Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Schoolhouse Rock
In every period but 7A, we have watched these cartoons. Your homework was to analyze your favorite and tell why it was accurate or inaccurate. Place this in your notebook.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
F Week: Tuesday
See notes already posted about the history of democracy and the Declaration.
Yesterday we began the "English to English" translation of the Declaration, and you were asked to translate 10 complaints into our English at the end of class and for homework.
Yesterday we began the "English to English" translation of the Declaration, and you were asked to translate 10 complaints into our English at the end of class and for homework.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Happy 3 day weekend
Today, period 6 had reading period and period 7 discussed the Roosevelt essay. If you were absent, please get a copy from me, as I cannot find a link to her essay online.
Otherwise, no homework for the long weekend.
Otherwise, no homework for the long weekend.
Can a Woman Ever be President of the United States?
Today in period 7 Civics, we will address this topic. Eleanor Roosevelt felt that a woman could not be President and wrote an essay on the subject. We will read and analyze her thoughts on this topic. We may need more time to discuss this controversial topic, so I will have you note the main ideas from our discussion in your notebook so no one forgets over the long weekend and week at health/PE.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
What went Wrong with the Articles?
The Colonists were tired of wars and tired of the king. Nobody wanted a new American king--you all know someone who gets a little bit of power and then becomes terrible. You know the kid who used to work with you at Stop & Shop or Daves, and then gets to be the Head Bagger, only to boss you around, make you get the carts, and make your job miserable...
The colonists were afraid of the same thing. Therefore, the Articles of Confederation, the first main Law of the Land, were loosely structured to give the power to the states and not the federal government. The problem was that the states did not all have the same interests--there were slave states and free states, big states and small states, industrial states and agricultural states, and the list goes on.
Trying to coordinate to pay back the war debt, build a national infrastructure, set up a system of banking and do other things for the welfare of the nation became nearly impossible. Try this at home--invite 13 of your friends to your house where you will meet up at a certain time, decide on a restaurant and decide which movie (you all have to go to the same one) at the Patriot Cinema. Odds are, one person will be 5 hours early, one will be late, someone will hate whatever restaurant you choose, and you will never get to decide on a movie. Now, multiply the effects of this by 13 states controlling the entire population of the nation.
Remember, the British and the French were waiting on the horizon for this new "experiment in democracy" to fall apart. They were certain it would, and they would be available to carve up the resulting colonies--think about the rest of the world. This was the middle of the Age of Colonization, and there was no continent (except Antarctica and maybe the polar icecap) that was untouched by the effects of European colonization.
Your mission in class and for homework today will be to:
--List reasons why the Articles of Confederation did not succeed.
--Explain why Shay's rebellion occurred and what effect this had on the colonists realizing the Articles were ineffective.
--Define "federalist" and "antifederalist" interests.
Put the following answers in your notebook. If you were asleep or absent today, the book contains some information around pages 80-85.
The colonists were afraid of the same thing. Therefore, the Articles of Confederation, the first main Law of the Land, were loosely structured to give the power to the states and not the federal government. The problem was that the states did not all have the same interests--there were slave states and free states, big states and small states, industrial states and agricultural states, and the list goes on.
Trying to coordinate to pay back the war debt, build a national infrastructure, set up a system of banking and do other things for the welfare of the nation became nearly impossible. Try this at home--invite 13 of your friends to your house where you will meet up at a certain time, decide on a restaurant and decide which movie (you all have to go to the same one) at the Patriot Cinema. Odds are, one person will be 5 hours early, one will be late, someone will hate whatever restaurant you choose, and you will never get to decide on a movie. Now, multiply the effects of this by 13 states controlling the entire population of the nation.
Remember, the British and the French were waiting on the horizon for this new "experiment in democracy" to fall apart. They were certain it would, and they would be available to carve up the resulting colonies--think about the rest of the world. This was the middle of the Age of Colonization, and there was no continent (except Antarctica and maybe the polar icecap) that was untouched by the effects of European colonization.
Your mission in class and for homework today will be to:
--List reasons why the Articles of Confederation did not succeed.
--Explain why Shay's rebellion occurred and what effect this had on the colonists realizing the Articles were ineffective.
--Define "federalist" and "antifederalist" interests.
Put the following answers in your notebook. If you were asleep or absent today, the book contains some information around pages 80-85.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Articles of Confederation
Today we will effectively skip the Revolutionary War--suffice to say the Colonists won. No one expected this, and no one in Europe expected the fledgling democracy to last. The British and French were waiting on the horizon to carve up the new nation when it crumbled into disaster.
The Founding Fathers knew this, and they set about creating a set of documents to govern the nation without creating a strong federal government that would take the place of the king...
This first attempt was (insert scary movie music here) the Articles of Confederation.
The Founding Fathers knew this, and they set about creating a set of documents to govern the nation without creating a strong federal government that would take the place of the king...
This first attempt was (insert scary movie music here) the Articles of Confederation.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
History of Freedom
Lecture Notes
We discussed the fact that our idea of freedom and government evolves from ideas taken from Greece, Rome, the signing of the Magna Carta in England, and the Enlightenment.
Greece: representative government--republic
Rome: rights for citizens, right to trial by jury, senate
Magna Carta: limited the power of the monarch and created Parlaiment in England.
The Enlightenment: developed the ideas of liberty, equality, and brotherhood.
Even so, the Founding Fathers' definition of freedom was not as "free" as what we expect today. We will analyze this concept by studying our national documents.
We began by discussing the Declaration of Independence, which was, in effect, a giant laundry-list of complaints sent to the King in England. Imagine, the King has just paid for the protection of the colonists during the French and Indian War. He feels entirely justified in taxing the colonists to pay back the war debt. We are examining the writing of the Declaration from the point of view of the colonists and the king.
Homework: Analyze the complaints listed in the Declaration. Explain several (I have given you a specific number in class) in your notebook providing an "English to English" translation.
We discussed the fact that our idea of freedom and government evolves from ideas taken from Greece, Rome, the signing of the Magna Carta in England, and the Enlightenment.
Greece: representative government--republic
Rome: rights for citizens, right to trial by jury, senate
Magna Carta: limited the power of the monarch and created Parlaiment in England.
The Enlightenment: developed the ideas of liberty, equality, and brotherhood.
Even so, the Founding Fathers' definition of freedom was not as "free" as what we expect today. We will analyze this concept by studying our national documents.
We began by discussing the Declaration of Independence, which was, in effect, a giant laundry-list of complaints sent to the King in England. Imagine, the King has just paid for the protection of the colonists during the French and Indian War. He feels entirely justified in taxing the colonists to pay back the war debt. We are examining the writing of the Declaration from the point of view of the colonists and the king.
Homework: Analyze the complaints listed in the Declaration. Explain several (I have given you a specific number in class) in your notebook providing an "English to English" translation.
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