Book Report: 1776

        1776 by David McCullough is a historical book written about the year 1776 during the American Revolution. The book focuses on the military aspects of the revolution during that year, the battles at Dorchester Heights, Long Island, and Trenton, as well as the military chain of command for both the Continental and British Army. McCullough does delve a little bit into politics of the American Revolution, but those areas are mostly left in the background (i.e. Continental Congress, Declaration of Independence).

        The best thing about the book is that McCullough delivers the history as a story. Most Americans know about the history and the situations of the American Revolution (hopefully), and therefore, it could have been very easy to bore someone who doesn't have a vast interest in history with the material, but McCullough doesn't fall into that trap. I didn't find the "story telling" dry at all as I have experienced with other historical books; he was able to keep the book moving through each event and battle without dragging it down with uninteresting facts.

        Another reason I thought the book moved well was because of the inclusion of the personal histories of the men in charge of each military. People familiar with the American Revolution (or just America in general) know about George Washington, and some may even be familiar with General Cornwallis of the British. McCullough does place emphasis on Washington, but the entire book does not revolve around Washington. The reader is given a significant dose of the other commanders who were heavily involved including General Howe, Nathanael Green, Henry Knox, and others. McCullough provides the reader with a history for each man, allowing the reader to see where each came from and how he arrived at his station, so that we may better understand their motivations and rationale as they moved through the war.

        Another positive aspect of the book is that I didn't think it was biased towards either side. I always think of the quote, "History is written by the winners," but I think McCullough fairly portrayed both sides of the war. He didn't cast Washington as a better and more competent field general than Howe; in fact, he recalled a number of times when Washington's indecisiveness cost the Continental Army. McCullough showed where the American forces were brilliant, where they were lucky, and where they were terrible examples of human beings, and he did the same for the British/Hessian army (i.e. both sides ransacked towns that they inhabited). The only time I felt biased while reading the book was when McCullough painted the American army as the rough, ragged, grass roots underdog army in comparison to the more refined and well-trained British army. It's not a fault of McCullough; the American army really was the heavy underdog when compared to the British army, who was the greatest military force (Army and Navy) during that time. I just think that (maybe because OF the American Revolution) Americans are biased towards liking the underdogs. We always seem to cheer for the guy who wasn't given everything, but perseveres against the odds because of his craftiness, his will power, and/or his luck. Maybe it's inherent in our patriotism because our nation was founded under that pretense.

        While I do enjoy history, I do not read a lot of history books because I find most of the writing bland and dull. In 1776 (and possibly his other books?), David McCullough is able to break that mold and take the history and the facts and present it so that the book reads less like history and more like a good story, making the book a great read.

"The Day The Music Died"

       

      "I can't remember if I cried 
    
      When I read about his widowed bride 
     
      But something touched me deep inside 
     
      The day the music died." 

--Don McLean, American Pie (1971)

          During the crisp hasty morning hours of February 3, 1959, a single-engined 1947 Beechcraft

Bonanza plane crashed in a nearby cornfield of Clear Lake, Iowa. Later that day, investigators cross

examined the crash sight and retrieved the bodies of 17 year young chicano rock musician Ritchie

Valens, Buddy Holly-an American singer-song writer aged 22- and J.P "The Big Bopper" Richardson

and his tour mates. Alongside the discovery of these three music legends, the body of the 21 year old

pilot Roger Peterson.

       
        In memory of the deceased,  American folk

rock singer-songwriter Don Mclean released the

album American Pie in 1971. The single of the

album was a United States hit for four weeks in

1972. In the Uk the single reached No.2 on it's

original 1972 release. The song is the telling of

"The Day The Music Died" and it's impact on

fans worldwide.

 Sources:

 http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/pages/the_day_the_music_died

http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1876542,00.html

      http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/02/02/day.music.died/

Comprehension Questions

Chapter 13-1

Roosevelt's goal after the war was to promote economic growth by increasing world trade.
The goal for Soviet about German was to strengthen their security.
FDR believed that the economic growth was the key to worl peace.
Declaration of Liberated Europe: " the right of all people to choose the form of government under which they will live".
Germany was to be controlled by being divided into four zones each controlled by one country: Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and France.
Satellite Nations: Communist countries of Eastern Europe.
Iron Curtain: seperating the Communist nations of Eastern Europe from the West.
Chapter 13-2 Page 632

The goal of containment was if the United States could keep the Soviets from expanding their power, it was only a matter of time before the Soviet system would fall apart.
Greece was the first battle front of the Cold War because Communist were trying to take over Greece. 
The Marshal Plan gave European nations American aid to rebuild their economies. 

