Reasons Americans Wanted Independence

Hey everyone! Here's my latest history paper. Hope you like it!

Reasons Americans Wanted Independence

The American colonists wanted independence for many reasons. Most of these reasons stemmed from the fact that the British saw the colonies in a very different way than the colonists did. While the colonists saw this as an opportunity to create a new society, one completely unrelated to a country 3,000 miles across the ocean, the British saw the colonies as a place to get raw materials from and send manufactured goods to. When the British told the colonists not to move west of the Appalachian Mountains, they were not happy. 

 

After the French and Indian War, Britain needed money, so the king began taxing the colonies to get the money. The Stamp Act was a direct tax to raise that money, and the colonists got quite upset. They did not want taxes meant for raising money, so the British repealed the Stamp Act and replaced it with the Townshend Act, which raised money from trade duties. The colonists felt like they were being placed under Britain's complete authority, and did not want that. The king also placed British soldiers in private homes to keep order and suppress rebellions in the colonies. The colonists were extremely angry about having to feed and house British soldiers. 

 

Another thing the colonists were upset about was that the British allowed the East India Company to have a tea monopoly in the colonies. The colonists were unable to sell their own tea anymore, so they threw a load of imported tea into Boston Harbor during what became known as the Boston Tea Party. The British closed the port, and refused to open it until the tea was paid for. They also posted soldiers in barracks in the city, and changed the constitution of Massachusetts, so that the king now chose who served in the government. This made the colonists so mad that they didn't want to associate with the British anymore, so they chose to demand independence instead of the rights of other British subjects. The outcome of the Revolutionary War was the independence the colonists wanted.

Creation vs Evolution (Part 3)

Hey everyone! Here is the third part of my creation vs evolution paper, summarizing chapter 3 of Exploring Evolution. Enjoy!

The Debate About Molecular Homology

Molecular homology is the study of the similarity of molecules, particularly proteins and DNA, in living creatures. All living things have a DNA code, which forms many different sequences. Those sequences are “translated” and used to gather the pieces of the amino acid code, which are then arranged to form amino acid sequences. The amino acid sequences become proteins. The codes and sequences of DNA and amino acids are similar among all living things, and evolutionists say this points to a common ancestor. 

 

However, there are some gene sequences that are found in one kind of creature, but not in any other kind of creature. Opponents of evolution say that because these gene sequences are only in one kind of animal, there does not seem to be any possible ancestor for that kind of animal, because there is no known source for that gene sequence outside of the kind.

Scientists used to think that there was only one genetic code for all creatures. More recent studies have shown that there are actually several different genetic codes. Scientists realize that a genetic code can not change without killing off the creature, so the only reasonable conclusion is that there are multiple ancestors.

Even without considering the above facts which contradict the idea of a common ancestor, opponents of evolution point out that the DNA and amino acid molecules may be similar simply because they do similar jobs. 

 

Another claim of the evolutionists is that the differences between proteins in different kinds of animals can be used to tell how long ago they began to evolve from the common ancestor. They call this method of timing the molecular clock. The biggest problem with it is that mutations happen at different rates, so no one knows how fast mutations have been happening. Because of this, the molecular clock can not be used to obtain any accurate information. It also runs based on circular reasoning, because the evolutionists are trying to prove something, and in trying to do so, they are assuming that what they are trying to prove is true. 

 

Furthermore, evolutionists claim that family trees based on anatomical homology match the family trees based on molecular homology, which they actually do not. Sometimes, a family tree based on one protein does not match a family tree based on a different protein. Also, two different laboratories doing the exact same test on the exact same protein can come out with two different family trees.

Faced with all of this evidence against their theory, some evolutionists are starting to wonder if there are multiple ancestors instead of just one common ancestor.

New History Paper

Hey everyone, here's my newest history paper. Hope you enjoy!

Acadian Deportation From Nova Scotia

The Acadians were descendants of French settlers and Native Americans in Acadia, which is the area of land now known as Nova Scotia, Canada. The French and British were fighting over that area of land. Acadians were keeping a supply line open to the French, and the British hoped to break the line by deporting the Acadians. Britain eventually won in 1763. 

 

The Acadian deportation has other names, such as the Great Upheaval, the Great Expulsion, and the Expulsion of the Acadians. The expulsion lasted from August 10, 1755 - July 11, 1784. 

