Are Aliens to Blame?

Since we have been reading about politicians learning to manipulate uneducated voters (i.e. Harrison's hard cider campaign), I thought this Forbes article about current voter ignorance and the government shutdown is very interesting and surprising.  According to a 2006 Zogby survey, only 42% of Americans can name the three branches of government.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2013/10/01/the-low-information-voter-knows-very-little-about-why-government-is-shutting-down/?utm_campaign=forbestwittersf&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

Btw, I just thought this meme was funny and somewhat relevant.  Aliens aren't actually to blame.

Shutdown of Government?

This may have no real significance in 19th century history or what we have talked about today regarding the Manifest Destiny, but the government will shut down in less than an hour if Congress fails to pass a bill at Washington D.C.

If you want to know more about this here's a link that shows the possible effects of a government shut down and implications: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/30/20745618-a-government-shutdown-what-could-it-look-like?lite

& http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/23/politics/government-shutdown-daily-life/index.html

Walt Whitman

While reading chapter 16 of the American Pageant  in the sections where the authors wrote about the authors that developed a distinct style of American Lit. there was only one mention of a poet. This poet was Walt Whitman. Intrigued by this fact I deiced to do more research on Whitman. Walter "Walt" Whitman was born on  May 31, 1819  in New York; he died in New Jersey on March 26, 1892. He is known as the author of free verse and is best known for his poetry collection Leaves of Grass. I read through three poems from Leaves of Grass before I found a poem that I felt expressed the sprit of  America. 

                        I Hear America Singing.

    I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,
    Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe
              and strong,
    The carpenter singing his as he measures his plank or beam,
    The mason singing his as he makes ready for work, or leaves off
              work,
    The boatman singing what belongs to him in his boat, the deck-
              hand singing on the steamboat deck,
    The shoemaker singing as he sits on his bench, the hatter singing
              as he stands,
    The woodcutter's song, the ploughboy's on his way in the morn-
              ing, or at noon intermission or at sundown,
    The delicious singing of the mother, or of the young wife at work,
              or of the girl sewing or washing,
    Each singing what belongs to him or her and to none else,
    The day what belongs to the day—at night the party of young
              fellows, robust, friendly,
    Singing with open mouths their strong melodious songs.

This poem demonstrates that the carpenter, boatman, shoemaker, woodcutter, mason workers  (the hard workers) are the ones that contribute the American culture. The American culture is all about the value of hard work; the way that hard work can lead to a better life. This poem shows that everyone working hard has a place in life by "singing what belongs to him or her and to none else". Whitman shows his life of America in this poem. In your opinion does this poem actually reflects what  the American culture/life is all about?

MAD: The South

The South and Cotton:

“When George Washington first took the presidential oath, the economic wheels of the South were creaking badly”(American Pageant 11th Ed.).  With all the reforms and changes happening in the 19th century, the South continues to struggle with slavery.  One of the most important changes in the South concerns Eli Whitney’s cotton gin; with this new invention, cotton became the new staple-crop of the South.  Now that farming and labor could be streamlined it was essential to keep slaves to run the cotton gin, but as many historians notice, machines took the place of many slaves.  Cotton soon began to “eclipse” formerly important crops in the South like tobacco, rice, and sugar.  Separating cotton from its seeds became easier for the slaves, however the white plantation owners raised the quotas in order to account for this change in pace.  A new idea was presented as a result of the invention of the cotton gin and interchangeable parts: mass production.  The South took this idea and employed slaves to do the heavy work while the plantation owners would sit back and reap the benefits.  As time progressed the cultivation of cotton become a straightforward process and was later moved into factories.  The shippers from the North also profited from this system and a dependency on the slaves in the South was established.

Circa 1840, the South produced more than half of the entire world’s supply of cotton; foreign nations in turn become dependent on this staple-crop.  The South reacted by assuming power; they knew that England was dependent on their production of cotton and were able to take advantage of it.  The South even predicted mutually assured destruction(MAD) in terms of economy and alliances; if war should ever have broken out between the North and the South, the South would assert its dominance and cut off trade with Britain.  Britain in turn would be irate and blame the North; a full fledged war would break out and the South knew it would triumph.  The South was in the perfect position and the government was unable to make any attempts to abolish slavery.  

Questions:

1. Why do you think it was necessary for the South to ensure slavery would not be abolished?

2. Do you think the government should have acted against the South’s malicious intent?

3. What can you predict will happen?

 

The Election of 1840: Hoopla!

Most of you probably only half-read the sections in the textbook about this election due to the irrelevant-sounding titles of "'Tippecanoe' Versus 'Little Van'" and "The Log Cabins and Hard Cider of 1840." However, this event did bear some historical significance (and a lot of irony).