NATO was The North Atlatic  Treaty Organization- a mutual defense alliance.

Civil War was what happened to China.

5 Step timeline of the Korean War
September 15, 1950: MacArthur land.

September 28, 1950: Liberated by UN.

October 19, 1950: Taken by UN.

November 26, 1950: Chinese counteroffensive.

July 27, 1953: Armistice line.

Notes on Chapter 11 and 12

11-1

Facism:

-A type of aggressive nationalism 

-Fascists believed that the nation was more important than the individual. 

-Italy is were it started 

Stalin: 

-Joseph Stalin in 1926 became the new Soviet dictator. 

-Leader of Russia -Industrialized his country 

Hitler:

-Was a fervent anti communist and an admirer of Mussolini. 

-Could not paint hands. 

Mein Kampf: 

-Hitler's plan to kill as many Jews that he did. 

-Showed goals. 

Isolationist: 

-Ideas became stronger in the early 1930's for two reasons. 

-America wanted to stay our of the fight 

11-2

Anschluss: 

-Germany and Austria 

-Sudetenland 

-Hitler wants to take stuff over 

Appeasement: 

-Shows Hitler is demanding 

-Single front war against France 

Blitzkrieg: 

-Lighting war. 

-Shows Hitler can attack quickly. 

Dunkirk: 

-Battle were English and French troops were conquered. -Escaped on small boats 

Battle of Britain: 

-Mostly fraught with planes. 

11-3, and 11-4 

Kristallnacht: 

-"Night of Broken Glass".

-90 dead. 

-7500 buisnesses destroyed.

-Arrested 20000 Jews. 

-Start of Holocaust 

Holocaust: 

-Nazis killed nearly 6 million Jews. 

-Shoah: Hebrew term for the Holocaust meaning "catastrophe". 

-Hitler is the destroyer of Jews. Religion of Germany is Hitler 

Concentration Camps/Extermination Camps:

-Concentration Camps:Nazi-controlled vast European areas were Jews were taken to detention centers-concentration camps. 

-Extermination Camps: attached to many concentration camps, to be executed in massive gas chambers.

Pearl Harbor:

-Japanese attack on Us 

-Kills many

12-1

Liberty Ships:

-Wellded not riveted 

-Made many...cheap 

-Sturdy 

-Good size cargo ships 

Double V Campaign: 

-Champaign against racisim abroad (Holocaust) and racism at home (Jim Crow Laws)

-Held the gov responsible for acting consistently toward all human beings.

12-2

Bataan: 

-War crime involving the the forcible transfer of prisoners of war. 

-Killed many.

Doolittle Raid: 

-James Doolittle: Lieutenant Colonel, in command of the mission. 

-Began bombing Japan, B25: twin engine, pumps up the Americans. 

Coral Sea: 

-Major naval battle between Japanese Navy and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. 

-Japanese defeat 

Midway: 

-Win 

-Used same code cracking as the beginning of the war.

Erwin Rommel: led the Afrika Korps. 

Convoy System: 

-Cargo ships

-Traveled in groups and were escorted by navy warships. 

Stalingrad: 

-Major battle inwhich Nazi Germany fought the Soviet Union for power over the city of Stalingrad. 

-Amongst one of the bloodiest battles in history of war times. 

12-3 

Rosie the Riviter: 

-A character from a poplular song by the Four Vagabonds. -Symbol of women during the war. 

Zoot Suit Riots: 

-Had very baggy, pleated pants and an overstuffed, knee-length jacket with wide lapels-lots of fabric= lots of color 

-Racism against Mexican Americans and the fear of juvenile crime became linked because of the Zoot Suit. 

Detroit Riots: 

-Police raid. 

-One of the deadliest riots in United States history.

Rationing and Victory:

-Save food for soldiers by planting "victory gardens". 

-40% of Americas food came from victory gardens.

12-4

Strategic Bombing: 

-Military strategies to destroy enemies ability to produce and transport material. 

-Approx 53000 tons of explosives on Germany every month. 

Overlord: 

-Code name for Battle of Normandy. 

