Syria

Syria is a country that does not have many rights for citizens as the United States does. According to the United Nations, Syria is now considered to be on the verge of a civil war. The citizens of Syria believe that the President, Bashar al-Assad, is not treating the country fairly. The President is killing innocent people only because they are demonstrating against the government. In America we have freedom, and I personally never saw things such as this happen in my lifetime. According to the article, "President Basha al-Assad, who inherited Syria’s harsh dictatorship from his father, Hafez al-Assad, at first wavered between force and hints of reform. But in April, just days after lifting the country’s decades-old state of emergency, he set off the first of what became a series of withering crackdowns, sending tanks into restive cities as security forces opened fire on demonstrators" (1). The citizens of Syria believe that they are being treated unfairly and that all choices are decided for them in advance. Syria reminds me of a communist country, because the citizens don't have any rights. I am lucky enough to live in the United States where we have freedom, rights, and where we can make decisions for ourselves. I cannot imagine how difficult it must be for those people to live in such a country as Syria. After watching the slide show titled "Fighting Intensifies in Syria", I realized how different the lives of people are in Syria compared to the United States. Living in Deerfield, I feel like my community is in a bubble away from the rest of the world. After viewing these images I was able to comprehend how life in Syria and outside our country is. It's not always peaceful and quiet as it seems to be in Deerfield, and in life many unexpected things happen. In the images I could see many people with guns, shootings, screaming, and demonstrations on streets during everyday life. Citizens become hospitalized, and it seems like Syria is never under peace. Citizens in the United States need to realize how lucky they are that they live in such a free country.

Afghanistan

The war in Afghanistan has been going on for many years now. The United States cannot seem to put an end to the war, even though they are continuously trying to. The war began after the United States invaded Afghanistan after the attacks of September 11, 2001. Troops are being killed in the war, with numbers only getting higher. I think this is a devastating war, and to me I feel like this war has been going on for my entire life. When this war began I was six years old, so I barely remember life without being involved in the war. It's a sad thing for a country to be involved in a war this long, and I still wonder when it will come to an end. In the article about Afghanistan it was mentioned that, "On Feb. 21, angry protests broke out and shock rippled through Afghanistan as accounts emerged of NATO personnel setting fire to bags filled with Korans and other sacred books of Koranic interpretation at Bagram Air Base" (1). Afghans felt that Americans were trying to destroy their religion, even though that was not their intention. This incident sparked four days of furious demonstations in which many Afghans were killed. Americans thought they were protecting the country by doing this, when in return they offended the religion of many. If I would live in Afghanistan and if I lived by the Koran, I would also be frustrated if I saw it burning in bags on the streets somewhere. It think it was a good idea that President Obama sent a letter of apology, because that way they were not as angry anymore. The Afghans have done many cruel things to our country, but I don't think that people should mess with relgion, because that is a personal belief of a person. One of the videos which I saw involved American soldiers killing Afghans on the street. The Afghans which were found murdered did commit crimes so American soldiers felt that they did deserve to die. Many Afghans were demonstrating against what happened, and were very upset with the outcome. After reading this article and seeing the video's I wonder if this war will even end, and how soon? I don't think our country can go on fighting this war anymore. We have done all that we could, and we cannot keep sacrificing our own people and watching them die in order to accomplish nothing. Afghanistan so far is still considered to be a terrorist country, and personally I don't think that will change in the near future. Our country needs to end the war, because that is the only way the United States will be able to survive in the future economically, and even socially.

Research Question

I am learning about the Know Nothing party, because I want to find out about one of the ways in which immigrants were discriminated against and not welcome in America, along with the hardships they faced, in order to understand how difficult life was for them during their first years in America, and the ways in which they were able to survive. Did the Know Nothing party have a significant affect on the way in which immigrants were able to survive in the United States?

Day 3 - Journal Entry (homework)

Over these past few days of researching about immigration, I have become a lot more familiar with the Know-Nothing party. This party was an organization which rebelled against immigrants and Catholics. When individuals come to a different country, It is very difficult for them to find jobs, a home, and to set up a new life. Many Americans back in the days did not understand the difficulties of this. They feared that immigrants would destroy their nation, and therefore were not even willing to give them a chance. According to the Ohio History Central, "The majority of Know-Nothings came from middle and working-class backgrounds. These people feared competition for jobs from immigrants coming to the United States" (1). Americans felt that since they were born in this country, they should be the ones who are successful and who are the rulers. They thought of immigrants as low-class people, when in reality those people worked very hard each day in order to make a living for themselves and their families. This Know-Nothing party sub topic tells me that overall immigration was a very difficult thing for American born citizens to accept. They did not want competition with individuals who were not even born in this country. I can understand their viewpoint, but at the same time everyone at one point or another was an immigrant in the United States. I learned that immigrants were not welcome in the United States, and it was very difficult for them to make money in order to have a descent life. The questions which I still have about my topic are: what other events were occurring during the Know-Nothing party? What was the reaction and response of immigrants to the Know-Nothing party? and what other parties existed which were similar to the Know-Nothing party?

