Martha’s Class Blog

Please (actively) read pp. 53-63 in your USO text books for Monday!

Suggested Civil Rights topics:

The Young Lords

The Weather Underground

Malcolm X

Black Panther Party for Self Defense (subtopics: Fred Hampton, Bobby Seale, Assata Shakur)

Anti-War Movement

Second Wave of Feminism (subtopics: Gloria Steinem, National Organization of Women)

American Indian Movement (subtopics: Alcatraz, The Second Battle of Wounded Knee)

Gay Liberation (subtopics: Stonewall)

For the “Influential People” assignment:

Here is a link to The Atlantic Monthly’s list of 100 most influential Americans.  For this assignment, please pay attention to the top ten of those top 100.  For more on how The Atlantic came to their conclusions about who was most influential, please read this corresponding article.

Hi kids,

We had a power outage at my house so I couldn’t post until now.  You lucked out cause that means no questions to answer tonight.  Instead, please just read the packet that was handed out in class.

“Emma, there are no questions for tonight’s reading. Will you make a post that says that?”

Thus, here is the post. There are NO QUESTIONS on tonight’s reading.

Love you all,

Emma

Step 1: Pick up a packet of “Race and Membership” readings from Nick.

Step 2: Decide between the two following assignments

Assignment A: Using your “Progressive Era” packet as well as at least one reading in the “Race and Membership” packet, identify the dominant ideology surrounding race, gender and/or social class at the Turn of the Century. Write at least 1-2 pages explaining that ideology and arguing whether your NOVEL from mod 6 displays this dominant ideology.

(suggested “Race & Membership” readings: Reading 3: A Celebration of “Progress”; Reading 4: “Progress”, Civilization, and “Color-Line Murder”; Reading 7: Disparities )

Assignment B: Using last nights “Progressive Era” packet as well as at least one of the readings in the “Race and Membership” packet craft a thesis about how Progressives at the Turn of the Century were affected by dominant ideas about race, gender and class. Did these dominant ideas affect their ability to work for change? How?

(Suggested “Race & Membership” Readings: Reading 5: Door to Opportunity; Reading 8: “Progress” and Poverty”; Reading 10: The Kind of World We Live In)

This writing is due either EMAILED to me or BLOGGED by the END OF CLASS, 11:45 sharp.

(If you have not finished writing 1-2 pages, email me what you have at the end of class.)

Homework for Thursday night is posted under the Weekly Assignment Sheet.

Thursday’s class will meet in the classroom for a film.

Hey Sophmores! This is your homework. Martha told me to post it.

Tonight please read “The Progressive Era” packet and respond to one of these questions (or to a classmates response) in the comments. Alternatively if you would like to discuss something else related to the reading please start a new post.

1. How does immigrant culture and experience at the turn-of-the-century relate to the idea of American imperialism?

2.   What is Charlotte Perkins Gilman arguing for in her “Women and Economics” essay (1898)?  How does she define freedom?

3.  In what ways are people gaining freedoms during this era?  Is there anyone whose freedom is being more restricted?

4.  Why do you think the Socialist party was never successful on a national level despite its victories in city governments?

5.  Foner says that the 1912 Lawrence strike “had the greatest impact on public conciousness”– why might have that been true?

6.  What tactics did Progressives use to try to reform “social ills”?  Are these tactics similar or different to those used by people working for change today? (find examples!)

*Remember you are meeting in the library tomorrow and should bring your 6th mod novels. Also bring a laptop if you have one.

Here’s Common Sense:

http://www.bartleby.com/133/3.html

Here’s the Declaration:

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

These documents are not poems. You are to use the words in these documents to create YOUR OWN poem. This is called a found poem.

I noticed Rachel and Helen’s concerns about the found poem that you have to write for class and I wrote them this email. I thought it might be useful for other people who are also having trouble.  Also, check out the excerpt from Chace’s poem that is posted below this!

” So the idea here is to use the language in the two documents (Common Sense and The Declaration) to create a poem about “the New Man”. You can reorganize the words in any way you want and combine words from the two documents together. If you want to keep phrases in tact, that’s okay, but if you don’t, you can split things up as much as you want. The idea here is to get comfortable with the language in the documents and also to make a connection to the idea of “the new man”. The poems don’t have to rhyme or even be in traditional poetry format.

If you have any other questions, I’ll be up for another two hours or so, so you can give me a call. “

Hi U.S. Overview –

Tomorrow (Wed 4.9) I will be attending a conference (to learn how to make our blog better, among other things) and won’t be able to be in class with you during B-Block. You will use the time to do a small writing project. If you have a laptop at home, tomorrow is a good day to bring it in.

Here is your task:

Create a character living in the colonies during the 1760s. Write a paragraph or two describing your character. Make sure to mention gender, race, age, economic status, etc.

In the voice of your character write 1-2 pages about one of the events that lead to the American Revolution (use your homework from last night to help you). You can be as creative as you would like. Write in the form of a newspaper editorial, a letter to someone or a diary entry.

Things to think about:
How does your character’s status change the way he/she views the event?
How does he/she define “freedom”? Does that impact the way he/she feels about the conflict?
What is at stake for your character? What does he/she have to gain or lose from the effects of this event?

In your writing I will be looking for you to show me an understanding of the historical even you have chosen as well as the ways that class/race/gender/circumstances affected people living at the time of the Revolutionary War.

Doug will be around (either in the library with you or in the history office) in case you have any questions.

Your writing is due to me via email (mfischhoff@gmail.com) at the end of class, 11:45am. You will be graded and late work will not be accepted. Even if you haven’t finished writing, send me everything you have at 11:45am.

For Wednesday night homework (and for your papers) you need a packet of readings that is sitting in a folder on my desk. The folder says “OVERVIEW” on it in big letters, so you won’t be able to miss it.

PLEASE call or email me if you have any questions. And blog your little hearts out.

I’ll see you on Thursday!

-Martha

Please read pp. 65-78 in your text books this weekend.

My apologies for the late post!