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.
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.
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