Thursday Feb 12

In class we looked at the start of the New Deal and how FDR tried to fix the ship of America's sinking economy. The fashion committee from King High Remembers also came by to show what appropriate dress was for the project. Notes and Quickwrite can be found below.

New Deal

Wed Feb 11

In class today we looked at the Dust Bowl and how it impacted the Agricultural of America. We watched a clip from PBS Dust Bowl as well.
Dust Bowl

Tuesday feb 10

Today we looked at a few songs and individuals that went through the depression. They experienced different things and faced various issues as they struggled to make it during America's hardest time.
Stories of the Depression

Monday Feb 9

We reviewed our quiz and the homework that was returned. Students can look over a quiz if they want to compare their answers. We continued watching the Cinderlla man for the last half of class.

Friday Feb 6

(I was out for medical reasons)
The students began watching the beginning of The Cinderella Man. It is a story of a man who went through the Great Depression and fought for his family to survive. Students had some questions to do in reflection of the film.

Thursday Feb 5

We continued looking at the presidents of the great depression. In particular Hoover, and why he choose to do little to try to help Americans. We also looked at FDR's inaugural address where he told America the only thing they have to fear is fear itself.

Wed Feb 4

We reviewed in class the Storm of the Great depression. We reviewed how all the boxes played a small part in the story. After that we began to look at how Herbert Hoover was blamed for the continued problems in America despite it not really being his fault.

Extra Documents that relate to depression causes

Tuesday Feb 3rd

Today we primarily focused on how the banking failures ruined many Americans, even if they had tried to be safe with their money. We finished up by completing the storm of the depression handout. There were so many factors that played a small role in the story of the depression. Students in each box were writing how the each factor helped cause the great depression. It can be found starting on page 464 in the book.

Storm of the Depression

Monday Feb 2nd.

We started off the week looking at the business cycle in America and how it fluctuates up and down. We then began to look at the causes of the depression. We started class with a quickwrite. The question was,

"What do you know about what caused the Great Depression or why it got so bad? Why do you think it has never happened again"

We then begun to look at the stock market crash and why people's debt from buying on credit impacted the great depression

Causes of the Depression

Friday Jan 30

Students took a quiz on the 1920's, we then began discussing the start of the 1930's .

Thursday Jan 29

Today we finished up looking at the 1920's. Students starting by answering the questions posted on  yesterday's post. We then covered notes to the end of the 1920's. Tomorrow there will be a quiz covering everything since the start of the semester.

End of 1920's slides

Wed Jan 28

We continued watching the Al Capone video. Students will have a writing assignment on it tomorrow.

Writing Assignment Question:

An interesting figure in American history, despite a short time at the top.

–Please answer the following two questions each in a paragraph.

•1. How does Al Capone reflect this time period called the “Roaring 20’s”?

•2. Why do you think Capone is so famous in American history despite his relatively small time as a crime boss?  

Tuesday Jan 27

We reviewed the King High Remembers information for March. King High Remembers is a huge project the juniors do second semester where they will be interviewing a veteran that comes to King. There are several rules and expectations to participate. We also began looking at organized crime through America's most famous mobster Al Capone

Monday Jan 26

Today we looked at the Presidents of the 1920's. They were a much more conservative group of individuals who for the most part tried to keep taxes low and government policies small. Notes will be posted later.

Presidents Notes

Friday Jan 23

We finished off the week by looking at literature of the time as well as the Harlem Renaissance. This boom in African American culture started in New York and spread throughout the United States.

Harlem Renaissance Handout

Thurs Jan 22

In class we looked at the Scopes trial and its impact on America. It represented these two ways of life in America, the old and new. The traditions and values of America ran into conflict with an emerging new way of life. It was reflected by the trial of Scopes, and teacher from Tennessee who mentioned evolution in a science class.
Scopes Trial reading of old and new America

Students finished class looking at 435 and 436 in their text. They compared the New Urban Scene with the Small town of America. How did City dwellers differ from those in the country. Give examples. 

Wed Jan 21

In class we continued looking at the 1920's and how the Red Scare put fear in America. We looked at specifically the Sacco and Vanzetti trial and how they both were accused of robbery and murder thanks to their ethnicity and political views.

The question students answered was on Page 413 and 414 you needed to read the Sacco and Vanzetti case and trial. using the book or research argue as the defense or prosecution for or against Sacco and Vanzetti. In a paragraph why should they be set free or convicted of murder and robbery charges? Use the info and evidence given to argue your side. 

