The Cotton Gin Controversy

Eli Whitney is most famously known for being the inventor of the cotton gin. In recent years, scholars have debated as to how much credit Mr. Whitney deserves for the invention. Tonight's reading explores the roles of Catherine Greene, slaves, and Southern planters played in the creation of the cotton gin.

When you are finished with the assignment please watch the following video.

Thank you

Eli Whitney and the Cotton Gin

When Henry Ford created his Model T automobile, he knew that he had a product that would make him a fortune. Ford's invention was going to make transportation faster and more efficient. What he did not envision, was that his car would change the way Americans live and work and have a negative impact on the environment. Sometimes or actions have unforeseen consequences.

Eli Whitney was hired by Catherine Greene to solve a problem with cleaning cotton. For years, cotton production was very costly, denying farmers from making a profit on their labor. Whitney's invention was supposed to make cleaning cotton faster and more efficient. As a result cotton production became more profitable and more farmers stared to plant cotton, and there was an increase in slavery.

For Homework complete the Graphic Organizer on Eli Whitney then the handout on the connection between slavery and cotton.

Go to this link to complete the chart on cotton production be sure to write down the amount of cotton that was grown as well as the value.

Go to this link to complete the chart on the spread of slavery.

Have a Good Day

I really enjoyed hearing your 9/11 interviews today in class. Thank you for all those who shared their families' experiences with us. Over the weekend I received an e-mail that contained two links to videos that highlighted some amazing examples of generosity and courageousness that occurred on September 11, 2001. For me 9/11 is a day of a million stories, and these two are worth sharing. Thank you very much Chris T. for sending me those links.

Your homework for tonight is to complete the Political and Physical Maps of the United States in 1790. If you did not finish the maps in class, you were to bring home a textbook to help you with the assignments.

The pages to complete the Physical Map were: xxii and xxiii.

The pages to complete the Political Map were: xx-xxi, p. 215, 252, and 342.

If you forgot the textbook check out this link for the Physical Map

and this link for the Political Map

Have a good day

History and Memory

9/11, Creating History and the Mirror Analogy

In class this week, we’ve discussed the importance of spending time in Social Studies thinking about the present, and how our experiences help shape who we are. We have also done activities designed to make you think about how historian create/summarize history. The idea to remember is that no one historian can give a complete history. 9/11 provides a good example of this.

HW: Since this is the 10^th anniversary of 9/11, there are a huge number of newspaper, TV, and radio articles. Your job this weekend is to explore some of them. Please note that some of this can be upsetting. If you find yourselves exploring a resource that feels like “too much” to you, skip it and try another. Do the best you can, but if you have trouble completing this for some reason, just let me know.

Directions:

For a check on HW, read or view one story and interview a parents/another adult.

For a +, read or view more than one story and interview a parent/another adult.

Resources:

http://www.tributewtc.org/programs/toolkit.html

This is a collection of 8 stories-each with a video- about how people experienced 9/11 and how they dealt with it after. The one about Susan Retik has a Needham-Wellesley connection.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/specials/sept_11_anniversary/?p1=News_links

This is the Boston Globe’s section on 9/11 anniversary. They are adding new stories every day, so look around. The story from 9/8 has good connections to what you may have discussed about religions last year. The articles from 9/6 (“the Rarely Noticed Casualties of 9/11”) and 9/4 have personal stories, while the one from 9/2 discusses how we saw the world differently before 9/11.

http://www.foxnews.com/september-11/

This has a collection of videos from individuals, as well as some interesting stories about how things like increasing airline security has worked or not.

TO DO:

For the story you read:

Write the name of the article/story and the source

Summarize the story in 3-4 sentences

Tell me what this added to “the history”(your knowledge) of 9/11 in 3-4 sentences

List 2-3 new questions you have from this

Parent interview: Ask them what they remember/what stands out about 9/11. You might also ask them if they remember what they were thinking/worrying about on the day and in the days/weeks after.

Summarize that in either several bullets or several sentences. The conversation is more important than you recording everything they say.

Vision

Our beliefs, values, and perspective are all shaped by our experiences. Today in class we looked at Saul Steinberg's famous cover of The New Yorker magazine titled, "A View of the World from 9th Avenue". Steinbger's cover drew praise from New York City residents and who took pride in their "NY centric" view of the world. This cover has been referenced by other artists, and parodied in movie posters, cartoons, and illustrations since its publication.

Your homework tonight is to create your own version of "A View of the World". You can use choose to use the same format the Steinberg used, similar to this drawing called, "A View of the World Atlanta. "

Make sure your artwork includes the following:

1. A Title

2. Streets that are important to you

3. Cities that are important to you

4. Buildings/Businesses that are important to you

5. Geographic features that are important to you

6. Other countries that are important to you

Help Decorate the Room

The classroom I teach in is also the classroom that you learn in. That being said, you should feel comfortable in room 224 and have a say in what it looks like. Please bring in something to decorate our class in by Friday, September 9th. It can be anything from a picture of your dog, to a bird statue that you found in your grandparent's house. I am going to ask that you explain why you brought your item, so please bring in something of significance and not a random item.

Thank you

Mr. M

Welcome to my website!

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

~ Theodore Roosevelt

I try and remember President Roosevelt's advice when I find myself struggling with a task or an assignment. Sometimes the only thing to do, is to simply do the best that you can. 8th grade offers new challenges but also plenty of new opportunities for you. I am looking forward to a successful school year.

My website is one of the resources that are here for you. On it you will sometimes find assignments, summaries, or study guides. If you are ever absent, be sure to check the website for any information on what you are missing.

Tonight for H.W. there are two tasks that need to be completed:

1. Have a parent or guardian sign the Class Expectations handout

2. Write one piece of advice for yourself on the How to Succeed in Social Studies handout. This advice can be some strategy that you have used in the past or a song lyric or quote that inspires you.

I am looking forward to a great year

~ Mr. Mullady