Enjoy the Break

I hope you all have a wonderful vacation!  Enjoy spending time with your friends and family.  Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

~ Mr. Mullady

Homeroom thank you all for donating those gifts to the Family Service League.  It was very generous of you, and I appreciate it a great deal. Dillon, Elizabeth, Gwen, Cash, Dana and Meredith thank you for wrapping those gifts. 

For the Test

The test tomorrow is open book so it could only help to have your notebook in good order. You are more than welcome to bring something to snack on during the test, I will provide some juice and iced tea. The test will be between 30 and 35 questions. There will be multiple choice, short answer, and a few fill in the blanks.

Some points to look over:

Explain how the cult of domesticity had a positive impact on Southern society.

Who were the yeomen? Why do we know more about the plantation owners then the yeomen?

How was racism used to unite the yeomen, poor whites, and the plantation owners?

What was the economic relationship between the North and South? Between the South and the West?

Overt Resistance and Covert Resistance.

Be able to name at least three Rolling Stones songs.

What was the original cash crop of the South?

What were four major cash crops of the South?

Why were cities larger in the North?

Good luck tomorrow and be sure to eat a healthy breakfast.

Hope you enjoyed the snow

~Mr. Mullady

Quiz Tomorrow!

Here is the checklist for the quiz:

1. The questions for the Florida website Part II.

2. The questions on the Slave System based on pages 439-443 of the textbook.  This handout should be #10 in your notes. 

3. The questions based on today's readings, Digital History, and Slavery and the Making of America.  

4. The role of fables and folk tales in slave culture

5. Examples of Overt and Covert forms of Resistance in the South.

i.e. Overt: uprising, acts of arson, or running away.  Covert: breaking the farm equipment, pretending to be sick, or staging a work slowdown. 

The quiz will be 20 questions long but you only need to answer 17 of them.  If you finish early, I suggest that you work on the Review Sheet for the Unit Test on Monday.

In class earlier this week we talked about how the South experienced a "culture of fear".  The slave owners were afraid that one day their slaves would either run away or stage an uprising and kill them.  The slaves lived with the knowledge that at any given moment their owner could have them severely punished or sold to another plantation where they may never see their family or friends again.  

Good luck tomorrow, eat a good breakfast and bring a snack for the quiz. 

Slavery Website Part II

Hopefully the website will not crash this afternoon/tonight. (keep your fingers crossed)

If the sight is working you need to answer the questions on Health and Work Ethic, Diet, Economic Drawbacks of Slavery, Maronage, Petite Maronage, and Grand Maronage.  That should be on the handout from class.

   Now, if the Florida website is down, and I blame the Floridian Department of Education, then you are to do this second option.

Use the following sites.

Site#1 http://www.afro.com/history/slavery/main.html

Use the "There were No Docile slaves" and "Women Resisted" Links.  Be sure to read all the info on the sides of those pages as well as the main body text.

Site #2 http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=79

A. Use info from both sites to build a chart of examples of "covert" and "overt forms of slave resistance.  Remember that covert means "secret" or "covered up" while overt means "Open" or "Obvious"

B. Use the second site to answer these questions.  Make sure that you are answering them in your own words.

1. Why were there more slave revolts in the Caribbean and Brazil than in the American South?

2. Why were native-born Africans more likely to revolt than born in America?

I am sorry that the website did not cooperate the other day but hopefully it will work out today.

Good luck

Slavery Website

  We have spent some time learning about the various groups that lived in the South prior to the Civil War.  The lives of the planters, yeomen, and the free blacks have all been discussed.  Now we are looking at what were the living conditions life for a slave.

  

High School students from Coral Gables have put together a multimedia website about slavery in the United States.  Tonight for homework you are to read 2 of the following sections from the website: Punishment, Family, Housing, or Health.   After the sections, you are too type 3-6 questions from the readings, as well as the answers to the question.

For example:

1.) Why were Africans chosen to be slaves instead of Native Americans?

A. Native Americans were susceptible to European diseases and Africans were not.

These questions will be part of your quiz on slavery that will be on Friday.  You have the opportunity to write between 30-50% of the questions, so be sure to include your answers.  

The questions do not have to be typed and we will go over them tomorrow in class.

The Yeomen Farmers

"I desire above all things to be a Farmer.  It is the most honest, upright, and sure way of securing all the comforts of life."

~ Georgian man, 1849

The majority of white southerners were yeomen, or small landowning farmers.  The typical farm in the South averages 100 acres in size.    Many of these farmers saw themselves as the noble  independent workers of the land, the type of people Thomas Jefferson had praised and extolled. They were fiercely independent and preached of the virtues of hard work and self-reliance. 

The yeomen and the plantation class competed for the best farmland in the South.  Since the planters had the most money, the yeomen often found themselves working the land that was the least appealing to the plantation class.  Their land was often rocky or less then ideal fro certain crops.  This would forces many yeomen families to explore new territories in an attempt to seek out better and cheaper land.  It would not be uncommon for a yeomen family to uproot several times before finally settling into one location.  Yeomen farmers from the South, immigrants, and settlers from the North would all contribute to the expansion westward of the United States.

Since a slaves were very costly, many yeomen farmers did not own slaves.  If they could afford a slave, a yeomen would own between one and two slaves.  Yeomen did not have the luxury of having free time so slave and master would work side by side in the fields.  This mingling of the races was looked down upon by the plantation class because it showed a form of equality between the races as well as blurring the line between master and servant.  

Racism ensured that the poor whites, the yeomen, and the blacks could not unite and take away the power and the wealthy from the plantation class.  Since the planters led a much more different life then the yeomen and the poor whites, racism would be essential to have those three groups united. 

Yeomen found ways of combining work and entertainment with large community gatherings.  Log rolling contests, barn raising, and corn husking were ways that yeomen would compete against each other.  These games required great amounts of skill and were physically demanding as well.  Yeomen men would also compete to show who was the strongest through log splitting and wrestling.  Abraham Lincoln was known to be one of the best wrestlers in his county. 

Your homework is one of the following:

1.) create an advertisement for a T.V. show that the Yeomen would have enjoyed or create an advertisement for a product that the Yeomen would want

or

2.) write a song/rap/or poem about the Yeomen based on the reading.

