US History

Lewis Hine pictures

2009-01-26T08:54:00.000-08:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Let's see what you can come up with...

This blog entry will be exclusively dealing with the photographer Lewis Hine. Hine tried to capture working conditions and also living conditions from the Gilded Age. He often had to outmanuever factory bosses into being let into the awful workplace to document what was going on. Many times he risked his own wellbeing to bring the truth to light about this time period in our history.

Your job is to log on to the following website http://www.shorpy.com/lewis-hine-photos and select three images to respond to.

Make sure you choose three different locations/types of work to respond to!

Answer each of these questions for each picture (a total of nine things).

1. After studying the details (location, working conditions, health of the subject (s), background, clothes of the subject(s), etc.) of the picture, what do you think some of the hazards would be for that type of job?

2. What insights can be made into the Gilded Age after viewing this image?

3. What questions does the image raise?

Here it is...

2009-01-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

Here is a copy of the full text speech by President Obama.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/obama_inauguration/7840646.stm

Hope this helps.

Inauguration response

2009-01-20T05:37:00.000-08:00

1/20/09 Inauguration Response

Directions: After going to the library to watch part of the Inauguration coverage, select an issue that was discussed. After you have selected an issue, write a 1 page typed reaction discussing the issue and your thoughts about what President Obama wants to do. For further information on the issues discussed during the ceremony and more, consult the following websites:

1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/americas/2008/obama_presidency/default.stm
2. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96825014
3. http://www.csmonitor.com/

Team of rivals?

2008-11-24T05:17:00.000-08:00

For those of you looking for an extra credit opportunity, please read on...

With Barack Obama ready to take office on January 20, 2009 and much at stake, he is studying up on American History (just like you guys) to find a creative approach to the enormous challenges he will inherit quite soon. He is looking to one of his political role models another tall, skinny guy from Illinois - - Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln's Presidential Cabinet included many of his political rivals, whom Lincoln purposely chose to help balance his viewpoints.

Your task is to read through each of these articles and answer the following questions:
1. Is this approach what the country needs right now to get us back on the right track?
2. Are the challenges that we are currently facing larger than the ones Lincoln had to fix?
3. How do you think this strategy will fare?

The articles: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/11/21/will_lincolns_team_of_rivals_play_today/
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97327744&ft=1&f=1001
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-team-of-rivalsnov15,0,5009913.story
http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1815849,00.html

Make sure to cite specific examples from: the articles, what we have covered in class, and the news.

Worthy postings (that thoroughly answer the questions, cite specific information, and present critical thought) can earn up to 15 points toward their total points earned (the numerator) of their second quarter grade!

Posting must be completed by Tuesday December 2nd, 2008 and no later.

Comparing Reconstruction

2008-11-06T11:16:00.000-08:00

Picture it...The United States Army has come through destroyed your town, your home, and your entire way of life. Now the process of putting things back together and making the country work is in the hands of the President and Congress. Sound familiar? Well this description could very aptly be used to describe both the US Civil War or the Iraqi War.

Your job is to read through the included articles and POST: comparisons/contrasts between the situation of reconstructing Iraq and Reconstruction after the Civil War. Try and come up with as many similarities and differences of the two situations as you can. Think critically!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/21/iraq.reconstruction/index.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2008-11-01-iraq-reconstruction_N.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3021632.stm

Will the real President Lincoln please stand up?

2008-09-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest complaints regarding the subject of history, specifically U.S. History, is that the people we consider heroes are only portrayed in a favorable way. But are our heroes simply the one-dimensional version that is popularly known? Click on the following links and then address each of the questions in your postings!

The links:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/culture/articles/050221/21lincoln.htm
http://www.berwickacademy.org/lincoln/timeline.htm

Questions:
1. How does the Lincoln presented in the US NEWS and WORLD REPORTS compare with the Lincoln presented in the timeline?
2. Why do we seem to focus on the positive traits of our heroes and de-emphasize their less than flattering characteristics?

YOUR POSTING IS DUE ON TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 23Rd

Modern Slavery

2008-08-27T09:00:00.000-07:00

The first topic we'll be studying is slavery. Obviously, we will start to uncover just truly how much of a role slavery played in the United States' development. But what we don't necessarily realize is that outside of our borders slavery is alive and well. Topics for your posts: Why does slavery exist? How has slavery changed and stayed the same compared to the traditional form that we'll study? Here's the link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/world/slavery/default.stm