End of Semester Speech

        This year I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there is a way of learning history without it giving me the urge to fall asleep.  In the past I have always dreaded history class because it usually involved lots of note taking and hours of memorizing facts. This year has changed all of that because I have begun to see history in a different light due to the way our class is set up. The class is presented with the opportunity to form our own opinions about topics, before we actually begin to learn the material. Then we are able to apply these opinions to the material, in order to emulate how we would have actually reacted to the situation if we had been living during the time which we are studying. This method has enabled me to understand the situations of Americans in the past because I am able to sympathize with them through our activities in class.

I was unpleasantly surprised to learn that luck plays a larger role in success than I would like to think. This is not to say that I have changed my opinion that hard work and skill play a huge role in success, I have just been enlightened in the patterns of the past. For example, the Rockefeller family. John Davison Rockefeller Senior was not born into his wealth, he worked hard to make something of himself, but he owes the extent of his success to timing and luck. If he had been born in any other time period, when the oil industry wasn't booming, he would not have the success story which he has today.

Ten years from now, I am likely to remember that slaves actually came to America before the pilgrims. This surprised me because I had always been told that the pilgrims where the first people to come to this great nation, other than the native americans of course. I think I will always remember this because I was so shocked to find out that this notion is just a myth used to maintain the reputation of our country's founding to children by omitting the parts of the story which are questionable in the eyes of the masses.

In the past, Americans have struggled with rebuilding the lives of people affected by national disasters, and today we still face some of the same issues. Happiness is one of these issues which was emphasized in the reconstruction of the South after the Civil War. Everyone was unhappy and there was no way to balance everything out to please both races. Whereas today there is still a huge discrepancy when it comes to happiness of United States’ citizens. Everyone wants something different for their county, and it is very difficult for the officials in power to make decisions which are suitable to the majority of their party.

I have really enjoyed these past two quarters, and from what I have learned I think this era can be summed up to “The Age of Evolution” I can not wait to see what is to come next semester.

Thinking About Success

Hard Work 

Skill

Opportunity

Luck

      "Hard Work" is definitely the most important ingredient because if you don't work hard then nothing will get accomplished. Hard working people are inevitably successful, so why wouldn't it be number one? "Skill" follows "Hard Work" because if you have skill, but not a hard work ethic then the skill goes to waste. "Opportunity" and "Luck" kind of fall hand in hand, but I think "Opportunity" ranks higher than "Luck" because I believe that luck has very little to do with the success of a person. There are some rare cases when people are very successful, purely by luck, but most often the people who become very successful have a very long story of how they got there, and all of the failures they faced along the way. Living in the United States gives everyone a greater chance at success  because of the heightened level of opportunity, but without hard work and skill, success is not likely to occur.

Marissa Mayer, the first female CEO of Yahoo!

Exploring Business / Clothing Industry

      Today I learned a lot about a store that I never thought much of. Being an avid Youtuber, I have seen enough clothing "hauls" for a lifetime. Something I have found interesting is that there are many stores that people in Britain, among other places, shop at which I have ever heard of. One of the most frequent stores I would hear was Zara. I saw the clothes they would buy and would think to myself how on trend and cool they were. I had never even seen a Zara until I went to Atlanta about a year ago. It was at the top of my list of stores I wanted to visit in Lennox Mall. It's crazy to think about the process that went into each article of clothing being on that rack in Atlanta. Just going and shopping there you would never know that the garment you were buying and taking home was probably in Spain less than a month ago. I find it very interesting learning about fashion because in the consumer's eyes the struggle of clothing is finding something you like and that fits your personal style. However, when you look at it from the point of view of the seller, the struggle completely changes. There are actually people who go to work every day just to predict what my age group wants to buy, and then sitting next to the person doing that could be a person trying to figure out how to get it into the store in Atlanta before is goes out of style.

