Friday, June 5, 2009

Christine Wright Book Portfolio Four

“ I was surprised that the enemy aircraft with the obvious intention of dropping high explosives on us could be so beautiful.” Like many other men over the centuries, the Marines at Guadalcanal gained the wisdom and knowledge from an experience that one must go through in order to properly understand its consequences. The wisdom they gained was how precious life truly is. At what seemed to be their final moments they were able to look into the eyes of death and truly understand what it meant to be alive, and appreciate the world around them. Being close to death or eminent danger of losing something you hold dear to you can be an awakening. When you realize you have a strong hold on the world, you tend to take it for granted – when death is pressing in on you and looming near, you begin to see the beauty in things that to others may seem destitute or hideous. The Marines in Guadalcanal Diary, especially its author Richard Tregaskis experienced a precious feeling of being truly alive.

“In a few seconds someone shouted 'there they are!', and pointed and we all looked. Then I saw three of the Japs, silvery and beautiful high in the sky. They were so high that they looked like a slender white cloud moving slowly across the blue. But through my field glasses, I could see their silvery-white bodies quite distinctly; the thin wings, the two thin engine nacelles, the shimmering arcs of the propellers. I was surprised that the enemy aircraft with the obvious intention of dropping high explosives on us could be so beautiful.” It is true what the classic saying says; “You never know what you've got till its gone.” The situation described in this quote by Richard Tregaskis is an exceptional example of this quote, but with a twist. The marines in this story have gone through a long an arduous journey; every day they expect the worst. They have spent months preparing themselves for what they believe to be inevitable, and yet they seem to not have come to terms with the fact that at any moment they may die. Always joking or speaking of home, they seem to want to forget the fact of their own mortality and focus on lighter subjects. Only as they stand in a clearing of palm trees and gaze up into the brilliant blue sky and actually see their fate looming in on them do they begin to see life the way it is meant to be seen. Richard notices how beautiful the aircrafts seem as they glisten in the sun. Never before this moment has he mentioned beauty in all his writings, and never before has he been so near to his death. It is human behavior to appreciate what we have less of, and if you truly believe you have little time less to live then possibly you will begin to understand the depth of what you have been missing all along.

Throughout history human emotion remains the same. Everyday objects and experiences are taken for granted, while experiences we get very little of are highly anticipated. Once we have lost something we gave away so carelessly, we then strive to retain it and feel sorrowful for our loss. Realization of our world and the end of our lives seem to be very closely related in many writings, poems, and real life situations. Either a close encounter with death shocks one into a revelation, or after death we seem to realize how 'in the dark' alive human beings are, such as in the play Our Town by Thorton Wilder. Our Town is a play designed to bring out human characteristics that are timeless; the play uses many tools to show the persuade the audience that they are very much like them. Everyday the milkman rattles by with his horse and buggy, every Sunday morning the Church bells ring, children laugh and play, grow up, get married, and have their own children. Emily, a girl who's life is followed from a young age finds herself dead at the very end of the play. As she walks into the graveyard the tone is not at all sorrowful. She sits down with other members of the town who have passed away, and begins to cry, for she realizes how little she appreciated life. She exclaims “...its as if they're living in little boxes! How in the dark live people are!” It is her sudden realization of everything she missed that makes her human. True to human nature, we all take for granted the things we would miss most if we lost, and seldom do we look at the world around us and truly see.

In conclusion, the Marines at Guadalcanal were both very lucky and very unlucky; the ones that survived came away with a very distinct view on the world around them. Some of them may have even been able to see the world in detail from then onward, been able to truly appreciate life. Others may have perished at Guadalcanal in the hands of the Japanese. For the survivors, their journey was both a gift and a curse. After experiencing a moment Richard Tregaskis, anyone would be truly changed. Gazing up at enemy aircrafts as they prepare to end your life with the dropping of explosives, and being able to truly look at them and see the beauty in them is a truly amazing moment, and should never be forgotten.

American Empire Christine Wright

You cannot see my comments in this view:

http://docs.google.com/View?docID=df2rxscg_144gc4bwxt7&revision=_latest

Notes Quarter Four

http://www.google.com/notebook/public/13896368556504863028/BDQJ-SgoQrfX4ocsj?hl=en

Friday, May 8, 2009

Test Presentation: American Expansion

http://docs.google.com/Presentation?id=df2rxscg_121cs7zfjpk

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Rosie the Riveter and Mobilization

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgz2bwxp_102gmzksjd6

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Manifest Destiny SAT Questions

Manifest Destiny

An Ideal or a Justification?

A Conversation With David M. Pletcher
Indiana University

What were the driving forces behind the United States' quest for Manifest Destiny during the 19th century?

The term "Manifest Destiny" was, in part, an expression of a genuine ideal on the part of Americans. But it was also a justification, in that they wanted territory and needed an excuse or justification for a push into territory that they did not control.

The idea of Manifest Destiny was foreshadowed by some of the writings during the revolutionary times, with the desire for Canada in the period between the American War for Independence and the War of 1812. It rationalized the Louisiana Purchase and United States' support for Texas independence and annexation.

More broadly stated, Manifest Destiny was a conviction that God intended North America to be under the control of Americans. It's a kind of early projection of Anglo-saxon supremacy and there's a racist element to it.

But there was also an idealistic element. It was very hard to measure the two, since it would differ from person to person. If you asked a person to define Manifest Destiny, he might tell you it is an ideal, or he might say, "Well, we want the land and this is the easiest way to justify our taking it."

How were the United States' actions to fulfill its perceived Manifest Destiny viewed by outside nations?

