The 3 Branches of Government

StoryCorps

StoryCorps is an American non-profit organization whose mission is to record, preserve, and share the stories of Americans from all backgrounds and beliefs. StoryCorps grew out of Sound Portraits Productions as a project founded in 2003 by radio producer David Isay.  Its headquarters are located in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.

StoryCorps is modeled—in spirit and in scope—after the efforts of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of the 1930s, through which oral history interviews across the United States were recorded. Another inspiration for the organization was oral historian Studs Terkel, who cut the ribbon at the opening of StoryCorps’ first recording booth in Grand Central Terminal.  To date, StoryCorps has recorded more than 30,000 interviews among more than 60,000 Americans in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and several American territories.


To listen to some of the stories click HERE!

3 Branches of Government

Writing Essentials

When writing a summary you need...

• A clear topic sentence (Setting, Subject, & Main Idea)
• Details about the topic (Proof that you learned new material)
• Supporting facts
• Quotes
• Examples
• Content vocabulary
• A conclusion statement that restates the topic and why it is important

When writing in an academic setting always...

• Use a formal style 
• Be sure to be clear & coherent
• Make sure your thoughts are organized and follow a logical order
• Be neat and legible
• Use transition words
• Refer to yourself in the third person 

Liberty's Kids & The U.S. Constitution

The Preamble to the Constitution

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

The Preamble to the United States Constitution is a brief introductory statement of the Constitution's fundamental purposes and guiding principles. It states in general terms, and courts have referred to it as reliable evidence of, the Founding Fathers' intentions regarding the Constitution's meaning and what they hoped the Constitution would achieve.


The Preamble to the Constitution states the 6 goals of government...

1. form a more perfect union... make the best country possible

2. establish justice... create a fair system for our people
3. insure domestic tranquility... guarantee peace on our home land

4. provide for the common defense... provide protection for our citizens
5. promote the general welfare...  work together for the common good
6. secure the blessing of liberty... protect our citizens rights & freedoms

The Preamble to the Constitution

The Preamble to the Constitution in Licenses Plates 

The Social Contract

SOME EXTRAS FOR THE OVERACHIEVERS…

"Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
John Locke, a 17th century English Philosopher, insisted that men “have a mind to unite for the mutual Preservation of their Lives, Liberties and Estates, which I call by the general Name, ‘Property.’”

Adam Smith, an 18th century Scottish philosopher and economist whom some have called the father of free trade with his treatise The Wealth of Nations, penned the phrase “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Property.”

Jefferson, according to historians, was a great follower of Adam Smith, and since he was well educated it’s very likely his inspiration for the phrase “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” was derived from Locke and Smith.

The Leviathan

A “leviathan” is literally a sea monster mentioned in the Bible.  It is also the title of a well known philosophy book written by Thomas Hobbs in 1651.  The focus of the book is the structure of society and legitimate government.  In the book, Hobbes argues for a "Social Contract," whereby by the people give up some of their absolute freedoms in exchange for governmental protection of human rights.  Hobbs felt that “The State of Nature,” which is total chaos pitting man against man, could only be averted by strong central government.

Of The Social Contract, Or Principles of Political Right, is a philosophy book written in 1762 by Jean-Jacques Rousseau.  In this book, Rousseau theorized about the best way in which to set up a political community in the face of the problems of commercial society which he had already identified in his “Discourse of Inequality.”

The Electoral College

The 3/5's Compromise

The Three-Fifths Compromise is found in Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph 3 of the United States Constitution:

Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to the Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.

Wikipedia explains:

The Three-Fifths Compromise was a compromise between Southern and Northern States reached during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 in which three-fifths of the population of slaves would be counted for enumeration purposes regarding both the distribution of taxes and the appointment of the members of the United States House of Representatives ... Delegates opposed to slavery generally wished to count only the free inhabitants of each state. Delegates supportive of slavery, on the other hand, generally wanted to count slaves in their actual numbers. Since slaves could not vote, slaveholders would thus have the benefit of increased representation in the House and the Electoral College; taxation was only a secondary issue. The final compromise of counting "all other persons" as only three-fifths of their actual numbers reduced the power of the slave states relative to the original southern proposals, but increased it over the northern position.

The Great Compromise

The Great Compromise...
James Madison and William Paterson discuss how to fix the United States Government.  Each have an idea but one favors small states and the other large states.  Roger Sherman then rescued the two by coming up with the Great Compromise.


The Constitutional Convention in 15 Minutes...
Mr. Hughes explains the compromises which were brokered at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Topics for discussion include the Connecticut Compromise (Great), the 3/5th's Compromise and the Anti-Feds demands for a Bill of Rights.  Thank you Mr. Hughes!

