LAST POST!

wow! today was our final class of u.s. history. we finished up the year watching a movie called thirteen days about the cuban missile crisis. to me we ended the year with this movie because we started the year off talking about sympathy versus empathy and this movie definitely has a lot in it. the movie shows how hard it is to know what action to take and that sometimes there is no clear answer you just have to take a leap of faith. this year we have covered so many topics that the five remaining minutes of this class are not near enough to write them all down. from talking about slavery and the civil war to learning how the climate changing is going to affect us all in the future, it has been one amazing class. i started this year knowing very little of america's history and (while i still am not the best at history) i can say i feel confident enough to go out and chime in conversations regarding what i have studied. it was nice getting to learn about history through films and documentaries as well as reading old newspapers and giving speeches. i was worried about this course when i signed up but i can honestly say i wouldn't change a thing.

Letter to the Future

Hello to the future,                                                                                            May 9, 2016

It is currently 2016 and, assuming this goes as planned, you are living in 2216. This year I am a junior in high school studying the history of the United States. As one of our many assignments, we were told to investigate the climate of today’s society. To keep things interesting, each of my classmates and myself got placed in a category. My category was concerns. 

As a minor in today’s society, I don’t pay that much attention to what is going on. I realize that the ice caps are melting and that temperatures appear to be rising but, with my science oriented brain, this seemed to be a repetitive theme. What I didn’t realize was that this time around was by far the worse yet. According to the Intergovernmental Panel in regards to climate change, “the range of published evidence indicates that the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time.” 

So I asked myself, what does this mean for the future? As I began my research, I came across a site published by NASA (6) (NASA stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA is part of the United States government. NASA is in charge of U.S. science and technology that has to do with airplanes or space). According to this site, we (as a nation) can expect a significant rise in sea levels, flooding, erosion, infrastructure damage, loss of trees, extreme heat, increase in the number of bugs, decline in health due to the bugs and heat, and loss of agriculture and other sources of income. Now, I realize that is a lot of information but get this. As the heat grows stronger, our animal populations are going to decline to the point that by 2050 (only 34 years from now), 1/4 of Earth’s species could be endangered or extinct as stated by nature.org (7-9) (an agency dedicated to addressing the most pressing conservation threats at the largest scale). 

Up until 1999, climate change was not the direct cause of any animal extinction. But, by the end of that year, the first ever documented animal extinction due to climate change was recorded as Central American began to mourn the loss of the last Golden Toad (7-9) (nature.org). As the climate continues to change, the pattern of wildlife will too. Birds will begin to migrate to cooler temperature zones (instead of migrating south for the warmth) and will eventually no longer have a place to go. Coral reefs will loose their color due to a process known as “bleaching”. This is when the sun and heat literally bleach the color out of the reefs. This also means ocean life will be loosing its habitat. Polar bears will have to adjust to life in captivity, learn to survive on little to no ice, or evolve to withstand warm weather as their home is shrinking more and more with each day. Plants are going to have to adapt to the warmer weather and learn to survive on little water as rainfall has been predicted to decline as well.

Have you ever thought about what we used to do for fun? I know this might sound crazy because I have a feeling some of this will be long gone but we did have fun at one time or another. We used to travel to other states to go skiing on snow covered mountains (which have already started to make their own snow for lack of the real thing). We also use to travel to the coast and hang out on the beach. According to an article on EPA (1-4) (a government run agency designed to protect human health and the environment) about recreation, as the temperature rises and the snow and ice caps melt there is going to be less and less beach to hang out on so who knows what it will be like when you read this. 

