Blog #50, The Last Blog

First off, I found this interview to be extremely emotional and I think that no matter how many times were learn or talk about the holocaust, none of it does any Justice to how bad this period of hatred really was. It was saddening to hear some of the stories Mr. Somogyi shared.

1. The desensitization of dead bodies that Mr. Somogyi developed really demonstrated how many people were dying in these concentration camps as well as how these camps impacted the Jewish people psychologically.

2. Another thing that was hard to hear was how these people were stripped of everything that made them human and how their identity became the number that was put on their arms. I cannot imagine how someone would feel if they lost all sense of how they were and their entire people were under attack.

3. I think one of the saddest parts of the interview was when Mr. Somogyi told us how he didn't get to say goodbye or talk to his mother and sister again before they were killed. To have a family member taken away at the blink of an eye would be something that you don't recover from.

4. Another brutally hurtful story that Mr. Somogyi shared in the interview was how his faith in god was shaken and he wasen't sure god was real anymore because he believed that god would have never allowed anything like this to happen and god would not have let his mother and sister be taken to the gas chamber to die. This is mortifying and this story reflects how the Nazis did everything to completely annihilate any sort of hope or belief in these camps.

5. Finally, coming into the camp and smelling rotting human flesh and seeing bodies littering the ground is an image that just picturing it is terrible but to be in that situation and realizing that this was going to happen to you, its unbelievable.

Hooks for the AP

Hooks by Unit

Unit	Possible Hooks
Unit 3: 1754–1800	“I must confess that in this country, we must comply and learn the art of war from enemy Indians or anything else who have seen the country and war carried on in it.” -George Washington about the French and Indian War It took more than one hundred colonist nearly three hours to dump all the tea into the Boston Tea Party, the chests held more than forty-five tons of tea which is worth nearly one million in today’s money. "Stand your ground. Don't fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war let it begin here." -Captain John Paarker to his minute men on Lexington Green April 19th, 1775 “The Stile of this Confederacy shall be "The United States of America."  -The Constitutional Congress The opening of the Articles of Confederation “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish…” - The US Constitution
Unit 4: 1800–1848	Martin Van Buren, more like Van Ruin- secretary of state during Andrew Jackson’s presidency Thomas Jefferson believed the election of 1800 would decide the American government’s principles- “I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of Man” he wrote “Democracy shows not only its power in reforming governments, but in regenerating a race of men and this is the greatest blessing of free governments” -Andrew Jackson Transcendentalists took progressive stands on women’s rights, reform, abolition, and education.
Unit 5: 1844–1877	In 1893, Katharine Lee Bates wrote ‘America the Beautiful’ and coined the famous phrase “from sea to shining sea” in reference to Manifest Destiny. “Remember the Alamo” -Sam Houston at the Battle of San Jacinto The Wilmot Proviso was a proclamation to eliminate slavery within the land acquired as a result of the Mexican-American War. Horace Greeley’s New York Tribune, a paper run by anti-slavery publicists coined “Bleeding Kansas” to fix on the strife-ridden territory. The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution granted African American men the right to vote by declaring that the “right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Black Codes were written to restrict African Americans from voting, testifying whites, start a job without the approval of previous employers, and to serve on state militias or juries.
Unit 6: 1865–1898	“It shall be unlawful for a negro and white person to play together or in company with each other in any game of cards or dice, dominoes or checkers.”  - Jim Crow Laws The Plessy vs. Ferguson court case decided the “Separate but equal” lifestyle that effected many African Americans because even though they were separate, they were definitely not equal. Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner coined the phrase “The Gilded Age” Henry Ford had a famous catch phrase, “money is like an arm or leg — use it or lose it.” “Concentration is my motto – first honesty, then industry, then concentration.” -Andrew Carnegie
Unit 7: 1890–1945	“Rockefeller and his associates did not build the Standard Oil Co. in the board rooms of Wall Street banks. They fought their way to control by rebate and drawback, bribe and blackmail, espionage and price cutting, by ruthless efficiency of organization” -Ida Tarbell “The rich people not only had all the money, they had all the chance to get more; they had all the know-ledge and the power, and so the poor man was down, and he had to stay down.” - Upton Sinclair in ‘The Jungle’ The Zimmerman telegraph said if Mexico went to war with the United States, Germany would help Mexico recover the territory it lost in the 1840s, this note caused President Woodrow Wilson to declare war against Germany. President Warren G. Harding pursued a hands-off administration during the 1920s by cutting federal government spending and lowering tax rates.

