The History of Us

GA 18 & 19

2009-06-02T21:32:00.000-07:00

GA Standard 18 & 19 Review
SSUSH18 The student will describe Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal as a response to the depression and compare the ways governmental programs aided those in need.
SSUSH19 The student will identify the origins, major developments, and the domestic impact of World War II, especially the growth of the federal government.

Fill in the blank using the word pool.
President Franklin Roosevelt offered a “New Deal” to help Americans escape the Great Depression. He succeeded in having many pieces of legislation passed in his first 100 days in office. In 1933, Congress created the Tennessee Valley Authority as a way to employ Americans while accomplishing necessary environmental changes such as flood control. During this time, workers gained additional protections such as collective bargaining. The National Labor Relations (or Wagner) Act of 1935 protected the rights of most workers in the private sector to organize labor unions, engage in collective bargaining, and to take part in strikes and other activities in support of their demands. One very important law was the Social Security Act, which established a system of old-age benefits for workers, benefits for victims of industrial accidents, and others who might have difficulty taking care of themselves.
Eleanor Roosevelt was the wife of Franklin Roosevelt, and was an example of an independent, intelligent woman. President Roosevelt’s plan to reorganize the judiciary was called the “court packing bill”, and allowed Roosevelt to appoint many Supreme Court Justices who were sympathetic to his goals.

Choose the correct leader.
1. Emperor of Japan during WWII. _
2. Led the U.S. during the second half of the Great Depression and WWII. _
3. Head of the Nazis and Germany’s Third Reich. _
4. Prime Minister of Great Britain during WWII. _
5. Dictator of the Soviet Union at the beginning of WWII. _
6. Italy’s WWII Fascist leader. _
A. Franklin Roosevelt B. Adolf Hitler C. Winston Churchill D. Hirohito (Showa) E. Joseph Stalin F. Benito Mussolini

List the battles in correct order and choose their significance. See #1 for example.
1. Attack on Pearl Harbor, C.
2. Battle of the Atlantic, A.
3. Battle of Stalingrad, G.
4. Battle of Midway, B.
5. Battle of Leyte Gulf, E.
6. D-Day, F.
7. Bombing of Nagasaki, D.
A. The continual struggle during WWII for U.S. ships to cross the Atlantic Ocean without destruction from Axis submarines.
B. The ocean battle fought entirely in the air which resulted in the sinking of 4 Japanese carriers.
C. The Japanese attack which brought the U.S. into WWII.
D. The second nuclear strike on Japan which ended WWII.
E. The largest naval battle in history.
F. First day of the Allied invasion of Western Europe.
G. Huge battle in the Soviet Union which ended the expansion in European territory by Germany.

Define

totalitarian: a government that has total control over the nation and citizen lives.
facism: a political philosophy that emphasizes the importance of the nation or an ethnic group, and the supreme authority of the leader over the individual.
Nazism: an extreme form of facism used in Germany.
Axis Powers: during WWII, Italy, Germany, and Japan.
appeasement: giving in to competitor’s demands to preserve the peace.
blitzkrieg: Germany’s “lightning war” method of rapid air and land attack used during WWII.
Allies: in WWII, Great Britain, the U.S., Soviet Union, and other allied nations.
Manchurian Incident: Japan’s seizure of Manchuria in 1932.
cash and carry: U.S. policy that allowed sales of nonmilitary goods to countries engaged in war as long as the nations paid cash and transported the goods themselves.
American First Committee: tried to stop U.S. aid to Great Britain before WWII.
Lend-Lease Act: allowed the president to loan arms to friendly countries.
Selective Training and Service Act: forced male Americans between 21 and 36 to register for military service.
GI: “Government Issue”; slang for a U.S. serviceman.
Office of War Mobilization: agency created to lead other agencies in the war effort.
Liberty ships: large, sturdy merchant ships built during WWII.
victory garden: a home garden to supplement food supplies during WWII.
carpet bombing: dropping large numbers of bombs over a wide area.
concentration camps: places where political prisoners are held.
genocide: deliberate destruction of an entire ethnic or cultural group.
death camps: facilities built to allow executions of large groups of people.

Answer
1. The invasion of what European country by the Soviet Union and Germany began WWII?
Poland.

Bonus: What was the name of the U.S. project which created the first atomic weapons?
The Manhattan Project

Reagan

2009-06-02T21:30:00.001-07:00

GA Standard 25: Ronald Reagan Begin p. 1096
1. When did Reagan win the presidency?

2-4. Briefly describe Regan’s early political career.

5. Explain the American Liberty League.

6. What was the “Great Society”?

7. Who were “Reagan Democrats”?

8. What was the main issue of those in the New Right?

9-11. The three policies Reagan promised to address if elected were:

12. How did Reagan handle the Air Traffic Controllers’ Strike?

13. What would happen under New Federalism?

14. SDI was more commonly known as?

15. What happened in Grenada?

Alternate End-of-year Project

2009-06-02T19:07:00.001-07:00

U.S. History Shirley Alternate End-of-Year Project

Task: create a storyboard, book, or PowerPoint with illustrations for GA Social Studies Standards 10-25. All of these standards can be found online.

