While we have not gotten far on the Declaration of Independence, just barely halfway through the second point, I have very much valued our in depth discussions and the answers to questions thoroughly explained. We have a much better connection as to how everything is connected and what Thomas Jefferson and the other writers were trying to get across when they wrote this article. One topic discussed that grabbed my attention was the details about the government that we payed close attention to were conversations closely tied to the questions of “what would life be like without government,” or “what is the benefit versus danger of having an established government and leaders?” While I know that the government claims to give all people the same right, and say that each person is born equally, I completely disagree and think that the government or people who find some parts of the government to be fair and just, are being hypercritical and blind to reality. I do not everything about the government or the opinions of every individual in the nation; I do know that different aspects, such as socio-economics, race, gender, sexuality, or other factors can determine the rights people are given. People do not always judge others in a vocal or written way, but no matter the circumstance, they judge others subconsciously and use the qualities mentioned above in determining a decision or way of thinking.

Today in class, we watched a movie and I learned a lot about the different topics that were discussed throughout the class. I found it interesting towards the end when it was said that there were only 8 Shakers left in the world. This was astonishing because it really made me think about topics that I have recently discussed in Environmental, such as sustainability and the ability to pass your genes into the next generation. That is the goal of plants and animals throughout the world and once these Shakers die, their culture will die with them. While we will always have the history and knowledge of the past, as these stories are withheld from others, and people continue to get older, the information will be altered and eventually forgotten.

            Throughout his story, Ben often directs that fact of money. Whether it is how much money someone has, how little money someone has, how the money should be spent between one another, or the division of the coins, money plays a large part throughout this story. I believe that Ben was trying to relate the idea of stability vs. uncertainty. With money brings the idea of stability, but also having to work towards your achievements and what you want. Ben was not handed everything throughout his life, but rather worked hard to be able to be recognized. He followed his dreams and did not give up. He had passions and ideas that if he would not have dared to pursue, he would not have been such an influential character of the time.

            Another concept that Ben deals closely with is the idea of religion. He had originally been a Presbyterian, but later disagreed with that faith. However, throughout his time of uncertainty, Ben admits that he “never was without some religious principles” (62). I believe that Ben shares this information with his readers because he thinks that it is ok to go out and find something that breaks traditional views or from family values. Without truly going outside of your comfort zone and exploring, one might not know what they believe or where they will find peace. It was very brave of Ben to go after what he wanted and be sharing this piece. I believe that Ben helped share a little bit of courage to his readers, and hopefully offer inspiration to others.

            On page, 64-65, Benjamin Franklin shares a list of 13 virtues and a small description of each. He then goes on to describe each virtue in detail and some examples of how he has tried to follow these throughout his life. These virtues include temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. Each one of these goals is an important aspect to live by and Ben was completely honest when he decided to share these ideas with his readers. Whenever someone opens themselves up, they have the opportunity to share something significant, but also the door to failure is opened. Ben was willing to fail, but by having goals set out from the beginning, he was able to take part in growing from either the virtue itself, or the lesson that came with the virtue.

            A fourth lesson was on page 100 with the comparison between men and women. Ben admits that “if that feeble woman could sweep such a street in three hours, a strong, active man might have done o tom half the time” (100). The comparison here is obviously one that has lasted throughout time and I believe that Ben shared this quote because he wanted his readers to understand the then thought about idea that men were stronger, in many ways, than women. During this time, it would be weak for a man to be outworked by a woman, or for a man to come across as less superior than the weaker sex. Ben wanted to feel accomplished and strong and show his sex had the power over women. This biography was interesting and while it was a little difficult to get into, I enjoyed reader it more as time went on. It definitely helped offer incite towards Benjamin Franklin and made me think about what he was trying to tell to his readers.

Although we talked about the 3 E’s and the Indians more last week, I thought I would go a little further into this topic. I found it so interesting the differences between the different cultures of the Spanish, Dutch and French, and the English people. The Spanish wanted to exploit the Indians, the French and Dutch wanted to exchange with the Indians, and the English wanted to exterminate the Indians. These three significant differences are all equally as bad in my opinion. All of these foreign people came over while exploring and had their own visions of what to do to the land and the people on it. They did not live in peace and freedom with one another, which made me think about how presently, many cultures argue over things that just should be shared or a compromise created. There are people around the world and in the United States that are prejudice or feel strongly about certain races, religions, genders, and the question is: when will this prejedice stop? Its been going on for so long that some people in my generation have just grown up with these beliefs and have a hard time forming their own opinions, and going against what they were raised with. Hopefully, there will begin to be a significant changes so that this prejedice of people can change forever.

            I found it interesting with how 2/3 of the settlers came over to the New World as indentured servants and work for 5-7 years, and then be given their freedom. But, didn’t many of them get in dept and have to constantly owe something to their master? How was this the sought after dream life of having freedom? They were not free and because many people did not even live their term of labor was up, how did the people in England continue to agree to come to the New World? Wouldn’t they see what was going on, or again, be hidden from the truth, like I discussed last week. How did no one try to change the way or succeed in altering how the indentured servant process worked?

One conversation that we went into on Wednesday (maybe) included how indentured servants were still brought over to America today. I learned and was astonished to find that Chinese men were a large number of people included in this group. And the more our conversation developed, I thought about how much trust the Chinese and people during the 17^th century had to have had and how they did what they did for their families and a better life. They yearn to live the dream life, and will go through almost anything, to receive a place in it. They want to be accepted into our world and culture, and it makes me realize how lucky, yet oblivious people of my generation are to our surroundings. Many young people do not know or fully understand everything that is going on in the world and I think that it is necessary for them to be taught all aspects during school. I agree with how Laurel tries to teach us all areas of history because as it is always stated, we are the future. If stories or facts are not continuous told or recorded, they will be forgotten or never talked about again.

During the reading of chapter 2 in Give Me Liberty,  the section titled “Changes in the Land,” had a very unique topic and discussed many points that I had never thought about. I knew that the settlers affected Indian life, but I enjoyed having each specific example laid out. “Pigs and cattle roamed freely, trampling Indian cornfields and gardens” (54) really illustrated how the new advantages helped ruin existing way of life.  Another interesting topic shared was “the need for wood to build and heat homes and export to England depleted forests on which Indians relied for hunting” (54).  I never fully thought about this issue until I read this paragraph and after I was done reading it, I thought more about other ways of which the English could have been a threat to the Indians survival. I enjoyed having something I read in the book, help me expand my ideas  further and not just ignore my own thoughts.

Towards the end of our discussion today we talked more about freedom dealing with religion and how it was related to authority. We have a very secular society and vastly separate church and state. I really enjoyed talking about how the wealth of a person depends on ownership of land and hearing examples about how and when the land was passed on to the child. It helped me understand WHY the society of wealth causes so much friction. Our discussions so far have really helped show me about the similarities of the past, yet also the continuing of evolution and how our world will be tomorrow. People from all societies, cultures, and ways of life will continue to change and develop for future ideas and ways.