Van Buren was renominated by the Democrats in 1840, despite his lack of popularity (his term in office was plagued with the Panic of 1837, to which he responded to poorly by issuing the Divorce Bill). His opponent, General Harrison, was elected by the Whigs at the prediction that he had the best shot of winning the vote. Although the Whigs were generally known as advocates for government intervention in economic revival, they published no platform or made commitments to any principles. Instead, the Whigs undertook a hoopla campaign of portraying Harrison as a farmer who had been sent to rid the government of corrupt Jacksonian spoilsmen. Whig propagandists gave false characters to both candidates, stating that Harrison was a lowborn common man and Van Buren was an aristocrat, even though their true descents were of the opposite. Thus began the frenzy of the Whig campaign in 1840. The election achieved an unprecedented intellectual low. Discussion of the issues was overrun by calls of "Harrison, Two Dollars a Day and Roast Beef." Harrison won big in the electoral vote. The Democrats, the stronger of the two parties, had been beaten in their own arena.

The election further solidified the two-party system: it heavily mounted the Democrats against the Whigs. In addition, Van Buren lost the election to a consequence of the New Democracy: the easy manipulation of the masses through propaganda. The Election of 1840 demonstrated the ascendency of a new kind of campaign, one in which the candidate's supporters bend the truth in order to capture the vote of the majority. This hoopla campaign set an unfortunate precedent.

Forces Are (STILL) Mounting for a Civil War

Already familiar with the history, it seems odd for me to talk about the reasons why America was plunged into the Civil War in 1861. That said, as we approach this era in history, I'd like to take some posts to gather some thoughts and analyze how past movements in American history that we've already studied contributed to the outbreak of bloodshed. Throughout the week, I will be focusing on a different aspect for each day. Today, I will talk about religion.
~ Religion ~
The Second Great Awakening was a strong movement in American history, far surpassing its similar antecedent in cultural impact and initiation of social reform. The first Great Awakening was more of an explosion of religious fervor and zealotry, but it stopped there. The Second Great Awakening took it one step further, seeking to implement humanitarian ideals derived from religious practice into basic social norms.

Arguably, the abolitionist movement and the movement for women's suffrage can trace their way back to the Second Great Awakening. It was during this time period in American history that religion made its way past the Deists that dominated the political setting and into the lives of the average person. It was the Second Great Awakening that initiated the movements (although they mostly failed) towards equality for the masses, regardless of gender or race.

How does this relate to the Civil War? Aside from leaking individualism into the popular landscape, the Second Great Awakening drove a wedge between the aristocratic upper class and the unlearned lower class. Religions that were born of the Second Great Awakening, like Methodism, were founded on the ideals of liberty and equality. These religions vehemently opposed the institution of slavery. Deism, which dominated the upper, more well-educated aristocratic class, didn't focus very much on the freedom of the individual, but rather on the potential of the individual. It's safe to say, though, that aristocratic Deists, even if they recognized some form of individualism, were not ardent supporters of any freedom movements.

As a result of the wealth structure of American society leading up to the Civil War, the aristocratic land-holding elite mainly resided in the South, while the poor, common man who toiled in the factories for minimum wage and believed in universal equality generally resided in the Northeast.  The separation here is clear: in the North, people were generally supporters of individualism in respect to freedom, while, in the South, people were generally unconcerned with the success or freedom of the individual.

Tying this back to slavery, we see another distinction. Religion that took hold in the North promoted the dissolution of the institution of slavery. Religion that was dominant in the South promoted the preservation of the institution of slavery. Ultimately, while the Second Great Awakening was the catalyst for many freedom movements, it was one of the final nails in the coffin of the Union as it slid inevitably down the steep path towards war.

Forces Are (Still) Mounting for a Civil War

Already familiar with the history, it seems odd for me to talk about the reasons why America was plunged into the Civil War in 1861. That said, as we approach this era in history, I'd like to take some posts to gather some thoughts and analyze how past movements in American history that we've already studied contributed to the outbreak of bloodshed. Throughout the week, I will be focusing on a different aspect for each day. Today, I will talk about economics.

~ Economics ~
Say I build a house and fill it with bonsai trees, telling you that no matter how to you do it, you must make sure that none of the bonsai trees die. Additionally, I want you to care for the bonsai trees so much that they outdo all competition -- I want my bonsai trees to be the best on the market. I then proceed to leave the house, telling you again that I do not care how you maintain the bonsai trees, so long as they lead to me maintaining a monopoly, because I want money, and you get a cut. Naturally, you cannot take care of every bonsai tree yourself, especially not with the care and attention that I've prescribed. You know you need to enlist people to help you, but no one does work for free by choice, and you want to make sure I make as much money as possible so that you can make as much money as possible. What do you do?

Replace the bonsai trees with cotton and the house with plantations, and our situation doesn't deviate much from the southern states' in the 1800s. Southerners (and most Americans, initially) exploited a seemingly lucrative opportunity that came to light, eclipsing rather serendipitously, with the explosion of labor requirements in the Indies and Americas: slavery. While, on the surface, the South's economy was based on cotton, it slowly evolved to become an economy based on slavery.

