For our primary source reflection this week I want you to read two sources, “Address of the Democratic-Republican Society of Pennsylvania” and “Protest against the Alien and Sedition Acts.” After reading these, answer the follow questions:
1. What types of freedoms are these documents concerned with? How do they overlap?
2. What do these documents tell us about the negotiation of power and freedom in the early years of the United States?
For our next two questions, I want you to read “The Laboring Classes.” https://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/the-laboring-classes/
This is a newspaper article that discussed the conditions of workers in the Lowell, MA textile industry. It can be a bit of a difficult read, but after making it through, answer the following questions:
3. How do you think the author viewed laborers based on this article? How does their brief discussion of slavery influence your response to this question?
4. How does the author present the conditions of laborers in this period?