     

Antebellum South

    One of the most romanticized periods in American history is the period before the Civil War.  This has become known as the Antebellum Period, meaning Before War.  For decades, authors have been writing stories, novels, poems, and plays all depicting life in the South prior to the Civil War as a land where all white southerners were wealthy plantation owners that were benevolent and kind to their slaves. 

      The truth of the matter is that Southern society was much more complex then how it was depicted in books such as Gone With The Wind.    The plantation owners were just a fraction of the population of the South.  Southern society consisted of Yeomen farmers, poor landless whites, free African Americans, and slaves.  All of these groups were competing for the resources of the land, and at times were manipulated by the wealthy plantation class. 

Prior to the Civil War, life in the North and life in the South began to become very different.  The economy of the North was based on manufacturing and trade.  Cities such as Chicago, Boston, and New York became the centers of industry. In the North factories, mills, and foundries churned out textiles, steel and iron, weapons, and farming equipment. Cities in the North grew rapidly, with more Northerners choosing to work in an urban center instead of being a farmer. Northern states invested heavily in improving transportation networks, with 72% of nation's railroad miles being located in the North.   These, and others would be an advantage to the North later on. 

    In the decades following the patent of Eli Whitney's cotton gin cotton production in the South skyrocketed.  As the production of cotton became more profitable, slaves became a necessity to cotton planters.  In addition to the invention of the cotton gin, there was an increase in the demand for cotton from textile mills in the North.  The Lowell Mills needed cotton from the South to mass produce the textiles that would be sold across the country.  

    Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana were the top producing cotton states in the South, these areas became known as the "cotton belt".  King Cotton did rule the Southern economy, but other crops were being produced as well.  In Virginia, tobacco became the most prominent crop. Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana were the top producing cotton states in the South. The tobacco plant did not exhaust the soil as much as cotton, and was more suited to grow in the Virginian climate.  Along the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia, rice production became a highly profitable business to be involved with.  

   

   As industry and manufacturing grew in the North, agriculture became essential to the Southern economy.  The workers in the factories and the mills of the North helped create a different culture then the farmers and planters of the South.  Culturally, the nation had become divided.  

For Homework tonight:

Finish the Getting a Sense of the South handout. 

    

   

Welcome Back

      I hope you all had a nice relaxing Thanksgiving and enjoyed spending time with your family, as well as some good food.  The extra credit recipes were great, and I shared them with my family over the vacation.  Thanks to all who participated in that activity, it was wonderful to see the different aspects of culture in my classes.  We had a variety of items from King Cake to Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread and about everything in between.  

     Your quizzes on the Irish immigrants will be handed back on Tuesday.  The grades were excellent with all my classes.  Great job starting the second quarter off really strong. 

You can clean out your binders and get ready for the new unit.

Extra Credit assignment.  Read and write a reaction to the following article  that was in the Boston Globe.  Explain to me what your opinion is on the topic.  The reaction needs to be typed, and handed in by Friday, December 4th. 

"Give me your tired, your poor..."

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

     Those words can be found on a plaque at the Statue of Liberty, but they were not on the Statue originally.  The poem was placed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty until 1930, almost 20 years after she was dedicated in New York Harbor.

   The Statue was a gift from the people and government of France in honor of the 100th Anniversary of the United States.  The size of the statue brought to mine the mythical Colossus of Rhodes, and other statues of the Ancient World.  On October 28, 1886, President Grover Cleveland unveiled the Statue of Liberty to the world.  

   With its proximity to New York City and Ellis Island, the meaning of the Statue changed for millions of people.  The Statue became a symbol for America, a symbol for a new life and new opportunities.   In some ways it became a symbol for freedom itself.  

   As stated in Emma Lazarus's poem, those that came to this country tended be the people who were "homeless" or the "wretched".  So while the poem implies that are all welcome to the United States, we know that this is not always the realty.  For many people, coming to the U.S. to seek a new life meant being faced with opposition and prejudice from the very people who were descendants of immigrants. 

   As a case study to these anti-immigrant feelings, we will be taking a brief look at what happened when the U.S. faced a large influx of immigrants from a particular ethnic group for the first time...the Irish.    We will be discussing why the Irish left Ireland, and what type of welcome they were given by the American people.    Looking at what the Irish faced, we can see some of the arguments that people have used and still use, in saying why immigration is wrong.

Support Your Local Thesis

I know that making these tree maps is not the most exciting thing in the world but I promise you that they do pay off.  The more organized you are before you write the paper, the less work the paper will be.  You wont just show up to run a marathon after doing nothing but hang out for the past year.  No, you spent months training your body for that type of challenge. The Tree Map and outlines are apart of your prep.

Every great paper has a strong thesis.  This allows the reader to know what you are writing about and what your opinion is.  It is your opening statement, your headline, that lets the audience know what your paper is about.  Without the thesis then the paper doesn't have a direction and the reader becomes lost.

        Your paper can not stand on the thesis along though.  That is where your claims come in.  These statements are the main arguments or reasons that you are giving to support the thesis.  These claims will help you prove your point and win your argument.  If the claim contradicts the thesis then you will not win your argument.  (Lets say you are writing a paper on why your friend should break up with his g/f.  You would not mention that she volunteers at a homeless shelter would you?  No, that makes her look good, and thats not your goal.)

The claim is made up of evidence and details.  This helps you prove that your claims are accurate and that your thesis is correct.  The evidence makes up your body paragraphs and should come from a variety of sources.  The more sources that support your claim, the stronger the claim is.  Think, if you want mom or dad to allow you to go to the movies and you say, "well Jean is going", that might not be to convincing.  However, if you say Jean, Mary, Judi, Merrissa, Emily, Betty Lou, and Mrs. Vanderberg are going...well you got a stronger case.

        Your sources for these facts are your L.P.S., L.M.G., your textbook, and the notes.  Up in the library there are some books put on reserve that I encourage you to use for your paper.  The more sources you have, the more well rounded the paper will be.  This also shows that you applied yourself and took that extra effort on your assignment. No hurt in that.

     

When I think of a paper or an essay, I think of the Greek or Roman Temples.  The thesis is the roof of the temple and the columns are the claims (body paragraphs).  If the claims are weak and do not support the thesis then the whole temple will collapse.  And you dont want to be responsible for a bunch of dead Romans now do you.

