The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
The Battle of Antietam
Scene from the movie Glory
Civil War photography
Civil War photography
Civil War Lecture
Here is a series of lecture videos on the American Civil War. They were designed for a high school class, but they are very easy to follow. Each video covers a different aspect of the war and is about 5 minutes long.
Video 1: Strategy and Strengths
Video 2: Technology
Video 3: Southern Home Front
Video 4: Northern Home Front
Video 5: The Battles
Video 6: Gettysburg
Video 7: The War Ends
Monday, May 12, 2014
Friday, May 9, 2014
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Monday, May 5, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
Lynching
Strange Fruit
Composed by Abel Meeropol (aka
Lewis Allan)
Originally sung by: Billie Holiday
Originally sung by: Billie Holiday
Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves
Blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
Blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
The scent of magnolia sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
for the rain to gather
for the wind to suck
for the sun to rot
for the tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was one of the foremost leaders of the abolitionist movement, which fought to end slavery within the United States in the decades prior to the Civil War.
A brilliant speaker, Douglass was asked by the American Anti-Slavery Society to engage in a tour of lectures, and so became recognized as one of America's first great black speakers. He won world fame when his autobiography was publicized in 1845. Two years later he began publishing an antislavery paper called the North Star.
Douglass served as an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and fought for the adoption of constitutional amendments that guaranteed voting rights and other civil liberties for blacks. Douglass provided a powerful voice for human rights during this period of American history and is still revered today for his contributions against racial injustice.
For more information click here.
Friday, April 25, 2014
How a Canal Works
How canals work
The Erie Canal
The Panama Canal (Timelapse)
The Erie Canal
The Panama Canal (Timelapse)
The North and the South Before the Civil War
The North before the Civil War
The South before the Civil War
Northern Cities (Gangs of New York)
Southern plantations (Gone with the Wind)
William S Dean Californio Geneaology
CHECK THIS OUT
Ken Burns Documentary: The West
Click here and journey through this amazing 8 part mini series.
THE WEST is an eight-part documentary series which premiered on PBS stations in September 1996. This multimedia guided tour proceeds chapter-by-chapter through each episode in the series, offering selected documentary materials, archival images and commentary, as well as links to background information and other resources of the web site.
Westward Movement
Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way (mural study, U.S. Capitol) Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze (1816 - 1868) |
Manifest Destiny
John Gast - "American Progress," (1872) |
~ John L. O' Sullivan, "Manifest Destiny" editorial, New York Morning News on December 27, 1845
Thursday, February 27, 2014
Friday, February 21, 2014
What Should Monroe Do To Protect To Support The New Latin American Nations
Friday, February 14, 2014
The Battle of New Orleans
Andrew Jackson nicknamed "Old Hickory" |
Tecumseh
Born: 1768
Birthplace: Old Piqua (now Ohio)
Died: 5 October 1813 (killed in battle)
Best Known As: The Native who “cursed” the president
Birthplace: Old Piqua (now Ohio)
Died: 5 October 1813 (killed in battle)
Best Known As: The Native who “cursed” the president
A chieftain of the Shawnee tribe in what is now the Ohio region, Tecumseh worked to unite other Indian tribes to oppose white expansion into the west in the early 1800s. That dream was crippled when U.S. troops (under future president William Henry Harrison) defeated warriors led by Tecumseh's brother Tenskwatawa (known as The Prophet) at the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe. Tecumseh was killed while fighting on the British side at the Battle of Thames (near what is now Detroit) during the War of 1812.
After Tecumseh’s death Tenskwatawa allegedly predicted that if Harrison were elected president he would die in office, and so would presidents elected every 20 years thereafter. This was supposed to be in retaliation for Tecumseh's death. While there is no proof The Prophet ever said such a thing, the prediction proved true for Harrison and every 20-year president through John Kennedy. Thus the "Curse of Tecumseh" became a part of popular lore... Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman was named in honor of the Shawnee chief.
For more information click here.
What Should Madison Do To Protect American Sailors and Settlements?
Washington Creates a Foreign Policy
- Washington became the first president of the United States in 1789.
- The United States did not have a standing army and was facing serious economic problems (they were broke).
- The new country was border on three sides by colonies belonging to Britain and Spain. Niether countries had a very friendly relationship with the United States.
- In 1793, France and Britain went to war and France was eager for the Unites States to honor the Pre-Revolutionary War alliance it had made with the United States.
- Washington knew that the new country was not ready for war and chose a policy of neutrality. Under this policy, the United States would do nothing to aid France or Britain in their war against each other.
- In his farewell speech, Washington urged for a policy of avoiding alliances with other countries. This policy became known as isolationism.
Ask yourself...
- What foreign dangers did the United States face during the Washington administration?