The attitude of Europeans and other observers was one not of fear of the United States, but a combination of lack of respect and a conviction that Americans were essentially hypocrites to talk about ideals then aim at expanding their land holdings.

This conviction developed, in part, out of American propaganda and publicity. The Americans did a great deal of talking and writing about liberty, but at the same time, they expanded the idea of Manifest Destiny. It was their destiny to expand across North America. The people poised in the way of that expansion, were aware of this, especially the Mexicans.

Mexicans were torn between two conflicting attitudes about the United States. One was an attitude of admiration, the other was an attitude of fear that the Americans would try to detach border territories from Mexico's lands.

Many Mexicans wanted to imitate the United States—its prosperity, the development of its economy and its agriculture. But they wanted to do so without losing land in the process.

Were Mexico's fears about the United States justified?

Well, the events of the 1830s and '40s would suggest that their fears were justified. One must take into consideration the fact that the Texans, by revolting against Mexico, were doing practically the same thing that the Mexicans themselves had done when they revolted against Spain. So the arguments Mexico used to protest Texas' right to revolt were a bit hollow. Texans were well aware of this, so they paid little attention to what the Mexicans said.

Who were the people and what were the forces behind U.S. opposition to western expansion and the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny?

Expansion was always a very divisive issue that provoked as much opposition as support in some parts of the country. At first, the opposition to expansion came from those who believed that the United States could not succeed as an experiment in self-government if it grew too large. This became a political position of the Whig Party during the 1840s and was one of the bases for their opposition to the war with Mexico.

There were many citizens who felt that a democracy like the United States could succeed only if it were relatively small and close to the people. In a sense, this was a Jeffersonian ideal. There were others who saw possibilities for greatness on the part of the United States in growth and economic development. This was, in some degree, the Hamiltonian ideal and those who supported it stood behind expansion of the United States, especially in the West, and the expansion of American commerce.

At first, basis for opposition to U.S. expansion was a feeling that it would contribute to the downfall of the nation. Later, the Northeast and East Coast felt they would lose power if the United States admitted more states in to the Union. Finally, the abolitionists in the North were afraid that the conquest of Mexico would lead to the incorporation of more slave territory into the United States.

During the course of the conflict with Mexico, the opposition to the war became focused upon the abolitionists movement and opposition to the expansion of slavery. There was, of course, some sympathy with the Mexicans and some pacifist opposition to the war itself as the casualty lists grew longer. But the abolitionist movement became a means of focusing this opposition into a powerful political movement that President Polk had to pay attention to.

Texas annexation seemed to be a part of the natural expansion of the United States — a logical sequel to the Louisiana Purchase. It became more controversial, however, partly because of Mexican opposition to the annexation and partly because of the conviction in the North that Texas represented an expansion of slavery. John Quincy Adams, a member of the House of Representatives, even thought of the push for Texas annexation as a slaveholder's conspiracy, although I think historians have convincingly proven that there was no conspiracy.

1.) The word "conviction" in line 6 means to

(A) assuredness <
(B) uncertainty
(C) appeal
(D) hypothesis
(E) liberation

2.) What is the speaker's main point in the third paragraph?
(A) That all Americans are racist.
(B) That the early settlers took the land because they believed God commanded it. <
(C) The Anglo-saxons who first spread from the east to west were very religious.
(D) The Anglo-saxons thought that they were better than everyone else.(E) The early Americans thought that their land would be taken from them if they didn't fight for it.

3.) It can be inferred from the quote "At first, basis for opposition to U.S. expansion was a feeling that it would contribute to the downfall of the nation."
(A) A good president would never let America expand.
(B) The people of America were uneasy about the expansion of power. <
(C) The Nation would lose power due to the large population.
(D) The only opposition was due to the fear of a downfall in America.
(E) The Mexicans wanted America to lose its power.

4.) What was NOT one of the oppositions to American expansion? (paragraphs ten, eleven, and twelve)?
(A) The Northeast and East Coast thought that they would lose power.
(B) People doubted America's ability to govern itself.
(C) Many thought it would lead to the downfall of the nation.
(D) There wasn't enough money to expand. <
(E) People in the North were afraid that adding more land would lead to increased slavery.

5.) The tone of this passage as a whole can be best described as
(A) unseasoned
(B) comedic
(C) elegant
(D) informative <
(E) ignorant

Friday, April 3, 2009

Nicole's Post

The Marines on Guadalcanal
JAMES SMITH, 1st Raider BattalionConverted for the Web from "Into The Rising Sun: In Their Own Words, World War II's Pacific Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat" by Patrick K. O'Donnell

Jump to: The Marines on Guadalcanal John Sweeney, 1st Raider Battalion Robert Youngdeer of E-Company John Sweeney commands B-Company Dave Taber at Bloody Ridge Ira Gilliand throwing grenades John Mielke defends Henderson Field Tom Lyons, 1st Parachute Battalion"Horse Collar" James Smith Frank Guidone and the mortar squad Dean Winters, 2nd Raider Battalion Ray Bauml on the Long Patrol
On September 27, the 1st Raider Battalion would help launch an attack near the mouth of the Matanikau River. Poor intelligence greatly underestimated the strength of the Japanese defenses facing them, turning the operation into a disaster. The Japanese halted the Raiders and 5th Marines' advance at the mouth of the river and nearly wiped out the amphibious landings by another Marine battalion at Point Cruz. Jim "Horse Collar" Smith recalls the battle.

