Palaces Out Of Paragraphs

English 1102: Hamilton and Writing

Remix and Adaptation Project Reflection

by

By: Keval Bollavaram

While I really enjoyed creating my adaptation to Hamilton, I believe I took on too much when submitting my original proposal. I originally planned to compare Hamilton to two other musicals with my analysis focusing mostly on cross comparisons between musicals. After doing more research, I learned that the amount of available scripts for musicals that are a good comparison for Hamilton are very limited. In the end, I opted to focus my analysis on aspects of Hamilton with some cross comparisons to A New World: The Life of Thomas Paine. The specific aspects analyzed were speaking parts in Hamilton versus number of mentions of major characters.

For the coding part of my project I tried to simplify phrases that I was searching for to keywords within the musical. This process actually gave me more interesting data to interpret than data I gathered from more complex phrasing. Furthermore, I originally intended to analyze more locations and possibly create a separate code specifically for this task but after testing some of the songs, I had a difficult time finding correlative data. So, I decided to leave out my location data and include only one location in my analysis in order to demonstrate insignificance.

The peer review workshop was with a doubt the most guiding part of the project. Not only did I get great feedback, but the workshop forced me to think from the perspective of my audience. The feedback that I received focused mainly on how my work was organized so that the reader could clearly interpret what I was trying to portray. From the feedback, I decided to take a deeper look at the meaning behind my analysis. I realized that some of phrasing and word choice was a bit bombastic and lacked true analytical substance. This led me to go back through my data sets and pay attention to the details in my work. I ended up going further into my analysis and drawing possible conclusions based on the statistics that I gathered; this is something I did not have in my rough draft.

Below is an interesting graphic I found on Hamilton ticket sales compared to other Broadway shows during Hamilton’s rise to prominence.

A Bishop, a Farmer, and Alexander Hamilton

by

By: Keval Bollavaram

Based on his opposition to Bishop Samuel Seabury, Alexander Hamilton published several essays to clarify his belief and stance on the cooperation of governmental power between the newly formed Continental Congress and the British Parliament. Bishop Samuel Seabury was a staunch supporter of British authority and opposed the actions of the Continental Congress. While feuding with Hamilton over the acts of the Continental Congress, Seabury took up the pen name “A.W. Farmer” while responding to Hamilton’s writings.

In Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical Hamilton, the song Farmer Refuted highlights the arguments between Seabury and Hamilton. Similarly, the fanart below encompasses the emotions behind the song.

In the original song, Hamilton is able to express the unfair treatment of the colonies through dialog while Seabury discuss the harm revolution would cause by dissolving the stability that British rule brought to the colonies. In the adapted fanart, Hamilton seems to be arguing directly against Seabury rather than Seabury’s beliefs. Moreover, the fanart makes Hamilton look as though he is making an enemy out of Seabury while Seabury seems more level headed. The fanart makes the dialogue between the two seem public as though it occurred at the center of town. This is indicated by the stage on which they stand, the town hall in the background, and the throng surrounding the stage. In addition, the placement of Hamilton face behind the sun and in color along with his irate facial expression makes Hamilton seem more passionate about his cause than Seabury. Overall, the fanart gives the impression that Seabury was spreading his message to condemn the Continental Congress before Hamilton dramatically grabs his writings and tears them apart.

In my own statistical analysis of the play Hamilton, I believe I can make comparisons among details in the original musical rather than simply focusing on main ideas. For example, rather than counting the number of mentions of George Washington during songs pertaining to the Revolutionary War, I will try to focus on the context of those mentions—such as if Washington’s allies or enemies discuss him more among different musicals about American Independence.

Proposal for Remix and Adaptation Project

by

By: Keval Bollavaram

For my Remix and Adaptation Project, I intend to perform a statistical analysis between Hamiltonand other musicals from the past few decades. Specifically, I will be using MATLAB to compare the lengths of major plot points, script time for protagonists versus antagonists, and lengths of major events. In addition, I will be cross referencing the relevance of major characters to major events within each play.

