History chapter 17 script
- 1. Chapter 17 Script Characters: USA - Zach Britain - Alice Mexico - Elena Harrison - Elena Russia – Vlad Polk – Vlad Tyler Too –Vlad Costumes: US is a cowboy Brit: is a gentleman with a teacup Mexico is a Mexican (sombrero) Russia is just Vlad Polk is a guy in a suit w/ a bow tie (we can make one) Tyler Too looks like polk but with a different colored tie Webster is also in same suit but holds a dictionary and wears a wig for the whig party. All using respective accents We can introduce characters by having the video pause for 2 seconds and having an arrow and their name show up. In class: Hello class, today we will be watching a video reviewing all the delightful knowledge you will learn in Chapter 17. We didn’t exactly bring you popcorn, but I’m sure you’ll enjoy the movie anyways. Scene 1 Show 4 main characters with their name names on screen, as an intro (on screen, US and GB) US: Howdy Great Britain! GB: Good day to you America. US: How about a casual game of monopoly that just happens to parallel all of the events from 1841-1848’s Manifest Destiny? (large letters of our chapter title appear for 3 seconds and horn trumpet sounds) GB: sounds grand. Let’s get at it. Oh but look, who’s that? (Russia and Mexico walk by) GB: It’s Russia (zoom on vlad) and Mexico (zoom on elena)! US: Want to join us for a game of monopoly? RU & Mex: Sure! (they all sit in a circle with US opposite to the camera) Mexico: Okay, I’ll set up. (Mexico carelessly dumps all the pieces onto the ground. Zoom in on mess) US: Sigh, that mess sure reminds me of the political situation in America around the 1841 election…. (fade into next scene like a memory)
- 2. (Harrison is writing some important papers and all of a sudden falls over and dies) (Text on screen: Oh no, Harrison has contracted pneumonia and died!) Tylor: (Tylor jumps in like a super hero) Don’t fear America, cuz I am here! I was Harrison’s vice president, but now I will take over as president for 204 weeks. I will be nicknamed “Tylor Too”. I will be a Democrat at heart and will contradict many of the Whig Party ideas. I will veto the Banks of United States and lowered the tariff. Bye! (back to monopoly. Zoomed in on US and slowly zooms out to show him spacing out while game is all set up) US: oh sorry, where was I? RU: wow, your nation seems to have a lot going on…. US: oh no, don’t worry about it. Well, let’s start. Let me go first. GB: Wait. No I want to go first. I’m obviously the superior nation since I’ve been around for a tad longer than you. MEX: Oh no, this sounds like the start of the “Third War with England” (words appear on screen) or also called the “war of words”. This war was only fought with writing where both America and Great Britain wrote terrible things about one another. (In background, America and Britain are throwing paper balls at each other. Zoom in on them fight after the speech. Britain steps on a toy boat.) US: What did you do that for! You just attacked and burned a US boat called “Caroline” at the Niagara Falls. (shakes fists angrily) GB: well, you can be angry all you want, I’m going first. (rolls. Zoom in on dice. 4. moves to a space called “Maine”. Zoom in on space) Delightful. I think I’ll build a road through Maine connecting Halifax and Quebec. Banker (Vlad), how much will that cost? US: Hold it right there. Who said you could just build a road through my land as a defensive precaution? (fighting intermission screen) GB: Fine. How about a compromise? Brit will send Lord Ashburton and you will send Daniel Webster to get together and negotiate. They will decide to give Americans 7,000mi2 of the 12,000mi2 of land in dispute, but Britain will be allowed to build the road in a Webster- Ashburton Treaty. Is that fair? US: fine. Now back to the game…. (Mex takes the dice and rolls a 6. lands on Texas) Mex: Hm, that reminds me. I’ve been having some trouble with my son, Texas, recently. RU: Aw really? Why don’t you tell us about it? MEX: well, I’ve treated him like my own province, but all Texas wants is to be free. I’ve even threatened America with war if he helped Texas. But then Texas went and made treaties and new friends with France, Holland, and Belgium. Oh what a bad son. And Britain wanted to have relations with Texas so then he could try to make Texas tear America apart. (copied straight from online notes lol) US: But hear this. right at the end of John Tyler’s (flash pic of Tyler) term in 1845, he managed to get Texas annexed as the 28th state of the US. MEX: You, America, are a thief! How dare you despoil texas from me! Curse youuuu! US: Oh please, you didn’t even treat him kindly! You were constantly denying his rights.