Due 19 May.

For each standard, show *at least* one illustration. This can be a picture or painting you have found, or a drawing. If creating a poster, book, or storyboard, label each illustration with a number or letter. On a separate sheet of paper, identify in your own words what each illustration depicts, and give a one or two-sentence explanation of why it is appropriate for each standard.

Example:

“Illustration C shows African-American students entering (name of school) in Mongomery, Alabama, for the first time after integration was ordered. This was a result of the Brown v Board of Education decision, which is covered in GA Standard 22.”

Your sources must be listed on another sheet of paper or at the end of your document. Each must be labeled with a number or letter showing which illustration it is linked with. For each source, you need:

C: Author (Last and first name). Name of publication (book, magazine, website). Date of publication. Location (physical location of publisher, if a book. URL of website, if a web address).

WWI Georgia

2009-05-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

WWI and Georgia

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-3223

1. Georgia had more ___________________ than any other state.

2. President Wilson’s speech in August established the U.S.’s stance of _______________ in the war.

3. What did Hoke Smith say in 1915?

4. Royal Navy ships prevented Georgia merchant ships from reaching markets in

_________________ and ____________________.

5. WWI contributed to the “____________________________” of African-Americans from rural to urban areas.

6.-8. Give a brief description of the entrance of the U.S. into WWI. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
9-10. Describe the Otranto disaster.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bonus: describe Georgia’s WWI experience with influenza.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ga Standard 22 Review

2009-04-29T05:36:00.000-07:00

GA Standard 22 Review Begin p. 930

a. _________________ ordered the integration of the the U.S. military and the federal government.
b. ______________ ____________________ was the first African-American professional baseball player. His first season was in __________.
c. The case which forced integration on the states was ________ v. _________ of _____________ in 1951 and efforts to resist the decision were made by states beginning with _____________.
d. Two of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s important works were _______ from _________ _______ and his __ ______ __ ________ speech.
e. President Johnson helped pass the _______ ________ Act of 1964. After television footage in Selma, Alabama of African-Americans being abused while attempting to _______, the _________ _______ Act of 1965 was passed. The 24th Amendment outlawed the _________ tax.

Philanthropic You

2009-03-19T12:44:00.000-07:00

Philanthropic You Quiz Grade due by 24 March
GA Standard 18 Shirley

Begin: review the assistance agencies listed on “The New Deal”, then on another sheet of paper,

Create a new Federal assistance agency to operate during the Great Depression. List

1. Who the new agency will help;
2. How the agency will deliver this help;
3. What people must do to qualify;
4. Give Constitutional justification for the creation of this agency;
5. Name the agency.

Cooperative Work

If you would like to work cooperatively, one student must answer 1-5. The other student will either create a song describing the agency and telling Americans where to apply for assistance, or create drawings showing illustrations of 1, 2, 3 & 5.

Ga Standard 15 Quiz

2009-03-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

GA Standard 15 Quiz and Study Guide

SSUSH15 The student will analyze the origins and impact of U.S. involvement in World War I.
a. The United States was a __________ nation at the beginning of World War I, which began with the assassination of Archduke _____________ in ___________. The main reason the U.S. became involved was unrestricted ____________ warfare by the _________. This first became a major issue with the sinking of the ______________, with her loss of 128 Americans.
b. Some of the changes in the U.S. because of World War I included the __________ ___________ Act, which passed in May of __________ and authorized a draft. The ________ Industries __________ oversaw war-related production, and the Lever _________ and __________ Control Act gave the president the power to control food and fuel for the war effort. The __________ Act of 1917 made interference with the draft illegal, and the _________ Act of 1918 made criticizing the U.S. way of life against the law. Socialist _________ __________ was given a 10-yr jail sentence for criticizing the government and urging Americans to “resist militarism”.
c. President Woodrow ___________’s plan for world peace was called the __________ Points. He wanted an end to __________ treaties, and planned a group called the __________ of ____________, which he hoped would help ensure world peace.
d. The ___________ Amendment, established ___________ and the _________ Amendment, established ___________ suffrage in ___________.

GA Standard 16 Quiz

2009-03-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

US History Study Guide and Quiz
SSUSH16 The student will identify key developments in the aftermath of WW I.
a. The _____________ _____________, led by Vladimir Lenin in __________ was one event that helped lead to the “__________ ___________”. Attorney General _________ was discredited after a communist plot on the U.S. failed to happen. One of the ways the U.S. attempted to protect itself from communism was ___________ on immigrants.
b. __________ ____________ developed the Model T, and his factory methods greatly advanced _____________ ______________ in factories.
c. ____________ with sound were first shown in the 1920s.
d. Louis Armstrong was a __________ player who helped make _______ music popular.

Russian Revolution Red Scare 1917 trumpet mass production jazz restrictions
Henry Ford Palmer movies

Bonus: What president, after a series of scandals including ____________ Dome, died suddenly as he returned from a trip to Alaska?

