Movie Review Extra Credit

I am offering an opportunity for extra credit.

You can do a movie review of a movie made about a subject that we have studied so far. You will be responsible for giving me the following:
1. A minimum one-page summary of the movie's plot/story including a description of the main characters and conflict.
2. Minimum 1/2 page summary of the historical elements in the movie - what historical events, people, or moments in time does this movie portray? Are these characters real, fictional? Describe the clothes, transportation, technology (yes, they do have their own version of technology - it's just Outdoor Plumbing 1.0), historical attitudes and beliefs, etc. Provide at least four specific examples with explanation.
3. Minimum 1/2 page on how this movie has expanded your historical awareness of the topic we have already studied. Make sure you describe in this section how the movie connects with an era that we have studied with specific examples from the movie.
4. Keep It or Ditch It - This is where you rate the movie on a true teenager's interest scale. After watching this movie, would this movie might have been something you would have picked out on your own to watch? Why or why not? For a school-related history movie, on a scale of one to five (one being "Good God, don't ever show that again!" to five being "I'm getting on Amazon to buy the DVD"), give a rating for the movie with an explanation.

The assignment is worth 20 points max.

Pick from the movies below.
Sommersby (1993) - Richard Gere and Jodie Foster - Reconstruction romance
Path of Glory (1957) - Kirk Douglas - World War 1
Eight Men Out (1988) - John Cusack, Charlie Sheen - Chicago White Sox Scandal
In Love and War (1996) - Chris O'Donnell and Sandra Bullock - The story of Ernest Hemingway and nurse Agnes von Kurowsky
Iron Jawed Angels
Gettysburg - (1993) - details the story of the battle of Gettysburg over the course of 4 hours
Gods and Generals (2003) - Follows the stories of Generals Lee and Stonewall Jackson between 1861-1863 of the Civil War.
The Molly Maguires (1970) - Irish immigrants and their story of the coal mines in Pennsylvania in 1876
Dances With Wolves (1990) - Kevin Costner. Mary Mcdonell, Graham Greene - Civil War soldier makes friends with Sioux tribe, but then has to choose.
Wyatt Earp (1994) - Kevin Costner, Dennis Quaid, Gene Hackman - cowboys out West and the true story of Wyatt Earp
I Will Fight No More Forever (1971) - Sam Elliot and Ned Romero - Chief Joseph's Nez Perce tribe
Andersonville (1996) - made for TV movie (TNT) about Confederate Civil War prison camp
Inherit the Wind (1960) - The Scopes trial
Far and Away (1992) - Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman - Irish immigrants come to America
Matewan (1987) - Chris Cooper - Profiles the attempt to unionize the coal mines in West Virginia and the violence that followed.

In order to receive credit for this assignment, you must upload your assignment at www.mydropbox.com. When you first get to the website, type in the following info in the light blue boxes at the top of the webpage: Login is 62629 and the password is wickersham (all lower case). Then you will get to a Submit Your Paper page. Click the pull down menu to movie review, type in your email, your name, document title (put the movie title in it), and then either cut and paste or upload your paper from a file.

As a warning, this site will cross reference your paper with many websites on the internet and the other kids who have done this assignment in both of my classes. Two suggestions: 1. Do your own work in your own words; and 2. Don't share your work with anyone no matter who it is. You never know who they'll share it with.

Blog #6 - Pick a student question and react

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

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

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

Blog #5 - Taxes, taxes, taxes

This week we talked at length about taxes, 3rd hour in particular got into a vigorous debate about a flat tax vs. a progressive tax.

The argument for the flat tax focuses on several arguments:
1. It eliminates special- interests by treating all taxpayers equally. Taxpayers will no longer be able to "scam the system by hiring enough lawyers, accountants and lobbyists."
2. It will boost economic growth by allowing businesses and investors to invest more money (saved by not giving as much money in taxes) into other businesses and ventures.
3. It eliminates the capital gains tax, the estate tax (other people call it the "death tax"), and double taxes on savings (taxed once when you earn it and it's deposited into the bank and then twice at the end of the year as part of your income though it already is in your bank account).
4. It's amazingly simple. Household income tax forms are now done on a postcard. It also treats all businesses the same: "Microsoft to a hot dog stand would play by the same rules."

