To Blog or Not to Blog: Does it make a difference?

This question is a tricky one for me, because I am not entirely sure how to answer. I don't entirely think it's the pure fact that I'm typing this in a blog, as opposed to pen and paper, that makes me favor my homework in this class over others. I believe it has less to do with where I'm writing as assignment down, but more to do with what exactly the assignment is. Being able to listen to a Beatles song or play Oregon Trail for homework- well, that is very nice! Not only is it entertaining, but surprising and interesting when you realize how easily history can be tied in with such things. So, regardless of where these words were written, I appreciated the assignments because they allowed me to practice making connections and realize a lot of things about the Us and it's history I never knew.

Six Word Story Takes the Cake

As the first quarter progressed on, the blog topics open for students to choose for became increasingly more interesting and intriguing. It only makes sense, the years prompts started off as relatively basic, but once a few weeks passed I found myself genuinely being curious about the topics, and even excited to look into them. In particular, Week 6, in which we discussed American's struggle to move west, contained by far the most entertaining topics to choose from. However, one of those four caught my eye the most: the six word story. Now of course, they typical "high school reason" for favoring this prompt would be the fact that it only required six words, as opposed to a normal paragraph or even more. I'd be lying if I said that wasn't at least part of the reason. However, the magnitude, or lack there of, of this prompt is not what won me over. Ever since hearing the example in class of "For Sale: Baby shoes, never used," it really struck me how easily so few words can bear an immense impact. Although the maximum wasn't hard to reach, in reality, I ended up spending even more time on that prompt than I do on some others- simply because I was trying to make that impression. I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.

Song of the Shirt

The lyrics of The Song of the Shirt make it apparent just how horrific and miserable the life of a textile worker was. The verses, with their repition of "Work, work, work" throughout the song, convey the monotonous, strenuous, tedious, and agonizing labor they slaved away at. Not only did the laborers suffer, but it seems as though they also reached a point of being dehumanized. "Woman sat in unwomanly rags," and the price and value of bread grew so great, while "humans lives so cheap." Perhaps one of the clearest illustrations of this is in the line "It is not linen you're wearing, but human creatures lives." The laborers in the textile industry gave their life to their work, putting in hours of labor all the way from "when the cock is crowing aloof" to when the "stars shine through the roof." In their poverty, they had no choice but to continue, and yet they made just barely enough to get by. Their only slightest form of revenge was to sing songs such as these, hoping they would reach the ears of the rich.

Six Word Story

Westward Bound: Riches to be found.

We Are The UNITED States, After All.

Lincoln had the right idea. Think about: "United we stand." Although slavery was an apparent issue that was definitely in need of being addressed, the main concern for Lincoln was maintaining what was left of our country at that point, and with good reason. Before he could have taken care of the rights of the citizens, he had to make sure there were citizens at all. With the Confederacy in a state or rebellion, keeping control over the part of the country still in tact was imperative. With the Union preserved, it was less messy, more likely to defeat the South, and restore our country as a whole.

Stereotypes: Are They Unavoidable?

By definition, a stereotype is "a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group." This definition almost relates directly to the reason why stereotypes are so widely known and used in our society. In learning about our history, and even in staying informed in current events, it is completely impossible to expect a person to know every personality, every intention, and every side of every story. Really, it's virtually impossible. So in saying that, stereotypes are almost entirely inescapable. One cannot discuss a group of people without using stereotypes, it just can't happen. Every person in every story is so unique, and everyone has their own reasoning. However, do we ever take account of that? No. We go with the majority. We learn about what is most interesting. We remember radical acts, not tolerant and logical ones. In our society, groups of people get labeled. Not neccessarily because we are lazy or judgemental, or just don't feel like learning the truth; Mostly because if we took the time to abolish stereotypes, and look at every individual for what exactly they did and why, we'd probably be better people, yes- but we would get absolutely nowhere in learning about the bulk of history.

Rocky Raccoon

The song "Rocky Raccoon" by The Beatles portrays the Wild West as a place of chaos and impulse. In the song, Rocky decides to have a shoot off with the man who is with the girl he loves. For the most part, this song is relatively accurate in it's description. The actual Wild West was full of ambitious men, who ventured there for mining purposes. The mining is something the song failed to mention, even though it was extremely prevalent in actual history. However, the song does mention many notable topics of the Wild West. For instance, Rocky "checked himself into the local saloon." In addition, the "doctor came in, stinking of gin." The men in these towns were barely concerned with rules and regulations; They were just out seeking fortune, having left their women behind, almost always using alcohol to fill up whatever voids they possessed. It would not be uncommon for a doctor to be intoxicated. Also, as far as leaving their women behind, these men were often looking for ways to amuse themselves, and the only women in the town were usually prostitutes. It is not unlikely that the "Nancy" mentioned in the song held this profession, which would make it a bit clearer why she'd have men fighting over her. The song also portrays the pride of the men, when Rocky referred to his gunshot wound as "only a stratch," showing not only their seemingly unstoppable dispositions but also how confident these men were. The Beatles actually semi-successfully described the Wild West with an entertaining storyline and catchy melody.

"Former Slave"

During Reconstruction, Ammendments 13, 14, and 15 were established. Ammendment 13 abolished slavery, Ammendment 14 provided constituional guarentee of the right and security of freed people, and Ammendment 15 gave the right to vote based on race, color, or previous conditions of servitude. All of this sounds beautiful, correct? One would think that the arrival of the Reconstruction period would mean a whole new life for previous slaves, filled with rights and oppurtunity. However, things were definitely not as they seemed. Once freed, former slaves didn't have anywhere to go. The only life they ever knew was servitude, and when they all of a sudden need to find something other than that, there weren't many options for them. So then came sharecropping, which inadvertantly became a system of survival for them. In sharecropping, a landowner would own a piece of property, and rent out bits of the land to the former slaves and their family. They would pay interest to the land owner, and attend to all the tasks assigned to them, then in turn would be compensated with a salary based on the quality of their work. However, sharecropping entailed so much labor for so little pay, that it became extremely close to a legal form of slavery. The main difference between sharecropping and slavery was the worker now had the right to leave whenever they wanted to. However, this "option" of freedom was a faint and distant one, as the country offered very few alternatives of survival for former slaves. So, altogether, the Reconstruction era, in the end, provided a false sense of freedom for former slaves, and didn't actually change their conditions by much.

To forgive or not to forgive?

The question of whether or not the South should be granted amnesty was a highly controversial one during the time of Reconstruction. On one hand, why should they be forgiven? They rebelled, they fought, they destroyed, they spent money on war, and completely disrespected their country. However, what would be the consequences of not forgiving them? A country completely divided; More war; Less power. Would holding a grudge be worth all the lost oppurtunities? Personally, I believe that giving the South amnesty was the right thing to do, even if it did not serve the most justice. In the end what is important is our country as a whole. The United States. If we lost our unity, what would we have? We have strength in numbers. We're one of the largest countries in the world. If the South had never been forgiven, this would not be the case. In granting amnesty to the South, Lincoln looked past petty grudges and desired revenge and did what was best for our country.