Name Drops

Name Drops by Unit

Unit	Possible Name Drops with who they were
Unit 2: 1607–1754	Oceana- name of a girl born on the mayflower William Button- man died on the mayflower 3 days before it landed John Winthrop- was the Governor of the Calvanist Puritans Plymouth colony merged w the Mass. Bay Colony- gave the speech about the city on the hill-
Unit 3: 1754–1800	William Pitt- British Prime Minister James Wolf- a colonel in the British Army, led the successful attack against Quebec in 1759, all but ending the French and Indian War Crispus Attucks, Patrick Carr, Samuel Gray, Samuel Maverick and James Caldwel- the five killed in the Boston Massacre, others were injured Samuel Adams- led a group of Patriots called the Sons of Liberty; organized and carried out the Boston tea party Major James McFarlane- led the Whiskey Rebellion John Jay- john jay treaty
Unit 4: 1800–1848	Aaron Burr- killed alexander Hamilton and ran against Thomas Jefferson in the election of 1800 William Marbury- Marbury vs. Madison- judicial review Dred Scott- the slave fighting for freedom in Dred Scott vs. Sanford court case Steven Austin- the founder of Texas, led the colonization of the region by bringing 300 families from the us region in 1825 and led the rebellion- “remember the Alamo” and Sam Houston was the second leader
Unit 5: 1844–1877	John Brown- Kansas- Nebraska Act of 1854, rushed in and fought pro-slavery settlers who are unarmed and kills them – the Pottawatomie Massacre Preston Brooks- beats Charles Sumner with a cane after he gives a speech about the Massacre and attacks Andrew Butler (democrat) Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony- form the national women’s loyal league in the 1860s after the civil war and have the Seneca Falls Convention with the Declaration of Sentiments Sojourner Truth- African American women, wrote the speech “Ain’t I a Woman” about more rights for women and black people
Unit 6: 1865–1898	Thomas Crapper- invented the toilet Alexander Graham Bell- invented the telephone Henry Ford- cars Andrew Carnegie- steel Cornelius Vanderbilt- railroads John D. Rockefeller- oil Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner- coined the phrase the “Gilded Age”
Unit 7: 1890–1945	Ida Tarbell- journalist and muckraker Upton Sinclair- wrote “The Jungle” exposing the meat packing industry Bernice Bobs her hair- flapper girls, women’s suffrage Margaret Sanger- started the Birth Control League Henry Tandey- British soldier during WW1 came across a hurt German soldier, Adolf Hitler, and let him live S.S McClure- publisher of muckraker journaling, “McClure’s Magazine” Ray Stannard Baker- journalist and muckraker

MOH: Montgomery Bus Boycott

1. There is a deeper story to the Bus Boycott than originally conceived.

2. One not as well known figure of this Boycott was Jo Ann Robinson

3-5. Rosa Parks was well-educated and after her arrest, E.D Nixon and Parks worked to use her case to stop segregation on buses

6. Robinson helped to spread the word for the boycott along with some ministers and civil rights leaders.

7-9. As MLK became president of the group they continued the Boycott

10. The Boycott went on longer than people had originally expected

11. The private taxi plan was widely accepted

12-15. Fake news (haha) was spread by many white people as they bombed MLK and Nixon's homes to try and stop this movement

16-17. In the face of many challenges the Boycott continued.

18. The Black community took the case to the supreme court and the court ruled that segregation on buses was unconstitutional which ended the boycott.

19-20. However, desegregation provided many other problems

21. The Bus Boycott was a great success and testament to the civil rights movement

22-23. The SCLC was formed to fight for civil rights and these organizations helped spark the civil rights movement.

MOH #33

1. FDR's got his place in history not because of his character but actually because of the circumstances

2-4. FDR had many talents as he was intellectual, curious and was a quick thinker

5. FDR could not compare to some of the great American figures like Washington or Lincoln

6. Roosevelt preferred action and to actively shape the future of the country

7. FDR made up for his lack of intellect by acting swiftly in his presidency

8-12. FDR was a determined president that was dedicated to helping the poor but was not without his fair share of flaws

13. FDR was able to apply his character and lower intellect and make something out of the era

14. America was suffering incredibly from the mass unemployment

15. America's financial system was in Jeopardy 

16. Under the presidency of FDR, American gained newfound confidence and also a sense of unity.

17-19. Roosevelt handled many other challenges during his presidency and faced them all with courage

20-22. Roosevelt's new deal helped focus the country and inspire a sense of partnership

