On Friday after the test, I asked you to think hard and long - reflect - about our unit and come up with some questions that wouldn't have easy answers. These questions were supposed to be ones in which you compared eras or people, asked "what if..." questions, evaluated ideas and reflected on concepts that maybe you still weren't sure about.
These questions couldn't start with a "who", "what", "when" or "where". These questions usually started with "Why..." I want you take one of these questions below that interests you the most and answer it in 200 words or more.
1st Hour
1. Who would you have voted for in the 1912 election and why? - Amanda
2. Do you think President Roosevelt was correct in breaking up monopolies? Why or why not? - Jason
3. How did you feel / react to the information about the sterilization of over 70,000 people who were deemed "unfit" according to eugenics laws? - Derek
4. Why is it a bad idea for one person to have so much power (over the economy) like JP Morgan? - Megan
5. Why do you think Thomas Nast drew political cartoons? If you were a cartoonist today, what would be your main subject and why? - Richard
6. The French gave us the Statue of Liberty but we had nothing to put it upon like a pedestal. Do we raise taxes in New York City (or a nationwide tax) to pay for it or would you just wait until the city could raise the money from wealthy individuals to help pay for the pedestal? - Carter
7. Is America a unified nation today? - Channel
8. What is your take on the 700-mile border wall w/ Mexico? Should we build it or not? Why? - Lauren
9. What was the reason why there were so many inventions and innovations during this time period that we're studying (late 19th Century/early 20th Century)? - Maher
10. Can you think of any groundbreaking inventions today that can be compared to the designing of the skyscrapers and bridges like the Brooklyn Bridge? How has this invention helped us? - Rachael
11. Was school education in the late 1800s on the right track compared to where we are today? Why? In your opinion, what seems to be more or less important today than in the 19th Century school systems? - Paige
3rd Hour
12. Why do people vote for third party candidates if they never win? - Blake, Allison, Ben
13. What if Rockefeller didn't believe in God? Would he be as rich as he ended up? Who would he have given credit to for all that money if he did end up w/ all that $$$? - Mary
14. List some similarities and differences between TR and George W. Bush. - Collin
15. Do you think building a 700-mile fence along our southern border w/ Mexico to stop terrorism is a good idea? Why or why not? - Lauren
5th Hour
16. Do we need a new Progressive Party today? Why or why not? - Symonne, Melanie, Ben, David
17. Who stands behind the information that appears on the television/newspaper/internet? - Marta
18. Where does all of our income tax money go? - Casey, Marta
19. What are the positive/negative effects of allowing illegal immigrants to stay in America? - Stefanos, Sara
20. Do you think Boss Tweed was a bad guy? Why or why not? - Sarah Z.
21. Who might be the "next Irish" minority group after the Mexicans? - Jumi
21. Who might be the "next Irish" minority group after the Mexicans? - Jumi
5th Hour
22. What would America be like without Susan B. Anthony? - Gabe, Phil
23. In your opinion, which was the most important invention in this era (for example, skyscraper, steel, telephone, electricity, airplane, advances in the camera) and why? - Pat
24. What would have happened to the U.S. economy in 1895 and in 1907 if J.P. Morgan had not helped bail it out? - Jessie, Phil
25. What if the government hadn't decided to help build the Transcontinental railroad? - Josh D.
26. What if Abe Lincoln had never been shot and was able to serve out the rest of his 2nd term? - Matt B., Josh D., Jake
27. What would America be like if women hadn't won the suffrage movement? - Josh L., Allie
28. Do you think there is a political machine in America today? Explain. - Justin
29. If America is about freedom and equality, why is it that we've never had a woman, black, Asian, Latin or Jewish President yet? - unsigned
49 comments:
3. When I heard what eugenics was, even before I heard the information about 70,000 people, I was shocked that such a thing would be done. It is cruel to sterilize people who were considered unfit to the laws. The whole idea is just wrong. Only having the best humans possible be able to make more of the best humans possible. And to think how many people suffered because of this idea of having only the best humans. Lane Riddick, who was mentioned in the article, said she felt like she was nothing and it’s like the people that did this to her took her spirit away from her. She did not know she had been sterilized she had always dreamed of motherhood. It is wrong to take away this dream because the person is not the perfect human. In the idea of eugenics perfect humans are everywhere. In my opinion nobody’s perfect and eugenics is a horrible way of taking away someone’s dreams.
Marin 5th hour
I would like to comment on the question that states "Was school education in the late 1800s on the right track compared to where we are today?" I believe that the school system back in the 1800s was on the right track compared to the way schools are today. My reason being is because there was alot more disclpine back then than there is today. Examples: lifting books for the whole class, clean the erasers, stand in the corner. Examples in today century: kick out in the hallway(yea right) get sent home(which only makes it better for the student because he/she could just watch T.V.) Overall there was more disclpine back then, there is today.
Tommy Syrkett 3rd Hour
Why do you think Thomas Nast drew political cartoons? If you were a cartoonist today, what would be your main subject and why?
I think that Thomas Nast was looking for his voice. He couldn't project it in the world. Thomas Nast must have loved drawing and politics so he just combined the two. That gave him a nation wide voice about politics. He became very well known by taking on trust/monopoly owners such as J.P. Morgan, Andrew Carnegi, and John D. Rockerfeller. That inspired muckrakers to take them down because they had a person with their back. And it would be easier to belive with some one in a newspaper drawing it up. If I was a political cartoonist I would have Bush as my main source of drawing. Like how he is an gun slinging stubborn christian Texan. But I would also would use the presidential election of 2008. That would be a great source as well. Like how Republican Thomson was on Law and Order.And how the new prez. would take on so many hornets nests like iraq, healthcare, education, and the national debt. Also I would draw about social security and how the government won't be able to pay that and our generation. And that we won't have the benifits that previous americans had. That is what I would draw about.
