Are you positive Jackson's the "people's president?"

Did President Andrew Jackson really deserve the title "people's president?" Our work in class this past week proves that no, Jackson was not a president in favor of the people. In six groups we were assigned to study the Bank War, Indian Removal or The Spoils System. Only one of which supported the idea that Andrew Jackson is a "people's president." 

The Bank War is the only thing we studied that supports his title. And even then there were people who did not agree that his desire to even out the power between the rich and the poor was the best for the people. My group, who focused on this topic, thought the bank war supported his title because his ultimate goal was to take away some of the power held by stockholders so that the poor people could also be able to control their economy.

 Meanwhile The Indian removal and Spoils System completely deny the fact that Andrew Jackson was a "people's president." During the Indian Removal, president Jackson forced 5 innocent native tribes off of their homeland, to make room for the expansion of the United States. 10,000 natives died during their long journey to the west. Rather than seeing Jackson as a "people's president" they referred to him as the "white devil." The spoils sysytem didn't support Jackson either because he made it so that people were given jobs based on their loyalty rather than theijr skill. Criminals who supported Jackson were given jobs  and sometimes even political positions. This system proved that President Jackson did not have the best interest of the people in mind and therefore we should not consider him as the "people's president." 

Show Me Democracy!

This week we made a "Show-me" presentation about the rise of democracy in the 1800s. After viewing and analyzing many documents and primary sources, in small groups, we answered the essential question. How should we define democracy and how democratic was the US in the early 1800's?

The documents used can be found here!

http://www.edline.net/pages/Reading_HS/Classes/1415_10212102/Unit_3_-_Protecting_Nations___/Unit_3_Lesson_2_-_Democracy_

Gran Colombia Gets Independence

     Why is it essential to acknowledge human value regardless of race? How are the events in the Latin American Revolutions evidence of this social imperative? The past few days in class we've been focusing on Latin American revolutions to help come up with an answer to this question. We were split into three groups and assigned a revolution; Mexico, Brazil or Gran Colombia. My group got Gran Colombia and we decided it is important to think about this question because racial inequality has been a part of the world's history for a long time, and it is important to understand this social imperative in other countries in addition to the United States. 

     
     This timeline shows the events of the Latin American revolution in Gran Colombia. In class we were briefed on the timelines for the revolutions in Brazil and Mexico. All of the revolutions ended in independence due to the strong leaders each nation had. Gran Colombia was lead by Bolivar. Mexico had Miguel Hidalgo, and Brazil had the courageous Pedro and King John VI. Another similarity that we observed is that race was an issue in all of the revolutions. For Brazil, at first Jose da Silva Xavier was killed because he did not pertain an elite status and Pedro tried to make the Portuguese the only people with power. In Mexico, Miguel called for the end of 300 years of racial inequality. Bolivar's main goal was to liberate New Granada from Spanish control in Gran Colombia. Though there many similarities seen between these revolutions there were also some differences. For example, Brazil's revolution resulted in an empire where Mexico's produced a republic. During the times of war Brazil had Portuguese monarchy that came over to rule. Gran Colombia was controlled by the dictorial powers that Bolivar managed to have over Caracas. 

     America is very lucky to have already gotten rid of most racial injustices. We had great leaders like Martin Luther King Junior who worked very hard during the civil rights movement to gain equality for African American people. Recently in St. Louis, Missouri, a white off duty police officer shot and killed a young black man. This is seen as a racial injustice and there have been protests throughout the city. I think it is still important to consider race in our society today so that we can prevent revolutions like those fought in Gran Colombia, Brazil and Mexico. 

L'Ouverture's Legacy

Martin Luther King Junior is known for being one of the greatest leaders in the world's history. He pertained the qualities of honesty, moral leadership and political skill. King used these very important aspects to peacefully fight for civil rights. It is important to remember the incredible legacy King left behind. We remember Martin Luther King Junior as a civil rights leader. Though not equally as peaceful, Toussaint L'Ouverture was also a great leader. He used political skill, moral leadership and honesty to fight for the freedom of slaves in Saint Domingue during the late 1700's and early 1800's. L'Ouverture took many actions in a lot of different parts of Saint Domingue's society and government to make change. Someone who did such amazing things for a nation must be remembered. Because he did so much for Saint Domingue, in what way should Toussaint L'Ouverture be remembered? For his incredible work to change the history of the island, we remember him as a liberator of the slaves, military commander and ruler of Saint Domingue.

