Lewis and Clark

                                    

           Following the Louisiana Purchase, President Jefferson began to organize an exhibition to explore the new American territory.     Thomas Jefferson asked fellow Virginian Merriwether Lewis to lead an exhibition to the Louisiana Territory. Lewis was the President's secretary and shared a passion for science with Jefferson.  Given the task of organizing the members of his party, Lewis asked his former military commander William Clark to co-lead the newly formed "Corps of Discovery."

         Their mission was both scientific and political. Jefferson wanted the group chart a water route to the Pacific Ocean. This would allow American merchants to trade with nations in Asia and increase American commerce. Jefferson also ordered the group to catalogue and chronicle the plant and animal life that they encountered on their journey. The men kept journals of the trip detailing the different species they had seen along the way as well as the climate of the land they journeyed through. They also sent back to the President plant and animal species to be further studied back in Washington D.C.  The journals that Lewis and Clark kept were later published, and helped increase interest in the Louisiana Territory. 

        On the political side of the trip, the men had a very important job. They were the representatives of the United States of America whenever they encountered Native American tribes.  As representatives of the U.S., they were ordered by the President to try and establish peaceful relationships with the tribes that they met. Jefferson also wanted the group to gather as much information on the tribes as possible. Jefferson hoped that the United States would be able to establish healthy economic relationships with Native American tribes. These facts would allow Americans to further their understandings of the different native groups in the American West.

       Jefferson wrote various letters to Captain Lewis before he left for his journey. Tonight you are analyzing two of those letters, one written in June of 1803, and the other was written in January of 1804. He instructed the men on the following: how to behave towards the tribes, what to tell the tribes, and what to ask them.

Below are some links that you might find useful

Lewis and Clark letters

Louisiana Purchase Powerpoint

Vocabulary for the June 1803 and January 1804 letters

The Abiel Smith School

   During our Life in the North Unit we learned how mill employees and immigrants created independent and successful lives for themselves during the Industrial Revolution.  Both groups were met with obstacles and discrimination but fought against them.  The final group of our North Unit is how African Americans fought against discrimination and found success in the North.

   As a case study we examined the Abiel Smith School of Boston, a school that was established for the sole purpose of educating the black children of the city.  The story of the Smith school is the story of people taking care of their own and providing better opportunities for future generations.




Courtesy of Ms. Taylor, here is the h.w. for tonight organized on a Googledocs form.

When you are doing the Identify, I want you to give me two of the most important facts in your answer.  Here is an example that we used in class:


The Louisiana Purchase:

     Land extending from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, purchased from France for $15    million.

To my homeroom..

  Over 100 years ago, President Teddy Roosevelt spoke about the responsibility of giving,

"Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds."

I always believe that actions speak louder than words and this year your generosity spoke in volume. Thank you guys for making this the most successful Turkey Promenade that we have ever had, you guys brought in 1,328 items for the Safe Haven Shelter.  I am so proud of the way that you came together with generosity and school spirit.


I hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving.

Mr. Mullady.

Immigrant Backlash

       By 1850, Irish immigrants made up 43% of all foreign born residents of the United States. Many of the Irish immigrants came to learn that moving to the U.S. to  escape the horrors of a famine stricken Ireland would come at a costly price.
     Competition for working class jobs created animosity among the working class towards the immigrants. Many Protestant Americans became suspicious of Catholic immigrants and believed that their was a Catholic conspiracy to take over the United States.  As Catholic Churches and schools began to be constructed in many cities, some Americans felt that it was a clear sign that the Pope was staking a claim in the U.S.  Frustrated and suspicious Americans began to form political parties such as the Nativist and Know Nothing Party that sought to remove immigrants from the United States and pass anti-Irish and anti-Catholic laws.  
   
    For H.W. I would like you to read the handout on the Backlash to Irish Immigrants and then answer the following questions.


1. What were two ways in which the media negatively portrayed Irish immigrants?

2. The reading mentioned that the Irish were slow to assimilate.  Define assimilate, then explain how ethnic neighborhoods would slow down assimilation for a group.


3. Why do you think Catholic Churches and schools were targeted by anti-immigration groups in Northern cities?

Studying for the Life in the North Test

         The test on Monday has questions on the Industrial Revolution, Sam Slater and the Slater System, the Lowell Mills, the Transportation Revolution, and early U.S. Immigration.  Unlike the quizzes, you can not use your notes and there is partial credit.  Like the quizzes you get to omit questions, for this test you can omit 3 questions.


   Over the weekend you can work on this study guide. I recommend you try and complete it without using your notes first, then going back and using notes to answer questions that you did not know.  After you finish the study guide you can work on these practice questions below.

Good luck, and have a good weekend.

       ~Mr. Mullady



1. In the 1840s there was competition between working class Boston residents and Irish immigrants.  How did this competition help lead to anti-immigrant sentiment?




2. Most of the Transportation Revolution occurred in which part of the country?



3. What were three reasons that explain why the Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain?



4. What was the credit system?  Who did it benefit and who did it hurt?


5. Define Industrial Revolution:

Donating for the Turkey Promenade

       Over the past few weeks I have been hearing stories from friends and family members living on Long Island about how devastating Hurricane Sandy was.  Homes, schools, and businesses were damaged and destroyed leaving many people left with nothing.  Fortunately, support and help for these storm victims have been coming in from all over the United States as people reach out to help those in need.  The Red Cross and FEMA has been sent to help distribute food and clothing and to provide housing for thousands of victims.
       Our school has a wonderful tradition of coming to the aid of the Safe Haven Shelter in Framingham run by Voices Against Violence.  This organization comes to the assistance of victims of sexual assault and domestic violence, victims that often do not national attention or support.  Voices Against Violence provides clothing, shelter, food, legal counseling, and safety for hundreds of victims a year.
     As a school we provide all of the food needs for the shelter for the entire year through our Turkey Promenade, a feat that is truly remarkable. Voices Against Violence has been able to use our donations to help feed hundreds of men, women, and children at their shelter as well as shelters in the Greater Boston Area.

  Below are items that you are encouraged to bring in:

  Jelly, Coffee, Tea, Peanut Butter, Mustard, Mayo, Salad Dressing, Syrup, Canned or Dried Fruits, Diapers, Toothpaste, Shaving Cream, Combs, Brushes, Pasta, Crushed Tomatos, Rice, Vegetable Oil, Bread Mixes.


Thank you

Mr. Mullady

The Push and Pull of Immigration

        Historians explain immigration as  system of "Push" and "Pull". Negative factors of an immigrant's native land were "push factors" driving people out of their country.  The "pull factors" were the positive aspects of the United States that made people want to move there.  Most immigrants came to the United States for either Social, Political, or Economic reasons.
       In the late 1840s, hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Ireland and Germany began to arrive in the United States.  Port cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Boston saw their populations dramatically rise over a short period of time.  Tonight for H.W. finish reading and marking up the handout on the Irish in Boston.


Here are some practice questions for the quiz tomorrow:

1. What are two reasons that explain why the Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain?


2. Who invented the waterframe?


3. Why did New York State spend millions of dollars constructing the Erie Canal?  What were two results of the Erie Canal?


4. What is a turnpike?