We begin our discussion of World War II this week, one of the most momentous events in human history. The famous quote is “all it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing.” That is not the story of the Second World War, however. Good people did much – and they literally saved the world from the kind of fear and suffering not seen on earth since the days of Genghis Khan – but this time on a much wider scale. From the underground organizations such as the White Rose to individuals hiding Jews from the Nazis, people took the initiative to do what they could to stop the spread of Nazism, and for thousands the ultimate result was death without ever knowing the outcome. Without the organized efforts of the US and our allies and underground resistence groups, however, Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo would have been successful. Americans gave sacrificially – their sons (over 400,000 American soldiers died), their efforts, and their finances. Even Hollywood got in on the act, producing one patriotic film after another.
Studs Terkel, an American author, captured the experiences of hundreds of people who participated in World War II and compiled their stories in an awesome book entitled “The Good War”. It is obvious what his title insinuates: this was a war worth fighting. It was good versus evil, with human freedom on the line for all humanity. For us, that seems a little unbelievable – after all, no one’s ever taken our freedom. However, in other societies where freedom has been lost, oftentimes generations, even centuries, go by before authoritarianism is defeated and human rights restored.
Now, I love to read, but few books have ever captured my attention like “The Good War”. While print versions aren’t available online because of copyright restrictions, numerous sound recordings are available through the Studs Terkel website - http://www.studsterkel.org/gwar.php. If you are able to access these sound recordings (I have been unable to open them, but you might have better luck) listen to one and report your findings. Summarize and evaluate the person’s experience in World War II.
If you are unable to access the sound recordings, go to http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/afcphhtml/afcphhome.html and do your research there. (This is the Library of Congress website, and the interviews are also in audio format, but transcripts are available. Because they are unedited, they are inferior to the Terkel interviews). Click on “name” or “subject” and randomly choose an individual to research and report on. This is the last assignment for which comments will not be required.
The time has come as well to discuss your 4th quarter bonus opportunity. Like last quarter, you may use this as a “test pass” or, more wisely, an opportunity to drop your lowest test grade of the quarter and exchange it for a 100%. Here’s the assignment: since we are studying World War II and will soon cover Korea and Vietnam, I would like you to interview an American vet who participated in a foreign war (World War II up to the current conflicts, any is acceptable).
You must submit your video log to this website (I’ll create a specific post) and give me a list of questions you plan on asking in advance of the interview. The interview should be about ten minutes long. If you don’t have a family member who participated in a war, ask around for friends or members of your church who can help. Your questions should focus on the individuals experience (his/her job, location, memorable events) and the lasting impact of the war on the individual. PLEASE take time to carefully plan your interview, make an appointment with the vet, be courteous and respectful. (Be sure to send a thank-you card afterwards). The best of these interviews will be made available for wider viewing, so make sure the individual knows that this video will be viewed publicly.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Homework 8, Due February 24, 2012
I hope you enjoyed the Presidents Day weekend! Since this is an election year we'll take a look at presidential politics this week. Presidential elections are always important and are usually exciting events that draw the energy and passion of the American people into public service and discussion. The right to vote in free and fair elections is one of the greatest privileges of citizenship, and the need to vote responsibly, which means based on the issues and the character of the candidates, is our greatest civic duty. While many people love politics, for some who have grown cynical, the word itself is negative. Unfortunately the political process has weaknesses; for instance, it takes so much money to run for office today that many qualified citizens never run because they don’t have access to the necessary finances. There is a great debate today about how to fix that problem, because it seems that there is no easy solution.
Perhaps the most hotly contested election and certainly the closest was the election of 1960. The Democrats had no established candidate, and it was obvious that Senator Adlai Stevenson wouldn’t be nominated a third time in a row. The Democrats were the dominate party but had not been in the White House during the previous eight years – instead, a very non-political moderate Republican, Dwight D. Eisenhower, had served. Now that the elderly President Eisenhower was leaving office and it was likely that the Republicans would nominate his young vice-president Richard Nixon to be their candidate, even though there were rumors that he had “bent the rules” in previous elections. Nixon went on national television to deny the allegations and explained that the only bribe he’d ever taken was a puppy named “Checkers” and that he intended to keep the dog.
The Democratic nominee who would emerge is an iconic figure in American history – John F. Kennedy, a young senator from Massachusetts who had served in the Navy in World War II. The Kennedys were a unique family. John Kennedy’s dad was ambassador to Great Britain during FDR’s presidency, and John’s older brother Joe had died during the war. John’s maternal grandfather had been a famous Irish-American mayor of Boston, and both sides of the family were very wealthy. All of the Kennedys attended Harvard and went on to law school. The three young Kennedy men (John and his younger brothers Robert and Edward) all held press credentials, and John’s wife Jacqueline was a reporter who spoke three languages (she would later make speeches in Spanish and French during the Kennedys’ trips to other countries).
