1.) Unit 1 covered the first four chapters of "Give Me Liberty." Provide a brief synopsis of the early history. Why is it important to understand this early history and how does it shape our current views

The early history starts with the first Americans, most of whom were fishers and hunters, the date of their existence is a topic of debate but some accounts believe it to be 60,000 years ago. A natural activity 14,000 years ago separated western hemisphere from Asia. Amidst many issues, agriculture became the core activity which led to settled civilizations. Then we look at the Indian societies of Americas, where Southern American societies were more developed than the Northern part. The book also talked about the mound builders of Mississippi, where a large community was built on the banks of Mississippi river on a series of mounds. The book then describes other Indians in early centuries such as Western Indians who developed dams, methods of irrigation etc. The next key point is the expansion of Europe, where Europeans wanted to find a new unspoiled land for their expansion where they can live a life of luxury, what started as a discovery to find a new route to countries for trade soon became a search for luxury. The book then moves towards the discovery of Columbus which was followed by explorations and desire to conquer other European nations, it eventually led to a demographic disaster of unimaginable scale and loss of human lives. The Spanish empire was formed in Americas post this and it led to enslavement of Indians and establishment of one of the biggest empires. The book further moves on to French and Dutch empires which fought with the Spanish empire for dominance. This was in the 17th Century, at the same time Borderlands were formed. The book then moves towards English establishment and rule in America where England colonized many parts of America trampling any challenges in the way. There were many cultures which rose in this case. The book then moves towards global expansion of Americas under English, where they controlled the world economy through different systems, slavery also became prominent during this time which is what is described in the next chapters. Now the key question as to why this knowledge of early history is important is that it allows us to understand the struggles which our ancestors went through, it also helps us in looking at some of the bad aspects such as slavery which caused so much of destruction and ruined so many lives. These lessons also allow us to take pride in being free citizens and gives us the reasons as to why we should uphold the principles of liberty and justice.