I hope you have enjoyed our lecture and discussion concerning World War I. It is, to me, one of the most important turning points in history (which you will see, I hope, as we move on to discuss its aftermath). Unfortunately, many people do not know much about it, and we seem dangerously close to re-learning some of the war's lessons the hard way. Maybe some day there will be a memorial on the mall in Washington, D.C., or a national museum to educate students about US contributions to the war efforts. Unfortunately, none of this will be accomplished in time for a World War I veteran to see it, for the last US veteran of the war recently died. (You can read an interesting article about him at http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/feb/06/frank-buckles-americas-last-living-world-war-i-vet/ published in 2008).
But there was a great deal of other things going on in the US during those days and the years following, leading to the "hay days" that were known as the "Roaring 20s". For example, in an attempt to clean up New Orleans, the state of Louisianna banned the playing of jazz music (because so much of it was played in places where great sin was being committed), and thereby instigated America's first wave of popular music. All of those tremendous black musicians and singers moved to New York and Chicago, and their music came to American homes via new technology that was all the rage: radio and the phonograph. The "jazz age" - where European harmony melded with African rhythm to create a new American sound - would lead to the creation or modification of just about every style of music we listen to today.
Follow the link http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/jazz/jb_jazz_subj.html and choose two topics to report. You might do some additional research to find examples of some of the music or radio shows that were popular at the time (if you choose to read about those topics) and include links for others to follow. Your essay must be at least 200 words and is due by midnight, Friday, February 3. Once again we will not do responses - I'm not certain that the web site is completely restored. Best of luck in your research, and enjoy learning about an exciting time in US history!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Homework 4, Due January 27, 2012
Due to problems with the Blogger website, many of you are having trouble posting your assignments. I apologize for the inconvenience and hope that the problem is cleared up soon. Until further notice, however, I will slightly change the format of the assignments - specifically, you will not need to comment on the posts of others (as many are having to email their assignments to me). If you have trouble posting please email your essay to robertakers@hotmail.com or robertakers@somersetchristian.com.
This week's assignment should have been posted last week, but better late than never, right? This week we'll take an opportunity to look into the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Since last Monday was a day off in Dr. King's honor, we should consider why he is the only American recognized by name with a National Holiday, and what his life's work means to our country. Dr. King was once hated by many Americans as a symbol of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Now, in addition to the national holiday, there is a statue on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in recognition of his contribution to American society. Ask someone who was around in the late 1960s if they could have imagined that America would be as integrated as it is now (an African-American president, an African-American UK football coach at a school that once refused to recruit black athletes). How did this change occur? Perhaps no one is more responsible for breaking the walls of injustice than a young pastor from Birmingham, Alabama.
Dr. King was in his twenties when Mrs. Rosa Parks was jailed for refusing to move on a city bus. (It is often misunderstood that Mrs. Parks was asked to give up her seat for a white man, which is untrue. There were plenty of seats available, but the law said that if a white passenger got on the bus all African-American passengers had to move to the rear of the bus into a section labelled "colored". Mrs. Parks, inspired, perhaps, by the recent atrocity of the murder of a black teenager, refused to move and was arrested). Beginning with a boycott of the Birmingham bus lines, Dr. King drew national attention to the injustice of segregation and the violence with which it was often enforced. Until the day he was assassinated in 1968 Dr. King continued to lead a peaceful movement for justice.
This week's assignment is to research the life and legacy of Dr. King and report your findings. Keep your focus on Dr. King, for we will do two homework lessons on the larger Civil Rights movement during the month of February in honor of Black History Month. Here are some suggested sites you may research:
For a list of Dr. King's quotations, see http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/martinluth297519.html
For a biographical introduction and timeline of Dr. King's life, see http://www.mlkonline.net/bio.html
To hear some of Dr. King's speeches you may visit http://www.mlkonline.net/sounds.html
Answer one or more of the following questions: Had there been no Dr. King, how might America be different today? Has Dr. King's dream been fulfilled (referring to his famous "I Have a Dream" speech)? What principles led Dr. King to lead the Civil Rights movement as he did?
The assignment caries the same requirements as all those that have preceded it. A reminder: cite your sources if you use a reference other than those given above.
Perhaps the best way to remember Dr. King is to follow his example of social involvement. Too many Americans are quick to speak volumes of criticism but slow to get involved and make a difference. As Christians we are instructed to ease the suffering of those who are miserable, and the Bible calls on us to "love justice". Our missions theme this year will come from Proverbs 31:8-9 "Speak up!" I challenge you to make a positive difference in your community this week.
This week's assignment should have been posted last week, but better late than never, right? This week we'll take an opportunity to look into the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Since last Monday was a day off in Dr. King's honor, we should consider why he is the only American recognized by name with a National Holiday, and what his life's work means to our country. Dr. King was once hated by many Americans as a symbol of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Now, in addition to the national holiday, there is a statue on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. in recognition of his contribution to American society. Ask someone who was around in the late 1960s if they could have imagined that America would be as integrated as it is now (an African-American president, an African-American UK football coach at a school that once refused to recruit black athletes). How did this change occur? Perhaps no one is more responsible for breaking the walls of injustice than a young pastor from Birmingham, Alabama.
