John D. Rockefeller

This week in class we have been studying and learning more about four strong, men figures that have made a huge impact on todays life. My group and I have been doing research mainly about a man called John D. Rockefeller, who was a millionaire that owned a huge company called standard oil back in the 1800's. Many people see him today as a bad person, and yet some see him as a good person that helped many. In class my group and I have been researching facts saying how he was a negative impact towards society because of the fact that he was greedy, and only cared about success, Rockefeller once said that he got his success because thats what gods will wanted him to be. Rockefeller was also greedy because he would go around threatening his opponents to work for him, or else he'd make them go out of business.

Businessmen in America

Wednesday in class we learned about some of the great businessmen in America - Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, and J. Pierpont Morgan. Although they accomplished many great things, like the expansion of the railroad business or the building of public libraries, they were also shrouded in infamy - Carnegie’s philanthropist reputation was destroyed by the Homestead strike, and Morgan had such a stranglehold on the economy that the public began to fear him. However, it is indisputable that many of them used their power and wealth to help America evade a potential economic collapse. J. P. Morgan managed to use his influence to persuade other bankers to contribute money for a trust fund, ending the panic of 1907. What do you think America would be like if there weren’t any business giants like them? Would other people take their place, or could the advancement of technology and industry have been the same without their presence?

Segregation after the Civil War

Today in class, we further discussed the aftermath of the civil war. Although in theory slavery was abolished in the newly reunited Union, racism and segregation were still prevalent. Sharecropping began to replace slavery in the south. Although it was cleverly disguised as a form of paid work, in reality, sharecropping was a loophole around the laws that prevented slavery. Since many freed slaves only knew the lives they once had, they often took up the jobs offered by their previous owners, who gave them a place to live and an amount of money to start a farm. They former slaves would use their crops from the farm to pay off the debt, but would be told that the crops they grew weren't enough to fully reimburse the land owner. Their only option was to borrow more money from the landowner in order to grow more crops to pay off the ever increasing debt. We also learned about the Plessy v. Ferguson case. In 1986, Homer Plessy, who was of one-eighth African descent, tried to board a first-class whites only train, and was denied the right due to his lineage. The court ruled against him, bringing about the idea of “separate but equal” - that segregation was okay as long as both races had equal facilities.

Another take on the Religion survey

Check it out...

http://www.vox.com/2014/9/22/6826415/five-most-surprising-findings-from-pew-faith-politics-study

Hey! Religious Poll Today!

For those interesting in views on religion today...

http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-religion-politics-20140922-story.html

Check it out!

Aftermath of Civil War

Today we talked about the aftermath of the Civil War and what effects it had brought to the country. After Lincoln's death, he was remembered as the man who changed America. He managed to put an end to slavery, he delivered the most famous speech in America (Gettysburg Address) which honored the soldiers who lost their lives but managed to win the war, and finally showed himself to be a president who was looked upon heavily during the Civil War under immense pressure to make the right decisions. During the documentary God in America, we witnessed many pictures of soldiers after the war who were badly wounded and killed on the battleground. Lincoln felt responsible for all the lives lost and took the decision to visit many hospitals where the sick lay in the beds to comfort them. Overall, Lincoln was the one of the greatest men who shaped this country for what is it today by making the most effective choices in his career while managing to preserve the Union.

A Diversion: Plagiarism...can we spot it?

In our class we have access to a lot of information from a lot of different sources.  For everyone involved the question properly addressing the issues of "citations" from our sources will constantly come up.  You might be interested in trying to test your skills at identifying plagiarism (unauthorized/undocumented use of intellectual ideas).

First dictionary definition of plagiarism...

noun

1. an act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author's work as one's own, as by not crediting the original author:It is said that he plagiarized Thoreau's plagiarism of a line written by Montaigne.

Synonyms: appropriation, infringement, piracy, counterfeiting; theft,borrowing, cribbing, passing off.

2.a piece of writing or other work reflecting such unauthorized use or imitation:

“These two manuscripts are clearly plagiarisms,” the editor said,tossing them angrily on the floor.

from Dictionary.com (see I cited my source!)

And now the quiz! (takes about 5-10 minutes).

https://www.indiana.edu/~tedfrick/plagiarism/item1.html

Civil War

Today we studied the events that lead up to/caused the Civil War. We were given many different events that took place before the Civil War and were told to choose two causes that lead to the war. I chose slavery in the South and Uncle Tom's Cabin. I chose these two events because they both show the separation in the nation before the Civil War broke out. The South wanted slavery and they believed that it was a good thing, even for the slaves because they would get taken care of at their old age. The North wanted slavery to be abolished and these two strong ideas are what started the separation and led to the war. Then a book by the name of Uncle Tom's Cabin was published and almost everyone in the North had read it while it was banned in the South. This made the two thoughts even stronger because now the people in the North know some of the things slaves went through and people want slave laws to be stronger so there won't be books like Uncle Tom's Cabin. Then we were to predict two things about the war. For example, I said that the North would win because they had more people, money and transportation. I also said that the South would give the North a hard time because the people in the South are more motivated.

