Andrew Jackson: a President for the People?

Recently in class, we have been learning about Andrew Jackson’s presidency, which began with his election in 1829. In learning about Andrew Jackson as a leader, we answered the question, “Is Andrew Jackson’s long-standing reputation as “the people’s president” deserved?”. Our class was split into three groups, and each group focused on one of three specific aspects of his presidency: the Bank War, Spoils System and Indian Removal Act. Jackson started the Bank War by vetoing against the Second National Bank. In doing what he did, Jackson believed that he was protecting the average man from being taken advantage of, as he thought the bank favored the upper classes. However, this ended in economic collapse, with even his supporters against his decision. In addition to the Bank War, Jackson also made the decision to choose his government officials in a Spoils System, favoring those who supported him over those with ability. He fired 919 officials, opening positions for those whom he thought had more loyalty. This system backfired when Samuel Swartwout, one of Jackson’s supporters/officials, stole 1.2 million dollars from the government. This system was also unjust and unfair, due to political views being taken into account for positions that should be given to those with actual competence. Lastly, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act, which is the topic our group focused on. He wanted to expand the country west, and in order to do this, he would encroach on Cherokee territory. The Cherokee tribe did not want to move west, due to the fact that they lived on the land of their ancestors. Also, they believed they would not fit in the west with the other tribes, who had lived there for many years. However, Andrew Jackson informed the tribe that they would be forced to abide by the same laws as the rest of the United States, due to the fact that they would be residing in their territory. Due to this, the tribe was forced to leave, and their journey west is known as the “trail of tears”. In moving, up to 10,000 Cherokee indians died. Due to all of these things, Andrew Jackson should not be known as a people’s president. He was too focused on helping his supporters and those of lower classes, compromising the rights of the upper classes and the indians. Even though they were more independent and not as needy of governmental support, the members of the upper class and the Cherokee tribe were people too, something Andrew Jackson did not take into account.

With the information we gathered about the Indian Removal Act, our group decided to perform a skit for the class. In our skit, we decided to focus on the motivation for and initial reactions of the Indian Removal Act. The script is below.

Narrator: In a nation, Andrew Jackson wants to expand the United States, but the Cherokee Indians are in his path. Looks into the distance.

Andrew Jackson rides his mighty steed into the scene.

Indians are mid powwow. (http://youtu.be/ZNuNsKwG1RI)

Indian chief: Hello, Jacksana.

Andrew Jackson: What does that mean?

Indian chief: Devil.

A: Why do you refer to me as such?

I: You try to take our land, demolish our people and move us west, yet before you were loyal to us. Why do you do this?

A: We wish to expand our territory. You shall move voluntarily, or you will be subject to the laws of the United States.

I: We wish to remain on the land of our fathers. We have a perfect and original right to remain without interruption or molestation.

A: Then we will have to use force.

I: The west is a mysterious place. There are other tribes there, who speak different languages. We will not fit in. If staying means dying, then so be it.

A: That is your choice.

I: We are an independent nation, we do not have to abide by your laws.

A: Yes you do.

Andrew Jackson turns to leave, rides away on horse.

Rise of Democracy

This week in class, we have been learning about the rise of democracy in the United States. The question we were to answer was, “How should we define democracy? How democratic was the United States in the early 1800s?”. The first thing we did to do this was to establish the definition of democracy, in order to have a concrete meaning to go off from when taking down notes. After this, we made notes from various sources, which ranged from art to charts and quotes. With the notes we made, we composed a poster. On the poster, shown below, are the sources we analyzed, as well as the actual analysis as to how democratic the United States was in the early 1800s.

Is Race Still an Issue?

In class recently, we have been learning about the Latin American Revolutions. In doing this, we were given the question, “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 first step to answering this question was making a pie chart, showing all of the different races in Latin America (peninsulares, Creoles, Mestizos, Mulattoes and free blacks, Indian peoples and slaves), with the percent of the population that the race consisted of. In addition to this chart, we made another chart that showed the races based on their social class. With this background information, the class split into three large groups, and each group chose a revolution to focus on. The choices were the revolutions of Mexico, Brazil and Gran Colombia. With an article about the information, each group made a timeline of important events that occurred during the revolution. After the timelines were completed, each of the larger groups split up into four smaller groups, with each smaller group containing at least one “representative” from one of the larger groups. In these smaller groups, the representatives presented the information they had gathered with the members of other timeline groups. The last thing each group did was find two similarities and two differences between the three revolutions.

