Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Early Life. Abraham Lincoln was born into quite a rich family. Although, they lost nearly all their land, and were forced to move to Indiana. He then moved to Illinois, where he became tough from being a farmer. He became a partner in opening a small store.
But, after the store not doing so well, he sold his shares. What’s very amazing is that he taught himself how to read and write, and taught himself law. In 1841, Lincoln was engaged to a woman named Mary Todd, but they split the engagement, per Lincoln’s request. But, after meeting again, they decided to marry, and they later had four children.

Political Views. As for his political views, he helped build up the Republican party. He had a foe, Stephen Douglas, the Senator of Illinois at the time. They had several debates called The Lincoln-Douglas Debates. This was a series of seven debates on the topic
of slavery. They held these debates in several locations in 1858. Although Lincoln was well spoken and could write well, he lost the debates. Lincoln gained popularity due to the book he wrote, The Debates of Lincoln & Douglas. This is what caused him to win the
1860 election.

Civil War. “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.” This was a quote from Abraham Lincoln. To put it simply, he didn’t express any opinions on whether slavery was right or wrong. Lincoln gladly accepted the Civil War,  reading books of strategy and war to prepare himself for the war. He was elected as president for a second term and watched the Civil War end, and the United States reunite.

Death. Lincoln was shot in the head by John Booth, in Ford’s Theatre Washington, D.C.

The California Gold Rush

California Gold Rush

In 1848, gold was found when John Sutter was building a mill. He had workers helping him, and one, John Marshall, found gold flakes in the river. John Marshall immediately told Sutter about the gold, and they both swore not to tell a soul. But by the middle of 1848, news had gotten out, and San Fransisco had lost most of their male workers because of the gold rush, and in 1849 the news finally spread to the East about a gold rush. Most men would just leave their families in the East to find gold for themselves.

What was most impressive, was that by 1849, the population of California had increased from 800, to 100,000. In the beginning of the gold rush, you could run your hand through the river bed and find some gold flakes, but soon, this “gold mining” process became harder. Most of the time, men would work for hours upon hours to find gold. An estimated 750,000lbs of gold was found in 1849, but this gold rush wasn’t as ‘shiny’ as you’d think.

The gold rush had a few bad sides. First off, the families in the East hadn’t a man to provide for them, so they struggle to find money. Also, the Indians were forced to move from their native territory so the gold miners could search for gold. There were also Asians that had come to America for freedom, but they were often forced into slavery.
And the land where the miners had dug up for gold had eternally changed for the worse.

Ultimately, the gold rush may have helped the U.S. economy, but in my opinion, the losses outway the benefits.

The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution

In the Industrial Revolution, the productivity and wealth of the American people
grew exponentially because of the help of steam-powered tools, the production of
iron, and the use of coal as energy.

The invention of the Cotton gin by Eli Whitney helped the slaves by freeing them
from the tedious work that is separating seed from cotton. Although this caused
the slaves to work more out in the cotton farm which might have been more
laborious.

The locomotive was invented by Richard Trevithick. This great invention gave
rise to the railroad and faster transportation. The locomotive enabled goods
to be transported to and from all corners of the country.

The steamboat was invented by Robert Fulton. The steamboat helped people to cross
the oceans faster than ever.

Samuel Morse’s wife died and was buried before he heard of her being ill. This
tragic fatality caused Morse to dedicate his life to inventing a faster way
of long-distance communication. This is known as Morse code. He also invented the
telegraph.

Possibly one of the most influential inventions of this day and age is the
telephone. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876,
(incredibly, 3 years before the lightbulb was invented!) enabling people to speak
to each other from very long distances, at ease.

1879 was the year a very important invention was created. The lightbulb was
invented by a famous inventor, Thomas Edison.

These are among some of the famous inventions that were created during the
Industrial Revolution. These inventions have changed our lives greatly.

STOLEN GOLD…

London- October 9, 1890-  A simple pawnbroker named Jabez Wilson had been told by his assistant, that there was an advertisement for £4 per week to copy the Encyclopaedia Britannica by hand. The requirements where these: you must have flaming red hair, and be 21 or over. It all went well until this so-called “Red-Headed League”, which he had started work for, had dissolved. His work had come to an end just before he could make it to the ‘B’ section.  He had asked around to find out if they had moved offices, but, he had no luck. So, in any situation like this, he went to Detective Sherlock Holmes. Holmes became suspicious after he heard the League had come to an end.

