Years have passed and the American Revolutionary War is over. True enough, the war may be over but like always where one problem ends, another begins. The merchants and wealthy people who loaned money to the states now want their money back. They are forcing the bankrupt states to pass high taxes in order to collect the money to pay off the debts. Legislators here in Massachusetts have now passed the heaviest direct tax ever. The he tax has to be paid in specie, rather than paper money. Specie is far more scarce and worth much more than paper money. The insurgents are mainly poor farmers that are being threatened with loss of their property and imprisonment for debt. The rich are not affected by this tax much. They are the beneficiaries of this tax. I feel as though everyone should be treated equally. The amount of the tax should be based on how much land you own, and the legislators should accept whatever kind of money that the taxpayers have. This is only one of the injustices that people like me are being faced with. I strongly oppose the high land taxation along with the other unfairness that we are facing.

There are certain things in life that should cost very little or nothing at all. It is ridiculous when people have to pay to protect themselves. We are living in what is supposed to be a democratic republic. Legal costs are extremely expensive. We are supposed to be free and independent. It does not seem that way when we have to pay to be treated fairly and equally. We have forced courts to close, due to rejection of our petitions and public meetings. Because we are not focused as a people, we are divided. We will never again be content if we remain economically, politically, and socially divided and depressed.

As a state, we are in economic depression. The citizens of Massachusetts have been hit with an incredible economic blow. We are in debt. No one group of people should have to deal with the consequences of the whole country’s mistakes. The whole country made the decision; therefore, the country as a whole should endure the consequences. During the war, prices were extremely high. Prices are extremely high. Inflation has reduced our ability to buy goods. The price of a bushel of corn has risen from less than a dollar to almost eighty dollars. This is bizarre and intolerable. I will not stand for it. This is a prime example of the causes and need for this rebellion.

I would personally like to thank Mr. Daniel Shays for taking the initiative to finally speak up and protest these ludicrous punishments that the citizens of Massachusetts are being faced with. We are not responsible for this war and its effects. It seems as though the legislators would like to make the impoverished states pay off their debts. It is simply inequitable and unbearable. We will not take these harsh punishments. This was the reason for cutting all of our ties with Britain. Who would think that after declaring independence from Britain, we’d have to declare independence from America. We are demanding protective legislation, the abolition of the court of common pleas, and a radical reduction of taxes. This must be done through a cooperative effort.

Roosevelt was just what these people needed. I don’t think that it was even what he said that had the most impact on them; it was how he said it. When he was peeking everyone was listening to his sincere and confident voice. I do think that his plan was a very good one, with many great benefits. The one thing I thought was a little different then other people speeches about their plan was he promised a lot of things in his speeches, but then he also emphasized oh his trial and error process. I think that this is good and bad in a sense. I think it is good because he was showing that he wouldn’t give up if he didn’t succeed in his first attempt to help the country, but I believe the bad thing that I get from it was he wasn’t as confident in his idea as he wanted you to be.

Roosevelt did do a lot for the country but he did a lot fast. What I mean by this was he did most of his fixings in the first hundred days. I feel he did all this to relieve some of the pressure, which worked. He did keep trying but then there was a large gap where it seemed like nothing was being done. SO when people began to doubt him and others were making up plans of their own, such as Huey Long, Roosevelt made the “Second New Deal”. Huey Long proposed his way to help the depression with “Share our Wealth”. He had many ideas to add to Roosevelt’s plan and then he changes many and made up much of his own. Long tried to win over America like Roosevelt did, he succeeded somewhat, but Roosevelt was still inaugurated for his second term. There were some that had given up on Roosevelt and wanted to follow Long’s plan, however Roosevelt was still the president and to many he was working hard to bring America to its feet.

Although many followed Huey Long and other who tried to think of their own way to bring America out of their depression, Roosevelt did do his best and complete many of the things he said he would. I just feel that after his first term that maybe it would have been better for someone else with fresher idea’s to come into office. Along with that statement our country came out of the depression and has been very successful. So even though it took a while I feel Roosevelt did his job and did it well.

The 1841 death of President William Harrison led to the succession of Vice President John Tyler to the presidency. As the new President, John Tyler, instigated the process of manifest destiny. The idea of manifest destiny was to expand until all of North America was conquered for the United States. The issue of the annexation of Texas became prominent because of John Tyler’s need to find an issue to center around for the presidential debate of 1844. He believed that this issue would be able to cross over the party lines and that the annexation would be extremely popular, especially in the South. When he launched his campaign the year before the election, annexation was seen as urgent because of the rumors of Britain guaranteeing independence in return for slavery being abolished. Calhoun, who developed a partnership with Tyler, brought an annexation treaty to Senate based on these rumors of Britain taking over the South’s sole power of slavery. When the Senate refused the treaty, Calhoun attempted to annex Texas with a joint resolution and was not successful since Congress had adjourned. The issue of annexation remained in the minds of the country.