We were on this narrow trail along the east side of the Matanikau River, a steep cliff on the other side. As we snaked up the side of the trail, a guy named Ed Mertz had a kidney stone. And here we are plastered alongside the trail with Japs on the other side of the river and this guy Mertz goes down screaming, clutching his gut. I remember thinking, "Oh, God, we are going to get it." It was just a little farther along there that C Company was just a little ahead of us. Ken Bailey [the battalion executive officer and Medal of Honor recipient for his actions on Bloody Ridge], with his runner right behind him, was dashing across a log footbridge, caught a Nambu [machine gun] between the eyes and went down. Can you imagine getting hit in the eyes with a machine gun. I would be so mad if something like that would have happened to me. I just couldn't imagine what was going through his head at the time -Nicole Pedone 3/26/09 2:11 PM You would probably be killed instantly. I don't know if "lucky" would describe living through it. -Christine Wright 3/27/09 8:59 AM
A little later in the day -- I guess we were still heading south -- Sam Griffith got shot in the shoulder at about 300 meters. That left us with a bunch of young 1st (who had just made 1st lieutenant), I would be so mad if I got left with a bunch of young lieutenants that didn't really know what they were doing and what was going to happen. I would want someone that knew what was going to happen and had more experience so that I knew what was going to happen and knew what they were in for. -Nicole Pedone 3/26/09 2:16 PM
Me too. Though a lot of these men were unexperienced and had little training. -Christine Wright 3/27/09 9:00 AM
and there was actually a discussion at the CP as to who was the senior officer. Edson was in a state of shock after Bailey was killed. It affected [Bailey's runner] more than anything else. He had been Major Bob Brown's runner until the ridge, and Brown was killed coming off the ridge. Someone said to him, "You must be a jinx, because this was the second major you lost." The poor kid became unglued. It was a terrible thing to say.

I remember when we pulled Bailey into the aid station in a poncho. Aid station [sigh] -- a couple of guys sitting on logs and doctors treating them. There was a kid by the name of Dobson who had been shot right in the groin. His face was absolutely dead white, you couldn't believe it.
I couldn't imagine seeing someone that was so pale looking. I wouldn't like to be in this kind of thing because I wouldn't want to do something like this and dying and pain. -Nicole Pedone 3/26/09 2:19 PM
Yeah, if you were shot in the groin you'd bleed out really quickly. It would be really hard to not break down while seeing someone dying. -Christine Wright 3/27/09 9:02 AMHe just sat there and held his stomach. Everybody knew he was going to die, and he knew he was going to die. I dont know what I'd do if I knew that everyone was going to die. -Nicole Pedone 3/27/09 11:27 AMNot a murmur out of him; talk about stoicism. He died shortly after that. He just slid off the log and was dead. A man next to him had a flesh wound and was crying like a baby. Talk about a contrast.
Eventually they pulled us out of there because the Japs were well entrenched on the other side of the footbridge.

Nicole's Post

Dropping of the Bomb Essay

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=df2rxscg_106hss55jcp

Friday, March 27, 2009

Sarahs Post

Shortly after the departure of the 1st Raider Battalion, the 2nd Raider Battalion disembarked at Aola Bay. Its task was pursuing three thousand hungry and exhausted Japanese soldiers retreating from the eastern side of the island to rejoin elements of the Japanese 17th Army on the western side of the Matanikau. The Raiders spent a month pursuing the Japanese on what was called the Long Patrol.

It seemed like it was raining all the time. We also had to cross many rivers. We had to climb a steep ridgeline dividing the Lunga and Tenaru valleys using ropes that we each carried and then linked together. We found an artillery piece that had been shelling Henderson Field. It was nicknamed "Pistol Pete." Several men took it apart and threw it over a cliff.
We came upon a Japanese field hospital and bivouac area. We killed a lot of JapsWhy kill the wounded? I don't think I could look at an injured man and kill him, even if I was in a war. -sarah baker 3/26/09 10:08 AM
Not out of anger at least. I suppose I could kill a wounded man if he had killed people I loved. But when you never knew them and they are laying there in pain the only reason I would kill them is to put them out of their misery. -Christine Wright 3/27/09 9:06 AM

. We bayoneted and shot anything that was still moving. It was a series of grass huts. They were on the ground wounded. Several had broken legs. It didn't look like they had proper medical attention, because some were bent on a 45-degree angle. They weren't sticking straight out. We were back in Japanese territory and didn't want to make noise, so we used bayonets. I was pretty angry. We had a patrol, and they captured one of our men and tied him over a log and used him as a woman. They rammed a bayonet up his butt and he bled to death. That made me angry! I can see the anger that he's talking about. Some of the war crimes are really terrible. -sarah baker 3/26/09 10:10 AM
Now that's personal. That would make me kill him if he was wounded. Your fellow soldiers are like your family. -Christine Wright 3/27/09 9:09 AM
So whenever I'd get into action, I'd get angry. I wasn't afraid when I was angry. We all felt that way after what we had seen.
After we left the area, we went up around Mount Austen. They ambushed us on the top. We had one man wounded. We carried him out; it was a long way down the mountain. We had jungle rot on our crotch and down our legs so bad that we had to stop every once in a while to empty the blood out of our shoesEWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!! That sounds. . . uncomfortable. -sarah baker 3/26/09 10:13 AM.
Can you imaine your body rotting away? -Christine Wright 3/27/09 9:11 AMIt was painful. When you're in the field like that, you go, and you can't worry about pain.
The Raiders were a very special group. They're all volunteers. They were very select. We were interviewed by Evans Carlson or Jimmy Roosevelt. Roosevelt interviewed me and asked me if I was afraid to die. I said, "Anybody not afraid to die is a fool. But I would if it came to that. I wouldn't hesitate." He passed me.