Holmes had figured out that Vincent Spalding, Wilson’s assistant, was really John Clay. The one who had been stealing French Gold. Their plan was this: John Clay (Vincent Spaulding) and William Morris, John’s accomplice, would dig a hole to the bank inside of Jabez’ own shop, while Jabez was copying the Encyclopaedia Britannica at the Red-Headed Leagues’ offices. Jabez had no idea his own assistant was paying him to stay out of his own pawn shop to steal gold. He thought he was getting good pay, meanwhile John, and William were about to get thousands of pounds. Jabez’ payment was just a fraction of what they were about to get.

So Holmes, Mr. Merryweather (the bank manager), Mr. Jones (a police officer) and Watson went into the bank vault. It turned out they arrived at the perfect time. John and William were digging into the vault right in front of their very own eyes. There were two officers waiting at the escape routes of the vault while Holmes, Watson, and Merryweather were waiting inside the vault, all as John and William were digging into the vault. They had just broken into the vault, and Watson had a gun pointed at them. Their plan was foiled! Merryweather thanked Holmes for his great help in stopping these sly criminals, and Holmes and Watson went back home. Amen.

 

Southeast Asia and Oceania.

By even the year 1000, much of Southeast Asia was yet to be colonized. It wasn’t until the 17th to the 20th centuries that Europe started colonizing Southeast Asia. By 1750, some Dutch and Spanish colonies started to settle into SE Asia.

In 1000 AD, much of Oceania wasn’t discovered. Most of the Oceanian region was made up of sailors, farmers, and fisherman. They used spears and even boomerangs for hunting. The natives mostly ate grubs, kangaroo, turtle eggs, moths, and fruit bats. They also worshipped ancestors, believing that the ancestors that lived before them were some sort of higher being that blessed them with food and land.

But, by the year 1750, a British colony had settled into parts of Australia. Although the British started a colony there, the development of Oceania was still very slow. After the year 1750, the British had further colonized Australia and New Zealand. France and the Netherlands joining Britain as well.

 

Sadly, this essay is quite short, but I feel like I didn’t have much to work with.

George Whitefield.

George Whitefield was one of the greatest preachers of the Great Awakening. George was born in 1714, in Gloucester, England. His parents were poor, which meant he couldn’t really afford college. So, he entered Oxford University as a server to the other students, to make money. At Oxford, he met the Wesley brothers, who’d, later on, form the Methodist church. He joined their club called “Holy Club”. In this club, they read the Bible, prayed and so on, but these activities weren’t really personal. George didn’t feel a personal connection to God while he was in Holy Club.

One day, he fell to his knees and prayed to God, and that is when he felt the love from God. After awhile, George decided to travel to America. This is when he preached at an orphanage and found his true calling. He went back to England to raise money for the orphanage. He traveled to the colonies 7 times before he died. He was even buried in the Massachusetts after he had died. But, before this, George had never become the pastor or minister of a church. He instead preached in parks and fields, some even claiming they could hear his voice from several miles away.

Benjamin Franklin heard of George and decided to attend one of his meetings. Franklin told himself that he wouldn’t give to the orphanage. But, after a few minutes, he gave the coins in his pocket. After some more listening, he gave the metal buttons on his jacket. When the meeting was over, he had become a supporter of the orphanage, even becoming George’s long-lasting friend.

The Divine Right of Kings

James I was king of England, Ireland & Scotland. This was the first time Scotland AND England had the same King. He believed in the Divine Right of Kings (the belief that the King is only answerable to God, that God specifically gave them the King’s position, and that they can do whatever they want, without permission from the people.), although Parliament did not agree. He thought he could do whatever he wanted, but Parliament believed the reason why they were made was so they could be a partner with the King. Since James thought he was in charge of the church, he thought to promote the Episcopal church. This didn’t go very well considering England and Scotland were accustomed to their religions. One year after James’ reign, he called the Hampton Court Conference. One decision that was made in the court was the “Authorized Version” of the Bible. It was named this because it was the only version of the Bible that was supposed to be read in the Church of England. This was later known as the “King James Version”.