Opposing annexation were Northerners who objected to the spread of slavery on either moral or economic grounds. The North was opposed to slavery because they did not want to compete against slave labor and did not want the new western lands committed to large plantations. Northern Whigs were in favor of internal development and not the idea of manifest destiny. There was regional opposition in the North because of the fear that the annexation of Texas would lead to war with Mexico. The Whigs also thought that the pro-slavery movement of the south into areas such as Texas was a ploy to improve only the south’s interests. The South would gain too much power if Texas were annexed. Northerners wanted the South to recognize the importance of the Union. When the Democratic Party of 1843 nominated Van Buren he denounced the annexation of Texas, but attempted to keep the issue away from his campaign. He knew the annexation would lead to further divisions between the North and South and would ultimately lead to a war with Mexico. Henry Clay backed him on this stand, which ended up causing him to lose his nomination.

Supporters of the annexation of Texas saw the immediate advantages of annexation. Many southerners, backed by John Calhoun, believed that gaining Texas would unite the South. After Clay lost his nomination, Polk ran backing the annexation of Texas. Some believed that the annexation of Texas would draw off unwanted slaves from those areas where the institution was declining, which would be both beneficial to slaveholders and a relief to free-soilers who feared the northern migration of millions of free blacks. Supporters thought that even if slavery did not succeed in Texas, the slaves of Texas would move into Mexico and restore the Anglo-Saxon purity of the United States. The south saw Texas as an area for free development of the multiplying population of the nation. It would be a place to assist in the rise of immigration and would keep Britain from trying to control the area of Texas.

The issue of slavery and abolition was directly related to the annexation of Texas and the entire idea of manifest destiny. The annexation of Texas offered new areas in which slavery might be established. The Northerners opposed the spread of slavery into their own territories and wanted to abolish its existence in the South. They feared the expansion of slavery into areas of the South such as Texas would cause the South to overpower the North with its powerful plantation system and would cause the Northerners to lose jobs to slaves. Many also felt the slavery was an issue of moral wrongdoing. The Northerners may have been more inclined to support the annexation if the entire movement was not based on the positive effects on the expansion to the south and the fact that it revolved entirely on the issue of slavery. On the other hand, the South believed that expansion would allow them to further their major economic power of slavery. They did not believe that Britain, or the North, should be able to manage their racial control. The issue of slavery was predominantly divided between the North and South just like the subject of the annexation of Texas. Slavery and the beliefs around it contributed to the divided nation of North and South.

The annexation of Texas made the division of the North and South of our country very evident. Slavery was a main issue in this annexation and further divided the two areas of our nation. The inability to unite led to inevitable war with Mexico and the divisions of the nation still unresolved.

Lenin’s emergence as a revolutionary leader was during the pre-condition phase of the revolution, in 1903. Here as the second congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party, (RSDLP), he already showed signs of being a powerful, convincing leader. Lenin’s revolutionary ideas, tactics and policies allowed him to split the party on the issue of membership. His vision was that the party should be exclusive, comprised only of a small amount of professional revolutionaries. Lenin’s faction became known as the Bolsheviks and those who opposed, the Mensheviks, believed the part should be a mass organisation, which all workers could join.

“There is evidence that the Social democrats who placed themselves in Lenin’s camp did so not because they preferred his way of the party statute but because they wanted to declare themselves for Lenin’s nerve.”

Lenin’s Bolshevik party attracted the support from professional revolutionaries from the provinces. They appeared more comfortable with Lenin’s unpretentious bearings and ordinary appearance than that of the Mensheviks and the Marxist intelligentsia in St Petersburg and Moscow who were drawn to them.

“Lenin looked like a peasant from Volga.”

“Lenin was one of them. He was a Russian from the Volga region, the heart of Russia…his speeches were powerful but without a hint of polish or elegance. He was confident but never haughty, refined or pretentious.”

These quotes further the notion that Lenin’s personality, conviction and status in society were main reasons why so many were drawn to him. This success in gaining support meant that even early on his policies were able to take shape meaning that one day he would be a powerful figure in the revolution. Lenin was seen as the undisputed leader of his party. Many defined Bolshevism as a personal pledge to Lenin where Menshivism to a lesser extent by those who opposed him. This once again supports the theory that Lenin was the driver of the revolution and without him the revolution may have occurred but not gained the support or power needed. A man named Valentinov on arrival in Genova in 1904 was “shocked by the atmosphere of worship of Lenin which people calling themselves Bolshevik’s had created.” Read more about History term paper.