 

King William's War, which lasted from 1688 – 1697, was fought when the Acadians forced Britains out of Acadia. British soldiers captured Acadia during Queen Anne's War, which lasted from 1702 – 1713. The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 allowed the Acadians to remain on their land. In Father Rale's War, lasting from 1722 – 1725, the Acadians raided English vessels, and fought against the possibility of being deported. 

 

During King George's War, which lasted from 1744 – 1748, the Acadians tried to retake their capital from the British, and a number of Acadians were deported to France. The Acadians raided New England settlements during Father Le Loutre's War, which lasted from 1749 – 1755. Some Acadians also fled to French territories and refused to trade with Britains. 

 

When the French and British fought over who owned Ohio in the French and Indian War, lasting from 1754 – 1763, the Acadians gave French supplies and help. The British deported more Acadians to try to keep the French from getting more help. After the war, Acadians who swore allegiance to the British were allowed back into Acadia. 

 

The Acadians were deported to many places. Destinations included Maryland, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, France, England, and Louisiana. The Acadians who went to Louisiana became the people group we call the Cajuns today. Thousands of Acadians died during deportation, and thousands more had lost their property. In conclusion, the Acadian Deportation was a terrible event which affected thousands of people, many of them innocent, and created a lasting effect upon them.

Creation vs Evolution (Part 2)

Hey everyone! Here is the second part of my creation vs evolution paper, summarizing chapter two of the book Exploring Evolution. Hope you enjoy!

The Debate About Anatomical Homology

If one looked at the forelimb of a human, a bat, a pig, and a horse, one would see that the structure is very similar, with one bone in the upper limb and two bones in the lower limb. The study of similar structures in creatures is called anatomical homology. There are different areas of anatomical homology. There are similarities in skeletons, brains, nervous systems, blood vessels, muscles, and digestive systems. As with many other things, the evolutionists have one view about anatomical homology, and the opponents of evolution have a completely different view.

The evolutionists think that there are similarities between different species because the creatures inherited the traits from a common ancestor, therefore pointing to common descent. The opponents of evolution, however, think that there are similarities between different species because a designer used a similar design. Two other theories are that the similar body parts were designed for a similar purpose, or that they are obeying natural laws. 

 

The evolutionists say that because of common descent, similar genes and developmental pathways should produce similar structures, and different genes and developmental pathways should produce different structures. However, other people point out that many times, the exact opposite is true.

In addition, there are some similar structures that everyone agrees are not due to common ancestry, even though they are found in different types of organisms. The evolutionists call this convergence, and try to explain it by saying that natural selection acting on two or more different species produced similar structures. However, other people, when considering convergence, say that it is extremely unlikely for the random process of natural selection to result in many similar complex structures.

Letter From the 1600s

Hey everyone. Sorry about being late, again. I've been getting distracted by other stuff. Here's my history project from last week.

March 22, 1653

Corn Hill Road

Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Dear family,

There is a good Puritan church here that I have gotten involved in. We have chaised out Quakers several times in the past few monthes, and are planning to chase out some more next monthe. I have found a job working in a corn field, and fortunately was able to buy a house near by. Once or twice a monthe I go hunting for the fun of it. Last time I caught a deer. 

 

Boston is a very muddie place. There are no sidewalks, and everyone either walks or rides horses, for carages simply get stuck in the mud. The houses are small, one-storey log affairs with two or three rooms. The stables are about the same size as the houses, and can hold about four horses or cows apiece. There is a large space near the center of the town set aside for a garden, and the townspeople all work together to grow food. There are three cornfields, a vegetable garden, and some fruit trees, outside the town are several grain farms. I would write more, but I need to go help plow the fields.

Your loving son,

Samuel Cooper

Creation vs Evolution (Part 1)

Hey everyone! Sorry for being a day late on this one. I'm still trying to get used to having a blog. Anyways, here's my first chapter summary, summarizing the first chapter from the book Exploring Evolution. Enjoy!

The Debate About the Fossil Record

If one could split open the earth's crust anywhere in the world, different layers of rock and sediment that often include fossils of various types would be revealed. These layers, called strata, and the plants and animals that have been preserved in them, are called the fossil record. One of the deepest layers of the fossil record is called the Cambrian layer. In the Cambrian layer, all of the different types of animal fossils suddenly appear, which fact scientists call the Cambrian Explosion. Below the Cambrian layer is the Precambrian layer. The Precambrian layer only has a few fossils, some of which are trace fossils. Trace fossils are preserved tracks or tunnels that creatures have left behind.

