Tuesday Sept 30

In class we reviewed the reading that was started yesterday. In particular we looked at the Alien and Sedition Acts and whether the government should be able to make a law that seems Unconstitutional. While we do not know what they would have ruled at the time the law came to an end before an answer was given. It led however to two states Kentucky and Virginia to basically say they were not going to follow the law Congress had created. This idea of "nullification" takes place when a state basically says they are not going to follow the laws of the land. Similar to what Washington and Colorado have chosen to do over Marijuana recently. We don't really see anything happen to Virginia or Kentucky as well because the laws disappear after John Adams presidency, but leave us wondering who wins, America or a State? To end class we discussed the Marbury vs Madison court case. While overall the event was not really important, it leads the Supreme Court to decide the first case in history. Establishing the idea of judicial review, and forever changing the judicial branch. Questions below go to this topic. 

Use pages 118-119 to answer the following along with using the internet as needed. (this was not homework except for question # 6 but was what students were working on)

1. If the Supreme Court makes a ruling, who’s job is it to enforce it?

2. Why do you think in the last sentence it says, “That the entire country has with few exceptions obeyed.” Why would their be a few exceptions? What does that mean going back to question # 1

3. How did Marshall both stick it to Adams and also stick it to Jefferson?

4. Using your own language, explain what “Judicial Review" is.

5. How many times according to book has the Court had to remove or overrule an act of Congress because of Judicial Review?

6. Go on the web and find one article about whether last years "Obama-care" law is Constitutional. Summarize in 3 sentences why it is Constitutional, and then in 3 sentences why it would not be Constitutional

Monday Sept 29

Students began Unit 2 and created a title page for our new unit, "From New Nation To Two Nations" Students had a quickwrite and notes found below. We discussed how the Whiskey rebellion showed off the New Power of the nation after America had regrouped from the Shay's rebellion. handouts will be uploaded tomorrow.


Warmup and Notes
Documents

Friday Sept 26

Classes were extremely short today due to homecoming. Students watched an intro video to Unit 2 about Lewis and Clark's journey across America and the exploration of the frontier.

Thursday Sept 25

Students took their Unit 1 exam today on America's Founding. Notebooks were also turned in.

Wed Sept 24

Students were given a Study Guide to use to review for the test. They also were given time to organize the notebook. The notebook should be put in the following order. Title Page, Quickwrites, Notes, Classwork Homework and Readings. Below is a list of things that should be included.
What should be in Notebook
Unit 1 Study Guide

Tuesday Sept 23

Class finished all new material that will be covered in Unit 1. The test will be on thursday. The class talked about many of the reasons the antifederalists and federalists clashed over the Constitution. Eventually it was ratified but only with the promise to create a bill of rights for the USA. Students began to finish or needed to finish for homework the following chart on the Bill of Rights. It can be found on page 96 in the textbook.

Bill of Rights

Monday Sept 22

The first quiz was reviewed together in class. The first exam for this year will be Thursday this week(at least expected date). After this students had a quickwrite —

What rights do you think Americans should have but don’t, or aren’t stated?  Not in California but in the United States. If you were going to come up with your own Bill of Rights what would be # 1 on the list? (not on the original) Why? 

We then began to discuss the differing viewpoints of both the federalists and antifederalists as they debated whether the Constitution should be ratified. The following reading was handed out. Period 1 and 2 should finish reading and answer the summary questions. Periods 3,4 and 5 will tomorrow. 

Federalist reading

W

Friday Sept 19

Students worked on what is in our Constitution. We covered an overview of all 7 articles. Students heard a brief lecture on separation of powers and why it works for our nation so well. Students had no homework.
Handout will be posted Monday.

Constitution reading and chart

Thursday Sept 18th

Students reviewed the work from Wed. We covered why the issues of the Constitution were so big and how the compromises ended up. Students also read about the Great Compromise and why it was the biggest decision made at the convention.
Great Compromise

Wed September 17th

 Students looked at some of the major issues of the Constitution through the eyes of their state. The reading and questions are below. Each student had to choose a original colony and try to see the Constitutional Convention through it's eyes.
Constitution Issues Reading
Questions for each state to answer

Tuesday Sept 16th

Students took our first quiz of the year. After the quiz was finished we quickly reviewed last nights homework getting to the Constitution. Shays' rebellion gave the new nation a fear that they felt needed to be addressed. At the same time Jefferson though addressed the idea that rebellions are necessary and that the government should have at least some fear to listen to the people. They would have to balance these ideas as they began to discuss altering the government. Students were broke into states and looked into the background of the state they would represent at the Constitutional Convention.

Monday September 15th

Quiz Tomorrow!!!-Quiz will be on what we have covered up until this point. From Puritans through the Declaration of Ind. Students should review notes as well as any readings and work we have done.

Today we looked at the end of the American Revolution and the beginning of this new nation. America's first government was not what we have today but the Articles of the Confederation. It was a good idea based mostly on trying to be exactly what Britain wasn't but had some problems. Shays' rebellion being one issue that caused a lot of fear about this new government. Handouts can be found below.