Now you are probably wondering why we haven't tried to stop this and I don't blame you because I thought (and still sometimes think) the same thing. It has been proven that the human impact outweighs the natural impact but we aren't sure how much. We do know a few contributions to this though. The burning of fossil fuels, release of greenhouse gasses, use of aerosols, and the “cloudiness”/haze that has formed over larger cities all play a part according to an article by the EEA (5) (The European Environment Agency (EEA) is an agency of the European Union.Their task is to provide sound, independent information on the environment. They are a major information source for those involved in developing, adopting, implementing and evaluating environmental policy, and also the general public). We have cut back on the number of aerosols sold and most companies are aware of the effects of fossil fuels and are trying to cut the number down. One thing they are still working on is how to cut back the greenhouse gas emission, a process known as the greenhouse effect. One thing that might possibly irreversible though is the cloudiness. Because factories have played such big roles in the human culture, the smog is going to be here a while even if the use of factories was stopped completely right now. Another contribution to the haze is light pollution and unless someone could convince the entire world to stop using lights, that isn't going anywhere either. 

So, what does all of this mean for you? Well, truth be told, we don’t know. Assuming things continue on the path they are you have a lot to look forward to. According to another article on EPA, the change in climate is going to cause  many changes in weather patterns. Stronger hurricanes, severe heat waves, drought, and many other changes are going to become the new norm. The change in climate is also going to effect water sources.

As the temperature rises, there is going to be less rainfall and even less of that is actually going to last or make a dent in the world. The ground is going to be so dry and cracked that the water is going to be absorbed and/or evaporated as soon as it hits and major bodies of water are going to shrink. This is going to be a really big problem for farmers and people who raise livestock to sell for food. The water loss might even lead to limits being placed on homes about the amount of water being used. This can already be seen in places like California and Spain where the water at restaurants costs extra and they don't give you water or a refill without being asked because it is becoming so sacred. This among other things is going to cause a big problem with health among people. 

According to yet another article published by EPA (1-4), heat waves are going to be very damaging to health. This is especially true for older people, infants and young kids, and sick people. As the climate changes the air pollution is also going to change (and not for the better). What I mean is, as the ozone gets more and more depleted you are going to have to deal with a lot more in the air that just oxygen and carbon dioxide. This is going to be bad for people with asthma, lung caner or any other form of lung problems, and the general public causing lung conditions to worsen. The change in climate is also going to lead to an increase in the spread of infections and disease. Bugs like mosquitos and ticks thrive in the heat and as it gets hotter, more and more will begin to reproduce and the populations will only continue to grow. This is going to cause malaria and other diseases to spread like a wild fire. 

Hope this helps, 

your friend from the past

golden toad

(ps: check out these links if they are still around for more information!) 

1. https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/impacts/effects/health.html
2. https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/impacts/effects/
3. https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/impacts/effects/water.html
4. https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/impacts/effects/recreation.html
5. http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/climate/faq/how-do-human-activities-contribute-to-climate-change-and-how-do-they-compare-with-natural-influences
6. http://climate.nasa.gov/effects/ 
7. http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/urgentissues/global-warming-climate-change/threats-impacts/wildlife-at-risk.xml
8. http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/urgentissues/global-warming-climate-change/threats-impacts/
9. http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/urgentissues/global-warming-climate-change/threats-impacts/economic-loss-and-damage.x

Footnotes: 

1. This article about health is published by the Environmental Protection Agency.
2. This article about effects on people and the environment is published by the Environmental Protection Agency.
3. This article about water supply is published by the Environmental Protection Agency.
4. This article about recreation is published by the Environmental Protection Agency. 
5. This article about ways humans impact the environment is published by the European Environment Agency. 
6. This article about the effects of climate change is published by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
7. This article about the effects on wildlife is published by The Nature Conservancy. 
8. This article summarizes climate change and provides links to other articles (within the website) is published by The Nature Conservancy. 
9. This article about the effects on the economy is published by The Nature Conservancy. 

research

we have once again begun the research process. currently i am looking up the concerns (both current and future) that society has about climate change. i started by asking myself what would be affected. i found out how our water sources would change, how our recreational activities would change, and how our health would become a greater concern. 

then i started looking at what concerns there were for looking forward. i found that there is a great concern about the long term damage and that there are ways people ignore that could help. going forward i want to know about what those ways are and possibly interview someone 

http://climate.nasa.gov/effects/ 

https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/impacts/effects/recreation.html 

https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/impacts/effects/health.html

http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/climate/faq/how-do-human-activities-contribute-to-climate-change-and-how-do-they-compare-with-natural-influences

Next Research Project

For my next project I would like to look into the topic of concerns. I chose this category because a lot of my own questions fall under this heading and I would like to be able to put my mind at ease.