-D-Day 

Island Hopping: 

-Crossing the ocean by a series of short journeys between islands. 

-Was supposed to bypass Japanese positions. 

Guadalcanal: 

-Destructive series of naval battles. 

-First major victory for the Allies in the Pacific. 

Kamikaze: 

-Suicide attack put on by Japanese to Allies vessels.

-Designed to destroy warships more than ever imaged.

12-5

Battle of the Bulge: 

-Major German offense champaign. 

-Suprise attack caught the Allied forces completely off guard. 

Hiroshima: 

-Bombed by atomic bombs. 

-Killed many, debates remain today whether this was a reasonable act or not. 

Manhattan Project: 

-Produced the first atomic bombs. 

-Lead by the United States and accompied by Canada and the United Kingdom. 

Nuremberg Trials: 

-Series of military tribunals held by the Allied forces. 

-Prosecution of prominent military, political, and economic members of Nazi Germany.

Short Essays

Changing role for Women in the War.

-Women's began working for the war. 

-Began working while the men were gone.

-Rosie the Riveter, taking on roles that were traditional held by men. 

Changing role for African Americans 

-Were asked to become part of the war and fight for America even though they were not equal. 

Pick a battle in EUROPE as a turning point, and explain why. 

-Battle of the Bulge: Germany's last attempt 

-D-day: invaded Europe 

Pick a battle in PACIFIC as a turning point, and explain why. 

-Midway: USAs first victory in the pacific. 

Pros and Cons of bombing Japan. p. 514. AND YOUR OPINION 

-Book: modifying the surrender terms. Not to use the bombs because it's inhumane, reason to use the bombs will help save American lives. 

-Opinion: agree to disagree 

Why was the US able to fight a war on 2 fronts. 

-Pacific and Europe:we had allies and help, we had the ability to manufacture large proportions of stuff, war did not hurt our nation compared to others.

How did the end of WWI lead to WW2

-Treaty of Versallies: flaued piece, angered Germany leading Hitler to rise to

power.

Earth Day

Earth Day.
You watched the video on the history of the Environmental movement.

Assignment:

Part 1.  10 points

"Watch Film: A Fierce Green Fire." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.

Use that as your bibliographic citation.  Summarize the video in a paragraph.

Part 2:  20 points

Cite 2 more sources about some aspect of the Environmental movement that 'speaks to you.'  This could be managing fisheries for recreation, saving the whales, etc., clean air, clean water, solar power, nuclear power, clean coal.  I don't really care, but don't be contrarian for contrarians sake.  Look for something good about the Planet,  and dig in.

Cite the sources, and summarize.

Write a brief statement of purpose about what we should do to fix the issue that you are concerned with.

Part One: The film "A Fierce Green Fire: The Battle for a Living Planet" is a documentary decided into different acts focusing on various movements. Act 1 focuses on the conservation movement of the ‘60s, the Sierra Club, David Brower and the battle to halt dams in the Grand Canyon. Act 3 is about alternative ecology strands, with the main story being Greenpeace’s campaign to save the whales. Act 4 tells of the rise of global issues in the ‘80s. It focuses on the struggle to save the Amazon, led by Chico Mendes and the rubbertappers.Act 5 concerns climate change.
Part Two: Save the Whales! Save the whales because Claire thinks they are cool. Actually, whales play a very important role in the health of our environment. Whales help regulate the flow of food and maintain a stable food chain. For example, the blue whale consumes as much as 40 million krill daily.Just imagine the impact

Radio Show

Radio Show

Claire: Hello everyone and welcome to The Dollys Show. We have a very exciting show for you today, but first Breaking News!

Leia: Today has officially been marked as Black Tuesday. This is due to the fact that the stock market has taken yet another large drop. As you all may know unless you receive a margin call there is no need to worry.

Lexí: On a lighter note we have a new music line up for you all today. Let's start it off with Ella Fitzgerald cover of Cole Porter's song 'Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)'...(play song here) Coming up,  the back story of Babe Ruth, but first a little Louie Armstrong...( play song here)

Claire: You all know Babe Ruth as The Great Bambino, but just recently I had the chance to really get to know Babe Ruth and learn about his life at home as well as his childhood. As a child Ruth was sent away to a reformatory school where he picked up his baseball skills. Later on in his career he met Helen Woodford and they then adopted a child together. Four years following, they seperated due to infidelities. Currently, Babe Ruth is said to be focussing more on his career as a baseball superstar. That's all for your daily sports update.

