Updates: 4/29/13 & 4/30/13

Yesterday in class (4/29/13) and today (4/30/13) we worked on our Oregon Trail projects which are virtual games that can teach people about Westward Expansion. We were permitted to bring our laptops or tablets to work on them, this was really helpful considering the projects are due Thursday. While working on our projects there was a movie playing in the background. The movie is called "Red River" and is about a cowboy. We were asked to write/talk about the life of a real cowboy and the ones in the movie. I think the cowboys in the movie are highly exaggerated in terms of violence compared to real cowboys. 

Updates 4/24/13 and 4/25/13

Yesterday in class (4/24/13) we created presentations. When Homesteaders were moving west they were just figuring out which crops grew well on the land. They mainly struggled because they had always grown the crops they grew back home and these crops did not grow well in the tough prairie soil. As a group are job was to make a presentation about the new product we would show the “entrepreneurs” who would decide which product they would want to invest in. You were either assigned to be an “entrepreneur” or you were going to present the steel plow, the reaper, the thresher, the tractor, or barbed wire. My group was the steel plow. The steel plow was invented by John Deere, an Illinois blacksmith and manufacturer, in 1837. It's used to loosen soil to plant crops. We decided to sell the steel plow for nine dollars and twenty-five cents the only problem was you would have to buy several of them and they require more man power. Today in class (4/25/13) we made our presentations. The “entrepreneurs” chose the reaper and thresher because they were more efficient and would make them easy money. 

Soddy Life 4.23.13

Today in class we experienced the life of living in a Soddy. We experienced how it smelt and how we would have to live in the very congested area. We also found out how taking pictures back then was very different than it is now. Starting with the smell of Soddy, it’s really not that bad it’s actually a refreshing and relaxing nature like smell, I could definitely get used to it. Trying to live in a Soddy would be very challenging because there is almost no room for anything. Depending on how big your family is you would have to divide up the space for sleeping and a small area to cook and stay warm during the bitter cold winters. Taking picture back then was rare so people didn't really smile out of respect. It was also challenging to take a picture back then because you would have to stay still for a long period of time until the picture was taken.

1) My overall impression of living in a Soddy is that it would certainly be a change of lifestyle from the way I live today. Everyday tasks would become very difficult if I had to live in a Soddy. Imagine living without electricity in the world we live in today. I certainly wouldn't be able to be typing this right now and writing would be very difficult in the dark. I think living in a Soddy would be much more challenging than most people think because they are so used to having things handed to them.

2) I don’t think I would last too long living in a Soddy, maybe a few weeks tops. I think after a week or two I would just become crazy without being able to do the everyday things I do today. I like having my own space, and most likely I wouldn't have a lot of that in a Soddy.

3) If I had to choose from life in the city or the Great Plains I would choose the Great Plains. If I had chosen the city I would risk my safety in all terms. The city is nothing but dirty and stressful I would also struggle with money.  Life in the Great Plains would be much simpler even if I had to work to sustain my family and I. 

Class: 4.11.13 & 4.12.13

Yesterday in class (4/11/13) we wrote skits on Manifest Destiny, we were given the quote, “Go west, young man, and grow up with the country…” Manifest Destiny was the idea that the Christian God wanted the United States to expand West or “sea to shining sea”. Our skits demonstrated people in the 1800's and if they wanted to go west and if they followed Greeley’s advice.  Today in class (4/12/13) we watched two videos on the push and pull factors of people moving west. We took notes on the videos and wrote three questions that we could discuss with the class. The first question was a fact based question, the second was a how and why question, and the last was a question that talked about a greater and deeper meaning. The people “pushed” west were settlers who wanted to escape the evils and racism in the south, War Veterans who were trying to escape nightmares of the Civil War and white southerners who had nothing because all their wealth was in their land. People were “pulled” to the west because the cheap land made it very attractive. The Homestead Act gave 160 acres of public land to anyone who would cultivate and live on the land for five years. Another large factor for people getting pulled west was the new railroad system. The discovery of precious metals convinced people to move out west and strike large amounts of silver and gold. 

Erie Canal Diary Entry (4.9.13)

Yesterday (4/8/13) Mr. Boyle wasn't in class and we had a substitute. We read documents about the Oregon Trail and created diary entries. Today In class (4/9/13) we learned more about the Erie Canal. We got into groups of three and were each either a pioneer, merchant or a New Yorker. We read a series of cards and filled out a chart about positive and negative effects of the Erie Canal.

Diary entry of a New Yorker:

Dear Diary,

I have come to hate the Erie Canal. It brings nothing but trouble for my city. The Erie Canal brings new people that carry the deadly disease of Cholera. There is no cure, people are seen perfectly healthy and then an hour later they are found dead. The Erie Canal also brings about transportation issues for our city. When the feeders of the Canal freeze are streets are flooded terribly. The only good thing the Erie Canal brought is a better economy. The Erie Canal made costs for transporting incredibly cheaper, from Buffalo to New York it cost $10 per ton by canal, compared to $100 on the road. This makes it easier for me to buy goods because they are so much cheaper to ship by the canal. The canal has also brought about an abundant amount of job opportunities. I have mixed feelings about the Erie Canal sometimes I think of just leaving New York and going far away from everything.

Class Updates: 4/4/13 and 4/5/13

Yesterday (4/4/13) we watched a video about slogans in the War of 1812. We went into groups and made a slogan, poem, and icon from the war. The groups were the militia, the women, the Canadians, the British and the Native Americans. My group was the women in the War of 1812. Women in the war passed water to the soldiers. In the camps they were laundresses, seamstresses, and companions of the soldiers. Women at home took care of the house and took jobs while their husbands were away at war. Today (4/5/13) we did not have class due to the half day. 

Class Updates: 4/2/13 and 4/3/13

Yesterday (4/2/13) we had a debate on what was the main cause of the War of 1812. The top reasons were Impressment, the Chesapeake Affair, Orders in Court and incitement of Native Americans. My reflection on this is in my previous blog post. Today in class (4/3/13) I did not have class due to testing. 

Snap Debate Reflection

Yesterday in class (4/2/13) we had a debate on what was the main cause of the War of 1812. The top reasons were Impressment, the Chesapeake Affair, Orders in Court and incitement of Native Americans. After watching the video on Sophia.org I decided that the main cause was Orders in Court. When I came to class today I was placed in the Impressment group, so I had to debate over the idea that Impressment was the number one reason of the War of 1812 even though I didn't agree with that. Impressment was when under British law; the navy had the right to basically arrest men and place them in the Royal Navy. The British had naval press gangs who could take almost anyone they found with a few exceptions. People who were protected were required to carry paperwork stating who they are and their trade. If you couldn't come up with your paperwork, you were pressed without further question. The press gangs operated on land and sea. Any officer of the Royal Navy could stop English vessels and press crewmen. Technically it was illegal to take foreigners but this was ignored. Although I didn't believe that Impressment was the main cause of the War of 1812 it was definitely a large factor. After I switched groups to Orders in Court (which was the group I originally chose to be in) my group argued why Orders in Court was the number one reason for War in 1812. Britain had prevented the U.S from trading with France, which is in Europe; this basically stopped all trade to Europe. Cutting of trade made The United States and Britain resent each other even more. I think that vital trade between the U.S and Europe was a larger cause then Impressment because taking away trade to Europe takes away the economy of the United States. I enjoyed the Snap Debate; I thought it was a great way for everyone to share their ideas in a calm manner. It was also a clever idea to allow everyone to take notes on each topic and be able to switch sides if they wanted. Over-all the Snap Debate was a great way to learn about why the United States went to war with Britain in 1812.