Age of the City Blog Post

Dear Father,

         Since arriving in America I have experienced many surprising things. America is a very interesting country with a wealth of opportunity for everyone, including immigrants. I feel like I am welcomed as an African American, but at the same time I still feel like an outsider from time to time. Due to the fact that I speak very little English, things are often difficult because there are not very many people who speak the same language as me. At the same time, I have been pleased to find that there are things such as newspapers and even some plays which are produced in our language.
        In regards to housing, I have been able to find a small place within the small neighborhood of African Americans who recently traveled to the United States too. I have been very lucky in finding housing because in my explorations of the city I have seen some very sad situations with kids living in the streets. This is something I believe the country can do something about and I have seen in the news that there is a man taking a pictures of the children to raise awareness. I have also been lucky enough to find a special man. His name is Kaiden and he is amazing. He has been out looking for work recently, he really wants a factory job, but unfortunately those are hard to come by for us African Americans.
        I have been thinking about this idea of a city life and new traditions, and I think I quite like it. The idea that we can all come together in one big melting pot and exist to gather in harmony is a beautiful thing. This idea is called assimilation, and I think I am on board with it.

                  Your Daughter,
                              Marissa

I have enclosed a picture of a job that Kaiden dreams of, working at
a cotton gin

Cotton Gin 1890

Frontier Schools

Essay

    During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, the West of the United States was booming with business and opportunity. Due to increasing population, there was a high demand for some form of education for young people. This was when the idea of Frontier Schools was introduced. Frontier Schools were publicly funded schools housed in one room buildings. One particular school in 1884 had 179 students, and only four teachers to keep them in order. By 1897 this same school had expanded to three buildings, 674 students, and 15 employees. These schools typically received funding from three places; the tax levy on property, the school district, and what was known as the “special tax”. There were two major contributing factors to the success of Frontier Schools; good teachers within a communal atmosphere and the Homestead Act.

With the expansion of education, there was a much higher demand for teachers. Right around the same time as the educational expansion, an act was passed called the Homestead Act. The act brought fourth a three-fold homestead acquisition process which enabled any United States Citizen, women included, to legally own a plot of land. This was a game changer for young women who wanted to become independent. In the past women had always needed a man to do anything legally, but with this act they were given the opportunity to do something remarkable on their own. The act required one to file for an application, improve the land, and file the title of the deed. This act was the main reasoning behind a large majority of women moving across the country to the west, to become teachers.

Despite the fact that schools were becoming more accessible, in 1883 forty-five percent of all school age children still did not attend school in Montana. Frontier schools were much more than just schools, they were a community of parents, teachers, administrators, and students. In 1884 education reformer Edwin Hewlett had this to say about the idea of a scholarly community; “ Having teachers and pupils gather on Saturday and clean the schoolhouse is not a bad one. It furnishes a good deal of fun, and at the same time gives pupils a sense of responsibility.” To further the community involvement on schools even more, the schools began publishing the honor rolls in the local newspaper.  The schools were also a home for the teachers, parents of students provided food and clothing to the teachers and also kept up with the meals. There was a stove located in the schoolhouse for the teachers to cook their meals. The schools also held spelling bees and debates against other schools to rally the community together. 

       Frontier Schools are the foundation of public schools as we know them today. Public schools are still based off of governmental funding and serve their community as a free opportunity for education. The strong teaching foundation Frontier Schools set is still alive in schools today. The two major contributing factors to the success of Frontier Schools were good teachers within a communal atmosphere and the Homestead Act. 

Sources

1) PBS Frontier Life
I used this source to find the main description of frontier schools and develop my basis of knowledge about my topic.  I also found their quotes from scholars to be useful insight. I also discovered statistics about these schools.

2) Library of Congress: The Clark School for Concentration
I used the information in this article to form a contrast for the public schools I have been learning about. This ad for a private predatory school has some very interesting ideals about teachers and students which greatly differ from the ideals I found in public schools.

3) Library of Congress Annual Report
I used this source to gain a deeper understanding of the financial breakdown of public frontier schools.

4) Library of Congress Honor Rolls 
This source is interesting proof of the publication of honor rolls in local newspapers.

5) Library of Congress Teacher Sketches
I used this source to further my knowledge about the backgrounds of the people employed at the frontier schools. I learned that the employees were highly qualified, and picked from the best group of prospects possible.

6) Library of Congress Lieutenant- Governor Speech
This is an article I found about a Governor speaking out on his beliefs about education and free schooling.