When talking about the breakout of the Civil War, we split North and South. Considering the economic disparities between the two regions, it seems only inevitable that some sort of conflict would break out eventually. The North had been quick to follow suit with European countries in industrialization; shifting their economy from remnants of its agrarian origin to focus more on manufacturing and factories. While, in the South, the economy stagnated on a slave-based economy. This was primarily rooted in circumstance: the North was burdened (or blessed, depending on who you ask) with absolutely dreadful weather conditions that were in no way conducive to maintaining an agricultural economy. The South, however, bordered on the tropic regions and was the perfect climate for the flourishing agricultural economy.

When you think about it, it seems almost impossible for a nation so inherently divided to stay a single unit. Countries strive to be economically diverse, not economically polarized. The issue with the economic situation leading to the outbreak of the Civil War was in part based on idealism: abolitionists thought that the South's successful economy was not reason enough to maintain an institution as dehumanizing as slavery; while southern states thought that the success of the economy was due only to the institution of slavery. The divide between North and South, though, does not only rest of slavery. Economically, a house of bonsai trees cannot share a house filled with heavy machinery. A country cannot have two separate economies if it hopes to be successful.

Economics, although not the primary factor, was then certainly one of the curses that drove the Union apart.

Transcendentalism

As more liberties are given to the people of the growing United States, novels like Little Women are encouraged to be published.  One important term that comes up a lot during this time period is transcendentalism which is most accurately defined as an idealistic philosophical and social movement which taught that divinity pervades all nature and humanity.  Now to put that into simpler terms, transcendentalism is a movement which believed that every human has the capacity to achieve greatness within his or her own self through God.  This idea evolved from German romanticism and platonism (philosophy of Plato and his followers).  One famed transcendentalist, Walt Whitman, wrote the anthology Leaves of Grass in 1855; he advocated for change and progression through his writing.  Whitman writes, “All the Past we leave behind;  We debouch upon a newer, mightier world, varied world.”  This idea of moving forward was only impactful to the public after the anthology was published and as a result, Whitman did not receive the laud he deserved.  His beliefs are important to us, as students, because in order to do well on the AP test we have to ascertain a deeper understanding of the feelings and issues in society during the different phases of America.  From the reactions to Whitman’s poems (directly after publishing it) we can see that many Americans did not like his writing because they did not believe in it or understand it.  Looking back, we can see that Whitman’s writings are relevant to a lot of issues circa 1850 (I will list them at the end).  When Whiteman was finally realized in 1876, the public reacted differently to his writing.  The London Saturday Review reviewed his anthology; they described it as “shameless obscenity” but also stated that its honesty was refreshing although it would never have been heard “decent people.”  Another famed transcendentalist, Ralph Waldo Emerson, was an essayist and poet (although not high ranking in either); he was named the father of transcendentalism.  Emerson was not the preeminent essayist or poet, but rather an influential figure who aided other transcendentalists through his harsh reviews.  Whitman’s success was reliant on Emerson’s five page letter describing the greatness of Whitman’s anthology.  But why was Emerson so famous?  The answer lies in in the fact that his principles reflected the ideas of “an expanding America.”  Both Emerson and Whitman wanted to move forward and progress as a country, leaving behind the false sense of felicity that confounded America’s citizens (who were perpetually questioning their liberties).

Here are some of the changes transcendentalists advocated:

• abolishing slavery
• Union cause in the Civil War
• repealing the Massachusetts poll tax
• nonviolence
• public education
• dignity of an individual

The ideas of transcendentalists inspired well-known altruists like Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Ghandi.

Questions:

1. How could you use the information provided on the AP test?

2. Why is it important that we study antiquated writers, are they truly antiquated?

3. How did transcendentalism affect development today?

*Hint: I mentioned some famous individuals who were inspired by transcendentalism

(Whitman’s writings)

Forces Are Mounting for a Civil War

Already familiar with the history, it seems odd for me to talk about the reasons why America was plunged into the Civil War in 1861. That said, as we approach this era in history, I'd like to take some posts to gather some thoughts and analyze how past movements in American history that we've already studied contributed to the outbreak of bloodshed. Throughout the week, I will be focusing on a different aspect for each day. Today, I will talk about idealism.

~ Idealism ~
Around this period is the explosion of conflicting idealisms radiating from Europe. These mostly arose from a clashing between the lower and upper class during the Industrial Revolution. We don't cover them very much in the American history curriculum, but they play a crucial role in dividing American society leading up to the outbreak. Idealistic movements were generally pioneered by philosophers and were graciously adopted by the polar ends of society: the filthy rich and the dirt poor. However, the idealistic movements were not strictly economic; they spanned social and political realms as well. To make it simple, we can plot ideals on a spectrum.