Imperialism and America/ The Spanish-American War

2009-02-09T05:26:00.000-08:00

Write your answers on an attached sheet of paper.

America Claims an Empire

“Imperialism and America” page 584

1. Define the word “Imperialism”
2. Which European nations practiced imperialism in the continent of Africa?
3. What nation was imperialistic in Asia at the same time?
4. What three factors were responsible for American imperialism?
5. Who wrote The Influence of Sea Power Upon History?
6. What did he argue for in his book?
7. In 1890, where did the U.S. navy rank in the world’s navies?
8. Who was Lilioukalani and what did she do in 1891 to worry American businessmen?
9. Who was John L Stevens?
10. Who was Sanford B. Dole?
11. When did Hawaii become a territory of the United States? Who was the president?

“The Spanish-American-Cuban War” page 589

1. Who was the leader of the 1895 Cuban revolt against Spain?
2. Who did the American newspapers call “The Butcher” Why?
3. Who were the two newspaper tycoons who use the Cuban revolt to sell papers?
4. Define “Yellow Journalism”
5. What happened on February 15, 1898 that moved the United States toward war with Spain?
6. When did the United States declare war on Spain?
7. Who was the American president when war against Spain was declared?
8. Who was George Dewey? What did he accomplish on May 1, 1898?
9. Who were the “Rough Riders”? Who were their commanders?
10. Name the two African-American units that participated in the Spanish-American War.
11. What battle made Theodore Roosevelt a hero?
12. What treaty ended the Spanish-American War? List the three provisions of the treaty.
13. How many Americans died in the Spanish-American War?
14. What happened on February 6, 1899?

GA Standard 13, Worksheet 1

2009-02-03T12:28:00.000-08:00

US History
GA Standard 13 begin pg 518 in America: Pathways to the Present

Write your answers on an attached sheet of paper

1. Who was Jay Gould, and why was he important?

2. What did the term “Gilded Age” suggest about U.S. politics of the time?

3. What is a laissez-faire strategy?

4. Who pays a subsidy?

5. How did Credit Mobilier hurt future President U.S. Grant?

6-7. Describe who Democrats and Republicans appealed to during this time.

8. What was “waving the bloody shirt”?

9. What is the civil service?

10. What did Charles Guiteau do?

11. What did the Pendleton Civil Service Act do?

12. What was the purpose of railroad rebates?

13. What was ruled in Munn vs. Illinois?

14. What did Jacob S. Coxley do in 1894?

15-19. Briefly describe Peter Mossini’s life.

20. What was the purpose of the quarantine?

21. Why were restrictive covenants unfair?

22. What did Japan and the U.S. decide with the Gentleman’s Agreement?

Standard 11 & 12 study guide

2009-01-27T13:55:00.001-08:00

US History
Standard 11 & 12 study guide

SSUSH11 The student will describe the growth of big business and technological
innovations after Reconstruction.
a. _____________ allowed the rapid transit of goods all across the United States. One industry that especially depended on _____________ was the ____________ industry, which needed large amounts of raw material such as coal and iron. Large businesses rapidly expanded, and some industrialists became known as “_________ ________” as the perception grew that they made money from exploiting the U.S. population.
b. ____________ allowed the rapid settlement of the __________, with its Great Plains. The cross-U.S. (“_______________”) railroad was built by the ___________ ___________ and Union Pacific railroads. The _____________ Pacific company mostly used ______________ laborers. These laborers were poorly paid and many died as the railroad was built through the ______________.
c. ______________ ___ _____________ developed the huge Standard Oil Company. He used the _________ to circumvent anti-monopoly laws.
d. _________ Edison invented the electric light bulb, ________ ___________,
and the phonograph.
SSUSH12 The student will analyze important consequences of American industrial growth.
a. Ellis Island was an entry point for _____________ coming to the United States. Many of them settled in __________.
b. ___________ ___________ was the leader of the American Federation of Labor, a _________ ___________ which attempted to gain better wages and conditions for its workers through collective bargaining, ____________ and ___________ against employers (479).
c. The Plains Indians depended heavily upon the herds of ____________ for food, shelter, and clothing. __________ __________ led the only war won by the Native Americans against the United States. The death of __________ _________ was immediately followed by the ____________ at Wounded Knee, during which more than ________ Sioux were killed (495).
d. The 1894 __________ strike was led by the American Railway Union, which felt that __________ ___________ had too much control over the lives of his workers (482-483).

