Week #1 (Semester 2)

Are her eyes bigger than her stomach?

    
 Happy New Year!!
     You've probably noticed that it's been quite awhile since I last added an entry to this blog....and for that I apologize.  Turns out that trying to incorporate technology with a new website and blog, plus learn how to use the new iPads given to teachers (Thank you, TCCS Auction Donors!!) all in the same semester was a bit more than I could successfully do.  My mother would say that my "eyes were bigger than my stomach."    Fortunately, we are starting both a new year and a new semester, so I have the chance to make a renewed commitment to update this blog more frequently.  Thanks for your continued patience.

      As we move ahead into Unit 6, we're smack in the middle of the "Gilded Age" period and will discover as we study 19th century American imperialism that the United States also perhaps had eyes bigger than its stomach.  The next few chapters will cover the expansion of American interests outside its continental boundaries...and the situations which resulted.

      Want some good news?  We're more than half-way through the course material and textbook!  Yippee!  Remember that this class is a MARATHON, not a sprint.  There will be times--especially in the next 2 months--when you will be totally tired of reading that book and doing those weekly homework questions.  You might even feel like the class is torture, that you don't even want to take the AP test.  Maybe you'll even think you don't want to go to college (you could always learn to walk a tightrope or swing on a trapeze and join the circus, right?).  When this happens, put down your pencil and go for a walk, listen to music, read a book, call a friend or do something else fun for awhile.  Then take a deep breath and KEEP GOING!  Don't give up on this class and don't give up on doing the work either...even though it's hard and you may not want to do it.  I promise you that all the work and pain will pay off and IT WILL BE WORTH IT in the end!!   Trust me on this!!

      I'll share more thoughts about APUSH class being similar to an athlete training for the Olympics in the next post.   In the meantime, answer the Blog Question below....and get your Ch. 24 Questions done, OK??

This Week's Question: What activities do you turn to when you are putting off doing your homework?  (For example, I read junk mail and clean my house).  What has been the toughest part about APUSH during the first semester?

Week #10: St. Michaels, Maryland

Girls' Weekend 2012 - St. Michaels, MD

Welcome home from Catalina!   While you students were enjoying your time at Junior/Senior Retreat I have been visiting my East Coast girlfriends.  This year we rented a beach house in St. Michaels, Maryland, right on the water.  Since this is APUSH, I thought that for this blog post I would give you a little bit of history about the town of St. Michaels.

                "In 1677 an Episcopal Parish was established on the banks of the Miles River and named    after Saint Michael the Archangel. From its early days as a shipbuilding town through its twentieth century transformation into a tourist and sailing haven, St. Michaels and its citizens have maintained a way of life that is renowned for its beauty, tranquility and craftsmanship."

             "The town, as surveyed in 1804, was laid out in three squares. St. Mary's Square today is the site of a museum bearing its name which is a must-see for any visitor interested in the history of St. Michaels. Among the beautiful historic homes that border St. Mary's Square is one of the most recognizable structures in the area, a private home known since the War of 1812 as The Cannonball House."

Cannonball House

          "Early on the morning of August 10, 1813, a number of British barges sailed up the Miles River intending to shell the town and its harbor fort. The citizens of St. Michaels, having been warned in advance of the planned attack, had evacuated most of the women, children, livestock and valuable possessions to an area outside of town known as 'Onion Hill'. Brigadier General Perry Benson, commanding officer of the Talbot County militia, ordered lanterns placed in treetops just outside of the town and all other lights in the town extinguished, thereby creating the first military blackout on record. When the British marines aimed their cannon fire to the lights, they overshot the town. Only one dwelling was hit, a brick house near the harbor now known as "The Cannonball House." This successful defense caused St. Michaels to be thereafter known as "The Town That Fooled The British." The British record conceded that two of its members were wounded during their brief invasion, while the Republican-Star published in Easton the next week states that the British suffered twenty-nine casualties. There were no American losses and little damage to the town from the British shelling."

                               [Information excerpted from  http://www.townofstmichaels.com/history.shtml]

This week--in Chapter 10--we will continue to look at the growth of the new United States after the ratification of the Constitution.  In just a couple of weeks we will be covering the War of 1812, considering how it may have been "the Second War for Independence." 

This Week's Question:  What was the best vacation trip you've ever been on?  What made that particular trip so special?

Week #9: Stamp Act Boycotts

The Stamp Act Simulation we did earlier this week seemed to go really well!  Thank you for participating and paying your taxes!  I think that all the American History students have a much clearer understanding now of the colonial perspective on measures, like the Stamp Act and the Townshend Duties, that Parliament thought would be practical revenue-generating tools.  We have also seen how effective the colonists' boycotts of British goods were in expressing their displeasure with Parliament's actions which resulted in many of the duties being repealed.

This week we've finished up the American Revolution, taken the Unit #2 Test and written a DBQ (document-based questions) essay.  We'll cap off the week with a Movie Party on Friday night at 7 pm to view The Patriot for extra credit.  Unit #3 starts next week with an extra class session on Monday, September 17, 2012.  In this unit we'll explore the challenges the new nation of America faced once the Revolution was over and independence was achieved. 

This Week's Questions:  Think about the way the colonists' protested the taxes imposed on them by choosing NOT to purchase finished goods and other materials from Britain.  Now, considering the current unrest in Egypt and Libya, do you think that  a boycott of Middle Eastern oil would be a good way to respond to the attacks on American embassies?  Would most Americans participate or not?  What would change in YOUR life if an oil boycott pushed the price of gasoline in San Diego up to $6.50 or $7.00 per gallon?  Would you be willing to suffer in order to send a message?