    Toussaint L'Ouverture though he did many great things should be most remembered as a liberator of slaves. His work to free the slaves made him the courageous military commander and ruler he was. L'Ouverture's work to free the slaves had the greatest impact on Saint Domingue. The Timeline of Abolition in Saint Domingue shows that Toussaint L'Ouverture, during times of war, always fought in favor of abolishing slavery. In 1791-1792 Toussaint fought against the French and in 1794 when the French abolished slavery he fought on their side. (Doc. A) Starting in 1796 L'Ouverture again fought against the French again because they wanted to reinstate slavery. (Doc. A) This shows that Toussaint was very dedicated to freeing the slaves. In a letter to the French Directory in November 1797 L’Ouverture wrote, “ We have known how to confront danger to our liberty, and we will know to confront death to preserve it.” (Doc. B) In this quote he is threatening to fight the French if they take away the liberties that were given to the slaves. When L’Ouverture issued The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801, he made sure one of the first articles protected the slaves. Article 3 states, “There cannot exist slaves in this territory, servitude is therein forever abolished. All men are born, live and die free and French.” (Doc. C) Because of Toussaint L’Ouverture’s endless efforts to fight against slavery, he created an incredible legacy. It is important to remember L’Ouverture as a liberator of slaves.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Toussaint_L%27Ouverture.jpg

    In addition to freeing the slaves of Saint Domingue, Toussaint L’Ouverture was a military commander and for that we should remember him. His legacy includes fighting in many wars to protect the rights of slaves. During these battles, L’Ouverture proved to be a very strong leader. He proves this quality when he reacted to Moyse, a commander of the Northern Department, ordering people to kill all white plantation owners. Madison Smartt Bell in, Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, 2007 wrote, “he ordered the mutineer regiments… to step out of the ranks and blow their own brains out. . . . Toussaint ordered Moyse’s arrest....” (Doc. E) Moyse was L’Ouverture’s nephew, so the harsh punishments L’Ouverture set upon him show that he is a great military commander because he can put personal relationships aside and protect the land he loves. The people gave L’Ouverture the title, ‘heroic chief.’(Doc. F) In addition to dealing with the revolt on the Northern Plain, he took many actions to successfully drive the Spanish and English off Saint Domingue. In the excerpt, “A Description of Toussaint Louverture” from 1863, William Wells Brown wrote, “Toussaint levied fresh forces, raised the reputation of the army, and drove the English and Spanish from the island. . . .” (Doc. F) Toussaint L’Ouverture, “gained the confidence of all whom he had under his command.” (Doc. F) because he was such a great military commander and it is important to remember him as such.

    Saint Domingue was successful because of the wonderful liberator of slaves and military commander the had, but what about their ruler? Toussaint L’Ouverture’s memorable legacy also includes ruling Saint Domingue. As ruler, L’Ouverture issued a constitution and a few proclamations. These orders kept control of the people, trade, government and the land. It was important to L’Ouverture to keep up the country’s prosperity even when there were no longer slaves working on plantations. As ruler he had to monitor Saint Domingue’s trade and income. In The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801 under Title VI: Culture and Commerce, Toussaint L’Ouverture declared, “The colony being essentially agricultural cannot suffer the least disruption in the work of its cultivation. . . . Each plantation. . . shall represent the quiet haven of an active and constant family, . . .” (Doc. C) After issuing such an important document to help the success of the nation and still seeing people not working, L’Ouverture was upset. He then issued the “Proclamation, 25 November 1801.” In this proclamation he wrote, “Any individual . . . tending to incite sedition shall be brought before a court martial and be punished in conformity with the law.” (Doc. D) L’Ouverture put strong rules in place to make sure people were working, so that the country could still trade and make money. The financial success of Saint Domingue was very important to L’Ouverture. This passion is a reason why we remember Toussaint L’Ouverture as a ruler of Saint Domingue.