23-24. FDR was able to put America back on its feet with the New Deal and was a man of action

25. FDR had a large influence on America's attitude during the war

26. FDR had a lasting impact on America and his great character won't be forgotten

Little Rock Reading

Little Rock was a very important step in the civil rights movement. For the first time ever, African American kids were going to school with white kids. One of the things I liked about this article was that it touched on some aspects of Little Rock that are not as commonly known. When reading the article, I was coming into the reading knowing that the conditions that these kids had to suffer through was awful but still, reading this article and reading more closely how these students were bullied and beaten just trying to get an education. Its horrible. Today, we live in a society that still suffers from incredible racism and I hope that one day we can find a way to end this racism.  

Cold War Exam

20s-40s Exam

Political Cartoon #15

1. Historical Context
The Watergate scandal was when President Nixon tried to cover up the illegal spying and taping of Nixon's political opponents in the watergate hotel. The U.S Supreme court ruled that Nixon had to turn over the tapes and thus marked him as a corrupt president in the eyes of the people and lead to his resignation from office,

2. The Message
The cartoonist depicted Nixon as painting himself with a giant target which is essentially what Nixon did by trying to cover up the tapes. The title of the cartoon is "His own worst enemy" which essentially, Nixon was as Nixon was not privy to the spying but when he tried to intervene he put himself as a enemy. The statement "Lack of Candor" refers to the lack of trust and corruption that Nixon became seen as during this scandal.

3. The Influence
This cartoon highlighted how Nixon had really created the situation himself and that he was the one to blame for his impeachment. In addition, the cartoon demonstrated to the American people that their leader was not trustworthy and corrupt. The Watergate scandal caused Nixon to be impeached and before he could be impeached Nixon resigned from office.
 

Political Cartoon #14

1. Historical Context
During Johnson's presidency America was still highly involved in the Vietnam war. The US had placed thousands of troops in Vietnam with the war having no end in sight and the US suffering heavy casualties.

2. The Message
The cartoonist depicts Johnson holding his shirt up and point to a scar that represents Vietnam. The cartoonist put the country as a "scar" to highlight how the war in Vietnam was a stain on Johnson's presidency and how the war was effecting his. In addition, the war was a "permanent scar" not just on Johnson's time as president but on the country.

3. The Influence
The Vietnam war was an extremely debated war both during the wars time frame and today. This cartoon helps to demonstrate the negative affect of the war on America and the great loss of soldiers in the war. The Vietnam war made Johnson's reputation even worse as many Americans hated him for continuing US involvement in the war.

Political Cartoon #13

1. Historical Context
The 50s and 60s was the peak of the civil rights movement as African Americans battled against discrimination to try and gain equality. Many of these battles manifested as peaceful protests like bus boyscotts or sit ins.

2. The Message
The message that the cartoonist is trying to convey is that the civil rights crisis is growing bigger and bigger by the day and that many people just turned a blind eye and hoped that ignoring the problem would make it go away. The cartoonist depicts the civil rights movement as a raging fire that is growing bigger and consuming more and more with the chief fireman looking scared as now the problem has grow too big and cannot be avoided.

3. The Influence
This cartoon highlighted the fact that the country was not taking any action or dealing with the civil rights movement correctly. The government did not want to take action or rock the boat but clearly this movement wasn't going away anytime soon.

Political Cartoon #12

1. Historical Context
During the height of the Cold War, the United States placed missiles in Turkey that would be able to reach the Soviet Union. In response to this, The Soviet Union began placing missiles on the coast of Cuba which was extremely close to the United States. Tensions became extremely high between the two countries as each country was ready to go to nuclear war. However, this crisis was adverted as both countries agreed to take their missiles out of the neighboring countries. This was the closest two countries have ever come to nuclear war.

2. The Message
The main message from this cartoon is that Russia was retaliating against the US for their missiles by placing their own missiles in Cuba. The title of the cartoon "I'd reconsider if I were you" talks about how the US should think twice before they try to invade Cuba or launch their missiles from Turkey because there would be no way that America could defend from Russia's missiles. The small army blockade depicts the U.S's small attempt to try and wade off Russia's aggression.

3. The Influence
This was arguably the climax of the Cold War and was the closest to a nuclear war in history. The cartoon highlighted how America was caught off guard by Russia's missiles in Cuba and how very real the threat of nuclear war was for the country.

