Friday, February 25, 2011
Cinderella Man Outline
Cinderella Man
-Viewers are shown James Braddock boxing successfully, his wife Mae, and their three children in their home in New Jersey. The family is living comfortably.
-Fast forwards five years later into the Great Depression, where the scene changes drastically
–The house is cramped and money is tight
-Braddock suffers from a severe injury to his right hand, preventing him from boxing
-Braddock gets a job on the docks
-His injured hand hinders his work quality, though he his hard working nonetheless in order to provide for his family
-Braddocks manager, Joe Gould, convinces Braddock to get back into fighting. His first fight since his injury is against John "Corn" Griffen, which he wins.
-Gould convinces Braddock to fight against against an incredibly successful heavyweight boxer, which Mae is not happy about.
-Braddock wins against the heavyweight and gains the title 'Cinderella Man'
-He continues to fight, Mae constantly worries about the danger
-Manager arranges for Braddock to fight Max Baer, the #1 heavyweight fighter who has killed in the ring before
-Mae continues to worry, but realizes that Braddock is the hope for so many during the Depression
-Entire town and nation supports the fight, which is one of the longest and most intense ever.
-Braddock wins the fight
-Viewers are shown James Braddock boxing successfully, his wife Mae, and their three children in their home in New Jersey. The family is living comfortably.
-Fast forwards five years later into the Great Depression, where the scene changes drastically
–The house is cramped and money is tight
-Braddock suffers from a severe injury to his right hand, preventing him from boxing
-Braddock gets a job on the docks
-His injured hand hinders his work quality, though he his hard working nonetheless in order to provide for his family
-Braddocks manager, Joe Gould, convinces Braddock to get back into fighting. His first fight since his injury is against John "Corn" Griffen, which he wins.
-Gould convinces Braddock to fight against against an incredibly successful heavyweight boxer, which Mae is not happy about.
-Braddock wins against the heavyweight and gains the title 'Cinderella Man'
-He continues to fight, Mae constantly worries about the danger
-Manager arranges for Braddock to fight Max Baer, the #1 heavyweight fighter who has killed in the ring before
-Mae continues to worry, but realizes that Braddock is the hope for so many during the Depression
-Entire town and nation supports the fight, which is one of the longest and most intense ever.
-Braddock wins the fight
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The Trial of Sacco & Venzetti
All evidence presented in the the trail of Sacco & Venzetti v. The State of Massachusett is questionable, to say the least. It appears as if no concrete evidence directly linking these two men to the crime is in existence. As murder is a particularly heinous crime, it would be injustice to prosecute these two men off of pure speculation.
The fact of the matter is, the case is weak.
Starting with eyewitnesses- none are reliable. Not only were there no eyewitnesses who can confirm they witnessed the crime and Sacco & Venzetti committing it, but few eyewitnesses could even identify Sacco or Venzetti at all. All so called "accounts" of sightings take place before or after the crime, and none of which can be verified exactly.
Additionally, all physical evidence is proving to be rather ambiguous as well. With the bullet recovered from the crime scene, experts have reported mixed reviews. Burns and Fitzgerald report that they are positive the bullet could not have been fired from Sacco's Colt. However, Amburg noted a stratch on the bullet which could be consistant with the defect in the rifling of Sacco's colt, connecting him to the crime. Unfortunately, no positive report has been given, which makes this a weak piece of evidence in an argument either for or against. It also makes this a weak piece of evidence to sentence a man to death for.
Furthermore, both the cap and the car are even weaker forms of evidence. You cannot link a man to a murder from a generic cap found at the scene of the crime, which the defendant may or may not have owned. As for the car, all speculation involved in deeming this "evidence" appears to be rather irrelevant and not compelling. Again, not a reason to charge a man of murder.
What seems to be most interesting is the ongoing case of Sacco & Vanzetti versus the police throughout the past couple of years. Ever since the raiding of Cronaca Sovversiva when the two men were found to be connected to the anarchist newspapers, officials have not let them out of their site. In a series of bombings and crimes following this connection, Sacco & Venzetti get hastily indicted on little evidence, as appears to be occurring right now.
The fact of the matter is, the case is weak.
Starting with eyewitnesses- none are reliable. Not only were there no eyewitnesses who can confirm they witnessed the crime and Sacco & Venzetti committing it, but few eyewitnesses could even identify Sacco or Venzetti at all. All so called "accounts" of sightings take place before or after the crime, and none of which can be verified exactly.