Keeping to the theme of the class, I will be analyzing musicals from the same time period as Hamilton. By doing this, I believe that I can quantify why Hamilton has been labeled as a transformative musical relative to previous popular musicals of the same genre. In addition to Hamilton, the musicals that I intend on analyzing include 1776,Valley Forge, and A New World: A Life of Thomas Paine.

In each of these musicals, I will start by comparing script time for main characters. Some of these characters will include ubiquitous founding fathers figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton. Afterwards, I will compare the relative importance of the main protagonists in each musical. Furthermore, I will cross reference the importance of specific characters with important historical events. For example, I will calculate the number of times George Washington is mentioned in each play in regards to the Revolutionary War. I will calculate fifteen to twenty cross references of this type.

After collecting all the data, I will use Microsoft Excel to create several graphical representations of my work. Moreover, I will provide my written analysis of the data collected and describe any statistically significant differences between Hamiltonand each of the other musicals.

In regards to WOVEN skills, I believe this project will help me overcome my weakness in writing by combining my writing skills with my strength in digital skills. Additionally, the goal of my project is to quantify what makes Hamilton a revolutionary play compared to similar plays. Because I have taken multiple programming classes in the past and have worked with MATLAB for prior research projects, I have the skillset to complete this project. Lastly, through the conclusions that I will draw and the graphical representations of my work, I believe my work will uniquely adapt Hamilton the musical.

My Writing About My Writing

by

By: Keval Bollavaram

My ideal writing practices would include working in a quiet place for several hours with the ability to finish any writing assignment in one sitting. In actuality, I usually take breaks and complete writing assignments after several days. While I would not consider myself to be much of a procrastinator, I have a tendency to only writing what comes to mind before switching to a different task. This extends to my research style as well, where I am a more efficient at learning/internalizing new material rather than paraphrasing a cited source. This way I am able to quickly transition from thought to thought without much hesitation.

I find that I am generally able to work in any sort of writing environment. My writing process is mostly internal, uninfluenced by outside distractions. On one hand, this is great because I can work around friends and family without feeling inefficient. On the other hand, I cannot simply find a new place to work whenever I feel stuck. Moreover, I do require different thought processes for different writing prompts. For example, over the years I have mastered analytical and technical writing by learning to be more direct and specific. However, I believe I still have room to improve my creative writing skills to avoid being too banal and misunderstood.

I thrive on deadlines, but I rarely finish any assignment a night before it’s due. For me, deadlines keep me organized and convince my brain to stay ahead of schedule. Although, I would not complain if a deadline for an assignment were—hypothetically—extended. Additionally, deadlines allow me to keep track of my prewriting schedule. For prewriting, normally I jot down a list of ideas then begin to write. As I write, I integrate new topics by adding them to the bottom of the page. After completing a few paragraphs, I revise and reorganize my work.

Some of Hamilton’s greatest contributions to American literature were his essays in The Federalist Papers.

Has Early Ambition of Leaders Changed with Time?

by

By: Keval Bollavaram

Reading through the genius.com annotations of Alexander Hamiltonand researching founding fathers for my historical annotation project, I am surprised at how young some of the founding fathers were when the Declaration of Independence was signed. Hamilton himself was only 21 years old, and Aaron Burr was 20. This has led me to ponder whether the percentage of young ambitious minds who “take their shot” early on in their lives has diminished over the last few centuries. After comparing the accomplishments of Alexander Hamilton and other founding fathers when they were young to the early achievements of highly successful and influential people today, I believe that many successful people today still had much talent and ambition in their youth.

However, it is important to realize that the problems faced by the founding fathers are drastically different than those encountered by the leaders of today. Take, for example, Elon Musk—the founder of SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and many other innovative organizations—at just 28 years of age he became a founding member in PayPal, which is now one of the biggest online payment services in the world. Like Hamilton, Musk had fierce competition from his peers who he did not always see eye to eye with. Musk had to overcome being ousted as CEO due to his desire to switch from the Unix platform to Microsoft. He would go on to create the aforementioned companies.