Arguments for the progressive tax include:
1. All Americans benefit from two of our government's responsibilities, protection (police, firefighters, public health, military) and empowerment (roads, public education, banking system for loans and economic stability, SEC for the stock market, courts, national parks, public buildings, etc.), and they should be available to everyone. We are financially responsible to maintain these so that they may be used for the common good. These protections are maintained through taxes.
2. The wealthy (corporations, investors and other wealthy individuals) pay more into the system because "our taxes create and sustain, [and] empower the wealthy in myriad ways to create their wealth." In other words, they have benefited from the system in place, they should pay to maintain it.

"Consider Bill Gates...Though he has undoubtedly benefited from his unusual intelligence and business acumen, he could not have created or sustained his personal wealth without the common wealth [of the United States]. The legal system protected Microsoft's intellectual property and contracts. The tax-supported financial infrastructure (phones, electricity, Internet) enabled him to access capital markets and trade his stock in a market in which investors have confidence. He built his company with many employees educated in public schools and universities. Tax-funded research helped develop computer science and the internet..." and so on.

3. The wealthy are morally obligated to sustain the American system b/c they benefit more from it than the average American. "Ordinary people rarely use the courts; most of the courts are used for corporate law and contract disputes." Therefore, the rich pay more than the poor or middle class b/c the rich utilize the system more often to create and sustain their wealth.

Feel free to discuss which has the most persuasive arguments for Blog #5 in 150 words minimum (or discuss your thoughts about the topic below).

So, I think we have two very persuasive arguments here, but I think we're missing the real questions that we should be asking. The questions we should be asking are:
1. What are we spending our money on?
2. Why are we spending so much of our money instead of letting the American people spend it?
3. Why do we have such a huge national debt?
4. What can we do about it?

Are you willing to take on this muckraking project w/ me? We can educate Groves H.S. about the amount of money spent by our government. We can pressure our Congressmen and women about spending too much. You are the future voters. Get educated now about the Debt.

More on the progressive tax from the Rockridge Institute - http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/research/lakoff/progressive-taxation-some-hidden-truths/?forPrint=1

More on the flat tax from the Heritage Foundation - http://www.heritage.org/Research/Taxes/bg1866.cfm

Interesting link about cameras in cars - not a blog

I saw this article on MSNBC.com and thought you guys might find it interesting/scary/a sign of things to come.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21225268/

It's about insurance companies offering discounts to families that allow cameras and sensors to be installed in cars to monitor teen driving - it's not a live feed back to your parents' house or anything, but it's a monitoring system that gives teenagers some feedback when they make erratic moves like sudden braking, swerving, acceleration, and stops or collisions.

Enjoy.

Blog #4 - Do you have a right to your job?

One of the issues brought up in the video on the Homestead Strike of 1892 that we watched on Tuesday/Wednesday was the idea of a worker having a right to his/her job. The workers at the Homestead steelworks believed that they had a right to their jobs, that the right was a fundamental right as an American much like the right to vote or free speech or owning fire arms.

Carnegie and Frick, on the other hand, didn't believe that they had to listen to their unions and no intention of honoring any unions at all. Frick locked out the Amalgamated after their contract expired on June 30, 1892 and with Carnegie's approval, had every intention of breaking the union and replacing them w/ lower paid non-union workers.

As we know, most of the workers ended up out of work for good. Some skilled workers came back in other jobs at lower pay at Homestead. And the Amalgamated Steel Workers Union was gone from Homestead.

Does a worker have a right to his/her job? If so, does it depend on the worker's circumstances (for instance, if the worker is an adult or teenager / full time or part time / has children, married or single)? Why or why not? If not, why not?

If a worker does have a right to his/her job, how can a company downsize in troubled times? What options does a company have when it needs to cut costs? Today, jobs are being sent overseas and people are being laid off during a recession. Would those practices have to stop if unions and workers have more of a say-so in the management of a company?

Due Thursday 10/11- minimum 150 words answer. Please take the time to read over your classmates' responses and comment on/critique their ideas.

Blog #3 - Pick one to answer and dig DEEEEEEEP!