Additionally, all physical evidence is proving to be rather ambiguous as well. With the bullet recovered from the crime scene, experts have reported mixed reviews. Burns and Fitzgerald report that they are positive the bullet could not have been fired from Sacco's Colt. However, Amburg noted a stratch on the bullet which could be consistant with the defect in the rifling of Sacco's colt, connecting him to the crime. Unfortunately, no positive report has been given, which makes this a weak piece of evidence in an argument either for or against. It also makes this a weak piece of evidence to sentence a man to death for.
Furthermore, both the cap and the car are even weaker forms of evidence. You cannot link a man to a murder from a generic cap found at the scene of the crime, which the defendant may or may not have owned. As for the car, all speculation involved in deeming this "evidence" appears to be rather irrelevant and not compelling. Again, not a reason to charge a man of murder.
What seems to be most interesting is the ongoing case of Sacco & Vanzetti versus the police throughout the past couple of years. Ever since the raiding of Cronaca Sovversiva when the two men were found to be connected to the anarchist newspapers, officials have not let them out of their site. In a series of bombings and crimes following this connection, Sacco & Venzetti get hastily indicted on little evidence, as appears to be occurring right now.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Topic 07 Formative Assessment Study Guide
The Scopes Trial
- John Scopes high school science taught evolution
- Put on trial
- Pleaded guilty
- Fined $100, which was later revoked because the judge sentenced it rather than the jury
- The law teaching revolution was later revoked
Prohibition
- Went into effect January 1920
- 18th Amendment
- Banned manufacture and sale of "intoxicating liquors"
- Did NOT ban possession, consumption, or transportation of liquor.
- Henry Ford pushed for it because workers were not productive when they came to work drunk
- Women pushed for it to decrease domestic violence
- It was overall ineffective, drinking rates increased after prohibition was put into play
Flappers
- seductive rebelling women of the 1920s
- short hair
- smoking and drinking publically
- dressed suggestively: v-neck, shoulders and legs showing
Economic Issues
- Jobs limited
- Dust Bowl took a toll economically and agriculturally
Dust Bowl
- On the Great Plains [Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska]
- Took a huge toll economically and agriculturally
- Dust storms swept away all farm lands, making them unusable
- Caused by droughts, overfarming, no crop rotation, and mechanization
Agricultural Issues
- The Dust Bowl made agriculture nearly impossible
- However, before that farmers failed to practice crop rotation, ultimately destroying soil
- mechanization- machines taking over what men would usually do
Immigration Policies
- Immigration restrictions came about when the US could thrive without immigrants and oppostion to quotas disappeared
- The Immigration Act of 1924
- Ethnic groups limited to 2% of count from the 1890 census
- Asians banned entirely
Nativism
- Americans would be more likely to be hired over foreigners
Significant Literary Works (1920s)
- How the Other Half Lives- Jacob Riis [changed safety codes in city]
- Jungle - Upton Sinclair [undercover in meat-packing factories]
- Unsafe at Any Speed- Ralph Nader [looks at use of safety devices in vehicles]
The Great Migration
- Many African Americans moved from the South to the North
- In search of jobs and oppurtunity
- To escape racism
- Because of this, Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
- After Great Migration
- African Americans, for the first time, came out and celebrated their culture
- Literary works such as The Ways of the White Folks by Langston Hughes
Sacco and Venzetti
- Italian immigrants
- Anarchists
- Followers of Luige
- Arrested for robbing and killing a man
Labor Issues (1920s)
- Jobs were limited due to the Great Migration and demobilization
- Immigrants and African Americans could only find work after Americans went on strike
The Red Scare
- People were afraid of those who acted "un-American"
- Especially afraid of foreigners
Schneck v. The United States
- John Scopes high school science taught evolution
- Put on trial
- Pleaded guilty
- Fined $100, which was later revoked because the judge sentenced it rather than the jury
- The law teaching revolution was later revoked
Prohibition
- Went into effect January 1920
- 18th Amendment
- Banned manufacture and sale of "intoxicating liquors"
- Did NOT ban possession, consumption, or transportation of liquor.
