Forrest Gump

1. Below you will find a list of eighteen historical events from the movie Forrest Gump.  Choose one of the topics and write a brief summary of that event on your blog.

The Black Panthers  was a black powers group who used violence to display its theology.  The organization was originally formed in Oakland, California by founding members Heuy Newton and Bobby Seale in 1996. The Black Panthers denied white people membership on the basis that the whites did not know what it was truly like to be black and to be oppressed.  The Black Panthers were responsible for the killing of an Oakland police officer and  the hosting of the first free breakfast for the Church of St. Augustine.  These actions were just a few of the many actions that the Black Panthers took to represent black power.

2. Interpret what you think Forrest's mom meant when she told him, "Life is like a box of chocolates; You never know what you're gonna get." on your blog.

When Forrest's mom said that "Life is like a box of chocolates; You never know what you're gonna get," she meant that the events that occur in one's life can be random at the least.  Anything can happen at anytime and anywhere, regardless of the person's opinion in the matter.  For instance, when Mrs. Gump's time came, she did not have a say in whether it was truly her time or not.  Initially, Forrest did not see this event coming; hence, the quote bears merit.

1920's Spring Break Blog

The 1929 Stock Market Crash was a result of various economic imbalances and structural failings.  These are some of the most significant economic factors behind the stock market crash of 1929.

• Credit Boom
• During the 1920s, many people used credit and loans to buy shares from the stock market.  However, when 1929 came around, people were in debt and hastily sold their stocks to try and pay off their debts.  The stock market had crashed as a result of all the debt.
•    Buying on the Margin
• Buying on the Margin is the process of buying little and borrowing a lot from the share which made many people millionaires.  This process is similar to buying on credit since the stock purchase was based off of borrowed money from the bank.  Just like the Credit Boom, buying on the margin lead to the stock market crash.
• Irrational Exuberance



• One of the main reasons why the stock market crashed was because of false expectations. Many consumers saw the stock market's prosperity and seized their opportunity.  When consumers felt confident in their stocks and profits, they began to buy more stocks with the expectation of more profit.  Tejvan Pettinger argues that the force fueling the economy was not of economic processes, but of the consumer's confidence in the stock market.
• Mismatch between Product and Consumption
• Companies and industries developed new techniques to make production more efficient.  Ironically, this lead to stock market crash itself.  Since companies were now faster and more productive, they had to sell their products to make a profit.  But people were not buying their new products which hurt the economy.  
• Agricultural Recessions
• Farmers faced a real problem during the 1920s.  Similar to the large companies who could not sell their products, farmers could not sell their food.  Food was not in high demand, and the economy suffered.  Thus, the stock market was negatively affected.
• Weaknesses in the Banking System
• Banks and firms were numerous during the 1920s.  According to Tejvan Pettinger, "America had over 30,000 banks."  However, since the banks were so numerous, they were more vulnerable to bankruptcy; particularly those in rural areas which suffered from the agricultural recessions.  

Racism in the 1920's

1) Interpret the quote in your blog.
Quote:
"Though men and women drop from the ranks they remain with us in purpose, and can be depended on fully in any crisis. Also, there are millions who have never joined, but who think and feel and -- when called on -- fight with us. This is our real strength, and no one who ignores it can hope to understand America today." Hiram Wesley Evans, The Klan's Fight for Americanism, The North American Review (March-April-May 1926)
Interpretation: The first/second sentences talk about how the KKK has declined and lost many of its members, but those who are no longer a member (or are not a member) of the KKK, will "fight with us."  The third sentence discusses how the Klan's true strength is it's strength in numbers.  These numbers are by the millions and are of members and non-members of the KKK, as stated by the first two sentences.  Basically, this quote argues that the KKK is still strong despite it's decline in membership.

2) Explain how this film would have increased the population of the KKK.
     This film would have increased KKK membership for a two man reasons: (1) It portrayed African-Americans as "vicious" and the KKK as heroes  (2) It promoted slavery. 

    Firstly, since the African-Americans were portrayed as animals in this film, and the KKK was seen as the opposite, then people would respect the KKK.  Portions of the film had African-Americans as the villain, and the KKK as the heroes who rescued the damsel in distress.  Toward the end of this portion, the large group of Klansmen captured the African-American and saved the woman.  The KKK were considered heroes thereafter which definitely increased membership

     Secondly, this film promoted slavery, and many men in the South wanted slavery to come back. After WWI, slavery had ended, and the African-American man was "free."  This left many southerners angry, or at the very least, unsatisfied.  Thus, many southerners turned to the KKK in an attempt to bring slavery back.  The Birth of a Nation likely contributed to this motif.  As a result, many southerners made an attempt to join the KKK, and serve their motifs.