Totally Off Topic...
The following video features a song written by John Prine entitled, The Great Compromise.  Written in 1972, this protest song is a metaphor for Prine's disillusionment of his country during the Vietnam War.  In this instance the songwriter is using the word "compromise" to mean a dishonorable or shameful concession.  

It's The Constitutional Convention Charlie Brown

Shay's Rebellion

Enjoy two short excerpts from a documentary on Shays' Rebellion. It has SUPERB animation! You can find the entire documentary on YouTube under the title, Shay's Rebellion 1787. It is posted in five pieces

The Treaty of Paris

The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783.

• It formally ended the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United States of America, which had rebelled against British rule. 
• It acknowledged the Thirteen Colonies as free, sovereign and independent States. 
• It granted the Thirteen Colonies all the territory east of the Mississippi River

Indentured Servants

Thank you Mr. Zoller!

George Washington Through Historical Paintings

Colonial Courtship

Histeria!: The American Revolution (Part II)

Histeria!: The American Revolution (Part I)

The American Crisis

These are the times that try men's souls.

The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from 

the service of their country;

but he that stands it NOW,

deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered;

yet we have this consolation with us,

that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.

What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly:

it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.

Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods:

and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. 

Victory at Trenton

Late on December 25, 1776, Washington's army crossed the ice-choked Delaware River in small boats.  On the New Jersey shore, Washington gave his men the password for the long night march ahead: "Victory or Death."

The Hessians, sleeping heavily after their holiday feasting, were quite unaware of the approaching army. About sunrise they were surprised and most of them easily captured after a brief struggle.

African Americans & women who fought in the Revolutionary War

James Armistead

James Armistead [Lafayette] was an African American spy during the American Revolution. Born in Virginia as a slave to William Armistead in 1760, he volunteered to join the army in 1781. After gaining the consent of his owner, Armistead was stationed to serve under the Marquis de Lafayette, the commander of French forces allied with the American Continental Army.  Lafayette employed Armistead as a spy.  While working for Lafayette he successfully infiltrated British General Charles Cornwallis's headquarters posing as a runaway slave hired by the British to spy on the Americans.

The man in the center of the picture is Crispus Attucks

In 1770, Crispus Attucks, a black man, became the first casualty of the American Revolution when he was shot and killed in what became known as the Boston Massacre. 

Anne Bailey

Known as "Mad Ann" Bailey, she was born in Liverpool, England, and came to America at age 19, probably as an indentured servant.  She was a heroine at the battle of Griswald, often went house to house collecting material for bandages and tended to many wounded.

Margaret Corbin

Her parents were killed by Indian raiders when she was five. She married John Corbin when she was 21.  When he joined the Army she followed her husband. Even Martha Washington went along with General Washington.  Margaret cooked and took care of the sick and wounded.

When Fort Washington was attacked she was helping John load the cannon.  He was shot and killed.  She just stepped up and began firing the cannon.  She was wounded.  She was the first woman to get a pension for her service! 

James Forten

James Forten was born on September 2, 1766. He was a freeman. He grew up in the center of American democracy - Philadelphia.   He loved reading and learning. Soon was working as a sailor. Unfortunately, he was captured by the British and was held as a prisoner of war. The captain of this ship offered to send James to England for an education with his own son.  Forten refused to be a traitor to his country. The captain then traded Forten for a British prisoner. 

For more examples of African Americans and women in the Revolutionary War click HERE!

MILITARY TERMS

GENERAL

SOLDIERS

MILITIA

MERCENARIES

BOUNTY HUNTER

GUERRILLAS

The American Revolution

This video has some great imagery! Check it out!!!

The Declaration Of Independence

Excerpt taken from HBO mini series, John Adams.


Seven Key Components of The Declaration of Independence

Happy Guy Fawkes Day

Guy Fawkes Day is a British holiday annually held on November 5.  It is sometimes known as Bonfire Night and marks the anniversary of the discovery of the plot organized by Catholic conspirators to blow up the English House of Parliament in London in 1605.  It is celebrated with bonfires, fireworks, and effigies of the conspirators are burned.  Initially it was held as a celebration that the conspiracy was foiled and Parliament was saved, however, in recent years the holiday has come to celebrate the conspirators and the spirit of rebellion.  