This past week or so, we have been revisiting a sad chapter in American history - the settling of the American frontier and the costs to the Native Americans. Many questions came up in our discussions. One of them was:

1. When it looked hopeless for the Indians, would you go down fighting and sacrifice your tribe, family and beliefs? Or, would you agree to go to the reservation knowing that there's a possibility that your tribe might be giving up their way of life, religion, language etc.? Why?

2. Another question was posed after we measured out the interior of a typical modest sod house. Would you be able to handle it? Why or why not? Don't forget the animals, the pleasant smells, the crowded conditions and all that fun stuff.

Here's a couple of stanzas from a song called "The Little Old Sod Shanty of the Claim":

'I am looking rather seedy now, while holding down my claim,
And my
victuals are not always served the best;
And the mice play shyly 'round me
as I nestle down to sleep,
In my little old sod shanty on the claim.



But when I left my Eastern home, a bachelor so gay,
To try to win my way to wealth and fame,
I little thought that I'd come
down to burning twisted hay,
In my little old sod shanty on the claim.

3. What makes America unique? Was it the frontier like Turner said so in 1893? Or is it our reliance on democracy and capitalism? Or is it our stress on the rights of the individual? Or, are we just fooling ourselves and making ourselves out to bigger and better than any other nation in the world, in fact, history b/c we happen to be the most powerful economic and military force in the world at the moment?

Here's an article written by Dinesh D'Souza called "What Makes America Unique". http://www.papillonsartpalace.com/whaat.htm

Sources:

Nez Perce Pics - http://www.nativeamericans.com/NativeAmericanImages5.htm

Sod House pic and song source - http://www.rootsweb.com/~kscomanc/diamond_jubilee.html

Blog #2 - Pick one of the following and dig deeply!

We brought up some really interesting things in our discussions of the Civil War and Reconstruction last week and this week. For instance, was the policy of total war waged by Sherman in Georgia (burning houses, killing livestock and destroying railroads in their march towards Savannah from Atlanta in the fall of 1864) justified against the Southern people? In other words, should the Southern people be stopped from helping the Confederates by providing food, clothes, and other material that could prolong the war? Why or why not? And how much is too much? Do you start killing civilians?

Another burning question we ran into was one about whether or not the South should be forgiven or punished for rebelling? What do you think?


A third question we examined is: who is really to blame in the Hurricane Katrina debacle? The federal, state or city government? All three? The people who stayed? What about the people who couldn't leave? Why did it take so long for help to get to the Gulf Coast region when FEMA got help to Florida rather quickly in 2004 after their four huge hurricanes?

Lastly, what about the N-word? Should it ever be used? By whom? When and why? Consider the history of the word and the power behind it. Even though the NAACP held a burial for it this summer, does that mean it's really dead?


Pic 1 - a "Sherman necktie" - a railroad tie superheated and then bent out of shape by Union soldiers in 1864, usually wrapped around trees.

Pic 2 - Flooded New Orleans from BBS News - http://bbsnews.net/bbsn_photos/topics/hurricane_katrina/uscg_new_orleans_under_water20050829.jpg
Pic 3 - NAACP funeral in Detroit for the N-Word - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19680493/

Pick one of the three questions to answer and dig deeply. I think you'll need at least 200 words to answer this one. Due Wednesday, Sept. 19.

Blog #1 - Pick one and write about it!

Welcome U.S. History students to our class's blog. Usually once a week, you'll be asked to come here and write down your thoughts about what we're learning. Sometimes, I'll give you questions; other times, I'll let you sound off on the topics. Here's your first blog due by Monday, Sept. 10.


Blog #1: Pick one of the following quotes and tell me what you think the speaker means by it and what the speaker is saying about history specifically.


"History is more or less bunk. It's tradition. We don't want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker's damn is the history we made today." Henry Ford



“History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon." Napoleon Bonaparte





“History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” Winston Churchill








Your blog should be a minimum of 150 words. Also, remember just to put your first name on it and your hour. Thanks.

Mr. W.

Weigh in on Nixon!

Within the last few weeks about school, we have been learning about President Nixon. We learned that he was involved in the Watergate conspiracy, and that he tried to cover it up. It was considered a crime, and he chose to resign for the good of the people. He was lucky to have been pardoned by Ford before he could be sent to jail. However, Nixon helped end conflicts with China, and he helped put an end to the long-lasting Vietnam War.