     In conclusion, The Birth of a Nation played a pivotal role in the revival of the KKK.  Men and women alike made becoming a member an objective and goal.  All of the members and soon-to-be members believed in slavery, and the immortality of the black man.   These mentalities served as the underlying basis for the KKK's return, and the film brought about these thoughts.   

1920's in class assignment

1. Harden is saying that immorality has spread.  If a leader defies the law, then his insuboordinates will surely follow.  He wants all of us to respect the law.

This cartoon depicts the consequences of  distributing alcohol during the Prohibition laws

This cartoon depicts the original gangster, the first real "thug.". Al Capone is depicted as a powerful but calm mob leader

WWI Part 2

In your blog  
1) List the reasons why the US entered the WWII
They entered because:
The German U-Boats entered the war,the  Transatlantic Cable was cut, the Vigilancia  sunk, the Lusitania sunk, the Illinois sunk, the Sussex sunk, and the Zimmerman Telegram was intercepted.

Various Ships Sinking
(Except Lusitania)

Sussex Pledge

Russian Revolution

2) Choose which cartoon best describes each reason

New Weapons: German U-Boats

Zimmerman Telegram Interception

Transatlantic Cable Cut

3) One cartoon is missing, please explain why that event lead to the US war.

The cartoon of the Lusitania is missing, this event lead to the US breaking their neutrality because there were innocent US citizens on that ship who lost their lives.  The fact that a German U-boat was responsible may have also played a part in the US's anger since the US saw the U-Boats as cowardly.

WWI Part 1

Explain how the following led to war:
1) Imperialism - Imperialism is when a nation conquers a weaker nation for the sole purpose of building an empire.  Ultimately, this lead to competition among the powerful nations around the globe.  This competition led to conflict and war.

2) Militarism - Militarism is when a nation uses most, if not all, of it's resources to expand it's military.  With a stronger military comes war.

3) Nationalism - Nationalism is when a citizen or person has a strong devotion to his or her nation.  Nationalism bears similarities to patriotism; however, nationalism is more aggressive and prejudiced.  When a country is nationalistic, it will act in it's own national interest with no regard to the other nations that they may be irritating.  Unaware of the anger a nationalistic nation may cause  another nation to have, war will surely ensue.

4) Alliances: An alliance is when two or more separate parties (in this case, nations) join forces or align with one another.  This led to war in the end.  For instance, if the U.S. were to align with Great Britain, then the U.S. would be held responsible to come to great Britain's aid if attacked, and vice versa.  This caused nations to indirectly become enemies with other nations, causing war.

American Imperialism

1) Place a political cartoon about Imperialism, either American or European, on your blog and interpret it.

Interpretation: This image depicts the American flag raveling around Earth, it represents the fact that America has it's hands in everything and is trying to conquer or "imperialize"  other areas to it's own benefit.  These areas are usually weaker in terms of government, military, and economy.

2) List the reasons why the United States decided to become an Imperialistic country in the last part of the 1800s.

The U.S. decided to become an Imperialistic country for a number of reasons

• Natural Resources
• Resources such as petroleum or sugar were what the U.S. wanted
• New Markets
• With new resources came the desire to sell them, the U.S. needed more markets to sell their goods
• Competition/Nationalism
• The U.S. was an extremely competitive country, they wanted to prove that they have what it takes to conquer new areas and take pride in their accomplishments.  If Great Britain had an impressive navy, then so so did the U.S.
• Humanitarian/Religion
• The U.S. wanted to spread Christianity to those who were "non-believers" and those who were considered "savages"
• The U.S. also wanted to spread it's law to other countries as well as it's medicine
• Military
• The U.S. wanted new technology for their military
• The U.S. also wanted to expand their bases to other countries to increase their military presence

Industrialization, Urbanization, Immigration & Flagler

Copy 3 of the pictures at the bottom of the page, paste them into your blog and caption them.

    a. Make the captions relative to what we are talking about in class and make them exciting.

    b. Keep in mind the Gilded Age, Progressive Era, Industrialization, Immigration, and Urbanization.

Industrialization in the Making

The Catalyst of Florida

The Birth of the Gilded Age

Extra Credit - The KKK

    The KKK (Ku Klux Klan) was founded by a group of former confederate soldiers upon the end of the Civil War, it was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee in 1866.  The origin behind the KKK's title is of Greek origin, where "Ku Klux" means "kylos" which translates into "circle."  The clan became notorious for the alias of "Invisible Empire of the South", most likely because the majority of the clan's operations occurredat night and because of their attire.  The clan's operations primarily consisted of violent and intimidating acts towards African-Americans in an effort to realize their vision, that is, white supremacy.  Lynching, burning, and hanging were several of the KKK's methods of violence, they wanted the results of the Reconstruction to deteriorate, preventing any African-Americans from voting or having any political power.
    
