La Roche University: Multicultural History Take Home Exam #3

This document presents a complete solution to a Multicultural History take-home exam from La Roche University, Spring 2019. The assignment addresses several key historical concepts, including Benjamin Franklin's vision for America within the British Empire, the causes and impact of the American Revolution, and the development of American national identity. The solution delves into Franklin's views on colonial representation, the significance of the First Continental Congress, and the role of figures like Abigail Adams. It also examines the hardships faced at Valley Forge and the perspectives of historians like Forest McDonald and Gordon Wood on the radical nature of the American Revolution. Furthermore, the assignment explores Michel-Guillame De Crevecoeur's concept of the American identity as a blend of diverse cultures. Each question is answered with detailed explanations and citations, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the course material and the ability to synthesize information from various sources.

Running head: MULTICULTURAL HISTORY
Multicultural History
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Table of Contents
Question 1..................................................................................................................................2
Question 3..................................................................................................................................3
Question 4..................................................................................................................................3
Question 5..................................................................................................................................4
Question 7..................................................................................................................................4
Question 6..................................................................................................................................5
Question 8..................................................................................................................................5
Question 9..................................................................................................................................6
Question 11................................................................................................................................6
Reference List............................................................................................................................7

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Question 1
Ans: Benjamin Franklin was considered to the Father of The United States of America
itself. He was said to have envisioned a future for America in which he saw the British and
the American subjects were treated equally. It was also his want that the British Government
working in the interests of the subjects rather than working for trade interests only.
Benjamin Franklin made the point that the colonies should have a member in the
British Parliament to represent them. In this way, he stated that the colonials would be able to
influence their policies in the British Parliament and both the British and the colonial
representatives will have the same interests in their minds. Thus, Franklin stated that this can
lead to the formation of a strong union between the colonies and the empire itself
(Smith:2016).
Question 3
Ans: The American Revolution refers to the war of the Americans to seek freedom from
being under the colonial rule of the British Empire itself. It is the idea of being free from
under the rule of the British and having a country of their own, boosted the attitude of the
American Revolutionaries of themselves and helped in their struggle against the British
Parliament.
These ideas helped to create national identity because it was on the basis of these
ideas itself that the American Revolutionaries were able to beat the British Government in the
country itself (Jones: 2015). All these factors led to the creation of a new nation called The
United States of America that was completely free from the rule of the British in the country
itself. In this way, the American Revolution helped to create a national identity among the
Americans themselves.

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Question 4
Ans: `The First Continental Congress refers to the meeting of the delegates from 12 out of the
13 British colonies which would later come to be known as the United States of America.
The better sense of the national community developed in the Congress through their
discussions of finding various ways by which they could react to the coercive methods which
the British were imposing on the people of the colonies. The whole meeting took protest
against the Intolerable Acts passed by the British Government during the Boston Tea Party of
December 1773. Moreover, the Congress imposed economic boycott on the trade activities
with the British themselves as a result of their grievances not being properly addresses by the
British themselves (Franklin: 25).
The common identity which developed among the Congress was to boycott any kind
of trade or co-operation with the British Government and that this identity which they
develop would lead them to establish their own country which was named as The United
States of America itself. Thus, it can be said that the Congress indeed got a better sense of the
national community in the country itself which ultimately caused the country to be
independent.
Question 5
Ans: In the book “The Making of a Patriot” by Sheila Kemp, the author had stated the various
reasons which forced Benjamin Franklin to change his views about the British Government
itself and become an American patriot for the country of America. From the book, the readers
get the idea that the Benjamin Franklin had been summoned to the Cockpit by the British
officials where he was subjected to humiliation by General Alexander Wedderburn, who had
launched a tirade against him. It is because of these reasons and the insult felt by Benjamin

