Here we go.
Remember: Your posts on this blog's comments section are worth TWICE AS MUCH to your grade as the quizzes.
Also, your grade on the Presidents quiz (and subsequent quizzes) are based not on how many you get right, but how long it takes for you to get all of them.
Below are the notes and discussion questions for last week, this week, and next week.
Go get 'em.
AMERICAN WARS
1756-2010
FRENCH & INDIAN WAR
1756-1763
Cost of war led to colonies being taxed
George Washington becomes field commander
Native Americans cast their lot with the French against the English.
AMERICAN REVOLUTION
1776-1783
Established America as its own country
Showed the vulnerability of the British army
America and France become allies
WAR OF 1812
1812-1815
British force American sailors into their Navy
America fights England to a draw
England pulls out of US territory
MEXICAN WAR
1846-1848
Monroe Doctrine
Missouri Compromise Line
Combat experience for future Civil War generals
CIVIL WAR
1861-1865
“Becoming a Singular” – Ken Burns
Racial integration
600,000+ casualties
SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR
1898
Expansive foreign policy
First major victory against a European power
First war waged entirely on foreign soil
WORLD WAR I
1914(7)-1918
U. S. is the decisive factor in a stalemate war
U. S. becomes a dominant player in the world
Woodrow Wilson's idealism (International law, world government)
WORLD WAR II
1939(41)-1945
U. S. and U. S. S. R. the last two standing
European rivalries dead
Advent of the nuclear age
KOREAN WAR
1951-1954
First test of united western world vs. communism
Hindered China's desire to dominate global communism
Never resolved – just stopped
VIETNAM WAR
1950(6)-1975
Signaled the end of European colonialism
“The war that would not die”
Last war fought with drafted soldiers
GULF WAR
1990-1991
First major military conflict after the fall of the Berlin Wall
Central role of oil in American foreign policy
Advent of “New World Order”
AFGHANISTAN
2001-present
Response to 9/11 attacks
New kind of war: Nations vs. non-nations
Perpetual skirmishing vs. pitched battles
IRAQ
2003-present (kind of)
Pre-emptive war (Bush Doctrine)
Legitimacy of the UN
Nation building
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
Agree or disagree with one of the following statements, telling why:
1. America became a powerful nation in the 20th Century primarily because the wars were fought everywhere but here.
2. The most significant wars and battles are those that involve the most people in combat.
3. Of the five “big stories” we talked about earlier, the one with the biggest impact on the outcomes of wars has been technology.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Notes from Tuesday
The Weirdest Presidential Elections in US History
Things to know about Presidential Elections going in:
Pre-12th Amendment, President was the winner in the Electoral College and VP was the one who finished second. Jefferson and Aaron Burr end up tied (since each elector gets two votes. The election is then thrown to the House of Representatives, where each state gets one vote. In 1800, there were 16 states.). As long as the Adams people in the House of Representatives could keep the election tied between Jefferson and Burr (8 states each), Adams stays President.
1824 – JOHN QUINCY ADAMS VS. ANDREW JACKSON VS. HENRY CLAY
Jackson won the popular vote and the Electoral College, but did not get a majority of electoral votes. So since the election was thrown into the House, the 2nd and 3rd place candidates pooled their support. 2nd place (Adams) is President, 3rd place (Clay) is Secretary of State with a promise of Presidential campaign support in eight years, and Jackson is just out. It works, but only for one term, as Jackson blows out Adams in 1828.
1860 – ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS. STEVEN DOUGLAS VS. JOHN BELL
A popular vote split three ways, but Lincoln got enough of a plurality in enough states to win the Electoral College.
1876 – RUTHERFORD B. HAYES VS. SAMUEL TILDEN
The Crown Prince of weird elections. Three states submitted two slates of electors -- one with black votes counted and one with only white votes. If the white votes are the only ones that count, Tilden wins easily. But if the black votes count, Hayes wins 185-184. The result is the Compromise of 1877. In return for letting black votes count, the South gets to have all of the Northern occupying troops removed, and Hayes doesn't run for re-election in 1880.
1912 – WOODROW WILSON VS. WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT VS. THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Taft runs for re-election, but his supporters are split between him and former two-term President Teddy Roosevelt.
1948 – HARRY S TRUMAN VS. THOMAS DEWEY
The first time computers try to predict a major national election. The computers vastly overstate the impact of Strom Thurmond, who gets a handful of electoral votes, but not nearly enough to allow Dewey to defeat Truman.
1960 – JOHN F. KENNEDY VS. RICHARD NIXON
Close election. Both sides agreed later that nobody cold ever know who would have won if both sides had played fair.
1968 – RICHARD NIXON VS. HUBERT HUMPHREY
Sitting President Lyndon Johnson chooses not to run for re-election. First time since Chester Arthur.
1992 – BILL CLINTON VS. GEORGE BUSH VS. ROSS PEROT
Another split-vote where Bush supporters defect to Perot, opening the door for Clinton.