Three Journal Entries on Articles

Journal Entry #1
The Know Nothing Party
Ohio History Central
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=911



The Know Nothing party also held some power in Ohio. Several citities which included Youngstown and Cleveland had newspapers that supported the Know Nothing belief. Ohio's Know Nothings formed an alliance in the 1850's with the Fusionist Party. One of the many reasons as to why the Know Nothing party did not like immigrants and Catholics was because they did not seem to support the American way of life. These groups were only interested in their own lives. According to the Ohio History Center, "Many white Protestants in the state disliked the Catholic Church for opposing taxation to finance public schools. Catholic parents preferred enrolling their sons and daughters in Catholic schools and did not feel that they should financially support schools that their children did not attend" (1). Immigrants and people of different religion had a very hard time in become familiar with the American culture. When individuals moved into this country, they were too bussy trying to make a living and support their own families than caring about the culture around them. This is one of the many reasons why Americans did not appreciate immigrants and stood against them instead.



Journal Entry #2
The Know Nothings in Maryland
http://teachingamericanhistorymd.net/000001/000000/000065/html/t65.html



A nativist movement began to develop throughout the eastern United States. This political party also went on during the Mexican war, but it stalled during that period. Once the Mexican war ended, the party continued on, and even stronger than before. The main focus for this party was to elect native-born men to political offices and to create a 25-year residence restriction for citizenship. Additionally, Maryland members of the American party sided with a growing temperance movement. According to this article, "At the June 1855 convention in Philadelphia, Southern members seized control and adopted a pro-slavery platform" (1). Not only was this party's main concern to stop immigration, reduce the rights to immigrants and Catholics, but it also got a hold of power against the African Americans in slavery. When individuals start to gain power, they only want to gain even more control of it than they already have. The poor actions which were taken by the Know Nothing Party resulted in immigrants losing jobs, not becoming American Citizens, and being discriminated against on a great level.



Journal Entry #3
The Know Nothing Party
Historical Field
http://www.ashfieldhistorical.org/nothing.htm



During the period in which the Know-Nothing Party possessed power in the state legislature, they instituted many reforms for the working class. They attracted many members to their party in response to what they considered a corrupt and inattentive government. According to the Historical Field, "This party was based on nativistic beliefs and its members were native born male protestants who were opposed to immigrants being able to vote or hold political office" (1). Native born citizens of the United States would conform to this party, and follow these beliefs. It was very hard for immigrants to make a living in a new country where they barely spoke the language. Groups such as the Know-Nothing's only made things worse for immigrants. When a group of individuals develop a political party and are in power, they have the ability to convince other individuals to conform to them and follow their ways. Conformity was a huge factor which played during immigration, because  many native American born citizens were against immigration. This only made it more difficult for immigrants to feel accepted and to be successful in their new country.

The Know-Nothing Party (summary)

http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1187766?sid=568167&cid=27&oid=262177&useConcept=False
http://history1800s.about.com/od/immigration/a/knownothing01.htm

The Know-Nothing party was origionally named the American Party, and it was founded around 1850 by members of the Order of the Star Spangled Banner in New York and other secret organizations in the North. The leader of the party was James W. Barker. The Know-Nothing Party was based on anti-Catholic and anti-immigrant feelings of the 1840's. The Know-Nothing's consisted mainly of conservative whigs who were not happy with the growing number of immigrants, and the resulting rise of Catholicism. The party earned its famous name from the determination of its memebers to remain mysterious about their activities. The party had some success in local and state elections. In the 1856 election, the Know-Nothings nominated former president Millard Fillmore as their candidate.

As immigration from Europe increased in the early 1800s, citizens who had been born in the United States began to feel resentment at the new arrivals. Those opposed to immigrants became known as nativists.Violent encounters between immigrants and “native-born Americans” would occasionally occur in American cities in the 1830s and early 1840s. In July 1844, riots broke out in the city of Philadelphia. Nativists battled Irish immigrants, and two Catholic churches and a Catholic school were burned by mobs. Several small political parties espousing nativist doctrine existed, among them the American Republican Party and the Nativist Party. At the same time, secret societies, such as the Order of United Americans and the Order of the Star-Spangled Banner, sprang up in American cities. Their members were sworn to keep immigrants out of America, or at the least, to keep them out of mainstream society once they arrived.

