Greg

Blog Assignment #1 — Fenn

1. In “Biological Warfare in Eighteenth-Century North America: Beyond Jeffrey Amherst,” Elizabeth Fenn discusses some different events throughout American history that may or may not have been acts of biological warfare. The Amherst-smallpox blanket episode is the most well known attack. It was named after the general who made the orders, and was believed by many to be an isolated incident. Fenn presents the possibility that biological warfare was more common then one would think.
2. Fenn uses primary sources consisting of mainly journal and diary entries. William Trent’s diary is used as clear evidence in support of the Amherst Fort Pitt smallpox attack. She also references letters from famous American leaders such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Other sources include historians, who have focused their study in relations between colonists and the Native Americans.
3. The argument that biological warfare was not a new strategy is strongly supported by Fenn. She recounts many different possible attacks of biological war before and after the Amherst attack. Her writing argues that biological warfare could have taken place as early as the times of ancient Greece. There is also evidence that biological warfare during the settling of America was not solely from the Americans, but also by the Indians. Fenn believes in the possibility that there have been many attacks of biological warfare.
4. I believe this writing is not necessarily about proving one side or another, but it is about presenting the numerous accounts of possible biological warfare. Fenn says herself, “Even contemporaries could rarely prove culpability beyond refute in a suspicious outbreak of disease; for historians, the task is next to impossible.” This is not to say that there is no point to her writing. The shear number of possible biological attacks that she presents shows that there is a high probability that the Amherst attack was not just a one-time thing. She writes, “The Fort Pitt incident, despite its notoriety, does not stand alone in the annals of early American history. Accusations of deliberate smallpox propagation arose frequently in times of war.”
5. Biological warfare in today’s world is a very real possibility with terrorist’s abroad, and even domestic terrorists. It may seem to some people that biological warfare such as anthrax is only possible due to the advances in technology. I know that when I thought of biological warfare I think of a person in a lab making a complicated formula that would have never been possible even forty years ago. In reality, biological warfare has been a rather common and simple form of war that has been going on for hundreds or maybe even thousands of years.

Blog Assignment #2 – Bouton

1.  In “A Road Closed: Rural Insurgency in Post-Independence Pennsylvania,” Terry Bouton takes a look at of rural resistance to the unfair treatment of farmers and the working class.  He argues that the actions of the rural people were justified by the shortage of money and the mounting debt. Also, Bouton believes that the rebellions of the late 1700’s in rural Pennsylvania should be viewed as retaliation to an undemocratic system the has oppressed the rural people for many years and not as   spontaneous, isolated incidents, as perceived by many historians today.

2.  Bouton presents the fact that during post Revolutionary war Pennsylvania rural inhabitants were struck with an economic crisis that was fueled by the Revolutionary War Debt and a shortage of money.  Ex-soldiers in the war were so in need of money that they sold their war debt bonds for pennies on the dollar to the wealthy that could assume the risk in the hope they would one day get the full values in return.  Because the wealthy had the majority of the war bonds as the new money was printed much of it was given back to the wealthy to repay the bonds.  Without any money in rural areas it was impossible for the farmers to pay back their debts. To prevent foreclosures, farmers in rural communities stuck together and formed a defense system that Bouton describes as rings, which include biased juries, roadblocks, community support, physical violence, and even the sheriffs and tax collectors support.  The collectors and government officials knew because there was no money there was no way to pay them back so they gave them pity. Unfair taxes such as those on spirits and number windows in one’s house were created to pay off the war debts and further feed the pockets of the rich and taking from the poor. These sparked Whiskey and Shays’ Rebellion, which as presented were not just random incidents but provoked retaliations.

3.  The use of primary sources is widely used in this essay to present a solid argument.  Some of the most compelling sources used are the execution dockets from the various counties that show the number of foreclosures and the police records. The number of foreclosures that the dockets show are astounding and it is documented proof that it truly was an economic crisis.  The dockets also show that the farmers protested the debts in many ways and long before the infamous rebellions by blocking roads among other things. This supports Bouton’s point that the rebellions were not isolated incidents but uprisings in the making.

4.  In Out of Many the author does not deny the motive or Bouton’s points but instead focus on the actions of George Washington and the problems associated with the Articles of confederation.  In regards to Shays’ rebellion, Out of Many does comment on the economic crisis but they take no side of the state or the people in such a way, as Bouton was sympathetic towards the farmers.   Both do however, agree in some way that when the economic problem became a political one corruption emerged in the government.  Out of Many uses Rhode Island of how the government was corrupted and Bouton shares those views not necessarily toward Rhode Island but toward the elite in Pennsylvania.

5.  I think Bouton creates a very persuasive and interesting point of view on the rural unrest in Pennsylvania. He uses solid facts based off of primary sources such as execution dockets and letters from various officials to sell his arguments.  For example when he writes, “In Westmoreland County, over a decade spanning 1782 to 1792, judges issued a remarkable 6,00 separate orders to foreclose goods and land for a population of about 2,800 taxpayers,” (Bouton 859-860) he uses undeniable fact to promote his case.  To me, the most interesting point given was that farmers did not live in a close proximity to fellow farmers and had no real organization yet; they had a strong network that held up over many years. This network is most evident in the bid less auctions. It was so wide spread that within four years, “the officers of at least eight counties all reported that farers would not bid on property foreclosed for taxes,” (Bouton 874).  This shows the dedication that the farmers had to fight the elite classes greed.

Blog Assignment #3- Campbell

1. Campbell takes a look at the role of woman in the South during the American Civil War.  She argues that southern woman were not the innocent and submissive figures that historians made them out to be.  They were accused of acting outside of the socially acceptable standards for a woman.
2. In this selection regarding woman in the South during the raids of General Sherman. Despite the destruction that Sherman’s army caused and the abuses the woman endured, the woman were strong willed and not afraid to retaliate in their own ways.  They were accused for being too rebellious and over stepping their gender role as the soldiers were ordered to basically destroy everything.  The destruction for even some of the soldiers was too much and some even aided the woman.  These women did this because they once had large rations that were destroyed to devastate the hopes of the woman and children.  So as an act of defiance and support of their husbands at war many women refused to show fear.  Even after the war was lost some woman continued to refuse to show any sort of defeat or sadness, once again in the defiance of the North.
3. There are many primary sources used to support the arguments she makes.  Letters, whether from the women to their husbands or between soldiers, are used as great support for the inner thoughts and the reasons behind their resistance.  One specific example is from a wife’s husband he tells her to, “speak the truth and the whole truth, if you die for it.” (Campbell 63)   Other sources that are referenced are poems and accounts of soldiers and woman involved.
4. In Out of Many the women’s response to Sherman’s attacks seem to be more fearful and more along the lines of what one would expect of woman during the time.  Specifically, Mary Boykin’s response gives off the image of a helpless woman who is exhibiting all of the characteristics of defeat that is exactly what Sherman set out cause.  Whereas, in Campbell’s writing she draws examples of women with similar views of the destruction but opposite feeling towards the southern morale.  It is realistic that most of the women subject to this destruction were defeated but Campbell decides to focus more on the women who were not.
5. Campbell includes the view of true womanhood in the “Burning of Columbia.”  She explains that the more wealthy women did not have the physical capabilities to fight, which is mainly due to what the women were to represent.  Because of this, the women were forced to resort to verbal attacks and guilt trips.  Also, “gender assumptions, especially those based shaped by class, allowed southern woman to assume an aggressive posture without suffering dire consequences.” (Campbell 58-59)  Women were seen as innocent and helpless and there was a common understanding that gave the true woman safety.  This is ironic because this understanding allowed them to act contrary to what was expected