Tues Jan 20

The start of second semester has us in the beginning of the 1920's and the passing of the 18th amendment. We looked at reasons for it and the reasons it eventually couldn't last. Handouts will be posted later.

 Prohibition handouts

Tuesday Jan 6

We continued lecture from yesterday and looked at the results of the war.

Versailles Treaty

Monday Jan 5th

Welcome back. We returned by looking at WWI mostly on the home front and America putting in place the espionage and sedition act to try to get all Americans on board with the war effort.
Notes and Quickwrite

Friday Dec 19th

Have a great break, if you would like to do extra credit over the break feel free to take on the challenge.

www.amazingraceofriverside.blogspot.com

Wed 17th

This is the assignment for the Poster on propaganda we worked on wed after looking at lots of WWI posters.

Quiz tomorrow

Things to Review

Muckrakers-Sinclair, Tarbell, Spargo

}Triangle Shirtwaist fire impact on business

}Pullman Strike reflective of other strikes and unions.

}The results of the progressive period

}Spanish American War-reasons and results

}Philippine American War-reasons

}Imperialism of US from both sides(cartoons)

}Reasons for US entering WWI

}Some of the ideas from what was happening   on the home front.

Tuesday

We continued on in looking at the entry into war. Students completed the chart using mostly yesterday's readings. We also began to look at the role propaganda played in making the war a Total War(entire nation involved) through advertisements and posters.
I can't load it so the 5 ideas to summarize are the sinking of the lusitania, the zimmerman note, unrestricted submarine warfare, the socialist/communist view, and the economy and wealth.
propaganda posters will be posted tomorrow.

Quiz on thursday. Everything from this unit can be reviewed on website.

Monday

We started to look at reasons the US got involved in WWI. In honesty the reason President Wilson gives is unrestricted Submarine Warfare. While this may be completely true, many feel there were alternative reasons. We looked at each of these theories as they all may have played some weight in choosing to enter the war.
Entry into War

Friday the 12th

Hey, just a heads up we will be having a quiz on thursday coming up next week. Students can always be reviewing what we have covered from the unit.

We began to look at WWI and what led to its beginning. We also talked about why initially the US chose to stay out of the war,as we were a nation full of immigrants from many of the participating nations at war.

Thursday December 11th

We finished up looking at the territories America took over. In all America had added Alaska, Hawaii, the Panama Canal, Guam, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Cuba. We also looked at all the finishing parts of the Progressive era. Basically all the little details in the story we didn't discuss. 

Short notes on Hawaii Alaska and Panama Canal

Assignment on Conclusion of progressive era.

Tues and Wed the 9th and 10th

Both days we looked at political cartoons from the Philippine War about the positives and negatives of American imperialism. Students analyzed them and had a question to answer about all of them. 

 Cartoons

Monday December 8th

We looked at the Spanish American war and the results of it. Students then began reading on the Philippine American War and the debate surrounding it. Notes and Assignment are within the link.
Philippine American War

Friday Dec 5th

We begun discussing the "Power" portion of this unit and America's entry into the Spanish American War. Mr LeDuc lectured on how the destruction of the Maine, Yellow Journalism, the birth of film all contributed to America being pressured into a war with Spain.

Spanish American War

Thursday Dec 4

We continued on looking at labor unions and strikes with the Pullman Strike. The strike that would later give us Labor day was another one of the many strikes of the day. Students learned about the strike and then compared the two newspapers on what was going on. How the papers and Americans saw the strike differently. Students then looked at how things slightly changed once Roosevelt became President.

Pullman Strike Documents
Notes and Assignment(it goes with the strike documents)

Wed Dec 3rd

In class Notebooks were due today for 1, 4th and 5th periods, 2nd periods are due friday and 3rd periods are do tomorrow.

We discussed in class the role the fire played on changing the perception of worker safety. We also looked at how unions can help and hurt American businesses.

Tuesday December 2nd

Today we discussed the readings of the muckrakers and how they attempted to promote progress through informing the public. We then began the HBO documentary on the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. While it is not available for streaming PBS did a similar film that can be found at http://video.pbs.org/video/1817898383/.

Monday Dec 1st

Welcome back! We began Unit 4 today titled Progress and Power. We will be looking at the progressive era and America's attempt to fix problems the nation has struggled with. We will also be looking at how America slowly became a world power. Today we began looking at muckrakers. Journalists who helped bring to the attention of the public problems that the nation was facing.
The Jungle

Friday Nov 21

Students were given a few opportunities to participate in class game for thanksgiving.