A timeline of the Mexican Revolution

One commonality between the three revolutions is that all three were fought in order to be independent of European nations. Brazil revolted against Portuguese rule while both Gran Colombia and Mexico revolted against Spanish rule. Another similarity shared by all three revolutions is the fact that they all occurred in a close proximity to one another, in the early 1800’s. One difference between the revolutions is the level of violence employed. Brazil was very peaceful, Gran Colombia was very violent and closer to war, and Mexico was somewhere between the two with both physical rebellion and verbal negotiation. Another difference is what kind of government the independent nations used. Gran Colombia became a republic, and both Brazil and Mexico became constitutional monarchies (soon after, Mexico also became a republic). Despite all of the commonalities and differences of the revolutions, they all boil down to one issue: race. In Mexico, mestizos and slaves fought alongside Miguel Higaldo y Costilla for racial equality. Brazilians of different races were displeased when their ruler Pedro, a peninsular, would only have cabinet members who were also penisulares. Lastly, Gran Columbia’s revolution involved Simon Bolivar, a creole, fighting for races that were low on the social chart.

Sadly, the issue of race still exists in society today, and there are many controversial occurrences based on race that happen each day. A high profile example of such an occurrence was in Ferguson, Missouri, where police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager. A grand jury recently decided not to indict Wilson, which resulted in outrage from many across the country. Riots have erupted not just in Ferguson, but in many cities spanning the country; even so, there are outspoken supporters on both sides. It is important to consider the issue of race in our lives today, as the world will never be fully rid of racism.

How Should We Remember Toussaint Louverture?

Most people want to be remembered for something. Whatever it is, be it for inventing something, being a world-class athlete or a musician, or just being someone people want to be around, it is important to leave the world having made a mark on it. Toussaint Louverture of 18th century Haiti is certainly an individual who made his mark on the world. In the 1700s, Haiti was known as Saint Domingue, under French control, and producing 40 percent of the world’s coffee and half of the world’s sugar. Louverture grew up a slave, one of 500,000 slaves in all of Haiti, and was later granted freedom by his master. In the summer of 1789, in the midst of the French Revolution, news arrived in Saint Domingue that the French were fighting for liberty, fraternity and equality. The slaves of Saint Domingue realized that they deserved equal rights as well. However, after demands for the abolition of slavery were turned down by white plantation owners, a rebellion was under way. Louverture played an integral role in the rebellion and the events after, remembered as a military commander and a ruler of Saint Domingue. However, he should be remembered most as a liberator of slaves because of his undying will and commitment to the cause.

Louverture’s role as a liberator of slaves was his most important not only for the accomplishments he made, but also for his strong devotion and passion. Despite his accomplishments, however, he was not always the outspoken leader that he came to be. During the slave revolt in 1792, Louverture served as a doctor for the slave troops, and was also head to a small group of soldiers (Document A). Even though his role was not as significant then, it shows that he always felt the same way and was always wanting to help the cause. In 1794, slavery was abolished in Saint Domingue by the revolutionary government. Later, in 1795, The French Directory replaced the existing government, and the citizens of Saint Domingue feared that this new government would reinstate slavery. In a letter to the French Directory, Louverture used such language as, “Could men who have once enjoyed the benefits of liberty look on calmly while it is taken from them!” and “... if they had a thousand lives, they would sacrifice them all rather than be subjected again to slavery” (Document B). This shows that Louverture was truly emotionally invested in the cause, because of the fact that he had been a slave as well. In addition to those strong words, Louverture also had something else to say to the French Directory; he wrote, “We have known how to confront danger to our liberty, and we will know how to confront death to preserve it” (Document B). This exhibits Louverture’s courage, as he was willing to stand up the French government, and put everything on the line, for what he believed was right. In addition to his letter to the French Directory, Louverture also exhibits his role as a liberator of slaves in the Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801. In article 3 of the constitution, he states "There cannot exist slaves in this territory, servitude is therein forever abolished. All men are born, live and die free and French" (Document C). By including this, Louverture states clearly that slavery in Saint Domingue is will forever by nonexistent, as long as he has a say in the matter, that is. Also, in articles 15 and 16, Louverture states, "Each plantation... Shall represent the quiet haven of an active and constant family, of which the owner of the land... Shall be the father", and "Each cultivator and each worker is a member of the family and is entitled to a share in the revenues" (Document C). In this statement, Louverture makes it clear that slave labor is no longer tolerable, and that all workers will receive the compensation that they deserve. Without Louverture, slaves would never have had a voice to stand up for them, and it would likely have been many more years until they had finally been liberated. That is why this was his most important role.

