American History I

1.  What kinds of people did Woodmason like, and what kinds of people didn’t he like?  What kinds of values did he attribute to the people he did like?  What kinds of values did he attribute to the people he didn’t like?

2. One of the ways I like to think about the past is to think about the future.  Every time I feel disappointment in or anger at the generation of people, say, 200 years ago, I think about how people 200 years from now will express disappointment in and anger at me and my generation, which has been exhibiting more than its share of folly.  (What about your generation?)  But let’s flip this around — instead of the tons of folly created by us and surrounding us, what about the ounces of progress?  Is there anything from the present day you think is a truly worthy contribution to the progress of American and world history, which might please rather than disappoint people 200 years from now?