Week # 8: Tea and Taxes

I hope you enjoyed drinking Earl Grey tea on Friday during our discussion of the Boston Tea Party of 1773 and other events that pushed the American Colonies to declare their independence from Britain.  It's an interesting exercise to play "What if...?" and think about whether or not the Revolution was actually inevitable or which side we would have favored if we were alive at that time.  Personally, while I can definitely understand the colonists' frustration with the taxing measures of Parliament, and even their deep-seated Whig suspicion of government officials, I'm not 100% sure that I would have been able to join John Adams and George Washington as patriots and rebel against the mother country.  Those who made that choice had A LOT to lose and were facing very low odds of success!

It's also interesting to see how much of our "national personality" was formed during the colonial period, and how issues that rankled with Americans over 200 years ago are still being discussed today.   Even though so much about our world has changed in the intervening years, human nature and human desires still remain the same!

This week we'll look at the Revolutionary War itself and learn why it was crucial and logical that George Washington be asked to lead the American troops into battle.  We'll evaluate the British strategy during the war and analyze the various factors that worked for and against both sides in the conflict.  However, we WON'T be actually firing guns or blowing anything up in class, sorry!  It is time to plan another MOVIE PARTY to watch The Patriot for extra credit and study for the Unit #2 TEST coming next week, which covers Chapters 6, 7, & 8. 

This Week's Question:  Can you think of an issue that bothered the American colonists between 1763 and 1776 that still comes up for discussion and debate today? Try to think about politics during that last few years and/or the current presidential race.  Give examples to back up your statement(s).

Scholarship Opportunity!

I received this e-mail message today and wanted to pass it on to the class:

The First Freedom Center announces the 20^th annual First Freedom Student Competition. This national essay and video contest offers 9^th – 12^th grade students an opportunity to compete for $2,500 awards as they examine the First Amendment and the history and implementation of freedom of religion and conscience in American democracy and the world today. Students then present their evaluation in written essay or video format.
This year's topic introduces students to George Washington's famous Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island of 1790, where he addresses a new standard for religious freedom and religious equality for citizens of the young nation. Students will identify the basic principles of religious liberty espoused in this primary document and will research and assess how well the United States has lived up to Washington's ideal. For the complete topic, essay and video guidelines, registration, classroom poster, student flyer and other details, visit www.firstfreedom.org, and click on the red First Freedom Student Competition button (center column).

Students must register online on or before Monday, November 12, 2012, and the postmark deadline for mailing the essay or video with its accompanying entry materials is Monday, November 26, 2012. Winners will be announced on Thomas Jefferson's birthday, April 13, 2013.

We look forward to your students' participation in the First Freedom Student Competition!
[And to learn more about George Washington's Letter to the Hebrew Congregation and religious freedom, visit www.gwirf.org and, if possible, visit the Loeb Visitors Center (www.loebtouro.org) at the Touro Synagogue National Historic Site in Newport, Rhode Island. For more information and/or to plan a visit, please see www.tourosynagogue.org.]

Sincerely,
Ambassador (ret.) Randolph Bell
President

Christopher L. Payton
Vice President

Sandra M. Poulsen
Outreach Programs Coordinator

First Freedom Center
1321 E. Main Street
Richmond, VA 23219
804.643.1786 phone
804.644.5024 faxcompetition@firstfreedom.orgVisit us online at: www.firstfreedom.org

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Week #7: Breathe!

That's right...stop, and take a deep breath!  Let's take a minute to appreciate some of the things we've accomplished in class recently:  You took the first Unit Test...and everyone did really well!  I'm very pleased with the scores.  We are just about finished with the first DBQ essay (or partial essay anyways--training wheels, remember??).  And, we met for the first Extra Credit Movie Party...which was really fun!  The good news is that all of the strategies that helped you be successful in the first 6 weeks of class will continue to help you succeed for the rest of the year.  So, like the shampoo bottle says, "Lather, rinse, and repeat!" Or, in other words, keep up the good work--we're off to a terrific start.

This dog stops to smell the roses!

This week we will head into the 1750s to fight the French & Indian War before starting on the Road to Revolution for the American colonies.  We also have a night class on Monday night from 6 - 9 p.m. in Room 108.  Snacks will be provided and I'm looking forward to covering a lot of ground. 

This Week's Question: What is something you have learned to do well without formal teaching?  How did you learn it?  (this could be a sport, hobby, musical instrument, etc.)

Week #6: Colonial Wisdom

In Chapter 5, we learned in the American Pageant that Benjamin Franklin was a very influential writer during the mid-1700's.  Here are a few quotes attributed to Franklin; see how many you recognize and have heard before:

A penny saved is a penny earned.

A place for everything, everything in its place.

By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.

Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.

Honesty is the best policy.

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. 

It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.

There are three things extremely hard: steel, a diamond, and to know one's self.

Three can keep a secret, if two of them are dead.

                                                              Quotes found at Brainy Quotes website.**

This week we will conclude our study of the North American colonies and their founding.  We need to complete the Colonial Comparison Chart and discuss the 2 book excerpts that you've read.  Wednesday (8/22) will be the Unit #1 TEST, both multiple-choice questions and an essay.  Now that you have an understanding of what was going on in British North America between 1607 and 1750, we'll cover the French and Indian War and the Colonies' Path to Independence in Unit #2.  Hopefully, the transition into the regular school year went smoothly last week and you are starting to get back into the daily routine.  Keep on top of class assignments and don't forget to get the details about this weekend's Movie Party in order to watch The Crucible for extra credit!

**Want to lean more about Ben Franklin's inventions and life?  Check out this website!

This Week's Question:  Why do you think so many of Franklin's quotes are still in use today?  Which one do you like the most?  Do you have any other favorite quotes?