Even though it may not have been his most important role, Louverture also had a major impact as a ruler of Saint Domingue. In 1801, Louverture was nominated as the General in Chief of Saint Domingue, and was to remain the general for the rest of his life (Document C). In having this position, Louverture headed and assembled the commission that created Saint Domingue’s constitution of 1801. In article 14 of the constitution, it is stated that “The colony being essentially agricultural cannot suffer the least disruption in the works of its cultivation” (Document C). This shows that Louverture was aware of what the country needed in order for the economy to thrive, as well as stay afloat. A few months after the Constitution, Louverture also wrote a Proclamation. In this Proclamation, Louverture wrote, “As soon as a child can walk, he should be employed on the plantation according to his strength in some useful work” (Document D). In demanding this, Louverture was making sure that the country’s agriculture did as well as it could, which would make the country as a whole a greater power. In addition to this, he also wrote, “All male and female citizens... must obtain a security card. Such card shall contain the family name, address... age and sex of the person who bears it”, in order to prevent vagabond farmers (Document D). Louverture again was trying to sustain the agricultural success of the country, due to it being the main power of the country, with it producing 40 percent of the world’s coffee and half of the world’s sugar. Due to these reasons, Louverture’s role as a ruler of Saint Domingue was important, but not of the same significance as his liberating the country’s slaves.

In addition to his roles as a liberator of slaves and a ruler of Saint Domingue, Louverture was also a respected military commander. As a military commander, Louverture is described as having, “superior knowledge of the character of his race, his humanity, generosity, and courage, and had gained the confidence of all whom he had under his command” (Document F). However, that doesn’t mean he’s unwilling to make sacrifices for the greater good. Hyacinth Mouse, Louverture’s nephew, was part of a rebellion that broke out due to former slaves being against Saint Domingue’s new farming policies (Document E). In response to the rebellion, Louverture forced many men of varying ranks who were part of the rebellion to shoot themselves, and ordered a firing squad on his nephew (Document E). By doing this, Louverture showed that he was willing to do whatever it takes to maintain order, and in that case, he was suppressing a rebellion. In addition to this, Louverture was able to defeat the French army at Samana, with an army of only former slaves against France’s army (Document F). This victory shows Louverture’s ability to come out on top when it is most important. For these reasons, Louverture was an able military commander, but this role was less important than his role as a liberator of slaves.

Louverture was able to accomplish a lot in his lifetime. He was the Chief General of Saint Domingue, proving himself as a good ruler by maintaining the country’s power and strengthening the economy. Apart from ruling Saint Domingue, Louverture also served as a military commander, crushing a rebellion and defeating the French army. Despite these achievements, however, Louverture’s most important work was as a liberator of slaves. At first, he fought on the side of the rebels, but later he made sure no person was working without pay, threatening the French to ensure they wouldn’t reinstate slavery. Due to these reasons, Louverture should be most remembered as a liberator of slaves.

Document A: Created from various sources.

Document B: Toussaint Louverture, “Letter to the French Directory, November 1797.”

Document C:The Saint Domingue Constitution of 1801. Signed by Toussaint Louverture in July 1801.

Document D: Toussaint Louverture, “Proclamation, 25 November 1801.”

Document E: Madison Smartt Bell, Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, 2007

Document F: William Wells Brown, “A Description of Toussaint Louverture”, from The Black Man, His Antecedents, His Genius, and His Achievements, 2nd edition, 1863. Engraving of Toussaint Louverture, 1802.

Did the Historians Get it Right?

In recent weeks, our class has been attempting to answer whether or not the revolutions of 1830 and 1848 were truly failures, as historians often conclude, or if they also had positive impacts. In doing this, the class was split into groups, and each group was assigned one of the revolutions, which they were to make a SurveyMonkey about. Our group was assigned the French Revolution of 1848. Before making the survey, each group analyzed a summary to find the country where the revolution occurred, the date, the goals of the rebels, the opponent, the outcome, and the reasons for either a success or failure. Also, various primary sources were labeled as being about the opponents, the goals or the outcome. The questions on the survey were pulled from the summary and the primary sources. After each group finished, all of the surveys were taken and later explained to the whole class.