Menshevik and Bolshevik differences were found to face the real dilemma of politics during the 1905 revolution and duma period. The 2 factions demarcated themselves in terms of their ideologies, strategies and tactics. The Bolsheviks formed from a narrow range of peasants and workers. They were attracted to Lenin’s discipline, his firm leadership of the party, his simple slogans and undoubtedly his belief in immediate action to bring down the Tsarist regime rather than waiting.

“ This above all was what Lenin offered them, the idea that something could be done.”

After 1905 Lenin remained leader of the Bolshevik movement but it was scattered all over Europe by factional strife. This marked a decade of emigration. During this time Lenin’s confidence in his policies and tactics grew and developed. “He made it clear that he would continue to split, even if this meant the most drastic reduction in number of his supporters.”

This quote again conveys that Lenin was a man of his word. He didn’t sway from his ideas and stood firmly on his beliefs and tactical ideas. Such a leader was critical to the pre-condition phase, where parties were forming, discontent was mounting in Russia, and someone as powerful and convincing as Lenin had the opportunity to drive a revolution.

For many years though Lenin would have to wait for his opportunity. During the years leading up to 1917, Lenin had been a virtual stranger to Russia. Apart from a 6-month stay in 1905-06 he spent most of his years in exile abroad. During the war and the years leading up to the February revolution Lenin found himself in neutral Switzerland. Here he adopted a position that disagreed with that of most of his socialist comrades. While most socialists either supported or disputed the war, Lenin viewed the war as a tool for bringing the Tsarist regime to its knees. He believed the war was a crucial stage in the development of capitalism and signaled the beginning of an international economic crisis leading to a worldwide socialist revolution.
The duty of the social democrats then, was to speed up the revolutionary mood that lay unnoticed in most people. “To help the masses become conscious of these moods, deepen them and give them shape.” A slogan often chanted by Lenin. “Convert the imperialist war into a civil war.”

The news that Russia was in a state of revolution in 1917 caught Lenin by surprise.

“ It’s staggering.” “It’s so totally unexpected.” Lenin was eager to return to Russia and did so with the help of German authorities. They saw the advantage of letting Bolshevik’s and other socialists go back to Russia and make trouble for the newly in place provisional government. On the 27 March they left on a German train, funded by the German government for Russia.

“Well there it is” Lenin wrote. “This first stage of the revolution born of war will neither be the last, nor confined to Russia.”

On his arrival at St Petersburg station soviet historians describe the night… “He achieved to save the revolution from the specter of a Tsarist restoration. This quote alone can convey that without Lenin arriving and pushing his ideas of socialism and revolution the events, which led to the downfall of the government, may never have taken place. It is known that other Bolshevik leaders were frightened and in disagreement with the ideas Lenin proclaimed to his crowd at the St Petersburg station that night. The April theses as it was known demanded that there should be no cooperation with the provisional government, the war should be ended immediately, the land should be given to the peasants and the Soviets should take power.

This was an important tactical move by Lenin. He placed himself as the opposition and was able to reap the political benefits of the failures the provisional government was about to face. Lenin’s ideas were formulated around the simple slogans of “Bread, Peace, Land” and “All power to the soviets.” These catch cries were adhered to by many because of the simplistic nature and with the vindication that Lenin chanted them. To the peasants and workers, Lenin’s solutions were simple explanations to the complex problems and uncertainties surrounding them in these times. It was at this time that circumstances for the Provisional government worsened. Pri-minister Alexander Kerensky launched a major attack on the Germans, which proved to be a fatal error and a massive defeat. Demonstrations against the new government sparked and those rioting turned to the Bolshevik’s for support. It was at this time known as the “July days” that evidence proving that the Germans funded Lenin surfaced. Lenin and many other leading Bolsheviks fled to Finland while others were arrested. Lenin however did not need to wait long for another opportunity to sieze and take control of Russia. An attempted mutiny by the well known commander in chief of the army, Alvr Kornilov, prompted Kerensky who know needed the Bolshevik’s support to release their leaders from jail. Lenin however remained subject to arrest. He stayed underground and wrote “State and Revolution” an anarchist pamphlet that reflected precisely the Russian revolutionary process of the previous months. During this time Russia was becoming progressively harder to govern with spontaneously formed committees taking charge in the army, the villages and the factories. Lenin urged his readers to destroy the state. In the cities however panic was rising. People were worried about the arrival of Kornilov’s troops and what they would do. Kerensky armed the Bolsheviks and they were to fire upon troops as seen necessary. However Kornilivs troops never arrived. This resulted in the Bolsheviks being seen as the “saviors” of St Petersburg and their support reached an all high time high. Leon Trotsky also joined that party. It was now that the Bolsheviks under the leadership of Lenin decided to seize power. On October the 25th after storming the Winter Palace and overthrowing the government, Kerensky showed little resistance and fled. Lenin issued a proclamation declaring the overthrow of the Provisional Government and the assumption of power by the Military Revolutionary Committee of the Petrograd Soviet of Workers. The Bolsheviks were now in charge of Russia.