Railroads ... steel ... Pullman ... robber barons ... motion pictures trust ... railroads ... transcontinental ... Central Pacific ... craft union ... mountains ... Massacre ... Central ... Sitting Bull ... John D. Rockefeller ... Thomas ... boycotts ... immigrants ... strikes ... cities ... Samuel Gompers ... George Pullman ... Red Cloud ... buffalo ... railroads ... West ... Chinese ... 200

Standard 11 & 12 Quiz

2009-01-27T13:53:00.000-08:00

US History
Standard 11 & 12 Quiz/Study Guide

Samuel Morse is associated with the ____________. ____________ allowed quick and economical transportation across the United States, and allowed coal and iron to be efficiently moved for the __________ industry. ___ (#) continental time zones were standardized because of the need for railroads to have consistent schedules. _________ and _________-___________ were two groups used for labor by the Union Pacific railroad. The ___________ Pacific primarily used ___________ laborers. Of the three groups, the ___________ suffered the worst treatment.
_____________ __ _____________ was the owner of Standard Oil, and was an example of the “___________ ___________s” who were accused of making money through exploitation and unscrupulous practices. The ___________ ___________ Act was create because of attempts to get around the anti-monopoly laws. The electric light bulb, movie projector, and phonograph are all examples of inventions of ___________ ___________, American’s greatest inventor.
The American Federation of Labor (479) was a _______ ________ that used collective bargaining to improve wages and conditions for its members. _________ __________ was the leader during the only war won by Native Americans against the United States. Native Americans (491) in the Great Plains depended on the herds of _____________ for their food, shelter, and clothing. The introduction of __________ by the Spanish enabled a nomadic lifestyle for some tribes. An apparent misunderstanding while Sitting Bull’s followers were surrendering to cavalry (495) led to the ____________ at _____________ ____________. This was the last major episode of violence in the Indian wars.

GA US History Standard 11 Worksheet

2009-01-26T05:50:00.000-08:00

Standard 11
Pgs 452-472 of America: Pathways to the Present

Answer on paper and attach to worksheet.

1. On what important device did Samuel Morse work?

2. How long would mail in 1860 take to move from the East Coast to the West?

3. What is a patent?

4. What did Edwin Drake do in 1858?

5. What gave Thomas Edison funds to leave his job and work as an inventor?

6. What did Edison do in 1882?

7. In what year was a telephone installed in the White House?

8. How did the United States government support the building of the transcontinental railroad?

9. How did the railroads change how Americans used clocks and time?

10-14. Name at least four ways railroads changed U.S. business and industry.

15. What did the Bessemer process do?

16. When was the Brooklyn Bridge opened?

17. What did the term “robber baron” imply?

18. What company did John D. Rockefeller form in 1870?

19. How were U.S. businesses in the late 1800s different from early U.S. businesses? Name at least four ways.

20. What is a monopoly?

21-25. In what ways did Standard Oil attempt to dominate the market and circumvent anti-monopoly laws?

GA US History Standard 10 Study Guide

2009-01-12T05:30:00.000-08:00

US History Standard 10 study guide.

Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan was known as the _____ _________ Plan, since it allowed Southern states to hold state conventions to create new state constitutions after only 10% of voters in that state had sworn allegiance to the Union.
Actor John _______ Booth shot Abraham Lincoln in Ford’s Theater with a derringer. After jumping onto the stage- injuring his leg in the process- he turned to the crowd and yelled “________ __________ _____________” (“thus always to __________”)! Booth was tracked down with an accomplice and surrounded as he and David Herold hid in a ___________. When he refused to come out, the building was set on fire. Booth was shot by Sergeant Boston ________.
After Lincoln’s death, ___________ __________, a former tailor from North Carolina, became president. His plan was known as ___________ _____________, and was even more generous to the South than Lincoln’s plan had been. He would often conflict with __________ ____________, who believed the Civil War had been fought over the morality of slavery.
The newly freed slaves, known as ________, usually had no land. General _________ _________ did give 40-acre plots to freedmen in South Carolina in 1865, but this land was later returned by President Johnson.
The __________ ___________ was created in 1865 to help newly freed slaves adjust. It was the first major federal relief agency, and in four years, it gave clothing, medical supplies, and millions of meals to both black and white war refugees. It also provided schooling to over 250,000 black students. _________, vagrancy laws, labor contracts, and land restrictions were all examples of ______ ________ (laws designed to restrict the freedoms of black Americans). Congress reacted by passing the _______ ________ Act that outlawed black codes. President Johnson _______ the ______ ______ Act, but Congress overrode the veto and later passed the ______ ______________ in an attempt to keep the Civil Rights Act from being overruled by the courts. In 1866, whites in Tennessee, Louisiana, and New York ________, killing hundreds of African Americans. President Johnson gave speeches against the 14th Amendment during the 1866 elections. In response, many Radical Republicans were voted into office. These radicals passed the ___________ Act of 1867, which divided the South into five districts under military rule, temporarily barred those who had supported the Confederacy from voting, and required states to ratify the 14th Amendment.
In an attempt to limit the power of the president, congress passed the _______ __ ________ Act in 1867. When Johnson fired Secretary of War ________ __________, this act was used to attempt to _________ the president. Johnson escaped removal from office by one vote. In 1868, former general _________ ___ __________ was elected president. The 15th Amendment gave Americans of any “race, color or previous condition of servitude” the right to _______.
word bank
Wilkes ... tyrants ... Presidential Reconstruction ... Sic semper tyrannis ... barn ... black codes ... vote ... William Sherman ... Corbett ... Ten Percent ... Curfews ... Andrew Johnson ... rioted ... freedmen ... Civil Rights ... vetoed ... 14th Amendment ... Reconstruction ... Tenure of Office ... Edwin Stanton ... impeach ... Civil Rights ... Radical Republicans ... Ulysses S. Grant ... Freedmen’s Bureau