Carter Kingery 1st Hour
1. During the 1912 election I would have voted for Teddy Roosevelt, even though he would have been trying for a third term as president. I would have voted for him because, he did such a great job running the country in his first two terms. The people of America respected him and thought he was different than past presidents, because of his outgoing and positive attitudes on America. I also think that he was a great leader because of his ability to over power one of the most powerful business men during his presidency, J.P. Morgan. Roosevelt’s ability to over power one of the most powerful men in America and showed Americans that he could be powerful and run the country. Roosevelt showed his great power in many ways, in 1906, he implemented the Pure Food and Drug act and Meat Inspection act. He also helped reversed years of neglect on the environment and set aside millions of acres of forest and wetlands to create fifty wildlife and national park sanctuaries. Roosevelt was known as a trust buster for busting or breaking apart the powerful monopolies, such as oil, railroads and tobacco monopolies. Breaking up these monopolies greatly affected one of the most powerful men in America during that time, J.P. Morgan. Morgan was the head business man of the late 1800s to the early 1900s and before Roosevelt he was the most powerful man in America. When Roosevelt broke up the monopolies, many Americans thought this was going to be a bad thing but it wasn’t and they gained faith in him as a president.
Megan 5th
3) I think the sterilization of over 70,000 people who were deemed "unfit" is totally wrong and shouldn’t even have come into question. People who think like this, Hitler for example, are crazy and think they’re helping the economy but they’re not. It is illogical to think that sterilizing all poor and bad people will cause there to be no more of them. This doesn’t make sense because a kid could have a terrible childhood and be very poor but end up becoming very successful and wealthy. Being poor or bad is not a gene; it will not be passed down within a family. People thought that some people were deemed "unfit" leading to the sterilization of 70,000 people. Just because the people who weren’t sterilized were considered perfect, doesn’t mean that they will have perfect children. Eugenics laws were rediculous; they weren’t based off of true facts and knowledge. These people were imagining a perfect society where everyone is perfect and there are no faults. All these people were doing was dreaming of the way they want our society to be. Everyone has a vision of a perfect society but we know that we cant always get what we want, especially not by using crazy methods like this one.
Richard W.
1st Hour
Regarding the question about the seven hundred mile long fence between the United States, and Mexico, I believe that it is not a very good idea. The only thing a seven hundred mile long fence will do is waste a bunch of time and money. If illegal immigrants are sneaking over now, a seven hundred mile long fence won’t stop most of them from crossing the border. If the United States really wants to take charge of the illegal immigration problem, we will have to integrate better “get tough” methods because what we are doing now obviously isn’t working. If we stick with the guest worker methods, we are only making the problem worse. The only thing that guest worker plan is doing is increasing the flow of immigrants. The more illegal immigrants, the better chance of Americans staying unemployed because of them taking all of the low class jobs, which should go to American citizens instead of illegal immigrants. “Get tough” methods will decrease the flow of illegal immigrants, and decrease the level of unemployment. A decrease in the level of unemployment can and will improve our nation’s overall economy. In conclusion, America will have to do much better than a mere seven hundred mile ling fence if they want to solve their immigration problems.
David M.
3. I think that the sterilization of over 70,000 people who were deemed "unfit" according to eugenics laws was wrong in many ways. The first way is that it punished those who could not help the fact that they were retarded or ugly. Those people had no control over how they turned out when they were born. They weren't as lucky as the good looking or "normal" (not retarded) people.
The whole idea of eugenics is stupid. If a person isn't good looking then maybe they should not be a model, on television shows, magazine covers, etc. It's wrong to just disclude them and kill them, if they're not good looking, they just shouldn't be looked at as much or in the top headlines so people can see how bad looking they are. The idea of cloning people is silly, with the reason being that if everyone was good looking, that would be boring. America needs differen't looking people to mix things up and make it not so boring. If you cloned someone, because they were pretty, that wouldn't help anyone out. It would just make every person cloned, look the same. Personally, I wouldn't like to look like my best friend, neighbor, or someone from another state that I don't even know, for that matter. The whole idea of eugenics spoils the purpose of America being a mixture of different people that have different abilities, different looks, different strengths, and different weaknesses.
Mary Mc Keon
3rd Hour
An invention today that can be compared to the skyscrapers or bridges of the early 1900’s is the computer. The computer, like the skyscraper, helps businesses and the economy. It also keeps improving. With computers, businesses can move at a quicker pace, be more efficient, and make business easier. They also help the economy with easier and faster trade. Like skyscrapers and bridges, computers keep improving, Manufacturers come out with stronger steel alloy to hold up the skyscrapers so they can be taller, and keep bridges from rusting so they can last longer. Computer engineers invent new and faster processors that make the convenience even better. People buy into both of these items and become successful. They can buy stock and make a profit (or lose money). Businesses also use tall buildings and skyscrapers today as the base of their business, and then, they can go home and go on their computer to finish up their work. This is how computers and skyscrapers can be fit into the same group. Bridges improve transportation. With a computer, you can go on the internet and check travel conditions, thus improving travel even more. Computers can improve anything and I don’t doubt that sometime in the future, there will be something better than computers.
Sam C.
1st hr
Thomas Nast drew political cartoons to exaggerate qualities about America to day in a way that reveals truths about our society. His cartoons targeted the average American and were meant to poke fun at political leaders and events. He did this by picking specific actions or personality traits that are questionable or out right idiotic. I think that these type of comical cartoons were a good way to make light of depressing situations and although some may see them as inappropriate, I think they are funny. If I were a cartoonist today I would have a very, very wide variety of topics to pick from. I think that nearly everyone in our governmental system today has at least one characteristic that I could poke fun at. Although they have much more pressure to be perfect, they are not. At times we are over critical of these people in things like scathing articles and cartoons but they are supposed to be running our country so I do suppose it is some what warranted. I think the easiest thing to base a political cartoon off of today would be our leader, President Bush. From the way he talks, to what he does, to how he looks, its kind of hard not to poke fun occasionally.
