2000 Election

Even though V.P. Al Gore had won the popular vote in the 2000 election, he lost the electoral vote to Governor George Bush. Do you agree that the current voting system we have is o.k. (with the electoral college) or should it be reformed to something else? Explain.

Watergate Scandal

During Watergate, Nixon invoked his power of executive privilege regarding his secret tapes. Nixon used the power of the President to cover his illicit activities. To what extent should a president be allowed to maintain privacy in the Oval Office?
+ Why do you think this?
+ What does the President have the right to keep secret?
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In 200 words, tell me what you believe the President has the right to keep from the American people and why he should be able to keep this information away from the public.

National Health Care, Right or a Privilege?

This week we are going to be watching a short video describing our nation's newly passed Health Care Reform. This new legislation makes health care available to any and every American citizen. You have the right to obtain health coverage. An insurance company can not deny you because of a preexisting ailment.
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The short video clip you just watched ends with the topic of health care being a right or a privilege. In 200 words or more, I would like you to tell me whether or not you believe that health care is a right or a privilege? Try to give examples in your description.
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This is our second blog of the 9 weeks and after this blog is due, you will be on Spring Break! I hope you all enjoy your week off and are re-energized for the final 7 weeks!!!

Cold War Conflicts

This is the last blog of the 9 weeks, let's end the 9 weeks on a positive note! Pick one of the following conflicts during the Cold War and describe its effects.

- The Korean War
- The 2nd Red Scare (Fear of Communism)
- Secret development of the Atomic Bomb

For more information on these events, check out Chapter 25 in your book. This blog is 200 words or more and due Friday, March 12th.

Glogster

World War II Blog

The Simpsons have made themselves in a household name by being a mainstay for the FOX Network for over twenty years. Who would have known that we could use The Simpsons to mold our next blog over World War II. I am using a quote from Bart Simpson to ask you the following question.
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Bart Simpson, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, contrary to what you've just seen, war is neither glamorous nor fun. There are no winners. Only losers. There are no good wars, with the following exceptions: The American Revolution, World War II, and the Star Wars trilogy. If you'd like to learn more about war, there's lots of books in your local library--many of them with cool, gory pictures."
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Why does Bart believe World War II was a glamorous war? Use examples that we have learned and in 200 words or more, explain why you believe World War II was a glamorous war. This blog response is due Friday, February 26th.

Earthquake in Haiti

Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen a tragedy strike the island nation of Haiti and then an aftershock shake the Caribbean. The world expects the United States to step in and contribute to the relief efforts, and we have. You have government officials, celebrities, and athletes all asking people to donate. People like Ben Stiller, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, and Dwyane Wade have gone as far as donating a million dollars of their own money. They have sponsored telethons like ‘Hope for Haiti,’ and many athletes have used their platform to push the cause for Haiti.
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Option 1: I want to know if you or your family has donated to the relief efforts for Haiti. Why or why not? Would you rather donate money to a cause like this, or would you be more willing to donate your time and physical capabilities? Who is more likely to convince you to donate; a celebrity, an athlete, a government official, or someone close to you?
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Option 2: The entire world expects the United States to lead the relief efforts in Haiti. They expect the United States to donate money, manpower, and supplies to the Haitians. How do you feel about this? The U.S. debt keeps rising, but we are expected to be a leader in this and other global crisis’. Should the United States worry about our own deficiencies, or should we be the global leader that everyone expects us to be?

Happy 2010!

Happy New Year! I hope you guys enjoyed your two weeks off. I know you all are probably not ready to come back, but those are the breaks. You have a nice, easy response this week and I hope you all take advantage and get a good start to the semester.
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1) I want you tell me about the best gift you received? Why was it so meaningful to you? Who gave it to you? Was it important because you received it from that specific person? If you have more than one, you can write about them.
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2) I want you to tell me about a family dinner, Christmas, New Years Eve party, or family trip for the holidays. Tell me where you went, what you did, who else was there, etc...
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As usual, 200 words, due at the beginning of class on Friday.

2nd 9 Weeks, 3rd Blog

This week you will be learning about yellow journalism (Page 559). I want you to create your own story using yellow journalism. This is a two part assignment. The first part is you telling me a story that is truthful. The 2nd part of the blog is you using yellow journalism to tell me one side of the story.
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Your story can be based on something in U.S. History (this is the preferred method), but you can use a personal story as well. Remember, I need both the original story, then the 'yellow' version of the story. This blog will be due on MONDAY, December 14th.

