Question
- Junior Cert. History (Higher) 2010: 4 People in History B
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Answer
(i) A named revolutionary leader.
George Washington was born in Virginia and his family were wealthy farmers who grew tobacco and owned slaves. He began his career as a soldier in the Colonial army where he was trained by the English and became an officer. He fought wars against the Indians and the French and went on to become Commander of the Virginia troops. After he left the army and returned to his farm he began to resent England and was elected to the Virginia Assembly. He really resented the Stamp Act and was angry with the Boston Massacre in which British troops opened fire on protesters.
Later, he became a member of the Continental Congress, which held meetings in Philadelphia, and all 13 colonies sent representatives. In 1775 the Continental army was formed and Washington was made Commander. In 1776 the Declaration of Independence was issued and this resulted in war between the Colonial army and the British troops who were nicknamed the Redcoats. The Colonial army knew the countryside well but many were only part-time soldiers. The British had a much better equipped army but they had to travel long distances.
All did not go well for Washington at first. There were early victories for the British and important cities such as New York and Philadelphia were captured. Also the Colonial army were forced to spend a long winter in Valley Forge and many soldiers died and morale was very low. However, in 1778 French troops, arms and navy arrived to provide help for the Americans because French leaders admired Washington. As a result of this a major defeat for the British took place at the Battle of Yorktown and the British were forced to surrender. Peace talks took place in Paris and a Republic was declared in America. A new American Constitution was drawn up and a Senate and Congress were formed. Washington was elected as the first president and he served two terms for eight years. He died in the last days of 1799.
(ii) A farm labourer during the Agricultural revolution
My name is John Smith and I live in Norfolk in England. Over the past few years a huge number of changes have taken place in farming. Before the agricultural revolution most people lived in small villages and grew crops in fields scattered here and there and reared farm animals on the village common land. However, when people began to move to the new cities to work in big factories great changes took place in the countryside.
The government passed a law, which was called the Enclosure Act, and this meant that farmers built fences and ditches and all their land was in one large unit.
Another major change has been the introduction of a system of crop rotation, which began here in Norfolk, and this means that the soil is always kept enriched and does not get worn out. Our method is to plant a different crop in each field every year and in one year we let clover grow in the field as this is good for the soil.
Another change was that new machines have been invented to make farming much easier but it also means that there is less need for as many farm labourers. One of these machines was invented by a man called Jethro Tull and it’s called the seed drill, which makes it possible to grow more grain because all the seeds are properly covered by soil when planting takes place.
Lastly, another big change is that new and better breeds of cattle and sheep have been brought to the countryside, which have more meat and produce more milk.
(iii) John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis
John F. Kennedy was the President of the USA in the early 1960s. He was totally opposed to the spread of Communism. Two years after he became President a major Cold War crisis erupted involving the island of Cuba, which was very close to the USA mainland.
In the early 1960s, Cuba had become a Communist state and was led by Fidel Castro. Cuba began to develop close ties with the USSR and this caused problems for the new USA President. Kennedy and his military advisors planned an invasion of Cuba involving Cuban exiles living in the USA. This took place at the Bay of Pigs but was a complete disaster for the USA. As a result of this, Castro began to develop even closer economic and military links with the USSR and its leader, Khrushchev.
In 1962 a USA U2 spy plane took photos of a missile launch site being built in Cuba. This caused mass panic in the USA. Also ships from the USSR were heading in the direction of Cuba with what looked like parts of missiles. President Kennedy then came under pressure from one group of military advisors who wanted to bomb the missile sites and another group who wanted to set up a naval blockade around the island. In the end Kennedy ordered a blockade to be set up to prevent these ships getting to Cuba. This created a very tense situation and many people were certain it could lead to a nuclear war between the USA and the USSR. After a few days, both sides backed down and a deal was made, which put an end to a very dangerous situation
(iv) A named leader in the struggle for Asian independence
In the early 1900s India was a huge Asian country that was ruled by Britain. Many British politicians referred to India as “the jewel in the crown”. However, from the 1920s more and more people in India began to demand independence and a man called Gandhi led them. He believed that British rule was bad for India and this had made the country poor. He wanted to see all people in India live in peace and was completely against the use of any violence. He was a member of a political party in India called the Indian National Congress party and he began to organise strikes and peaceful demonstrations against British rule in India. He brought his protest right to the office of the British Prime Minister in London.