Although L’Ouverture is no longer alive today, it is still important we remember him, his legacy and his leadership qualities. Martin Luther King Junior, someone more commonly remember had the same leadership qualities as L’Ouverture and fought for the rights of black people during the 1950’s and 1960’s. King is remember specifically as a civil rights leader and his inspiring legacy will forever be remembered. L’Ouverture also fought for the rights of black people. His legacy is extremely important to the history of Saint Domingue. Today we remember Toussaint L’Ouverture as a liberator of slaves, military commander and ruler of Saint Domingue.

Is France a Failure?

     Were the revolutions of 1830 and 1848 really failures as many historians have concluded? During 1830 and 1848 revolts were a trend throughout Europe, all for various reasons. To learn about these breakouts our class was split into groups and then assigned a revolt. We read primary sources to teach us about these rebellions and created short quizzes for the other groups to take. We used our devices to make quizzes on the app, Survey Monkey. By reading the primary sources and taking the quizzes we learned that not all the revolts were highly successful, but should they be considered a failure?

     My group focused on the France 1830 revolt. The French rebels wanted to remove Charles X from power. His ideas of absolutism were not admired. The rebels were also not fond of Charles X's decision to limit the rights of the press. In the "July Ordinances" Charles wrote, "The liberty of the periodical press is suspended." The rebels were upset that their rights were being taken away and wanted a ruler who was for the people. After taking over the streets of Paris the rebels got what they wanted. Charles X abdicated the crown and fled to England. The "Orleanist Manifesto" declared, "Charles X can no longer return to Paris... The Duke of Orleans is a citizen king," The Duke of Orleans, Louis Phillipe, was for the people. In this revolt the rebels got what they wanted. Charles X was removed from power and they got their rights restored by Louis Phillipe. Though the French people did not gain full freedom they still were partially successful. The France 1830 revolt should most definitely not be considered a failure.

Check out my group's survey!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/T7WPJNT

     The France 1830 revolt was successful, but what about the other revolts of 1830 and 1848? Is it fair to say that the revolutions of 1830 and 1848 were failures? I believe that these revolutions were not failures. Though they were not all fully successful or like the Decembrist revolt not successful at all, as a whole the revolutions of 1830 and 1848 were not a failure. The France 1848 revolt was partly successful. The rebels were able to get the extended suffrage that they wanted, but only wealthy people were able to vote. This is not a failure. Though not everyone was pleased the rebels were able to get what they wanted. The revolt of the Frankfurt Assembly was only partially negative. Many people were put in jail as a result of this revolt, but no change was made. It was not a complete failure in the sense that their conditions didn't get worse than they were before the revolution and they didn't have rights taken away from them. This revolution had a few negatives, but it was not a complete failure, therefore this is another revolt that would not contribute to the revolts of 1830 and 1848 being a failure. One last revolt that supports this idea is the 1848 Hungary revolt. This revolt was neutrally good and bad. The Hungarians were able to get rid of Metternich, but in the end their revolutionary leaders fled Hungary. Only one revolt in the revolts of 1830 and 1848 can be classified as a complete failure. I do no agree that the revolts of 1830 and 1848 that happened across Europe are failures.

Power to the People... and Louis XVIII

What should people in power do when their power is threatened? What should people in power do when Napoleon conquers Europe? The Congress of Vienna was created to help solve problems brought up by Napoleon Bonaparte’s European conquests. The congress played an important role in returning power back to those who had their powers threatened. In class we did a group activity on padlet.com, where we read a background essay and chose a solution to various problems the Congress of Vienna had to face.

Klemens von Metternich was one of many powerful people at the congress of vienna. He along with the other leaders came up with the principle of legitimacy. This principle restored the power in lawful monarchs. The charter of 1814 was put in place to make France a constitutional monarchy in which all French people were equal before the law. This allowed all people to practice any religion freely. Power was reestablished within the Bourbon monarchy, allowing Louis XVIII to rule,  but there was still more equality and power for the French people.

