martinjmurphy
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About
I received a B.A. in Political Science from U.C. Davis in 1982 and a teaching credential from U.C. Davis in 1984. I am currently teaching 8th grade U.S. History.
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Recent Activity
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Answered a Question in Colonial Government and Politics
Just to add an additional event that helped shape American democracy. The Great Awakening was a religious event in the colonies in the 1730's. Though it was religious in nature, it had... -
Answered a Question in The Watergate Scandal
I think a quote from Richard Nixon during his David Frost interviews says it all. He said, "When the President does it, that means that it's not illegal." This a view of the Imperial... -
Answered a Question in History
The deteriorating relationship between frontier tobacco farmers in Virginia and the Native Americans living there led to Bacon’s Rebellion. But an underlying cause of the rebellion was low... -
Answered a Question in History
About 3000 B.C. the Sumerians moved into the area of Mesopotamia in the area of the lower Tigris Euphrates River valley. There independent city states, such as Ur, Erech, and Kish. Each city state... -
Answered a Question in History
In addition to the previous post, there were several other reasons why there was no economic depression after WWII. First of all, the federal government had taken several steps in the 1930’s... -
Answered a Question in The Renaissance
The Renaissance was a period where the ideas of humanism became important. Humanism was an intellectual movement during the Renaissance that emphasized classical learning and human potential... -
Answered a Question in Ancient Greece
Citizenship was extremely important in the Greek polis. The bond between citizen and polis was very strong and the polis was the center of a citizen’s life. Citizenship was usually... -
Answered a Question in History
The Constitutional Convention was called because the Articles of Confederation had failed. The main problem with the Articles of Confederation was that they did not give the central... -
Answered a Question in History
One of the main causes of Bacon’s Rebellion in 1676 was the relationship between frontier farmers and Native Americans, but tobacco was an important underlying cause of the Rebellion. ... -
Answered a Question in European History
In the year 1054, the Christian Church split into a Western Church and an Eastern Church. In this schism, or official separation, the church in the west became the Roman Catholic Church and in the... -
Answered a Question in Literature
I had a hard time with The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. The first section of the novel is written from the perspective of Benjy who has a severe mental handicap. The... -
Answered a Question in American Imperialism
At the time, the U.S. felt that their imperialistic policies were justified. Whether people today agree or disagree is another question. But in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the... -
Answered a Question in Railroads and Conflict in the West
Tariffs, or taxes on imported goods, have been used by the government since the 1700’s to help American businesses. A tariff would make foreign made goods more expensive so people would buy... -
Answered a Question in Federalists and Democratic Republicans
The two party system in the U.S. began in the 1790’s. The two parties were the Democratic-Republicans led by Thomas Jefferson and the Federalists led by Alexander Hamilton. This first... -
Answered a Question in Literature
I find both really enjoyable. I tend to go read a lot of nonfiction, and then get burned out on it and want to escape reality and then go on a fiction binge. I usually enjoy a good mystery. I... -
Answered a Question in Reconstruction
There were basically 3 plans for Reconstruction, Lincoln’s plan, Johnson’s plan, and the Radical Republican plan. Lincoln’s plan was known as the 10% Plan. It was simple. With a few exceptions,... -
Answered a Question in The Compromise of 1850
There were five parts to the Compromise of 1850. First, California would be admitted to the Union as a free state. Next, two new territories would be established, Utah and New Mexico, and slavery... -
Answered a Question in History
There are several reasons that it took the Union so long to win this war. At first, it looked as though the Union had all the advantages and this would be a short war. First, the Union had... -
Answered a Question in Western Expansion, Manifest Destiny, and the Mexican-American War
When the Mexican-American War ended, the United States received the Mexican Cession which included all of California, Nevada and Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Wyoming. ... -
Answered a Question in Moby-Dick
Moby Dick was written by Herman Melville in 1851. I think a good analogy at the time in the U.S. would be the idea of Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny was the idea that it was... -
Answered a Question in Segregation and the Civil Rights Movement
The first thing to remember about Martin Luther King, Jr. and other Civil Rights leaders during that time, was that they were Christian ministers and leaders. I think that, above all... -
Answered a Question in World War II
As has been mentioned, the Treaty of Versailles that ended WWI gave rise to conditions in Germany that allowed for the rise of the Nazis. The treaty humiliated the German people. They... -
Answered a Question in Literature
I am not a Liteature teacher, but a history teacher. I do read material out loud when dealing with difficult reading material. I use quite a bit of primary source material in my... -
Answered a Question in History
As far as economic effects of the war, the Union’s economy was aided by the war. Industrial output increased to meet the needs for fighting a major war helping the northern economy. The... -
Answered a Question in The Declaration of Independence
The purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to explain to the whole world why the thirteen British colonies were seeking to start their own country. The Declaration of Independence... -
Answered a Question in Civil War Battles and Strategy
The greatest advantage the Union had in fighting the Civil War was definitely population. The Union had about 22 million people while the Confederacy had about 9 million, with over 3 million... -
Answered a Question in History
How can you know where you are going if you do not know where you are coming from? I think that is what history is all about . Learning how you got to where you are. History is... -
Answered a Question in History
Just a quick addition concerning how colonialism contributed to the economic underdevelopment of Africa. The borders of African countries today were drawn by European colonial powers long... -
Answered a Question in History
I think the founding principles of this nation can be seen in the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration states that “all men are created equal” and that they are endowed by their... -
Answered a Question in History
The establishment of the Republican Party was a major factor in the start of the Civil war. The Republican Party was established in 1854 by many ex-Whigs and ex-Free Soilers and was expressly... -
Answered a Question in History
The capture of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453 was significant for a number of reasons. First, the capture of the city made the Ottomans the most important power in southeastern... -
Answered a Question in Secession and Civil War
I think the most important cause of the war was the idea of states' rights. The South had a long tradition of defending states' rights. In response to the Alien and Sedition Acts Thomas Jefferson... -
Answered a Question in Andrew Jackson's Presidency
Just to add some specifics to Andrew Jackson’s Indian policy. It should be noted that the Cherokee Indians in Georgia were peaceful and had become farmers, adopting the lifestyle of most... -
Answered a Question in History (General)
In the last fifty years here in the United States, there has been incredible changes. Perhaps the greatest change has been in technology. The best example of this is computers and cell... -
Answered a Question in History
There were two important issues the United States had to resolve in the 1780s concerning new territory west of the Appalachian Mountains and north of the Ohio River. First, how would this land be...
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