The document discusses the importance of examining primary sources to understand historical events. It provides examples of primary sources, such as letters and diaries, and explains that secondary sources are interpretations written after the fact. The assignment asks students to examine three primary sources related to the establishment of English colonies in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. It directs students to analyze the development of government, attitudes towards religion, and leadership in each colony based on readings and to support their positions with evidence from the primary sources.

1. In order to understand important historical events, it is
necessary to examine the original documents associated with
such events. Primary sources are original documents that have
not been interpreted, altered, analyzed, or evaluated. Examples
include letters, diaries, speeches, artifacts, and contemporary
newspapers. Secondary sources are interpretations or
evaluations that are written after the fact.
In this assignment, use the Internet to examine the following
primary sources that helped establish specific English colonies
in America:
“The Mayflower Compact” at
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/compact.htm
for the colony established in Plymouth, Massachusetts
“The Pennsylvania Charter of Privileges” at
http://www.constitution.org/bcp/penncharpriv.htm
for the colony established by William Penn in Pennsylvania
“A Plea for Religious Liberty” at
http://www.constitution.org/bcp/religlib.htm
for the colony established by Roger Williams in Rhode Island
Throughout America’s history, religion has played a major part
in the formation of its political, cultural, and social
identification. Based on all your readings for this module,
respond to the following:
Explain the development of the governments of the first English
colonies in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.
Describe the kind of government that was created in each of the
colonies, its attitude towards religion, and other social issues.
Describe the leadership pattern in each colony and its effect on
freedom of speech for both men and women.
Describe how these colonies exemplified the objectives of the
British in colonizing North America in contrast to the objectives
of the Spanish and the French.
Support your positions by citing specific passages from the
primary documents that established these colonies.
Write your initial response in a minimum of 300 words. Apply

2. APA standards to citation of sources.
By
Saturday, February 13, 2016
, post your response to the appropriate
Discussion Area
. Through
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
, review and comment on at least two peers’ responses. Consider
commenting on the following while reviewing the posts of your
fellow classmates:
An idea that you had not previously considered
A statement with which you disagree. Cite a primary source
document to support your position.
[Penn. W.?]. [ca. 1701].
The Pennsylvania charter of privileges.
Archived document, Constitution Society. Retrieved from
http://www.constitution.org/bcp/penncharpriv.htm
Pilgrim Hall Museum
.
(2005).
The Mayflower compact
. Retrieved from
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/compact.htm
[Williams, R.?]. [ca. 1603–83].
A plea for religious liberty.
Archived document, Constitution Society. Retrieved from
http://www.constitution.org/bcp/religlib.htm
Grading Criteria and Rubric
All discussion assignments in this course will be graded using a
rubric. Download the discussion rubric and carefully read it to
understand the expectations.