“All of Lenin’s talents were uniquely suited to the crisis: his extraordinary sense of timing; his ability to gauge correctly the weakness of his opponents.”

“Had I not been present in 1917 in Petersburg, the October revolution would still have taken place-on the condition that Lenin was present and in command. If neither Lenin nor I had been present in Petersburg, there would have been no revolution; the leadership of the Bolshevik party would have prevented it from occurring-of this I have no doubt.”

This quote taken from Trotsky also proves that Lenin was a vital element in the Russian Revolution. His ideas sparked the slogans which won the support of so many workers and peasants, he told them what they wanted to hear. His revolutionary writings were the basis and structural point of the entire revolution. Without him there would have been no April Theses. A revolution may still have occurred but not as prematurely as it did under Lenin. These quotes and sources convey that Lenin was a phenomenal link in the great revolutionary chain.

It can be seen that Lenin and his part had now reached the critical stage of the revolution. It was one thing that they were able to overthrow the government but the civil war, which stretched into the years ahead, was another battle Lenin and his party needed to face before they could reach the consolidation phase. It was as early as the Summer of 1918 that the Bolsheviks (or as they were now known the communists) found themselves under attack. The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk whereby Russia yieled large portions of its territory to Germany that caused the breach between the Bolsheviks and those who were against Lenin and his Bolshevik party, namely tsarits, nobles and the middle class constitutional democrats. They fought the war until late 1920 when peace treaties were signed with Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Poland and with the retreat of Wrangel in 1920 they had won the war for control of Russia. Lenin did not have a major influence in the fighting of the civil war. The expertise here lay in the hands of Trotsky, he formed the red army into a powerful fighting machine, able to regain control of Russia and get of rid of those who opposed Lenin’s Bolshevik party.

As many history essay questions are directly related to learning materials that you will have covered in class, you may want to try to remember specific lectures your instructor has given to the class. Do this by imagining that you are sitting in the room while your instructor is speaking, what has the instructor said regarding the specific history essay question, and how will this particular information apply to your essay response to the question. Using memory techniques will assist you in overcoming some of the confusion at answering the history essay questions you have been assigned.

In some cases, your history essay questions will be developed outside of quizzes and tests. When you are able to take extra time to develop your responses to the history essay questions, make your focus on demonstrating the information in a clear and concise manner that demonstrates your strong command of the English language. Many instructors are not only looking to see if you are able to research your topic, but to see if you are able to share the information in a way that demonstrates your knowledge and your communication skills.

The Convention Assembly put the king on trial for treason and he met the guillotine on January 21, 1793. A common historical view of Louis is as a tragic figure or martyr. He is widely remembered as merely a man who arrived at the wrong place at the wrong time. Many overlook the fact that this king committed treasonous acts against the country and people he ruled. Louis XVI was a trader and his punishment was fitting.

Louis Capet ascended the throne at age twenty and ruled France for nearly twenty years. The country was nearly bankrupt when he came to power in 1774. Compounding matters, there was a terrible crop failure in 1778, driving the price of bread and other foods sky-high. Combined with other factors, these events marked the beginning of the French Revolution, and ultimately the demise of the king. It is unquestionable that Louis’ reign came at an inopportune time. The country, along with the rest of Europe, was going through major changes during this age of enlightenment. The 17th Century marked the beginning of the modernization of government. Those who defend Louis do not hold him accountable for his treasonous actions because they argue that the events that occurred during his reign were far beyond his control. The king was not an evil ruler, or even an evil man, but he was an incompetent ruler. One of his fatal flaws was that he was heavily influenced by others. Queen Marie-Antoinette and his courtiers often dictated the actions he took. However, Louis must be held responsible for his actions he took, regardless of the circumstances. Had any other Frenchman committed just one of Louis’ several acts of treason, they would undoubtedly have been sent to the guillotine.