Climate

When I hear the word climate I think about...
-weather
-my frogs' cage
-beach
-rainforest
-travel

I think of these words because to me, I have had an experience with each one related to climate. I think of the weather because to me climate deals with temperature, humidity, and outside atmosphere/feeling. I think of my frogs' cage because if the climate isn't perfect they could get really sick and die. I think of the beach and rainforest because they both have vastly different climates than here. And finally, I think about travel because the climate determines what I pack.


Are humans to blame for the drastic changes in the climate? Stay tuned to find out.

climate map

homework about the 1930's

For homework we were told to copy a set of links snd questions on our log and answer them. 

Read about the Great Depression.  According to this article, what was wrong with President Hoover's response?  Why did people blame themselves when things went wrong, and how valid or invalid was this response?

he minimized the issues at hand
most Americans believed he could have done something 
Hoover believed it was not the government's role 
they believed they were failing those around them
the feelings seemed justified for the time period 

Read about Black Sunday. How would you have felt if you'd been there on that day? What kinds of fears, concerns, or questions would be going through your mind during, and after, the event described?

terrified

scared to death 

fearful 

will I survive? 

is my family okay? 

how can a day so beautiful end so bad? 

Read about The Drought.  What areas were affected by it?  What caused it.  The author ends this article with a pithy quote.  Do you agree or disagree with this historian's perspective? Why or why not?

Great Plains 

the western third of Kansas, southeastern Colorado, the Oklahoma panhandle, the northern two thirds of the Texas panhandle, and northeastern New Mexico
no rain 
dust storms 
I do and I don't 
they are almost trying to make it too literal however once I looked at it that way it made sense 

Read about Mass Exodus from the Plains.  Where does the migration of people out of the Dust Bowl rank in terms of other migrations in US History?  What made life hard for people once they arrived in California?

1/4 of the total population moved
largest migration in American history
there wasn't a warm welcome like expected
everyone claimed there was nothing there for the migrants
farms and land were corporate owned
just as many challenges as back home

Entertainment of the 1930's

For homework we were all told to select a topic and complete at least 20 minutes of research. Then we were told to write a blog post so here I am. As a jump start, Mrs. Lawson gave us some suggestions of things to learn about. My clues were: Learn about radio programming of the 1930s.  What types of programs were most entertaining for listeners?  What were these shows like?  You may go in-depth on one program or type of program or try to get a broad overview.

Here is what I found:

• the 1930's was the golden age of the radio
• 1930 = 12 million American homes owned a radio 
• 1939 = over 29 million American homes owned a radio 
• programs provided a source of inspiration 
• the radio was also known as the talking telegram 
• soap operas 
• source of communication 
• Franklin Roosevelt's "fireside chats" 
• networks such as NBC and CBS invented in this time
• influenced the way people experienced public affairs
• as technology improved the radio became smaller and cheaper 
• series called "Our Gal Sunday" 
• "One Man's Family" aired on Wednesday nights at 8 
• live musical performances 
• dramas
• comedies
• talk shows
• education programs
• politics

Sources: 

• http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/radio-in-the-1930s/ 
•  http://www.americanradioworks.org/segments/radio-the-internet-of-the-1930s/

Oration of the 1920's

The 1920’s were full of surprises, accomplishments, and unrest among the nation’s people. While the nation was busy growing in size, individual communities were busy making progress too. To me, one of the most important things to recognize about this era was how it grew to better society and to help develop the next generation. 