Make sure you have your Rough Draft completed for class tomorrow. 

Advice on Introductions

    So now that you have the topic that you are writing about, it is time to formulate your introduction paragraph.  The Intro is going to set the tone of your essay.  In one way it is a type of road map, a guide for your reader.  So, for example lets say the essay I need to write about is the following:

Explain why Vanilla is the best flavor ice cream.

My Introduction might look like this:

     Each year millions of Americans head to their freezer to indulge on one of the most popular desserts in the country, ice cream. There are many flavors of ice cream in the market today, a person can choose from Raspberry/Walnut or a scoop of Snickers Fudge.   However, each year the most popular flavor of ice cream that is bought and sold, is vanilla. Vanilla ice cream outsells any other flavor that is offered.  Vanilla is also used as the base for many other flavors such as Snickers Fudge and Oreo.  Vanilla ice cream is, the best flavor of ice cream.

    Ok, now facts and opinion aside on the topic, the Introduction is pretty good and here is why:

1. The last sentence is the thesis sentence. So when it is time to write the first body paragraph there will be a natural flow to the essay.

2. It is short and to the point, no "fluff" or filler in this intro.

3. I had a strong opening sentence, or a hook to it.

4. I presented my reasons, "most popular" and "base for other flavors" that support my thesis in the Intro. 

Now I would be ready to write my body paragraphs.  

Tonight for homework you are to type up your introduction for the Lowell Essay.  

Joe DiMaggio or Ted Williams?

    This has been a debate between baseball fans for over 60 years.  Who was better, the Yankee Clipper or the Splendid Splinter.  In 1941, both men enjoyed the best years of their careers, Joe DiMaggio would hit safely in 56 consecutive games and Ted Williams would end the season with a batting average of .406.  Both of these records remain unbroken today. Fans across New England and New York would side with their hometown hero. 

      Your baseball loyalties aside, the goal of todays class is to prove who was the better player based on the sources that were provided in class.  

   For the groups that were assigned to prove that Ted Williams was a better ball player then Joe DiMaggio the following sources would be helpful:

1. Ted Williams obituary 

2. article "Why We Think Joe DiMaggio is overrated." 

3. statistics provided from the book Teammates by David Halbastram.

You can also use any facts or references from baseballencyclopedia.com or baseballreference.com

For the groups writing about how DiMaggio was a better ball player than Ted Williams, the following might be helpful:

1. New York Times obituary of Joe D.

2. Italian American Tribune obituary of Joe D.

3. Summer of '49 by David Halbstram, 

4. New York Times article on Joe D's 56 game hitting streak

5. New York Times article on Joe D's retirement

For the groups writing about how DiMaggio was a role model for Italian-Americans, use the following sources:

1. Joe DiMaggio editorial from the Italian-American Tribune

2. Joe DiMaggio biography by Richard Ben Creamer

3. Summer of '49

4. NY Times obituary of Joe D.

Tonight you need to work on your rough draft for the paper.

For your rough draft follow these guidelines:

1. Times New Roman font, size 12 font

2. 1-2 pages

3. Bibliography (does not count as one of the 1-2 pages)

4. Coverpage (does not count as one of the 1-2 pages)

This paper is practice for your upcoming paper for the second quarter.

Transportation Revolution

   One of the many concerns for a business regards shipping their products to customers.  Whether the business is Microsoft or the U.S. Postal Service, shipping costs can take a big bite out of profits.  Businesses are always looking for a cheap and efficient way to move their products.

    During the early days of the 19th Century, there was a series of changes made in the methods of transporting people and goods.  These changes would unite towns and communities with urban centers and ports, linking regions together.  Some of these changes were motivated by profit, others by the need to make improvements. 

   One of the first changes to occur during this time period was regarding American roads. Traveling on early American roads were often dangerous and slow going.  Wagons tended to get stuck in mud or clay following a rain storm or the melting of snow in early spring.  Tree stumps, logs, and ruts from wagon wheels, all posed as hazards to travelers.  It could take weeks to travel between cities.  

   A group of investors in Pennsylvania created the first private road in the United States.  This turnpike was 60 miles long and paved with gravel.  The turnpike charged a toll to use it, but the cost of that toll provided for the maintenance and care of the turnpike.   During the 1820s, the Cumberland Road was created by the U.S. government that would connect Maryland to Illinois.  The Cumberland Road became a popular method for travelers to head out West.  Towns and villages popped up along the route, providing travelers with hotels, inns, taverns, and places to purchase supplies.  

   Soon turnpikes began appearing in different states.  The federal government encouraged the creation of roads hoping to improve commerce.  Tolls provided revenue for the states and federal government.

 The downside of the turnpike system was that it still took a long time to move goods.  The tolls also meant that it would not be cheap to move your products.

    During the 1820s and 1830s, the federal government as well as various state governments began sponsoring the construction of canals.  These manmade waterways connected two bodies of water.  Towns that were miles from the ocean or a river now had access to a port.  It was cheaper to move products using a canal then by turnpike. Canals made it possible to move goods from Ohio to New York City.

      Robert Fulton proved that it was possible to have a steam engine on a vessel.  Soon afterwards, steam boats began to appear on major rivers in the U.S.  With a steamboat a merchant can chip goods upriver against the current much easier and faster. Prices of goods were lowered between 75% and 90%, now that merchants had a cheap reliable method of getting their products to the people.  It became easier for cotton from the South to get to the cities of the North.  People living in the West now had a way of getting goods from the East.

     While steamboats made it possible to navigate rivers such as the Ohio and the Mississippi, they could not make the journey across the Atlantic.  Ship makers began redesigning ships giving them smaller hulls and larger masts to fit more sails.  With a smaller hull, these ships were able to slice through the water at a fast clip.  Known as clipper ships, these vessels began to break records for crossing the Atlantic in a matter of days.  American merchants now had quicker access to cities in Europe and Asia.

      The downside of the clipper ships was the size of the ship. Since the hull was so small, they could not carry large amounts of cargo.  This method of transportation was very fast, but also very expensive.