- In his farewell address, Washington recommended that the United States take a neutral, or isolationist, stand in foreign affairs. What are the advantages of Washington’s advice?
- What are the disadvantages?
- What role did geography play in Washington’s thinking?
- Do you think that the United States today could live according to Washington’s advice?
Monday, February 3, 2014
John Adams on the Alien & Sedition Acts of 1798
The first of the laws was the Naturalization Act, passed by Congress on June 18. This act required that aliens be residents for 14 years instead of 5 years before they became eligible for U.S. citizenship.
Congress then passed the Alien Act on June 25, authorizing the President to deport aliens "dangerous to the peace and safety of the United States" during peacetime.
The third law, the Alien Enemies Act, was enacted by Congress on July 6. This act allowed the wartime arrest, imprisonment and deportation of any alien subject to an enemy power
The last of the laws, the Sedition Act, passed on July 14 declared that any treasonable activity, including the publication of "any false, scandalous and malicious writing," was a high misdemeanor, punishable by fine and imprisonment. By virtue of this legislation twenty-five men, most of them editors of Republican newspapers, were arrested and their newspapers forced to shut down.
One of the men arrested was Benjamin Franklin's grandson, Benjamin Franklin Bache, editor of the Philadelphia Democrat-Republican Aurora. Charged with libeling President Adams, Bache's arrest erupted in a public outcry against all of the Alien and Sedition Acts.
One of the men arrested was Benjamin Franklin's grandson, Benjamin Franklin Bache, editor of the Philadelphia Democrat-Republican Aurora. Charged with libeling President Adams, Bache's arrest erupted in a public outcry against all of the Alien and Sedition Acts.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
The Whiskey Rebellion
Nearly twenty years after the revolutionary War began, the United States government faced a small-scale revolution by some of its own citizens. As in the previous war, taxes were a central issue. And Alexander Hamilton understood that putting down this rebellion was critical to the life of the nation.
In order to create a self-supporting and effective government, Treasury Secretary Hamilton knew he needed to find a steady source of revenue. He proposed an excise tax on whiskey produced in the United States, and Congress instituted the levy in 1791. In general, the citizens of that time felt negatively toward the idea of taxation. The farmers of western Pennsylvania, many of whom distilled whiskey and profited from its sale, proved outright hostile to the idea.
In July of 1794, a force of disaffected whiskey rebels attacked and destroyed the home of a tax inspector. The rebellion grew in numbers, if not in actions, and threatened to spread to other states. Hamilton knew that the presence of a large and potentially hostile force in Pennsylvania could not be tolerated. If the government were to survive, it would have to show itself capable of keeping control.
Hamilton advocated the use of military force; President George Washington instead put state militias on the ready and sent in negotiators. When talks proved fruitless, Washington acquiesced to Hamilton's view. A force of 13,000 militia troops, led by Hamilton and Virginia governor Henry Lee, marched into western Pennsylvania.
By the time the federal force arrived, the rebellion had collapsed and most of the rebels had fled. Two men were convicted of treason and later pardoned by Washington. Alexander Hamilton was elated. The fledgling federal government had proven it could keep order -- a necessity if the U.S. was to avoid instability. But many, in particular Thomas Jefferson, thought that this resort to military force was a dangerous mistake. It convinced them that Hamilton was a dangerous man.
In order to create a self-supporting and effective government, Treasury Secretary Hamilton knew he needed to find a steady source of revenue. He proposed an excise tax on whiskey produced in the United States, and Congress instituted the levy in 1791. In general, the citizens of that time felt negatively toward the idea of taxation. The farmers of western Pennsylvania, many of whom distilled whiskey and profited from its sale, proved outright hostile to the idea.
In July of 1794, a force of disaffected whiskey rebels attacked and destroyed the home of a tax inspector. The rebellion grew in numbers, if not in actions, and threatened to spread to other states. Hamilton knew that the presence of a large and potentially hostile force in Pennsylvania could not be tolerated. If the government were to survive, it would have to show itself capable of keeping control.
Hamilton advocated the use of military force; President George Washington instead put state militias on the ready and sent in negotiators. When talks proved fruitless, Washington acquiesced to Hamilton's view. A force of 13,000 militia troops, led by Hamilton and Virginia governor Henry Lee, marched into western Pennsylvania.
By the time the federal force arrived, the rebellion had collapsed and most of the rebels had fled. Two men were convicted of treason and later pardoned by Washington. Alexander Hamilton was elated. The fledgling federal government had proven it could keep order -- a necessity if the U.S. was to avoid instability. But many, in particular Thomas Jefferson, thought that this resort to military force was a dangerous mistake. It convinced them that Hamilton was a dangerous man.
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