Another innovator who started young, Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon, started Amazon as an online book rental service. During the early days of his company, he would deliver books himself. Similarly to Hamilton, Bezos did not have strong familial support when he was young. He had a teen mother who divorced his biological father before giving Jeff up for adoption. Below is a video of Jeff Bezos during the early days of Amazon.

While the leaders of today did not have to fight for independence, they did have to overcome major hurdles in order to establish their vision and impart it on the world.

Addressing Washington’s Farewell Address

by

By: Keval Bollavaram

For my Historical Annotation Project, I chose George Washington’s Farewell Address. George Washington originally wrote his farewell along with James Madison at the end of his first term. However, after serving a second term he revised his message due to disputes between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Moreover, this document was first published in the American Daily Advertiser.

I remember learning about the historical importance of George Washington’s Farewell Address in my high school history class. This document represents the hopes of George Washington for the country after experiencing the disagreements between members of his own cabinet. I chose this document because it shows how many of Washington’s fears have come to fruition. Specially, Washington warns against powerful and established political parties that would divide the young nation and lead to either division or invasion.

Researching George Washington has become intertwined with researching the Revolutionary War and conflicts between the Founding Fathers. For example, Washington references mistakes he made during the war and hopes that the people of the United States will forgive him. Here he is referencing his failures as commander and chief as well as he defeats during the Revolutionary war such as his tactical loss and retreat from New York.

In order to connect his ideas through my annotations, some of my beginning research work focuses on the broader history of the time period. Unfortunately, it has been difficult to isolate necessary information from miscellaneous facts. This has caused some of annotations to be long winded and less focused on the text. To overcome these issues, I hope to look over my existing annotations and summarize them. Moving forward, I will focus on specific facts/events that are directly related to George Washington and Alexander Hamilton.

One cool thing that I stumbled upon while conducting my research was this video from Senator Tim Kaine where he explains the importance of George Washington’s Farewell Address and describes how it is recited each year.

Hamilton a Friend, a Fighter, and an Enemy

by

By: Keval Bollavaram

Act I of Hamilton summarizes Hamilton’s life and relationship with his peers. Additionally, Act I establishes the role that each character played before and during the Revolution with the key distinction being between Hamilton and Burr. Lin-Manuel Miranda effectively uses repetition throughout the first act to emphasis characteristic attributes and make comparisons between individuals. For example, in the song “Alexander Hamilton” the phrase “by being” is repeated to demonstrate the early accomplishments of Hamilton as well as his impressive character. Furthermore, in the song “Wait for It” Lin-Manuel repeats specific phrases to show the differences in the thought process of Hamilton versus Aaron Burr. When describing Burr, Lin-Manuel repeats the phrases “Wait for it,” but he uses the phrase “climb” to describe how Hamilton takes risks while Aaron Burr demands certainty.

While many songs in Act I include repetition, Lin-Manuel utilizes other literary devices to shift the audience’s attention and misdirect the audience. For example, “Guns and Ships” starts by describing a “secret weapon,” which is “an immigrant you [the audience] know and love.” In the minds of the audience, this hero is Hamilton; however, it turns out the hero is Lafayette, a French officer who would help forge an alliance between the U.S. and France. Additionally, Lin-Manuel uses contradiction in the song “Ten Duel Commandments” when Burr asks Hamilton, “can we agree that duels are dumb and immature?” This phrase is a harbinger for the Hamilton’s own demise during his duel with Burr.

Beyond including highly symbolic sequences, Lin-Manuel infuses historical references to build the plot of the musical. In the song “Guns and Ships,” the characters discuss bringing France into the war in order to end the war in Yorktown. Moreover, George Washington finally gives Hamilton a chance to command troops in Yorktown. The distinctions between Hamilton and Burr are emphasized at the end of the first act. In “Non-Stop,” Hamilton attempts to convince Burr to help write the Federalist Papers in order to defend the creation of the U.S. Constitution. Because Burr is uncertain, Hamilton along with James Madison and John Jay write the Federalist Papers without Burr. These documents are still used today to understand how the founders interpreted the Constitution.