The decision to restore the throne to Louis XVIII was a good choice for the success of France. I think it was good idea because it allowed France to go back to a system of government that they were familiar with. This gave them the opportunity to rebuild their society rather quickly. I feel that that was a smart decision because France had a boost of confidence and strength.

Ideologies Genius

Conservatism, liberalism, and national are three major ideologies. Conservatism is the idea that change in the current systems is bad. Liberalism supports individual liberties and nationalism focuses in uniting nations based on history, culture, and language. All three of these ideologies played an important role in the political and social systems of Europe in the 19th century.

To learn about these ideologies, in small groups we created a one minute project to teach the class about an assigned topic. After it was declared that my group would study nationalism, we made a video. In the one minute film, as I walk down the hall, I come across an "ideologies genius" who wants to tell me all about nationalism in the 19th century. He teaches me that nationalism is the idea that a nation is grouped by language, culture, and history. Nationalism helped people rebuild after the French Revolution. It also made Italy and France realize that if they hadn't been so separated and been more united like a nation then Napoleon wouldn't have been able to defeat them so easily.  Nationalism affected Europe socially and politically.

Nationalism wasn't the only thing that affected Europe's social and political systems. Liberalism, the idea that all people had their own god given rights also impacted these aspects of 19th century Europe. Liberals believed in a meritocracy, a system in which people were awarded by their skill rather than their class. This system would put monarchy out of power and give more power to the talented poor people. Conservatism on the other hand, wanted to keep the power within the church and monarchy. Conservative people were afraid of a possible revolution due to change, so they did not support innovation and reform. In addition to nationalism, conservatism and liberalism impacted the social and political systems of 19th century Europe.h

The Bold and Brave Bonaparte

In the early 1800's Europe was majorly affected by a very powerful man. This extraordinary military leader is commonly known for "his untiring industry, his devotion to the public service, his enlightened views of government and legislation, his humanity." Napoleon Bonaparte, said to be "the greatest genius of his time," had a great influence on the economic, social, and political systems of Europe.  

Politically, Napoleon had both positive and negative impacts on Europe. He was able to overthrow the directory and he was powerful enough to take over many countries, but he became an emperor. Rulers and people like Madame de Staël, who came from families connected to monarchy were not fond of Napoleon. Napoleon took power away from them when he became an emperor and they were forced to follow the Napoleonic code. Madame de Staël claimed Napoleon's goal was to "encroach daily upon France's liberty and Europe's freedom." Though there were clearly people who didn't favor Napoleon, people in the countries he controlled did benefit from his rule.

Napoleon's economic impact was especially positive on France. He strongly encouraged new industry. He built many new railroads and canals. With this increased industry, France was given the opportunity to trade with all the other countries Napoleon ruled over. Impacts like this contribute to why Marshal Michel Ney, an officer who served closely with Napoleon, referred to him as France's "august emperor."

Under Napoleon's rule, people were able to improve their own lives. Napoleon impacted the social system of Europe by creating a meritocracy. A meritocracy is a system in which people are rewarded by skill rather than social class. Napoleon made it so that more people had rights to their own property and access to education. This was seen as a positive impact on the social systems of a Europe.


http://www.napoleon­series.org/research/biographies/c_historians.html
http://www.greatthoughtstreasury.com/author/napoleon-bonaparte-napoleon-i
Ten Years of Exile, by Madame de Staël, trans. Doris Beik (Saturday Review Press, 1972)
The French Revolution and Napoleon: An Eyewitness History, by Joe H. Kirchberger (Facts on File, 1985).

Rock, Paper, Socialism, Shoot!

The classic game Rock, Paper, Scissors, can be used in more ways than just a game to play when you're bored or a way to break a tie. In class we played this fun, interactive game to simulate communism, capitalism, and socialism. Adding chocolate to the game made it even better! This class was exciting yet frustrating at the same time. I hated losing my chocolate when I lost a round of the game. I can only imagine how people felt having to give up some of their wealth when faced with capitalism, communism, and socialism in real life.