To the far left is communism, formulated by Karl Marx in his Communist Manifesto. In a communist society, there is no sense of private property or real ownership; everything is collectivized, nationalized, and ownerless. The communist movement, though, was not readily considered to be feasible by political contemporaries of Marx, mainly because he envisioned it as a collective movement in which the bourgeois would be swiftly overthrown, followed by the middle class. This premonition seemed overly utopian and unreasonable. A rather similar cousin of communism was thus adopted by social reformers: socialism. Socialism is similar to communism in that there is a loose understanding of property and ownership. In a socialist society, the government owns everything. Political and economic theorists foresaw peaceful societies in which competition was minimized and wealth disparities were nonexistent.

On the other side of the spectrum was ultra-conservatism. This was characterized by aristocratic wealth-holders dominating society, working off the naturally selective nature of capitalism to favor the rich and to make the poor poorer.

The Revolutions of 1830 and 1848 were the ultimate characterizations of a shift in sociological distribution: empire was falling apart and the individual was prospering. Instead of wealth being held in the pinnacle of society, a successful middle class was forming and wealth was beginning to scatter. Democracy was also on the rise, at this time.

Now, bringing it back to America, no such movement was alive in such a gigantic or uniform sense. There were, however, propulsions in society that saw the redeeming value of the individual over the success of the state. This leftist ideology, initially popular in New England, was slowly leaking across state borders. Perhaps the ideals of "equality for all" stemmed from these social movements and contributed to the heated debate over slavery, which ultimately was the prime initiator of the Civil War.

The right-wing ultra-conservatives that dominated southern plantations argued that black slaves needed to be subjugated in order to perpetuate the success of the economy. This was a characterization of the ideal that the success of the state and the concentration of wealth in the aristocratic classes was necessary to the success of society. It was southern aristocratic slave owners that also pushed for state sovereignty and the weakness of the federal government, which would help to uphold antiquated social orders.

On the other side, democratic moderates pushed for a stronger central government that almost eliminated states rights and placed the individuality of the citizen over the success of the economy.

Ultimately, while there were many contributing factors that led to the Civil War, conflicting ideals was surely a strong force in pushing the young nation into war.  

Vocabulary Part 2

A continuation of my vocab list:

Election of 1836- Jacksonian Democrats face the opposition of the Whigs party (those who support the national bank, nullies, Anti-Masonians, large industrialists)

Van Buren takes victory as Jackson’s successor, even though he was soon seen as a disappointment by his own party

Divorce Bill- Van Buren establishes an independent treasury and locks all surplus federal money in big city banks

Upsets the Democrats who favored pet banks and the Whigs who favored the national bank

Election of 1840- ‘hoopla’ campaign between Van Buren and Harrison (no platforms, just sabotage)

Harrison's victory 

Nativism- the prejudice of Americans towards immigrants (particularly the Germans and the Irish); caused by the fear or being outvoted and wage depression

48ers- German refugees from the Revolutions of 1848; seeking religious freedom and democracy

Cotton gin- invented by Eli Whitney; machine to separate the seed from the cotton fiber, increasing efficiency and profit

Revived slavery in the South

Commonwealth v. Hunt- allows labor unions that have peaceful intentions

McCormick- invents the mechanical mower-reaper, increasing the efficiency of granaries in the West

Allows for the transition from subsistence farming to the production of grain for the market

Lancaster Turnpike- highway that stimulated Western development

Steamboats- invented by Fulton; doubled the capacity of rivers, allowed for inexpensive shipping of manufactured goods

Erie Canal- connected the Great Lakes to the Hudson River of New York

Cut the time and price of shipping, created an industry boom along the route

Continental Economy- a term used to describe the division of labor within the U.S.

Southern states provide cotton, West provides grain and livestock, East provides machines and textiles

Shipping allowed by new modes of transportation

Deism- originated in the Age of Reason; believed in Unitarianism and the free will of man 

Second Great Awakening- a renewal of spiritual fervor in which many converted, new Protestant sects were developed, and the call for humanitarian reforms was heightened

Brigham Young- head of Mormon theocratic commonwealth in Utah

American Temperance Society 1826- led in the cause against the American drinking problem (which lessened the efficiency of labor and ruined the sanctity of homes)

Sought to stiffen the will of the individual to resist alcohol

Women’s Rights Convention 1848- feminists issue the Declaration of Sentiments which demands women's suffrage

Oneida Community- utopian experiment that forbade private property and encouraged complex marriage

Able to make its living through its production of steel animal tracks

Transcendentalism- truth ‘transcends’ and cannot be found through observation alone

Encouraged individualism in social and religious matters; supported humanitarian reforms

I hope this helps!

Labor Unions Will Strike

While reading the section Workers and Wage Slaves in chapter 15 of the American Pageant I was surprised to find out that works by law where forbid to form labor unions as they were considered a crime and illegal. Therefore, due to the fact that labor unions where not allowed workers found that the best way to be heard was to stop working. Though in Commonwealth v. Hunt labor unions became legal as long as they were peaceful. When reading this I was reminded of the Bart Strike (which negotiations are still being discussed) and how the fight for better wages and benefits still is an issue today. 