One of the more notable accomplishments of the 1920’s, in my opinion, was the development of a youth culture. During this time, the age of adolescence became known as a distinct period in the life of an individual. One thing contributing to this was that schools expanded what they taught and what age group could attend classes. This gave older kids the training they needed to survive in the real world as well as provide them with a way to express and develop themselves both individually and as a whole. Thanks to the rise in numbers of colleges and high schools, kids were able to join sororities and fraternities, get jobs, participate in athletics, join clubs, and define themselves less in terms of their families and more in terms of their peer groups. The only issue that came of this was the subjects schools were allowed to teach. 

During the 1920’s, religion played a big part in peoples lives. Because of this, many people were unhappy that Darwinism was being taught to their children. This is because people believed this theory contradicted the teachings of creation in the Bible. This issue eventually lead to the Scopes Trial. This trial was named for John T. Scopes, a teacher who volunteered to continue teaching Darwinism even though he know it would result in his arrest. This then lead to a major trial (which he lost) that opened everyone’s eyes to the idea that religion and science could potentially co-exist. 

A second major accomplishment of the 1920’s was that people began to buy items for pleasure and no longer just based on need. People began to purchase items that had once been a luxury to own, even for the upper class. Electric refrigerators and irons, vacuum cleaners, and washing machines became a common item in most homes. Automobiles also became a regular occurrence on and off the streets. The rise in the number of cars is a result of the improvements made in factories. 

A third, and I believe it could potentially be argued that is was the biggest, accomplishment was the change in factory life. Factory owners began to instill health codes in their workspace.This helped to keep unrest among the workers to a minimum. Shorter work weeks and a raise in pay also helped keep the workers willing to work as well as allowing more family time and rest for the workers. They also began to encourage workers to take vacations by offering pay because they believed it helped keep a happy and positive environment. The improvements in the factories also helped to improve overall standard of living amongst the people. 

While these were all great advances for the 1920’s it helped to establish the foundation for the people of today’s society. Now, even more people attend high school and college, almost every home has refrigerators and freezers, washing machines inspired dryers to be made, adolescence is now called teenage years and is a thriving culture, and factories have subsided into respectable establishments. It is because of this and much more that these are the most important aspects of the 1920’s. 

Mini-Book {Peer} Review

Today in class we drew mini-books out of a bucket and had to read them. After we were told to write about what we read and talk about how the person did.

I read a mini-book about women's rights by May Merrill. She used 13 slang words and was kind enough to underline them so I would know she didn't just make it up. This story featured a girl fighting for equality. It made sense and was easy to follow but it felt less like a story and more of a speech. While at first this was confusing, I thought it was really cool!

Next, I read a book by Faiza about technology and economic growth. Her book made me laugh! It was interesting because Tom, the main character, traveled to all of his friends' houses and got super confused by all the fancy things. Tom was sort of negative though because deep down he was jealous.

My First Mini-Book

Last night for homework we had to make a mini-book from a section in our reading. Our task was to summarize what we read and use at least 12 slang words from the 1920's. Here is my story... 

 

Propaganda Posters

So, today we took a test on progressivism (we shall see how that went) and after we were told to start our next homework assignment. We were asked to write a blog post for our answers so here it goes...

To me, the word propaganda reminds me of the Uncle Sam posters used to get men to fight in the wars (especially WWII). The word also brings to mind the government, promotion of political areas, and money because half the time you are being asked to help support one thing or another.

According to the wonderful world wide web, propaganda is information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.

In this poster the first thing my eyes went to was the picture and not the words. More specifically my eyes went to the face. This is because it is a woman. Her cheeks are flushed and she appears to be sleeping. Next my eyes see the outfit she is wearing and finally I can focus on the words. I think the author wanted people to realize that America needs to step up and do more for its people. This poster appears to be aimed at young men because an attractive woman is pictured peacefully resting. 

In this poster the first thing my eyes went to was the word destroy. This is because it is at the top of the poster in big letters. Next, my eyes drift to the monkey savage thing carrying a person. And then my eyes notice the club the beast is carrying that appears to be covered in blood. I think the author of this poster is trying to say that America is letting the other nations walk all over us and we aren't even trying to fight back. This poster is targeting men because no gentleman would ever leave his woman in fear or in a dangerous situation. 