- 3. RU: enough talk. It’s my turn now. (rolls and lands on Oregon) Eh, I don’t really think I want that. I think I’ll stop my expansion at 54* 40’ in those other treaties in ‘24 and ‘25 Cellphone: ring ring ring RU: oh its my phone. Hold on, let me get this. Hello? Spain, is that you? (show a picture of Penélope Cruz to represent Spain) You’re calling to say you no long want your claims to Oregon either? Alright. (takes out notebook, jotting down notes like taking orders at a restraurant) so you want to give up your rights in the Florida Treaty of 1819? Is that all? Alright, sounds good. Thanks for your order. Talk to you later. But oh wait, we /are/ going to go watch Harry potter next Friday right? Great! Well bye! (hangs up) ahhh, sorry about that. I guess that means, someone else can have this square. (moves token out of Oregon) Let’s get back to the game. GB: (rolls dice and lands on Oregon) US: finally! It’s my turn. (rolls and lands on Oregon. Hands dice to GB) GB: Ahh, this looks like a land dispute…. We, both Britain and America, want this land of Oregon, don’t we? But look here America, I has claims to this land longer than you did and er even have a treaty saying I can stay here in Oregon. Plus, I have the Hudson Bay Company here that helped settle a huge part of Oregon north of the Columbia River. I also have a respectable fur trade business set up there. See? Look at this nice hat I have as proof (shows furry hat or w/e). US: hmpf! Well, US a has lots of explorers in the area and we even named the Columbia river! We also have a lot of settlers there. Hey, I have a plan. How about this: want to split the Oregon territory at the 49th parallel? :D GB: (takes out map, consults map, zoom in on map) hm…. (Traces Columbia river and 49th with finger) What??!!! No! if we split it there, then I’ll lose control over the Columbia River! That river is mine! Mine! I need it for my precious trade! But you know what would work? We can have “JOINT OCCUPATION” US: Fine. I agree. (Turns around and mutters to himself like doc kimmel) mwahaha, but now is the perfect time to instigate an “OREGON FEVER”, a time when thousands of Americans will migrate over to the west over the Oregon Trail. With our increased population in that area, we will eventually take it over!!! Mwahahah! MEX: well guys…. This game is sure going for a long time. Time for an intermission! :D Polk Election Commercial (open curtains; digitally added) Polk: oh hey America of 1844! I’m running for prez for the Democratic party! I so won this. Henry Clay, from the Whig party, didn’t even stand a chance against me. Since I stand for the democrats, I was nicknamed “Young Hickory”. I promise to protect texas and avoid the issue of slavery. As many American people believe, the 1840s and the 1850s are a great time to spread our ideals of “MANIFEST DESTINY”. What that, you say? That’s the ideal that God had "manifestly" destined the American people to spread their democratic institutions over the entire continent and over South America as well. How important does that sound? Well, we democrats support this. and you did too! Thanks for voting for me, Polk the Democrat! :D (Polks stands in front of a podium. Audience is rest of group dressed down) (text on screen: Polk addresses the people as their new president)
- 4. Polk: *ahem* Good Morning America! I would like to take this time to announce my plans for the next four years of your american life. I would like and will be able to 1. A lower tariff. As we will see, Robert J. Walker- Secretary of Treasury to James Polk; devised the Walker Tariff of 1846, a tariff-for-revenue bill that reduced the rates of the Tariff of 1842 from 32% to 25%. 