Because of the drama performances this week and standardized testing next week, this is a good time to do a two-week assignment (not any longer, you just have extra time to complete it).
As we study World War I (and shortly thereafter World War II) I want you to consider the devastating effects of such protracted conflict in the middle of a densly populated continent. Many of the major battles occurred near cities and millions of people were displaced - some would return to find that everything they owned was destroyed by the war. Of course, the US would play a role in both wars, but in each case the US was not involved in the early military conflicts and had almost no damage at home; this was very different from the European experience to say the least. (In World War II the Japanese made only minimal attempts to attack American domestic targets, and a German submarine was forced to land on the coast of the US after experiencing difficulties. The Germans tried to turn themselves in but no one would believe them until they went to great lenghts to prove their story!)
Your assignment is to research a battle of World War I (excellent link: http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/maps/ ) and share your findings. Do your best to determine the effects of your chosen battle on the local population. Then envision what it would be like if such a battle were to occur close to Somerset. How do you think life would be different? Can you imagine any way in which it would be the same?
Please remember to comply with all the requirements for these assignments. Thanks and God bless!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Homework 4, Due April 15, 2011
Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you had a wonderful time and are well-relaxed. We have only a short sprint to go before the end of the school year! Take every advantage of opportunities to get your grades in good shape between now and then!
150 years ago this week the US Civil War began. While slavery was the main issue, as we learned last year in US history (and will next year, for you sophomores) there were a great deal of issues that divided the North and the South. Take, for instance, the name of the war itself. In the North it was called a civil war (which means that different parts of the same country are fighting each other). In the South it was (is) referred to as "The War Between the States." To southerners the word "state" had always meant the same thing as "country" (look it up in a dictionary). Some have said, then, that the war was fought over a verb! The North liked to say "The United States is..." while the South said "The United States are...". And you thought verb conjugation brought trouble to YOUR life!
Can you actually imagine things getting so bad in our country today that an internal war would break out? How much tension and anger would have to build up before you were willing to take up arms and fight your neighbors...or your brother? For your assignment this week I want you to research a topic of the Civil War in Kentucky. You might consider the Breckinridge family - two brothers (one would be a US vice president) were generals on opposite sides of the war! President Lincoln's wife Mary Todd Lincoln was from Lexington, KY, and her brother was a Confederate general - which had to make the holidays a tad strained, wouldn't you think? You might consider a battle (there were many in Kentucky) or a community's involvement in the war.
In the light of the scope of world history, the US Civil War plays a fairly small role. However, it's implications would affect history on a global scale (for one thing, hundreds of Confederates fled the country after the war - there's a huge Rebel celebration held every year in Brazil for Portuguese-speaking descendants of southern soldiers!). It would also mark the end of western countries' holding onto the notion that slavery was acceptable. Everything happens for a reason!
Please remember to meet the requirements of these assignments. Good luck and happy hunting - be sure to cite your sources!
150 years ago this week the US Civil War began. While slavery was the main issue, as we learned last year in US history (and will next year, for you sophomores) there were a great deal of issues that divided the North and the South. Take, for instance, the name of the war itself. In the North it was called a civil war (which means that different parts of the same country are fighting each other). In the South it was (is) referred to as "The War Between the States." To southerners the word "state" had always meant the same thing as "country" (look it up in a dictionary). Some have said, then, that the war was fought over a verb! The North liked to say "The United States is..." while the South said "The United States are...". And you thought verb conjugation brought trouble to YOUR life!
Can you actually imagine things getting so bad in our country today that an internal war would break out? How much tension and anger would have to build up before you were willing to take up arms and fight your neighbors...or your brother? For your assignment this week I want you to research a topic of the Civil War in Kentucky. You might consider the Breckinridge family - two brothers (one would be a US vice president) were generals on opposite sides of the war! President Lincoln's wife Mary Todd Lincoln was from Lexington, KY, and her brother was a Confederate general - which had to make the holidays a tad strained, wouldn't you think? You might consider a battle (there were many in Kentucky) or a community's involvement in the war.
In the light of the scope of world history, the US Civil War plays a fairly small role. However, it's implications would affect history on a global scale (for one thing, hundreds of Confederates fled the country after the war - there's a huge Rebel celebration held every year in Brazil for Portuguese-speaking descendants of southern soldiers!). It would also mark the end of western countries' holding onto the notion that slavery was acceptable. Everything happens for a reason!
Please remember to meet the requirements of these assignments. Good luck and happy hunting - be sure to cite your sources!
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