My Post: Tom Lyons

The Marines on Guadalcanal
TOM LYONS, 1st Parachute Battalion

Outnumbered and running out of ammunition, Edson's three hundred defenders faced their gravest threat when a large element of the Japanese III Battalion, 124th Infantry seemed poised to overrun the left side of the knoll. Edson ordered the Marine parachutists holding that side of the knoll to counterattack immediately. But the parachute battalion's commanding officer was nowhere to be found. He was relieved on the spot by Edson, and Captain Harry Torgerson was placed in command. Torgerson assembled two companies of parachutists and launched them in a desperate counterattack, saving the left flank of the line. After the Marines regained the line, the fighting became hand-to-hand, as parachutist Tom Lyons vividly remembers.

When they started raking us with a machine gun, that pissed me off, Yes, I believe I might be as well. -Christine Wright 3/26/09 2:08 PM I think I might be more than a little pissed off. -sarah baker 3/26/09 1:18 PM so I got up and crawled through the grass. The grass was about a foot and a half tall off the side of that hill, and I crawled up and around to the side of the machine gun. Bullets were flying everywhere, but the grass was high enough that it would partially hide you. I got almost to the machine gun before I was detected. They didn't see me until I stood up. There were so many people running around you couldn't shoot anybody. I stood up and threw a hand grenade, and just as I threw the grenade, they swung the gun around and ripped me up through the middle. I took several bullets; most of them went all the way through, and one missed my heart by about a half an inch. It knocked me ass over tin cup down the hill. The first one stung like hell. It really hurt. But the others after that didn't hurt at all. It seemed like I just left my body and was floating up in the air looking down at everything going on.
I saw a Jap come out, and he stepped on my stomach and he stabbed me in the throat with his bayonet. It went through the side of my neck and into the ground behind me but it didn't hurt. Jesse Youngdeer [Robert Youngdeer's brother] was coming up the trail with a box of hand grenades, and this Jap stepped off me and instead of finishing me off, he made a thrust at Youngdeer. [Youngdeer] stopped it with the box of hand grenades, and then he grabbed the Jap's rifle and was trying to wrestle it out of his hands. The Jap had stabbed him just above the knee. Another Marine ran up with his bayonet, and he tried to stab the Jap, and he got confused and stabbed Youngdeer right in the leg.
My eyes were wide open. I could see everything that was going on. I thought I was seeing it from fifty feet above. When they started firing the 105s [artillery] right in my area, I got some shrapnel in the right side of my chest. The bullets and shells were passing right over where I was floating around up there, and I was afraid they were going to hit me. He survived until morning?! Christine Wright 3/26/09 2:11 PM It sounds like he got a lucky break. -sarah baker 3/26/09 1:19 PM
Morning came, and they came around, and all the Japs were gone. There were dead Japs all around me. They were picking out the Marines and throwing all the bodies on a truck, and they cut all our dog tags off. They hauled us down to the cemetery in the coconut grove, and they dumped our bodies out. I ended up at the top of the pile.
This guy seems to be very lucky! -Christine Wright 3/26/09 2:13 PM
It is really lucky that he ended up at the top. That would suck to be at the bottom or in the middle and still be alive. -sarah baker 3/26/09 1:20 PM
The driver came around close to the tailgate and thought I was coming alive, so he started running into the jungle screaming, and he didn't come back.
An hour or so later, two corpsmen came by in a jeep, and they put me on a stretcher and hauled me to the hospital. They put me under a palm tree. From the stretcher, doctors told them to take this one out and bring in someone they can save. So I was there under a palm tree, and fresh troops started coming up the road. A ship came in with reinforcements, and an officer came over and said, "Take all the people out of the field hospital and put them on my ship and I'll take them back to Buttons [Base Buttons in Esp�ritu Santo]." And he said, "And that one under the palm tree, put him in my cabin and call the ship surgeon." He said, "You're going to be on the bridge all the way back to Buttons." I was conscious but couldn't talk. My mouth was full of caked blood. I was wearing the same clothes for almost two months.
This ship surgeon got my lung uncollapsed, and he pumped all the blood out of it and had me all cleaned up. After we made port, they put me on a plane to New Zealand. My mother got a check from my insurance saying I was dead the same day she got a letter from me written by a nurse at hospital in New Zealand.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Book Portfolio Quarter Three

“Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee” is a solemn reminder of the atrocities the Frontier Men and American soldiers committed in the early years of the western settlement. It describes in full and complete detail the many pacts between Natives and White Men, how each played out, and how each eventually ended in a bloody battle. The Natives were most always very trusting people, and yet they had no reason to trust the White Man at all; time after time they promised goods or peace or land, and never made good on their word. Still the Indians trusted them, and time and time again their hopes were ravaged by the White Man's greed. People like the Navajos, who trusted the Americans and even tried to bond with them and form a community – even those who did everything within their power to be at peace – even they were slaughtered wantonly. This poses a question; were the Natives too naive? Sometimes trust must be revoked for one's own emotional safety, even if one wants to believe that there is more good in certain people. Skepticism must be applied before risking your heart and people.