    Finally, one of the most influential changes in transportation occurred with the invention of the locomotive.  In the 1830s and 1840s, railroads began to be constructed in parts of the Northeast.  These trains relied on steam engines that made it possible to move goods at the then exciting speed of 13 miles per hour.  These early trains made it possible to ship a large amount of goods at a cheap rate.  

      The technology was still brand new during this time and not fully understood.  Accidents were common, as rails tended to bend and break under the heavy weight of the trains.  Engines also tended to overheat and the locomotive would explode.  

As time would go on, the railroad would link major cities such as Chicago and New York.  People, goods, and ideas, all were able to travel faster in the U.S. 

Tom and Alex Get in a Fight

   Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were two of the most talented men to ever serve in government.  Both men, brought an insight into philosophy and human behavior and a passion for the nation.  Hamilton and Jefferson would serve in the Cabinet together from 1790-1793, by the end of 1793 they were no longer speaking to one another.

    

      Jefferson and Washington were both from Virginia.  Both men inherited a large sum of money as young men.  The two considered themselves to be farmers, and prided themselves on the quality of their plantations.  They both owned slaves, and both married wealthy women.  Despite having a very similar background, Washington tended to side with Hamilton over certain issues. This frustrated Jefferson, who felt that Washington was valuing Hamilton's ideas over his.   

     When fighting broke out in Europe following the French Revolution, Jefferson felt that it was the obligation of the United States to support the French in their struggles. Jefferson felt that it was the duty of the U.S. to support another democracy and spread the ideas of liberty and freedom.  Having spent several years in France, Jefferson sympathized with the French and hoped that they would emerge victorious against Britain.

      When Washington declares that the U.S. would remain neutral, Jefferson feels that it is the President's way of siding with Hamilton.  

   In regards to the economy: Hamilton's plan for a National Bank and a tariff on imported goods, made Jefferson feel that the American government was not following the Constitution faithfully.  The Bank would be giving the National Government tremendous power, that Jefferson felt could lead to a dictatorship.  

    Out of protest Jefferson sends Washington a letter of resignation in 1792.  Washington encourages his Secretary of State to wait until the end of 1793 before he considers leaving again.  During the year of 1792-1793, Jefferson grew in frustration and officially resigned on December 21, 1793.

     He returns to his plantation of Monticello and promises to stay out of politics.  His retirement is about as long as Brett Favre's.  From his plantaion, Jefferson writes a series of articles that attack Hamilton and his policies under fake names.

      Hamilton's background, his morals, and intentions are all brought under scrutiny. Some newspapers in Philadelphia and Virginia carry these lambasting articles that have authors with Roman and Greek names. 

   With the help of James Madison who is serving in the Congress, Jefferson is able to gather support from newspaper editors, Senators, and members of the House of Representatives.  His followers refer to themselves as Democratic-Republicans.  They believed the following:

1. Strong state government, weak national government

2. encouraging a nation of farmers over one of bankers and merchants

3. support for the French

4. strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution

Many farmers and planters agreed with the policies of Madison and Jefferson, and Democratic-Republican clubs formed in the South.  Soon in Congress, members found themselves split between those that supported Jefferson and Madison and those that supported Alexander Hamilton.

As the nation's leaders became split over politics, the President became frustrated and concerned with the rise of factions in the nations. 

Washington's Cabinet

With Europe engulfed in war, President Washington faced the difficult task of deciding what the foreign policy of the U.S. would be. The Republic of France found itself fighting against five nations: Great Britain, Prussia, Austria, Russia, and Sardinia. The country was divided over what to do.

Britain was America's number one trading partner. A war with Britain would be devastating to the U.S. economy. Many Americans felt that since there were strong cultural ties with Britain the U.S. should side with the British in their struggles against France. The American government was in debt to the British government. By support for the British in war would offer a way to pay off that debt. The government of Spain threatened to close off the port city of New Orel ans, and end trade on the Mississippi River. By supporting the British, the American government would ensure that New Orleans would stay open, and that trade in the West would not be disrupted.

The U.S. had signed a treaty with the French in the 1780s. This treaty promised that the U.S. would be allies with the French and come to their aid if the nation was ever attacked. Many Americans felt that since the French had come to our aid during the Revolutionary War, it was our duty to help them in their time of need. The attack of the world's only other Republic, made many Americans believe that the U.S. should support the spread of democracy.

Since the treaty was signed with the French king, and the king was now dead, some Americans felt that the treaty was no longer valid. A group of Americans wanted the country to remain neutral and not get involved in the European conflict. Since the U.S. was in debt, it would not be prudent to start a war that would put the nation further into debt. The fighting in Europe had already claimed the lives of thousands of soldiers. If it w Department as possible to avoid shedding American blood, why not stay out of war?

Washington had assembled five very talent and qualified men to help run the country. These men became the heads of the State Department, Treasury Department, War Department, Justice Department, and the Postal Service. Washington relied on these men for guidance in decision making, and support for his policies. Three of his Cabinet officials were his most trusted adviors.

Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson from Virginia. Jefferson believed that the French Revolution was a good thing. To Jefferson, the Revolution was a sign of the growth of Democracy. He felt that the U.S. should encourage another Republic, and help France defeat Great Britain.

Secretary of the Treasury: Alexander Hamilton from New York. Hamilton was a financial genius who served under Washington during the American Revolution. Hamilton saw the violence in Europe as a sign of the unpredictable and violent nature of man. He wanted the U.S. to side with the British. Since Britain was America's #1 trading partner, he thought that it would be best for the American economy to support the British in their struggle against France,

Secretary of War: Henry Knox, from Cambridge Massachusetts. Knox was one of Washington's most trusted generals from the Revolutionary War. Knox was in charge of the War Department of the new nation. The U.S. army was very small in 1793 (about 600 men) and there was no navy. Knox wanted the U.S. to not get involved with the war. believing that the U.S. was not prepared to fight a war.

You Say You Want a Revolution

     On July 14, 1789, an angry mob of Parisians attacked the Bastille, a medieval fortress in the center of Paris.  The crowd was hoping to free the hundred of political prisoners rumored to be held captive inside and gain access to weapons and gun powder.  For decades the fortress served as a symbol of the power of the French King, and caused resentment amongst the population of Paris.