Sarah Zamler
3rd Hour
I think that Thomas Nast drew political cartoons for a few reasons such as to get his bad feelings towards powerful people out, to make the powerful people’s mistakes known and to make fun of them. I believe when Thomas Nast got mad at one of the powerful people he would get rid of his hatred by drawing it out. Also, I think when he thought one of them made a good decision he would draw a cartoon to celebrate their brilliance. He probably also drew cartoons to make people understand what their mistake just did to America, so that people were aware of what was going on. It was a way to keep America informed in a fun way, instead of having them read some long boring article. Plus, he probably did it to make a mockery of the person, so that they never make that mistake again. If I were a cartoonist today, my main subject would probably be on teenagers. This would be because I know more about teenagers than I do anything else. Also, teenagers would be easy to make cartoons about because they are very “foolish” people and make funny mistakes that most people can relate to.
Katie R.
3rd hour
5.
I think Thomas Nast drew political cartoons because he wanted to express his opinion about politics, let people know about bad politicians, and he must have been good at cartoons. Also, I believe that he didn't ever get arrested so Thomas Nast probably felt that he would never get in trouble and that he could make a lot of money doing cartoons. He might have thought he would become well known across the United States, which he did. If I could focus on any topic today, if we are talking about politics, I would focus on the Presidential Election of 2008. I say this because if I wanted to voice my opinion about something political this is what I would do. Also, there have already been a lot of cartoons about the War in Iraq and it would just be like everyone else. But, if I did the Election of 2008 then I would get more attention because it is something pretty new. I could show someone that I am supporting. If I focused on the Election of 2008 my cartoons might be very popular because they would bring down the other people that are running and make the person I am supporting look good. This might possibly help my candidate get more votes, which would help him or her win the election and become President.
Pat R.
5th hour
4. Why is it a bad idea for one person to have so much power (over the economy) like JP Morgan? - Megan
I think it was bad for someone to have so much power over the economy like JP Morgan did because when you have so much power you can easily affect other people. You have to be very careful that nothing happens to you economically. If JP Morgan was to suddenly lose a lot of money, not only would that be a bad thing for him, but also for the whole country since he was the richest man. One of the good things about having so much power is in cases like when JP Morgan had to occasionally help the government out by giving them loans. That could also be a very bad thing because that shows that he had more money then anyone in the Country, including the government, and if he lost all his money somehow there would be no one to help out the government and that could get the whole country into trouble. Because of this, I think the quote “With great power comes great responsibility” is very true. I also think it’s a bad thing for one person to have so much power because, stereotypically, the people with the most money are most greedy and proud. They have to know that they have responsibilities as being the most powerful.
Rachael Tyndall
1st hour
I think Thomas Nast drew political cartoons because he was a cartoonist that cared about his country. He may have had some political experience before, or he might not have. It really doesn't matter because it all applies to him because he was an American citizen. Also, Thomas Nast may have been a "do the right thing" kind of guy. In which if someone was doing something that wasn't right buy his standards, he felt it was necessary to put that person in his/her place. If i was a cartoonist i would'nt draw political cartoons because right now, i don't know alot about politics and politicians. I would probably end up saying something that wasn't true. Also, a politcal cartoonist has a lot of responsibility which i'm not sure i would be able to handle. I would draw cartoons based mostly off of immature humor because that's something that i can come up with easily. It would be a little like many other comics, but thats what i would concentrate on. I wouldn't spend so much time on the drawings, but more time on the humor. Alot of comics i see that are meant to be funny, just aren't. They are boring, bland, and just not funny.
~Jake
5th hour
I believe that Thomas Nast drew the political cartoons of Boss Tweed for a couple of reasons. First off he drew them to anger Tweed and sort of get him aroused. I think that he tried portraying him as being a bad man and a fake. He drew cartoons that made him look like a joke, and it brought a lot of humor to people who before saw Tweed as being a powerful man and in the newspapers he was being made fun of, and maybe people saw Tweed as being weak. If I were a cartoonist I would draw cartoons about politics today. I would show political leaders that were bad as being frauds and bad people. I would make fun of political leaders like George Bush, Condoleezza Rice, and others for some of the bad decisions that they make.
Stefanos T. 3rd Hour
Is America a unified nation today? – Channel
America is not unified because everyone has a different opinion and we will never be on the same page. American’s agree to disagree especially when it comes to politics. The Democrats may think something is good for the country and the Republicans may not this creates democracy. If United States was unified everything would be set In stone , and would be no room for change. In my opinion a unified country creates a interesting community because if everyone agreed it would be boring and nothing would spark my interest. We will never be unified when to comes to nationality the nation we should except everyone for who they are and not try and change them. I also think racism toward any race is a major setback the American society. However, think racism will never become a problem of the past . America can never be unified if the people that live here cannot accept there neighbor for who they are , and not what they are . The pledge of alligence claims that “we are one nation under God” , but we will never be one nation under God. The diversity and freedom that our four fathers have given us creates a unified nation and makes America the land of the free.
Lauren Babb
1st hour
Channel Gray
November 1, 2007
History 1st Hour
Is America a unified nation today?
I do not believe that America is a unified nation. The reasons why this is because America does not except everyone as we should and we show favoritism toward people that were born in the U.S. We do not stick together as we should as a country. I also believe that America is still such a political country and that we view things differently such as the war in Iraq, immigration, and racial issues such as the Jena six. When hurricane Katrina struck the southern states that was a like a test to see how the American people would respond. We did not stick together as a country should because there was not much help from the government at the time. We are so quick to help everyone else’s country out when we are the ones who need the help. Let us talk about the poverty, environment issues that we have.