Civil War Team Exercise

2008-12-12T05:40:00.000-08:00

Civil War Team Exercise. December___20__

Names ______________________

_______________________

The South’s culture was based on ________________ and heavily dependent upon ______________ to harvest crops, especially ______________ after Eli Whitney invented his famous “gin”. The North’s economy was much more industrial, with many ___________ to produce manufactured goods. Many Northerners became upset with Southern slave owners under the influence of famous ____________ such as William Lloyd Garrison or after reading Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book ____________ __________ _____________.
Senator Charles Sumner was beaten in the Senate by Congressman “Bully” ___________ after Sumner’s speech The Crime Against Kansas. In the 1860 presidential election, ______________ ___________ won the election with only 40% of the popular vote, but a strong majority of electoral votes. ______________ ____________ was the first Southern state to _____________ (leave) from the Union. In 1861, ______________ _____________ was elected president of the new “ _________________”, and the first shots of the Civil War were fired at ___________ _____________ in __________________, _______________ __________________.
One of the most important historical battles was at Hampton Roads, where the new “ironclads” _________________ and _________________ fought to a draw.
Other important battles were at __________________, which cut the Confederacy in half, and at _______________, which is considered the turning point of the war and during which about 50,000 Americans died. Lincoln issued the ____________ Proclamation to free slaves in areas under _____________ control. Its main purpose was to prevent Confederate trading partner _____________ _____________ from intervening in the war. Army of Northern Virginia General __________ __ ____________ surrendered to General ___________ __ _______________ at __________________ Court House on April 9, _________. Approximately _____,000 Americans had lost their life during the Civil War.

Charles Walker Web Research

2008-11-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

Charles T. Walker
http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/floyd/floyd.html

Biographical sketch/history: birth, birth place, schooling, significant events, historical significance, partners or spouses, children, death, and any other notable information.

Primary Research 3: History of the First African Baptist Church

2008-11-18T14:52:00.000-08:00

Primary Research III, History of the First African Baptist Church

http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/love/love.html

1. Who wrote this document?

2. (Introduction) What did McNeal say was the goal of the white press?

3. (Introduction) What did Walker say was the historical significance of the First African Baptist Church in Savannah?

4. (Preface) What is the argument discussed in the preface?

5. (Page 1) Where and when was the First African Baptist Church organized?

6. (Page 8) What happened in 1832?

Primary Document Research V: Observation and Imagination

2008-11-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

Primary Document Research (V)

http://docsouth.unc.edu/global/result.html?term=Portraits.

Instructions: choose five or six portraits. For each one, list the title of the portrait or name of the person. Describe the portrait in detail: number of people in the portrait, age, sex, and any important details (clothing, attitude, background, etc).

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6-10. Choose one of your portraits, and write a short story about the portrait subject and what they did the day of the portrait on the back of the page.

Augusta Canal Prep

2008-11-15T12:58:00.001-08:00

Augusta Canal Prep
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-3039
http://www.augustacanal.com/history.html

1. When was the canal built?

2. Who was responsible for the canal?

3. Who designed the canal?

4. What important Civil War plant was in Augusta?

5. Who was Dennis Cahill?

Extra Credit: List up to four facts about the canal.

The Confederate Bomb Brothers

2008-10-27T09:30:00.000-07:00

History of Augusta

http://maic.jmu.edu/JOURNAL/6.1/notes/robbins/robbins.htm

Who were the “bomb brothers”?

How was the Greyhound destroyed?

What were Confederate "torpedoes”?

What was a "sub-terra explosive shell”?

What did General Edward Bates call "devilish devices"?

What may have been the South’s most effective defensive weapon?

Name two interesting facts from this site.

Primary Research Sheet 1

2008-10-21T12:01:00.000-07:00

The War-Time Journal of a Georgia Girl

http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/andrews/andrews.html#andrews57
1. Pg. 2: Introduction. How does Ms. Andrews describe the slave owners in the South? About how many slave owners were there? On what document does she base her figures?

2. Pg. 97: A Belle of the Confederacy. List three things you notice about the lady in the painting.

3. THE PASSING OF THE CONFEDERACY (chapter)
What was the profession of Ms. Andrews' father? How did Georgians react to news of secession? Was Mr. Andrews a slave owner?

4. FORESHADOWINGS OF THE RACE PROBLEM (chapter)
What did Ms. Andrews father believe was the "greatest of all the evils brought upon us by the war"?

5. Pgs. 348-349: Describe what might be seen at a "dancing party". Who did Ms. Andrews try to avoid meeting?

Primary Research Sheet 2

2008-10-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

Mutual Relation of Masters and Slaves as Taught in the Bible

http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/wilson/wilson.html

1. What type of document is this?

2. Who created it, and when was it created?

3. (Correspondence.) Why does Wilson say he is allowing this to be published?

4. (Discourse.) What does Wilson say is the true meaning of “servants” ()?