Karl Marx and Adam Smith both wanted to help the poor, but they had very different approaches on how to do so. Marx came up with theories in which the poor would help themselves. We call these ideas communism, socialism, and capitalism. In communism, there would be no government needed. Everyone would share the resources. Therefore, the poor could have access to the same things the wealthy did. With socialism, there would be economic equality and a classless society. Each citizen would start with the same amount of wealth. The poor people would have an equal amount to the rich people. And lastly, there's capitalism, in which there is freedom of competition and unequal economic classes. With this system, the poor would truly have to fight for themselves. Adam Smith's theory of the invisible hand helped the poor in a very different way. Smith believed in a government that let the market naturally take care of itself. This would allow higher quality goods to be sold at lower prices due to competition between companies. The invisible hand initiates the changes. Poor citizens could buy good products at an affordable cost.

I personally believe that Adam Smith's theory is best. Industrialists are allowed to be in control of their own businesses. Under this system people can choose what they want to buy and sell. Higher quality products could be sold at more affordable prices. Opposed to Marx's theories the wealthy people could continue to be wealthy, but the poor people are given opportunities to catch up and prosper. This theory  seems to please many social groups. This is a good system because it seems to please many social groups.

http://a2.files.biography.com/image/upload/c_fill,dpr_1.0,g_face,h_300,q_80,w_300/MTE1ODA0OTcxNzE5NjI0MjA1.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Adam_Smith_The_Muir_portrait.jpg

The Ups and Downs of Life at the Mills

     Young women and girls from across America begged their parents for permission to go to cities like Lowell Massachusetts to become mill girls. Some stories describe horrid accidents and terrible living and working conditions caused by the mills, so why would anyone want to work there?

     Farming was a major source of income during this time. It was often a struggle to produce a good harvest, therefore there was a very small income. Every extra amount of money helped. Mill workers could earn up to six dollars per month. Families were attracted to this wage because their daughters could send money home. The girls themselves liked the thought of this because after paying boarding dues and sending money home they still had a tiny bit of spending money for things like new shoes and dresses. Another reason young women were attracted to the life of a mill worker was because that had the opportunity to "see the world." The girls felt as though they had more independence in the city than they'd have at home on the farm with their fathers. The mill life appealed to many girls because of the money and freedom. 

     The girls who thought it would be a great idea to leave home may have changed their minds after working in the mills for a little while. Though there were great benefits, there was also some costs to the lifestyle they chose. The girls worked long, tiring hours in the dangerous mills where they put their health and safety on the line everyday. When they returned to the boarding house for the night, they were to follow very strict rules. Life at the mills wasn't always as wonderful as the girls assumed it would be.

     The life of a mill girl had it's ups and downs, but their work helped change the attitude people had towards women in the 1800's. After many girls bravely left home at a young age to work, people no longer thought girls were meant to stay at home with their fathers until marriage. After the girls boycotted for increased wages they had more of a political position in society. People in the 1800's started to see women as the brave, strong, and independent people they truly are.

Mangled in the Mills

Who would have ever thought that video chatting would become popular for not only talking to friends but for education too? In class this week we had a live video chat with Jamie, a museum curator at the Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) in Manchester, England. This was a fun class activity that we did a lot of prep work for. We did a web investigation in which we took notes about what we learned from textile gallery on the museum's website. From this activity I learned that the water frame was the first water powered spinning machine, Platt Bros. was once the leading manufacturer of textile machines, and World War II effected the production of designers' work. To prepare we also watched a video of Jamie explaining the spinning process from start to finish. During the video we wrote down new vocabulary and later used google keyword searches to find their definitions. To finish off our preparation for the live video chat we drafted some questions about the textile process, the impact on families, and museum curating.