Question 3! I felt outraged when I learned about eugenics. I knew that this happened to some people, but I had no idea that it had happened on such a large scale. The science of eugenics is so horrible for several reasons. First it doesn’t allow people, good innocent people, to be given the chance to be parents. It takes away the ability for a woman to experience the “miracle of birth”. These people never did anything to harm the people. Why should they be punished for being different than those who are “fit”? Second this process is hazardous and unmoral. This process cannot be justified because it doesn’t always work. There are complications such as Eugenic policies could also lead to loss of genetic diversity. You can’t treat humans like plants that you can breed out certain characteristics. While reading the article about eugenics in South Carolina I felt very sad for the woman in the passage. She had been sterilized without her permission or knowledge. I think that is so low. How can people think that taking away potential life is right? Also I believe the process itself is disgusting. Taking out a uterus…yuck! One of the main reasons I hate it so much is that American eugenics lead to the elimination of millions of European Jews.
Barbara Moore
3rd hour
Who would you have voted for in the 1912 election and why? I would have voted for Theodore Roosevelt in the eletion of 1912. He had already proved that he could be a good and reliable president. He would continue working for the causes he cared about. I would have felt safer buying groceries and medicine because he started the Food and Drug Administration. I also love animals and felt that Roosevelt wanted to make sure any animals who were endangered were safe. Most of all, Roosevelt wanted to make sure employers treated employees fairly. If I had a job at a factory I knew Roosevelt would listen to the Union leaders. If I owned a business I would not want to go bankrupt because a bigger company could take my customers and have a monopoly. Roosevelt broke trusts and monopolies because he believed in a free market. I would have voted for Roosevelt over Taft because Taft wasn't as good of a president as Roosvelt. Taft didn't care about all the things Roosevelt cared about. I think Roosevelt would have made a great President in 1912 and I would have voted for him.
Robert 5
I think that we shouldn't create a 700 mile long fence to prevent illegal immigrants from coming to America. It'll be in human if we would set up a fence to try to prevent illegal immigrants. Although we have 12 million in our country today doesn't mean that we are in need of a fence that would give them a since that they were in a prison. I agree (for once) with Bush and congress with the Amnesty Act. It is a more lenient plan instead of what is intended to do with the 700 mile long fence. With the Amnesty act we can at least give them a chance to become an American citizen while being punished. They will have to pay fines and learn everything they can about the U.S with the 700 mile long fence it could send a wrong message to the world and could affect future allies or future friends. All should have a chance to become a U.S citizen, we believe that all people should be viewed as equal so why not illegal immigrants. They just want they same freedom that we have. With the Amnesty plan i also think that it'll control the flow of illegal immigration better than what has been done in the past.
Collin Parson
3rd hour
5. Why do you think Thomas Nast drew political cartoons? If you were a cartoonist today, what would be your main subject and why?
I think Thomas Nast drew political cartoons because he wanted to be herd but didn’t want to be too formal. Most people do not read long lengthy news articles but it’s not uncommon for someone to read a cartoon that is funny and educational. A lot of his cartoons were about political figure and issue that many people wanted to know about. If Thomas Nast was to just say what he thought or maybe wrote a paper or article about it he could be sued for slider and libel but because he did cartoons his work was not looked at as insulting.
If I were a cartoonist today I would draw pictures of all the important things going on today. I would make fun of people I didn’t like such as the President and the Mayor. I would also make fun of thing that I thought people did that was stupid. I would make a lot of my cartoons about the war on terror because it is a war we shouldn’t be in that Bush started. I wouldn’t be nice at all I would be dirty and mean to everyone. I wouldn’t let the boarder stop my chaos either. I would draw about thing in other countries that are stupid such as all the wars in Africa that other countries are getting into (such as us) and also all the terrorism going on today.
Chris Elliott
I think we should build a 700 mile wall on our border with Mexico. I might take a while but it would be worth it. This way we wouldn't have to worry about illegal immigrants sneaking over here. They would have to apply for a visa the way everybody else does that enters the US the right way. If we were to build a wall this big and expensive we should make it good and unpassable. We should make it tall and have barbed wire at the top. This might take a long time but it will be useful. Blocking the immigrants from entering the US will end most problems with the bordering states. The residents of these states don't like the illegal immigrants because thy are willing to get payed less for jobs that Americans originally had. This is forcing people out of jobs. The wall will also eliminate the amount of police officers working on the border now. The police officers will then be able to go back to their regular duties of patrolling the neighborhoods for local crimes and such. The government won't have to pay all the police officers on duty on the border. I think the 700 mile wall will be a great improvement to the security of the US.
Ryan Feist
3rd hour
8. What is your take on the 700-mile border wall w/ Mexico? Should we build it or not? Why? – Lauren
My take on the 700-mile border wall with Mexico is that it is completely needed. There is no other way that we can keep illegal immigrants out of the United States. It is a really good idea because it is a very simple way to keep the non-U.S. citizens/drugs out and the U.S. citizens in (not that we will be locked in and never let across the border). The U.S. towns that are right on the border are constantly in danger because the illegal immigrants that cross over at night come through those towns. If The United States Government built the 700-mile fence then it would eliminate this problem of Mexicans putting the U.S. citizens in danger. Also, the fence would eliminate the drug smuggling problem that goes on between Mexico and the U.S. There is only a small fraction of the U.S-Mexico border that is actually patrolled by guards. The rest is just open land and the Rio Grande River. All together I think that this fence would drastically reduce the number of illegal immigrants coming into our country each year and it would cut down drug trafficking. If Mexicans want to become legal U.S. citizens they can do it like all of the other immigrants that come to the U.S. from other countries.
Matt Merrifield
3rd hour
How did you feel / react to the information about the sterilization of over 70,000 people who were deemed "unfit" according to eugenics laws?
I was astonished and amazed when I found out about the sterilization of all of those people. I had no idea. We, America, had the thought to sterilize people who in our minds were unfit, to “mate” with someone else. Humans are not dogs. We can’t be chosen because of our traits to mate with someone else. That is sick and inhumane. I am appalled that someone thought that was a good idea.