The first act explains Hamilton’s rise to power and his influence while planting the seeds for future conflicts. At the end of the act, there is tension between Hamilton and Burr, the former becomes Treasury Secretary while the latter is still waiting for his chance.

Document Transcription: Keval Bollavaram

by

Title: George Washington’s Farewell Address

Author: George Washington

Date of Origin: 19 September 1796

Link: https://context.montpelier.org/document/715#passage-2

 

Document Excerpt:

[1]Why forego the advantages of so peculiar a situation? [2]Why quit our own to stand upon foreign ground? [3]Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European Ambition, Rivalship, Interest, Humour or Caprice?

[4]‘Tis our true policy to steer clear of permanent Alliances, with any portion of the foreign World–So far, I mean, as we are now at liberty to do it–[5]for let me not be understood as capable of patronising infidility to existing engagements, [6](I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is always the best policy)–[7]I repeat it therefore, Let those engagements. be observed in their genuine sense. [8]But in my opinion, it is unnecessary and would be unwise to extend them.

[9]Taking care always to keep ourselves, by suitable establishments, on a respectably defensive posture, we may safely trust to temporary alliances for extraordinary emergencies.

[10]Harmony, liberal intercourse with all Nations, are recommended by policy, humanity and interest. [11]But even our Commercial policy should hold an equal and impartial hand: neither seeking nor granting exclusive favours or preferences; consulting the natural course of things; [12]diffusing & deversifying by gentle means the streams of Commerce, but forcing nothing; establishing with Powers so disposed–in order to give to trade a stable course, [13]to define the rights of our Merchants, and to enable the Government to support them–conventional rules of intercourse; [14]the best that present circumstances and mutual opinion will permit, but temporary, & liable to be from time to time abandoned or varied, as experience and circumstances shall dictate; [15]constantly keeping in view, that ’tis folly in one Nation to look for disinterested favors from another–[16]that it must pay with a portion of its Independence for whatever it may accept under that character–[17]that by such acceptance, it may place itself in the condition of having given equivalents for nominal favours and yet of being reproached with ingratitude for not giving more. [18]There can be no greater error than to expect, or calculate upon real favours from Nation to Nation. [19]‘Tis an illusion which experience must cure, which a just pride ought to discard.

[20]In offering to you, my Countrymen, these counsels of an old and affectionate friend, I dare not hope they will make the strong and lasting impression, [21]I could wish–that they will controul the usual current of the passions, or prevent our Nation from running the course which has hitherto marked the Destiny of Nations: [22]But if I may even flatter myself, that they may be productive of some partial benefit, some occasional good; [23]that they may now & then recur to moderate the fury of party spirit, to warn against the mischiefs of foreign Intriegue, to guard against the Impostures of pretended patriotism–[24]this hope will be a full recompence for the solicitude for your welfare, by which they have been dictated.

[25]How far in the discharge of my Official duties, I have been guided by the principles which have been delineated, [26]the public Records and other evidences of my conduct must witness to You and to the world. [27]To myself, the assurance of my own conscience is, that I have at least believed myself to be guided by them.

[28]In relation to the still subsisting War in Europe, my Proclamation of the 22d of April 1793 is the index to my Plan. [29]Sanctioned by your approving voice and by that of Your Representatives in both Houses of Congress, [30]the spirit of that measure has continually governed me; uninfluenced by any attempts to deter or divert me from it.

 

Works Cited

Alchin, Linda. “George Washington.” Facts: US History for Kids ***, Siteseen Limited, 9 Jan. 2018, www.american-historama.org/1790-1800-new-nation/neutrality-proclamation-1793.htm.

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Monroe Doctrine.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 18 Dec.  2017, www.britannica.com/event/Monroe-Doctrine.

Cornwell, Rupert. “George Washington: The Father of the Nation.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 20  Sept. 2012, www.independent.co.uk/news/presidents/george-washington-the-father-of-the-nation-1391109.html.

Erb, Kelly Phillips. “How Former President Washington Dealt With The First Real Tax Crisis In America.” Forbes, Forbes  Magazine, 15 Feb. 2016, www.forbes.com/sites/kellyphillipserb/2016/02/15/how-former-president-washington-dealt-with-the-first-real-tax-crisis-in-america/#2034094d2943.