Charles I, as well as James I, believed in the Divine Right of Kings. Charles was Anglican, and the Scottish people were Presbyterian. Charles made the mistake of enforcing the Laudian Prayer Book into the church. The Scottish were unsettled to the point of starting a war. Charles’ father raised Charles to think Parliament was not so important. But, Charles brought that concept to a whole new level, even rejecting the Parliament. This time period was known as the “11 Years of Tyranny”. Although, after an entire 11 years, Charles needed help with the wars he had spawned with the Scottish Presbyterians.

Olive Cromwell was a military leader in England. Oliver’s family was poor, so when he tried to get into Parliament, he used his family name, and close ties. His family was actually royal, but this did not mean they had lots of money. 1628 was the year Oliver became a part of Parliament. Charles I was destroying cities in his own country, so Oliver wanted to build up an army to oppose the king. Something interesting about Oliver’s army, was that he accepted almost anyone. But, rather than using modern battle tactics, he studied older books of war for his strategy. After Charles I had been executed, Oliver thought to go to Ireland & Scotland. He was very brutal in Ireland & Scotland, attacking civilians, and raiding towns. Eventually, Oliver went back to England and helped put everything in its place. He was even offered the role as king, but he refused. Although, he did become “Lord Protector” of England.

Centralized Power

Cardinal de Richelieu was known as the first Prime Minister. He was born in 1585 in France. He first wanted to pursue the military, but due to family issues, he instead joined the clergy. Henry IV wanted Richelieu to become a bishop, but Richelieu was too young, at the age of around 19-20. To Richelieu, this was no task. So he set out to Rome and asked permission to become a bishop. The pope accepted his inquiry, and Richelieu became a bishop.

He was going through the ranks of the clergy and eventually became representative of the clergy. 1624 was the year when Richelieu finally became chief minister. When Richelieu chief minister, he sought to accomplish two main goals: centralize power within France, and destroy the Hapsburg dynasty. Because Richelieu centralized the power in France by taking all the power away from the nobles, dukes, and princes. This made many begin to hate Richelieu. Eventually, Richelieu led an army into the Hapsburg dynasty himself! As this war went on, money was being secretly given to the Hapsburg’s enemies.

Richelieu died in 1642.

Pascal and Newton.

Blaise Pascal was born in 1623, in France. He was many things, including a mathematician, writer, and philosopher. Pascal’s father was a tax collector. He was always counting taxes. But Pascal desired to make his father’s job more simple, considering Pascal’s father had to do all this on paper. So, Pascal created something very well-known in today’s age… the calculator. But this calculator was different from the ones we have today. This calculator was mechanical since they didn’t have the technology back then. Although, this calculator could only add and subtract, and it was also heavy and very expensive. Pascal even invented the syringe and hydraulic press!

Isaac Newton was extremely famous. He is known for contributing to the creation calculus. Sadly, Isaac was born three months after his father’s death. Isaac’s mother married again and Isaac hated this man. But eventually became a widow for the 2nd time in 1659. His mother tried to take him out of school and teach him farming, but Isaac hated it so much that his mother decided to put him back into school. He became one of the top students in his class and was taught some of the great works of Galileo, Aristotle, and Kepler. And, with all the work he had done in science, he still could manage to learn about alchemy, biblical chronology, and calculus. Sadly, Isaac died in his sleep in 1727.

Sell it, don’t smoke it.

Similar to the British West Indian Company, the London Company funded colonization in the United States. The London Company was established by King James I, and commissioned a line of three ships to colonize North America. These ships were the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. At first, they had landed at Chesapeake Bay but decided they shouldn’t settle there. They traveled farther inland, and settled in a place called Jamestown.

Unfortunately, the colony was made mostly of fortune-seekers. People who had no desire to work, and to only seek fortune. But, later on, a man named John Smith became the president of the colony, with good intentions. He said, “if anyone would not work, neither would he eat”. Although, John sadly had to travel back to England in 1609, caused by a wound. 1609-1610, was named “The Starving Time” due to a lack of food, and no supplies from England. Finally, in 1614, Jamestown was able to gain a profit. It was because of a man named John Rolfe. He had planted tobacco in 1610, and harvested it in 1614. This gave Rolfe a nice sum of money.

Eventually, Rolfe married an Indian princess named Pocahontas. But, Pocahontas became quite ill, so Rolfe decided to bring her to England with the intention of curing her. Sadly, she died before they could travel back to Virginia.