I found the whole chat to be exciting and interesting, but I was really drawn in by what Jamie told us about the children in the mills and the accidents they faced. Before the factory act in 1933, children started working in the mills as young as five years old. Jamie told us that many mills purchased children from orphanages to do tough labor and dangerous jobs, such as cleaning the machines. In the chat he explained that the smallest children were chosen the climb under the thread on a working machine to wipe off oil and dust. This job was extremely dangerous because it moved very quickly. Another one of the other dangers Jamie explained to us involved the environment they worked in. The fibers from the cotton filled the air and were breathed in. The fibers would get in your lungs and cause diseases. The most interesting and slightly terrifying accident Jamie told us about was due to the leather straps that went through the machines and up to the ceiling. If those needed to be fixed, metal pieces were added to the straps. People would get caught on the metal tabs and carried to the ceiling where they were mangled in the machine. Jamie's stories about mill accidents were very graphic but also very intriguing.

I really enjoyed having a live discussion with an expert. I thought it was especially cool that Jamie was not from the United States. I learned a lot from this activity because I found it easier to focus and stay engaged in the activity than it is to read an article. I think it would be great to do this with other xperts throughout the year. Though, I enjoyed it, I found it confusing sometimes due to the slow camera. Sometimes it was hard to follow what he was talking about or explaining because we couldn't see what he was looking at. Overall I think this was a fun way to learn about the mills.

Were Poor Living and Working Conditions Inevitable?

Every morning I wake up at 6:30, I get dressed and eat breakfast. Then, I’m off to school, followed by volleyball practice, and dance. After my activities are completed for the day I head home to relax and enjoy my evening before heading to bed by 10. In Great Britain and the United States during the Industrial revolution, children my age and younger had a drastic difference in their daily schedules. They would wake up hours earlier than I do and head to work at the mills for 13-15 hours per day with little to no free time. Mill workers suffered with inevitably poor living and working conditions. Bad weather, abuse, overworking and bad health all contributed to these harsh living and working conditions they had to overcome.

Mary Paul was a young lady who worked in the mills for four years. In letters she wrote to her father back home in Vermont we learn about some of the contributions to why living and working conditions were inevitably poor. The New England Weather habits caused harm on the workers. Mary wrote on December 21, 1845, “Last Thursday one girl fell down and broke her neck which caused instant death. She was going in or coming out of the mill and slipped down it being very icy.” (Doc. C) Having to face situations like this at such a young age would be frightening. Many young girls and a few boys worked in the mills. There was a risk that they might all slip on the ice. Icy environments do not contribute to good working conditions. Later on in her career at the mill Ms. Paul wrote on July 1, 1849, “I thought then that it would be impossible for me to work through the hot weather… I have not been able to do much, although I have worked very hard.” (Doc. C) Ice wasn’t the only natural harm on their working conditions. New England summers are very hot, and were a major reason for poor working conditions. Mary stated that she hadn’t be able to do much work because it had been so warm. The young mill workers spent endless hours working during those unbearably hot summer days.

Most young children spend their days at school having fun with their friends. In the 1830’s kids stopped going to school. Instead they left home and were overworked in mills making a small wage. Hannah Goode tells us, “I can read a little: I can’t write. I used to go to school before I went to the mill:” (Doc. D)  Rather than go to school Hannah works at a mill where they never stop to take their meals. (Doc. D) They work while they eat, except for dinner. “Bobbin girls” were young girls that also worked non stop. These girls set the bobbins on a spinning wheel. This was done every minute without intermission. (Doc. B) Working constantly does not lead to good living or working conditions.

Abuse was another contribution to inevitably bad working conditions. Children naturally get tired very easily. Working for more than 12 hours per day puts a strain on your body and would make any person, child or adult, very sleepy. In Hannah Goode’s testimony she wrote, “he (William Crookes) beats the little children if they do not do their work right.” (Doc. D) It is very difficult to do work properly when you’re overtired. It was hard enough to do the work correctly, let alone stay awake! With only about 7 hours of sleep per night and then working all day it is no surprise that some of these young mill workers would occasionally doze off while on the job. What’s surprising is the way they were treated if they were caught. Hannah Goode also wrote in her testimony, “If they are catched asleep they get the strap…” (Doc. D) Abusive overseers would most definitely not be a part of a good working environment. The working conditions in the mills were inevitably poor due to abusive overseers like William Crookes.