The Know-Nothings and their anti-immigrant fervor became a popular movement for a time. Many Americans, of course, were appalled by the Know-Nothings. Abraham Lincoln expressed his poor feelings with the political party in a letter written in 1855. When asked about the party, the Know-Nothings were instructed to say "I know nothing" in order to keep it a secret. The basic premise of the party was a strong, if not virulent, stand against immigration and immigrants. Know-Nothing candidates had to be born in the United States. There was also an effort to change the laws so that only immigrants who had lived in the US for 25 years could become citizens. If this would occur it would mean that recent arrivals, especially the Irish Catholics coming to the US in great numbers, would not be able to vote for many years.

In the mid-1850s, the American Party, which had been neutral on the slavery issue, came to align itself with the pro-slavery position. As the power base of Know-Nothings was in the northeast, that proved to be the wrong position to take. The stance on slavery probably hastened the decline of the Know-Nothings. By 1860 the party had fractured, and the Know-Nothings joined the list of extinct political parties in America. James W. Barker left the party in the late 1850s and threw his support behind Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln in the election of 1860. The nativist movement in America did not begin with the Know-Nothings, and it certainly didn’t end with them. Prejudice against new immigrants continued throughout the 19th century has still never ended completely.

Race Relations

After reading the articles about the impact of race in our world today, I came to a realization that race is still an issue for us now, even in 2012. It's quite alarming to think that after everything our country has been through with slavery, discrimination, and segregation. The article "Racial Incident at MSU" alarmed me to an even greater debt. The kind of impact which they might have had on the community in Michigan near this University might have been a great one. Individuals from out of state could have thought that Michigan was a racist state, when in reality it might not be. The communities outside this college might all have been worried about this situation, and try to stop it before it would spread even more. African Americans might have been viewed by white's in Michigan differently after this incident as well. The impact which this cause might have had on whites is that whites in Michigan would be viewed as being racist. They would have to be extra careful in everything they say to not discriminate against African Americans any further. Obviously the majority of whites in Michigan probably are not racist, just as in other states, so they would be viewed opon in the wrong way. The impact which this might have on African Americans is that they would not feel at home in their own state or country. After fighting segregation for so many years, African Americans hopes would once again fall at the news of racism. Another article which was very similar was called "Racial Incident at Williams College." At Williams College students also recieved racist discriminations, making African Americans not feel welcome. After reading the article "Ohio Panel Sticks to 'White Only' Pool Sign Ruling", I was shocked to see that our country still has issues with race. Just as in the past two articles, these were both discrimination incidents with signs which discriminated against African Americans. The impact which this might have made on this Ohio community is that the residents living there would feel uncomfortable against what happened, while the African Americans would no longer feel welcome in that neighborhood. The impact that it might have on the whites is that whites would possibly feel that their community is becoming racist, and they would treat African Americans differently. African Americans would get impacted, because they would no longer feel welcome in their home town. Many African Americans might want to move away from the area they were discriminated in.

Images of Jim from Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Description of Jim in terms of beliefs, actions, and feelings:

• Caring
• Loving
• Uneducated
• Cautious
• Protective
• Thoughtful
• Kind

 Description of Jim in terms of physical appearance:

• African American
• Strong
• Immense

Image that most closely illustrates my connection:

 

The connection of this image to Jim's characteristics is that in this photo Jim and Huck are both searching for something, and Jim is the one who is on the ground being cautious. He is always very cautious of everything he gets himself into. Jim is also being protective over Huck, because he's searching himself, and not involving Huck into it. This also demonstrates that he is thoughtful and kind towards others.

Image that least illustrates my connection:

This image does not relate to my interpretation of Jim. In this photo all Jim is doing is laying on the grass against a tree and relaxing. It's not showing that he's actually working or doing much of anything. This is the complete opposite of what actually happened, because Jim always worked as hard as he could. Even when Jim ran away he rarely ever had time to relax, because he was always on the lookout for new danger.

Final Response:

The image which most  illustrates the novels text is the fourth image, which is showing only Jim and Huck half way in the water next to each other, and looking opposite directions.This image illustrates the text the most, because this book is mainly only about Jim and Huck and their adventure together, and their friendship growing more and more in each chapter. Mark Twain's words represent Jim as a Character, because he shows that Jim has feelings, emotions, and problems in his life which each character in a typical book would have.