Humans are not animals. We have intuition and rights as human beings. We can choose anyone we want to reproduce with. Eugenics is a bad idea. That’s not fair to the people who were sterilize. They can’t have children now because they were deemed unfit to have children. They did not have the right traits. Well, what are the right traits anyway? Are there perfect traits? Who are you to tell someone that they do not have the perfect trait right for reproducing? We can not judge people like that. Especially in America. People have freedoms and rights. People come here seeking freedom. They don’t come here looking to be judge by total strangers. Eugenics is not right and I am glad it was banned. I feel so sorry for all those people that had to be sterilize.
Whitney S.
1st hour
IM GOING TO ANSWER LAURYNS QUESTION ABOUT SHOULD WE BUILD TEH 700 MILE WALL OR NOT. I THINK NOT BECAUSE ITS WOULD UST BE ALOT OF WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY. I THINK IF WE BUILT THE WALL TRUE IT WOULD MAYBE STOP IMMIGRATON FROM MEXICO A LITTLE, BUT SOO THEY WOULD JUST FIND ANOTHER WAY TO GET OVER HERE!.THEY WOULD ALSO EITHER TAKE ABOUT TO THE OTHER SIDE OF OUR COUNTRY IN START COMING IN THROUGH SAY FLORIDA OR ANOTHER SOUTH EASTERN STATE OR THEY WOULD FIND WAYS TO CHEAT THE LAW, BY COMING IN ON DIFFERNT VISAS AND THEN JUST NOT GOING BACK OR STAYING IN HIDING. ALSO I THINK THERE ARE PEOPLE IN AMERICA WILLING TO HELP THEM SNEAK INTO THE COUNTRY AS WELL FAMILY AND FRIENDS THAT MAY ALREADY BE HERE. SO I THINK THAT BUILDING THE WALL MAYBE POINTLESS.I THINK WHAT THEY COULD DO IS ALLOW EVERYONE WHO COMES OVER LEGAL AND MAKE THEM PAY TAXES IN SUCH. PEOPLE ARE BORN INTO THE COUNTRY EVERY DAY , SO THOSE WHO COME OVER ARENT MAKING A DIFERENCE , ALSO PEOPLE DIE AND LEAVE THE COUNTRY. BELIEVE IT OR NOT , NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE IN AMERICA.I THINK THE PROCESS TO BECOMING A CITIZEN SHOULD BE SHORTER AND QUICKER. I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE ARE WORRIED ABOUT THEM TAKING OUR JOBS ,BUT WHEN THEY COME OVER HER MAKE A LAW THAT SAYS THAT THEY CANNOT UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE BE PAID LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE , AND IF CAUGHT DOING SO ,THEY WILL BE CHARGED HIGHER TAXES OR WILL BE FORCED TO WORK LESS HOURS.
SYMONNE SMITH 3RD HR
i am answering the question that asks how i felt about over 70,000 people were sterylized because they were demmed Unfit accorsing to eugenics.
I think that it is unfair to judge anyone else's potential in life and i think that anyone can acheive anything if they try hard enough. i think that to saythat someone will never amount to anything worth while and to deny them the right to live is wrong. i also think that it in un-fair to deny anyone the right to have children if they want to. i beleive that everyone should have the right to live, and that if someone wou ld like to have children, than it shouldn't be the government's buisness if they think that they are worthy. I was very shocked to here that there are still laws allowing sterylization by the government today. I beleive that these laws should be banned.
-Megan Walsh
1st hour
Blake Bogart
3rd Hour
I would have voted for Teddy Roosevelt during the 1912 election. He was a great president during his last two terms as president. He made very important reforms in a variety of different social and economic areas. He was a great leader that could inspire the nation to do great things and he could unite people to work as one nation in order to advance. He was also a great war hero who wouldn’t be afraid to do what was right for the country no matter what other people or countries think. He wouldn’t back down from European nations and would continue to work to increase the power of the US in the world. He would have continued the spirit of reform that he left to Taft but Taft failed to continue it. He also would have continued to break up monopolies and improve the US military. A stronger military would have helped the US in WWI. Teddy would keep the US government young and not old and sluggish like Taft. The country needed strong leadership in this point of time and I think that Teddy would have been the strongest leader because he did care about what other people in the government thought and he did what he thought was best for the country.
#10. Can you think of any groundbreaking inventions today that can be compared to the designing of the skyscrapers and bridges like the Brooklyn Bridge. How has this invention helped us?
The design of skyscrapers and bridges reshaped the look of our cities. The buildings changed the way we work and live. I believe the inventors or the twentieth century reshaped the world. Computers have allowed the world to become a smaller place. It has given us the ability to contact anyone and access world news and information. The computer has reshaped our everyday life. Think about what the computer has eliminated or replaced; the typewriter and mail. Books and encyclopedias can now be accessed on line. The way we obtain news and information has made newspapers and news on the television obsolete. If skyscrapers reach to the sky then the computer reaches through the universe.
Justin L.
5th hour
8. What is your take on the 700-mile border wall w/ Mexico? Should we build it or not? Why? - Lauren
I do not think the US should build a 700-mle wall with Mexico. The wall would cause even more conflicts with Mexico. The wall would just be away to isolate the US from Mexico. Immigrants from Mexico would still be able to come to the US with or without the border wall. There is no way to stop immigrates from coming to the US. I think most immigrants come over to the US to have a better life. If the wall was built I think other countries would despise the US.
Emily C. 3rd Hour
7) I don’t think America is a unified nation today. The reason why I think so is because being one of the biggest countries automatically involves having the highest number of people living in it. Lots of people consist in lots of different minds and ways to think. You could grow up in the smallest group of people and still have contrasting ideas with your neighbors . America is a big country, composed of very different states and people. Each state carries its own traditions, further within each state there are people that are living opposite life style(poor/rich), and that come from different religions, races and ethnic backgrounds(Asian, European, African, Spanish). Being a unified country to me means that all the people living in it share the same ideas and values. And because of the variety of human beings living in America, it’s almost impossible that all of them could stand and fight for the same ideals. From Europe, America is seen with lots of stereotypes, but the truth lies in the facts that you cannot judge “America” as a single body, because this body thinks with dissimilar brains. Even laws changes from state to state. The mouth of this “body” may want to scream at the world about how unstoppable and right the American way is. The arms of this “body”may want to show how strong and powerful they are( these body’s parts could represent just the richer parts and states of the country), but what about the legs of the body? What about the knees and feet? Are their thoughts spoken by the mouth and desired actions performed by the arms? I don’t think so. I think it’s a mistake talk about America as single person and soul, it could never be.