  

     The crowd beheaded the captain of the guard, and freed all the prisoners inside (there were 7). The people of Paris now had weapons and confidence  and the kings guards were forced to flee the city. The French Revolution had begun.

    In class yesterday we talked about what motivates people to rebel against their government.  There are major political revolutions in history that you will study later in high school and college, most far more violent then the American Revolution.  No matter if the Revolution is taking place in Russia during the early 1900s or France during the 1780s, there are always common themes and demands of the groups revolting.  These are: Power, Money, and Land.  The holy trinity of revolutions.

    The Power issue in France had to do with the political system that was set up.  The King had absolute power, and did not need the help of the Estates General (French legislative branch).  He could raise taxes or declare war on a whim.  The people who had power were a small percentage of the population, members of the nobility and the clergy. They had special privileges and held the best jobs in government.  In addition to that, these people controlled the majority of the land in France, forcing farmers to pay heavy fees to work the land.  

      Soldiers returning from fighting in the American Revolution spread the ideas of democracy and freedom.  Many of these men did not understand why they had to fight for freedom against a king, to return home to a king.  Americans now had a government of elected rulers, not officials  appointed by a king.  In America people who were qualified got a job, not people who were born into the nobility. 

    Those special privileges had to deal with money.  The clergy and the nobles did not have to pay taxes.  The middle class, the farmers, and the poor city workers paid the brunt of France's taxes.  In addition to the tax burden, a series of droughts and famine caused the price of bread and grain to become unaffordable for many middle class and city workers.  These people became upset that the government did not step in and help them.  Farmers could not sell their crops and had troubles paying their taxes and rent to the rich land lords. 

  

    Hungry People+Poor People= Angry People.  

   The majority of the population of France was ready for a change, and change happened quickly.

Within the matter of a few months, Louis XVI, the king of France was removed from office, replaced with an elected Republic.  The French government issued "The Declaration of the Rights of Man", which promised that the people of France were entitled to "liberty, property, security, and the resistance to oppression".   Ideas that were borrowed from the Declaration of Independence.   

   Many politicians and Americans were pleased with the French Revolution.  Happy to see that the ideas of democracy and freedom were spreading to Europe.  This happiness, would soon disappear.

   France became immersed in bloodshed.  Governments changed, and mass executions of political enemies took place.  The King and Queen of France were among the 40,000 people who would become a victim to the "Reign of Terror".  The guillotine, invented as a more humane way of executing someone, became the symbol of death and anarchy.  Monarchs across Europe, declared war against the French, hoping to prevent the violence and disorder from spreading to their nations. 

   Back in the United States, President Washington faced the task of deciding what course the United States should take. 

   

Viva La France

Responses and Reactions

Periods 1,6, and 7 took a quiz today.  The quiz had questions from the map activity, the Eli Whitney reading, and from the reading on African Americans in Philadelphia.  Tonight for homework all of the classes need to do the following.

1. read pages 316-317

2. Identify the following: Little Turtle, Anthony Wayne, The Battle of Fallen Timbers, and The Treaty of Greenville

3. Answer question number 3 on page 320.

In periods 3 and 4, I wanted the connection to be made that the A.M.E. church and Free African Society were both created from the reactions of African Americans in Philadelphia.  Since white churches would not allow Africans to worship or be buried on their property, a group of African Americans decided to take matters into their own hands and form their own parish.  When charitable organizations began to take advantage of black widows and orphans, Absalom Jones and Richard Allen took it upon themselves to form a society that would provide for the poor blacks in Philadelphia. 

   History is a story of how people react and respond to events and actions in their lifetime.  On the board there was a list of events that ranged from the attacks on 9/11 to the hitting prowess of Ted Williams.  We took some time to describe how people responded to those events/actions. Some of you even came up with your own events that brought about reactions. 

Here is what was brought up in class: 

Event/Action Response/Reaction

99 cent value meal at Wendys $1.00 menu at McDonalds

Starbucks better coffee at McDonalds

people pay more $ for coffee

Ted Williams the infield shift is used

Twilight more Vampire books, movies, T.V. shows

The Beatles "British Invasion", the Rolling Stones, The Who

Toy Story (1996) other compute animated movies

Jackie Robinson other baseball teams sign African American players

Guitar Hero classic Rock becomes popular, Rock Band video game

Michael Jordan's Retirement some people felt that the number 23 should be retired throughout the NBA

McDonalds had to respond to Starbucks because billions of dollars was at stake.  The result was a premium coffee made available to McDonalds customers.  When the infield began to shift over to rob Ted Williams of base hits, it was because teams were being killed by his hitting abilities.  People respond in order to survive. 

Our next topic is going to discuss how the United States responded to the demand to expand further west, beyond the first thirteen states.  We will also talk about how Native American tribes respond to American expansion.

Albert Einstein, Alfred Nobel, Eli Whitney and Dr. Emmet Brown,

   All of those scientists and inventors made lasting contributions in their field, and saw in their lifetime, how their creations could be used to do horrible things.  

  

    In class we talked a little about the phrase, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Now, we were not debating the afterlife for those scientists but my goal was to get you to think about the consequences of our actions. Sometimes people have positive intentions and want to do good, however, the result may have a negative impact.  For example, when I was younger I used to help my brother with his book reports.  He did not like to read, and I did.  I also felt like I was doing a good thing by reading the books for him.  My mom had always encouraged us to help each other, and I thought I was doing the right thing.  What I was actually doing was denying my brother the skills he would need in school.  I could not do his readings for him in class, and he struggled with reading for several years.  My intent was good, but it ended up having a negative consequence for him.

  

Alfred Nobel came from a wealthy family in  Sweden that owned several factories.  Nobel went on to invent dynamite, hoping to help with the mining business.  During his lifetime his invention would be used for warfare and used to spread destruction.  A newspaper published an obituary for Nobel while he was still alive.  The article went on lambasting Nobel for being responsible for the deaths of millions of people.  Nobel, became upset that his name would be associated with destruction set aside his fortune to an institute that would reward people in the areas of physical science, medicine, and chemistry that have helped mankind.  Over time, the Nobel Prize has been rewarded to people in the categories of literature and promoting international fraternalism. 