In this poster my eyes went straight to the word "HUN". This is because the word in all capital letters and is in a different color and font than the rest of the words. Then my eyes notice the bloody sword in the background and the person (? honestly don't know what that is...) holding it. In this poster I think the author is trying to tell America that we are too small to rely on the government alone and that we need the help of everyone. This poster targets men because what guy doesn't like a creepy character to battle against? 

I feel that it is unfair to the people who are barely getting by for the government to be spending their tax dollars on promotional posters. However, I also feel that in some cases it is needed in order to help America win the battle. 

I feel like the government thought it was needed to help win the war. I also feel like Americans knew we didn't have many men and supplies were hard to come by for us so they needed all the help they could get. 

Test Prep- Key

the answers to my questions are as follows:

#1 C

#2 D

#3 A

Progressive Era Topics Thesis

Today in class we shared the thesis and conclusion that we created in groups from the previous class period. We then made note of the overview of them on the board and were told to now create another thesis statement that encompassed all of them.

Here is what I came up with......

In the progressive era, people turned to the government at all levels for their protection and wellbeing while the people would accept any extra help the government would provide. As the people tried to move forward and better society, they were also being held back. Because of the government's involvement, the people were given a leg up and were able to take many steps forward while taking just as many back at the same time. However not all movements, both positive and negative, were the result of government intervention or creation, many of the movements are backed by the people themselves.

Test Prep- Progressivism

Our assignment was as follows....

Write 3 good multiple choice questions that could be used to measure someone’s understanding of important facts, ideas, and concepts related to the history of Progressivism in the United States. 

My questions are: 

#1 When thinking about the progressive era all were goals of the progressives except…. 
A) better education
B) increase in women's rights
C) pay people more to work
D) cleaner factories
E) reduce drinking amounts (prohibition) 

#2 While the progressive era was meant to help it actually caused…. 

A) worse factory conditions
B)  more segregation between men and women
C) a worse education system
D)  increase in poverty rates

E) the U.S. to lack in the field of inventions 

#3 All of the following can be considered progressivism except… 

A) the sinking of the titanic
B) the invention of the lightbulb
C) the invention of fast food
D) the invention of ready made clothing
E) the story of Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill 

Living Essays

Today in history, we met in groups to discuss our latest project. My group included Haley, Patrick, and Evan. Our task was to create a thesis statement, introduction paragraph, and a conclusion as if we were writing a separate essay combining each individual topic.

During the Progressive Era America was able to take many steps forward and just as many backward. Several of these steps were inventions, rules, and many drastic changes. Due to the Progressive Era, Americans were able to see how fast and easy life could be through the creation of the light bulb, radio, fast food, and ready-made clothing while also seeing how these could hold the nation back.


In conclusion, while the Progressive Era had many positive effects, there were also many negative ones. Poverty gaps were expanded, many people lost their lives, wars were more violent than necessary, and the food was extremely bad for them.

Invention of the Lightbulb

So, as I have talked about previously, we are currently studying progressivism. We were recently asked to pick a topic and discuss how it relates to the topic. Our two major questions were... What were you able to discover, learn, and understand about ______ by examining primary source evidence in the newspaper archive? and What did this topic have to do with Progressivism as a movement in late 19th-century/early 20th-century America? For my topic I chop to look I not the development of the lightbulb. Here is what I found.... 

Thomas A. Edison was a well known inventor during this time. He is most commonly known for inventing the lightbulb. But, did you know he might not have been the first one with the idea? Yeah I know... Shocking. The man who is very rarely acknowledged for playing a part in providing light to the world is Joseph W. Swan. Swan actually petitioned for a patent on April 12,1880. It is said that he originally had the idea around March 1 of that same year. A few months later he was given the patent on October 19, 1880. A year later Edison filed for a patent on May 27, 1881. Edison claims to have come up with the idea during August of 1879 and made progress toward perfecting the idea during the months of October and November of that same year. He claims to have been planning to file for the patent however he just hadn't gotten around to it yet. Luckily, Edison knew the importance of keeping a record of his work and progress so he is able to claim a big part in the development of the electric lightbulb. This being said, there was never enough information on either side to say who did and who didn't have the idea first. 