5. What does Wilson justify on pages eight and nine?

6-10. Briefly summarize the final paragraph on pages twenty and twenty-one, beginning with “But, notwithstanding”. Comment on either Wilson’s writing or his character.

Primary Research Sheet 3

2008-10-21T11:49:00.000-07:00

Primary Research III, History of the First African Baptist Church

http://docsouth.unc.edu/church/love/love.html

Who wrote this document?

(Introduction) What did McNeal say was the goal of the white press?

(Introduction) What did Walker say was the historical significance of the First African Baptist Church in Savannah?

(Preface) What is the argument discussed in the preface?

(Page 1) Where and when was the First African Baptist Church organized?

6. (Page 8) What happened in 1832?

Article Review: Social Studies and the Social Order

2008-08-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

John R. Shirley
EDTD 6231
24 October 2007

“Social Studies and the Social Order”

This article poses the question whether social studies instructors should be “transforming” society, or “transmitting” information. William B. Stanley describes the history and approach of three different perspectives. The first perspective is the “education for social transformation” approach represented by George Counts during the 1930s.
Counts wanted teachers to “build a new social order”. He believed that democratic “social justice” and power redistribution was necessary for a true democracy. His Marxist-based ideas called for forcing new ideas upon students for “the existence and evolution of society”, and declared that educators must accept this fact.
John Dewey rejected Count’s social transformation. He believed that learning would also be a transformative process, but that instructors would assist in this process by giving students the intellectual tools to help them participate in their own transformation. Stanley says that Dewey’s focus was on educational method, instead of a specific desired outcome as Count espoused. Dewey did believe in social change, but was certain that this change could not help occurring in democratic and well-educated citizens. He believed that attempting to impose any certain ideology during the teaching process was both immoral and counterproductive.
The conservative critique of education for social transformation stems from democratic realism, individualism, and free market theory. Democratic realism posits that industrialization and urbanization has broken down the previous network of small communities from which individuals could draw informed opinions useful for determining both local and national interests. Walt Lippman powerfully represented the democratic realist approach during the 1920s and ‘30s.
Lippman believed that only disinterested experts were capable of making the necessary decisions for the public’s national interests. He believed that media influence and government propaganda made impossible the democratic ideal of rule by consent from an informed citizenry.
Free market theory, in this article, is referring to ideas by Richard Posner. Like Lippman, Posner believes that most Americans are incapable of truly understanding the issues and acting in both their and the country’s best interests. Posner believes that politicians “sell” their candidacy to voters. Participating in elections helps the public feel involved with their governance, and ensures that politicians actually work to gain public support. While most individuals will not be able to grasp complex policy, over time, the public will be able to determine if their elected officials are acting in their best interests.
Stanley concludes that social studies educators cannot be neutral. “Every teacher,” he writes, “whether consciously or not, is working in some relation to the dominant social order.” Stanley believes a strongly indoctrinating approach is immoral, but that Dewey’s ideas of instilling the intellectual tools for citizens to realize their own, useful political are ultimately unrealistic. Stanley describes progressive approach as “a helpful middle course” that will give educators a moral grounding with a positive goal that may one day be achieved.

Burning Questions:

Why should it be assumed that the educator cannot successfully “transmit” the values most espoused by his/her society (without transformative drive)? Is this an unspoken belief that society is not living up to its own values?

Why must we assume that creating a well-versed society that is intellectually capable of political self-direction is only a worthy goal at present? Why cannot we believe that the view Stanley claims in this article (though not perhaps in the following letter) John Dewey espoused is actually truly possible?

William B. Stanley, “Social Studies and the Social Order: Transmission or Transformation?” Social Education, September 2005, 282.
Stanley, 283.
Stanley, 284.
Stanley, 284.
Stanley, 285.
Stanley, 286.
Stanley, 286.

Social Studies Rationale

2008-08-04T13:50:00.000-07:00

From Dec 2007, for my Best Practices for Social Studies Instruction course.

Abstract

Social studies include necessary skills for the classroom and life. Skillful instructors will succeed in managing their classrooms in a way that will emphasize respect, justice and honesty (Harty, 2001). Lessons should be structured in ways that will emphasize diversity of origin and opinion while helping the student understand why the United States has developed to assume the character it has, and while encouraging the student to take an active part in the country’s future.

Social Studies Rationale

Social studies covers a wide range of subjects, including history, geography, economics, political science, sociology, psychology, and anthropology (NCSS, 2007). Social studies should help the student make informed and fair decisions and actively work towards improving his life and community. Social studies instruction should be meaningful, integrative, value-based, challenging, and active (NCSS, 2002).

Meaningful indicates that the lessons learned in the class will be useful to the students and easily relatable to their lives. The class should help the students understand relationships between individuals, groups, and nations. Learning should focus on past failures as well as successes, but with the perpetual goal of finding solutions to challenges. Students should be exposed to multicultural elements, and given the chance to interact with members of groups with different characteristics than theirs.1

Integrated means a broad range of current knowledge should be used in the curriculum. The curriculum should work with both broader issues and issues of immediate and local concern to the student. Students should be taught how to gather and analyze data, and should be infused with an interest in learning throughout their lives.