One question from our survey

The French Revolution of 1848 occurred in France, in 1848. In rebelling, the lower class wished to end recession and to rid the country of monarchy in order to make it a republic. The ruler at the time, Louis Philippe, was largely disliked by the lower classes, and Philippe was thought to be corrupted. Due to this, the government was blamed for various problems in society, such as the loss of jobs due to factories shutting down. In response to the lower classes’ complaints, the government took action and tried to silence them. This resulted in the February Days, which ended with Louis Philippe stepping down from power, and the proclamation of the Second Republic of France. In the proclamation, it was stated that, “royalty, under whatever form, is abolished; no more legitimism, no more Bonapartism, no regency. The provisional government has taken all the measures necessary to render impossible the return of the former dynasty or the advent of a new dynasty.” Even with a republic, however, the lower classes were still unhappy, due to the fact that the upper and middle classes were still majorly in control of the government. This resulted in the June Days, in which most of the revolution’s violence occurred, resulting in over 1,500 deaths. After the June Days, it was decided that France needed a president in order to keep order. Louis Napoleon was then elected. In the Proclamation of 14 January 1852, Napoleon asked, “Since France has been functioning for the past fifty years only thanks to... the consulate and the empire, why should we not also adopt the political institutions of that time period?”. Keeping with these ideals, Napoleon proclaimed himself emperor and began the Second Empire. However, after too many conquests, the empire was brought down and French leadership in Europe was over. The French Revolution of 1848 was not a complete failure, and fell in the middle of the spectrum between success and failure. The lower class got what they wanted for a short amount of time with the republic being established. However, the republic was short lived, and they were soon under another empire with limited rights.

Overall, while none of the revolutions were completely successful, few of them completely failed. The one revolution that could simply be classified as a failure was the Decembrist Revolt, which occurred in Russia. After Tsar Alexander’s death, the public wanted Constantine, Alexander’s eldest brother, to claim the throne, but he refused the offer. Due to this, Nicholas, Alexander’s youngest brother, claimed the throne. Due to Nicholas claiming the throne, the revolution did not pay off and the wanted change did not occur in any way. The French Revolution of 1848 was not a complete failure, and fell in the middle of the spectrum between success and failure. The lower class got what they wanted for a short amount of time with the republic being established. However, the republic was short lived, and they were soon under another empire with limited rights. The Hungary Revolution of 1848 was also partially successful. This revolution, which began in Vienna, spread to Budapest and Prague, where demands for an independent government and an end for serfdom arose. The Austrian government agreed to these terms, but quickly regained control of Vienna, Budapest and Prague, thus ending the terms which were previously agreed upon. In all, the revolutions of 1830 and 1848 can’t all be called failures, because  even if they weren’t successful for long, many resulted in positive outcomes to some degree.

Ideologies in Unknown Accents

The latest topic of discussion in class has been the political ideologies of the 19th century, or liberalism, conservatism and nationalism. More specifically, we have discussed how these ideologies had an impact on the political and social actions at the time. To do this, the class was split into six groups, and each group was given an ideology with which they had to make a one minute project. Each ideology was given to two different groups, as a sort of competition to see who could make the best project. This project could be in any format, as long as it specifically explained how the ideology impacted the political and social actions. After the projects were completed, the class as a whole viewed them and voted on which project they thought was best for each ideology.

The ideology my group covered was liberalism, and the program we chose to use for our project was Chatterpix. In our Chatterpix video, we chose to depict a “conversation” between John Locke and Adam Smith, two British philosophers who are thought to be two of the fathers of liberalism, and a group of young people. In the presentation it is explained that liberals believed in equality for all humans, and believed in change. Because of this, they favored meritocracy over aristocracy, and didn’t believe in many traditions, as they weren’t entirely based on reason and were followed blindly. In addition to this, it was explained that Adam Smith came up with the invisible hand, with the hope that quality would rise and prices would drop. Also, John Locke believed in god-given natural rights and promoted independence and liberty. Liberalism influenced social and political action by favoring meritocracy instead of aristocracy, giving the middle class man a greater chance of success.

The other ideologies covered by other groups were conservatism and nationalism. Conservatives opposed change and thought that change brought bloodshed, as revolutions often did in those times. They thought that what worked in the past would continue to work in the future. As many conservatives were aristocrats, they believed in maintaining an aristocracy in order to keep their social positions. Nationalists believed in the unification of a country, without numerous city-states. In nationalism, people were bound together by culture, language and history. Foreign rulers were expelled from nationalist systems, and the hope was to keep dictators from other countries, such as Napoleon, from taking control. Politically, nationalists were opposed to being under a foreign ruler, while socially, they opposed being part of the same system as people of different cultures, languages and histories.