      The BART Strike started during the Summer in July when BART workers took a vote to decide if they should go on strike or not. The resounding result was that BART workers would go on strike. If you din't know, BART is one of the biggest source of transportation for the Bay Area and this strike would affect everyone in a negative way. Bay Area Rapid Transit management reached out to the three labor unions  to meet and discuss demands. In order that a second strike not occur again Judge Curtis E.A. Karnow ordered a 60 day cooling off period. As of now Bay Area Rapid Transit management and the three labor Unions are in negotiations, but no major concessions/demands have been made. The possiblilty of a second strike is possible and if there is a second strike, BART mangers may have to drive some of the trains. The labor unions are asking for a three-year contract instead of the four-year deal favored by BART, 4.5 percent raises each year or 13.5 percent for three years, and increasing their medical insurance premiums.

      Is it not similar to how the BART Workers wanted better benefits and decided that their greatest weapon was just to stop working just as the "Wage Slaves"? The thing is people are still fighting for the same thing: better wages so that they can provide for them or their families. Just thought it would be found to make a connect to present day life. 

To learn more about the BART strike visit:

 http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/BART-managers-may-drive-some-trains-if-2nd-strike-4833607.php

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/BART-union-touch-on-major-issues-with-little-4828270.php

Chapters 13-16 Vocabulary Part 1

Before taking a test, I have found it helpful to make a vocabulary list in order to set all of the terms straight and summarize the events. Below is the first half of the list that I compiled by looking through all of my notes and worksheets. Many of them are included in our wikis, but I have provided short summaries for those terms.

Chapter 13-16 Vocab

New Democracy- a term used to represent the transition from Jeffersonian Democracy (where an average voter chooses from the natural aristocrats) to Jacksonian democracy (where leaders originate from the body of the people)

Features: white manhood suffrage, high voter turnouts, elections in which candidates must appeal to the masses, leaders embody the common man

Corrupt Bargain- Election of 1824: did not result in a majority for any candidate in the popular vote, causing the vote to go to the House of Representatives

Clay, who had been eliminated from the running, used his influence in the House to throw the election to Adams in return for being named secretary of state, flouting the popular will

Tariff of 1828/Tariff of Abominations- Jacksonians in the House propose an outrageous tariff in order to hurt the Adams administration and northern support base

Jacksonians expect New England to reject the tariff (due to heightened cost on materials needed for manufacturing), but the North passes the bill to continue protectionism

Southern states are infuriated: must sell in unprotected market but are subjected to higher prices on manufactured goods, tariff reduces volume of purchases with other nations, example of federal encroachment on states’ rights

South Carolina Expedition - South Carolina, under Calhoun, nullifies the tariff and declares it unconstitutional

National Republicans- Adams’ party in election of 1828

Democratic Republicans- Jackson’s party in election of 1828

Revolution of 1828- Jackson wins with support of the South, West, and Eastern laborers

Represents the direct rule of the people and a shift of power from the East to the West

Spoils System (Jackson)- rewards political supporters with public office

Rotation in office- Jackson fills and refills offices with rookies in order to prevent the creation of an aristocratic office-holding class

Discouraged many from entering public service

Eaton Affair- Eaton, a member of Jackson’s cabinet, marries the daughter of a tavern keeper. Other members of the cabinet and their wives snub Ms. Eaton due to herdescent. Jackson takes offense, and turns against Calhoun (a snubber)

Shatters Jackson’s cabinet

Webster/Hayne Debates- New England makes a resolution to curb the sale of public land to halt western expansion

Hayne of South Carolina speaks for the rights of the South

Webster represents New England and argues for the preservation of the Union (which becomes inspiration during the Civil War)

Tariff of 1832- reduced the Tariff of 1828 but not to a point that satisfied the South

Nullification Crisis- nullies of South Carolina win a 2/3 majority in the state legislature, and declare the tariff of 1832 null and void in the state

Jackson prepares military and navy

Tariff of 1833- tariff of Clay’s compromise bill, which would reduce tariffs 10% in the next 8 years

Dissatisfied New England

Force Bill- federal government asserts its authority to collect tariffs by force

Columbia Convention(South Carolina)- repealed the nullification ordinance, but nullified the Force act

Anti-Masonians- political party in election of 1832, suspicious of secret societies and monopoly

Recharter of the National Bank- Clay moves to recharter the National Bank in 1832

Jackson vetoes and declares the bank as unconstitutional

Biddle’s Panic- Biddle (head of national bank) pulls loans from smaller banks after Jackson relocates federal funds to state banks

Demise of the bank in 1836

Panic of 1837- caused by overspeculation on Western land

Specie Circular- Jackson calls for all land to be bought with hard money due to depreciated paper money

No federal bank to prevent collapse of local banks

Worchester v. Georgia- recognized that Cherokees had sovereign rights, nullifying a Georgian law that subjected the Cherokees to its jurisdiction

Not enforced by Jackson

Indian Removal Act 1830- transplanted all tribes east of the Mississippi

Trail of Tears- uprooting of Cherokees to Indian reservation in Oklahoma

Seminole Indians- resist relocation through engaging in guerilla warfare from 1835 to 1842

And also a question for discussion. How were sectionalism and the tension between states' righters and centralizers evident in this period? In other words, where can we see the origins of the Civil War?