Freeman, Joanne B. “Challenges George Washington Faced as America’s First President.” George Washington’s Mount Vernon, www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/the-first-president/5-challenges-of-being-americas-first-president/.

Ferling, John. “The American Historical Review.” The American Historical Review, vol. 102, no. 4, 1997, pp. 1221–1222. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2170758.

“French Alliance, French Assistance, and European Diplomacy during the American Revolution, 1778–1782.” U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State, history.state.gov/milestones/1776-1783/french-alliance.

“George Washington’s Economic Policy.” Political Economy, Political Economy, 2010, political-economy.com/george-washingtons-economic-policy/.

“George Washington’s Farewell Address.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 13 June 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington%27s_Farewell_Address.

“George Washington – Key Events.” Miller Center, 27 July 2017, millercenter.org/president/george-washington/key-events.

“Hamilton’s Financial Plan.” Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association, 2018, www.ushistory.org/us/18b.asp.

Hostetler, Michael J. “Washington’s Farewell Address: Distance as Bane and Blessing.” Rhetoric & Public Affairs, vol. 5 no. 3, 2002, pp. 393-407. Project MUSE, doi:10.1353/rap.2002.0048

Jamison, Denis. “George Washington’s Views on Political Parties in America.” The Washington Times, The Washington Times, 31 Dec. 2014, www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/dec/31/george-washingtons-views-political-parties-america/.

Kober, Stanley. “NATO: The End of the Permanent Alliance.” Global Dialogue, vol. 11, 2009, pp. 74-81. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/211513616?accountid=11107.

Malanson, Jeffrey J. “”if I had it in His Hand-Writing I would Burn it”: Federalists and the Authorship Controversy Over George Washington’s Farewell Address, 1808-1859.” Journal of the Early Republic, vol. 34, no. 2, 2014, pp. 219-242. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.prx.library.gatech.edu/docview/1523929489?accountid=11107.

Richardson, J.D. “FAREWELL ADDRESS (1796).” About the USA > Arts > Music, usa.usembassy.de/etexts/democrac/49.htm.

Rosen, Stephen P. “Blood Brothers: The Dual Origins of American Bellicosity.” The American Interest, vol. 4, no. 6, Jul, 2009, pp. 20-28. ProQuest, http://prx.library.gatech.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.prx.library.gatech.edu/docview/224657814?accountid=11107.

“Thomas Jefferson – Key Events.” Miller Center, Miller Center, 1 Aug. 2017, millercenter.org/president/thomas-jefferson/key-events.

ushistory.org. “Farewell Address.” Ushistory.org, Independence Hall Association, 2018, www.ushistory.org/us/17d.asp.

“Washington’s Farewell Address, 1796.” U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State, 2017,  history.state.gov/milestones/1784-1800/washington-farewell.

 

 

 

[1] Washington begins this section with several rhetorical questions. Scholars believe that Washington had a very complex rhetorical style. Generally, he starts with inspirational connotation. Here he uses words such “advantageous.” Near the end of his rhetorical statements, Washington expresses his main point. Here his main point is to avoid political relationships with Europe.

[2] Washington lists several rhetorical questions at the beginning of this section. He wants the citizens of America to consider the benefits (if any) of war with other countries. This statement is the beginning of Washington’s argument for American Isolationism. A policy that continued for more than one hundred and fifty years.

[3] Due to the constant war between European powers especially England and France, Washington wanted to avoid alliances specially with Europe. He believed that foreign nations would have their own agendas and, therefore, could not be trusted. This meant that the previous alliance with France had to be dissolved.

[4] In 1997, the post-Cold War United States Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, admitted that the United States was part of a permanent alliance with the other countries of NATO. This goes directly against Washington’s wish despite his realization that the United States now has the ability to choose its allies.

[5] Here Washington would like to dissolve political connections with foreign nations and promote a period of American Isolationism—a policy later adopted by Federalists. Legislation such as the Treaty of Mortefontaine ended the alliance established in the 1778 Treaty of Alliance with France. However, economic trading with France and other European countries still continued.