Thursday Nov 20

Students took Unit 3 test

Wed nov 19

Students had time to work on study guide. Any questions students had were addressed and discussed. We also concluded the unit with a clip on the reason Bryan did not win the presidency

Tuesday Nov 18

Students have a test coming up this thursday.  Students also finished looking at a few documents of why the farmers were struggling. It was difficult that they were working hard and doing well and yet losing money. They had to place the blame somewhere and trains and the gold standard were their answer.

Populists handout and questions
Study Guide for Unit 3

Monday 11/17

The class looked at the beginning of the Populist movement. Largely a Farmer's party they sought to improve farmer's problems that were causing foreclosures of farms.
Populist notes

Friday Nov 14

Students looked at the differing views on education to help with equality. The classwork assignment is with the powerpoint.

Quickwrite and Booker T Washington and WEB Dubois notes

Thursday Nov 13

Class today focused on what life was like in the factories and why people at times would try to go on strike. While this was not always successful it was the only way workers could attempt to earn a fair wage, or fair hours. The homestead strike was one of the bloodiest strikes in which at the end of the day 12 people ended up dead. 9 of them were workers from Carnegie's factory. We watched a clip from this scene in the Men who built America. Students had a short packet for homework to do in looking at the good at bad of Industrialists. 

Packet finishing Industrialists

Wed Nov 12

We continued discussing Carnegie and Rockefeller and how these industrialists were the best examples of this time period. It often times meant bringing down a rival through shady tactics but the strong survived.

Monday November 10th

We began to look at Industrialism and Andrew Carnegie and John Rockefeller. Carnegie practiced vertical integration and Rockefeller perfected horizontal integration. We watched the first part of the Men who built America on Rockefeller and saw how he rose to such prominence in America.

Vertical Integration map as well as handout from wed. Discusses working conditions, Carnegie forcing another company out of business and the Homestead Strike.

Intro notes

Friday Nov 7

We finished up discussing the Chinese Exclusion Act and how it impacted not only America but even Riverside. Students had a warmup and then we went over what the Chinese Exclusion act actually did. We finished by taking notes on the start of segregation and it being ruled legal by the court case Plessy vs Ferguson.

Chinese Exclusion warmup and Plessy vs Ferguson notes
Chinese Exclusion Act

Thursday Nov 6

Today we spent most of the time reading George Plunkitt and what he called Honest Graft. It was an overview of how political machines work. Just because they helped people doesn't mean they weren't illegal or criminal. Similar to drug cartel's in Mexico today, while they may do some nice things for orphanages and such, it doesn't mean they are good. Political machines are nowhere near drug cartels but they did get most of their money illegally using graft. They then used that money to stay in power by providing services and assistance to their voters. We finished the class by beginning to look at why America turned on the Chinese and desired to have them excluded from coming to the US in the 1880's.

Chinese Exclusion
 Honest vs Dishonest Graft

Wed Nov 5th

Class website should be updated from last 5 days for those who are not in class. We went over a little of what was covered yesterday and I finished the lecture from Monday. We also discussed a little about Political Bosses and Machines, in particular Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall in New York. The above clip showed in a nutshell how the NY political machine in particular worked.

Tuesday Nov 4

I was out today sick but the class continued looking at the difficulties cities faced with massive overcrowding. One of those instances involved political machines rising up in cities where government officials provided services to get votes, and often times made some money on the side doing it.

Urbanization and Start of Political Machines. Work can be done on handouts and in book.

Monday Nov 3rd

The class looked at current immigration in America and how America's stance on it has changed since the last 19th century through some recent political cartoons on illegal immigration. I also lectured on urbanization and the problems cities faced as massive amounts of people began to flood into cities, particularly New York.

Cartoons to answer bottom of New Colossus HandoutLecture on immigration and eventually political machines

Friday 31st of october

Students finished the month by watching a video clip from the movie An American Tail about a family who traveled to America. It is a cartoon but does a great job of showing the difficulties in the journey and why people came to the US. After discussing the clip students did the 6 terms on page 259 as classwork.

Thursday Oct 30th

 On Thursday we began looking at immigration through the eyes of countless people who traveled to the United States. We looked at the poem that is on the Statue of Liberty "the new colossus" and how it reflects the statue of liberty and millions who have come here.

End of Reconstruction abandoning and Poem on Statue of Liberty