Good luck next year with your coursework and the college selection process (if that's what you decide to do). Remember that the more choices you have, the more dissatisfied and paralyzed you will be, but that MAKING a choice is the most important way to end the agony. You WILL love what you choose, provided that you commit to that choice and don't look back.
I thoroughly enjoyed being your instructor and most importantly, I treasure the relationships we created. Now please enjoy your summer!
Mr > B
Please make sure you are taking notes on EACH presentation before transferring your comments to either the paper form or the electronic form below. Every student must turn in one piece of paper AND vote using the form linked below:
The images above are adapted from George Packer’s most recent book, Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal. His essay version is called, "The Four Americas" and originally appeared in The Atlantic.
Featured Theme Song: "We Belong Together" by Vampire Weekend
Songwriters: Rostam Batmanglij / Ezra Koenig
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Please make sure you turn in your script (essay with citations) and bibliography on paper. Now click the appropriate link below to upload your video presentation:
The images above are adapted from George Packer’s most recent book, Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal. His essay version is called, "The Four Americas" and originally appeared in The Atlantic.
MLA citation protocol (the basics):
And don't believe what this student wrote ;)
What parallels do you notice between the current conflict in Ukraine and the start of WW II?
Miss the film? Watch it by clicking here.
Study guide:
Today's film:
In your assigned group, please fill out the chart for your assigned historical figure, only. Your group must come to a consensus regarding the best source and the most illuminating quote. This should help you make choices when researching your own 4th Quarter Project. Please enter the relevant info using one of the links above.
In order to see your feedback on your iPad beyond the color-coding, please follow the directions below:
Here is a rather strong interpretation (below) of how the United States initially became a world power. Johnny Harris is a filmmaker, journalist and has a degree in international relations. This is a master class in presentation design, so think about how you could incorporate some of his explanatory techniques into your 4th Quarter Project. Feel free to visit Johnny Harris' YouTube page to see other work he has done and scroll down for his presentation design tips.
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Read carefully, distinguishing between the primary and secondary sources included in the following packet and answer the questions:
What is the author's opinion on whether or not America is an empire? How does he demonstrate/communicate his viewpoint?
How did the "United States" become "America"? This 33-minute podcast features historian Daniel Immerwahr:
]]>How do historical and artistic depictions of the American landscape connect to the idea of an American empire? Pay special attention to "manifest destiny" and the Turner Thesis.
Miss the video? See it HERE.
To help you better understand what the Turner Thesis is, the video below provides a novel approach at explanation:
An Introduction to Frederick Jackson Turner's The Significance Of The Frontier In American History from Macat on Vimeo.
And a more critical interpretation provided below from Prof. Naoko Shibusawa of Brown University:>>SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL(S) HERE<<
Here is a link to a journalistic example (using a very similar method).
RECENT CONTEMPORARY ISSUE: In his State of the Union address...President Obama celebrated the fact 'that for the first time in 40 years, the crime rate and the incarceration rate have come down together.'"
WHY QUESTION: Why does the USA incarcerate such a high percentage of its population, despite falling crime rates?
ANSWERS:
"Coming up with good questions in history is often more difficult than the answers."--Stephen Berry. @CWI_GC
— Kevin M. Levin (@KevinLevin) March 9, 2021
Need more help understanding proximate versus ultimate factors (causes)? Perhaps this will trigger your memory:
Due TUESDAY!
If you're struggling with the 3rd requirement (conditions in Parchman Farm Penitentiary in Mississippi), you should watch this 18-minute clip from The PBS film, Freedom Riders. And/or read this article about Hezekiah Watkins, a 13-year old put on death row in that very same prison.
2001 interview with John Luther Dolan:
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The following sources may give you more insight:
And/or watch an 18-minute excerpt from American Experience: Freedom Riders by clicking below:
This is an ANONYMOUS survey, so feel free to be as honest as possible, keeping in mind my role as a mandated reporter. This will make more sense once you have seen the assessment for John Dolan, the young Freedom Rider working with CORE.
UPDATE: after reading so many of your heartfelt comments, I listened to this show about sleep deprivation, competition, grades, homework, and parental pressure. If you get a chance, it's worth a listen:
]]>DUE TUESDAY. If you need access to the primary source materials, please see below:
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Please leave your slide annotations (as comments) using the appropriate link below:
Period 5
Period 6
Why did it take approximately 100 years for basic civil rights to be granted to Black Americans? What were the proximate and ultimate factors contributing to the passing of Civil Rights legislation?
Please read OpenStax by clicking here. The assessment (based on both the reading and the presentation below) will be formally assigned once the presentation is concluded. But early commenters can get feedback in class.
NOW, consider the following requirements:
Note-taking guide below or make a copy HERE.
Think about the "bump back" mentioned in Ellison's Invisible Man. What were the proximate causes of the legislative changes the United States enacted in the the mid-1960s? As you watch the film, Eyes on the Prize: "Ain't Scared of Your Jails" (linked below), fill in the study guide with specific details from each technique used by activists:
Given the stakes, why not give it a try? Start with this NPR article. Click the image below for the original challenge put out by the New York Times:
And finally, here is an excerpt from my conversation with Google's AI bot.
In order to better understand the ultimate factors (long-term causes) leading to civil rights, please watch the first episode of the legendary documentary, Eyes on the Prize and fill out the guide below.
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Please wait until you have presented to respond. Click image below to submit:
Consider his answer in light of your Reconstruction Rebooted plans...
Note: this is NOT homework.
Kerry James Marshall: Heirlooms and Accessories from Smart Museum of Art on Vimeo.
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Here's an interview with Eric Foner, who has a complicated view of the assessment of the Reconstruction era. The second half of the podcast has some key information and critiques of the Reconstruction Amendments (13, 14, 15) that should help you decide how to proceed in your plans. (If you click on the link above, you should also see a transcript which might be faster in finding what you need.)
This PDF (below ) has a set of primary and secondary sources which can be used in your presentation:
Data
source: University of Virginia Geospatial and Statistical Data Center. United
States Historical Census Data Browser.
Finally, here is a relevant example on how two historians THOROUGHLY analyze a primary source (h/t to Kevin Levin). This well-designed presentation features a conversation between Dr. Kimberly Kutz Elliott and Dr. Beth Harris: