Assignment Six - Should America Be Involved?

Getting involved in the business of others (especially other countries) is a dubious business. There are fine lines and debatable choices at every turn. Do you help if you're not asked to? Or do you turn your cheek when asked for assistance? 
There are plenty of instances in history where I believe the former could have been a better choice. When America was all "Manifest Destiny!" and "We are the Superior Race!" other countries were pulled without consent into the supposed "melting pot" of America. America took over many other countries in order to expand, adapt others, and expand.
Another good instance would be when Americans took over Native American land and culture.


Other times in history have called for a reasonable need of America's assistance. When third-world, poor, or war-famished countries ask for help from mightier countries, this would be the time when America should help without question.


As I mentioned before, the fine lines are at every turn, but with a little patience and wisdom, smart decisions can be made.

Gilded Age Acrostic

Generation of  

Invention, 

Labor, 

Decisions, and 

Enlightenment while 

Discussing


Adequate and

Generous

Equality

Is It All About the Money?

Money can be fun to gain and spend, but I'm not a big fan of it, actually. If I could make a living by trading, I would.

I believe there is plenty of corruption involved with monetary gain. People who have a lot of money to spend tend to act a certain way: greedy, apathetic to money hardship/poverty, etc. They do not fear being unable to pay for their well being.

I believe you can have enough money to support yourself without acting those ways. My family has never had much money, and because of this I have learned to greatly appreciate what I have and to save extra money. I have also learned ways to gain what I need and want in other ways than by payment. For example, I wanted a new laptop. I found the contest at school and won one! This is a good example of how I feel things should be run in the world. If everyone had a specialty, we could all trade for whatever specialty we needed. This is called a trade economy and I believe it works better than using money.

Assignment Eight - Poem 1

A Difficult Path

This missus has just gotten me ready
I expect a nice travel to town
She’ll load me with groceries and sweets for the children
But her glum face is telling me otherwise

Are those not fireworks I hear?
Is no one feeling first rate and celebratory?
I’ve never seen my family so down
While they pack me full of belongings

My wheels are groaning under the weight
Where are we going? Why take so much?
I suspect I am carrying everything we own
I think I understand now

Everyone climbs aboard me and we set out
I don’t think we will ever return
I watch my barn growing smaller
For the first time I notice the smoke on the horizon

My family is sad, but I am no bombproof
I must carry them safely across the land
I cannot break or stall; I musn’t fail them
I have to be stronger than I was made to be

This journey will be long and hard…




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Slang Words:
First rate = Feeling well and happy
Bombproof = a war shelter

Assignment Eight - Poem 2

The Bravest Rifle Around

I'm the bravest rifle around
I been through the mill
And I been dirtied and dropped
But I’m the bravest rifle around

Many a hornet been fired from me
But only one started this war
That was my hornet, my product
I done started the war and I’m proud

Mr. Ruffin’s proud too
He’s the bravest soldier around
No Yank’s gonna pull him down
Cause Mr. Ruffin’s the bravest soldier around

Now what’s gonna happen?
I ‘spect we goin’ to the battlefield
I’m gonna show them Yanks
Me and Mr. Ruffin both

I ain’t ‘sposed to get scared
But me n’ Mr. Ruffin are in deep
War’s bigger than I imagined
I started this bloodbath…

I ain’t proud of this.
I am rightly ashamed of myself.




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Slang words:
Been through the mill = endured a lot
Hornet = bullet
Yank = Confederate term for a Union soldier

Assignment One

I've never been a believer in physical violence. Because of that, I've never been in a physical fight in my life, but I've been in quite a few arguments.
I suppose the worst I've been in were between me and a family member.

I can't remember specific things said, but I know how the fights progressed:

Normally, the argument would be my fault. I would snap at my mom or my sister and it would escalate from there. Sadly, the arguments were over very useless and trivial matters, but when I was younger I was always trying to pick a verbal fight with my family.

I know I share a common feeling with people who get in any kind of fight: A sense of regret and a nagging voice that tells you to stop but you ignore it. You know it's wrong and you know it's not going to end well but you just keep going.

Because of the fights I usually started, my relationship with my family was weakened. But I learned a valuable lesson, although it took me a long time: There are many better ways to solve problems than a fight or argument.

Now, I try to avoid arguing as much as possible because I find it quite useless in solving dilemmas.

The Top Ten Most Painful/Exciting U.S. Events

(click to enlarge)

Assignment One

How can growing up be both exciting and painful?


I suppose whether you're a girl or a boy, growing up can be as exciting as it is painful.

For me personally, it's been more exciting than it has painful.

How is it exciting? Well, there are a number of reasons:


1) Growing up comes with privileges, like driving

2) When you’re no longer a minor, there are a number of new things to do (for me, I was most excited to be able to sign for myself and use a debit card)

3) The way you get treated changes, and you earn more respect as you grow and mature

4) More opportunities open up

5) You can get a job!


But of course, good and bad go hand in hand. There are also a number of reasons growing up can be painful:


1) Physically, much is changing, and depending on who you are, the process can be quite uncomfortable

2) As you get older, new responsibilities get put on your shoulders, and they aren’t always very fun (having to pay rent to parents, paying for a car, buying your own groceries, paying bills if you live on your own, etc)

3) Getting older also means not being as “unbreakable” or “rubbery” as you were when you were little


Once again depending on who you are, the good often outweighs the bad as you get older. For me, growing up to be this age has been quite worth it.

Assignment Seven

American Revolution:

At first, the colonists' rights were not being upheld. Large, impossible taxes were being enforced in an attempt to repay war debt. The anti-federalists especially were afraid of the government mirroring British Parliament. Therefore, the new Constitution included a Bill of Rights to ensure the freedoms of all Americans.

One of the major events that led up to the creation of the Bill of Rights was Shay's Rebellion. Shay, a farmer with large debt on his hands, led the rebellion in order to protest the unfair and impossible taxes.

The colonists were justified in breaking the law. They saw a flaw in their government, acted against it, and sparked its change for the better. In cases such as these, breaking the law is justifyable if the government is not upholding one's natural rights and freedoms.


20th Century:

After the Constitution was written, many African slaves began to have a new hope: the hope that they, too, could be "considered equal" as all other men were. Between 1955 and 1968, the African American Civil Rights Movement took place. Blacks were desperate to remove segregation from the United States. If "all men were created equal", why were they not considered "equal men" as well?

Many event took place during this time that eventually led to equal rights for African Americans. Some of these events included non-violnent protest and civil disobediance, such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Greensboro Sit-In, and the Selma to Montgomery marches.

The African Americans were justified in breaking the law. Their rights as men and women were not being upheld. Through their effort, laws were passed to successfully end segregation: the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

Assignment Six

(I read through a little of each, but mostly focused on The Rights of the Colonists by Samual Adams.)

1. What did you learn about life during the revolutionary era from reading this document? I learned about the American struggle for freedom; freedom of religion, life, land, and liberty. The Americans wanted desperately to be independent from Britain rule and regulation. They strived for the revolution, to become an independent country.


2. What surprised you the most about what you read? What surprised me the most about the American Revolution was the Americans' determination. The commonfolk, the Continental Congress, and the Continental Army/Navy were all so determined that despite all odds (fewer, barely-trained men), they won the war. The American fight for freedom surprised but inspired me. It showed me that no matter what the odds against you are, you can win with enough hope and determination.

Assignment One

1. List five purposes of the government.

To uphold our natural rights.

To provide a stable defense against adversaries.

To shelter us from poverty.

To allow us our freedoms.

To let our decisions affect its structure.

2. Would you be willing to join a revolution if our government was not fulfilling the purposes of government you listed above? Why? Why not? Yes; I would join a revolution. If the government were not upholding these attributes, especially the 'natural rights' and 'freedoms' parts, I would be very willing to join a revolution in order to better the government.

Primary Source Document Reflection

1. What did you learn about life in the colonies from reading this document?
Marriage was a very important (and religious) part of every household. The document stressed the importance of a loving marriage (being "kind, gentle, and tender" to one another). It stated that any argument or dispute between married couples was considered a deed of the Devil; that in conflict was the Devil's success. They called it "God's will" for every married couple to be happy and work well together.

2. What surprised you the most about what you read?
I suppose what surprised me the most was how forced the people were to be in a "perfect" relationship (an unattainably perfect relationship). The document described how the men were to govern the women fairly, and the women were to be cheerful and accepting of this ruling. I'm surprised with how strictly governed every emotion was in a marriage.


3. Compare and contrast the differences between American life today and life for Americans during the colonial era.
There are a great many differences between married couples in the colonial era and today. For one thing, husbands are no longer entitled to govern their wives. Marriages are freer (especially with the option of divorce) and more open for each person. There aren't any rules that govern married couples as far as religion and emotion go.

Assignment One & Two

1. What motivates immigrants to come to the United States (today)? Consider what they lose and what they can gain in your argument.

Immigrants from all over the world come to the United States for many reasons, but I think they have one goal in their minds: The hope to get a good, stable job. The United States is famous for good job opportunity, and once this word spread to outside countries, the peoples' immediate goals were to move to the U.S. They hoped to escape many fears seen in other countries: religious barriers, strict living rules, poor economic conditions, poor living conditions, and more. In the U.S., immigrants could see the success of Americans and desired it for themselves. However, this wasn't without loss.
Moving from another country to America can be dangerous and tragic: An immigrant may leave behind family, or bring family and attempt to enter illegally (in order to provide a better living standard to the family). However, if the immigrant safely enters the U.S., job opportunities and better living standards become available. While I may not agree with how immigrants are generally paid less than minimum wage, I do believe that to some this is a fortune compared to their previous jobs in their home country.

2. Thousands of Europeans chose to move to the British colonies. Some for economic reasons and some for freedoms. If you decided to immigrate somewhere, would you move for economic reasons or for freedom?

I suppose that would depend on which of these I was most unhappy with. If I was living in a place with high economic levels but low levels of personal freedom, I would move in order to be individually free (like freedom of speech, religion, etc). However, if I were living in a location with high freedoms but low economic conditions, I would move to find a better economy. If I had to choose one or the other, though, I would choose to live with high freedom and low economy. This is because I find it more important in my life to be unrestricted than to have a flourishing economy around me.