Studying

I know this has been done before but I feel that it is always good to know how other people go about looking at things not only is it a beneficial experience for you it is an important skill to learn in life. No where in the real world can you survive totally independent there is some form of communication that must occur with others to do things. For this blog I want to explain how I study and what I find to be effective. Many people focus only on the reading. They think if you read the chapters we are assigned and take the practice test you will do well on the exam. Well for those of you that have done this and have been consistently doing this without success allow me to explain my tactic for studying. Reading the book is helpful but by doing it all at once or even 2 chapters at once is highly ineffective. Their is a lot of content and a lot of material covered over the chapters and I guarantee that you will not retain the information if you read a lot at once. What I would suggest is when you read do a chapter a day and follow the reading calendar. I know it is difficult to do with our hectic lives but try to do the best you can to read with it. Just waiting until the Weekend to do the weeks reading will waste a lot of your time and leave you with little information. When you read, read actively. I know it sounds cliche but when your really reading and understanding the material you will actually understand the content at hand. I feel the difficulty of the multiple choice test lie in the question that they ask. By reading actively and effectively you will be able to make deductions about certain questions based off of the information that you already know. This is the best way to read the content. Most of the important material is talked about during class via the documentaries or lectures but a lot of little information is not mentioned at all and if you want to do very well you need to be reading. The biggest issue on the multiple choice for me are the multiple multiples. Though these seem awful at times they are actually not to bad. The point is that by adding these question you do not breeze through a question picking just one answer. On the AP test more than one answer could be right and it is important to specifically read the question to find the proper one. So my only tip for multiple multiples is to read the question thoroughly and not to worry about the 10% if you think there is more than one mark it. Finally, an effective way to review the beefy content of the section is to study online notes. Just by googling American Pageant 11 Edition you get many different online notes that give a lot of good information. These notes suck out the content of the chapters and leave out all of the useless words that try to flower up the sentences. If time is an issue I suggest reading the notes and then moving on to the chapter and the practice test. Before I leave I want to say we have 4 good nights including tonight to study for this exam. You can easily do well on this exam if you make sure that you feel comfortable with the material. Once you do this it all becomes easy.

Sincerely,
Ryan #DACANNON

DBQ Refresher

As we progress towards our sixth week of USHAP and third unit test, I thought it would be a good time to refresh our memories(or learn) about the documents of a DBQ a.k.a. Document Based Question.

Let’s begin by analyzing the directions: “Directions: The following question requires you to construct a coherent essay that integrates your interpretation of Documents A-J and your knowledge of the period referred to in the question. High scores will be earned only by essays that both cite key pieces of evidence from the documents and draw on outside knowledge of the period.”  One of the most important things to analyze here is the amount of sources you must use within your analysis and interpretation.  Although the prompt counsels you to use all the documents, the criteria for an 8-9 essay states that the essay “effectively uses a substantial number of documents.”  This means that you do not have to use all the sources in order to receive a high score, but rather you must use the documents effectively.  One common problem that students face when writing a DBQ is that they stray off the topic and/or distort the documents to their favor(i.e. a document about religious tolerance was ineffectively linked to a topic about slavery).  Another key element that must be included in your analysis is the use of an auxiliary source or piece of information that is not presented within documents A-J.  This could be as simple as the phrase “All men are created equal.”

Here is a graphic from Chapter 16 in the American Pageant.  

To start,

I’m going to brainstorm some ideas that this document represents, keep in mind that when you are taking the AP test you will have a designated time period to read the documents and brainstorm.

Document Information:

• The graphic shows the effect of alcohol during circa 1850.
• Depicted are two young women, the one in the red dress is tempting the man in the middle with alcohol.  This is perhaps an allusion to the reforms in Maine regarding the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquor.
• The two women contrast each other; one represents female purity by wearing white and the other represents the deceptive nature of the devil wearing red.  Because women are being depicted like this, one could argue this is a matter of liberty not alcohol.
• The man in the middle has chosen to be with the “drink bearing temptress” instead of the pure maiden and the background even shows a snake which alludes to Adam and Eve’s betrayal in the Garden of Eden.

Document Inferences:

• One could analyze the influence of religion on modern propaganda and art as it is evident that themes of the Bible are present.
• This is most related to the Maine Law enacted by Neal S. Dow circa 1851.
• One could argue that this is a product of the Second Great Awakening.
• Lastly, it is possible to show that hindering the sale of alcohol greatly hurt the economy.