    The clan's members were from all social rankings such as: Doctors, lawyers, and even law enforcement.  If the law enforcement were not involved in clan activities, then they did not intervene with clan activities.  After the membership for the clan declined, a film titled The Birth of a Nation depicted white supremacy and racial discrimination towards blacks.  As a result, the KKK was reborn, back with a hatred directed not only towards African-Americans, but to Romans, Jews, and even foreigners.  The KKK also took part in the Civil Rights Movement, bombing a church and killing three innocent children while they were in service.  By the late 1900's, the KKK was fairly minimal once again, the membership was estimated from 6,000 to 10,000 during the 1990's.

   In brief, the KKK is an extreme group of radical, violent people, committng  just about any crime to broadcast their message.  That is, white supremacy and the destruction of African-American's right to vote and hold office.  The KKK has endured destruction and rebirth, even today, the KKK exists in much smaller groups of neo-nazis and other radicals. 

References:

    Ku Klux Klan. (2013). The History Channel website. Retrieved 2:14, February 15, 2013, from http://www.history.com/topics/ku-klux-klan.



The Rise of Labor Unions

1) Research Labor Unions in the last part of the the 19th Century (1800's).
The first labor union formed was known as the "National Trades Union", formed by workers from all fields, it was, however, disbanded as a result of the depression of 1837.  Another labor union of the 1800's was known as "The Knights of Labor", which was form in 1869 by skilled garment cutters.  The membership of this organization peaked at the millions, they were relatively successful and were known for bringing "democracy" to the workplace

2) Write a brief history of Labor unions.
Labor unions were organizations formed to enforce the worker's rights as a worker.  Ranging from the desire for less work hours, to higher wages, these unions became the catalyst of America.  Some organizations date back all the way to the early 19th Century, namely, the "National Trades Union", which consisted of workers from all crafts but was disbanded in 1837 due to the conditions of the depression

3) Post and interpret a political cartoon about labor unions during this time period.

Interpretation: The man in the tree is the boss of a large organization specializng in grinding, the water represents the overwhelming amount of organized labor unionos formed in an effort to combat their boss's work conditions.  The boss appears to be terrified by this rebellion and is asking for help; the tree represents the little amount of area that the boss has left to "flee to"

 Works Cited: \

http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2005/6/28/165925/023/

 http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/friedman.unions.us

http://depts.washington.edu/labhist/laborpress/images/SeattleUnionRecord1912-1914/large/09-13-1913%20Cartoon_large.jpg



Manifest Destiny

Interpretation: This painting represents the belief of  "Manifest Destiny" as a whole, the angel holding what appears to be the Bible symbolizes the "expansion" of Christianity.  Since the angel is accompanying the travelers, then it is safe to assume that the travelers want "Manifest Destiny" to expand too, the angel is simply the travelers' belief, the fact that the angel is so large may also indicate the "strength" in this belief

Civil War Reconstrction - Part 1

 1. After reading the Bill, what plans do you see laid out for the former slaves?
A distribution of land under the condition of rent and time (three years), supplies such as clothing, food, and fuel will also be distributed to the slaves

2. What do you think could have been added to the bill to garner broader support? What could have been changed or taken away?
Perhaps the bill makers could have extended the time alloted to the slaves to joyously own the land, maybe they could have even lowered the annual rent for for the land, or even deter of it completely.  Rasing the amount of land (in terms of acres) would encourage more support as well

3. Aside from their opposition to the abolition of slavery, what problems do you think the members of Southern States had with the Bill? Can you think of anything that would have appeased them?

Well the Southern States probably did not like the idea of supplies and necessities being given to the slaves.  The land appointed to the slaves may have also been frowned upon by the South as well as the distribution of food, clothing, education, and means of communication for the family members. They did afterall want to oppress the slaves and break their spirit.  A way to apease the Southern States would be to not supply the slaves with any food, clothing, etc. The dissaproval of land distribution and education would also appease the Southern States.  All in all, the South did not like the Freedman's Bureau in the slightest

Civil War Reconstruction - Part 2

1. What is her attitude toward white Southerners and their treatment by the federal government?
She feels that they are violent

2. What do you think accounts for her views?
The fact that the white men usually drove by with firearms, those unarmed were furnishing firearms

3. Would people with different views agree with her conclusions about "peace" in the South? Why or why not?

No, because, her views are true, and those with different views would see her truth as a lie, namely the white men

Political Cartoon (2/4/2013)

Interpretation: This political cartoon portrays that even after the war, the north and south are still not on definite terms.  Meaning that they are still in disagreement with some issues and are not yet unified as one.