Blog November 30-December 4

This week we will be talking about the United States at the turn of the 20th Century and the events that occurred within our beautiful country. You will have Monday to work on these and your essay will be do first thing on Friday. You can also choose to work on your essay Thursday, but that time is going to be reserved to work on your study guide. 3 weeks until Christmas Break, let's make them count!
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Option 1: In this chapter, we will discuss immigrants and their experiences coming to the United States and landing in Ellis Island and Angel Island (If you want to know more, turn to Section 1 of Chapter 15 on page 488). I want you to tell me what you would do when you first landed in the United States as an immigrant.
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Option 2: Urban planning was a major concern for many city developers in the early 1900s. They wanted to keep certain areas beautified by building parks. I want you to design your own park. Your paper should describe to me (in writing!) your park. You have unlimited funds to build your park, so be creative.

2nd Nine Weeks 5 Paragraph Essay

Short Civil War Essay

Your Assignment:

Write a five paragraph essay on what you think was the greatest cause of the Civil War. Your paper will have an introduction, a three paragraph body, and a conclusion. Each paragraph of your body should discuss a different point of persuasion. Your typed short essay will be due on Tuesday (November 17^th)

You must use outside sources for the basis of your essay. You must use a minimum of one source, but the more sources you use, the easier your paper will be to write. This is not an opinion paper, you must use facts as your method of persuasion. Your opinion can be one of your persuasive paragraphs. You can either use footnotes at the bottom of each page of your essay or you can make a works cited page.

Possible Topics:

- Expansion of Slavery into Territories

- States Rights vs. Federal Rights

- Tariff issues

- Sectionalism

- Expansionism

- Economics

- Party Politics

Blog Response: Oct. 19-23

John Brown’s capture of the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia,
electrified the nation.  Many southerners viewed Brown’s actions as an act
of terrorism that revealed how far northerners would go to end slavery.
Many northerners saw Brown’s attack as a violent but necessary step in the
process of ending slavery.  Both sides saw the raid as another step towards war.  Looking back at John Brown's raid, I want you to write about... 
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Option 1:  Was Brown’s attack an act of terrorism, or a reasonable attempt to end
slavery?
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Option 2: What was the role of sectionalism in the growing antagonism between the North and South during the years before the Civil War?
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As usual, write around 2/3 of a page (200 words). It is due at the beginning of class on Friday. Good luck!

1st Nine Weeks Essay (Due Oct. 15th)

Your Essay is going to be about yourself. You are going to write about the 'history' of yourself. You will be writing a 5 paragraph essay discussing a day in your life over the past 2 weeks. You will pick one day and discuss 3 important aspects of that day. Each aspect will be one of your 3 body paragraphs.
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1st Paragraph: Introduction
2nd Paragraph: 1st Aspect
3rd Paragraph: 2nd Aspect
4th Paragraph: 3rd Aspect
5th Paragraph: Conclusion
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Your introduction should include information about yourself. This information should come from your experience in high school. (I do not want to know where you live, where you were born, how old you are... etc). I am more interested in information like, "How your school year is going? How does this day compare to others this year? Was it a good day? A bad day?"
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Make sure you have a strong thesis statement.
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Each aspect should be its own paragraph. Make sure to use transition sentences to make your paragraphs flow.
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Your conclusion should add no new information. It should summarize/evaluate/give a different take as if you were looking back on your day. You will have an opportunity to type these in the computer lab on Tuesday, October 13th. They are due at the beginning of class on Thursday, October 15th. I will not accept papers that are not typed. Good luck!!!

Sept 28 - Oct 2 Blog

This week we are going to try something different.  The focus of this blog is going to be on your spelling and grammar.  You are going to have some free reign on your response this week.  I want you to make sure you are writing well thought out sentences, and STAY ON TASK.

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We are going to learn about Manifest Destiny this week.  Your assignment is to write about a location WEST of Thorntown, IN that you would want to live.  You need to explain why you want to move there and how would go about moving.  Give me details on the location you want to live.  

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I don't want "I want to move to Hollywood because movie stars are out there."  Why did Americans move West in the 1800's?  What opportunities would you have if you moved West?  What challenges would you face?  Give me details! 