Although I would not actually make a list like this for each document, I think it helps to kind of visualize what you are going to write in the time period provided(45 minutes).  It is difficult to analyze all the documents, but it is definitely not impossible.  If you stay focused and brainstorm well in the first 15 minutes, you’re well on your way to a 5 on the AP test.

Check out this link to see where I discerned my information and to look at last year’s prompt:

http://media.collegeboard.com/digitalServices/pdf/ap/apcentral/ap13_frq_us_history.pdf                              

              

The Hudson River School

Though we are currently doing a project right now in class we still have a test on chapters 13-16. While I was reading chapter 16 this weekend (yes, I know that was due last Thursday) I was reading the section titled Artistic Achievements and I saw that the textbook briefly mentioned the Hudson River. Though I am well aware that the American Pageant is not in any way or even close to resembling an Art History textbook in anyway, it gave an appalling small mention of the Hudson River School. The Hudson River School was not a actual school, but a term used to describe the 19th century artistic movement that focused on nature and the sublime (The Hudson River School was during the time of Romanticism period of art and the Romanticism movement was not just about nature). The Hudson River School is commonly associated with the painter Thomas Cole as he credited with being the founder of the Hudson River School. Art of the Hudson River School follows nature, natural light sources, and a lack of people.

 The Oxbow, 1836. Thomas Cole (American, 1801–1848) Oil on canvas. 

Before any mention of the Hudson River School was made, page 346 mentioned Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. What is not a commonly known fact is that Jefferson was very much influenced by Renaissance architecture as there are certain aspects found in Jefferson's Monticello found in Andrea's Palladio's Villa Rotonda. Obviously the front of both building are very similar; both have a cornice supported by column (though Villa Rotonda are Ionic and Monticello is Doric). Furthermore, both buildings have a pediment that contain decorations. Villa Rotonda has a high relief carved into the pediment, but the Monticello has a window in the pediment (see picture). Moreover, it is the strikingly similar floor plan of the buildings that demonstrate the influence. The are both shaped into a rectangle with  branching wings. Though American had a policy of not interfering with European or British affairs they could not escape the genius of European art.

Monticello and Below Floor plan of Monticello

Floor Plan of Villa Rotonda and Below Villa Rotonda

Women Equal to Men? Think Again.

Although sexism against women has improved tremendously since the 19th century, it still exists.  Since we have been reading about the feminist movement in Chapter 16, I thought it would be interesting to compare aspects of sexism in the 19th century with sexism today.

Education:  Oberlin College was the first college to admit women in 1837.  Higher education for women was discouraged and frowned upon.  Today, women are definitely encouraged to pursue higher education; in fact, there are scholarships available to females only.  According to Terence Jeffrey from cnsnews.com, 25% fewer men than women graduate college.  In my opinion, female equality in education has been accomplished.

Family Roles:  A "stay-at-home dad" sounds ridiculous today and would also be so in the 19th century. Wives were expected to obey their husbands and could not own private property.  Fortunately, American women were given some more respect than European women due to the scarcity of women on the frontier.  With more women in the workforce today, many feel that it is difficult to balance motherhood with a career.  More so than men, women are still expected to be homemakers.  In this aspect, female equality in the household has not been reached.

Economic Roles:  Only 14.3% of executive officer positions at Fortune 500 companies in 2012 are held by females, according to Danielle Kurtzleben on usnews.com.  Whitehouse.gov states that women are paid 23 cents less for every dollar men are paid.  Although there are far more women in the workforce today than there were in the 1800's, female equality in the workplace has not been accomplished.

Jefferson vs. Jackson

Jefferson:

Jeffersonian Democracy believed in a republic and equal opportunity for all. The priority of the common people were planters, and the gentleman farmer. They despised aristocrats or elite merchants and had their eye on those that were supporters for the British government. 

Jackson:

Jacksonian Democracy focused more upon the common man symbolized Jackson himself who was "rough and rugged". In contrast to Jeffersonian Democracy it promoted the strength of the presidency and executive branch at the expense of Congress. 

Jefferson and Jackson laid down the foundations of democracy for the common people and these ideas carry on to the modern era. Even though Jackson might have been a little extreme to his ideals, they were still fit for government and have conformed what our government is today. Without these two men America's government may look extremely different if either Hamilton or Adams's ideals prevailed. 

The Jacksonian "Revolution of 1828"

In the election of 1828 the popular tally was 647,286 votes for Jackson and 508,064 for Adams, with an electoral count of 178 to 83. Jackson's votes mainly came from the West and South, generally speaking he one the common people. While Adam won New England as well as the Northeast. This "Revolution of 1828" was a concept of political revolution because these results showed that the center of gravity for politics were shifting from the conservative eastern seaboard to the emerging stated to the west. 

Jackson's victory accelerated the political sway from the East to the West and from to the rich to the people. Jackson is the hero of the common man while Jefferson was the hero of the gentleman farmer. The common people were in place to take over the government- the people's government. 

Wiki Spaces Project

If you are having trouble understanding this project, have no fear because this post will explain everything in a simple way!