2. I want to restore the independent treasury, which the Whigs dropped in 1841 because the Whigs won the presidency. For points 3 and 4, I want to acquire California and settle the Oregon dispute without violence. As we will see, Britain later presents me with the Oregon Country up to 49 parallel. The offer was approved and a reasonable compromise was reached without a shot fired. Audience: *clap clap clap* (on screen, added on movie editor, Now back to the show) (four nations sitting around board, all looking like they’re thinking very hard. US: hmm.. I suppose its my turn now. (takes dice and rolls onto California) Lucky! I just wanted California, The Bear Flag Republic! Did you know that most of California’s population in 1845 was Spanish-mexicans or Indian? Either way! I would like to buy this land. Can I Mexico? You guys owe me $3 mil anyways. MEX: Uhhh, are you talking? Remember? We’re not on friendly terms right now and I’m going to give you the silent treatment. US: (Sad Face) Can we have Texas then? MEX: If you touch my precious texas, I’ll declare war. US: fine. Then I’ll just have to send John Slidell to Mexico to do the negotiations for texas instead. MEX: for what? $25 mil? That’s way too little! I’m offended! US: If you’re unwilling to compromise, then I declare the Mexican-American War of 1846! Now I’ll send Zachary Taylor and his troops to Rio Grande to protect Texas. MEX: Ha! You think you’re so good! But I’ll send Mexicans troops and attack you first! US: Oh no! a secret battle plan! How dare they shed American blood on American Soil!! But how will I defeat mexico now? Oh I have a genious plan! I’ll let Santa Anna, the evil Mexican dictator back into the country to betray it! Huzzah! Great plan! MEX: fool! Santa anna betrays you as soon as you let him back in and now he leads the Mexicans against the American invaders. US: no matter! I still have a few tricks up my sleeve called General Stephen W. Kearny and General Winfield Scott. Kearny led led 1,700 troops to Santa Fe. General Zachary Tylor, the first general I sent, won many victories including a great victory over a large Mexican force at Buena Vista. Last but not least, we have the all important General Scott who succeeded in battling his way up to Mexico City by September 1847 which happened to be one of the most important American military annuls. But anyways, I want to end this war quickly. I guess I’ll just have to send my chief clerk of the state department, Nicholas P. Triste to do some negotiation with Santa Anna. Cell phone: ring ring irng US: (picks up. pauses) oh what good news! Triste has managed to negotiate a Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo on February 2, 1848. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo gave Texas to America and yielded the area stretching westward to Oregon and the ocean, including California,
- 5. for a cost of $15 million. Southerners realized that the South would do well not to want all of Mexico because Mexico was anti-slavery. but The treaty was opposed by those who wanted all of Mexico and those who wanted none of it. All: horray! And that’s the end of the Mexican-American War RU: wow, that sure was a lot of work. But I heard, it provided field experience for the officers destined to become generals in the Civil War, including Captain Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant. Also, The Mexican War brought about the conflict of slavery between the states since the new areas were all pro-slavery. Finally, David Wilmot- proposed the amendment that stated that the territory from Mexico should remain slave-free. This Wilmot Amendment never passed the Senate because the Southern members did not want to be robbed of possible slave states to arise in the future from the land gain in the Treaty of Guadalupe. GB: thanks for the info Russia. Now back to the game. (rolls and lands on a pick up card square) Okay, this card says, THE END. (ZOOM IN) /end Narrator: I hope you enjoyed the video as much as we enjoyed making it! (which was freaking hard work) But of course these events are all happening at the same time, so here is a handy time chart to explain everything that happened in the right order. Time chart to clear up the events Credits to waste time Bloopers to waste time Vid should be 21 mins 4 minutes for questions and intro and w.e wasted time k guys. This literally took me hours to type up. I EXPECT YOU TO READ IT. Kthxbye Oh and I know the words get a little too informal in places when I was tired, but we can fix that up when we record lol.