Class Summary 11/17/12- 11/28/12

Yesterday in class we read the Dred Scott case and then had a discussion about it. We debated whether or not you should be able to have something legally in one state and then move to a different state where its illegal.  Some people argued since its your property they cant take it away from you, while others thought you should abide by the laws of the state you are in so therefore it is illegal. This is when we realized what the Dred Scott case really meant for that time period, if  owning slaves in a state where it was forbidden was okay because you moved from a state it was legal,  ultimately everywhere is slave state, defeating the purpose of free states, for there to be a safe haven for slaves. Today in class we watched a clip on the Lincoln-Douglas debate. I preferred the video over a reading section because it made it easier for you to understand and retain the knowledge. We then filled out a sheet from documents we were given about the debate and where each potential Presidents opinions lay. Lincoln was anti-slavery and Douglas was pro-slavery.  Oh and so far my thirty day challenge has been good, with basketball starting we run everyday anyways. 

Class Summary 11/26/12

Last week we did not have class so my summary starts and ends with what we did today. Today we learned about the Kansas-Nebraska act. Stephen Douglass was the one who proposed the act stating that Kansas and Nebraska should be able to determine whether or not they would be a free state or slave state by popular sovereignty. The southerners supported this act because it would give them a chance to have at least one more slave state. The Northerners disagreed with the act because it went against the Missouri Compromise. Border Ruffians who were pro-slavery sent in a lot of people illegally to vote for a slave state. After the two states decisions were announced Northerners were angry and the antislavery settlers actually rebelled and killed five pro-slavery people in Pottawatomie Creek. More than 200 people had been killed in Kansas due to the disputes about slavery. We then learned about how Charles Sumner, an abolitionist senator in a speech criticized Southerners and denounced Andrew Butler the senator of South Carolina. Andrew Butler's relative Preston Brooks attacked Sumner's using his cane, scaring Sumner from assuming the role of senator for three years. We finished class by learning about the way the US dealt with unorganized territory. They decided to organize it and use Popular Sovereignty. 

1850's Timeline

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/1850s--10

Class Summary 11/14/12- 11/15/12

On Wednesday in class we learned about the Missouri Compromise by taking notes. We then received papers about the Mexican war, where the Americans fought them. We were then given a sheet to fill out based on the readings. The different excerpts included information on the date, the president, the mexican leader, and other important people. After we filled out the sheet, we discussed what we concluded from the readings and how they related. To give us a summary of what we just read and answered questions about we watched a video and then took a quick true or false quiz on what we learned. Today in class we talked about California and the new states that wanted to join are union and how we personally believed we should handle them. They could become a half state ( Based on the 36 30 line), a slave state, or a free state. Mr. Boyle then took a tally on what everyone thought should have been done. Oh and on a side note so far I have been doing pretty good with my running and I can tell that I am starting to build up my stamina! 

Personality VoiceThread Project

http://voicethread.com/share/3686927/

Forgot

Oh and I forgot to include in my summary that so far my running everyday has been surprisingly consistent though one day I did not get to run I worked out in other ways, jump roping, lifting weights, ect.

Class Summary 12/13/12 and 12/9/12

On Friday, we finished up our work from class on Thursday, on the two papers we had to fill out. The one I had was "The Mudsill Theory" and since I had finished my piece I spent the beginning of class copying my friends notes from her own passage she got. We then started to take notes on slavery and their different escape route. We learned a lot about the most common escape route, The Underground Railroad. We discovered it was a series of stops, where slaves would not only have shelter for the night, but also food, and safe place to rest. We then received a document that had different textbook definitions and descriptions of the Underground Railroad, including important people that partook in many slaves escape to freedom.  Harriet Tubman was frequently credited for a lot of escapes and mentioned in almost every definition of the Underground Railroad. We then filled out a paper, based on the accounts that we read asking questions about how what all the definitions had in common and how we would define the Underground Railroad. Today in class we went to the media lab in the library. We each went to a bit.ly website that had a map with different statistics and information about each state during the 1820's. We then filled out questions that had to do with the the population and land area of states and territories. After we finished that sheet, we were given another paper with similar questions pertaining to the map and slaves in general. 

11/6/12 - 11/7/12

Yesterday in class we read pieces from the constitution and look at it as supporting anti-slavery or supporting slavery. Today first thing we went over it. We then took notes on the "King of Coton" Eli Whitney, facts about slavery, and the different types of slavery. Two passages were then passed out and I got "The Mudsill Theory" we then had to answer questions about the documents. After we were done we got with someone who ha a different document and wrote down their answers. Oh and so far I have kept to my thirty day challenge, going to the gym to run because it is too cold. 

Class Summary 11/2/12 and 11/5/12

In both History and English for the past couple of days we have been on the topic of slavery. I like learning and talking about slavery because although the subject is depressing I find it quite interesting. I also like being able to learn the facts about it in History and then discuss our personal views on it in English. On Friday in History we read accounts of children slaves, learning about how they were treated, really getting a chance to see what slavery was like first hand.Today we spent the class comparing the two different experiences the slaves we read about had. We concluded that due to all of the similar accounts of slavery and the harsh treatments afflicted upon the slaves it not only existed brutally, it was very common, and although we don't always want to believe it, slavery still exists today. We then were assigned a person in our group to read about. After gathering facts about each person we split up our groups and learned about the other people we were not assigned. Oh and on a side-note my thirty day challenge has been off to a good start, today I went on a run when I got home.

Thirty Day Challenge

The thirty day challenge that I am setting for myself is to run everyday before I start my homework. With winter sports coming up I need to make sure I am in shape since I didn't do a fall sport. It will also help me keep a set schedule so I wont put off work. Exercising is also said to help your brain function so it is possible I could see improvements in my studying and homework. If it is raining or too cold to run outside I will go to MAC fitness to run on the treadmill.  

Class Summary 10/31/12

On Wednesday we spent class working on our integrated assignment, which, was due today. My group did a game so during class I came up with a name for it and glued all of the question and answers to the cards. It was very helpful to have this extra time. Today our projects were due and though I was not in school I believe during class we presented our projects.