Class Summary 12/10/12 - 12/11/12

Yesterday in history class, we were given two pieces of paper as we walked in, one was a speech by Abraham Lincoln and there were questions to go with it. We read the paper and answered the questions by analyzing the speech. We were then given another paper similar to the first, a reading excerpt and questions to go along. Today in class we were given more paper with questions on it (my binder = 100000 trees). Depending on the passage you got you sat with a group. The papers discussed whether or not South Carolina should have a right to leave the union. We filled out both of these sheets and then had a class discussion about our personal opinion and the points the Southerners had. 

Class Summary 12/4/12 - 12/5/12

Yesterday in class we looked at the different candidates for president in the 1860 election. We started class by looking at a picture with the four candidates, who were presented in a way that described their ideas of slavery metaphorically. Lincoln, Breckinridge, and Douglass were tearing down the picture of the map of the US while Bell was trying to glue it back together. I believe that this was propaganda and trying to persuade you to vote for Bell. We then went into further depth about all of the canidates.
Today we had an Ed Cafe on the people that we talked about in our voice threads. I had Daniel Webster and although he was important I didn't have much to argue on the slavery front. I like talking to people about what we are going to be tested on the next day because it sticks in my brain I just wish we did the voice thread more recently.

Summary Blog for 11/29/12

On Thursday in class we learned about John Brown and Harpers Ferry.  We took notes starting at October 16th 1859 when John Brown led about twenty other people that were supporting him in an effort to free the slaves. He expected the slaves to rebel when given the chance and since this never happened his plan did not work and John Brown was caught and hung for murder and treason against Virginia. Then in the second half of class we looked at different testimonies and got to see how they viewed the event. We then discussed our own opinions. Friday we missed class.

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!