September 21-25 Blog

We are finishing True Women this week.  You most likely did not realize this, but it is based off a true story.  The movie is based off a book by the same name, written by Janice Woods Windle.  I want you guys to answer these two questions:

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Why do you believe Janice Woods Windle felt it was so important to indulge people in stories of women throughout this time period?

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After watching the movie (or part of the movie if you were absent), what did you think was the most difficult aspect of life in the early 1800s?  How did it appear characters responded to these hardships?  

As usual, a 200 word goal is set for this week.  

September 14-18 Blog Response

This week's blog is going to deal with President Obama's speech to students.  We are going to watch the speech in class today.  After the speech, I would like you to answer a few of these questions.  You don't have to answer them all!  The minimum word count this week is 200 words.  Think positive when answering these questions and really evaluate yourselves and the speech!!!

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We heard President Obama mention the importance of personal responsibility.  

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In your life, who exemplifies this kind of responsibility?  How?  Give examples.

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How are the individuals in this classroom similar? How is each student different? 

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Is President Obama inspiring you to do anything?  Is he challenging you to do anything?

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What do you believe are the challenges of your generation?

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What ideas do we associate with the words “Responsibility, Persistence, and Goals?”

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What are your strengths? 

Week 3 Blog

On pages C20-C21, Read the Bill of Rights and tell me...
- What do the Bill of Rights mean to you?

- How do you think these Amendments have evolved with time?

- Do any of them not apply today?

- Which do you believe is the most important and why?

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As usual, this is due on Friday.  Make sure that you spend time answering all of these questions.  Write a short paragraph (around 50 words) for each of the above questions.  The Bill of Rights will come up a time or two towards the end of the week.  Make sure you know them by Friday!!!

Week 2 Blog (August 24th-28th)

I want you to read each of these quotes and write a response to one or two of them.  I want you to focus on how each of these quotes pertains to democracy and our government.  You can compare and contrast two quotes (your response to each would be shorter) or you can just write about one.  These will be due Friday at the beginning of class.
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1. Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind...War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today.  - John F. Kennedy 
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2. No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent.  - Abraham Lincoln 
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3. Finishing second in the Olympics gets you silver. Finishing second in politics gets you oblivion.  - Richard Nixon 
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4. People ask the difference between a leader and a [political] boss. . . . The leader works in the open, and the boss in covert. The leader leads, and the boss drives.  - Teddy Roosevelt
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5. Liberty has never come from the government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of it. The history of liberty is a history of resistance. - Woodrow Wilson 
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6. No democracy can long survive which does not accept as fundamental to its very existence the recognition of the rights of minorities.  The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.  - Franklin Roosevelt 

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This week, we are shooting for 200 words.  A little shorter, but you have a project to worry about come Friday.  I highly recommend getting this done in class by Tuesday.  Some of you may have work to do at home for your project.  

Week 1 Blog (August 17th-21st)

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening everyone.  Welcome back!  This week we will starting our discussion of U.S. History and I have two questions that I would like you to look at.  You pick one of these to answer.  Don't forget, your response must be around 250 words (one page hand written or one to one and a half typed pages.)  This is due at the BEGINNING of class on August 21st.  No late work will be accepted unless you have an excused absence on the 21st.  

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Option 1:  You are in charge of creating a new society.  What features would your society have?  How would you develop an identity for your society?  What would you do with dissenters within your society?

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Option 2:  You get to move out away from your parents!  They told you that you can continue to live in Boone county and go to Western Boone.  They are going to move to Chicago.  Only rule is, they get to tell you what to do, how to spend your money, and when your curfew is.  How do you respond to your parents?  Could you come to a compromise with them where you would be happy?  What would this compromise consist of?

1st Day of School

I hope you guys had a great 1st day of school!  The school year is long and you will have your good days and bad.  Keep your heads up and keep plugging away and you will do fine!  

Don't forget, if you want some easy extra credit points, have your parent or guardian read over the syllabus and sign the back page by Monday, August 17th!  Here is a link to download the syllabus if you lost it!

http://www.easy-share.com/1907331829/USHistorySyllabus.doc

*The above link is to a free download site.  Do NOT pay for anything, it is free and easy to download.  Copy and paste the link into your browser and wait the 20 seconds to download.