Age of Napoleon

Recently in class, we began a new unit on Napoleon and the ways in which he impacted Europe. In order to gain background knowledge on Napoleon, we viewed a short clip that recapped important occurrences in his life, and all the places he had conquered during his rule. Things may not have ended on a high note for Napoleon, but he had a major impact on the social, economic, and political systems of Europe.

Napoleon had a major impact on the political system of France by ridding the country of monarchy, the previous system. Instead, Napoleon ruled with a meritocracy. In a meritocracy, members of society are given power based on their abilities, and power is not based on birth circumstances. Some, such as J.T. Headley, are impressed with the way Napoleon ruled over his people. In his book, Napoleon and His Marshals, Headley states that, “by opening the field to talent and genius, however low their birth, he was infinitely superior to all the sovereigns who endeavored to crush him”. However, others, such as Madame de Stael, believed that his system was to “encroach daily upon France’s liberty and Europe’s independence”. In addition to impacting just France, Napoleon was able to conquer many countries throughout Europe, with Britain being the only country outside of his grasp.

Napoleon had a positive impact on the French economy. When he came into power, there were many people living in poverty, and outside of royalty, there were not many who were financially successful. Under Napoleon, birth circumstances were no longer important, improving the chances of the common civilians to succeed. Some, such as Marshal Michel Ney (one of Napoleon’s soldiers), greatly benefitted from the meritocracy. In addition to this, Napoleon also encouraged new industry, kept prices under control and saw to the construction of new roads and canals. In the rest of Europe, Napoleon was not as economically positive. He often looted the countries that he conquered. Specifically, precious pieces of art, in addition to lots of money, were stolen from Italy.

Napleon Bonaparte, Gemälde Von David, 1812,
Lithografie Von Louis Kramp Ca.1825. Digital image. 
Wikimedia Commons. N.p., 17 Feb. 2008. Web. 15 Oct. 2014.

Whether or not Napoleon had a positive impact on the social circumstances of France would change from person to person. People like Madame de Stael were angered by Napoleon, because they lost the power that they had received under King Louis XVI. Her impression of Napoleon was that he “persuade(s) men by force and by cunning, and he considers all else to be stupidity or folly”. Others, like Marshal Michel Ney, described Napoleon as “our sovereign”, and said, “Liberty triumphs in the end, and Napoleon our august emperor, comes to confirm it”. By establishing meritocracy, Napoleon gave power to some that had not had it before, but by doing this, he took power away from others. Power was not the only thing that commoners gained. Napoleon also gave citizens more rights to property and greater access to education. Across Europe, Napoleon changed social dynamics by conquering other countries and putting them under France’s rule.

In my opinion, most of what Napoleon did was justifiable, as he did not rule as a dictator, and after he conquered a country, he gave it some independence. However, I am not sure that Napoleon had to stretch his reign as far as he did. By conquering so much of Europe, there may have been too much power in one person’s hands. If there had someone other than Napoleon in charge, things could have gone horribly wrong, possibly resulting in the fall of many European nations that still exist today. Some of Napoleon’s actions were undeniably wrong, such as his looting and artwork theft. Anyhow, Napoleon was an able ruler who did a commendable job with all that he was responsible for.

Capitalism v. Communism

Class on October 3rd was interesting to say the least. When each kid walked in, he/she received a number of Hershey chocolates. The majority of kids got 3, while a smaller number received 10 chocolates. After receiving the candy, we were instructed to play rock, paper, scissors with our classmates, betting a certain amount of chocolates. The winner would receive the fixed number of chocolates from the loser. There was no option to sit down and not play, unless you lost all of your chocolates. After this first part of class, a new option was introduced. Our teacher collected all of the chocolates and redistributed so that everyone had 3 chocolates. However, this time you did not have to play rock, paper, scissors. If you wanted to, you could just stay with what you had and not risk losing it all. After all of this, our teacher informed us that this activity was not simply for fun. It was to show what it was like for commoners under Marx’s ideas of capitalism, socialism, and communism. The activity was a good way to show how frustrating it can be to earn so much and have it taken away from you by the government, to be given to someone else. In addition to just Marx’s ideas, we also learned of Adam Smith’s philosophy, primarily the “invisible hand”. The “invisible hand” involves an economy with no government intervention, with prices rising and falling with supply and demand. Both had ways of helping the poor, and because of this, both are considered good systems. However, they are also not without their flaws.