2000 – GEORGE W. BUSH VS. AL GORE
The king of the weird elections. Several close states -- New Mexico, Oregon, Iowa, and Florida. Final tally 271-267, and that only after a month of legal wrangling about who really won Florida. Lots of fun to watch, unless you had an emotional investment in the outcome. Then it was pure torture.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
Is there a good way to settle a close election, especially when the outcome is statistically too close to call?
Did the Supreme Court get Bush v. Gore right?
Who lost a Presidential election he should have won?
Who was the most qualified Presidential candidate never to win an election?
Things to know about Presidential Elections going in:
- The outcome is decided no by the popular vote, but by the Electoral College.
- Who gets to vote is determined state-by-state, with four exceptions in the Constitution.
Pre-12th Amendment, President was the winner in the Electoral College and VP was the one who finished second. Jefferson and Aaron Burr end up tied (since each elector gets two votes. The election is then thrown to the House of Representatives, where each state gets one vote. In 1800, there were 16 states.). As long as the Adams people in the House of Representatives could keep the election tied between Jefferson and Burr (8 states each), Adams stays President.
1824 – JOHN QUINCY ADAMS VS. ANDREW JACKSON VS. HENRY CLAY
Jackson won the popular vote and the Electoral College, but did not get a majority of electoral votes. So since the election was thrown into the House, the 2nd and 3rd place candidates pooled their support. 2nd place (Adams) is President, 3rd place (Clay) is Secretary of State with a promise of Presidential campaign support in eight years, and Jackson is just out. It works, but only for one term, as Jackson blows out Adams in 1828.
1860 – ABRAHAM LINCOLN VS. STEVEN DOUGLAS VS. JOHN BELL
A popular vote split three ways, but Lincoln got enough of a plurality in enough states to win the Electoral College.
1876 – RUTHERFORD B. HAYES VS. SAMUEL TILDEN
The Crown Prince of weird elections. Three states submitted two slates of electors -- one with black votes counted and one with only white votes. If the white votes are the only ones that count, Tilden wins easily. But if the black votes count, Hayes wins 185-184. The result is the Compromise of 1877. In return for letting black votes count, the South gets to have all of the Northern occupying troops removed, and Hayes doesn't run for re-election in 1880.
1912 – WOODROW WILSON VS. WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT VS. THEODORE ROOSEVELT
Taft runs for re-election, but his supporters are split between him and former two-term President Teddy Roosevelt.
1948 – HARRY S TRUMAN VS. THOMAS DEWEY
The first time computers try to predict a major national election. The computers vastly overstate the impact of Strom Thurmond, who gets a handful of electoral votes, but not nearly enough to allow Dewey to defeat Truman.
1960 – JOHN F. KENNEDY VS. RICHARD NIXON
Close election. Both sides agreed later that nobody cold ever know who would have won if both sides had played fair.
1968 – RICHARD NIXON VS. HUBERT HUMPHREY
Sitting President Lyndon Johnson chooses not to run for re-election. First time since Chester Arthur.
1992 – BILL CLINTON VS. GEORGE BUSH VS. ROSS PEROT
Another split-vote where Bush supporters defect to Perot, opening the door for Clinton.
2000 – GEORGE W. BUSH VS. AL GORE
The king of the weird elections. Several close states -- New Mexico, Oregon, Iowa, and Florida. Final tally 271-267, and that only after a month of legal wrangling about who really won Florida. Lots of fun to watch, unless you had an emotional investment in the outcome. Then it was pure torture.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
Is there a good way to settle a close election, especially when the outcome is statistically too close to call?
Did the Supreme Court get Bush v. Gore right?
Who lost a Presidential election he should have won?
Who was the most qualified Presidential candidate never to win an election?
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Big American Story #5 -- Prosperity
Remember that I need postings every week, so if you need to go back and pick up last week's discussion go ahead.
Prosperity was instrumental in:
Providing a motive for exploration -- Columbus was followed back to the New World because there was gold. Puritans came from England with the promise of being land owners.
Sparking the revolution -- Many of the complaints raised in the Declaration of Independence were economic. The Tea Party was in response to a corporate bailout, after all.
Bringing people out of the east and across the plains to the west coast. -- Sure they believed in Manifest Destiny, but it took the promise of wealth to get people to act on it.
Launching the gilded age. -- Robber barons, tycoons, and the advance of technology led to decades of prosperity.
The Great Depression became the formative experience for multiple generations. (What ended the Depression -- FDR, World War II, or just better weather -- became an interesting discussion.)
The American message in the Cold War was western-style prosperity for all.
After the Cold War, we entered the era of bubbles. Beanie Babies, Internet stocks, Real-estate flipping, sub-prime mortgages. American economic theory since 1989 has been that people can consume as much as they want and not have to worry about paying off the debt. (A significant number of home foreclosures have been on people who put their credit card bills on their home mortgages.)
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. When has America acted against its political interests in the quest for prosperity?
2. Can an American politician get elected if he tells people not to consume so much?
3. Which is more important to Americans – personal prosperity or collective opportunity?
Prosperity was instrumental in:
Providing a motive for exploration -- Columbus was followed back to the New World because there was gold. Puritans came from England with the promise of being land owners.
Sparking the revolution -- Many of the complaints raised in the Declaration of Independence were economic. The Tea Party was in response to a corporate bailout, after all.