Value-based thinking should have a strong priority in the social studies curriculum. Students should develop a strong sense of justice and fairness while learning respect for differing points of view. Students should be given opportunities to evaluate public policy decisions in the light of social justice.

Social studies curriculums should be challenging. Multiple viewpoints on controversial topics should be heard, giving the students several dimensions (e.g. legal, social or historical, ethical) with which to consider issues. Students should be given chances to respond in class discussions and in written responses. The teacher should find appropriate ways of measuring the success of the curriculum and continually improving it for optimal learning.

Finally the curriculum should be active. Students must be given multiple ways to participate in the learning process, in various settings. Students should learn to function both individually and as part of the class or smaller learning groups. The curriculum should give the student experience in predicting effects from causes, and in creating hypothesis.

A teaching curriculum that successfully integrates these elements will show the student how people in large and small communities have acted in the past, and act today. Students will deepen their understanding of people from a variety of backgrounds, and how to relate to them. Students will have a more solid conception of who people are and what we have done, and may potentially do.

From a democratic standpoint, students will be more informed about issues of importance to them, and ways they can positively impact the political processes of the local community and the United States. They will have become accustomed to being active participants, and will be more likely to work for self-determinism instead of accepting others’ views of what is appropriate for them.

Social studies instruction should be delivered in a manner that is sensitive to the backgrounds and influences on the students. Curriculum should be designed so that students will gain increased understanding of their own culture, but also gain skills that will assist them in interaction with the diverse population of our country (NSSC, 1991). Students should be helped to see how the multiple origins, traditions, beliefs and viewpoints in the United States can be national resources if there is respectful interaction between individuals and groups.

A skillful social studies instructor will actively research the backgrounds of her students as much as possible, so she is better able to deliver instruction that will be most useful to those students. Teachers should be prepared to modify their curriculum as appropriate if investigation shows students who are not fluent in English, for example, or who have primarily used non-standard English (ECWC, 2005). Teachers may consider using materials in other languages, requesting an interpreter, or using their own non-English skills if necessary to clearly instruct the students. Teachers should also be aware of differing culture norms when interacting with students (such as some Latino students having been trained to look down while addressing authority figures), and modify their approach accordingly.

I would like to teach a course called Reality 101. The course would be designed to give the students goals to look towards, and knowledge of the tools needed to attain those goals. It would also give them greater cultural awareness of groups they may not have previously had interaction (or had unwelcome interaction: most doctor visits are when the patient is sick or injured).

Each week, a different "field" would be on topic. Students would research doctors, for instance. They could bring in some notes about a particular type of doctor (pediatrician, for example) and what it took to be come one, or just some general information about doctors. They could include factual information about incomes and schooling, or even just their guesses. A school trip or in-class visit per week would be planned to visit a work location, or have an individual speak to the class. The speaker would describe their job, the path they took to assume the position, and give general salary information.

Once a week, a "What I Learned About..." one to two page paper would be due. Students who were more comfortable with a more structured format could choose to instead fill out a computer form with four questions (What was most surprising to you about x? Would you want to have this job? Why or why not?; If you were x, what would you do differently than Mrs. Smith?; How many years of school and training would it take you to become x?). These questions are designed to make the student become engaged in the learning process, personalizing information in useful ways instead of reciting rote answers.

At least two of the visits or trips would involve those in the criminal justice system, hopefully at a youth and at an adult level. At least two of the visits or trips would involve individuals in some of the most lucrative professions. Other visits during the year would include educational institutions, and a variety of living accommodations. The purpose of the visits to correctional facilities (or visits to the class by those who were in or had spent time in correctional facilities) would be to gain a deeper understanding of the ways people could find themselves in deep legal trouble. Those considering illegal actions, or who might consider such actions in the future, would hopefully decide to make better choices, while any student who had little exposure to those facing negative legal action would hopefully be more sympathetic to the ways people may find themselves trapped in bad circumstances.

The final project for the year would be "What I Will Become", which would be a visual presentation on a board, in a book, in PowerPoint or as a movie. I believe this curriculum could help give students greater cultural awareness, and make obvious to them ways they could choose to advance themselves, and also help their community. It would force them to be involved in the learning process, and give them subject material that was relevant and useful.

Conclusion

Social studies encompasses a wide range of material, and should be presented in ways that are culturally aware and respectful of the many ways humans can peacefully interact. Good social studies teachers will instruct in a way that will enrich their students’ knowledge, be relevant to students’ lives, and will give students the ability to positively change themselves and their environment. Truly great instructors will also motivate their students to take an active role in this change.

References

American Anthropological Association. (1998). American Anthropological Association Statement on “Race”. Retrieved 10 December 2007 from
http://www.aaanet.org/stmts/racepp.htm

Edgewood College Writing Center. (2005). Dealing with a Student who Writes Nonstandard English. Retrieved 11 December 2007 from
http://edgenet.edgewood.edu/LSS/writingcenter/nonstandard_english.htm

Harty, M. (2001). Reinforcing the Ethical Core of Conflict Resolution. The 4th R.