Karl Marx believed that his system of capitalism, socialism, and communism would help the poor. In starting with a capitalist system, he believed that two unequal social classes would be created: the bourgeoisie, or the wealthy, and the proletariat, the poor. This would result in class struggle, and eventually, protests. Due to these protests, the government would collect all property, and redistribute so that everyone had the same amount of wealth, with the hope of economic equality for all. Once this society without social class was reached, communism would be reached, and all members of society would agree to share to make everyone equal. This system would help the poor because no one group would be “poor” anymore. As everyone was of equal wealth, there were no longer “rich” or “poor” people. Adam Smith also believed that his system would help the poor, though in a different way. With the invisible hand, the government would not be involved in the economy, and people could buy and sell whatever they wanted to. In this system, prices would rise and fall with supply and demand, also with competitors having to match each other’s prices. In this system, the prices would gradually decrease with each seller wanting to have to best price, in order to attract customers. Eventually, after a while, the prices would be cheap enough for the poor to afford what they needed.

Though both systems are effective in the long run, they are not the best solutions to the problem. Marx’s system, which leads to communism, is not the best if you want to keep the common people happy. Those who worked hard for their money would have lost everything that they had worked for, while those who inherited their money would feel cheated out of what was rightfully theirs. Smith’s system would require the lower class to suffer for a long time while the prices were dropping and they still couldn’t afford the things they needed. A third alternative system could be more jobs being created for the lower classes, so that they would make at least some money and be able to afford some of what they need. This way, they do not have to suffer the way they would’ve under the invisible hand, while the rich kept what they had earned or gained.

The Dawn of Women's Rights

In class, we have been discussing mill life in both the U.S. and England during the 1800’s. One particular aspect we have focused on is why women thought that working in the mill was an appealing occupation, while they had other opportunities in their life. In England, it was not all that difficult for the mills to gain workers. During the Industrial Revolution, there were many women living in poverty, who could be used as cheap labor. There wasn’t a lot of extra land available for families to farm. However, in the U.S., there were not as many in the same predicament, and families could simply move west if they needed more land for farming. Due to this, the mill owners in the U.S. had to make working in the mill look more appealing than life on the farm, and change the negative perceptions that England’s mills were looked upon with.

Girls were so appealing to mill owners because they were cheap, obedient, and not as needed on family farms. The way that mill owners attempted to bring female workers in was to make working at the mill look like a family dynamic. The father figure that the girls would have was the corporation, which would protect the women, and set rules such as church on Sunday, curfew and behavior code. There would also be a boardinghouse keeper, who would act as a mother figure. She would regulate behavior outside of the mill and maintain the home environment. Girls themselves were motivated to work in the mills because of the independence, and the chance to earn money and buy things for themselves. For example, in the video, “Daughters of Free Men”, Lucy, the narrator, was excited by the opportunity to buy herself a “city dress”. Families still needed money, so a girl working at the mill could send money home, and by not being home, she would not have to be fed and have money be spent on her.

Before women were working in the mills, their sole purpose was to marry, have children, and start a family on the farm. However, by having women work in manufacturing, general perceptions of women changed. By working outside of their home, being away from their parents and being educated, women had more power than ever before. In “Daughters of Free Men”, the mill girls went on strike to protest against the poor working conditions they had. This symbolizes the general power that women were gaining, and women were starting to realize they could make a difference. After working in the mills, many women went on to become activists for women’s rights, and women began working different jobs that wouldn’t have been socially acceptable before.

Learning from Experts Across the Pond

 MOSI Live Chat

In class on Tuesday, our class Skyped with the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI), of Manchester, England. During the live chat, our class was given a tour of the museum, and we were given a view of what it was like to work in the Manchester mills. To be familiar with the information given to us, our class prepared for the chat in various ways. The very first thing we did to prepare was view the MOSI website, to see what the museum was like. We viewed the textile gallery, which focused more specifically on the textile industry. After this, we watched a video from our “explainer” Jamie (who gave the Skype museum tour), and while watching the video, we made a list of the terminology that Jamie used. Then, we looked up the definitions of the words, using key words to make sure they were related to textiles. Finally, we made questions to ask Jamie during the chat.