[6] Washington agreed to a second term in office despite his desire to retire. However, after the second term he wanted to return to private life back at Mt. Vernon due to the continued stress of public life. Here he hopes that the principles that guide his personal life can also guide the nation.

[7] The alliance between the U.S. and France determined by the Treaty of Alliance in 1778 continued until 1800. This alliance was still in place during the Quasi-war, an incident between the United States and France where France began to commandeer U.S. trading ships. This event, however, took place during the Adams administration, which Washington had no control over.

[8] Washington agreed that previous alliances such as with France should be upheld until they expire. However, these alliances should not be renewed upon expiration. The Convention of 1800 did lead to the dissolution of the alliance between the U.S. and France. Additionally, the U.S. followed this isolationist policy for over a century.

[9] Washington once again points towards the importance of isolationism. This policy would be pursued by James Monroe, who despite being an anti-Federalist put into place the Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine had five major points, which declared the western hemisphere separate from the east and closed to any colonization of existing civilizations.

[10] As Treasury Secretary, established writer, and personal advisor to Washington, Alexander Hamilton is thought to have written and revised large portions of Washington’s Farewell Address. As Treasury Secretary, there is a good chance that he assisted with clauses in the farewell address that dealt with economic policy. Federalists desperately tried to prevent the public from knowing Hamilton’s influence on this document in order to make the document seem like universal policy.

[11] Washington believed in free trade with all nations without any barriers to entry. This includes limited but equal tariffs with all other nations and no trade embargos. These policies differed from that of the anti-Federalists including the Jefferson administration, which heavily favored domestic farming and limited manufacturing to support the United States economy.

[12] Compared to the Jefferson Administration, the Washington Administration believed in establishing a diversified economy capable of competing with other nations. This policy, however, led to foreign competition, which Jefferson saw as a threat to domestic enterprise. Jefferson, however, did remove certain taxes such as the tax on whiskey, which he believed contradicted the beliefs that led to the Revolutionary War.

[13] Washington and many of the founding fathers believed in a strongly capitalist economy with no intervention from the federal government. This was in large part due to the strongly economically centralized governments of Europe. Washington and other founding fathers believed that merchants could help the U.S. economy without taxation from the federal government.

[14] Hamilton is credited with editing and writing portions of Washington’s Farewell Address. As Treasury Secretary, Hamilton put in place policies to pay back money the government borrowed during the Revolutionary War as credit. For example, he put in place a government bond system to pay back creditors despite the value of their credit becoming useless after the war. His willingness to pay back bonds at full value helped garner trust between the people and the federal government.

[15] While Washington was against choosing favorites when it came to building economic or political alliances with other countries, he was completely comfortable in choosing his domestic political allies. For example, he clearly favored Alexander Hamilton over Thomas Jefferson. However, this preference would become one of the reasons why Federalists built their principles based on Washington’s texts.

[16] Washington believes that unfair economic favors relate to a countries independence. Specially, he believes that a country that provides unfair economic favors with one country over another trades their freedom because that country would no longer be neutral in future conflicts. This statement summarizes Washington’s view of free global trade.

[17]Here Washington believes that providing unfair advantages to countries would make the United States look untrustworthy. Other countries would seek constant favors from the United States seeing their trading alliance as a political alliance. Additionally, Washington believes this would make the United States an easy target for enemies of their trading partners.

[18] Among his top advisors, Washington chose Hamilton to be Treasury Secretary first because the two of them agreed on many policies. Other advisors were Henry Knox, who was chosen as Secretary of War and Thomas Jefferson chosen as Secretary of State. Henry Knox was chosen exactly one day after Alexander Hamilton.

[19] After the Revolutionary War, plays were created across the country that reenacted the events of the War and development of the Constitution. The Founding Fathers were not amused by the plays because they believed the plays would misrepresent the meaning of independence. They wanted the nation to slowly build itself up on the world stage through experience.

