Past Two Days: February 27th

Yesterday, we split into groups and corrected the worksheet from the other day about Washington and DuBois. We then did a packet about Garvey and the United Negro Improvement Association.
Today, we read two poems written by Langston Hughes about the South. We took notes and listened to jazz music from the time period.

Past Two Days- February 25th

I think I'm a little behind on my blogging, but here goes.

Today, we had history after the assembly and we talked a little about good morals and what we should have taken away from it. It was actually pretty eye-opening to me, also when Mr. Boyle discussed it later. I agree that our generation needs to make a change. We then went on to do a worksheet with our partners.

Updated History Timeline

Past Two Days: February 6th

Yesterday, we looked at a Civil Rights Cases of 1883 worksheet and answer a few quick questions about it. We also took notes on African American rights, as well as the Ku Klux Klan, the Enforcement Act of 1870, and the Civil Rights Acts of 1875.
Today, we looked at three more slides of the note-taking powerpoint and learned about the Jim Crow Laws. We then talked about our animation project, looked at a few examples, and talked about it with our group members.

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address Questions

Maeve Callewaert

February 1^st, 2013

G

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address

Section A

3. What do you learn from Lincoln’s address about his attitude towards the South, the apparent losers in the conflict? What do you learn from Lincoln’s address about his attitude towards the North, the apparent winners in the conflict?

Lincoln believes that the South, though the obvious losers of the war, should not be blamed for starting it. He didn’t want to make accusations in order to avoid upsetting the South. Instead, he declared that, “all dreaded it- all sought to avert it.” He says that both the North and the South did not want the war to occur and that neither party expected the “magnitude, or the duration” of the war. Both were equally to blame. He hoped that by preventing critique on either part, restoration would occur at a quicker pace.

Section C

1. What can you discern about Lincoln’s character on the basis of what he wrote?

I noticed that Lincoln was clever in his choice of words when addressing the war and the South, and that instead of blaming the South and charging them with reparations and demands, he declared that the war was inevitable. “Both parties deprecated war…” He wisely chose not to say which side was to blame. He let the other region come to its own conclusions. “…But one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish.” Also, instead of placing the blame completely on one side, he shows weaknesses in both of the sides’ decisions.

Section D

2. Could a president today use the same religious rhetoric that Lincoln did to explain national policy? Was Lincoln wrong to do so?

Today, I don’t think anyone would be able to refer to religion and get away with it. Religion is such a tough subject these days because everyone feels differently about it, and discussing one religion and showing preference makes other people angry. When it comes down to it, either you discuss religion broadly as a subject, not excluding any type or making another seem superior, or you don’t mention it at all. In Lincoln’s speech, he referred to God and prayer multiple times. “…So still it must be said ‘the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether.’” I don’t think that he was necessarily wrong to do this, because it serves somewhat as an apology and an explanation rather than a formal speech. He uses God as a similarity between them, highlighting that the North and the South are really very comparable. “Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God…” Maybe he could have shown some more religious variety, rather than assuming they all worship the same God, but he got his point across to the South, regardless of the religion he applied to the speech.

Past Two Days: February 1st

Today in history, we read about the Sharecropper Contract, and how it seemed reasonable in writing in order to get people to sign it, but was really very harsh. It omitted the bad parts of the deal, convincing people that it was a good bargain and would get them money and food to support their families.
Yesterday, we discussed the impeachment and trial of President Johnson, who took over after Lincoln was shot. Though he was impeached, he was never removed from office.