During the chat, I learned a few new things about the textile process and how it works. One thing I learned was that the loom was usually at the top of the house, where a skylight was built. During the day, they could capitalize on the sunlight. Another thing I learned was that kids would actually be sucked into machines. When this happened, all the machines had to be shut down so that the victim would avoid injury and be able to continue working. Jamie talked not only about the textile process, but also the mill workers. One interesting fact he mentioned was that orphans were sold from orphanages to work at mills. The orphans would work at the mill during the day and then return to the orphanage at night. The mill owners didn’t want their own children working in the mill, so their solution was to buy orphans. He also spoke about how the hard physical work could lead to things like arthritis. However, even though they could get arthritis, workers still worked in the mills as long as they could in an attempt to escape poverty. A last thing that Jamie mentioned was that Richard Arkwright, the “inventor” of the water frame, didn’t actually come up with the original idea for the machine. He stole somebody else’s idea, made a patent, and then got all of the credit.

Overall, I thought the live chat was a positive experience. It was cool to see the machines being described while a live visual was on the screen. And, it was interesting to hear all of the information coming from an expert. However, at times it felt like there was too much information being thrown at us at one time, but that was understandable due to the limited time we had to do the chat. I would like to do something similar later in the year for a different topic, because it was a more interesting way to learn about the material.

Making Money, Destroying Neighborhoods

Our exhibit on the living conditions during the Industrial Revolution.

As part of the Industrial Revolution unit, our class recently made a “museum” of sorts. In groups, we made museum exhibits, each with a specific theme that related to the revolution in some way. The themes of the exhibits came from different documents and pictures that were given to each group to be analyzed. The analysis process was integral in creating the exhibit, due to the fact that it was during this step that we chose what information was truly necessary and needed to be conveyed to the viewer. It was also during this step that the theme of our exhibit began to become more apparent. Our exhibit (shown above) shows the effects that the Industrial Revolution had on the people and their living conditions. The documents and pictures show that people lived in poverty due to low wages and high cost of living, while pieces of nature, such as the Thames River, were being polluted by the steam engines that were heavily prominent during that time. Our title, “Making Money, Destroying Neighborhoods” came from the obsession with money during the Industrial Revolution, which came with poverty in the streets and pollution in the surrounding nature. When viewers see our exhibit, I hope they walk away knowing that the Industrial Revolution may have had positive effects on the economy, but that it also had many negative effects on the people that had to live through it.

In the museum, there were four other exhibits. One, about weaving, showed the various inventions that helped to improve the weaving process and make it more efficient. Also, it was shown that weaving was the most appealing job for children and women. Another, on transportation, showed how a steam engine was composed and what materials it ran on. Many positive effects, such as the fact that it was easier to get from place to place, were shown. An exhibit on child labor showed just how young children began working during this period, and about 50% began working before age 10. The exhibit also showed the poor conditions that the children had to work in. The last exhibit, on slavery, showed that slaves led to higher production of cotton, which led to more income. If slaves had not been employed, the amount of money being made would have been considerably lower.

Ingredients Needed in the Recipe of Revolution

Recently in class, we began a unit on the Industrial Revolution. In order to introduce the new unit, we completed an activity called “Ingredients to Industrialization”. In this activity, the class was split up into groups, and each group was assigned a specific topic which contributed to the Industrial Revolution. The topics varied from people and resources to technology and transportation. In these four topics, the Industrial Revolution was revolutionary, and many changes occurred in these fields while the Revolution was taking the world by storm.

Fein, Eric. Land of Beauty, Prosperity, and Climate Change… Vimeo.com. 

Digital image. Wondergressive. N.p., 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 11 Sept. 2014.

People were one aspect that helped to push forward the Industrial Revolution. Without the people behind it, the revolution would never have spread so much throughout the world. One way in which the people were an ingredient in the Industrial Revolution was that they helped to improve farming. Agriculture was important in those times due to it being the main source of food and one of the main options for an occupation. Due to the improvements in farming, the population was able to grow. The risk of starving to death decreased, while grew stronger and were able to give birth to stronger babies. Also, not as many farmers were needed to get the job done. These workers who were not needed anymore could move on to factories and other jobs that advanced the revolution. One individual in particular who improved farming, Lord Charles Townsend, advocated the growth of turnips, which in turn helped to make the soil arable again after being exhausted by other crops. Also, Jethro Tull invented the seed drill, which set seeds in rows. The seed drill helped farmers to not have to do so much physical labor (and saved them time), as they did not have to scatter the seeds across the fields themselves. Another way that people helped to advance the revolution was through the act of enclosure. Enclosure is the process of farmer peasants being forced off of their land, which was shared by many, by rich landowners, who take over what was previously the peasants’. By being forced out of their land, the peasants had no choice but to work in factories, who produced technology necessary for other aspects of the revolution.

