Appendix AMidterm Exam?·? ? ? ? ? ? ? Access? the Week Four Electronic Reserve Readings located under the materials section of the student website.?·? ? ? ? ? ? ? Read? this week??™s Electronic Reserve Readings.
?·? ? ? ? ? ? ? Write? a paragraph of approximately 100 words for each of the following questions.? 1.? ? ? ? ? Using the critical thinking skills you have gained and the materials provided for this assignment, identify two possible strategies that Thomas Hutchinson or Samuel Adams, or both, likely used to develop and improve his thinking prior to taking a stand and acting according to his beliefs.? I believe prior to taking a stand and acting according to his beliefs Samuel Adams reflected on his views. I like to imagine Samuel Adams as a very calculating individual. Therefore, I can easily imagine that he put quite a bit of thought into what his views were and what the implications of his actions would be. However, in contrast to this, I think Samuel Adams did not set aside preconceptions.
Quite the contrary, I think it was his bias on the subject that drove him ultimately into action. I am not saying he did not take the time and think things through, but when dealing with an unfair government let us just say things can get dicey. I think of the Boston Tea Party as revolutionary guerilla warfare. It was a protest, but decidedly not peaceful.? 2.? ? ? ? ? Explain the importance of building a foundation for critical and creative thinking when evaluating historical events such as the Boston Tea Party.? This question reminds me of the story about the wise man who built his house on the rock and the foolish man who built his on the sand. I think that no matter what anyone strives to do in this life a proper foundation is always necessary for success.
However, I think in this instance it is important to be sensitive to other??™s needs, justice, and fairness. When I stop and evaluate historical events such as the Boston Tea Party, I always try to think about how the other side might have viewed the situation and how they might have done things differently. Another thing I like to ponder is how the world would be if things had turned out differently. I enjoy the change of perspective.? ? 3.
? ? ? ? ? Explain the basis of the moral judgments made by Samuel Adams and Thomas Hutchinson.? I believe that Samuel Adams moral judgments were based on the principal that people have rights existing independently of any government. According to our textbook, ??? The most fundamental is the right to be treated with respect and left undisturbed as long as one does not infringe on others??™ rights. Other rights such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are extensions of that right.??? (Ruggiero, 2009) These are the moral judgments I believe Samuel Adams dealt with prior to his involvement in the American Revolution. Thomas Hutchinson however, was of the other school of thought.
I believe that Thomas Hutchinson simply was trying to maintain the status quo.? 4.? ? ? ? ? What steps do you think Samuel Adams and Thomas Hutchinson took toward becoming individuals and which steps ultimately made them such important historical figures? I think that Samuel Adams used all three steps listed in our textbook. I believe that Samuel Adams definitely acknowledged the influences that shaped his thinking. I think that everything he and his predecessors went through under the British rule had a lot to do with how he acted. However, Thomas Hutchinson more than likely went through all three steps also.
The only difference was the choices they made and how they would benefit from those choices. Ultimately, Samuel Adams displayed better critical thinking skills and when everything was said and done, in my opinion, Samuel Adams made the better choices. ? ? ? ? ? 5.? ? ? ? ? In this class, we have discussed common habits that hinder critical thinking. Which of these habits may have been a factor in how Samuel Adams and Thomas Hutchinson viewed the issues that led to the Boston Tea Party How could they have overcome those habits? I think that Thomas Hutchinson displayed a number of habits that hinder critical thinking.
The ones that stand out to me would be a resistance to change and conformity. Resistance to change is defined in our textbook as the tendency to reject new ideas and new ways of seeing or doing without examining them fairly. (Ruggiero, 2009) In my opinion, this is one of the most common habits that hinder critical thinking. I know that I have experienced it at least once or twice. Conformity is what Thomas Hutchinson displayed by simply going along with the government that was in place regardless of whether or not what they were doing was right. I believe money had a big part in his conformity also.
? ? ? ? ? 6.? ? ? ? ? What is one important distinction you could not overlook making when critically evaluating the information provided in these materials about the Boston Tea Party Clarify the importance of that distinction.? The one important distinction I could not overlook when critically evaluating the information provided in these materials about the Boston Tea Party is the distinction between fact and interpretation. This is important on many levels whenever one is critically evaluating anything historical.
Now a days it is not always easy to make this distinction with everything available on the internet. The material we are discussing would be considered fact coming from an academic source. However, I am sure one can go online and find a persuasive essay from another perspective. It would be a tragedy for someone to mistake one of these for fact.? ? 7.? ? ? ? ? What strategies of critical reading, listening, and viewing did you utilize when evaluating the provided materialsWhen evaluating the provided materials I utilized several different strategies of critical reading, listening, and viewing. The first thing I did was skimmed the work.
As I printed out the provided materials I found myself skimming through them at get a basic overview of the articles. Next, I briefly reflected on my views on the subject. Then I read the articles thoroughly and evaluated what I had just read. Last, I am now expressing my judgment here in this paper.
? This exercise has taught me that even when you do not realize it one is constantly utilizing any number of these steps at any given time.? ? ? ? ? 8.? ? ? ? ? Considering what you have learned about the Boston Tea Party, Samuel Adams, and Thomas Hutchinson, apply your creativity to describe what could have been done proactively to avoid the incident.? The first thing that comes to mind would have been for the British to simply work more with the colonists instead of resisting change that the colonists so desperately needed.
I can also imagine how the British could have felt because they were the ones who had originally started the colonies and supplied them with everything that they needed. I can understand their sense of entitlement and how it came to be. However, just because I can see their point of view does not mean that I agree with it. I think if the British had put aside their egos for one moment and attempted to see where the colonists were coming from, they might have been more sympathetic to what the colonists were upset about. I have found that putting one??™s self into the other person??™s position that quite often your opinion will change. ? ? 9.
? ? ? ? ? What techniques could you use to regain a level of curiosity about history or other subjects you learned about previously in school? The techniques that I would use to regain a level of curiosity about history and other subjects I have learned about previously in school would be first and foremost to be observant. I would find an interesting history book or television show (on the History Channel) and watch or read the material very carefully and with an open mind. I know that when I was in high school I was pretty oblivious to the things that were going on around me, especially in class. Therefore, if I were to reread the material from high school history, I am sure that I would pick up quite a bit more information that I did the first time around.? ? 10.? ? Explain at least two key elements for producing ideas that you believe led the American colonists to the Boston Tea Party and the eventual American Revolution. One of the key elements for producing ideas that I believe led the American colonists to the Boston Tea Party and eventually the American Revolution is that they forced uncommon responses. I think that if the American colonist had not done this that they probably would have concluded that revolution was necessary.
They would have just stayed at home where it was safe. Another technique that I think the American colonists used was to look for unusual combinations. I also think that they most definitely constructed pro and con arguments. I am sure that they debated the argument extensively and pro and con arguments are what debates are all about.