One example of this mis-guided trust is the example of the Navajo people. Upon journeying into a newly built camp, Manuelito, their chief was spoken to and specifically told to be peaceful and live quietly with the other whites. He agreed, because he dearly wanted peace for his people. So the Navajo people joined the Whites in Fort Defiance, near Canyon Bonito in New Mexico, along with their herds of livestock. At first there was trouble, for the Indian's livestock wandered onto land that was not their own (they did not have fences and so this was unstoppable). Disavowing their agreement, the soldiers of the Fort grew angry and shot every one of their livestock. Manuelito could not understand why they would do such a thing, when it was they who had made them promise peace! After waging a short war with the White Men, Manuelito and his tribe go back to living 'in peace' with the Whites in Fort Wingate. Although they had little say in the matter of their consolidation and theft of their land; the Native Americans did have the choice on whether to trust the Americans or not. It is not entirely a bad thing to be very trusting; this shows innocence, but to be bombarded by misery over trust – that is a bad thing. Little did he know, that such a trivial thing as a horse contest would set about a massacre of Navajo men, women and even children.

Another example of betrayed by the White Men is in the Santee Sioux tribe, lead by a man most commonly know as Little Crow. Little Crow was an incredibly trusting and innocent man; he believed in only good in people, and could not understand why a man would say one thing and then do another. His trust and spirit was broken by the numerous lies and absurdities he had the Santee Sioux put through. They were owed a certain amount of rations, and they were being delivered later and later, until not at all. The tribe was starving to death, and so Little Crow being the chief went to speak with the White Men and try to get food. Little Crow pleaded with the sentries, as there was food in storage close by but the men turned them down saying “If they are hungry, they can eat grass and their own filth.” This seemed the ultimate betrayed of Little Crow's trust. He could no longer prove his worthiness as a chief to the Santees – the soldiers had usurped all power and dignity he had ever possessed.
“Although wrongs have been done me, I live in hopes. I have not got two hearts... Now we are together again to make peace. My shame is as big as the earth, although I will do what my friends advise me to do. I once thought that I was the only man that preserved to be the friend of the white man, but since they have come and cleaned out our lodges, horses, and everything else, it is hard for me to believe white men anymore.” - Black Kettle of the Shawnee.

Sometimes trust must be revoked for one's own emotional safety. This moral not only applies to the Native in “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee”, but to every living human being. Trust is something that must be earned; a bad reputation should stay with a person or organization until they painfully earn back a good one. Emotional health should not be wasted on those who do not deserve it. Believing in a person who has hurt you over and over again does not do you any good whatsoever. It was not wrong for the Natives to try to cooperate and live peaceably with the Whites; and it was not wrong for them to trust them. However, it was a greater downfall for them to continue to trust them and be hurt by it over and over. It was incredibly wrong of the soldiers to treat the Indians the way they did; they spoiled their innocence and their way of thinking about the world and the good of human kind. They may have died wondering if their beliefs on the human spirit were really true, because how could they ever imagine a culture ever being so ruthless and mean spirited?

The perspective of the Indians is that of a unique and irreplaceable culture; no culture has been or will be like the Native Americans in that point of history. The events of prejudice that occurred in the Western lands of America are unique in their own way, however the major thread of trust and betrayal runs throughout history. A theme of persecution and massacre can be seen in the days of World War Two, where an obscene amount of Jews were tortured, starved, labored, and beaten simply because of a prejudice again their race and the fact that a culture no longer desired them to be where they were. In a way, this is what happened to the Indians; they were annihilated. Trust placed in the wrong hands is a universal mistake – it can happen in any day and any age. It can be as simple as trusting a friend when they have lied to you several times before, to trusting someone to drive you home safely and accidentally inuring you in a crash (even if you had known they were irresponsible drivers.) It is good to trust, yet bad to trust too much – this is one of the problems the Native Americans had to face during the years of their extermination from their blood lands.

Friday, March 20, 2009

History Class This Week March 20

Last class we discussed the basic points of the begining of War War Two, which I thought was interesting but wished that you could have elaborated on it more or given some interesting stories to pull everything together more. I liked the google maps where the screen zoomed from place to place. It really conveyed how big the war was and how much land was concerned in it.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The Great Depression

1. How does a person make money on an investment?

Buy the stocks low, and sell the stocks higher than what you bought it for.

2. What does 'cheap credit' mean?
There is a lot of money available to borrow, regular people with so so credit can get a cheap loan and buy something they could not otherwise afford.

3. What is 'buying on margin' mean?
You can put ten percent of the cost down, and pay interest on the other ninety percent, while waiting for your stock to enlarge.

4. How is 'speculation' different from 'investment'?
Investing is buying something for a long term investment with little or no intent to sell; a speculator is someone who rides the market and buys something only to sell it for more money later.

5. How does 'panic selling' start?
When everyone around you is selling thier stocks, and you realize that you need to sell as well or lose all your money.

6. How can high unemployment start a negative economic cycle?
As people lose thier jobs, productivity goes down, less and less people have money to spend, and even if they did there would be less produce to buy.

7. How did increases in technology contribute to overproduction in the 1920's?
Electricity and mechanical devices made it easier to make more of your product with less employees. This means less people have an income, and less money to buy the increased amount of products.

8. What is meant by 'uneven distribution of wealth? Is it a bad thing?
One tenth percent at the top of economy owned as much as the bottom fortytwo percent of American families. Almost half of all Americans were living in poverty.

9. What is a tariff, and why don't they seem to work in the modern economy (post-WWI)?
An extra tax we have to pay on an imported good. When everyome decides to post a high tariff, it hurts everyone in the end.

10. What is 'rugged individualism? Is it real?
You must be self dependant and look to themsevles for a fix.

11. What is a Hooverville, and why is it called that?
A town or grouping of tents or boxes in which people would camp out.