- Henry Ford pushed for it because workers were not productive when they came to work drunk
- Women pushed for it to decrease domestic violence
- It was overall ineffective, drinking rates increased after prohibition was put into play
Flappers
- seductive rebelling women of the 1920s
- short hair
- smoking and drinking publically
- dressed suggestively: v-neck, shoulders and legs showing
Economic Issues
- Jobs limited
- Dust Bowl took a toll economically and agriculturally
Dust Bowl
- On the Great Plains [Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska]
- Took a huge toll economically and agriculturally
- Dust storms swept away all farm lands, making them unusable
- Caused by droughts, overfarming, no crop rotation, and mechanization
Agricultural Issues
- The Dust Bowl made agriculture nearly impossible
- However, before that farmers failed to practice crop rotation, ultimately destroying soil
- mechanization- machines taking over what men would usually do
Immigration Policies
- Immigration restrictions came about when the US could thrive without immigrants and oppostion to quotas disappeared
- The Immigration Act of 1924
- Ethnic groups limited to 2% of count from the 1890 census
- Asians banned entirely
Nativism
- Americans would be more likely to be hired over foreigners
Significant Literary Works (1920s)
- How the Other Half Lives- Jacob Riis [changed safety codes in city]
- Jungle - Upton Sinclair [undercover in meat-packing factories]
- Unsafe at Any Speed- Ralph Nader [looks at use of safety devices in vehicles]
The Great Migration
- Many African Americans moved from the South to the North
- In search of jobs and oppurtunity
- To escape racism
- Because of this, Harlem Renaissance
Harlem Renaissance
- After Great Migration
- African Americans, for the first time, came out and celebrated their culture
- Literary works such as The Ways of the White Folks by Langston Hughes
Sacco and Venzetti
- Italian immigrants
- Anarchists
- Followers of Luige
- Arrested for robbing and killing a man
Labor Issues (1920s)
- Jobs were limited due to the Great Migration and demobilization
- Immigrants and African Americans could only find work after Americans went on strike
The Red Scare
- People were afraid of those who acted "un-American"
- Especially afraid of foreigners
Schneck v. The United States
ACROSTIC
Preventing
Rum and
Other types of alcohol in an attempt to
Hamper
Intoxication
Because
It
Took a toll
In the work environment and was
Overall
Not beneficial.
Really
Over-the-top
Attire for woman who were
Rebelling and were
Indifferent to religion.
New America
Gave urban oppurtunity.
Too many soldiers
Were brought home
Every day because the war was
No more and since
They had many post war
Issues they tried
Every alcohol
Supplied.
Rum and
Other types of alcohol in an attempt to
Hamper
Intoxication
Because
It
Took a toll
In the work environment and was
Overall
Not beneficial.
Really
Over-the-top
Attire for woman who were
Rebelling and were
Indifferent to religion.
New America
Gave urban oppurtunity.
Too many soldiers
Were brought home
Every day because the war was
No more and since
They had many post war
Issues they tried
Every alcohol
Supplied.
Gangsters.. gone?
Although my group's project focused on the infamous 'Babyface Nelson' in particular, the crimes of just this one man are not what caught my attention the most in this project.
While listening to all the presentations about different gangsters, I thought about how impressive these people were. They made names for themselves. Does that even happen anymore?
I may be ignorant and not be brushed up on current events, but I can't think of any American criminal in current day who has done enough to go down in history books. I can't think of anyone who's devised thought out organized crimes, who's escaped prison, taken down FBI agents... I never hear about such criminals.
However, I hear about the crimes we do have. I'm not saying crime rate has decreased. I am however saying it has possibly gotten less clever. It is not uncommon to hear of the gas station robberies or convienence store hold ups, which sometimes succeed and sometimes don't. However, these gangsters were the masters of organized crimes. They duped the police system, they went on the run and stayed there. Even Babyface Nelson got pulled over for a speeding ticket and drove away unrecognized, after committing impressive crimes and being wanted for high rewards.
These days, you don't see such elaborate planning when it comes to crime. It's quite possibly a good thing.
While listening to all the presentations about different gangsters, I thought about how impressive these people were. They made names for themselves. Does that even happen anymore?
I may be ignorant and not be brushed up on current events, but I can't think of any American criminal in current day who has done enough to go down in history books. I can't think of anyone who's devised thought out organized crimes, who's escaped prison, taken down FBI agents... I never hear about such criminals.
However, I hear about the crimes we do have. I'm not saying crime rate has decreased. I am however saying it has possibly gotten less clever. It is not uncommon to hear of the gas station robberies or convienence store hold ups, which sometimes succeed and sometimes don't. However, these gangsters were the masters of organized crimes. They duped the police system, they went on the run and stayed there. Even Babyface Nelson got pulled over for a speeding ticket and drove away unrecognized, after committing impressive crimes and being wanted for high rewards.
These days, you don't see such elaborate planning when it comes to crime. It's quite possibly a good thing.
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