Albert Einstein saw his works in quantum theory and in physics be used to create nuclear weapons.  After witnessing the destruction the atomic bomb had on Japan, Einstein became an advocate of promoting peace and calling for the end of nuclear weapons.  For the rest of his life, he would speak about living with the guilt of feeling responsible for helping to bring about the atomic age.

    Dr. Emmet Brown from Back to the Future saw that his time machine could be used for selfish and evil purposes.   He intended for his invention to be used to promote science and once he and Marty stopped Biff, he wanted the time machine destroyed. 

  We talked a little bit about the life of Eli Whitney and why he traveled to the South. Eli Whitney's invention was intended to help the plantation owners of the South but also make the life of slaves easier.  What ends up happening is that the gin makes it more profitable to own cotton and helps spread slavery across the nation. 

   When Whitney saw down in the kitchen of Mrs. Catherine Greene he was not thinking about altering the Southern economy, the spread of slavery, or the Civil War.  Eli Whitney was thinking about how he can make a profit and a name for himself.  In history, the actions of an individual can have tremendous impact.

For homework finish the questions for the Eli Whitney sheet.

President Obama's Speech

   Every September as students return to school the media brings about the focus on the Public School System of the United States.  Some critics say that the schools in our country are not doing enough for the students.  They point to standardized test scores and other performance based materials. 

  In class we spoke a little about the culture of education.  I asked you to write down what should the purpose of education be and why should someone attend school.  Many of you talked about how achieving an education will help get you a better job.

   The other topic that was reflected on was to list one positive aspect and one negative aspect of school.  The responses were all great and ranged from "insane teachers" and no sleep, to getting to see our friends and learning new things.   I am not going to win you over by signing the praises of school, I know that there are both good and bad things at any school, my goal was to see that even in the negative aspects there can be some positive things.

  For example, many people complained that school takes away sleep time.  I will be the first to admit, that I am a big fan of sleep.  If sleeping in was an Olympic event I can guarantee a medal, lets put it at that.   However, during school I need to adjust my schedule to make sure that I get enough sleep for the next day.  This may mean going to bed a little earlier and not staying up for Conan.  These sacrifices that we make, are survival skills.  So if I have to change a habit for school, I will be able to do it again if I need to.  

  This can be applied to the way we study, do our homework, eat our meals, or any other habits we change during the school year.  By changing and adapting we are bettering ourselves and can change for bigger issues if we need to. 

  

Tonight for homework you need to finish the reading on the education system of Singapore.  Be sure to complete the questions on the other page.

When that is over I would like you to choose a quote from President Obama's address he gave this afternoon.  I want you to take a quote that you either agree on or disagree with.  You need to bring it in into class for tomorrow.  In class we will put some of these quotes on the board and talk about them and the address in general.  If you could not see the speech today, try and watch it on youtube or a news site.  It might help you with the homework.

I look forward to seeing what is brought in.

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama

Back to School Event

Arlington, Virginia

September 8, 2009

 

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today. 

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.   

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year. 

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn. 

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox. 

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve. 

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. 

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself. 

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide. 

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future. 

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy. 

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country. 

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in. 

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse. 

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right. 

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying. 

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future. 

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America. 

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall. 

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same. 

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it. 

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things. 

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK.  Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." 

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying. 

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in. 

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals. 

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best. 

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?  

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

Never write about a place until you're away from it, because that gives you perspective

~ Ernest Hemingway

If you are going to take some advice on writing, you should take Mr. Hemingway's. Hemingway spent years traveling throughout Spain, Africa, Cuba, France and Italy. Based on his own experiences, his stories are filled with vivid descriptions of these places and the people that inhabited them.

In class we talked about what forms or creates our perspective. Some of the examples we came up with included:

family, religious beliefs, peers, the media, our education, what we have seen and experienced, where we are from, and our values. All of these factor in to how we form an opinion.

With all that in mind, I put these two newspaper headlines on the board about the same event, "Hell Freezes Over" and "The Chokes on Us". I wanted you to try and figure out what event the headlines referred to. Some of the guesses included the stock market crash and the attacks of September 11th. In 6th and 7th periods, the classes figured out what I was referring to, the 2004 ALCS. Those headlines were from two New York newspapers. If you were not from New England, or did not experience that series, it might have been harder to guess it was about the Red Sox.

I also wanted to point out how the newspapers did not even mention Boston or the Yankees in the headline, but we still knew what it was about based on our experiences. Since the headlines were from New York we agreed that the article do not imply that the Red Sox won the Pennant but that the Yankees lost it. The Boston newspapers would have a different headline with the attention being on a Red Sox accomplishment not a New York shortcoming.

Welcome Back

     Well, you got through the first day of your last year of Middle School. A year from now you will be starting at a brand new school whether it be down the road or somewhere else.  I know that the first day can tend to be a bit repetitive with all the teachers going over the rules and guidelines of each of your classes but it needs to get done. 

     The homework for the class is to have the letter to your parents signed and placed in the Tool Box section of your binder.  If you do not have a binder, you need to go out and make the investment.  On Tuesday I will be checking to see that everyone has their letter signed and in their binder.  

   I am really looking forward to this year.  Good luck and see you tomorrow. 

The Beer Hall Putsch

   

    The Great Depression had thrown Germany into economic, political, and social turmoil.  Many Germans were fed up with the Weimar Republic's failure to provide for them and was demanding change.  Around the world governments were faced with the various groups demanding radical change at home.  In Germany some groups were demanding the return of the monarchy, others wanted a communist revolution like in Russia, and a small group of fascists wanted the republic to be replaced.

         The Nazis were originally known as the German Worker's Party.  Hitler became a member of the party in 1919 and quickly emerged as the leader. The party was made up of many veterans of World War I who had grown tired of Weimar's policies.  Under Hitler's leadership the party changed the name to Nationalist Socialist Party or in German:Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP, Nazi for short.  By 1920 the party had grown to include around 3,000 members.

        Hitler realized one thing the movement lacked was a recognizable symbol or flag. In the summer of 1920, Hitler chose the symbol which to this day remains perhaps the most infamous in history, the swastika.

        It was not something Hitler invented, but is found even in the ruins of ancient times. The swastika was originally a symbol of peace.  Hitler had seen it each day as a boy when he attended the Benedictine monastery school in Lambach, Austria. The ancient monastery was decorated with carved stones and woodwork that included several swastikas.

