A Time of Wealth and a Time of Poverty

This week we concluded our study of Reconstruction by building a timeline of key events that helped tell the story of how we rebuilt our country after the Civil War. This final assessment gave you the opportunity to step back from the facts and select those events that captured the spirit of the time. Did Congress try to integrate the former slaves into the economic and political life of our country? Did the South try to reform its society in an effort to recognize the newly freed population? The timeline allows you to answer the question: what was the story of Reconstruction? Was it a time of hope or one of broken promises? Are we still living with the failures of Reconstruction?

We also watched videos on Presidents Lincoln, Johnson, and Grant. Each of these presidents gives us insight into the idea of leadership. When historians are asked about the most effective presidents, Lincoln usually leads the list. He was able to balance clear demands with empathy for his enemy. He was able to rally a variety of people to his cause while understanding those who opposed him. Johnson became president because of the assassin’s bullet. He was unprepared for the demands of reuniting a country and was not even nominated as a presidential candidate after serving out Lincoln’s term. Looking for a strong leader, the country once again turned to a former general and elected Ulysses S. Grant. But while he had been effective on the battlefield, the politics of Washington found him mired in personalities and issues that were not easily sorted out. Though presidents at that time were not limited to two terms, Grant left office after his second term. In an effort to leave his family funds to live on, he spent his final years writing his memoirs under the direction of Mark Twain. He finished just days before dying of throat cancer. The funeral was held in New York City and had a procession over seven miles long. Grant’s Tomb became one of the most popular sites in the United States and today over 100,000 people visit the National Park where it is housed, on the upper west side of Manhattan. The memoirs became a best seller and are still considered a model for that form of writing.

The Gilded Age and the Closing of the West

Some people always profit during times of war, and after the Civil War America had its first class of millionaires. Andrew Carnegie, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and J.P. Morgan are just a few of the famous names from this new wealthy class. Was their success due primarily to their business skills or to their exploitation of workers who toiled long hours for low wages? Should these men be remembered as Captains of Industry or Robber Barons? This week we will look more closely at their business practices and the impact they had on our economy and workers.

While these men were building steel plants, pumping oil, and laying railroad tracks, the West had opened up to large scale ranches, farms and mining. As big business practices and mechanization expanded throughout the West, Native Americans were driven to fight for their shrinking territory. By 1900, the West had been transformed, the open range had been fenced in, and over 15 million buffalo had been slaughtered.

You have a packet on the Gilded Age and should be prepared on Monday to know the difference between a Robber Baron and a Captain of Industry. You have a sheet on the inventions of the time that needs to be completed by Monday. These readings and activities will prepare you for our final PBGR task which is a persuasive essay. This is an on demand assignment so no extra research will be needed beyond the homework readings.

A Time to Honor

It is fitting that we celebrate Memorial Day as we conclude our study of the Civil War. Memorial Day was first observed in 1866 as a day to honor soldiers who died in the Civil War. In the South this day has been known as Decoration Day and is a time to place flowers and flags on the graves of fallen soldiers. Over time, Memorial Day has become a time to honor all those who have given their lives for their country. The President traditionally places a wreath of flowers on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington cemetery and local communities observe the day with parades and the reading of the Gettysburg Address.

As we have an extra day off this weekend to relax, please take a moment to think about all of the people who have given their lives so that we can live in a free country. This holiday has a special meaning for us in 2007 as our soldiers face danger in Iraq. We have lost over 4,000 soldiers in this conflict and each one of them had families, hopes and dreams. Let us honor their courage and commitment!

The Gettysburg Address

The Gettysburg Address, an enduring statement that the United States stands for liberty and equality for all, was a turning point for Lincoln and this country as he expanded the goal of the war to include “a new birth of freedom” – implicitly calling for the abolition of slavery. But Lincoln still had to balance his goal of freedom with keeping the Border States in the Union. He needed to choose his words carefully to avoid alarming many northerners who may have believed in freedom for the slaves but not equality.

By early 1864 Lincoln had found a general who wanted to fight and to win, Ulysses S. Grant. Grant fought a war of attrition. He would wear away any resistance the South might offer by overwhelming their forces and destroying all in his path. This tactic finally prevailed and on April 9, 1865 Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. But joy in the North was short-lived. On April 14 Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth and died the next day. Booth was a southern sympathizer and shot Lincoln in an effort to unleash chaos in the Union. Instead, Booth shot the man who only a few months earlier urged had urged lenience toward the South: “with malice towards none, with charity for all.”

Next week we will watch the “Lincoln” part of the presidential video series. It will give us an overview of his contribution to this country and his lasting legacy.

Reconstruction: Punish or Forgive?

With the Civil War over and the country ready for reunification, the ten year period known as Reconstruction begins. Your brief packet is an effort to streamline your reading. Use your text to supplement your knowledge of this time period and to clarify terms and vocabulary that are unique to this era. “Scalawag” and “Carpetbagger” are two terms you need to know to understand the many different perspectives on Reconstruction.

