to the west coast? |
| 47 | The Civil War begins Bombarded Ft. Sumter | Why does Lincoln refuse to allow the South to secede peacefully? |