Friday, March 6, 2009

My Time in History Class

The things I enjoy most about our history class is when you give detailed lectures with lots of insight put in a way that is easy to understand. They are never dry or boring and they help me to understand a lot. I also like it when you have a good visual to go along with what you are lecturing on, such as an interesting photo or a movie clip. It is also good when you have a side story that is entertaining, while still related to the topic. It helps everyone stay interested while not being monotonous.

What I think would be helpful if you posted the exam essays on your website so we could have access to them even if we forgot our papers. I also wish that we could have a little bit of time at the end of every class to ask questions about less related subject during the lecture, and looked them up on youtube. For example, I would have liked to look up Charlie Chaplin after class because I was interested in who he was, but because he was not directly related to our subject, we did not get to see who he was.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Cold War Era Exam

1). Basically, Ronald Reagan has been given most of the credit for ending the Cold War because he was actually president during the end of it. It was his strong arm attitude that drove us to overpower the Soviet Union and take back control. Although it is true that many other Presidents contributed in breaking the Soviet Union, the ultimate end of the War was seen under Reagan's command. Reagan is credited with being an American hero - especially after he was shot by Brady while doing his duty for America. It was not as though he would have been able to do anything about his assassination attempt, but nevertheless he was deemed a hero for "taking a bullet for America." His Presidency started off with a bang when all of Jimmy Carter's struggles were ended when the hostages were released during his inauguration. While belittling Carter, this raised Reagan on a platform as a great and successful star to his career. It was things like these that helped him in his popularity - even though he did little to set the hostages free, the release of the prisoners was in essence because of him, or rather, the ending of Carter's presidency. It was Reagan's talk of the "evil empire" that finally got America together and ultimately helped us win the cold war over the Soviet Union.

(this was the last one I wrote... I know its not very good :/ )

2). The presidents involved in the Watergate and Iran Contra scandals were two very different people, with different personality traits and a different way of dealing with situations. To begin, Nixon had none of the suave and gentlemanly effect that Ronald Reagan had. Reagan had been an actor previously, and knew how to convey himself and being charming for a crowd or camera. Compared to Reagan, Nixon had little appeal in that regard, and even less as the truth about his personality unfolded.

Richard Nixon's scandal was more insulting the American people in general. During the election season of 1972, Richard's Dirty Tricks Squad broke into the Democratic Headquarters in the Watergate Complex in an attempt to uncover information which would lead to the downfall of the Democratic Party. Right after, nearly 6 days, Nixon was able to hush the break in and the American populace never heard about this unethical scandal. From the start, Nixon was sliming his way into office with bad politics and bad manners. This was an immediate insult the the American people, even though they would not know of his doings until over a year later. Tapes were found of Nixon's conversations in the White House, some of which he cursed violently and disrespected his office. This was insulting to the American people because he had shamed the office of President by using such foul language inside it. As President we expect our leader to conduct himself in a proper way (at least while holding conferences in the White House). As well as uncovering his bad language, the fact that he was behind the break-ins at Watergate made the American people feel ignorant for trusting him and letting him hold such a prestigious office in the first place. Over all, Nixon had little charm or reliability, and ended up leading to his own downfall.

Ronald Reagan, however did not make the American people feel nearly as stupid and disappointed as Nixon did. Ronald Reagan possessed many more good attributes than Nixon, and was able to seem respectable and classy (at least to the face of America). Although the Iran Contra Affair was nothing to be proud of, the people did not take it as quite as personal a blow. It was not as shocking as Nixon's scandal had been; a direct hit to the face of America. When compared to what Reagan is credited for - ending a fifty year long war that had been present in many voter's entire lives, it pales in comparison. Liberating America from the grip of the Cold War is far more redeeming, while a few illegally sold weapons seemed hardly a comparison.

In short, Reagan got away with what he did because of his character and the fact that he had a good deed to cancel out the scandal that he committed. Nixon had no such great deed he had done, and even so the nature of his acts were such that not many would have forgiven him even if he had.

3). There are several major events that happened during the era of the cold war, and each of them are important in establishing the course that America took and how all events played out. An example of three of these are the Watergate Scandal of Richard Nixon, the Malaise Speech given by Jimmy Carter, and the Iran Contra Affair under President Ronald Reagan. Each of these are significant because they all provide insight into how the public viewed each president and the general state of the American Population and its leaders.

Beginning with the Watergate Scandal in the year 1972, it is clear even after a small amount of research that most of Nixon's career during the election season of 1972 to his presidency in 1973, there were many misdeeds and corrupt politics coming into play in the White House. Nixon was the head of a team of his closest advisers, aptly deemed the "Dirty Tricks" squad. All of these men were in a high ranking in politics, and all held a strong desire to win, whatever morals they had to trample to get there. During the election season, the Dirty Tricks squad broke into the Watergate Complex to try to uncover secret information on the Democratic Party. This was not only illegal, but unethical and immoral as well. Had this been taken more seriously, the American populace probably would not have elected him. However, Nixon was sworn into office and continued his streak of disrespect throughout his career. This was unknown until a certain thing about Nixon was revealed; it was called the Smoking Gun. This Smoking Gun pointed at Nixon for the Watergate break in and several more unappealing deeds. It was Nixon himself that lead to his own demise; he had a secret tape recorder in his office where every conversation was recorded. He intended to use it for his own good, yet it lead to America finally knowing who he truly was. Although Nixon was not always suspected, everything turned around once the cat was out of the bag. America veiwed him in a completely different light, as a scoundrel and a liar.

