Thursday, November 29, 2012

Class Updates 11/28 and 11/29; Monthly Goal

Yesterday, November 28th, we went over the Lincoln-Douglas debates and started talking about the Raid at Harper's Ferry. John Brown wanted to free the slaves in the South by started a chain-reaction of revolts. With a group of abolitionists and slaves, he stormed the federal arsenal and took weapons, but they were captured. Brown was hanged for his crimes of treason to Virginia and murder only two months later; the South was eager to be rid of him.

Today, November 29th, we read primary source documents on the Harper's Ferry Raid. It was interesting that all three were different; John Starry testified on the numerous murders and deaths; Robert E. Lee gave a military opinion; and John Brown claimed that he never meant to commit murder, treason, or incite the slaves to rebellion, only that he wanted to free them.

Daily Words:
Biblioklept: n. someone who steals books
Inveigh: v. to protest strongly

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Class Update 11/26 and 11/27; Monthly Goal

Yesterday, November 26th, we talked about the Dred Scott case. Dred Scott was a slave who sued his master for false imprisonment and battery. Many slaves in similar situations had done so and won their freedom, but Scott had bad timing. He presented his case at a time where arguments over slavery were strong and aggressive. Roger B. Toney, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, said that slaves were property and could not be taken from their owners. He also said that every state was a slave state, and there was no such thing as popular sovereignty.

Today, November 27th, we learned about the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas were running for Senator of Illinois , divided by the main issue of slavery. Stephen Douglas supported slavery and popular sovereignty, while Lincoln opposed it. It was interesting to see that Lincoln was rather racist; he said "there is a physical difference between white and black races which I believe will for ever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality."

I have been falling a little behind in my goal, especially because of the vacation.
Cairn: n. a heap of stones set up as a landmark, monument, tombstone, etc
Disbosom: v. to reveal, confess

Monday, November 19, 2012

Class Updates and Monthly Goal

Today, November 19th, we talked about the Fugitive Slave Act, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and Frederick Douglass' Fourth of July Speech. We also talked about how fair doesn't always mean equal, and vice versa. The Fugitive Slave Act punished everyone evenly for helping slaves, though it wasn't fair. Frederick Douglass was upset that the Americans celebrated the Fourth of July when there was still slavery.

According to the worksheets (since I won't be in class tomorrow), on November 20th, we will talk about the Kansas Nebraska Act, "Bleeding Kansas", and a murder in the Senate over slavery.

Daily Words:
Ogle: v. to eye or look at at, especially flirtatiously
Terpsichorean: adj. pertaining to dancing
Ramose: adj. having many branches

Friday, November 16, 2012

Class Updates 11/15 and 11/16; Goal Update

Yesterday, November 15th, we talked more about the Mexican War and the decisions Congress had to make. Since both slave and free states had equal representation in the Senate, no laws could be passed banning or supporting slavery. Congress couldn't agree on anything until 1850, when they agreed to support the Compromise of 1850 as separate bills; admitting California as a free state, abolishing the slave trade while still allowing slavery in Washington DC, enforcing a harsher fugitive slave law, popular sovereignty in New Mexico and Utah, and smaller Texas debt-free.

Today, November 16th, we looked at a painting of slaves escaping that differed from what we expected, and we talked about Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Stow. Harriet Stow wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin in response to the harsher fugitive slave law, and it is about slaves escaping. We read a chapter of it in class; when one slave named Eliza escaped with her child, and people are trying to catch her.

Daily Words:
Bird-dog: v. to investigate; n. a dog trained and bred to hunt birds; n. a talent-scout
Repugnant: adj. distasteful or offensive; contrary

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Class Updates 11/13 and 11/14; Monthly Goal

Yesterday, November 13th, we went to the lab and looked at a map showing the Missouri Compromise ( http://bit.ly/BLosI ). We compared the North and South land and population, then how the Missouri Compromise changed the map.

Today, November 14th, we went over the Missouri Compromise and learned about the Mexican War. We compared textbook definitions, again finding that the sources varied. We watched a video on the Mexican War, then took a video quiz at the end.

Daily Words:
Nares: pl. n. nostrils or nasal passages
Bivouc: n. military encampment made with tents or other temporary shelters
Aplomb: n. calm self-assurance or poise; or the vertical position
Imperturbable: adj. calm or incapable of being upset
Pigeonhole: v. to lay aside for use in the future; n. small open compartment in desks for storage, or the white space between words and lines in printing.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Class Updates (11/7 and 11/8) and Month Commitment

Yesterday, November 7th, we took notes on slavery before the Civil War and on defending slavery. Eli Whitney's cotton gin made slavery more useful in the South and boosted cotton production. Even small farms could afford slaves to use the gin and produce cotton products. The two types of slavery were gang labor (all slaves doing the same task at the same pace with very few breaks) and task labor (specific jobs, such as carpentry and working at the docks, sometimes lent to other slaveholders, and the slaves were allowed to work for themselves if part of their wages went to the slave owner). I completely disagree with the "Mud sill" theory by James Henry Hammond for defending slavery. He claimed that there had to be an inferior race to do the hard jobs, otherwise there could be no progress. He also claimed that they were doing the slaves a favor; and that the north had "slaves" that were much worse off (the manual laborers and lower class).

Today, November 8th, we took notes on the Underground Railroad and how slaves escaped. The Underground Railroad was a secret network of white abolitionists and escaped slaves that helped more slaves escape. It went from the south to Canada. Harriet Tubman was one of the most important and famous conductors, leading over 300 slaves to freedom in 19 trips. Most of the slave songs and stories were codes to find the path to freedom, especially "Follow the Drinking Gourd". We read ten different textbook definitions of the Underground Railroad, and found that they didn't all match up.

Daily Words (Month Commitment):
Quid: n. A piece of something that is chewed, but not swallowed.
Hustings: n. The political campaign, or any place where campaign speeches are made
Vecoce: adj. Played at a fast tempo, or simply fast

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Class Updates 11/5 and 11/6

Yesterday, November 5th, we compared the slave narratives from Friday and learned about the main opponents and defenders. Most of the slaves were treated very poorly, with cruel beatings and poor living conditions, though some had kind masters or mistresses. Some defenders of slavery were John C. Calhoun and James H. Hammond. Some defenders of slavery were William L. Garrison, Abraham Lincoln, and Frederick Douglass.

Today, November 6th, we had a fake voting sesssion and we read about how the Constitution could be seen as pro-slavery or anti-slavery.

I will learn a new word every day for 30 days.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Class Updates 11/1 and 11/2

Yesterday, November 1st, we presented our Integrated Projects for the American Revolution and Julius Caesar. All sophomores displayed their projects in the library, and we went down to see them in class.

Today, November 2nd, we broke into groups and read narratives of people who were slaves, then made a storyboard on it. My group read about a girl who had a good childhood and a kind mistress until she was twelve years old and her kind mistress died. She was sent to her mistress' sister's daughter as part of the mistress' will.