1. Task 1: 
1. The first step to do for this project is to give a simple explanation of the topic that you have chose.
2. The second step is to describe the major views of the topic during the context of time. Basically talk about what people thought about the topic during their time era. If you have nothing to say about what major views people had about the topic during the topics time era, then you can describe the major contributions to American society in the mid-19th Century. 
3. The third step is to explain the connections this topic has to modern society. 
4. The fourth step is to establish two complex historical themes for your topic.
1. Ex: the delicate balance of security versus freedom in democratic society; exploration of the idea of Americanism and the realities or myths. 
5. ALWAYS DO CITATIONS!!!!
2. Task 2:
1. Each student pair will choose another pair's topic to edit. The choosing of the pair's will go as follow: Group A chooses a group, from Group B and so on..
2. All students should have their wiki pages finished by September 26, 2013 final projects are due on September 27, 2013. 
3. Task 3:
1. Answer the final discussion question with both periods 1st and 5th in order to collaborate the framework and cohesion to from the best answer.
2. Discussion Question:
1. Explain Jacksonian Democracy focusing on the effects it had on American Society in the mid-19th century and describe the legacies that endure in American politics as consequence. 
4. How it will be graded:
1. Total value of the project will be 100 points. 40 points for each pair task portion and 20 points for successful completion of the final discussion question as classmates.

The American Dream: Reality or Fantasy?

For the next week in class, we will be working on our Wikispaces project.  My group's topic is Labor & Immigration, and there are some themes I noticed from the 19th-century that are still applicable today.

19th-century:  Many immigrants came to America, "the land of opportunity and equality", to escape poor working conditions, disease, and overcrowding in Europe.  By the 1850s, over 240,000 new immigrants came to the U.S. annually.  The Irish were a major group of immigrants during the mid-19th century.  The potato famine pushed nearly a million Irish people to America where they were too poor to afford land.  Many immigrants worked at factories in the growing urban areas where they were paid lower wages than native workers.  Native workers resented the wage-depressing influx of immigrants. "No Irish Need Apply" was commonly posted outside factory gates.  These Irish immigrants lived a difficult life in poverty with discrimination against them.   Another large group of immigrants were Germans who suffered from crop failures and the War of 1848 in Europe.  Unlike the Irish, most Germans came to America with some amount wealth.  They were able to afford land in the west and became farmers, rather than urban factory workers.

Today:  Immigrants from around the world still come to the United States, hoping for a better life.  There is still controversy today concerning immigrants increasing the competition for jobs within the U.S.  However, there are laws, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that protect against discrimination in hiring and the workplace.  A new obstacle to the American Dream (that did not exist in the 19th-century) is the expense of college education.  According to Chris Williams from The Guardian, average student loan balance has grown from $10, 649 to $20, 326 in the past nine years.  In addition, the global recession of 2009 increased difficulties for college graduates in finding jobs and supporting themselves.  In fact, more than a third of millennials live with their parents, many because they are unable to afford housing for themselves.

James Truslow Adams defined in his book, The Epic of America, the American dream as "that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement."  In the 19th century, the American dream was something achievable for the Germans because they started off with some amount of wealth.  Today, the American dream is achievable for most people who can find stable jobs and have manageable college debts.  No one is guaranteed to reach their goals, and there is inequality in opportunity. Those who start with some amount of wealth have greater advantages.  Higher education, once considered a ladder toward success, is rising in cost and becoming unaffordable for even more families.

Today, the American Dream is a fantasy for most people, but can become a reality with the help of hard work and luck.

If you don't have time to read the chapters for the American Pageant, I found a link with class notes and practice quizzes.

One chapter is like 5 pages of notes so i'd only recommend this if you really don't have time to read

http://www.course-notes.org/US_History/Notes/The_American_Pageant_11th_Edition_Textbook_Notes

Corrupt Bargain

In class, on Friday we talked about the Election of 1824 and its notoriety in being called the Corrupt Bargain of 1824. It all started with a standard election between four candidates who since we are still in the era of good feeling are part of the same party. These four candidates were John Quincy Adams son of former President John Adams. Andrew Jackson a military general from Tennessee known as old hickory and William Crawford and Henry Clay two candidates who were unlikely to win. As the election was occurring Andrew Jackson looked strong as a lead candidate. He received a majority in the electoral votes and in the popular vote it almost seemed as if he was going to win. Then something occurred that would shake the ideas of modern history. When Henry Clay realized he would not win he put all his support under John Quincy Adams. Through this Adams won the election although it was almost obvious that Jackson was more favored by many. This was called the corrupt bargain and it caused a lot of tension between the Jacksonian's and the those who supported Adams which ultimately lead to the separation of parties again into a new party called the Democratic party. Though this is an important historical point was it really a "corrupt" bargain. Is this specific act an act of corruption or is it an action that to many standards could be considered unethical. The question I ask you is was what Clay did truly wrong and can it be considered an act of corruption?