WWII/Private Ryan

1. In WWII, four brothers are fighting for the US army in different areas of Germany. Three out of four brothers are killed in action(KIA) and the mother is supposed to receive the letters that all three brothers were killed. The US army chief decides that the last of the four brothers is to be sent home but he is missing. A group of eight men go to search for him where they go through dangerous war territory in search of the fourth brother named private james ryan. The unit of eight men find private ryan but ryan refuses to leave the men he has fought with to go home. The US fights against Germany to recover a bridge that is essential for the US to protect. The US is victorious but nearly every one of the eight men die in the battle but ryan is alive at the end of the movie along with a few other men.

2. A day for a soldier is filled with stress and anxiety and the men must constantly be watching for enemies. A soldier can never relax during war. Soldiers sleep very little and fight to defend their territory or invade the enemies territory every minute of the day.

3. The character that I chose to analyze was private james ryan. He was a courageous soldier that cared more about the safety of his unit rather than the safety of himself. He was a young man and I think he was a little naive but I think he showed a lot of character when he chose not to go home and continued to protect the bridge. Although, I think putting the eight soldiers in danger to stay at the bridge was somewhat selfish but he had a good argument by saying that he doesnt have anymore right to go home than anyother soldier fighting in this war. I think he was an honorable soldier and was my favorite most dynamic character in the movie.

4. I would not have done well as a WWII soldier. The stress and constant anxiety would drive me crazy during wartime. Although, I do think if I was in WWII and fighting as a soldier I would put the other soldiers in the unit before myself. I would not think of myself as some hero but I believe I am a caring person that would care about the lives of my fellow soldiers more than my own life.

Society in the 1950's Teammates Response

Camisha Alexis: In 1950, the number of cars doubled from 30 to 74 million.
Coral Nolan: The United Nations created the United Nations Atomic Energy commission to safely and properly use the atom.
Lorann Pate: Many teens were rebellious during the 1950s and were involved in gangs associated with vandalism, car thefts, and random violence.
Julia Mckinney: Eisenhower felt that if one country fell to communism, all the countries around that country would fall too.
Bruce: David Reisman, a sociologist, believed the American character was changing into conformity for individualism in the 1950s.
Chris Norris: Consumerism was the product of advertising. Advertising caused consumers to purchase products.
Jimmy Warren: The economy grew by 37% in the 1950s. American families started spending 30% of their income on consumer goods.
Dillan: U-2 spy planes flied missions over Russia. One of the U-2 spy planes were shot down over Russia.

McCarthyism

A.    List three things the author said that you think are important:

- In the document he stated that he has the names of 57 communists that are presently serving in the state department.

- President Truman appointed a board to screen state department employees and found hundreds listed as “dangerous to the security of the nation”, because of communist connections.

-One group of 300 certified to the secretary for discharge, he only discharged about 80.

B. Why do you think this document was written?
-I think this document was written to inform President Truman about all the people in the state department that are communists or dangerous to the security of the nation, Also, to suggest that these people must be discharged immediately

C. What evidence in the document helps you know why it was written? Quote from the document.
-“I have the names of 57 communists that are presently serving in the state department.

     

D. List two things the document tells you about life in the United States at the time it was written:

- The American society feared communists and turned their backs against anyone that could possibly be a communist.

- American society also had a negative view towards the Soviet Union and feared the Soviet Union’s atomic bomb plans.

E. Write a question to the author that is left unanswered by the document:

-How can President Truman find McCarthy’s list of 57 communists that are presently serving in the state department?

F. Date of document

- February 11, 1950

G. Author:

-Senator Joseph McCarthy

     H. Purpose of document
      - To inform President Truman about the communists in the state department

Society in the 1950s

            The article titled " A Nation in Debt" explained the debt increase in the 1950s society. In the Fifties, the concept "buy now, pay later" was introduced along with the first credit card (the Diner's Club card). Private debt doubled from $104.8 billion to $263.3 billion in the 1950s. Credit card purchases benefited the U.S's 1950s economy. Although, the U.S and the middle class did well during this time 25% of citizens lived in poverty. The U.S. citizens who were affected were blacks who lived in urban neighborhoods and lower class whites. President Eisenhower bel;ieved his approach to the economy proved to be successful, even though it didnt reach everyone.