Dr. King was in his twenties when Mrs. Rosa Parks was jailed for refusing to move on a city bus. (It is often misunderstood that Mrs. Parks was asked to give up her seat for a white man, which is untrue. There were plenty of seats available, but the law said that if a white passenger got on the bus all African-American passengers had to move to the rear of the bus into a section labelled "colored". Mrs. Parks, inspired, perhaps, by the recent atrocity of the murder of a black teenager, refused to move and was arrested). Beginning with a boycott of the Birmingham bus lines, Dr. King drew national attention to the injustice of segregation and the violence with which it was often enforced. Until the day he was assassinated in 1968 Dr. King continued to lead a peaceful movement for justice.
This week's assignment is to research the life and legacy of Dr. King and report your findings. Keep your focus on Dr. King, for we will do two homework lessons on the larger Civil Rights movement during the month of February in honor of Black History Month. Here are some suggested sites you may research:
For a list of Dr. King's quotations, see http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/martinluth297519.html
For a biographical introduction and timeline of Dr. King's life, see http://www.mlkonline.net/bio.html
To hear some of Dr. King's speeches you may visit http://www.mlkonline.net/sounds.html
Answer one or more of the following questions: Had there been no Dr. King, how might America be different today? Has Dr. King's dream been fulfilled (referring to his famous "I Have a Dream" speech)? What principles led Dr. King to lead the Civil Rights movement as he did?
The assignment caries the same requirements as all those that have preceded it. A reminder: cite your sources if you use a reference other than those given above.
Perhaps the best way to remember Dr. King is to follow his example of social involvement. Too many Americans are quick to speak volumes of criticism but slow to get involved and make a difference. As Christians we are instructed to ease the suffering of those who are miserable, and the Bible calls on us to "love justice". Our missions theme this year will come from Proverbs 31:8-9 "Speak up!" I challenge you to make a positive difference in your community this week.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Homework 3, Due January 20, 2012
Here's hoping you've enjoyed a three-day weekend! This week's assignment should be enjoyable - a look back at the first decade of the 20th century. Like any period of time it had its highlights (Nickelodean! Ping Pong! Ragtime Music!) and lowlights (Jim Crow segregation and lynchings, the San Francisco earthquake, and the continued abusive practices of the "Big 3" - US Steel, Standard Oil, and the American Tobacco Co).
Follow the link http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade00.html to learn more. Read the script and follow links to find two topics to research and report. If you had been a teen in that decade (as any one in their 120s today would have been) what are some things you would have enjoyed? What are some things you would have disliked? Share your findings in a 200 word essay and respond to at least two other essays with a total of 150 words. Good luck and God bless!
Follow the link http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade00.html to learn more. Read the script and follow links to find two topics to research and report. If you had been a teen in that decade (as any one in their 120s today would have been) what are some things you would have enjoyed? What are some things you would have disliked? Share your findings in a 200 word essay and respond to at least two other essays with a total of 150 words. Good luck and God bless!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Homework 2, Due January 13, 2012
I'm sorry I accidentally posted the same assignment twice! Since there were three options, though, hopefully it gave you an opportunity to explore the issues further. We are studying the Gilded Age and how it lead to the Progressive Era. These time periods are important to understand because the issues that were being addressed then are still important to us today. One issue was suffrage, or the right to vote. Although women in the United States would not receive the franchise until the passage of the nineteenth amendment in 1920 (American Indians, you'll remember, didn't vote until 1924), the movement to include women in the making of public policy was well under way. Interestingly, even before women could vote, candidates felt that it was necessary to address the issues that womens' groups were advocating. So I ask you to respond to the following questions:
1) How did the US justify withholding the right to vote from women so far into the twentieth century? (Remember, many of them were educated, and although few opportunities existed in business, some were financially independent).
2) Just who should have the right to vote? Should education level matter? (Is it possible to be too uneducated to deserve to vote? Who should decide, and what would be on a voting test?) Should we return to the standard of land ownership? (Or some other method to ensure that the people who pay the bulk of the taxes are the ones being heard in elections). What about age? Explain why you take your stand.
3) There is a powerful movement today to restore the franchise to non-violent felons who have paid the price of their crimes. Currently convicted felons lose their vote for the rest of their lives, even after they are released from jail. Fundamentally, is this right or wrong?
Minimum 200 words, respond to at least two others with a total of 150 words of response. Responses due Sunday evening, January 15. Cite any sources you reference! God bless!
1) How did the US justify withholding the right to vote from women so far into the twentieth century? (Remember, many of them were educated, and although few opportunities existed in business, some were financially independent).
2) Just who should have the right to vote? Should education level matter? (Is it possible to be too uneducated to deserve to vote? Who should decide, and what would be on a voting test?) Should we return to the standard of land ownership? (Or some other method to ensure that the people who pay the bulk of the taxes are the ones being heard in elections). What about age? Explain why you take your stand.
3) There is a powerful movement today to restore the franchise to non-violent felons who have paid the price of their crimes. Currently convicted felons lose their vote for the rest of their lives, even after they are released from jail. Fundamentally, is this right or wrong?
Minimum 200 words, respond to at least two others with a total of 150 words of response. Responses due Sunday evening, January 15. Cite any sources you reference! God bless!
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