Political Cartoon #11

1. Historical Context
McCarthyism was a time in American history where Americans were hunting down communism and people were being told to spy on each other to make sure none of their neighbors or friends were communist. This was a time of great distrust and many people synthesize this time to the French Revolution were people could denounce one another as aristocrats.

2. The Message
The cartoonist is communicating the change in America during this time of fear. The cartoonist depicts the statue of liberty (which is one of the main symbols of popular democracy) being the base of a witch's pyre and also calling attention to how extreme some of the actions taken by the government and community's were.

3. The Influence
During this time, many people couldn't think of anything except the red wave and how it seemed to be creeping in to every corner of their lives. This cartoon calls attention to the fear of the nation and seeks to remind people to be conscientious of their actions.

Political Cartoon #10

1. The Historical Context 

After the war, there were many parts of Europe that had been absolutely ruined by heavy artillery and explosions. The Marshall Plan (which was also known as the European Recovery Plan) was a plan by America to give financial aid to these parts of Europe that had been destroyed so that they could rebuild. However, America saw how quickly communism was spreading through Europe after the was so the Marshall Plan also acted as a deterrent because by aiding these western european countries the U.S made allies that would be pro democracy instead of turn to communism.

2. The Message

The main message that the cartoonist is trying to depict is the US racing the evil bird of communism to the areas of Western Europe that needed to rebuild. The name of the cartoon is step on it Doc, indicating that the US is losing the race against communism. 

3. The Influence

The Marshall plan helped to boost industrial production in Western Europe and increased trade and exports to all time highs. The Marshall plan also was quite successful in stopping the spread of communism in Western Europe.

Blog #41: Sergeant Reckless

1. Reckless is the only horse to ever been promoted to the rank of Sargent

2. Reckless helped to save the lives of soldiers during the Korean War

3. Reckless was bought for $250 from a Korean Boy who needed the money to buy his sister an artificial leg

4. Reckless got so comfortable with the soldiers that she even slept in their tent

5. Reckless delivered ammo to the recoilolles rifle platoon sites and would make the journey completely by memory.



Sargent Stubby became the official mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment and was assigned to the 26th division in WW1.

Blog #40: Brown v. Board of Education

The Brown v. Board of Education case was a major factor in spurring the civil rights movement because this was the court case in which separate but equal was overturned and declared unconstitutional. The separate but equal precedent had been set back in 1896 with the Plessy vs. Ferguson case and had become the law of the land and allowed for the legal discrimination between blacks and whites. Brown had filed a lawsuit against the Topeka Board of Education because his daughter Linda Brown was not allowed to attend the white school which was much better than the black school. During this case the 14th amendment was cited which states that states cannot deny anyone within its jurisdiction equal protection under the law. The court agreed that white schools held an undesirable advantage for their students and ruled separate but equal unconstitutional. 



This is similar to affirmative action which was put into place by JFK to help desegregate the country.

Blog #39: Duck and Cover

This video highlights the affect of the Atomic Bomb and the cold war on every day American life. In this video, Bert the Turtle tells kids how they can find cover and protect themselves in the event that an atomic bomb is dropped on the country. Bert also encourages the kids that drills and these videos are good and that Bert is here to help them. The video narration is very calm and Bert the Turtle even has a very catchy theme song!




Although terribly sad, in today's school system kids go through active shooter drills in which they are taught how to prepare for the event of a school shooting.

Blog #38: Truman Doctrine

Truman introduces his doctrine by acknowledging the state of the World at the current time and by saying that all threats to national security that are greatly affecting his foreign policy. Firstly, Truman looks to the situation in Greece, in which they asked foe the US to aid them economically. Truman agrees to help Greece partly because of how they were affected by the war but mainly to try and stop the spread of communism as that was a great fear of America's at the time. The main beliefs of this doctrine are reflected in these 3 statements from Truman:

1. I believe that it must be the policy of the Unites States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures.

2. I believe that out help should be primarily through economic and financial aid which is essential to economic stability and orderly political processes.

3. I believe that we must assist free peoples to work out their own destinies in their own way.

Following this, Truman finishes by asking that American troops and personnel be given permission to go to Greece and Turkey to help with reconstruction (and secure these countries as anti-communist).



This aid was very similar to the Marshall Plan which gave millions of dollars of aid to the allied powers.

Blog #37: FDR's Executive Order 9066

After the bombing at Pearl Harbor, no one who was Japanese was safe. The nation looked on and their fellow Japanese Americans with great distrust and this order is a large black spot in American history. FDR used his power as commander in chief to create militarized areas in the country in which anyone of Japanese heritage would be forced to live there. Under this order, military personnel had the authority to decided how long someone would stay in these camps and who stayed in what camps. Conditions in these internment camps were terrible and only provided the inmates with basic human necessities and whatever little they came in with. 