So, what does that mean about how the lightbulb came to be? Well, simple as this... In the head 1882 on September 4 and 8 p.m. Thomas Edison flipped the switch that lit up New York like never before. The electric light became known as a "philosophical toy" and can be counted as an addition to the progress of discovery to the physical comforts of life. Edison's electric lightbulb was called one of the greatest single advances in the department of artificial light. 

Prior to this, there is actually evidence that Edison's light had been impacting the world elsewhere. Welcome aboard the S.S. Columbia, a shop considered by most to be the finest steamship in the world. Picture this; you have just boarded upon one of the biggest ships you've ever seen. The walls are shining with a coat of fresh paint. The wood under your feet sparkles without a scratch on its newly finished surface. The elevator to your room runs faster and smoother then ever before. Now, look up. There's a circular object in the ceiling emitting a bright, white light. You've just been told each room has its own set of electric lights that you can control and that you will no longer have to only eat by candle light in the dining room. To save the electricity aboard the ship, each passenger and steward can control all the lights of the ships rooms (individual and some public) and there is a special team of mechanical engineers to turn on the lights in the dining room. To you, as well as many others, this is probably nothing new however for Edison's time, it was a whole new world. 

As time went on, a divide began to form between the upper and lower classes. While at first, the lightbulb benefitted all walks of life, the cost to keep up with the times became too much for most to afford. When electric light became popular, there was a brief period of time that the light disappeared and this was counted as a great loss to all who experienced it. Sadly, the number of people who were actually able to have lights in their homes grew shorter and shorter. This invention important to the progressive era because the purpose of this movement was to close the gab between the social classes and move the nation forward as a whole. Because of the lightbulb it actually put the country further from its goal. This is because more money means more privileges. However it also helped move the nation closer to its goal because by inventing the electric light and lightbulb there was now a new level of excitement and actual progress being made. The light now allowed more work to be done in a day as well as open doors for new advances for the people of this time. 

Joseph W. Swan 

Thomas A. Edison 

the original lightbulb 

In order to find my primary sources for completing my research, I used this website.


The newspapers I used in the process of completing my research are...

• "The Electric Light at Last"
• New York Herald - New York, New York, December 21, 1879

• "Edison Turns on His Light"
• Cincinnati Daily Gazette - Ohio, Cincinnati, September 05, 1882

• Electric Lights a Hit with the Wealthy
• Worcester Daily Spy - Massachusetts, Worcester, February 27, 1883 

• Electric Lights Aboard the S.S. Columbia
• New York Herald - New York, New York, April 28, 1880 

• "Swan Declared to Be the Original Inventor of an Electric Light Carbon"
• New York Herald - New York, New York, July 12, 1892

How I Feel Second Semester Is Going So Far......

So far I feel that this semester has definitely challenged me as a learner. We are doing a lot more reading based analysis and have already had a test. I didn't feel that I did too well on the test however I was wrong. It is just hard because we have been on a project based history course since the eighth grade and all of a sudden we are taking tests. No one has really taught us how to study or take a history test so it all feels like a shot in the dark. Now I am struggling with the new homework setup. Even though they took forever, I honestly liked the reading questions where we made the answers better than the multiple choice ones. I really enjoyed the Eddie Aikau video because it made his story come to life and we learned what made it so trustworthy and convincing... It was also helpful because I am an auditory and visual leaner so it helped solidify the information. My favorite thing so far was the political cartoons. I liked to see how different people saw the situations taking place and how many interpretations could be made off the same cartoon. It was also cool getting to research what people thought life would be like today and how reality differed from those ideas. I do feel that this course will continue to be one that I have to really work for but I am already better off then when school started in August.