Labor Unions

WW1 Post

The seven causes of world war 1 were:

1. The Russian revolution-a series of revolutions in 1917 in Russia which overthrew the tsar and created the Soviet Union
2. The TransAtlantic Cable Cut- A cable linking north America to London was cut
3. The Zimmerman Telegram-In 1917, a proposal from Germany to Mexico to declare war on the United States
4. The sinking of the Luisitania-the british ship(the Luisitania) was sunk by a German U-boat
5. German U-boats- German submarines that appeared out of nowhere and attacked opposing ships without warning
6. The sinking of three other ships-three other ships were sunk by German U boats
7. The Sussex Pledge- a promise to the United States from Germany which included terms such as:

Passenger ships would not be targeted;

Merchant ships would not be sunk until the presence of weapons had been established, if necessary by a search of the ship;

Merchant ships would not be sunk without provision for the safety of passengers and crew.

American Imperialism

          This U.S. imperialism political cartoon shows how these four areas(puerto rico, hawaii, cuba, and the phillipines) were causing problems for the U.S. while America is trying to take care of them.
          The reasons the U.S. became an imperialistic country are to expand trade markets, make the nation more secure, increase nationalism, and demand for raw materials.

New Jersey vs. T.L.O.

1. T.L.O's fourth amendment rights were violated becasue the search and seizure occured under unprobable cause

2. The fourth amendment does not apply to children in public schools because while they are on school campus they are under the protection of the school and the school has the right to search and seizure in order to protect children from harmful situations and substances.

3. I think it was reasonable beacause the fourth amendment states that you cannot search and seizure under unreaonable cause and the school had a reason to search T.L.O beacause a teacher saw them smoking which was proven when he opened up the purse.

4. There must be a reasonable clasue for search and seizure.

5. The Supreme Court should rule in favor of the school because the school had reasonable cause for search and seizure.

Civil War reconstruction political cartoon

This political cartoon during the civil war reconstruction era referred to the presidential election of 1860. In the background there is a cloth with the United States map on it and there are four men which are the candidates for the presidential election(Abraham Lincoln, John C. Breckinridge, John Bell, and Stephen A. Douglas) dividing the map. This cartoon shows how the four candidates running in the presidential elction of 1860 were fighting to win states and this also shows who was winning certain states.

The history of the Ku Klux Klan

           In 1866, a group of confederate veterans started what is known today as the Ku Klux Klan. In 1867, local klans created an "Invisible Empire of the South". Nathan Bedford Forrest was chosen as the "grand wizard" of the klan. The KKK dedicated itself to reversing the policies of radical reconstruction and and restoring white supremacy in the South. During reconstruction, many symbols of black autonomy were attacked by KKK members. By 1870, The KKK was found in nearly every southern state and flourished where african americans were a minority. Due to the fear risen from the klan there was an enforcement act created named the Ku Klux Klan Act of 1871. This act enforced equal protection among all citizens. In 1915, there was a revival of the KKK and it reached its peak of 4 million members in the 1920s. In 1930s the klan was depleted due to the great depression. The KKK still exists today and estimates that there is about 6,000 members who are mainly in the deep South.

Presidential Election Blog

Stephen Douglas was born in Brandon, Vermont in 1813. Throughout his life, he was very involved in government and Congress. Stephen Douglas was attorney general of Illinois in 1834, member of the legislature in 1835, secretary of state in 1840,judge of the Supreme Court in 1841, and member of the House of Representatives in 1847. He heavily believed in an idea referred to as popular sovereignty.Popular sovereignty is where territories are allowed to vote whether they would like to be a slave or non-slave state. During the election, Stephen Douglas was a northern democrat and he did not want to abolish slavery.-Alexis Basgil