In addition to abuse, bad weather, and overworking, bad health also contributed to the inevitable poor working and living conditions found at the mills. Charles Dickens may have claimed that many of the girls were “healthy in appearance,” (Doc. A) but were they really as healthy as they seemed? Mary Paul wrote to her father saying her health had been “pretty good.” Truthfully, “it had been failing for 3 years.” (Doc. C) Mary had to miss long periods of work because of her poor health. Poor living and working conditions due to health were inevitable because of the overpopulation in the cities. The overpopulation was a main cause for poor sanitation. If you are sick, you need rest to get better, but the people working in mills did not rest. Poor living and working conditions were inevitable because of bad health.

When I go to school, I go for 6 hours in the heat when its cold and with fans when it’s hot. If I’m sick I stay home to rest and at school we are not beaten if we are tired. My living and working conditions are much better than those of the mill workers in the 1800s. They suffered with inevitably poor living and working conditions caused by abuse, overworking, bad weather, and bad health.

Capturing the Currator Experience

The analysis process started by looking at the source, then taking notes on its author, location, date and importance to the exhibit. The analysis process is an important part of curating because it helps make sure that you're sharing accurate information to the viewers of your exhibit. My group analyzed many sources such as a Canals Map of Great Britain, a steam engine diagram and an image called Cutting a Railroad Line. All four of those sources were images. The Canals Map of Great Britain showed the canal routes in 1800. The steam engine diagram showed the basic parts of a steam engine and helped give a greater understanding of how they work. Cutting a railroad Line by JC Bourne depicts the early stages of a railroad when it was first built. All three of these images contribute to the main idea of our exhibit, which was the evolution of transportation. We also analyzed a letter Robert Fulton wrote about his experiences on the first steam boat ride and an argument between Samuel Smiles and William Wordsworth about whether or not railroads were a good invention. These sources also helped show the evolution of transportation. The last source we analyzed showed the evolution the most. This was a transportation timeline that showed transportation between 1790 and 1850. We tied all the sources to that main idea, because we wanted those who visit our exhibit to learn about transportation over time. To create the exhibit's title, Thomas Takes Great Britain: How did he get to the Island of Sodor?, we thought of something the audience could relate to. Thomas the Tank Engine is a steam engine that most people have heard of, so we tied him into our main idea of evolution. Our title makes people wonder where tank or steam engines started. There would be no Thomas the Tank Engine if it hadn't been for the evolution of transportation and the invention of the steam engine.

The other four exhibits created by my classmates were very intriguing. I saw many unique titles and creative designs. The first exhibit I saw was called, More Cotton More Slaves Less Freedom. This exhibit covered the issue of increased slave population due to an increase in cotton production. This exhibit had many charts that I found surprising because they showed that between 1834 and 1858 there were over 2 million slaves in the United States. The next exhibit was, From Spinning Wheels to Power Looms, which was about the evolution of spinning. At this exhibit I learned from a chart that the city population increased by millions because the spinners who were replaced by things such as the spinning Jenny had to move into the city to find new work. Living in Filth was the next exhibit I went to. This one was about the negative effects the mills had on the environment. An article on this exhibit called, Observation on the Filth of the Thames, was interesting to me because one line said that the beautiful Thames River was an opague pale brown due to the mills nearby. The last exhibit I observed was the Broken Children exhibit about child labor. In this exhibit there were pictures by Lewis Hine that showed many young children working in factories in 1909. These images caught my attention because the children looked so young and they were working large machinery. I learned a lot from these four exhibits!

Why was the industrial revolution so revolutionary?

In class on Thurday we used our textbooks to study the ingredients of the industrial revolution; resources, technology, transportation, and people. We discussed how each ingredient was revolutionary to industrialization. Revolutionary describes new and groundbreaking innovations toward a cause.