In the 1930s the British government was forced to give India a form of Home Rule but Gandhi and many others called for full independence. Gandhi organised more peaceful opposition to British rule. During WWII the British government needed Indian help and Gandhi tried to get a promise from them of complete independence for India. As he did not receive this, he then began a “Quit India” campaign but he was soon arrested and jailed.
At the end of the war the new British Labour government wished to deal with the issue of India and one major concern was the division between the Hindu majority and the Muslim minority. In 1947 Lord Mountbatten arrived in India and he was to be the last British leader of India. In 1947 India finally became an independent country but it was partitioned into mostly Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. A large amount of sectarian violence erupted between Muslims and Hindus, which Gandhi tried to prevent. Gandhi was shot dead in 1948 by a Hindu fundamentalist who disagreed with Gandhi’s policies.
(v) A named leader in the movement for European unity
Jean Monnet was a key figure in creating what is known today as the European Union. He believed that it was essential to build cooperation between European countries in order to prevent another major war in Europe. Monnet came from France so he knew all about the destruction caused by two world wars. He also was an economist so he wanted economic and political unity and he spent decades working for this.
On 9 May 1950, with the agreement of Chancellor Adenauer of Germany, Robert Schuman made a declaration in the name of the French government, which marked the start of cooperation between European countries. This process continued when the EEC was formed by the Treaty of Rome. Brussels became HQ and an EEC Commission was created. A Council of Ministers was to consist of government ministers from the different member states. A European Parliament was also set up and the Court of Justice was also very important. The EEC was a great economic success.
In 1973 Ireland, the UK and Denmark joined and in the 1980s Spain, Portugal and Greece joined. The EEC has had a huge impact on farming due to all the farm subsidies/quotas. There has also been a massive investment in infrastructure, which has created excellent roads in countries such as Ireland. A very important development was the introduction of the Single European Act in 1986, which has led to the removal of all trade barriers. Today the EU is made up of 27 countries. Jean Monnet died on 16 March 1979 at the age of ninety-one. At the European Council in Luxembourg on 2 April 1976, the heads of State and government proclaimed Jean Monnet an “Honorary Citizen of Europe”.
George Washington was born in Virginia and his family were wealthy farmers who grew tobacco and owned slaves. He began his career as a soldier in the Colonial army where he was trained by the English and became an officer. He fought wars against the Indians and the French and went on to become Commander of the Virginia troops. After he left the army and returned to his farm he began to resent England and was elected to the Virginia Assembly. He really resented the Stamp Act and was angry with the Boston Massacre in which British troops opened fire on protesters.
Later, he became a member of the Continental Congress, which held meetings in Philadelphia, and all 13 colonies sent representatives. In 1775 the Continental army was formed and Washington was made Commander. In 1776 the Declaration of Independence was issued and this resulted in war between the Colonial army and the British troops who were nicknamed the Redcoats. The Colonial army knew the countryside well but many were only part-time soldiers. The British had a much better equipped army but they had to travel long distances.
All did not go well for Washington at first. There were early victories for the British and important cities such as New York and Philadelphia were captured. Also the Colonial army were forced to spend a long winter in Valley Forge and many soldiers died and morale was very low. However, in 1778 French troops, arms and navy arrived to provide help for the Americans because French leaders admired Washington. As a result of this a major defeat for the British took place at the Battle of Yorktown and the British were forced to surrender. Peace talks took place in Paris and a Republic was declared in America. A new American Constitution was drawn up and a Senate and Congress were formed. Washington was elected as the first president and he served two terms for eight years. He died in the last days of 1799.
(ii) A farm labourer during the Agricultural revolution
My name is John Smith and I live in Norfolk in England. Over the past few years a huge number of changes have taken place in farming. Before the agricultural revolution most people lived in small villages and grew crops in fields scattered here and there and reared farm animals on the village common land. However, when people began to move to the new cities to work in big factories great changes took place in the countryside.
The government passed a law, which was called the Enclosure Act, and this meant that farmers built fences and ditches and all their land was in one large unit.
Another major change has been the introduction of a system of crop rotation, which began here in Norfolk, and this means that the soil is always kept enriched and does not get worn out. Our method is to plant a different crop in each field every year and in one year we let clover grow in the field as this is good for the soil.