France’s National Assembly began work on a new constitution in the summer of 1789. The king’s powers would be severely limited. Louis vehemently opposed the impending changes. As it became clear the Royal authority would never be the same, Louis unsuccessfully attempted to flee the country with his family on June 20, 1791. Prior to the attempted flight, the king sent money to Austria. He was to return to his country with an Austrian invasion in a last-ditch effort to eventually reclaim the throne. He knew that Austria’s professional army could easily conquer his people, and in turn restore his power. This was a desperate man who could not be trusted by his people. As young firebrand revolutionary Louis-Antoine de Saint-Just said, Louis should be treated as an “enemy alien” since he turned on his own people. Saint-Just stated, “We have not so much to judge him as to fight him” (67).

Louis was forced to uphold the country’s new constitution on September 14, 1791. Discovered documents verified the expected; the king opposed and worked against the constitution from the very beginning. Louis was put on trial on December 11, 1792. Of the 745 deputies of the Convention, 693 voted that he was guilty of treason. Only 380 out of 690 voted for the death sentence. It is ridiculous that the latter vote took place considering treason is punishable by death.

Louis’ attempts to flee France and employ Austria’s assistance to regain his power makes it absolutely clear that he was not considering the best interests of France. He truly believed that a monarchy was the ideal form of rule, but he was willing to march on his own people to achieve his goals. His fate is without question justified by the fact that through his actions and intentions, he was a threat to the French people. He was willing to allow his people to perish by the hands of foreign invaders in order to restore the monarchy. Considering the country was in a time of revolution, Louis needed to be eliminated for the greater good of France.

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Attention! Free sample History essays and History essay examples can be used in instructional purposes only. Remember all these free papers you can find anywhere online are 100% plagiarized. If you want to order a custom History essay, History research paper, History term paper or History thesis/dissertation written by highly qualified writers - you should contact professional writing services which are committed to provide high-quality custom papers in History. You can find top custom writing companies listed rightside at our blogroll side-bar.

You may not find that your teacher has assigned a list of topics to select from for your essay, which may make it more difficult to find something unique to write about; however, you may find that you can search online for secret tidbits of information that other students, or even your teacher, may not know yet. You can use these types of information to get a great grade, your teacher will be very impressed with desire to go beyond the assignment and gather further information. Many students will write the same paper, but your information will be new to all the students.

Finally, while writing your essay try to put yourself in that time of history and think how you might have felt to live in those circumstances. While you write, remember that there may not be the same situations in the world today, but these points in history should always be remembered.

Additionally, it is important to remember that you must select a research paper idea that can be easily researched. This is because if the topic is difficult to research you may find yourself unable to provide peer-reviewed sources or even sources that are reliable. It is very important that your topic demonstrate research that is related to the topic and able to support your standpoint. When you need the best research paper idea, you must determine what you will be able to find in research. Remember too that there are a number related subject to all topics that may be applicable during the research development.

Finally, your best ideas must be relevant to your interests so that they will be easier to write and easier to keep your mind on while you work. When the idea you select is something you feel powerful about it will be much easier to develop the paper. This will be because you are interested in the topic and the research will be easier to read and relate to your topic.

When you need a great idea, begin by reviewing the different historical topics your course has covered. You may simple use your essay to further define a point from the course that was not developed fully, or add information that others may not have known about that historical time. You may develop a history essay that examines a new approach to that section of history – such as why people liked the new styles of architecture that became predominant in the early Renaissance.

Finally, when you develop your history idea be sure you select a topic that you can easily learn more about, you would not want to select a topic that you cannot find information about because that can create a difficult atmosphere for you to work from. Each history essay paper should demonstrate learning and the ability to develop further research as needed. If you are unsure of what your topic should begin with, you can review extra readings your teacher provided; this can often guide you to topics that will be most appealing in your class, either it is school, college or university.

In addition, your academic History thesis (either it is World history thesis, American history thesis, English history thesis or European history thesis) is the culmination of all your schoolwork over the years you have dedicated to your degree program. A good history thesis will require that you spend weeks reviewing research and developing pages to the thesis that will include a complete understanding of the theories you select to review and apply to your information. You can accomplish this by taking notes from the journals and documents you wish to cite in your thesis paper and keeping them together in a file that can be easily referred to while you work.

Everything you find has a potential to fit into your paper; however, that does not mean that every article you find belongs in your History thesis paper. As you write your paper, keep in mind that it is imperative to develop your historical topic thoroughly, this may even include defining unknown terms or writing short paragraphs to explain theories or concepts that the reader may find as new. Finally, just a short hour or two a few days a week is all you need if you start your thesis early.