Resources was an important ingredient to the revolution due to iron, cotton and coal. Iron was used to create many new machines and steam boats. These inventions using iron were a revolutionary advance to this time period. Coal was a great resource that powered many of the machines created by iron. Cotton, which was shipped from India, was woven by peasants and dyed by artisans. The slow process of weaving and dying lead to new spinning tools such as the flying shuttle and the spinning jenny. Resources such as iron and cotton which lead to great inventions help support why resources is a revolutionary ingredient!

Transportation is another ingredient that greatly affected the industrial revolution. As mentioned before iron was used to make steam boats. The invention of steam boats was revolutionary because it sped up the travel of goods by water therefore goods could be sent to more places at a quicker pace! During the industrial revolution steam locomotives were also created. Steam locomotives are steam powered trains that pull carriages along tracks. Due this revolutionary invention goods could be brought to locations that were unreachable by water!

"Spinning « Trowbridge Museum."Trowbridge Museum RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Sept. 2014. <http://trowbridgemuseum.co.uk/spinning

"The Steamboat Era Museum - Irvington, Virginia - Potomac Pilot House." The Steamboat Era Museum - Irvington, Virginia - Potomac Pilot House. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Sept. 2014. <http://steamboateramuseum.org/html/po

A Google a Day Keeps The False Information Away

     A Google a Day is a website that helps students learn about proper researching techniques. In class on Tuesday we experimented with this helpful learning tool! What I learned on a google a day will be really helpful in the future!

     When you pull up a google a day, you see 3 images with text descriptions. These images and descriptions explain the game. After you click the "start playing" button below the text and images you are asked a couple of questions which you ar then to go research the answer to. If you research successfully you advance to the next question and the process repeats until you have correctly answered all the questions. I found that this website was fun because I was researching topics I had never even heard of! It was also frustrating at times because the site took a long time to load. From the website's "tips and tricks" page I learned that to find information about an exact word rather than a synonym or plural form of the word you can add a plus sign in front of the word. This trick will really help to narrow down the search results when I'm researching later on this year.

     In addition to the tricks I learned for A Google A Day accuracy, authenticity, and reliability are very important to keep in mind during the research process. Authenticity is the quality of being real and original. Accuracy is the state of being true and correct, and reliability is used to describe how trustworthy and dependable the source is. It is important to know these words so that you can avoid finding false information. In class we looked at the website for the pacific northwest tree octopus Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. This site failed to be accurate, authentic, and reliable. The information on the page was not accurate, and there was no evidence of who created the website, therefore it is unreliable. Websites like this should not be used as a source in schools.

New Year, New Friends, Great Teachers, and Great Grades

Hi! I'm Jamie. I'm a tenth grade student and this is my honors history blog. Going into my second year of high school, I'm excited to have an awesome year with great teachers.

A great teacher is someone who makes the class fun and exciting. Learning in ways that are new to me is never boring. One of my favorite teachers, Mr. Dentremont, made his history class fun and exciting by always having new assignments. For each topic we learned about there was always a new activity to do. The variety made the class enjoyable. I especially liked doing podcasts and sensory images because I had never done them before. It was interesting to learn using a new method. I also liked taking cornell notes. For my growth in any class I find it extremely helpful to have notes to look back on.

In class on the first day, we watched this video by John Green. In his video he talked about our job as students. I agree with his points about my duty as a student. I think it is important to someday give back to the people who are paying taxes so that I can get the education I do. I'm very fortunate to go to school everyday, so I really to put in a lot of effort towards my academics. to ensure that I do so I've set some goals for myself. I would like to maintain an A or B average in all of my classes. This will be a challenge, but I know I can do it if I really focus and put more time and effort into my schoolwork. I also made athletic, artistic, and social goals for myself. My athletic goal is to win a lot of volleyball matches this season. My team and I will have to put a lot of hard work into practices. This year my artistic goal is to create cool pieces in my graphics class. I hope to do this by paying a lot of attention in class and asking for help when I need it. And lastly my social goal is to make new friends. I've already made a few new friends through volleyball, so if I continue to get involved I hope I'll be able to attain this goal. With my new friends, great teachers, and my volleyball team we can all work hard to accomplish our goals and accept our duty as students.