Another change was that new machines have been invented to make farming much easier but it also means that there is less need for as many farm labourers. One of these machines was invented by a man called Jethro Tull and it’s called the seed drill, which makes it possible to grow more grain because all the seeds are properly covered by soil when planting takes place.
Lastly, another big change is that new and better breeds of cattle and sheep have been brought to the countryside, which have more meat and produce more milk.
(iii) John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis
John F. Kennedy was the President of the USA in the early 1960s. He was totally opposed to the spread of Communism. Two years after he became President a major Cold War crisis erupted involving the island of Cuba, which was very close to the USA mainland.
In the early 1960s, Cuba had become a Communist state and was led by Fidel Castro. Cuba began to develop close ties with the USSR and this caused problems for the new USA President. Kennedy and his military advisors planned an invasion of Cuba involving Cuban exiles living in the USA. This took place at the Bay of Pigs but was a complete disaster for the USA. As a result of this, Castro began to develop even closer economic and military links with the USSR and its leader, Khrushchev.
In 1962 a USA U2 spy plane took photos of a missile launch site being built in Cuba. This caused mass panic in the USA. Also ships from the USSR were heading in the direction of Cuba with what looked like parts of missiles. President Kennedy then came under pressure from one group of military advisors who wanted to bomb the missile sites and another group who wanted to set up a naval blockade around the island. In the end Kennedy ordered a blockade to be set up to prevent these ships getting to Cuba. This created a very tense situation and many people were certain it could lead to a nuclear war between the USA and the USSR. After a few days, both sides backed down and a deal was made, which put an end to a very dangerous situation
(iv) A named leader in the struggle for Asian independence
In the early 1900s India was a huge Asian country that was ruled by Britain. Many British politicians referred to India as “the jewel in the crown”. However, from the 1920s more and more people in India began to demand independence and a man called Gandhi led them. He believed that British rule was bad for India and this had made the country poor. He wanted to see all people in India live in peace and was completely against the use of any violence. He was a member of a political party in India called the Indian National Congress party and he began to organise strikes and peaceful demonstrations against British rule in India. He brought his protest right to the office of the British Prime Minister in London.
In the 1930s the British government was forced to give India a form of Home Rule but Gandhi and many others called for full independence. Gandhi organised more peaceful opposition to British rule. During WWII the British government needed Indian help and Gandhi tried to get a promise from them of complete independence for India. As he did not receive this, he then began a “Quit India” campaign but he was soon arrested and jailed.
At the end of the war the new British Labour government wished to deal with the issue of India and one major concern was the division between the Hindu majority and the Muslim minority. In 1947 Lord Mountbatten arrived in India and he was to be the last British leader of India. In 1947 India finally became an independent country but it was partitioned into mostly Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. A large amount of sectarian violence erupted between Muslims and Hindus, which Gandhi tried to prevent. Gandhi was shot dead in 1948 by a Hindu fundamentalist who disagreed with Gandhi’s policies.
(v) A named leader in the movement for European unity
Jean Monnet was a key figure in creating what is known today as the European Union. He believed that it was essential to build cooperation between European countries in order to prevent another major war in Europe. Monnet came from France so he knew all about the destruction caused by two world wars. He also was an economist so he wanted economic and political unity and he spent decades working for this.
On 9 May 1950, with the agreement of Chancellor Adenauer of Germany, Robert Schuman made a declaration in the name of the French government, which marked the start of cooperation between European countries. This process continued when the EEC was formed by the Treaty of Rome. Brussels became HQ and an EEC Commission was created. A Council of Ministers was to consist of government ministers from the different member states. A European Parliament was also set up and the Court of Justice was also very important. The EEC was a great economic success.
In 1973 Ireland, the UK and Denmark joined and in the 1980s Spain, Portugal and Greece joined. The EEC has had a huge impact on farming due to all the farm subsidies/quotas. There has also been a massive investment in infrastructure, which has created excellent roads in countries such as Ireland. A very important development was the introduction of the Single European Act in 1986, which has led to the removal of all trade barriers. Today the EU is made up of 27 countries. Jean Monnet died on 16 March 1979 at the age of ninety-one. At the European Council in Luxembourg on 2 April 1976, the heads of State and government proclaimed Jean Monnet an “Honorary Citizen of Europe”.