Progressive Era

How would you define “progress”?

• I would define progress as anything that moves you closer to your goal

What period in time is referred to as the Progressive Era? Why?

• 1890-1920
• it was a period of widespread activism and political reform across the U.S. 

What types of issues and actions, and achievements are associated with the Progressive Era? (Minimum:  5-6)  (You can also use your text for research)

• Destruction of wilderness during expansion 
• Increased levels of poverty 
• Laws passed to protect public health 
• Education began to improve 
• Limit on number of hours children could work 
• Women's rights 
• Banning of alcohol

Progressives had lots of goals. Analyze the list you've made and determine:  What do progressive reforms seem to have in common?

• Make the U.S. better 
• Fix America's "flaws"

Evaluate the major goals of Progressives and sort them into these 4 categories: (Or make your own categories or ranking system), such as best to worst.


Essential goals worth striving for/ Necessary changes

• Limits on children working 
• not good for the kids 
• shouldn't be their job

Good Goals – not strictly necessary but could really improve life

• Better education 
• leads to better jobs 
• gets people off the street
• makes the overall view of America seem better
• Women's rights
• the women work just as hard as the men
• women are a part of the nation too 

Strange Goals

• keep everyone healthy 
• its hard to keep everyone healthy all the time 
• not a goal I expected

Not a good idea

• Economic equality 
• not everyone works the same amount 
• not fair to pay someone that sits on the side of the road the same amount a doctor is paid
• this could cause tensions

a young girl standing in a row in a factory 

Sources:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/progress

https://quizlet.com/13862423/four-goals-of-progressive-era-flash-cards/ 

http://www.american-historama.org/1881-1913-maturation-era/progressive-movement.htm

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/progress/cities/reforms.html

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_Era

http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/powerpoint/Social_Issues.ppt

http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/powerpoint/Social_Issues.ppt

https://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/teachinger/glossary/progressive-era.cfm

Researching About the Future

Today's assignment: 

Work with a partner to do Research and write about what you learn on your blog, with links and pictures.  The topic is both “academic” and “popular culture” – so a variety of sites will be useful and appropriate for you: 

What predictions about the future were people making 100 years ago? 50 years ago?  (Find 3-4 articles or discussions to look over.)

• portable phones 
• television 
• digital photography 
• more efficient food production
• no more use of x, c, or q 
• people will be taller 
• flying cars
• underwater boats 
• fly to the moon (regularly) 

Determine if the list is a “wish list” – as in, these are the things one might hope for in the future, or more a warning.

• I feel that a majority of the lists were "wish lists". This is because a lot of the things mentioned were starting to become a thing however most people either couldn't afford it or it wasn't available to the public yet.

Which predictions seem to have come true? Which turned out to be bizarre, off-track, or still out of reach?

• almost all of the predictions came true
• bizarre/off-track/out of reach...
• everyone will walk a certain amount of miles a day
• we will have flying cars 
• certain letters in the alphabet will no longer be used 

Can you identify any trends or patterns in these predictions? What concerns or achievements do they seem focused on?  For example, do people in general seem to be anticipating a better world?

• people expecting a better world 
• hoping for higher efficiency 
• a lot to do with technology 
• most happened shortly there after 

It is your turn to predict a future world.  What do you see?

• cure for cancer
• better treatment for illness and disease
• better education system 
• more laziness 
• more technology
• less face to face interaction 

How much control over the future do we actually have? As individuals? As groups? The government? 