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Franklin, as he saw young General Wedderburn being appreciated and cheered by the other
members present in the Cockpit itself (Case: 33)
It is from these texts it can be stated that it was because of the humiliation faced by
Franklin that he decided to fully become an American patriot himself.
Question 7
Ans: In the article itself, Gordon Wood, tells the readers about the ways in which Benjamin
Franklin is considered to be “The Symbolic American” by the French themselves. The author
tells the readers that the French were prepared for the arrival of Franklin into France. The
author tells the readers that the French contributed to the Americanization of Benjamin
Franklin. Franklin was even conferred with the title of “Dr.Franklin” by the French
themselves.
Franklin appeared to be a new man to the French themselves because of the fact that
he was learned and represented a sense of the enlightenment which was passed to the French
themselves. Franklin was much respected by the French themselves which caused dissent
among his other colleagues. Thus, it can be said that Benjamin Franklin was considered to be
a new man by the French for his knowledge and authority (Franklin: 2013).
Franklin was considered to be “ the mirage of the west” because he was known to
bring the ideas of the west to the countries such as America. It is his philosophies following
which, America was able to gain freedom form the British colonials in the country itself.
Question 6
Ans: When the Continental Congress took place in Philadelphia in the year 1776, John
Adams participated in the session of the Congress. It was during this time that his wife, the

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future first lady of America, Abigail Adams warned her husband not to forget about the
ladies.
Although, the remark was meant to be humorous, it indeed had a deeper meaning
which signified Mrs. Adams concern about whether, the rights of the women would be
addresses in the Congress at all. This tells the readers that Mrs. Adams wanted the women to
face equal rights as the men themselves. This reflects the concern of Mrs. Adams which were
presented in the response itself (Case: 33).
Question 8
Ans: This answer talks about an incident which took place at the Valley Forge during the
winter of 1777-78. The incident saw the continental army assembled together, as they had not
been paid for more than six months by the Government of the country. They chanted “No
bread, no soldier”, as they marched towards the headquarters of General Washington. The
General himself was quoted as saying that the bad weather would kill the members of the
army if it was not resolved (Jones: 25).
A national community of the Americans came together as a result of the hardships
faced because the hardships faced during the winter gave them the opportunities to establish a
strong bond between themselves.
Question 9
Ans: Forest McDonald and Gordon Wood had provided the point that the American
Revolution was indeed a radical one. This is because the revolution grew out of the people’s
attempts to revolt against the constituted government and to overthrow the sovereignty of the
Government.

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The two historians, Gordon Wood and Forest McDonald disagree on the impact of the
American Revolution in the culture of America. This is because they are of the point that
although the movement was radical, it did not have that much of an impact because the
revolution effected only the families of the soldiers themselves.
The two historians presented the facts by presenting the various statistics of the
actions of the American Revolution which took place at that historical time.
Question 11
Ans: According to Michel-Guillame De Crevecoeur, the concept of tan American was not
very clear. This is because while he came to America, he had encountered people belonging
to all countries of the world. Judging by his meeting of the different people, he defined the
Americans as a race born out of all the cultures blending together (Smith: 2013).
Americans were unique and different people from the Europeans because their culture
grew as a result of the blending of the cultures of various European countries. Because of
this, the cultures, customs and the lifestyle of this new race tended to be different from those
of the Europeans themselves. This is what had been presented in the essay written by
Crevecoeur himself.

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Reference List
Bailyn, Bernard. The ideological origins of the American Revolution. Harvard University
Press, 2017.
Case, Mary Anne. "The Ladies: Forget about Them-A Feminist Perspective on the Limits of
Originalism." Const. Comment. 29 (2013): 431.
Franklin, Benjamin, and Ellen R. Cohn. The Papers of Benjamin Franklin-Volume 43:
August 16, 1784, Through March 15, 1785. Vol. 43. Yale University Press, 2019.
Jones III, Keith Marshall. "John Laurance and the Role of Military Justice at Valley Forge."
Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 141.1 (2017): 7-29.
Jones III, Keith Marshall. "John Laurance and the Role of Military Justice at Valley Forge."
Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 141.1 (2017): 7-29.
Smith, Steven S., Jason M. Roberts, and Ryan J. Vander Wielen. The American Congress.
Cambridge University Press, 2013.

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