Lexí: Thank you for tuning into the Dolly Show on this fine evening. Tune in tomorrow for compositions of your favorite artist, latest storys, and sport news. Good night!

Violette Bushell-Szabo

          On June 26, 1921 Violette Reine Elizabeth Szabo was born to an English soldier and a French woman. She was the second child of five, who was also the only daughter of the English soldier, Charles George Bushell. During the first World War, Violette and her family moved to London, but due to the  Great Depression, Violette and her youngest brother, Dickie, had to relocate and live with their aunt in the northern region of France. When Violette was 11, she was reunited with her family in Stockwell, south London.
           In the dawn of the 1940's Violette became a member of the Land Army and was sent to Fareham, Hampshire where she would effectuate strawberry picking. She soon returned to London and became an employee in a western London factory Acton. On August 21, 1941, Violette, age 19, was wed to a 31 year old French officer of Hungarian decent after a 42-day romance. Following the death or her newly wed husband, there was no question when she accepted the offer to be a trained as a field agent for the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
     

Open Book Test

I Intro (Leave Blank for Now)

The Great Depression plunged the American people into an economic crisis unlike any endured in this country before or since. The worst and longest downturn in our economic history threw  millions of hardworking individuals into poverty, and for more than a decade neither the free market nor the federal government was able to restore prosperity.

II Causes (The Causes of the Great Depression were: Over Speculation,Government Policy, and Unstable Economy

A. Over Speculation (Define... How It's Important):

• The assumption that property values would rise.
• In a sour economy, people loose their money and are unable to pay their loans and they loose money on their investments.

B. Government Policy:

• The general principles by which a government is guided in its management of public affairs, or the legislature in its measures. A general term used to describe all contracts of insurance.
• The execution of framework under which governmental and non-governmental organizations work to resolve one or more social, economic or political issues of a society. 

C. Unstable Economy:

        1. Uneven Prosperity:

• Not all people in the 20s were "roaring"; African Americans, farmers, and immigrants all faced some difficult times.
• 
  

        2. Overproduction:

• Overproduction of products; wheat.

• Farmers lost money due to too much produce and not enough consumers.

        3. Worker Issues / Farm Issues:

• Overproduction of crops, especially wheat.
• Dust Bowl destroyed many crops, forcing farmers to relocate.

III Effects

A. Poverty

• The state of being extremely poor.

B. Society

• As poverty levels worsened, crime rates increased; people were in need for essentials and the only way to receive them was by stealing.
• Suicide rates increased due to the rising poverty levels. People became deeply depressed because they felt that they had nothing during the depression time.

C. World: Changes in Quarters

• United States: Depression began in 1929-3, recovery began in 1933-2.
• Germany: Depression began in 1928-1,recovery began in 1932-3.
• Japan: Depression began in 1930-1, recovery began in 1932-3.
• Poland: Depression began in 1929-1, recovery began in 1933-2.

IV Solutions

A. Hoover

        1. Volunteerism

• The use or involvement of volunteer labor.

         2. Public Works

• The work of building such things as roads, schools, and reservoirs, carried out by the government for the community.

        3. Hawley Smoot

•  Law enacted in June 1930 which caused an increase in import duties by as much as 50%. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act goal was to increase U.S. farmer protection against agricultural imports.

        4. RFC

• Reconstruction Finance Corporation
• An independent agency of the United States government, established and chartered by the US Congress in 1932, Act of January 22, 1932, c. 8, 47 Stat. 5, during the administration of President Herbert Hoover.  

B. Roosevelt

        1. New Deal

a. Alphabet Soup

            -Example:HOLC (Home Owner's Loan Corporation)- to help homeowners pay their       mortgages.

            -Example:FCA (Farm Credit ADministration)- to begin helping farmers refinance their mortgages.

            -Example:CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps)- combination of Roosevelt's love for nature and commitment to conservation with the need to help the unemployed. 

            -Example:SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission)- to regulate the stock market and prevent fraud. 

b. Criticsim?

-Predictably, Roosevelt’s New Deal came under attack from the right, from Republicans, conservative Democrats, bankers, and Wall Street financiers who claimed that it doled out too many federal handouts. 