Marta Elia 3rd hour
Question # 22
Without Susan B. Anthony, woman would have never been able to vote, have jobs, or run their lives as they do now. Susan B. Anthony wanted women to be able to vote and be a part of the community, instead of being a housewife and cleaning up after everyone. Susan B. Anthony made it possible for women to have jobs so that they could take care of their families and put food on the table, but some woman are still home moms or wives, and they cook and clean everything, but they chose to do that they weren’t forced to do it. Women now have the right to go out in public and be heard and make statements that are important to government and even small communities to make a difference in the way that community or government runs the everyday activities of there citizens. Many women today own big business companies because Susan B. Anthony started to rebel and make a change for woman in the country. Woman tend to run groups and certain projects better than the average male can, giving women who are scared to step up and take a chance, a role model to look after and admire, and someday want to become like.
Matt Whitney
5th Hour
8. What is your take on the 700-mile border wall w/ Mexico? Should we build it or not? Why?
My take on the 700-mile boarder wall with Mexico is that it is absolutely necessary to have. America is a diverse country, and we aren’t afraid of having people of different cultures or races living in our country. If we want the non-U.S. citizens to be American citizens, then we should be teaching them the ways that we will accept them by. For example when they are jumping the boarder from Mexico to the U.S., it is unacceptable they will be illegal aliens in our society. It is also unacceptable because these non-U.S citizens are smuggling drugs which is a great danger for all cities near and around the boarder. If we step up and build a 700-mile boarder wall, then we won’t have as many non-U.S. citizens sneaking into our country and having them also smuggling drugs. This will reduce many factors, like less illegal drug trafficking and also less illegal aliens in our country. With less illegal aliens in our country then we will have less poverty in crowded cities, less crime because they won’t be there having to steal stuff, and less illiteracy. All in all, this boarder wall is completely necessary to have because there is no logical reason for these non-U.S. citizens to be sneaking into our country, they are just giving us more problems with poverty, crime, illiteracy, and illegal drug trafficking. So if they want to come into out country, they should become a citizen and be legal.
Derek M.
1st Hour
America's trademark is that it is all for freedom and equality, and yet there has never been any variety in our types of presidents. Sure they may have different opinions or support opposite causes, but their similarity is that they are all American white men. Is this a coincidence, or is there something deeper to reflect on in this situation? I think America has purposly set this sterotype for the American president. Our country seems set in its ways, and sees no point in changing now. In the most recent election, there is an African-American man, a woman, and a white man all running, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least bit if the black man won the popular vote, and the white man won the electoral vote. Of course the woman would receieve a few praises, but just simply that. I don't think the government or the country is comfortable with being controlled by a new type of person, but perhaps it may benefit the country as a whole. It shouldn't make a difference if the president is black, Asian, Jewish, or female especially since they all can express their views and contributions in the same ways. America has casted a veil upon their society, making it seem ok that everyone has the hope of running for office, but deep down we all know who will probably win. Its almost make a mockery out of the people who think they have a chance at making a difference. If ever in the future we live to see a president of a different race, religion, or gender then I would say America has finally done the job of modernizing themselves. But if we grow up to see the same black suit white man standing at the podium, then America is nothing more than a hipocrit.
Julia Henning 5th Hour
"If America is about freedom and equality, why is that we've never had a woman, black, Asian, Latin or Jewish president yet?"
Jumi Cadmus
3rd hour.
Do you think President Roosevelt was correct in breaking up monopolies? Why or why not? I think President Roosevelt was correct in breaking up monopolies because it is not good for one company to control and regulated most of the business. If this happens, then only one person will eventually be in charge of the whole business and become filthy rich. They could control much and use their to become very powerful. Instead the business should evenly distributed among different companies so when the country is in need of help, like it was back in the early 1900s, the government wont have to rely on one person, because that person could decide not to help. I also think he was correct for breaking up monopolies because it helped the nation get back on track.
I believe that building a 700-mile fence along the Mexican border would be an okay idea. This is because on what we have now was SUPPOSED to stop illegal immigrants coming from the other countries was SUPPOSED to stop immigrants from coming in. I think anything we do; they will still try to find a way around it. I mean they have done it before why should they stop now? Didn’t we think that our last idea for stopping illegal immigrants was going to help? Although a 700-mile fence would help protect us a fair amount more, by making it harder for them to just jump over, but I think that immigrants will still sneak there way into the United States. Personally, I believe we need something stronger with our security. There has to be something that we can do to help determine who is an illegal immigrant or not. When they come to the U.S they have no supervision around them at all. They are just free in the United States. I think we need something that we can notice and realize who shouldn’t be here. In my opinion, anything we do construction wise is not going to prevent them from coming to America. Although, it will be a large part of stopping immigrants, but its just not going to be enough. The United States needs to thing of something soon, before it’s too late.
