Over the course of this term, you have been presented with modules based on varying themes/subjects/topics related to early Colonial/U.S. history.  Given what you have learned this term and in your own words, how can/does the study of early Colonial/U.S. history help us understand the present?  What connections (common threads, recurring similarities/differences) can you make between early Colonial/U.S. history and today?  And in your opinion, what are some of the major contributions – both positive and/or negative – from this time period that are still evident or relevant today?