Historical Documents
LELAND HIGH SCHOOL
U.S. HISTORY I
THE COLONIAL EXPERIENCE AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
“Men shall say of succeeding plantations (colonies): the Lord make it like that of
New England; for we shall be as a City set upon a Hill; the eyes of the people are upon us.”
--- John Winthrop (1630)
#1
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The following readings are taken from historical documents and the ideas of historians themselves concerning the American Colonial Experience and the American Revolution. It is hoped that the student will be able to have a deeper and more thorough understanding of his country’s early history and the developments that led to the Revolution from direct contact with these historical sources and interpretations of historians.
Occasionally through the readings will be found sets of questions. Students are to follow small group teachers’ instructions concerning the use of these questions and the method in which they are to be prepared.
-----The quotation above is taken from the writings of John Winthrop aboard the Arabella on its way to
Massachusetts where the famed Puritan Bay Colony was to be established. It is one of the most often quoted passages in American History because historians can see in it a prophetic statement concerning Americans’ attitudes toward America and her role. Winthrop and the Puritans thought they were a chosen people setting out to a new world to construct a perfect community that would be an example for the decaying Old World of Europe. Since these earliest days Americans have constantly talked of their country as an example to others. We shall refer to this throughout our course in United States History.
Of equal importance is the fact that our Puritan heritage, that is, what we have inherited from our
New England backgrounds, has had a deep effect on life in America right down to the present. It is also important to note that these Puritans were not just that, but they were
U.S. HISTORY I
THE COLONIAL EXPERIENCE AND THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
“Men shall say of succeeding plantations (colonies): the Lord make it like that of
New England; for we shall be as a City set upon a Hill; the eyes of the people are upon us.”
--- John Winthrop (1630)
#1
__________________________________________________________________________________
The following readings are taken from historical documents and the ideas of historians themselves concerning the American Colonial Experience and the American Revolution. It is hoped that the student will be able to have a deeper and more thorough understanding of his country’s early history and the developments that led to the Revolution from direct contact with these historical sources and interpretations of historians.
Occasionally through the readings will be found sets of questions. Students are to follow small group teachers’ instructions concerning the use of these questions and the method in which they are to be prepared.
-----The quotation above is taken from the writings of John Winthrop aboard the Arabella on its way to
Massachusetts where the famed Puritan Bay Colony was to be established. It is one of the most often quoted passages in American History because historians can see in it a prophetic statement concerning Americans’ attitudes toward America and her role. Winthrop and the Puritans thought they were a chosen people setting out to a new world to construct a perfect community that would be an example for the decaying Old World of Europe. Since these earliest days Americans have constantly talked of their country as an example to others. We shall refer to this throughout our course in United States History.
Of equal importance is the fact that our Puritan heritage, that is, what we have inherited from our
New England backgrounds, has had a deep effect on life in America right down to the present. It is also important to note that these Puritans were not just that, but they were