Bringing people out of the east and across the plains to the west coast. -- Sure they believed in Manifest Destiny, but it took the promise of wealth to get people to act on it.
Launching the gilded age. -- Robber barons, tycoons, and the advance of technology led to decades of prosperity.
The Great Depression became the formative experience for multiple generations. (What ended the Depression -- FDR, World War II, or just better weather -- became an interesting discussion.)
The American message in the Cold War was western-style prosperity for all.
After the Cold War, we entered the era of bubbles. Beanie Babies, Internet stocks, Real-estate flipping, sub-prime mortgages. American economic theory since 1989 has been that people can consume as much as they want and not have to worry about paying off the debt. (A significant number of home foreclosures have been on people who put their credit card bills on their home mortgages.)
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1. When has America acted against its political interests in the quest for prosperity?
2. Can an American politician get elected if he tells people not to consume so much?
3. Which is more important to Americans – personal prosperity or collective opportunity?
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Technology in America
Reminder -- The Presidents test is due next week.
Highlights:
Technology advantages (steel, boats, etc.) allowed Europeans to hold a position in the New World.
Eli Whitney's cotton gin made slavery profitable, then his invention of interchangeable parts allowed for much more massive slaughter in the Civil War.
While transportation technology allowed Americans to take up more space, industrialization compressed the population into smaller and smaller areas.
America's technological and industrial might made them a deciding factor in both World Wars.
The Cold War was in a lot of ways a battle of technology -- Space Race, RAND corporation.
The advent of the Internet allows America to be an even smaller country even as more and more people fill up the available space.
Highlights:
Technology advantages (steel, boats, etc.) allowed Europeans to hold a position in the New World.
Eli Whitney's cotton gin made slavery profitable, then his invention of interchangeable parts allowed for much more massive slaughter in the Civil War.
While transportation technology allowed Americans to take up more space, industrialization compressed the population into smaller and smaller areas.
America's technological and industrial might made them a deciding factor in both World Wars.
The Cold War was in a lot of ways a battle of technology -- Space Race, RAND corporation.
The advent of the Internet allows America to be an even smaller country even as more and more people fill up the available space.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
EXTRA CREDIT ALERT!!!
Go to historybee.com for details on entering the National History Bee. The regionals are in Nashville in January. There will also be an event in Owensboro, date TBD.
If enough folks want to go, we can even enter a team. Let me know if you're interested.
If enough folks want to go, we can even enter a team. Let me know if you're interested.
The Five Big Stories
Link to class audio here
EXPLORATION
Christopher Columbus
Lewis & Clark
Manifest Destiny
Apollo Program
LIBERTY
Pilgrims & Puritans (vs. Roger Williams)
Declaration of Independence & First Amendment
States Rights
Fascism, Nazism, and Communism
Culture Wars & the Supreme Court, 1960-2000
God, faith, and country in the 21st Century
EQUALITY
America vs. the rest of the world
Jacksonian Democracy
Black equality (Slavery, Reconstruction, Jim Crow, Post-WW2, King, & Obama)
Immigrant Assimilation
PROSPERITY
European explorers
Jamestown, Georgia, New Amsterdam
Alexander Hamilton (Bank of the US, Western empire)
Gold Rush
Gilded Age
Great Depression & Dust Bowl
“Great Society” & the Welfare State
TECHNOLOGY
Education as means to virtue
Agricultural inventions (cotton gin, reapers, tractors)
Transportation inventions (steamboat, railroad, cars, airplanes, spacecraft)
Communication inventions (telegraph, telephone, radio, TV, computers, Internet)
Medical & quality of life inventions (vaccination, refrigeration, electric lights, scanners, DNA & the human genome)
Questions for Discussion:
Choose one of the five big stories and answer one of these questions about it:
Who (not a President) did the most to advance the story?
Which story had the biggest effect on a President's legacy?
What event shows the most overlap between multiple stories?
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Presidents, Part 2
The Link to the audio from today's class is here in MP3 format.
Theodore Roosevelt 25th president (1901-1909)
Next Week:
The five big stories: Exploration, Equality, Liberty, Technology, & Prosperity
In Two Weeks: Ben will be out of town, so Laura will be talking about historically-significant books.
Theodore Roosevelt 25th president (1901-1909)
- Tried to run for a third term (Bull Moose)
- Established national parks
- Trust-busting
- Nobel Peace Prize & Medal of Honor
- Decisive factor in WW1
- League of Nations/14 Points/Treaty of Versailles
- Wilsonian Idealism
- Four elections
- Great Depression/New Deal
- “Arsenal of Democracy”
- World War II
- Space Race
- Cuba (missiles, Bay of Pigs, Castro)
- Changed the objective of the Cold War
- Televised Presidency
- Finished what Kennedy started (Cold War)
- Rebuilt Republican party after Watergate
- “Patron Saint” of present-day conservatives
- Economy-based campaigning
- First black President
- Global campaign
Next Week:
The five big stories: Exploration, Equality, Liberty, Technology, & Prosperity
In Two Weeks: Ben will be out of town, so Laura will be talking about historically-significant books.
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