• very little 
• we can try and prevent war 
• we can try and offer jobs to people
• we can do research 
• but at the end of the day there are so many other factors its hard 

Resources:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-world-will-be-wonderful-in-the-year-2000-110060404/?no-ist

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16444966 

lhttp://www.openculture.com/2013/12/ladies-home-journal-publishes-28-predictions.html

http://mentalfloss.com/article/57835/12-predictions-year-2000-19th-century-german-chocolate-company

http://www.openculture.com/2013/08/isaac-asimovs-1964-predictions-about-2014.html

http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/france-in-the-year-2000-1899-1910/  

http://www.openculture.com/2013/09/robert-heinlein-imagines-the-year-2000.html

The Sinking of the Maine

After watching the documentary of Eddie Aikau, my class was challenged with creating an idea for a potential documentary on someone or something from our current unit. I chose to do some research on the sinking of the Maine. The setup for the film would be something similar to this:

Topic: Sinking of the Maine
Focus: the truths versus the myths
Angle: the film would focus on what actually took place during that time proving the Spaniards were innocent

To accomplish this, the documentary would incorporate interviews of scholars, images and reenactments, facts, and, of course, music to go with what the viewers are seeing.

the Maine as it sank

How do you analyze a political cartoon?

So, if I am being completely honest, I have no clue how you analyze a cartoon, let alone a political one. When given the challenge of deciphering one in class, I could only take a guess as to what the picture was saying and, to my surprise, I wasn't too far off. According to a website issued by the Library of Congress, there are several steps into finding the true meaning of a cartoon. This website and many others show that cartoonists use symbolism, irony, exaggeration, analogy, and labeling as ways to get their point across.  For me, I find that these steps work best: observe (take a look at the cartoon and get a idea of the bigger picture), words (see if the cartoon contains words or phrases and use them to get a better idea of what message is being portrayed), sarcasm and irony (is the cartoon being sincere or is it funny? does the cartoon have conflicting imagery?), and finally decide (each cartoon has a different meaning to each person looking at it... just because you see it differently than the person next to you doesn't mean you are wrong but it also doesn't mean you are right).

sinking of the Maine 

This cartoon demonstrates the sinking of the Maine. The man on the left is an American (maybe Uncle Sam but no guarantee) and the man on the right is a Spaniard. The title of the cartoon is Spanish Politeness and the irony in that is the man on the right is holding a dagger behind his back. The man on the left is looking at the man on the right in utter shock because it was believed that Spain sunk the ship and the man on the right is looking looking at the man on the left like he's innocent or trying to convince the man on the left he isn't in the wrong.

expansion of the nation  

In this cartoon, Uncle Sam can be seen plowing a piece of land in the Philippines. This can be confirmed by the title of the cartoon, Breaking New Ground. Under the title in the subheading it states: Uncle Sam having put his hand to the plow cannot turn back. In the bottom of the field it reads- The Philippine Field. The irony come by way of the horses pulling the plow. On the horses hind ends it reads justice and humanity. The irony comes into play because, while these were the original goals of the U.S. stepping in, the end result was a little more complicated than that.

open book policy 

This cartoon demonstrates the significance of the open book policy. On the bottom of the drawing, the title The Open Book can be seen. In the background you can see Philippines on the wall beside the gate and an American man (most likely Uncle Sam). Here him and another figure can be seen welcoming two men through the gates into a land other than what they call home. In the new land there is a temple or building not too different from the Asian culture. The irony in this cartoon is that the two men entering the gates are sort of grungy looking but are carrying to large sacks. This is ironic though because the Philippines had ultimately lost control over their own nation and America had taken over. 

Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau

Over the past few class periods we watched a documentary called Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau. The documentary was named this for Eddie's love of the Hawaiian culture and how he represented what it means to be a "true" Hawaiian. The angle of the film was to show how Eddie was always willing to do the right thing, no matter the consequences. It also shows his love of family and surfing while explaining the bigger picture. Eddie was a man dedicated to the ocean. He lived, breathed, and bled the salt water he grew up in and to make it better, his whole family took part in his love of surfing too. This particular documentary was made by no other than ESPN. This helped shape the film by having it focus more o the surfing, action, and athletic side. If the film had been made by another channel, such as the History channel, the film would have been more centered around family, culture, history, and a whole lot more explanations. I feel that ESPN did Eddie a great justice and that the film is something everyone should watch.