We also reviewed the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution, sometimes referred to as the Reconstruction Amendments. The amendments ended slavery, extended citizenship to all former slaves, and gave the right to vote to former male slaves. This was the law, but in reality former slaves were still treated harshly. We read about the Black Codes that restricted their mobility and civil liberties. In addition, southern states passed Jim Crow laws that put up further barriers to their full participation in the government and economy. The Freedman’s Bureau created by Congress was one positive move that provided education and support services to African Americans as they transitioned from slavery to freedom.

You need to complete the worksheets so when you return on Tuesday we can finish by reading a New York Times article comparing reconstruction in the US with reconstruction in Iraq... making connections between history and current events.

Last Task on the Horizon

Our last task will be a persuasive essay. We will be using our text, watching a video, and reviewing four primary source documents including letters, a cartoon, a poster and an excerpt from a speech. All of the work for the task will be done in class.

This Day in History

On May 24, 1883 the Brooklyn Bridge was opened connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan. It was described at the time as the eighth wonder of the world. The suspension bridge hangs from cables 16 inches in diameter. The bridge was designed by John Roeblings. His son and daughter-in-law directed the construction. The Roeblings spent their summers in Newport, and when the historian David McCullough wrote “The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge,” he used the Newport Daily News as a source.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to all! The Civil War presentations were a big success and I congratulate all of you for putting forth a great effort. You clearly demonstrated that you know how to think and act as historians! I saw evidence of critical thinking, using multiple sources, relying on primary sources for unusual insights, grappling with complexities, making links to contemporary issues and trying to construct your own interpretation of events.

In addition to historical content, this project gave you the opportunity to practice your habits of mind and real world skills that are applicable to many arenas. The use of the journal encouraged you to stay organized and to manage your time. Those who spent the time to make a work plan ended up with projects that showed a greater attention to detail and presentation. Working with a partner gave you the opportunity to practice one of the skills most employers are looking for: the ability to work on a team. The annotated bibliography illustrates your appreciation for sources and gives credit to those who researched similar topics. Plagiarism is a major problem on high school and college campuses and you don’t want to be put into a position where your work is challenged. Cite sources as all good historians do!

At the conclusion of your project, we took the time to reflect. Reflection gives you the opportunity to think back on your strengths and weaknesses. Reflection allows you the time to evaluate what you have done and to plan for future projects. The next time you encounter this type of project what will you do the same and what will you do differently to bring your project up to the next level? Did you have a good work plan? Did you utilize the rubric? Did you ask yourself open ended critical questions? Did you have confidence in your knowledge and give yourself adequate time to practice your presentation?

The Civil War Packets

In an effort to allow you to pace your reading, you have a packet of assignments on the war. You have target dates for completion of the various sections and if you use your class time wisely you should cut down or eliminate home work.

This week we read a portion of the Emancipation Proclamation and discovered that this document did not unconditionally free all slaves. Lincoln’s attitude towards slavery had changed over the course of the war. The Proclamation was a clear indication that once the war was over, Lincoln would free the slaves. The Proclamation was focused on the states that were in rebellion but made no mention of freeing the slaves in the Border States, as Lincoln needed to keep them in the Union. He was reported to have said, “I may need God on my side to win this war, but I know I need Kentucky on my side to win this war.”

In Doris Kearns Goodwin’s award winning book “Team of Rivals,” she writes about Lincoln’s political genius and ability to change his views as he comes to understand the complexity of issues. By 1863, Lincoln’s initial goal to save the Union is joined by his determination to end slavery.

As part of our study of the war, we are fortunate to have access to Ken Burn’s award winning PBS special on the Civil War. This is a multi-disc series and while we will only have time to view limited segments, I would encourage all of you to check out the web site or view more of the series. Copies are available at MHS library and most public libraries.

Reconstruction

As we complete the Civil War packets, we will next turn to rebuilding the country during a ten year period called Reconstruction. A number of recent histories have highlighted the degree to which the Reconstruction period failed to make permanent the gains African-Americans supposedly had achieved through the North’s victory in the Civil War. That failure perpetuated racial conflict that continued for 100 years and still has reverberations even today, as we see in the current Presidential campaign.

Reconstruction was followed by a period of ostentatious wealth and political corruption known as the Gilded Age. The Gilded Age is an especially important time for local history as this is the age when the mansions on Bellevue Avenue in Newport were built. The profits from war and the investments in new technology created our first class of millionaires and they spent some of their astronomical earnings on the palatial homes found in Newport. While this was happening, labor unions were just starting to form to help defend the rights of workers and monitor working conditions. Did the men who built these mansions earn their money fairly or did they exploit the laborers who worked for low wages and in dangerous factories? This will be for you to decide. Our study of Andrew Carnegie will be the basis of your last PBGR task.

Today in History

In 1896 the Supreme Court ruled in Plessey v. Ferguson that racial segregation was allowed. The Court ruled that facilities (schools, transportation, restaurants, etc) could be separate as long as the facilities were “equal.” This ruling was in effect until 1954 when the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas that separate facilities were not equal. Thurgood Marshall, the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court, was the chief counselor for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) that presented the argument in the Brown Case. Marshall is now the subject of a one-man show on Broadway staring Laurance Fishburne.