[20] Washington faced many challenges as the first president of the United States. Most importantly, he had to establish presidential authority. Many of the precedents that he set for the Executive Branch have endured the test of time and have helped maintain a balance of power between the three branches of government.

[21] Washington begins his list of hopes and wishes for the nation. Washington could not imagine the United States as a world superpower; therefore, he believed any foreign action would destroy the independence that the founders worked hard to create and defend.

[22] Despite his attempts to stay neutral, Washington occasionally had to take sides. For example, when securing trade agreements with Great Britain he aligned himself with Federalists. This displeased many anti-Federalists including Thomas Jefferson who resigned as Secretary of State shortly after Washington made the agreement with Great Britain.

[23] While Washington did not believe in strong overbearing political parties, he realized the importance of strength in numbers when passing and enforcing legislation. From ratifying the constitution to Jay’s Treaty, Washington may not have wished for strong political parties, but political parties ultimately helped pass major legislation during his presidency.

[24] Washington is expressing the capitalistic beliefs of the Founding Fathers. They believed that the government should avoid involvement in the welfare of any citizen. This strayed from many other governments and put a lot of trust in the hands of the citizens in order to build the economy.

[25] Being of English descent, Washington was a loyal British citizen. However, after witnessing the taxation of goods by the British, he met with the Virginia delegation to boycott British goods. This lead to his rise in prominence in the colonies and his eventually role as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

[26] George Washington hopes to leave behind a legacy not only for future generations of Americans but also for the entire world. He wishes that his experiences and beliefs will live through his writings and public accounts of his character. Moreover, he hopes that he has put his country on the right path to success.

[27] Since he was 21 years old, Washington led others. He commanded a surprise attack on the French during the French and Indian War. Although he was successfully at first, the French retaliated and forced Washington to retreat. This early experience and failure would establish Washington as a strong leader and build his political philosophy.

[28] On April 22nd, 1793, Washington issued the Neutrality Proclamation. This proclamation, firstly, stated that the United States would remain neutral in any conflicts between France and Great Britain. In addition, the proclamation made it illegal for an American citizen to provide aid if any two countries were at war not involving the United States.

[29] Washington is defending his 1793 Proclamation of Neutrality by indirectly stating that it was the people who chose this path forward. He does this by pointing to Congress, a representative body for the people of the United States. Here he is expressing how the government should work: the people vote on representatives who express the views of their constituents on the floor of Congress.

[30] At the end of this section, Washington has once again added his complex rhetorical style. Washington’s belief in the newly established government has convinced him that the country can continue to succeed with his leadership. He is ending this section by inspiring and revealing the main idea of this section—the United States will prosper if it follows the path he and the other founders have laid.

Introduction: Keval Bollavaram

by

Hello, everyone. My name is Keval Bollavaram. I am a Biomedical Engineering major, and I hope to graduate in May 2021. I am in the online section of this course; however, I am still on campus because I hope to pursue research opportunities while occasionally visiting my family. Beyond this course and research, I will also be taking physics II online as well.  A little bit more about me, I played guitar for six years and violin for three years. Outside of academics, I am a huge fan of tennis and enjoy the riskiness of investing in the stock market.

I have not taken any other English courses at Georgia Tech, but—for the most part—my past experience with English classes have been positive. To date, my favorite English class was my AP Language and Composition class. We looked at a wide variety of material in this course and while some of the material in this course did not interest me, every text improved my reading comprehension skills. Moreover, my teacher was very enthusiastic and attentive to the needs of each student.

I am a decent visual and nonverbal communicator. However, the forms of communication I enjoy the most are electronic and visual. I believe I need to improve my written and oral forms of communication. I struggle most with these topics, but I hope to have many opportunities to improve and makes these modes of communications strengths rather than weaknesses.

I do not have many experiences with musicals albeit I have some prior knowledge of Hamilton. During this musical’s rise to prominence, I was taking AP U.S. History, and in class we made one or two loose connections to the musical while studying the time period. Other than this, I have few experiences with both musicals and hip-hop. Currently, I am apathetic about both of these subjects, but I am eager to learn/experience something new.