         2. 2nd New Deal

a. Franklin Delano Roosevelt -  32nd U.S. president; reelected in 1936; brought Second New Deal programs and policy through Congress

b. The second New Deal was the legislation that Roosevelt and Congress passed between 1935 and 1938.

c. The Second New Deal legislation relied more heavily on the Keynesian style of deficit spending than the First New Deal did.

V Criticism

A. Political Criticism (Ex. Came from both the Republicans and the Democrats)

-Predictably, Roosevelt’s New Deal came under attack from the right, from Republicans, conservative Democrats, bankers, and Wall Street financiers who claimed that it doled out too many federal handouts. 

B. Conservatives

• Critics began to feared the idea of the evolving programs and policies because they believed they would lead America towards socialism and destruction.

C. Liberals (Ex: Critizised the New Deal also, they....)

Ex: Soviet agents in the United States went so far as to launch a “popular front” campaign to actively support the president.

Ex: Moreover, an unprecedented number of people joined the American Communist Party during the decade.

VI Effectiveness

A. Changes in US

• Roosevelt altered his polices in order to assist the American need for federal relief assistance.
• Job and bank problems decreased.
• Public Trust became more visible to the government.

B.Unions

• The court-packing scheme took a severe toll on Roosevelt's popularity and marked the beginning of the end of the New Deal.

C. Culture 

• Marriages were delayed as many males waited until they could provide for a family before proposing to a prospective spouse. Divorce rates dropped steadily in the 1930s.
• More and more Americans learned about birth control to avoid the added expenses of unexpected children.
• Mass Migration reshaped the American mosaic.

VII Conclusion

 Programs to mend the nation-its finances, resources, and people-were put in place.  As the despair of the Great Depression finally wained, the American people, once again, faced an exceptional challenge-WWII.

Carl Sandburg

       Born on January 6, 1878, Carl August Sandburg was a three time Pulitzer Prize winner in 1919, 1940 and 1951. Nicknamed "Charles" or "Charlie" during elementary years, Sandburg was born to a man and woman both of Swedish ancestry, Clara Mathilda and August Sandburg. His birthplace was in a three-room cottage located at 313 East Third Street in Galesburg, Illinois. At thirteens years young Sandburg dropped school and began driving a milk wagon. Once reaching the age of fourteen Sandburg started working as a porter at the Union Hotel barbershop in Galesburg until he was about seventeen or eighteen. Proceeding that job he worked on the milk route for another eighteen months. He then became a bricklayer and a farm laborer on the wheat plains of Kansas. The start of his writing career was being a journalist for Chicago Dailey News. At a later date he wrote  poetry, history, biographies, novels, children's literature, and film reviews. Sandburg also had a collection of books of ballards and folklore, in which he would edit.
        In later years, Sandburg met Lilian Steichen at the Social Democratic Party office in 1907. The following year they were united in marriage. Lilian's brother was the photographer Edward Steichen. Sandburg raised three daughters with his wife, whom he called Paula. Sandburg composed three children's books in Elmhurst, Rootabaga Stories, in 1922, followed by Rootabaga Pigeons (1923), and Potato Face (1930). Sandburg also wrote a literally composition named Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years, a two-volume biography in 1926, The American Songbag (1927), and a book containing poems called Good Morning, America (1928). In 1919 Sandburg became victorious by recieveing his first Pulitzer Prize "made possible by a special grant from The Poetry Society" for his collection Corn Huskers. 1940 was the year he won his second Pulitzer Prize of History for The War Years, the second volume of his Abraham Lincoln, and a second Poetry Pulitzer in 1951 for Complete Poems. 
         On February 12, 1959, in commemorations of the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth, Congress attended a joint session to hear actor Fredric March preform a dramatic reading of the Gettysburg Address, followed by an address by Sandburg. As of the year 2013, Sandburg is the only famous poet to have ever been invited and to have attended a joint sessions out on by Congress.
          On July 22, 1967 Carl "Charlie" August Sandburg died of natural causes in his North Carolina home. His ashes were returned by request of Sandurg to his birthplace. His finally resting place is under the Rememberance Rock, a largely colored granite boulder, in the Sandburg Park behind his birth house. 10 years following his death, his wife's remains were placed upon side of Carl Sandburg's.

Source: http://carl-sandburg.com/biography.htm