 7) Google Books- Joseph Sayers
This is a book I found which give a little bit of background knowledge about the governor speaking in the article above. This book does not directly relate to frontier schools, but it provided necessary information for me to grasp the essence of Joseph Sayers. For this reason, I did not make any notecards for this source.

8) Library of Congress- History of Graded Schools
In this source I went deeper into the understanding of the breakdown of the schools; administration and financial.

9) National Archives: The Homestead Act of 1862
I searched for the Homestead Act because it was referenced in one of my other sources and I wanted to learn more info about it. This source provides a brief background and overall description of the Homestead Act.

Enhancing Images

Annual Expenses of Various Schools from Salt Lake City, Utah 1899

Portrait and Description of Superintendent of Chase County 

One Room School in in Custer County, Nebraska

Ad for Private Prep School NYC 1917

Homestead Certificate Example

Film Essay #1

Marissa Trobaugh  I think that watching movies is a viable way to explore real events, circumstances, and attitudes while developing great analytical skills. “12 Years a Slave” and “Glory” are wonderful examples of movies which can be examined in historical education. They both address a time when racism was very popular, and blacks faced major adversity. Movies are a way of making history come alive and have a deeper affect on the masses. With “12 Years a Slave”, Steve McQueen wanted to address a topic that is often overlooked because of its controversial connotation. McQueen strived to create a movie that would make slavery come to life for the viewer and tug at their heart strings. The majority of people living on earth today do not know what it feels like to be a slave because they have not experienced it themselves. Reading something in text can produce a sense of understanding for the reader, but I believe that seeing something on screen makes it more relatable. It is one thing to read about how brutal slavery was in textbooks, but it is a another to actually see it in action. Movies are a more modern way of learning which can often be rejected by the older crowds because it is something that they are not used to. However, this does not take away from its legitimacy. Movies based on true stories are merely a means of enhancing the work. Another element in historical movies is their accuracy to the original event. I do not believe this is the most important thing because a scenario does not have to be completely true for genuine feelings to be produced. However, some people find it hard to see this because if the scene is not 100 percent accurate, then how can the reaction be the same? A scene being completely accurate does make it more legitimate, but it does not make or break the success of the scene. “12 Years a Slave”  is based on a true story written by the real life Solomon. This story being made into a movie adds a dimension that can not be achieved by a book alone. Following characters on screen gives me the ability to have sympathy and get into the mindset of the situation. “12 Years a Slave” follows the true story very closely, and does not have many scenes that did not actually occur in real life. While I was watching “12 Years a Slave” there were many moments that brought me to tears, and I feel like movies have a better ability to influence my emotions than books. When I saw Solomon being forced to whip Patsy, I felt very sympathetic to him because I could see the pain in his face. This took me deep inside the occurrences during the time of slavery in a way that a book just could not do.  In “Glory”, Zwick wanted to bring the attention of the public to black solders in the Civil War. I had never even heard of this concept before watching this movie. I was astounded by his angle of the war because it was so foreign to me and different from everything I had ever learned about the Civil War. Zwick said that he tried to “focus neither blacks nor whites, but on the regiment”. There was a sense of commrodiary amongst the members of the regiment, which I do not think could have been depicted by a text alone. The interesting thing about “Glory” is that it is not based off of any specific primary source. It is based on true events, but there was not actually a band of black soldiers who had been together since basic training. Even after learning this, I still saw the legitimacy in the feelings I had wile watching the movie. I would have to agree with movie critic Charity Bishop in her statement that “Glory” is “Less about battle scenes, and more about individuals”. This movie did more than just tell me about the battles and how many people died, it gave me an insight into the experience of the soldiers. 

Sources:

IMBD Glory Awards

Rolling Stone review of Glory

Washington Post review of Glory

Charity Bishop’s review of Glory

Reelreviews review of Glory

Glory cost Approximation 

The Tech interview with Edward Zwick

12 Years a Slave McQueen Interview

IMBD 12 YAS 

New York Times Review 12 YAS

Box Office Mojo: 12 YAS

Rolling Stone Review 12 YAS