Melanie Shaw
3rd hour
20. America is about freedom and equality and people fight for these rights. But when it comes to power, people forget these rights. It can bring out the racism, anti-Semitic, or stereotypes in people. They lose track of what’s important and thing of the personal part of them. They think well we don’t want to have a black president because then the raciest people won’t be happy. Or if we had a Jewish president the middle-east would hate us more. Or that the Jewish president might lose track of the problems in America and only want to help Israel. Then the stereotypes of women could start to come out, that she won’t be as helpful to the America than a man would be. That prevents them from seeing the political problems they plan to fix. Caucasian people today are one way with people just in everyday life, and another way when it comes to power and people above them. There was just the first Mexican elected into government. Hillary Clinton is running for president, I personally would vote for her. But I hear people make comments referring to her husband Bill Clinton and when he was president. Also that she is a woman. They are blinded by these things and not seeing how much she could help our country. If it was only about Politics we would have had a different ethnicity or religious president. It’s also not only with the government but with business to. People are ignorant and judge people by their appearances. On college applications you had to check off if you were white or black, why does it matter? Is it going to affect if you get in? What dorm you will be in? How people will treat you? It used to affect if colleges would accept you. Does this say America known for its freedom and equality? I don’t think so, it’s a way to almost lure you into America, false advertizing. In a way you have some freedom and there is some equality. But if you moved from one neighborhood to another that could all change. It’s hard to know if we will ever have a different ethnicity or religious president. It’s scary that they would put a complete idiot into power before a Black, Indian, Asian, Mexican, Women, or Jewish person.
The French gave us the Statue of Liberty but we had nothing to put it upon like a pedestal. Do we raise taxes in New York City (or a nationwide tax) to pay for it or would you just wait until the city could raise the money from wealthy individuals to help pay for the pedestal?
This one I feel like none of them I would use. Raising taxes wouldn't be fair for those who can't afford it, but take money from weathly isn't very fair either. If I were to choose one of these I would have the wealthy pay because there the ones who earn money and use it on trips or nice things for their houses that aren't sometimes necessary. While the poor will go broke if taxes are raised. I have to mention it agian, but I do not think any of those two choices are good. My opinion is keep the taxes at the same rate and just raise money until you reach what you need. My say is just don't put it on the pedestal and find a cheaper way to do it, that way people don't have to change what they are doing. It would help the poor and have the wealthy stay the same and they wouldn't have to bother.
Fran W. 3rd Hour
How did you feel / react to the information about the sterilization of over 70,000 people who were deemed "unfit" according to eugenics laws?
I feel like the treatment of the people that are believed to be "unfit" is ridiculous. I don’t think that the government should be allowed to sterilize anyone without that individuals consent. Even though there are no laws saying that you are allowed to have children, there are no laws against it either. The government can’t chose to sterilize some individual people and leave the others untouched because that goes against equality, which is one of our Core Democratic Values. Also, the government should not be allowed to say who is "unfit" or not. They can’t just say that anyone making below poverty level is not allowed to have children. Or that anyone who has been raped or got pregnant while they were young is supposed to be sterilized so that they can’t have any more children.
When I first heard about this sterilization process I was not only shocked, but a bit worried as well. In the article, it said that Michigan is one of the states that have been doing sterilization procedures for the past 50 years or so and that sort of scared me. It’s a scary thought to think that some people that I know or have seen may be sterilized. Also in the article, it said that they will kidnap the people they want to sterilize, so that means that I could just be out walking around and get kidnapped and sterilized.
Amanda B.
1st Hour
The question that I am doing is #27. “What would America be like if women hadn't won the suffrage movement?”
If women didn’t win the suffrage movement, it would be so different today. Us as women wouldn’t get the same rights as men and I think we would still be fighting till this day on getting those rights. We wouldn’t be able to vote on things such as Presidents. Also we couldn’t apply for jobs because they would want men and not women, because they would think that women are not as educated as good as men are. Men would be the head of the house and the women living with them would have to do everything and anything they say. A woman’s job would be to take care of the house and the children while the man would be getting educated and working. It would be so hard to live without the rights that we have today. I don’t think that I would get able to function if I didn’t get an education because I wouldn’t know how to hold a descent conversation if I wanted to get a job. There are so many powerful women today, that I don’t think would be around or as powerful if it wasn’t for the suffrage movement. America would be so different if women did win.
Annie Sovran
5th Hour
8. I think that the 700-mile border wall with Mexico is needed. It is the best way that we can keep illegal immigrants out of the United States. it would be something that would be very affective because there would be no place immigrants could get into. The wall would waste a lot of U.S. time and money but it’s worth keeping immigrants out of. Without immigrants there will be a lot more Americans in the future that are employed. Also, the fence would eliminate the drug smuggling problem that goes on between Mexico and the U.S. It would keep the smugglers out and America will eventually get rid of those drugs. I think that this will be more of a symbol of America saying that we do not want immigrants. So even though it sounds like a bad idea now, I think it will help America later.
Matt B.
5th hour
In your opinion, which was the most important invention in this era (for example, skyscraper, steel, telephone, electricity, airplane, advances in the camera) and why?
I think that the most important invention of the era we talked about was electricity. I think that electricity is very important to the world today and will always be and has been since its invention. Electricity was invented in the 19th century. When it was invented, electricity changed the world forever. None of the other inventions such as skyscraper, steel, telephone, airplane, and advances in the camera had the same affect on the world as electricity did. Without electricity our world would be a lot different than it is today. None of the things we use such as computers, telephone, and other such inventions would work. Electricity pretty much runs our world and while we could still survive without a modern camera or steel or airplanes, we would not be able to cope very well with the loss of electricity because it was such an important invention
Phil 5th Hour
Do you think building a 700-mile fence along our southern border w/ Mexico to stop terrorism is a good idea? Why or why not?
I don’t think that building a 700-mile fence along our southern border with Mexico to stop terrorism is a good idea. I guess the thought of it is good but I feel that I wouldn’t help. I think that people who are part of terrorist groups feel they have a point to be proven and there going to prove it. I don’t think that a fence will keep them from trying to prove there points. It would be spending money that we could be using to try and prevent terrorism in other and more effective ways. I also feel that if we built a wall, terrorists would think we were testing them in a way. And this could trigger them to attack the U.S.
Alex G.
3rd hour
What are the positive-negative effects of allowing illegal immigrants to stay in America?
The negative effects of allowing illegal aliens to stay in America are that first of all it’s illegal. The term “illegal” immigrant means that they are breaking the law, and probably snuck past the border coast guards. Substances those are illegal in the United States that can be smuggled across the border and sold in the United States illegally. They also increase the total population of the United States, which could be a good or a bad thing depending on your political/environmental views of the world.
