Lessons Learned In The Boston Tea Party

The first unit that we learned in Semester 2 was the Pre-Revolution/Enlightenment unit. We focused on the Acts and Enlightenment thinkers/terms. We learned about the Boston Tea Party, which caused the British to lay down five disciplinary laws known as the Intolerable Acts (“The Intolerable…”). Of these five acts was the Boston Port Act, which basically restricted any means of lading or shipping of goods from the Boston Port (“The Intolerable…”). Another Intolerable Act was the Administration of Justice Act that allowed the governor of Massachusetts to move any trial of a crime-committing official to Britain or another colony (“The Intolerable…”). The other Intolerable Acts were the Quebec Act, the Quartering Act and the Massachusetts Government Act (“British Parliament...”). Most of these acts were corrective measures taken to stop rebellious actions, such as the dumping of millions of dollars into the Boston Harbor (“The Intolerable…”).

In addition, we went over the Enlightenment thinkers; Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, and Charles Montesquieu (History.com...).

These were people that believed in some of the six enlightenment terms; state of nature, law of nature, social contract, enlightenment thought, laws and individual rights (Enlightenment...). Hobbes believed that “all men are equal” and that having a government will prevent fighting between people (Enlighten...). Locke described that all men are born in a state of perfect freedom, or a state of nature (Enlighten...). Also, Locke believed that the laws of nature are to not harm or take things from other people (Enlighten...). Rousseau explained that a social contract is an agreement between two groups to work together and help each other (Enlighten...). All of these Enlightenment thinkers had the right idea of what was necessary to make a successful

government!
This was my favorite unit that we covered this semester. I enjoyed learning about the steps that the colonists had to go through to separate from Britain. I would say that I was most successful on the quizzes in this unit. We read about the Enlightenment thinkers and their thoughts. After reading that, I could easily remember the terms because I understood the point of views of the thinkers. I had some bit of trouble memorizing the acts because there were so many of them. A huge problem for me during the Enlightenment/Pre-Revolution Project was remaining under 1000 words and I wanted to write more than I turned in.
The knowledge I gained helped me better understand the roots of America. Learning about the things the colonists were being taxed on, helped me understand how the colonists felt. Also, I now understand why taxes are so important in the world today. The ideas that were created in the Enlightenment period helped shape the government we have now. For example, we use laws in the U.S. government to prevent and punish any wrongdoings of the people. Our individual rights; life, liberty and property, are what makes a fair government. The Age of Enlightenment contributed many ideas to the government.