       But when it was placed inside a white circle on a red background, it provided a powerful, instantly recognizable symbol that immediately helped Hitler's party gain popularity.  Hitler described the symbolism involved: "In the red we see the social idea of the movement, in the white the national idea, in the swastika the mission to struggle for the victory of Aryan man and at the same time the victory of the idea of creative work, which is eternally anti-Semitic and will always be anti-Semitic."

In a short period of time, Hitler was able to turn a symbol that for thousands of years stood for peace, into a symbol of hatred and ignorance.

      On November 8, 1923, Hitler and his followers attempted a "putsch" or a coup in the city of Munich.  Hitler's plan called for the capture of three government officials who would be at a Beer Hall in Munich.  A second, larger group of Nazis were to have the barracks in Munich surrender and secure the city. Once he had the officials convinced to help him lead an overthrow of the government he would march from Munich to Weimar and be given control of the nation.  

   Hitler had a machine gun placed outside the beer hall to prevent anyone from getting out, and around 8:30 he stormed into the Beer Hall, fired his pistol into the air and demanded that the hundreds of people gathered inside be silent. "The National Revolution has begun!" Hitler shouted. "...No one may leave the hall. Unless there is immediate quiet I shall have a machine gun posted in the gallery. The Bavarian and Reich governments have been removed and a provisional national government formed. The barracks of the Reichswehr and police are occupied. The Army and the police are marching on the city under the swastika banner!"  The people inside did not know that this was a complete lie looked on in silence. 

        Hitler gathered the three officials and demanded that they join him in declaring a Nazi Revolution and join him in the new government.   The three men refused to speak to the skinny man with the mustache, and blankly stared at him.  Hitler took out his pistol and informed the men that he had four bullets in the chamber, three for them and one for him.  If the revolution did not work, they all would have the same fate.

       The Nazi troopers failed to take over the German barracks in the city.  As time dragged on, Hitler began to realize that his revolution was failing, and failing fast.  He left the Beer Hall to try and convince the soldiers to surrender and join him in revolution, but had no such luck.  When he leaves, the three officials trick the Nazi captures into letting them go, and Hitler returns with no troop support and no hostages. 

   All night Hitler paced trying to figure out his next move.  The next day, at 11:00, Hitler led three thousand of his followers into the streets of Munich to capture city hall.  German police and military had blocked the road by the capital and as the Nazis marched towards the police, violence seemed unavoidable.  Both sides fired at each other, 16 Nazis were killed, and 4 police officers died protecting the city.  Hitler is knocked down and crawls away, escaping serious harm.

After three days of hiding and fear of execution, Hitler is arrested by the authorities.  His glorious Nazi Revolution had only lasted for less than 24 hours.   He is placed on trial and sentenced to five years in prison. 

The Weimar Republic 1918-1933

German soldiers returning from World War I came home to a very different Germany.  Gone was the German Empire with colonies in Asia and Africa led by the Kaiser Wilhelm II.  Gone was the industrial Rhineland, as well as the port city of Danzig.  Many came home to find that their homes or businesses had been destroyed in the conflict.  The capital of the German Empire had been the proud city of Berlin; the new government had the capital in the city of Weimar. 

 The new Republic faced an uphill battle of rebuilding a nation that had lost over 1.7 million men in combat, had over 4.2 million men return home wounded.  In addition to the loss of human life, many German farms and factories had been destroyed in the fighting.  Soldiers and civilians lost their jobs and unemployment soared.  The “War Guilt Clause” made it nearly impossible for the German nation to begin rebuilding.  The Treaty of Versailles placed Germany responsible for the War, and had to pay damages to Great Britain, France, and Belgium.

   1919-1923

From 1919-1923, the Republic faced years of crisis.  Many conservative groups in Germany wanted a return to an authoritarian style of government like the old German Empire.  The groups began to blame the Republic for the defeat of Germany during the first World War, claiming that the Republic had allied itself with Jews and Socialist, brining Germany to defeat.  Many veterans of W.W.I joined these groups, fueled by their anger and resentment.

 The Republic’s economy faced a severe depression during this time period as well. Prices for basic goods soared throughout the country.  The Weimar Republic began to print out more money to try and help the German citizens deal with high prices, this proved to be a disaster. The value of the German deutschemark (German currency) before W.W.I was 4.2 to 1 U.S. dollar.  By August 1923, 1 million deutschemarks equaled 1 U.S. dollar. 

  By 1923, the German government was unable to pay the reparations to Britain, France, and Belgium.  As a result the French and the Belgium governments sent in troops to occupy the Ruhr Valley in Germany.  The Ruhr Valley was the industrial center of Germany, home to coal mines, factories, iron deposits, and steel mills.  German workers refused to work for the French or the Belgiums and went on strike.  Fights broke out between the Germans and the French, and some German workers were killed.  The rest of Germany demanded that the French and Belgium troops leave Germany, and protests took place all over the country.

  1924-1929

The United States looked on the crisis in Germany with growing concern.  The last thing that the U.S. wanted was another war in Europe.  Charles Dawes was asked by Britain and the United States to formulate a plan that would bail out the German economy.  The Dawes Plan, had the United States loan Germany money so that the German government could pay off its debts to the Allied nations of Europe.  In addition to this the German economy was going to be restructured and issue a new type of currency.   One the loans were put in place, France and Belgium agreed to withdraw their troops from the Ruhr Valley.

 This eased the economic burden that was placed on Germany.  For the next five years the German economy would grow and the Weimar Republic flourished.  Germany became one of the leading nations in architecture, music, math and science, and fashion.

The Bauhaus style of architecture revolutionized modern buildings in cities across the world.  The type of design was radically different from the previous style of the 19^th century. 

 Arnold Schoenberg was a composer living in Germany.  He developed a new twelve tone technique that influenced an entire generation of composers across the world.  Along with Richard Strauss, Germany was at the center of the  Classical Musical World. 

 

During this period Fritz Lang produces what many consider the first scientific film, Metropolis.  The film painted a dark future where the population of the world had been divided.  Planners and Thinkers live on Earth in luxury, while the workers live underground. 