Some good things about allowing illegal immigrants into the United States are the jobs that they will work for. Some immigrants come to The United States to find better jobs or work for any price that they can get, some just come for better living conditions. The unemployment rate in the United States is decreasing from the flow of illegal Aliens flowing into the U.S. My opinion is that we should let illegal aliens stay in the United States. They just want to come to the U.S. for a better life for their family. Some immigrants have such a great work ethic that is admired in the United States. People in the United States can be so ungrateful of what they have and how their living. I think that immigrants have the opportunity to be doctors, lawyers, and pursue great careers. I think we should give them a chance to see their full potential.
Gabe
9. What was the reason why there were so many inventions and innovations during this time period that we're studying (late 19th Century/early 20th Century)? In the late 19th century I think so many major inventions, and innovations occurred because we wanted/needed change. The nation was coming out of war, and disease, and we began to collect ourselves and move forward. We conquered slavery, and America wanted to move west. Population was increasing greatly, and immigrants were standing in line waiting to come to the US. With changes coming fast people knew that moving forward was the only option so their plan was to innovate. Transportation was one of the booming plans in this time. People were able to move East to West, and North to South by boat, car, train, ship, and some by the very early airplane. Other inventions like the skyscraper, elevator, and L-trains re-invented the city life. There are still new inventions created everyday, but the late 19th century was the boiling example as to what direction the US was moving. It was a beginning, and a successful beginning.
Paige D.
1st Hr.
3. How did you feel / react to the information about the sterilization of over 70,000 people who were deemed "unfit" according to eugenics laws? – Derek
I thought that the people who thought people can be “unfit” were crazy and deserved to have something much worse done to them. They had no reason and more importantly no right to just take people and sterilize them. And who were they to say who is “unfit” and who isn’t. Now they can’t really do anything to stop it or get back at the people who did this horrible to them. As we saw in the article some people tried to fight back but they did not succeed which is the sad part. Because America being what it is today a great country for “the people” and the people got something taken away from them and now they cant do anything about it. But the worse part about it would have to be that the people who started this whole thing gave ideas to the Nazi’s which led to the death of millions of people. And the American Government couldn’t or didn’t really do anything about sterilizing and these eugenic laws. And even now these things still happen, innocent random people are losing the gift of life just because some people think there unfit and we can’t do anything about it except for protect ourselves even more.
Maher
1st Hour
Why do you think Thomas Nast drew political cartoons? If you were a cartoonist today, what would be your main subject and why? - Richard
Different people deal with their feelings in different ways. Some write poetry, dance or do yoga, as well as others draw out what they are feeling. Thomas Nast most likely drew cartoons because he thought that it was the best way to describe what he was feeling. Everyone loves to read a cartoon so he thought it was the best way to get out his feelings about political issues to people that way. If I was a cartoonist, I would focus on different problems around the world. For example I would draw cartoons that caught the readers attention about people going hungry around the world.
Brooke
1st Hour
I don’t think that building a 700mile fence along the southern border with Mexico to stop terrorism is a good idea. The only thing a seven hundred mile long fence will do is waste a money.I mean it wouldn’t help. If there are illegal immigrants are sneaking over now. What will a seven hundred mile fence do, it won’t stop them from trying to cross the border. If the United States wanted to do something about the illegal immigration problem, they eould have, because what we are doing now isn’t working.
I think that people who are part of terrorist groups feel they have to do something to be recognized. I don’t think that a fence will prevent them from what they are doing.
The US would be spending money that could be using prevent the terrorism. I also feel that if we built a fence, the terrorists would be like "are they serious do they tink this is going to stop us", & this could place an attack the U.S. again
ashley davis
Do you think building a 700-mile fence along our southern border w/ Mexico to stop terrorism is a good idea? Why or why not?
I think that building a 700-mile fence is not a good idea. This would basically be spending money for nothing. If terriosts will do what they want to do, and building a fence will not stop them from doing what they want. Terroists want to show people what they feel is right and by doing that they will do anything to prove their point. i think that the thought of the fence is good, but its not good enough to stop the terriosts. i think that we need to find a better way to keep our country safe, and the 700-mile fence is not the way.
Lauren O.
3rd hour
I think that they shouldn't of sterilized anyone for anything because it is invading their personal space and life which should not be practiced by the government. I feel like 70,000 people is way too many people that were steralized because their could have been more families that were born if the women could get pregnant. I also think they should of came up with a better cure for whatever they were trying to do, if they were even trying to do something. I think that was pointless and should not be the law anymore. It should be illegal to sterilize anyone anymore because it has been a long time since eugenics was believed by more people than the ones that believe it today.
Anthony Deza
1st Hour
List some similarities and differences between TR and George W. Bush:
Some similarities between Teddy Roosevelt and George W. Bush are that they both love to go horse back riding. Teddy Roosevelt didn’t own a farm but he loved to go to a field/pastor just to go ride. On the other hand George W. Bush did own a farm and he did go horse back riding but he doesn’t go over any jumps! Now both men loved playing sports, it is sayed that George Bush played rugby at yale, this is not for sure a true statement. Teddy Roosevelt LOVED sports he would have japanese sumo wrestlers come to the white house and have wrestling matches with them, Teddy Roosevelt also loves to go shooting in the woods. Teddy Roosevelt and George Bush are different because Teddy always looked into what was going on in the states. However George Bush during the 9/11 attacks rushed the military into Iraq with out any knowledge of what was going on in their country. Also Teddy Roosevelt cared about the people who inhabit this nation, he didn’t put us into debt, which would have elevated the amount of money we owe other nations for helping us in our times of need! Bush on the other hand has put us into a very deep debt needing to be paid to britain and the other nations that have helped us in the war. Overall i believe that bush has not done a very good job in helping our nation!
bryan m
3rd
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