Bill of Rights

On Wednesday, we briefly went over the Bill of Rights. They are all very important but the first five are interesting, which one do you guys think is the most important of the first five?
First Amendment:
     - Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petitition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Second Amendment:
     - A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Third Amendment:
     - No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner; nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Fourth Amendment:
     - The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Fifth Amendment: 
     - No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself; nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation.

Econos Simulation 9/5/14

Today in class, we simulated a very interesting topic. There we two groups of people; there was the Entrepreneurs (who were given 2000$ fake) and the Households (who were given resources such as Natural, Human, and Capitol). The objective for the Entrepreneurs was to make as much fake cash as possible, while for the household's goal was to make as many Econos as possible. Econos were completely made up and had no real value, but were given value by the fact that we (Households) wanted them. In order to get Econos, we had to trade in a set of resources. But in order to trade them in, we had to give them to an Entrepreneur to do the trading with Mr. Stewart. I decided get as many resources as possible by buying low and selling high. This meant that I would trade in my set of resources, then use the Ecnono I got and traded that with another classmate for 2 sets of resources. MANY people fell into my trap. The fake money that Entrepreneurs were given had no value at all because we never gave it value. They would do the trading for free, so we had no interest in fake money. This was a very cool lesson on economy and I look forward to more simulations like this.

Great Britain's Advantages/Weakness

The American Revolution proved the stronger Nation not only in spirit but also in willpower. Each side had their advantages and weakness's but I want to talk about Great Britain's points. First off, Great Britain is an entire international Empire, having colonies in lands from the Caribbean to India. At the time, they were known as one of the most, if not the most, dangerous and threatening nations of its time. With superior naval power, England ruled the seas of trade and in war. Great Britain also had a plethora of recourses due to their Empire. Americans had significantly less guns, ammo, uniforms, food and people than Great Britain. As mighty as they seemed, Great Britain suffered many weaknesses too. They were not in a good position for winning this war against American colonists. They wanted to defeat America, but not badly enough that they wouldn't want to be in the colony after having independence struck from them. They also had to be on the offense at all times. They couldn't play defense in the homeland (America wasn't going to sail across the atlantic to attack, they just stayed in the colonies) . Overall, Great Britain, I believe, had the harder time to win the war. It was a glorious battle though. #USA #Freedom

Federalists vs. Antifederalists

After the Revolutionary War and the colonies had gained their independence, two "political parties" emerged within the government.  Federalists were those who were in favor of the Constitution.  Alexander Hamilton was the face of the federalists.  Federalists envisioned a strong central government, which supported an urban nation that focused on commerce and was involved in foreign affairs.  Federalists wrote many small essays, known as the Federalist Papers to convice people to join their cause.  Countering the Federalists were the Antifederalists, also known as republicans (not the same as republicans today).  Thomas Jefferson lead these men.  They feared that the Constitution was going to limit rights and allow the government to become a tyranny.  They wanted a weaker central government in a more rural, agrarian nation.

American Strengths/Weaknesses

Today in class we talked about the strengths and weaknesses the Americans had going up against the British  in the Revolutionary War.  The Americans had a moral advantage because they were fighting for their freedom.  Their leadership was strong to some extent, not necessarily in the military, but in politics.  They held a better position than the british, they were on the defense and they didn't have to invade anywhere because they were fighting on their own ground.  They had opportunities for strategic partnerships, specifically with the French as well as the Dutch and Spanish.  All these countries wanted to weaken the British Imperial empire.  The Americans didn't have to win the war by demolishing the british, they just had to tire the british out.  People commonly said "just don't lose".  Despite all these strengths, the Americans lacked organization, resources, supplies, and manpower.  There were only about three million colonists, and England was roughly three times their size.  They also had political weakness, they knew what they wanted, but they didn't know how to achieve it.

America Vs. Great Britain

On Friday August 29, we finished watching "Making a Revolution." It was about how things happened and how they lead to the revolution. The colonists started getting mad at Great Britain because the Stamp act was created. In the stamp act they cut the colonists power and colonists were taxed from great Britain. The colonists got even more mad because they were being taxed with out being represented from anyone. Soon the stamp act was repealed and there was a bigger issue of who was in charge (Declaratory act). Then the Boston Massacre happened, you may think that may people died but actually only five people died. The Boston Massacre became a propaganda piece because it showed how the whole thing was planned and the colonists were innocent. Then there was a boycott against British Tea. 200 boxes of tea were dumped into the Sea. The British reaction to the Boston Tea party was that they passed the intolerable acts. The colonists saw the the Boston Tea Party as hero's because they had the courage to dump the tea in the sea. The revolution was seen as inevitable because they tried to propose that both sides stay together but they both rejected the proposal. Americans thought that they were different from the British.