Overall, in his 5 years in office, do you think that Nixon was a good president who made a few wrong desicions or just a bad president all together?

Have women achieved enough?

Women have been fighting for equality for many years. Now that most of the fighting is over has feminism achieved its goal for equility or is there still aways to go?

Eric J.

We just read an article about women's rights. Why would there be women against women's rights (like Phyllis Schlafly)?
If you were a woman, wouldn't you want to have the same rights as the men, or at least not oppose people who do want those rights?
Are there still women who think that women should not be as equal as men? What are they doing to prevent women's rights today?

Jon K.

What did you like about Forrest Gump?

Forrest Gump was an interesting movie and despite the fact we only saw part of it, we still gained some good insight from it. Obviously casting Tom Hanks as Forrest was an excellent choice because he portrayed the character very well. I think overall the movie (or the parts of it we saw) did a good job of putting Vietnam in a neutral light without tainting it, from an objective point of view.

My questions are:

1. Do you think the movie accurately portrayed the war and the situations (setting aside the fact we know it was filmed in Georgia)?

2. What could they have done better to make it more realistic?

3. What do you think of the part where Lieutenant Dan pulls him on the floor and he accuses him of taking away his destiny? Was it his destiny? Should Forrest have left him there to die?

Jill M. -6th Hour

How could you change things?

For the last couple of weeks, we focused a lot on racism and racial segregation between African-Americans and white Americans. We learned about how often the African Americans were abused and beat by the white people. We also studied the famous human right activist, Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister, who made his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, which served as the climax of the March on Washington, the largest rally of the civil rights movement. Lastly, we learned about Malcolm X, a Black Muslim Minister, who tried to speak out against racism using Black Nationalism as his theme.

Both of these men proved their point which was to show that African-Americans really deserved to be treated fairly in the United States of America. We also talked about many black movement groups such as the “Black Panthers”. It was their job to promote civil rights and self-defense. They were active throughout the United States in the late 1960s into the early 1970s. Even though, this racial segregation was aired on live television, white people still tried to make African-Americans look like fools and feel more uncomfortable just because of their different skin tone. However, since the African-Americans prevailed in their efforts to become equal, the whites turned out to be the fools.

Here's a couple of questions:
1. What would you have done to change the view of white Americans towards African-Americans?

2. How would you have felt if one of your family members that lived during the 1960s-1970s was brutally beaten by white police officers? How would you have reacted?

Ian K. - 5th Hour

Norman Morrison - Fog Of War

Norman Morrison was a Quaker who did not believe in violence and was anti-war. In protest, he went to the Pentagon and set himself on fire. He was holding his young daughter while doing it. Finally people convinced him to throw his daughter out of the fire. She lived, but Norman didn’t. When I heard this story I was shocked. I couldn’t believe that someone would set himself on fire due to his beliefs.

Do you think your life is worth something you believe in? Are you willing to give your life for your beliefs? Do you think what Norman Morrison did was wrong or did he make a statement?

Hannah

Website on Morrison's protest: http://www.angelfire.com/nb/protest/morr.html
An article written about Morrison's wife: http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=magazine.article&issue=soj9507&article=950752

Questions about Kent State

A few weeks ago we read an article about the Kent State tragedy. Four students were killed and 9 were injured. In the article, "Tragedy at Kent State", it says that the troops were outnumbered and out of tear gas. It also said that they "acted without specific order but did have discretionary authority to return fire." The article said that some believed the troops were responding to sniper fire, but there was no evidence of a sniper ever found.

Why do you think the troops fired into the crowd then? What was their reasoning? Were they scared and just acting on impulse?

Claire M. - 5th Hour

Website devoted to pics and documents from Kent State: http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/4may70/may4cont.html

Kent State's Online Exhibit: http://speccoll.library.kent.edu/4may70/exhibit/index.html

How would things have been different if we hadn't gone to Vietnam?