Show Time

This past week you worked on your Civil War packet and power point project. While the project allows you to study one aspect of the War in depth, the packet provides you with an overview of the four year conflict. The first two worksheets were collected on Friday and your quiz was based on your text entitled “The First Two Years of the War.”

Before emailing your power point to Mr. Fontaine check your final product against the rubric. Do you have an open ended question for your title slide? Do you have a majority of visual slides? Do you have a slide focusing on how you used primary sources? Do you have an annotated bibliography slide? Your product should be emailed to Mr. Fontaine by close of school on Monday. The projects are due Tuesday and a copy of your slides must be handed in that day. You may hand in your note cards and journal after your presentation. I am really looking forward to seeing what you have discovered about your topic. If you have any last minute questions, please feel free to email me at asullivan@mpsri.net.

Interterm Grades

Interterm reports are due on Wednesday and your score will be based on your comparison chart of the North and South prior to the War, the map of the Union and the Confederacy, the Uncle Tom’s Cabin quiz and the copy of the power point slides. If you do not have a printer at home, make sure you take the time to print your slides at the school library or the public library before class on Tuesday.

May 10, 1869

On this date in history, the golden spike was hammered into the last rail line completing the transcontinental railroad. The celebratory event took place at Promontory Summit in Utah. The completion of the railroad was a major transportation accomplishment and allowed travelers to cross the country in one week as opposed to four months.

Happy Mother’s Day

Julia Ward Howe, best know for writing the words to The Battle Hymn of the Republic, is often credited with supporting the efforts to set aside one day a year to honor mothers. Last year a column by the Reverend Amy Bowden Freedman in The Newport Daily News reminded us that Howe spent many summers on Aquidneck Island. The article went on to speak of her upbringing and the significant role she played in the Civil War as an advocate for abolition and an organizer on the home front.

Mother’s Day received national recognition in 1914 when President Wilson signed a joint Congressional Resolution observing the second Sunday in May as a time to celebrate our mothers.

Mothers have played an important role in our history. They are often credited as pushing our government to act in a more humane and generous spirit. Many historians credit the mobilization of Mothers against the Vietnam War as a turning point in that long and bloody conflict. Today, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has proven to be a highly effective advocate for measures that reduce the number of lives lost to drivers impaired by alcohol.

Every day, mothers and others who provide mothering skills take on a wide range of responsibilities, from caretakers of the home to leaders in many professional fields. They devote long hours, and years, to the care and upbringing of all of us. So take a moment today, and every day, to say a word of thanks. Your Mother will hear you no matter where she may be tomorrow.

Civil War Presentations

It is that time of year when we start preparing for our Civil War presentations. This is an opportunity to show how you can think and act like an historian. It is an especially exciting project as you have selected your own topic and partner. All of the skills we have been working on this year are showcased in your final project: using multiple sources, asking questions, looking for evidence, debating, discussing and communicating. The presentations will be Tuesday May 13 and Wednesday May 14. You should take special pride in showing your work to our class. Should we invite guests?

You have been given a wealth of sources ranging from this blog to the special folder we have set up on the G drive that contains a power point by Mr. Fontaine on how to find primary source documents. You have a depth of knowledge (DOK) chart that will help you develop a critical thinking question to guide you in your work. You have also been given a blue book which will act as a journal where you can document your work, set up a timeline, and keep track of your multiple sources.

In the past, students have found that developing a critical thinking question can be daunting. Remember you have the DOK chart to help you focus your thinking. You want your project to be more then a description of an event or group of people. Using primary sources will help you get your project to a higher level of thinking because you will have to analyze the document to find evidence. You may also want to use a hypothesis as an overarching theme for your work and then show how you proved or disproved the statement.

A big key to success in this project is managing your time. You have a list of dates when we will use the library. Now you need to set aside time after school or on a weekend to work with your partner. You should finish your presentation before May 13 so you have time to practice with your partner.

With so many resources available, sometimes it is easy to get overwhelmed. Some of the best sites for information include the Library of Congress main site, the special Memory site, Mrs. Oz’s compilation, the Public Broadcasting site and Eye Witness to History. There are also specialized sites for music of the period.

Two Tasks Down and One to Go

This week you finished writing your persuasive essay on events leading up to the Civil War. The task will count as a 50 point assignment for this quarter and can be part of your graduation portfolio. Our final task will be an essay on Andrew Carnegie and that will be done once we complete the Civil War and Reconstruction.

We are Free

On Sunday, Rhode Island celebrates its own special Independence Day. Rhode Island became the first colony to declare its independence from England on May 4, 1776. While we may be the smallest state, Rhode Island has played a significant role in the formation of our nation.

“Gone With the Wind”

On this day in 1937 Margaret Mitchell was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in literature for her novel “Gone with the Wind.” This novel has been described as “a romantic, panoramic portrait of the Civil War and Reconstruction in Georgia.” The best selling novel was turned into a movie in 1939 and earned 10 Academy Awards including Best Picture. How about reading the book and then watching the movie during your summer break?