Shays' rebellion
Why the Articles of Confederation had problems.

Friday Sept 12

On Friday we finished looking at the Declaration of Independence. One key idea was how the Enlightenment influenced Jefferson in what Americans desired. The document is the questions that students answered (4th and 5th period turned them in).

Dec. of Ind. questions

9/11

We discussed 9/11 and its importance in America, both now and then. We also watched some tribute clips of the event.

Wed Sept 10

Clip from mini-series John Adams on decision to break free from Britain. We discussed what this meant for the nation as well as the individuals in the room.

Declaration of Independence mini lecture notes.
Declaration of Independence
We began looking at what "America's Creed" is and why this document is so powerful to our nation.

Tuesday Sept 9

Today we looked at the key arguments a "loyalist" would have made for not breaking free from Britain as well as the arguments Thomas Paine lays out in his pamphlet Common Sense. It was a dividing issue for the colonists in determining whether war was worth Independence.  Students were to finish questions from documents for homework.
loyalists vs common sense

Monday Sept 8th

The class reviewed the growing split between the British and Colonists. Then we looked at the final 3 major dividing issues of the 1770's; the Boston Massacre, Tea Party and Intolerable Acts. Students did a Quick write on Paul Revere's propaganda and how it was used to incite the colonies after the massacre.

Quick write and lecture

Friday Sept 5th

We reviewed the conflicts behind the widening split reading. The Quickwrite was asking what the problems were between the British and Colonists after the French and Indian War had ended. We discussed what the Proclamation Line of 1763, Sugar Act and Stamp Act meant to the colonists. We also looked at the idea of "taxation without representation" and why it pushed the colonists to boycott the taxes placed upon them.

Sorry couldn't upload Stamp Act for those who were looking to print it off.

Thursday Sept 4

Today in class we reviewed last nights homework and how the Enlightenment and Great Awakening were the start of a "snowball effect" towards the American Revolution. As the snowball rolls, it gets larger and larger; just as each problem between the Colonists and British will bring us closer to rebellion. Fore homework students read the beginning of The Widening Split and how the French and Indian War brought some issues to the colonies. Students read (or are finishing for homework) highlighting any conflicts they see happening in the colonies in the 3 years after the F & I war concludes.
Widening Split reading(2nd page comes first)

Lecture overview on Great Awakening and French and Indian War

Wed Sept 3rd

Today we reviewed how the Puritans viewed their mission coming to the new world as a "City on a Hill." What that means and how they would be the model society for the world. We also had a quick write (except 3rd period) dealing with Puritan principles of religion in America. The homework tonight is included at the bottom of the following slide which includes the quick write prompt.

Quick write 1 and Homework
City on a Hill Reading

Tuesday Sept 2

Welcome back from the break! Today we finished our posters on what The American Dream means to you. For those absent we used a blank sheet of white paper to put down the ideas, images, words or phrases that the American Dream means to you. Based off your upbringing and beliefs they may be different but many will weave together. Overall many of the beliefs we have today are the same ones that brought the first settlers, explorers and colonists to the Americas. We took a few notes at the end of the period on the beginning of settling in America. Those notes can be found below. There is no homework.
First Settlers notes.

Friday August 29th

Today we finished off our discussion on Michael Brown with a writing assignment. As we did with this story we will continue to analyze sources, put things in context, and try to determine how and why things happened in history. We also began to look at what the American Dream means today, and how it relates to those that originally came to the Americas and established this new nation. By Tuesday students  need to have a notebook.

Trying to define the American Dream

Thursday August 28

Today we continued looking at the shooting in Ferguson, MO and the two sides of the evidence. We compared the eyewitness accounts of what happened to look at how the evidence is inconclusive. Your perception of things, your personal bias, your views of society, law enforcement, race all could influence your opinion on an event we don't have the full truth of. In history things are similar as well. We can see history a certain way based off of what we want to see and how we want to see it. Often times it is a blurry line that we must analyze to find what happened in history and why. There was no homework.

Wed August 27th

We looked today at sources and how they can or can not be reliable. As historians in the classroom we need to try to determine if every source is a good one, and what the other side of the story may be. We also began to look at the situation taking place in Ferguson, MO and how Michael Brown's killing sparked national debate. Also how different accounts or "primary sources" may not always match up.

Ferguson

Tuesday August 26, 2014

In class we began by looking at a modified citizenship test used by America in allowing people to become citizens. Interestingly to become a citizen our nation puts a primary emphasis on not Math or Science but our History and Government. We also began looking at analyzing sources and what makes them more or less reliable. The homework was to finish the source document. The document is enclosed below.

Sourcing Document

Here is an attached Syllabus. They need to be signed by a parent or guardian and returned by Friday, August 29th. Feel free to print a copy if you need to. Thank you

SYLLABUS

Welcome to the 2014-2015 school year!!! This website will contain the material we will be covering in class. While not a substitute for the classroom it should be your first stop on any missed days. If you have anyone questions feel free to email me at the school address. kleduc@rusd.k12.ca.us