Mukhopadhyay, C. & Henze, R.C. (2003). How Real is Race? Using Anthropology to Make Sense of Human Diversity. Phi Deta Kappan, 84, 9, 669-678.

National Council for the Social Studies. (2002). Curriculum Guidelines. Retrieved 10 December 2007 from http://www.socialstudies.org/positions/curriculum/

National Council for the Social Studies. (1991). Curriculum Guidelines for Multicultural Education. Retrieved 11 December 2007 from http://www.socialstudies.org/positions/multicultural/

23 May 2005

2008-07-29T18:30:00.000-07:00

(A paper written for Gender and Family History. This class focused on Europe and the Middle Ages.)

In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth, the King James Bible tells us. God went on to create birds and animals and fish, and then he noticed that the man had created was lonely. In an odd oversight, the God had somehow neglected to make a mate for man. Placing the man into sleep, God took a rib out of man, and turned the rib into woman. (Gen. 2) And God said that this was good.

While this is a quaint story, two important ideas can be discerned that should hold weight for both Christians and Jews. First, the impetus for the creation of woman was the need for a companion to man. Next, woman was made from the side of man, symbolically making her equal to man. Much later, in the New Testament, Paul declared that it was better for those unmarried to stay unmarried, so they could concentrate on worshiping God (1 Cor. 7:33), but that marriage and sex in marriage were not wrong. In the discussion, Paul clearly speaks of physical desires of sex with no mention of procreation, and says this is not wrong.

In the writings of Augustine, the encroachment of the Church into new territory can be seen. Not content with merely stipulating that marriage must occur for sex, and further delineating who can marry whom, the Church has begun to decide what the motivation for sex should be, with sex not done for the express purpose of procreation now being labeled a sin. This erosion of marital liberties continues even further, as seen in the later Penitentials.

In the Penitentials, the Church now mandates which sexual acts are sinful, not only by participant, but even by position. Specific penalties are given for a laundry list of acts, and sadly, even marriage done exactly as commanded by the Church now carries some measure of sin, as evidenced by the decree that that newly married couples do penance for forty days. It is obvious by this time that the Catholic Church has created a dichotomy for women. On the one hand, women apparently have some taint of evil, and it is their natural lot to suffer; on the other, Catholicism now is focusing on prayers to Mary, the perfect mother of God. It is possible that this is some reflection in Europe of what will be thought of as Romantic love, which was also dualistic, with an ideal woman with whom relations were never consummated and physical relations with women who were barely more than objects.

Creating an Authentic History

2008-07-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

(Based on a paper written for Dr. Mark Fissel in HIST 3001, January 2005.)

John R. Shirley
Is recorded history literature? It is indisputable that, being written, history is indeed literature, but by this definition, everything written, in every scientific field must also be literature. With this in mind, one can go on to question whether written history is a scientific literature, and the answer to this takes but a moment to realize: just as there is junk “science”, so there is also junk history, and the sole determinant between authentic and unsubstantiatable written history must be the methods utilized in gathering and processing the data used.

History- in the sense of things that have happened before this instant- is like a board game. Geology provides the game board, as well as some of the pieces. Geology dictates through soil what crops can be grown, as well as providing or withholding areas flat and high or low enough to grow those crops. Geology further dictates what metals are in a region, whether an area has clay suitable for pottery, or if there is limestone or rock for building. Biology through its heirs of zoology and botany determines what flora will flourish, and what animals do or can live in a region, when combined with meteorology. All these sciences create the board on which history is played, the game pieces with which it is played, and dictates the rules for play.

After the fact, it may be easy for those outside a situation to wonder, “what happened?” It is literally impossible to know accurately what a person is thinking. Motives, therefore, can never be determined with as much precision as some other questions, but in any given historical situation, a solid grounding in the sciences affecting the region will enable a process of determining what resources were available to any player. A simple definition of anthropology could be the study of what people do. Archaeology can be defined as a part of anthropology, or it can be considered its own science. In either case, it can be simply defined as the study of what people did- and left behind to prove it. It is the task of the historian to take the natural sciences, and using archaeology and written history, unite them with the social science of anthropology to create a seamless picture of what has previously transpired. It then falls to the reader to determine whether the picture drawn is scientifically crafted, or just rhetoric.

Science is concerned with both observable fact and repeatability. Observable fact is much appreciated, but by virtue of its documentation of events that have already happened, exact repeatability is impossible for historical records. By careful utilization of science, the historian can eliminate the impossible, and discover the plausible, to extrapolate the likely. Combining scientific aids with discerning research and an open mind, the historian can create a body of work that, if not strictly science, is far removed from fiction.

Welcome

2008-07-15T09:27:00.000-07:00

I was digging through many of my saved papers, and decided it is appropriate to create a dedicated history blog. Historically Speaking has already been snatched up by writer Nancy Castaldo, so The History of Us seemed like a good title, both because history is alive and we act in it, and because in a nation sense, the U.S. will be most represented. Enjoy.