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justinc.1089
12-03-2007, 04:10 PM
This is off-topic and not really related to the campaign much but I'm desperate for ideas now lol, and where could I find a smarter group of people when it comes to politics and history and such you know? lol

I have to do a paper comparing the Revolutionary war to the Civil war, and I can't come up with anything to do it on.

An example thesis would be something like this:

African-Americans were involved in the American Revolution and the American Civil War economically by being promised freedom, socially by being given equal standing as a soldier, and politically by being involved in hopes of more political equality.

I can't use that though because that was an example thesis given to my class. The topic needs to be addressed socially, economically, and politically, and be something that happened in both the Civil war and the revolution, or at least one so that it can be compared.

Any suggestions?

ronpaulfollower999
12-03-2007, 04:13 PM
2 things

1) They were both wars.
2) It changed America.

justinc.1089
12-03-2007, 04:14 PM
Lol are you serious? I would get like a 0 on it if I did that lol! Someone in my class did ask if they could write it about both of them being civil wars which is technically not correct kind of, and my history professor told them they would get a 0 if they did that because after weeks of history they should know more than that lol.

But thanks for the suggestion if you were being serious.

ronpaulfollower999
12-03-2007, 04:17 PM
Read your book and take notes on the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. After that compare them.

greves
12-03-2007, 04:23 PM
Well, you can talk about how the Civil war was fought over something that America was intended to prevent. Lincoln wanted to keep the union together at all costs, but that was not the point of the Revolution - the Revolution was intended to be a declaration of independence (see: Declaration of Independence). You could mention how hypocritical and big-headed it was of Lincoln to go against what the founding fathers had intended just a few generations earlier. America seceded from Britain, but would not allow it's own member states to secede, at any cost.

You could also look at this same aspect from an economic point of view: the Constitution was intended to prevent income taxes from being passed, and to allow people to keep the fruits of their labor which was not possible in England. Lincoln also went against this principle, and enforced the first sort of income taxes (taxing company profits for the first time in American history).

Basically, you could concentrate on the differences between the founding fathers (real statesmen) and Lincoln (forefather of the modern-day politician), and how that difference made them such drastically different leaders.

Alex
12-03-2007, 04:24 PM
I'm a junior in high school but I've read a lot of books on the Revolution as well as Goodwin's "Team of Rivals."

I think the Civil War was actually an extension of the Revolution. The Founders knew slavery was in total contradiction to their republican principles, but the South depended on it and popular sentiment just wasn't with abolition. The Founders actually imposed a 20 year moratorium on the slavery question in the Constitution. It's somewhat like Barry Goldwater and libertarianism. Some of th efounders were just ahead of their time.