The election changed America in several ways. One important development was that for the first time the candidates debated on live television, which played up to Kennedy’s stylish appearance and smooth public speaking abilities. Nixon, on the other hand, was uncomfortable in front of the cameras and came across poorly. To make matters worse he had suffered a serious knee injury and was unable to get the infection properly cared for; the result was that he was in tremendous pain, looked very pale (and refused to allow stage makeup to be applied) and wiped sweat from his face throughout the entire debate. Still, when the votes were counted Kennedy won by a smaller margin than the number of people who usually attend a UK football game – a tiny fraction of one percent of the voting population! Kennedy became the youngest president ever elected (Teddy Roosevelt was younger when he became president, but he took office by accession, not election).
What were the issues that voters were concerned about in that election? I’d like you to take some time and research one of the following elections: 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972. Briefly introduce the two nominees but focus on the issues that were most important to voters during that time period. Some places to start your research might be
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/elections.php
or
http://www.historycentral.com/elections/
Good luck and God bless!
Perhaps the most hotly contested election and certainly the closest was the election of 1960. The Democrats had no established candidate, and it was obvious that Senator Adlai Stevenson wouldn’t be nominated a third time in a row. The Democrats were the dominate party but had not been in the White House during the previous eight years – instead, a very non-political moderate Republican, Dwight D. Eisenhower, had served. Now that the elderly President Eisenhower was leaving office and it was likely that the Republicans would nominate his young vice-president Richard Nixon to be their candidate, even though there were rumors that he had “bent the rules” in previous elections. Nixon went on national television to deny the allegations and explained that the only bribe he’d ever taken was a puppy named “Checkers” and that he intended to keep the dog.
The Democratic nominee who would emerge is an iconic figure in American history – John F. Kennedy, a young senator from Massachusetts who had served in the Navy in World War II. The Kennedys were a unique family. John Kennedy’s dad was ambassador to Great Britain during FDR’s presidency, and John’s older brother Joe had died during the war. John’s maternal grandfather had been a famous Irish-American mayor of Boston, and both sides of the family were very wealthy. All of the Kennedys attended Harvard and went on to law school. The three young Kennedy men (John and his younger brothers Robert and Edward) all held press credentials, and John’s wife Jacqueline was a reporter who spoke three languages (she would later make speeches in Spanish and French during the Kennedys’ trips to other countries).
The election changed America in several ways. One important development was that for the first time the candidates debated on live television, which played up to Kennedy’s stylish appearance and smooth public speaking abilities. Nixon, on the other hand, was uncomfortable in front of the cameras and came across poorly. To make matters worse he had suffered a serious knee injury and was unable to get the infection properly cared for; the result was that he was in tremendous pain, looked very pale (and refused to allow stage makeup to be applied) and wiped sweat from his face throughout the entire debate. Still, when the votes were counted Kennedy won by a smaller margin than the number of people who usually attend a UK football game – a tiny fraction of one percent of the voting population! Kennedy became the youngest president ever elected (Teddy Roosevelt was younger when he became president, but he took office by accession, not election).
What were the issues that voters were concerned about in that election? I’d like you to take some time and research one of the following elections: 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1972. Briefly introduce the two nominees but focus on the issues that were most important to voters during that time period. Some places to start your research might be
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/elections.php
or
http://www.historycentral.com/elections/
Good luck and God bless!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Homework 7, Due February 17, 2012
I hope you enjoyed the topic of last week's assignment. This week we will follow up with another Black History Month essay. Follow the link http://www.biography.com/tv/classroom/black-history-timeline to see a very interesting timeline of significant events in black history. Follow one (or more) of the inbedded links to read more and then report back on your findings. Once again we will limit the assignment to a 200 word essay (no responses at this time). Enjoy your research!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Homework 6, Due February 10, 2012
February is designated "Black History Month" and we will use the next two assignments to explore the topic. This week's assignment is fairly straightforward - follow the link http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/ to the Library of Congress website dedicated to African American history. Follow the link "Exhibits and Collections" and choose a topic to explore. You will find several interesting areas - take time to read the article and look at the special resources provided. Report your findings in a 200 word essay. Once again we will forego the responses although most of you had no problems posting this last week. Best of luck - I hope you learn something!
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