The Indian Removal Act of 1830 also capitalized on anti-native american sentiment and forced native americans to leave their land and relocate indefinitely.

Blog #36: FDR's Declaration of War

After Pearl Harbor, America was ready to go to war, so on December 8th 1941, President Roosevelt officially declared war on the axis powers which brought the nation into World War 2. Roosevelt begins his speech by regarding the bombing as "a date that will live in infamy". Roosevelt talks in his speech about the justifications for entering the war however in reality, this request was never going to be turned down. The entire country had a huge burst of nationalism and America wanted a fight, they wanted justice for Pearl Harbor. Roosevelt also talks about how Japan had never given any indication that they were enemies of the US in this war as the US had tried to stay neutral. FDR finishes his speech by declaring that he will make sure something like this never happens again. During the vote, the only person to vote against FDR was Jeanette Rankins in which, after she voted against the war she gained the nickname Japanette Rankin.




The United States similarly entered WW1 after constant attacks on their ships due to Germany's unrestricted submarine warfare and the Zimmerman telegram which put the American people in danger.

Blog #35: Home was a Horse Stall

Tsuyako's story is a very real example of how fearful America was after the bombing at Pearl Harbor. Large anti-Japanese sentiment led to these internment camps being made under FDR with the executive order 9066. Fun fact, In star wars, the ultimate order for the clone troopers to target all the jedi and hunt them down is called Order 66 and was based off FDR's executive order 9066 as the Jedi is star wars were based primarily of samurai and their way of life. However, the civil liberties act of 1988 was passed which gave anyone who was detained 20,000 dollars as an apology. Upon reading this story, I was shocked at the terrible treatment in these internment camps and how the Japanese had to sleep in horse stalls that weren't even cleaned of horse poop. One thing I found interesting in this story though was that the mailman was the only one to ask Tsuyako questions about her side of what was happening to her people as well as what she thought occurred at Pearl Harbor. One final thing that stood out to me was the civilian exclusion order no. 27 because it essentially ripped their identity and freedoms from all Japanese. This was a terrible spot in history for the united states and demonstrates how fear and hatred can quickly consume people and make them turn on others because of their differences. An issue that is still being fought as we speak.



The trail of tears and Indian removal act was another black spot on America's history that forced the removal of Native Americans without letting them fight back or do anything about it because there was such anti-native american sentiment in the country at this time.

Blog #34: FDR's First Inaugural Address

FDR begins his address by acknowledging the great depression. This was to be expected from his speech as he becomes president he inherits the economic terror of the great depression. Roosevelt however, is very up front about the matter and tells the people that he will be honest with them in the coming months and tell the depression like it is, not what people want to hear. This is very parallel to the modern take on news and how news organizations do not present the whole truth or rather a loaded side of their truth. FDR's most famous quote in this speech is clearly "the only thing to fear is fear itself". This was a very important message to the American people because despite the country's history containing many economic panics, no one had ever seen anything like this because of the new age of consumerism and how that played a part in starting the great depression. FDR continues on by then presenting his plan to fix the problem. FDR says that the American people need to get jobs and says he will help make job creation a priority and that also there will be more regulation and balance of power on the executive branch. FDR finishes his speech as most presidents have by proclaiming that the country is strong and that will move past this obstacle with the help of the people and god.



President Obama gave his inaugural address during the midst of the great recession from 2007-2009 and in his speech called for swift economic action.

Blog #33: Kellogg-Briand Peace Pact

The Kellogg-Braind Peace Pact was a pact signed by 26 countries in which was would be used to solve any troubles or conflicts between these nations. The main goal of this act was actually to prevent war or another world war but was very ineffective in doing so. The main reasons the pact was ineffective was that is had no way of managing traditionalism. All the different nations will ultimately act on their greatest behalf and do whatever they think will get them ahead in the world. However, the pact did create some positive relations between countries. The pact was put to the test with the Manchurian Incident, which was an explosion that destroyed Japanese owned railroad track. The Japanese blamed China for the explosion and launched an invasion on Manchuria which violated the pact and proved that it was ineffective. 



Another ineffective policy was the league of nations' policy of appeasement during WW2 with Germany. Both the Peace Pact and Appeasement demonstrated that countries will do whatever they deem necessary or advantageous.