The fossils of a certain species appear abruptly in the record, show little to no change where they appear throughout the strata, and then disappear abruptly from the record. There are no proven transitional forms, which are fossils of creatures in the process of evolving from one species to another, and there are also few possible transitional forms. Even though these facts never change, there are two different interpretations of the fossil record.

The evolutionists believe that it takes millions of years for creatures to evolve. Because of this, they believe that each layer of the fossil record represents millions of years. However, opponents of evolution believe that the layers do not necessarily represent millions of years.

Evolutionary theory states that all creatures slowly evolved from a common ancestor, so the record should look like a large branching tree. However, opponents of evolution point out that the Cambrian Explosion contradicts that idea, because all types of creatures appear suddenly and fully formed.

The Precambrian layer is right below the Cambrian layer. There are few fossils in this layer, some of which are trace fossils. This contradicts what the evolutionists think about common descent. If common descent were true, there should be many more fossils in the Precambrian layer than there are. The evolutionists try to get past this problem by saying that the Precambrian creatures were too small and soft to be preserved. There are two problems with that. One is that we have recently found microscopic soft-bodied creatures that were completely preserved. The other is that even if the creatures were too small and soft to be preserved, they should have left many trace fossils and holes in the sediment where they were when they decomposed.

Evolutionists believe that the different types of animals evolved from one to another, so the fossil record should show each species of animal evolving into another species. However, opponents of evolution point out that each species of animal appears abruptly, shows little to no change wherever it is found, and then just as abruptly disappears. This contradicts the evolutionists, because if their theory was true, then the species should be changing into other species, but instead the fossil record shows little to no change in the species.

Also, if species continued to evolve, there should be what evolutionists call transitional forms, which are fossils of creatures in the process of evolving from one species into another. The only problem is that we have not found any proven transitional forms and have found very few fossils that could possibly be transitional forms.

The evolutionists try to solve this problem several different ways. One way they try to explain the lack of transitional forms is the theory of Punctuated Equilibrium, which says that the evolutionary process happened so fast that there were few transitional forms to begin with. Evolutionists also say that some of the transitional forms may have been destroyed, leaving only one or two that were fossilized. However, they cannot explain how creatures evolved from one species to another in such a short time.

Another way evolutionists try to explain why we are not finding transitional forms is that we simply have not dug up enough fossils yet. However, we have found a large number of fossils, and they are all fossils of fully formed species. Also, all the fossils we are finding are of fully formed species.

Evolutionists often speak as if their theories have been proven, but the fact remains that not all of the scientific evidence supports their theories. Scientists who carefully examine all of the facts often find themselves with a different interpretation, one which recognizes that the evolutionary theories are wrong. Far from being proven, evolutionary theory is still very much open to debate.

First History Paper

Hey everyone! As the title says, here is my first history paper this year. Hope you like it! :)

History of Ocala

The city of Ocala, Florida, was named for an important Timucua village that it was developed near. This Timucua village, called Ocale, or Ocali – which means Big Hammock – was abandoned, probably as a result of Hernando de Soto's attack in 1539.

In 1827, American soldiers built Fort King, and it saw use during the Second Seminole War, which lasted from 1835-1842. The city of Ocala began developing around the fort, most of the residents being soldiers who had come to serve in the fort.

The Civil War had some negative effects on Ocala. Both the population and value of property went down. However, by shipping fruits, vegetables, cotton, and merchandise, the city began to grow rapidly in wealth and importance. A railroad built to the city in 1881 encouraged even more development.

However, on Thanksgiving Day, 1883, a fire destroyed most of downtown Ocala. The destroyed buildings were rebuilt using bricks, which later gave Ocala the nickname “The Brick City."

In the 1900s, Ocala became a tourist attraction. Attractions included the Silver Springs Nature Theme Park and Wild Waters. In 1943, a man named Carl G. Rose started a Thoroughbred farm in Ocala called Rosemere Farm. The Thoroughbred industry expanded quickly, and Ocala, along with surrounding Marion County, has produced many good racehorses, including 1978 Triple Crown winner Affirmed, as well as 1997 Derby and Preakness winner Silver Charm and 1998 Derby and Preakness winner Real Quiet. Ocala is known today as the Horse Capital of the World.

My First Post

My first post! Yay! I made this blog primarily for sharing some of my school reports. Every Saturday I will post that week's history paper, and every Wednesday I will post a paper from a series I wrote last year. Hope you enjoy!