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In addition to historical content, this project gave you the opportunity to practice your habits of mind and real world skills that are applicable to many arenas.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.
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.
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