Secondly, the Malaise speech. Jimmy Carter believed that America was running on existentialism. He knew that the golden age of family oriented living was passing by very quickly, and could be extinct without some guidance or leadership. President Carter believed that the Americans were having a so called "Crisis of Confidence" where they not only felt un-united, but lost as well. Greed and an energy crisis was driving America into a materialistic state of mind. At the time, when James Carter first gave the speech, he suggested that the problem was not in the leaders of this country, but in the people as a whole. He suggested that Americans go back to their roots and seek what is truly important: companionship, love, and family, not goods, money, and gasoline. When he first gave the Malaise Speech, the people of America did not take to it, simply because it was not what they wanted to hear. No one in a time of Crisis wants to hear that the crisis is their fault, rather they wish to blame it on someone in a leadership role. However, when we look back today and realize that we are in much the same problem, we are able to think more clearly and realize that what President Carter was saying is completely true. As always, hindsight is 20/20.

Lastly the Iran Contra Affair. Ronald Reagan is known to some as a very great President who deserves to go down in history as one of America's best. Compared to a person such as Reagan and all that he accomplished during his Presidency, an affair such as the Iran Contra seems almost pointlessly small to worry about. Reagan is credited with the end of the Cold War, a fifty year long ordeal. Americans would probably be so happy about this prospect that they could completely overlook the fact that Reagan broke the law. At the time of the Iran Contra Affair, it was a lot bigger deal, but due to Reagan's charm and way of manipulating the camera, it was mostly forgotten by the current age. People that lived through it may look back and have an opinion on it, but it is not the most striking thing they remember about Reagan and his term as Presidency.

Each president had a different way of carrying himself, and each of these ways payed off in one way or another. Sometimes the American people appreciated each deed for what it truly was worth, but others they were blinded by their ignorance and passion. It is true, however that each event changed America in one way or another.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Malaise Speech

President Carter states in the Malaise speech that he is concerned for the American people. Although he is continually worried about the energy crisis and the rapid inflation, he is mostly worried about the voices of the people. He believes that Washington DC has no listened to the true concerns of the American people, only made statements about resolutions. The Government and his position as leader have become too estranged from the public, and he wishes to keep the unity as an equal, not a dictator. The United States was in a moral and spiritual chaos, and it was questioned whether oil should continue to be imported from the Middle East, when jobs were being lost because of it. People were beginning to stop believing in the competency of the United States. Carter was concerned that the very fabric of the Nation was beginning to lose its strength. Unity is the only thing that can hold the American dream together. Problems with unity and good leadership affect all countries and ages; it will always be a problem.

The American ideal is changing from something that held relationships, families, and God close to their hearts, to a world full of materialism and greed. People are beginning to deal more with themselves and self indulgence than looking to giving and loving. Existentialism is rapidly overtaking the Country; moral is going down, depression is increasing - because of our own meaningless existence governed only by objects, we become depressed and lethargic. Our productivity as a country is decreasing. People do not even care enough to vote in their own President's election! I believe that America today is suffering from this same blight. It seems that our children are taught Materialism at a young age - toddlers being enrolled in beauty pageants to look "sexy", buying our teens new cars instead of making them work for a used one, teaching them that beauty is the brand of makeup they use or the amount of time they spend every morning fixing their hair. It is not only a problem with teens - less and less people in America are accepting God, but are looking to materials to satisfy the emptiness in their hearts.

Carter says the only way we can get out of the energy crisis is to face the problem head on. He is setting a deadline for how much oil we are able to take from the Middle East - no more than they used in the year 1977. He is also going to supply our country with more jobs, because America needs to supply itself with its own energy. Dependence on foreign oil must be cut down by half within the next ten years. Also, he wants to do more research into alternative means of energy, such as solar power. He will also require as a matter of law, that our Nation's utility companies cut their massive use of oil by 50 percent within the next decade and switch to other fuels, especially coal, our most abundant energy source. A conservation plan will be put into use, so that every American can conserve as much energy as absolutely possible. By doing all of this, it will instill a sense of community and readjust the falling moral in America.
President Obama's plan and President Carter's plan both follow the same basic rules - the only difference is that Obama is dealing with newer technology.

70's Television

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5HX8Jikfu0

- I need help with this, so it is not yet complete -

Ronald Reagan : Classwork

1) What are the problems America faces?

America is too materialistic, we do not understand how unique America is and how important our American traditions are. We are suffering from an economic crisis - materialism is causing misery and depression. Our taxes are unfair and favor the poor who use other people's taxes as an excuse to not work. The Government is too big and too overbearing.

2) What are Reagan's solutions?

We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow - these problems will not go away quickly, but we must continue to work on the economy nevertheless. We need to cut down the taxes as well.

3) What makes Reagan effective here?

He is funny and to the point - he is also witty. It is nice to have a leader who can laugh at themselves.

4) What does this reveal about Reagan?

Reagan truly does not believe that he played a part in the decline of the economy. He strongly believes that his party is RIGHT and the opposite part is WRONG.

5) What policy decisions might Reagan make according to this?

Reagan wants to increase the firepower of America - peace through strength.

6) How did this event effect Reagan's role with the American public?

Made him a public hero - he took a bullet for America. He remains stoic and leader-like.

7) Who is the audience?

The association of Evangelicals.

8) What is the argument Reagan makes here?

It is better to die sooner while still believing in God than live a long life without God at all. Communism is against God.

9) What do you think Reagan's agenda is in this speech?

To reduce the bad morals of our leaders who usually pretend to follow God, but really are selfish and immoral. Ignore the facts of history and declare the arms race over and a giant misunderstanding.

