The Constitution of the United States

The Constitution of the United States was written on September 17, 1787. It was ratified on June 21, 1788. The need for a new Constitution came following the American Revolution. A group of men who referred to themselves as the Nationalists felt that they needed to create a better more stronger government. They wanted a government that would measure up with that of foreign powers, and also one that would have less democracy. They felt that the Articles of Confederation and the Confederation Government were not strong enough. The first meeting among these state delegates occurred at Mount Vernon in May 1785. Only delegates from Virginia and Maryland attended the meeting. The issue was over passage along the Potomac River. The meeting was largely informal and they were able to accomplish what they needed to. The meeting did however turn to more important and larger issues. They shared these issues with the Confederation Congress, but nothing was ever done. The next meeting came in September 1786 when the delegates met at Annapolis, Maryland. Only 5 of the 13 states sent delegates to this meeting. At this meeting they discussed the problems with the Articles of Confederation and they drafted and send out a letter calling for more states to join in on this movement. The next meeting lasted from May to September 1787 in Philadelphia. More delegates showed up this time, but Rhode Island chose to hold out. By holding out Rhode Island made this meeting illegal. If caught these men could be arrested, tried, and hanged for treason. The most outspoken of these delegates was James Madison. Madison and his men from Virginia began to come up with ideas before the other delegates arrived. One of the biggest things he wanted was for the bigger states to have more votes then the smaller ones. This was never put into place. This delegation was made up of men such as George Washington, Ben Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and a host of other big names. Washington was elected president of the convention by a unanimous vote. They thought that if Washington endorsed this new document then the citizens would as well. This proved to be very true. In the end these men were able to create a sound document that the citizens, for the most part, embraced. Since the Constitution was put into place in 1789, it has been amended 27 times. The efforts of these men have given us a strong, sound government that will last for a lifetime.

Above is a picture of the United States Constitution.

Above is a picture of George Washington.

Above is a picture of Ben Franklin.

Above is a picture of Alexander Hamilton.

Above is a picture of James Madison.

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The Scopes Trial

The Scopes Trial took place in July 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee. The issue was over the teaching of evolution in public schools. The issue arose when John Scopes, a substitute teacher, taught that man evolved over a period of time. This teaching however was against the law under Tennessee's Butler Act. This started one of the most high profile court cases that the state of Tennessee has ever seen. Scopes did not have very much support in Dayton. The citizens felt that he was brainwashing their children. Scopes enlisted the help of Clarence Darrow to be his defense attorney. Darrow was one of the nations brightest defense attorneys. The state of Tennessee enlisted the help of prosecutor, and former presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan. Bryan had been very outspoken against teaching evolution in public schools. The case drug on from July 10th to July 25th. Media from all over the country descended upon Dayton. The once quiet carefree town was now at the center of a major legal battle. According to some accounts Darrow was actually wanting Scopes to be convicted so that he could appeal to the Supreme Court to have the Butler Act ruled unconstitutional. Darrow even went as far as calling Bryan to the stand as a witness. Bryan testified on behalf of the Bible. Darrow tried to get him to admit that the Bible was not scientific, but Bryan never did. He actually strengthened his argument in favor of Creationism. In the end the jury, that was made up of many local citizens, ruled in favor of Bryan and the prosecution. They said that Scopes had deliberately violated the Butler Act by teaching evolution in a public school. This case was most defiantly a victory for supporters of Creationism. The Scopes trial's lasting effects are still being felt today. We as a nation are in the midst of a debate over Creationism and Evolution. Proponents of science are wanting evolution taught in the schools and proponents of Christianity are wanting Creationism to be taught. It is a debate that seems to have no end in sight. The one neat thing though about this ongoing issue is that it got its start in Tennessee. It put Tennessee on the map in both a positive way and a negative way. The positive way being that the citizens of that time were not afraid to stand up for Christianity and the values they believed in. The negative way however was that Tennessee was labeled as being against science to an extent. The Scopes trial is one of the more unique parts of Tennessee history, that everyone has an opinion on. I'll let you all be the judge!!

Above is a picture of William Jennings Bryan.

Above is a picture of Clarence Darrow.

Above is a picture of John Scopes.

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The Battle of King's Mountain

The Battle of King's Mountain was one of the most decisive victories for the Patriots in the south during the American Revolution. It took place on October 7, 1890. Charles Cornwallis felt as though there was much ground to cover in the south so he split his army up. He put Patrick Ferguson in command of this new regiment. Ferguson's goal was to cross the Appalachian Mountains and move into what is now Tennessee. Ferguson used many irregular/guerrilla tactics in his fighting. He issued a challenge to John Sevier and his Overmountain Boys. Sevier accepted the challenge. Ferguson felt that he could easily beat Sevier using his irregular tactics. The problem was that Sevier was more familiar with the area. The two sides first encountered each other at Musgrove's Mill where they engaged in a short period of fighting. From there they moved to Sycamore Shoals, where more fighting took place. The Loyalists were defeated in both skirmishes. They were forced to retreat all the way to South Carolina. They took refuge on top of King's Mountain. Historians question this move because the Patriots were able to surround the base of the mountain, trapping the Loyalists on top. The Patriots stormed up the mountain taking the Loyalists by surprise. Fighting started out using muskets, but soon turned hand to hand. After about an hour of fighting the battle ended. The Loyalists suffered numerous casualties, including Ferguson. John Sevier gained much respect as a result of the battle, eventually leading to his election as the first governor of Tennessee. The Loyalists were forced to withdraw from the south and try to win a key battle in the north, eventually setting up the surrender at Yorktown. The Battle of King's Mountain was key in our beloved nation gaining its independence.

Above is a picture of John Sevier.

Above is a picture of Patrick Ferguson.

King's Mountain Military Park has become a site for tourists to visit. This monument is dedicated to the many men who lost their lives fighting in this battle.

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The Battle of Yorktown

The Battle of Yorktown, also known as the Siege of Yorktown was the final engagement between the Americans and the British during the Revolutionary War. There was really no fighting, it was basically an event to see who could last longer then the other. Charles Cornwallis who was the commander of the British army had not had much success in the Southern part of the colonies. He realized that if he was going to put the final dagger into the colonists he would have to move back to the north. His target was Yorktown. Yorktown was significant because it was near the Atlantic Ocean. Cornwallis and the British knew that they could be resupplied easily by their navy. Around this same time the French had arrived in the colonies to assist George Washington and the Colonial army. The French had heard that the British were planning to take Yorktown and set up a camp there. Washington was wanting to take New York, but he was easily convinced by the French to head to Yorktown. Cornwallis had already arrived at Yorktown and set up camp. The weather was cold and snowy and after a while the British began to run low on supplies. Cornwallis had to send to England for supply ships. Unbeknownst to Cornwallis, the French navy was on their way to Yorktown to meet up with the Colonial army. By the time the supply ships arrived at Yorktown, the French had surrounded the port. They engaged in a minor skirmish that only lasted a few hours. The British ships were forced to turn around, and the British army was trapped. Cornwallis realized that he was a lame duck. He had the French navy on one side of him, and he had the French and Colonial army on the other. Cornwallis had no other choice but to surrender his army to Washington. The Revolutionary War was over.

Above is a picture of George Washington.

Above is a picture of Charles Cornwallis.

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