Conformity

"We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents." -Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Long but Significant Lewis and Clark Expedition

       The Lewis and Clark Expedition, opened the Louisiana Territory to settlement and trade. This expedition also reinforced U.S. claims to the Oregon region in the Pacific coast. This expedition was also known as Corps of Discovery, and it was located in North America. Lewis and Clark were the first Europeans to cross the Western half of what became the continental United States. President Thomas Jefferson chose his private secretary, captain Lewis to complete this journey. With the approval of President Thomas Jefferson, Lewis then invited his longtime friend Clark to be his co leader. During their long two year expedition, Lewis and Clark traveled through future states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Lewis and Clark were searching for a water route through the continent. The instigator or this entire expedition was President Thomas Jefferson. On January 18, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson asked Congress to authorize an appropriation of $2,500 to send a military expedition to explore the Missouri River up to its source in the rocky Mountains. The two main reasons why President Thomas Jefferson wanted to conduce this search was to prepare way for extension of the American fur trade to the Native American people and to advance the geographical knowledge of the continent.

        According to George Washington's Farewell Address, the information which I discovered would help to provide examples on the International Politics which George Washington was discussing. Lewis and Clark were the first Europeans to cross the Western part of the United States, so they would be considered to be international politics. George Washington would think that the information which I discovered, would be helpful in the International Politics area which he was discussing in his Farewell Address. George Washington would also be in favor of this Expedition as was Thomas Jefferson. My event reflected the values which were discussed in Washington's Farewell, because they were part of the International Politics area.

       According to the Constitution, the Lewis and Clark Expedition matches up with what we've been studying so far. In Article 2, section 1 of the Constitution it states that executive power is in the President of the United States of America during a four-year term. President Thomas Jefferson was in power as president at the time and he appointed Lewis and Clark to go on this very significant expedition. The Liberty ideas or notions that that have been expanded from reading about Lewis and Clark were that while on their Journey, they came across people who helped them such as Sacajawea, the Bird Woman. Lewis and Clark came to rely on Sacajawea as well as her husband as both guides and interpreters. Sacajawea was showing them liberty and freedom in the United States. The Constitutional questions which arise are "Did Lewis and Clark even have freedom of speech in deciding if  they wanted to attend this expedition when ordered to do so by Thomas Jefferson?" This event helps to accomplish the goals which were set forth in the Preamble. The reasons for this is because Lewis and Clark helped to form a more perfect Union in our country by discovering the Western States of our country, and being the first Europeans to visit them.

Connecting Historic Documents to Pictures from September 11th, 2001

"These are the times that try men's souls" (51).

I paired this photograph and quote together, because to me this photograph shows that in times of trouble and attacks when people know they will die, they become completely different people and do things that they never thought they would do before. In this picture the people are falling from the building, because they would rather die by falling than by burning to death. As the quote also says "try men's souls" which is saying these hard times are testing how far each person would go, as in how they would die, and what they would do in order to stay alive or die. To see the words of 1776 being paired with this image from 2001, shows to me that history does repeat itself. In every tough and historic situation, people are always challenged in their survival, and depending on the type of person, they will do whatever it takes to stay alive or the opposite. The connections that I see are that all the people in this photograph are jumping to their death, and that is what is testing and "trying" their souls.

Connecting Historic Documents to Pictures from September 11th, 2001

"It is natural for man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren, till she transforms us into beasts" (34).

My thinking behind the pairing of this quote from 1776 and the image from 2001 is that they connect highly to one another. To see the words of 1776 being paired with an image from 2001 tells me that history does repeat itself if it is not learned, and if people don't try to stop bad things from happening. In 1776, many devastation's have also occurred, and people reacted the same way to them as they reacted in 2001, to the September 11 attacks. The connections that I see is that the woman in the picture is shutting her eyes, and is terrified from what has happened. They are trying to not accept the painful truth of the terrorist attack, but in their hearts they know that they need to accept what has happened.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close - Post # 1

1. What are your thoughts about Oskar at this point in the novel, after "Heavier Boots"?  Do you sympathize with him?  Are you critical of him?  Choose a specific action of his as the basis for your comment.

At this point of the novel after reading "Heavier Boots", my thoughts about Oskar have changed a lot. I definitely still do sympathize with him on the death of his father, and all the misery that he has gone through, but I'm at the same time becoming more critical about his actions. Oskar seems like a very determined and smart boy who will never give up until he succeeds in his goal, but some of his actions seem to amuse me. Oskar tells his mom: "If I could have chosen, I would have chosen you!" (171). I could not believe that Oskar would tell his own mom that he would rather have her die than his dad. He's starting to spill his anger out on his own mother who doesn't even deserve it. After the argument Oskar tried to comfort his mom after hurting her by saying, "I said I take it back...You can't take something like that back." (172). Oskar actually thought that after saying something that cruel to his mom, he could fix it all by saying "I take it back." Even though he's nine years old, he still needs to realize that his actions and words can hurt others greatly.