Technology was also important in pushing the revolution forward.  One aspect of technology that was improved during the Industrial Revolution was in the textile industry. One invention by John Kay, the flying shuttle, allowed for faster weaving for workers, who then worked faster than spinners. James Hargreaves’ invented the spinning jenny, which made it possible for multiple threads to be spun at the same time. The water frame, which was invented by Richard Arkwright, used water power to make for faster spinning. All three of these inventions helped to speed up the process of spinning, which allowed for more product, and the demand for cloth products was supplied for. Unrelated to speed, long sheds to house machines and workers were built, which also helped to make more product. Another important piece of technology, the steam engine , was invented (by Thomas Newcomen) in order to pump water out of mines. Later on, it took on a bigger and more important role. It was used in many machines, including the steam ship, which was an important part of transportation in that time. A last piece of technology that was revolutionized was the improvement of iron. As coal plays an important role in the production of iron, a way to take the impurities out of iron was discovered, which resulted in cheaper, higher quality iron. This high-quality iron was used throughout the world, in building textile machines and railroads along with other ways.

How to Avoid Tree Octopus Websites

In class on Wednesday, September 3, our class completed various activities that involved finding reliable information on the internet. By doing these, we were taught what we should and should not do when looking for information on the web.

One of these activities that I alluded to above was A Google a Day. This activity involves obscure questions which can be answered by doing google searches. These questions can span many different topics, and can also be very obscure. There was one question regarding biological classification, while another asked for John Waters’ inspiration for Divine’s makeup in his films. It was fun tackling these obscurities, but eventually it became frustrating how difficult it was to find the answers. In doing this exercise, the most valuable piece of information I learned is that finding answers to your questions is not always as simple as typing a question into the search bar. Sometimes, you have to use other information that is related to what you’re researching to find what you are actually looking for. In addition to that, I also learned 3 obscure facts which could (or could not) come in handy in the future.

Rare photo of the elusive tree octopus
http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/

In the second activity, we were told to decide whether or not the website for the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus could be used as a source for research. In doing this, we were given three words to apply to what we were reading: accuracy, authenticity, and reliability. Accuracy is whether or not the information on a website is actually true, and does not include false data. If a site is authentic, it says what it claims to be saying, while also not copying another site. And, in order to be reliable, a site has to have been written by a credible author, who is a master in his/her field. The website for the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus passes just one of these three criteria. First, there is no such thing as a Tree Octopus, so the website is definitely not accurate. The site is also not reliable, as the author, Lyle Zapato, has no college degree (however, he claims to have a degree from “Kelvinic University”, which does not exist). However, the site is authentic, because it delivers on what it says it is: a site about how to save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. Due to not being accurate and reliable, the site would not be a source fitting for a research assignment.

Image Citation: 
Zapato, Lyle. Rare Photo of the Elusive Tree Octopus. Digital image. Help Save the Endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus from Extinction!N.p., 3 Aug. 1998. Web. 7 Sept. 2014.

My Sophomore Year Survival Plan

I am Eric, a 10th grader at Reading Memorial High School. For my History 10 class, I will be keeping a blog that chronicles what I am learning throughout my sophomore year. This is the first of many blog posts that will be posted on a regular basis.

World History Classroom http://www.prweb.com/releases/innovativemodular/awardwinningmodulars/prweb5197124.htm

In the past, the thing that has made a teacher great, better than the rest, is his/her ability to keep a fun class environment while also teaching the material in an interesting and appealing way. There have been too many cases where the teacher has simply put notes on the board and told the class to memorize them for a test. That has not worked particularly well, because memorization is not the same as actually learning and remembering. My favorite teachers of past years have been funny and approachable, but they were still a little bit strict when they needed to be. They have supported me by reinforcing various concepts multiple times so that they truly stuck in my mind, and they have also been there to answer any questions I had about the material.

I agree with John Green that education should be used for a greater good. By living on Planet Earth and using its vital resources, civilians have an obligation to leave the world a better place than how it was when they were born. This year specifically, one of my goals is to get no semester grade lower than a B. To reach this goal, I will hand in all of my assignments on time, make sure to study for all tests and quizzes, and most importantly, I will put forward my best effort in school. A second, non-academic goal that I have for this year is to make the basketball team. There is a lot of tough competition, but it is definitely attainable. In order to give myself the best possible chance of making the team, I will prepare for tryouts by getting in better shape and improving my skills.