The Treaty of Paris and the End of the Revolutionary War

The year was 1782. The British empire was at war. The Minorca island had fallen. The Rock of Gibraltar was set to fall. And in the city of Paris, three American negotiators (John Jay, John Adams, and Ben Franklin) gathered to settle peace terms.

Given particular instructions by Congress, the three set off to Paris. The three representatives chafed at the instructions given to them. They were told not to make any separate peace and to consult with their French allies at all stages of negotiations. The three could tell that the French foreign ministry had an indirect hand in the instructions.

France, on the other hand, had other things

on its mind. Promises were made to Spain that would give them Gibraltar. However, Spain wanted the trans-Allegheny area as well. This put France in a tight spot since America was promised it as well.

France wanted an independent United States, but didn't want to deal with it. So France forged a plan to keep America cooped up east of the Allegheny Mountains. Furthermore, it would be easier to promote French interests and policies in a tiny country than in a larger one. France payed money for its troops and now it wanted it back.

John Jay, the representative from New York, smelled trouble

with the ambitions of Americans and Spaniards. He saw signs that would indicate France would betray them.

So, secretly, he broke the instructions given to them by Congress by telling the British of their troubles.

Britain, hard-pressed with the number of enemies that it faced, quickly came to terms with the Americans to get the Americans out of the alliance. The final peace, known as the Treaty of Paris, came out in 1783.

Through the Treaty of Paris (II), Britain finally recognized the independence of the United States. Furthermore, extremely generous amounts of land were given to them including the Mississippi, the Great Lakes, and Florida. Also (to Canadian disapproval), fisheries in Newfoundland would still be theirs.

Why was all this land given to them? The answer is because Britain didn't want the Americans to succumb to their French allies and would do anything to lure them away from the French. The war cost a lot for the French as well, including money, men, and making promises that it couldn't keep to the Spanish crown. So by ending the conflict, France was relieved to free itself from further debt and embarrassment.

During the mid- 18th century, the French and Indian War (Seven Years War) was in its height.Many battles were occurring between the British and the French/Indian force. And the opposition to the British kept coming out on top.

The French forces, combine

d with many of the Native American forces, devastated the English "lobsters". However, Britain has always been able to bring forth an outstanding leader to politics to lead them through hard times. And in this situation, the British brought forth the great orator and politician, William Pitt, faster than law enforcement bringing riot police to a soccer game.

After being elected to office, Pitt, after realizing that France's vitals in North America were in Canada, made his troops leave the French West Indies, which were slowly weakening British military strength, faster than a cheetah leaving a salad bar.

The first French establishment to be laid to waste was the fortress of Louisbourg. Even though the fortress had been fortified more than Fort Knox's fallout shelter (a complete exaggeration), the Siege of Louisbourg brought it down to its knees. This was the first major British victory in the whole war.

On a roll now, Pitt turned his eyes now toward the next city on his to-crush list, Quebec. For this operation, he required the unique touch of a brilliant British officer. He found James Wolfe. Wolfe, a British officer since the age of 14, had a combination of dash with an exaggerated attention to detail. This unusual combination of traits made his career as an officer more successful than a cheater winning the lottery.

The British, making progress after Louisbourg more slowly than a sloth in a sack-race, could not seem to make their way into Quebec. However, when Wolfe arrived, he executed a daring move, sending a detachment up the side of an unguarded cliff, showing the way for other troops, to get to the outskirts of the city.

On that morning, the two armies faced off on the Plains of Abraham in the Battle of Quebec. The British were led by James Wolfe while the French were led by Marquis de Montcalm. Ironically, the two commanders were both fatally wounded in the battle. However, the British defeated the French and the city surrendered.

The Treaty of Paris finally put an end to the French and Indian War. Through this agreement, the British took what was left of Canada, leaving behind a French population smaller than an amoeba with dwarfism. The Indians also lost their biggest weapon through this treaty, the ability to make Europeans fight each other for their gain or amusement.

The Great Awakening: contributions to the separation of Church and State

The Great Awakening was an extremely large religious movement in American history. At this time (the early eighteenth century), many of the American churches were sagging under the effects of liberal ideas, such as free will, rather than predestiny, determined a man's eternal fate. To counter this, Jonathan Edwards, a preacher from Northampton, MA, proclaimed and affirmed the need for complete dependence on God's grace rather than good works. This started off a domino effect that led to the Great Awakening. In the end, the Great Awakening even contributed to the separation of church and state.

The GA contributed to the separation through the work of one itinerant English parson, George Whitefield. Whitefield had the amazing gift of speech that enthralled every individual who listened to his sermons. Through his speech, people began to have personalized religious experiences unique to themselves. Because of this, people began to view religion as something to be protected by the meddling of bureaucracy. With the protection from politics, the separation was beginning to occur.

Thanks to Jonathan Edwards, the revitalization of religion began through the GA. Thanks to George Whitefield, parishioners began having individual experiences. And thanks to the uniqueness of experiences, religion began to be protected from politics, causing the separation of Church and State.

Song 15

This song is called We Didn't Start the Fire.

The song talks about the many things, good and bad times (JFK, Ho Chi Minh, etc.), that have occurred since the beginning of Billy Joel's life. The meaning of the song lies in the fact that many people like to blame hardships other people. Particularly, the younger generations have been blamed for the hard times faced by older generations. This song is in response to those claims saying that "We (being the young) didn't start the fire (meaning cause the hard times)".

Song 14

This song is called The Hands that Built America.

The song talks of how far we have come, from the rolling plains to the factories, from the mountains to the skyscrapers. However, it also teaches us an important lesson to always remember. It teaches us that we did not build this nation by ourselves. Rather, other peoples had their input on the nation. From the English to the Africans, from the French to the Germans, from the Muslims to the Hindus, from the Sioux to the Japanese, everyone helped build America to the nation that it is today. Many people have forgotten that fact in today's society, but it is important to remember that we are a nation of and built by many other nations.

Song 13

This song is called The Times The Are A-Changin'

This song explains to me that even though many don't attempt it, times are changing all around the world. Technology is getting better; products are getting cheaper; people are getting older;etc. The moral of the song is that if you are too old to do something, don't attempt to help or you will just block the path. In America's past, one used to look forward to their parents for assistance and advice, but now the young are becoming more capable and society is teaching them to be more self-sustaining than before. Times are changing, no ifs, ors, or buts.

Song 12

This song is called Youngstown.

The setting is the 1970s in a city called Youngstown, which provided factories to make cannonballs for the Union army. Youngstown, apparently, is still in production of weaponry to assist in the fighting in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. After a tour in Vietnam, the narrator came home to work in this place; however, Vietnam showed him enough death and destruction for the rest of his life. The history of America has been very bloody and the song makes the point that war is not the way to go to make peace. I happen to agree with this statement. America should focus on diplomatic efforts to make longstanding solutions rather than bomb the population into submission for a short-term cease-fire.