  In October of 1929, the stock market crashes in America and the U.S. enters what historians call, “The Great Depression.”  As the American economy worsened, banks and businesses began to close.  The American government cancels the Dawes Plan, and the Depression spreads to Germany.

1929-1933

The Depression quickly ended the period of economic growth that Germany had briefly enjoyed.  The numbers of unemployed Germans grows at an alarming rate, from 1.8 million in 1928 to over 6 million in 1932.  As more and more Germans lose their jobs and savings, many blamed the Weimar Republic for failing to provide for them.  The people of Germany felt that the democratic system had failed them and that it would take a strong leader, like the kaiser to bring the country out of the Depression. 

The Treaty of Versailles

       The guns of World War I went silent on November 11, 1918, but the treaty ending the war would be signed until June 28, 1919.   From January 1919, until the end of June, delegates from France, Italy, Great Britain, and the United States began to work on a peace deal that would bring about to the largest conflict the world had ever seen.  Representatives from Germany and Austria were not invited to attend the peace conference that was being held in the palace of Versailles, right outside Paris.

   

      The Allies all brought to Versailles their own agenda, each wanting something from the peace conference.  

The French Prime Minister was George Clemenceau.  George wanted to make sure that Germany would be fully punished for its actions during World War I.  Clemenceau knew that Germany had invaded France in 1871 and again in 1914, he wanted to be sure that Germany would never again be strong enough to threaten the security of France.  He wanted the Germans to be left with no army or navy, and that the Rhineland be given over to the allies so that the Germans could not use their industrial center.  Clemenceau was out for revenge. 

David Lloyd George was the Prime Minister of Great Britain at the time. George was concerned that if France was to have its way, then the French would have an edge in global affairs.  He wanted to be sure that the Germans would be punished, but sought a punishment not as harsh as the one France wanted.  George believed that the British would benefit from the German colonies in Africa as well as Asia.  Germany had been England's number one rival for naval supremacy, so Lloyd wanted to be sure that Germany would never be a threat to the British navy again. 

Woodrow Wilson represented the United States at the conference at Versailles.  Wilson's main objective was that an international organization be created to ensure that there would never again be a conflict like the Great War.  Wilson detailed this in his Fourteen Points, and called for a League of Nations to be created.  Wilson's plans were met with some skepticism back in the United States.

    The German delegate was not invited into the conference hall until the treaty was complete on June 28th.  When he began to read the document he shook with rage.  Germany would be forced to take full responsibility for the war.   This "War Guilt Clause" meant that Germany would be forced to pay reparations to the Allies for all civilian damages that were caused during the conflict.

   Other parts of the treaty included:

1.) German port city of Danzig, and other lands would be given to the new country of Poland.

2.) The industrial center of the Rhineland would be occupied by the French and the British.

3.) The German army was to be limited to 100,000 men.

4.) The new country of Chezhoslavakia would be given some land. 

5.) Germany would give the territory of Alslace and Lorraine back to France

6.) Germany gave the territory of Scheleswig to Denmark

7.) The German navy would be limited to 15,000 men and consist of: 6 battleships, 6 cruisers, 6 destroyers, and 12 torpedo boats.  No submarines!

As news of the humiliating treaty reached Germany, the people responded with widespread protests.  Many Germans felt that their country had been betrayed, but not by the kaiser and the old government, by the new government, The Weimar Republic.  The Republic faced the uphill task of rebuilding a beaten and bitter nation.

M.A.I.N.

  Europe of 1914 and Europe of 1933 were two very different places.  In 1914, Germany, Russia, and Austria-Hungary were all ruled by emperors. By 1933, all of those nations would have different governments and have lost much of their territory.

    Germany was an empire ruled by the Hohenzolleran family.  Kaiser Wilhem II's family had ruled the German kingdom of Prussia since the 1600s, and over time had carved out a German empire by 1871.  Wilhem believed that his kingdom was destined to have the largest empire and most powerful navy in the world.

     The Russian empire stretched across Europe and Asia, the largest nation in the world.  While the largest country, Russia remained one of the poorest, lagging behind other nations in industry and manufacturing.  Russia was ruled by the Romanov family, who had been in power for over 300 years.  Czar Nicholas II would be the last ruler of Romanovs.

     Austria-Hungary was ruled by the Hapsburg family, which had been in power since 1512.   The Hapsburgs were german speaking Austrians that ruled a very diverse empire.  Maygars, Poles, Hungarians, Slavs, Italians,  Albanians, and Croatians were some of the different ethnic groups that lived in the empire.    Each group clamored for their own independent nation.

The heir to the Austrian thrown was assassinated in a remote portion of his kingdom.  The group that was responsible for the murder wanted Austria-Hungary to grant independence to that portion of the kingdom.  Austria blamed its neighbor, Serbia and demanded that Serbia give in to a list of demands.  Serbia refused, and Austria declared war.

In the decades leading up to the war, European nations became involved in militarism, alliances, imperialism, and nationalism.  M.A.I.N.   These would be the long term causes of the First World War.

Militarism: the strengthening of a nation's military and the belief that it was the duty of a citizen to fight and die for your nation.  This glorification of of war had many young men join the military to fulfill their duty as a good citizen.  The governments of England, France, and Germany began to increase the size of their armies and navies.  Like little kids with toys, these rulers were looking for an opportunity to use their army.

Alliances: Secret alliances occurred between several nations in Europe.  Austria-Hungary had a "blood bond" with Germany.  A "blank check", that promised unconditional support in a time of war.  Serbia had an alliance with Russia, who viewed the Russian empire as a protective older brother.  France had a secret treaty with Russia to support the Russians if they were ever attacked.  Belgium had support from Britain, that if they were ever attacked then the British would come to their aid. 

Imperialism: empire building.  European nations competed over land in Africa and Asia for colonies that would provide gold, rubber, cotton, tea, and other raw materials.  This led to an increase in tensions as nations grew jealous of other countries' colonies.

Nationalism: the belief that your nation is superior to other nations in the world. The British felt that they were better then the Germans and the French.  The Germans felt that they were superior to other countries, ect...  Imagine if you had a lacrosse team where every athlete felt that they were the best and should be starting.  Nobody would pass the ball, and no plays could be called.  Multiply that tension and you can see how this created a dangerous environment.