Section 2: Exploring Our Foundations
In the early 17th century civilization was maturing, even “enlightening” in the world. The major powers were France, England, Spain, and Portugal. The New World was known, but still unsettled by Europeans. That changed in the early 1600’s. Hearty souls came to find freedom or to find riches.
Hillsdale College has created a free, six-lesson US History Course titled, "Colonial America from Wilderness to Civilization." Please take the free, online course by clicking here.
Hillsdale College also has another free, online course based on Wilfred McClay’s book, "Land of Hope". Both the book and the course are excellent. For this course, please watch Lesson 2 titled, "Beginnings," for a broad view of our first 170 years. Click here for a link to the course. You will first need to enroll for the course before you can view Lesson 2. A link to purchase this book, and also editions written for children, is found in the resources at the end of Section 4.
Please read or watch the following resources. They are sourced from websites dedicated to providing original historical documents.
After reviewing our beginnings, please consider the first document written for the new country of America, the Declaration of Independence, where it states that it is self-evident that all men are created equal and their government is instituted to protect their rights. Was there any government, at any other time, that aspired to the goal of protecting the natural rights of every citizen? What are three factors that influenced the American Founders to establish this new form of government?