Questions:

1. Do you think the colonies had good reason to declare Independence? Why?

2. Should one country be able to colonize another? When should a colony be granted Independence?

3. The Bill of Rights guarantees Americans "the right to bear arms". Many Americans still feel this is important for personal safety and in case they need to revolt against their own government, They argue that the Minutemen and the local militias only won the fight for Independence because they had firearms. What do you think? Should everyone have the right to bear arms? All kinds of arms?

4. If you were to present your nation's history in the same way as above, which events would you choose? Why? - List the events and write a couple of sentences about them.

Events in American History

1. Yes, I think the colonies had good reason to declare independence. Great Britain is so far away from the US that it would be absurd if they should be the ones making all the ruling decisions. Besides, they said it themselves: “… all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights: Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

2. I don´t think one country should be able to colonize another. Some hundred years ago it may have been common, as they discovered “new” land all the time, but nowadays I don´t think it would be appropriate if a country made another country a part of itself.  Colonizing is an old-fashioned system of conquest. When the society in the colony has changed enough so that it differs from the colonizing state, it will soon demand its Independence.

3. I don´t think everyone should have the right to bear arms. That is an old law, fashioned to fit the demand for something that would enable the people to protect themselves, in a time where danger was imminent, and the US was a more lawless place than today. In these times, the society is a far safer place than before, and the police should be able to keep things in order. However, to make the Americans give up their right to bear guns will probably be a very difficult task, as they now see it as their legal right to carry it. It would be difficult for many to entrust the responsibility of their safety to the government. However, once the guns vanished from the everyday life, and became harder to come by, it would probably reduce the crime rate in America, although to think that this will ever happen may be a bit naïve.

4. List of historical events: The Viking period was from between 800-1100 AD, At the start of the Viking Period, Norway was not one united country, but many small kingdoms. Harald Fairhair (Harald Hårfagre) became king of a large portion of Norway in 872.

The union between Denmark and Norway: During the 1300s Denmark gained more and more influence over Norway and, in 1397, Norway was absorbed into a formal union with Denmark and Sweden. This union was ruled by a common king. Sweden gradually seceded from the union, but Denmark and Norway remained united until 1814. The union was governed from Denmark. Copenhagen was the cultural centre of the union and Norwegians read and wrote in Danish.

The plague: The Black Death came to Norway in 1349, in short time it had killed a third of the Norwegian population.

The Norwegian constitution: The Norwegian constitution was formed in 1814, and thus we broke free of the Danish grasp.

 WW2: The Nazi invaded us on the 9th of April 1940, and because of that, Norway was dragged into the war.