-this is as far as we got in class-

Monday, January 26, 2009

Hunter Thompson

Who was Hunter S Thompson, and was he mentally stable?

Hunter S Thompson is widely known for his decadent drug use including hallucinogenics and alchohol to the point of severe addiction. He was known for his vulgar sense of humor and his style of journalism. His writings were generally centered arround his point of view, where he described the situation according to his feelings and emotions. Thom

pson created several different personalities and names for himself, until he claimed the lines between who he really was and who he claimed he was were blurred. "I'm never sure which one people expect me to be. Very often, they conflict - most often, as a matter of fact. ...I'm leading a normal life and right along side me there is this myth, and it is growing and mushrooming and getting more and more warped. When I get invited to, say, speak at universities, I'm not sure if they are inviting Duke or Thompson. I'm not sure who to be." It seems as though Hunter S Thomson was an accentric man, fascinated by the vulgar and absurd, who either never knew his true identity, or lost it in the fog of drug use.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Book Portfolio

Since the generation that suffered through the Holocaust and World War Two are rapidly dwindling, it is important that we save the memories and tales of the people who actually experienced this tragedy in order that the generations to come can understand at least a tiny portion of their suffering. Bearing Witness, Stories of the Holocaust, is a collaboration of many short stories written by survivors of World War Two and were directly related to the Holocaust because of their persecution. The main theme in this collaboration of tales is to remind the people who did not experience this travesty of their suffering, and to offer an insight into what life was like for the people who were abused by Nazi Germany. It is about survival and their triumph over death.

Just because this particular collection of stories details the events of the Holocaust, it is important to understand the tales of our ancestors. It helps us understand our origins, and the rawness of human emotions in harsh times. In the

twenty first century, it is difficult to understand the extent of damage and suffering when it has happened so far away and so many years ago. To some, it may seem that if they have not been directly related to an event like this, it does not matter if they have any knowledge of it whatsoever. A massive tragedy like this should not be forgotten, out of simple respect to the humans who have suffered through it. It is not only the stories of the victims of the Holocaust that are important to World History. First hand tales of every major event are very useful in understanding what truly happened. Over the years, the truth can be forgotten or twisted, either due to rumors, lost information, or human denial to make us feel better. “The stories in this anthology give us a human face to the statistics about millions. These writers show what happened to ordinary people in many countries of Europe under the Nazis – in homes and crowded ghettos, on the transports, in the death camps, to those to died and those who survived.” – Introductions of Bearing Witness. In order to respect these people, we must learn these tales of their past, however gruesome they may be. They went through more hardship that many Americans today can ever imagine; carrying your hidden infant under your shawl, praying that your friends do not decide to turn on you and devour her, or being torn away from your mother and father to go into ‘hiding’, only to be taken away by a group of conspicuous and frightening men to be trapped inside a reeking rail car. These stories are important for all people to read and understand.

The authors perspective in

this collaboration of anecdotes is clearly viewed because of the fact that they are written in first person and describe true tales of the Holocaust. There is no one set category that all storytellers fall into; some are young Catholic boys, some are Jewish mothers, and some are grown men. There was no difference between who was victimized and who was left alone, only their religions and beliefs. All or most these tales are told from within prisons and death camps of Europe. An American during World War Two would not have been able to understand the suffering of these people unless they were enlisted in the army and had the opportunity to be one of the liberators of the enslaved. Jews in Europe were in constant fear of their lives. Although religious discrimination is happening constantly all over the world at some level, a tragedy like this had never happened before in American History. The Holocaust was a unique situation. The period of time that it occurred in probably did not change the circumstances much; if a tyrannical leader came to power in present day, American would probably react much the same as they did in the 1940’s. The true nature of human beings does not change in such a small amount of time as 70 years. Evil men still exist, just as persecution and torture still exist.

People who are fortunate enough to live in a safe country should at least understand the stories of those who have suffered through the Holocaust. It is easy to take for granted all that you have, and to read anecdotes of extreme suffering is able to change one’s perspective. We need to ensure the truth of the matter, and respect these people and their stories.

Friday, January 9, 2009

LBJ - Wilderness Act

Before the Wilderness Act of 1964, there was no real definition of 'wilderness' on American soil. There also was no law preventing all United States territory to be settled and built upon. This would mean that if enough humans existed on America soil, that every last frontier could be conquered, and there would be no reminder of what the 16th century transcendentalists wrote thier poems about, or no fragment of our American History according to the participants of the Oregan Trail, or Western natives's previous home. Although some terrain would be virtually impossible to inhabit, such as the Rocky Moutains or the unforgiving moutains of Alaska. However, if there were no law to protect these places in complete purity they would eventually become poluted in one way or anther. There are currently 9.1 million acres of proclaimed wilderness in the United States. The Wilderness Act was said to promote '...an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.'

The Wilderness Act is a good thing not only for American People but for the rest of the world. It preserves many, many species that exist only in the North American region, and possibly even creatures that reside only in America. If most American soil was inhabited many indigenous creatures would be forced out of thier home, resulting in their deaths and maybe even the demise of thier species. This would disrupt the food web throughout North America. Another plus is that there would be specified limit to the amount of woods and forrest we are allowed to harvest. The vast woods of North America contribute to the global imput of oxygen and the health of the ozone. Also, a large portion of our American history would be lost with the population of the wilderness. The virgin land of the Pilgrim's America would be gone forever. Just seeing pictures of the untamned West helps us understand the inestimable hardship our ancestors had to overcome. The wilderness is in essence the basis of our country.