The Vietnam War caused a lot of trouble to America. We lost many lives not only fighting in Vietnam but also in protests back home for example the protest at Kent University. In this war chemicals were used and such as Agent Orange. As a result to exposure to Agent Orange many people came back with health problems. People became suspicious of the government. The government lied to the public about what was happening in Vietnam. News reporters were daily contradicting what the government told American about the war.

If we wouldn’t have entered this war, would we not have had these problems? Since we didn’t achieve or win the war, was it even worth entering in the first place? Would the outcome be any different (Communism taking over the entire country) if the United States hadn’t been there?

Allison

What would you do know if there was a draft?

When we took notes on the movie, Vietnam: A Television History, "Nixon's Inauguration" and when we discussed it with the class. I found it interesting that men when they were drafted tried to have deferments. There were two kinds of deferements: medical ones and the ones that were for students. If you were a man attending a college or university which usually was the rich or upper class, those that could afford it. Basically the upper class could afford to go to college, and the middle class/lower class would be forced into the draft. Some men forced medical problems on themselves like the example from the move: a man (writer James Fallows) tried to lose 10 lbs in 2 weeks so that he would fail his physical, and therefore not be forced into the draft.


Then according to our notes "Ways that the Iraq War is the same/different as/ than the Vietnam War" worksheet, it says that "no one has been prosecuted for failure to comply with draft registration since 1986....". If there was a draft now in the Iraq war, not just for men but for women also, due to the women's right movements, women would also be able to be drafted.

What do you think you would do: go through with being drafted not knowing what will happen to you? Or would you try to get some kind of deferment?

Alexandra S. - 5th Hr.

What if Hurricane Katrina happened somewhere else?

Do you think the President would have reacted differently towards the Katrina incident if it happened in Texas or California where the race majority is white?

Do you think he reacted so slowly because Katrina was in a mostly black community or just because he didn’t feel like rushing? Bush is supposed to love his country, but why wait to help? If you were the mayor of New Orleans, would you have reacted like him or differently?

Even though the situation has passed, would you do anything to help and if so, what would/could you do?

Eboni B. - 5th Hour

Can you say, "Extra Credit"?

Again, just like we've done before, use www.mydropbox.com . My class is 62629 and the password is wickersham .

Here are the movies that you can choose from:

1. October Sky
2. The Right Stuff
3. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio

4. Apollo 13

5. US vs. John Lennon

6. All the President's Men

*If you have another suggestion for a movie that is NOT rated R, email me first before doing a review on it for approval.

Requirements:

1. A minimum one-page summary of the movie's plot/story including a description of the main characters.

2. Minimum 1/2 page summary of the historical elements in the movie - what historical events, people, or moments in time does this movie portray? Are these characters real, fictional? Describe the clothes, transportation, technology (yes, they do have their own version of technology - it's just Outdoor Plumbing 1.0), historical attitudes and beliefs, etc. Provide at least four specific examples with explanation.

3. Minimum 1/2 page on how this movie has expanded your historical awareness of the topic we have already studied. Make sure you describe in this section how the movie connects with an era that we have studied with specific examples from the movie.

4. Keep It or Ditch It - This is where you rate the movie on a true teenager's interest scale. After watching this movie, would this movie might have been something you would have picked out on your own to watch? Why or why not? For a school-related history movie, on a scale of one to five (one being "Good God, don't ever show that again!" to five being "I'm getting on Amazon to buy the DVD"), give a rating for the movie with an explanation. The assignment is worth 20 points max.

How alike are Iraq and Vietnam? Andy sounds off

In some ways, the Iraq war is like the Vietnam war. Both Presidents Bush and Kennedy went to war and ended up getting negative feedback after they went. Both said that they would stay in the country as long as it took. Both claimed they were fighting terror.

Why is it that the Vietnam war is viewed as a success yet the Iraq war is looked at as a failure?

Andy R.

Could Barack Obama win?

Since we're in the realm of political discrimination, my question is if prejudices today will affect the coming election with Barack Obama. Also, if elected, whether Obama would intensify or dilute those feelings towards African Americans.

Chelsea R. - 5th hour

http://www.barackobama.com/

Editor's Note: In the interests of fairness, here are some of his opponent's websites:

http://johnedwards.com/splash/

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/?splash=1

http://www.joinrudy2008.com/

http://www.mittromney.com/

http://www.johnmccain.com/