In recent years, the Fawkes' legacy has expanded.  He provided the inspiration for aleen Moore's classic graphic novel, V for Vendetta, in which a crusader wearing a Guy Fawkes' mask embarks on a terrorist campaign against a totalitarian British dystopia.  The novel has also been adapted in a major motion picture staring Nataile Portman.  And today, the Occupy Wall Street protestors are recognizing the English holiday by wearing Guy Fawkes' masks at the various protests all across the country. 

America Rocks!!!

Since we are studying the American Revolution....
Here are some videos to get you in the mood.

Pearl Jam and Neil Young
Ray Charles
David Bowie
Don McLean
Sam Cooke
Jimi Hendrix
Marvin Gaye
West Side Story
Odetta
Animaniacs
The Clash

A big thanks to my Room 5 family!!!

I just wanted to take a minute to thank all my students and their families.  

The Dia De Los Muertos alter was especially beautiful this year.   

Thank you so much for participating and getting so excited.

It really is a beautiful holiday and I enjoyed celebrating it with you all more than I can say.

Haylei Torres

Dia De Los Muertos

Click here to learn how to draw a Dia de Los Muertos skull!


Travel segment


En Espanol

The Inspiration Behind Dracula, Vlad the Impaler

Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia (1431–1476), also known by his patronymic Dracula (son of the Dragon (Vlad II) Dracul), and posthumously dubbed Vlad the Impaler (Romanian: Vlad Țepeș pronounced [ˈvlad ˈt͡sepeʃ]), was a three-time Voivode of Wallachia, ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462, the period of the incipient Ottoman conquest of the Balkans. His father was a member of the Order of the Dragon (Dracul) and Dracula means son of the Dragon to indicate his father's title within the Order of the Dragon.

Vlad III is remembered for spending much of his rule campaigning efforts against the Ottoman Empire and its expansion^[3]and for the impaling of enemies.^[4] Already during his lifetime, his reputation of excessive cruelty spread abroad, toGermany and elsewhere in Europe. The total number of his victims is estimated in the tens of thousands. The name of thevampire Count Dracula in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula was inspired by Vlad's patronymic.^{[4] (Taken from Wikipedia)}

For a Vlad Tepes PowerPoint click HERE.

Nosferatu (1922), Directed by F.W. Murnau & Starring Max Schreck 

Dracua (1931), Directed by Tod Browning & Starring Bella Lugosi

Bram Stroker's Dracula (1992), Directed by Francis Ford Coppola & Starring Gary Oldman

Occupy Wall Street

If anyone is interested I created a power point presentation that attempts to make the Occupy Wall Street protest more comprehensible.  It can be found under the "Power Point" tab.  This presentation is not meant to influence anyone's thinking in one direction or another.  Rather it is my attempt to turn a real life event into a teachable moment.  Creating it also helped me to gain a better understanding of the protest myself.  Teaching is funny that way, most of the time I learn more than I teach.

The PowerPoint is based on a lesson written by Jinnie Spiegler that has been posted on teachablemoments.org.

This American Life Does A Show About Middle School!!!

 

This American Life  is a weekly public radio show on more than 500 radio stations to 1.8 million listeners.  It is produced by Chicago Public Media, distributed by Public Radio International, and has won all of the major broadcasting awards.  It is often the most popular podcast in the country, with around 700,000 downloads each week.  


It's format is simple.  There is a theme to each episode and a variety of stories told about that theme.  It is mostly true stories told by regular people.  There are literally 100s of episodes on millions of different topics.  Some are funny, some are sad, some are informational, etc. etc.  I LOVE this show and HIGHLY recommend it!!!


There are a variety of ways to listen to the show...

• Stream radio episodes for free from the archive
• Listen on the radio
• Subscribe to the free weekly podcast
• Download the most recent episode a la carte, free, from the homepage
• Download old episodes for $0.99 on iTunes or Amazon MP3
• Stream episodes through our apps for iPhone, Android or iPad
• Purchase greatest hits collections on CD
• Purchase DVDs of our TV seasons
• Download TV Season One or Season Two on iTunes
• Rent TV Season Two on Netflix 

This week's episode is dedicated to middle school!  It will air at 10 am, Saturday morning on KCRW 89.9.  Check it out.


Click HERE to learn more about it.

The History Behind Halloween

Halloween…  All-Hallows-Eve… the night before All Hallows Day… Hallows means saints… Halloween or The Eve of All Saints Day

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:

What we think of as Halloween can be traced back 2,000 years ago in Britain and Ireland.  The Celtic people celebrated a giant festival every November 1^st called Samhain.  This festival celebrated the end of the harvest and the beginning of winter. 

·      It would begin on the evening of the 31^st

·      Bonfires were lit

·      Sacrifices of livestock and crops were made to the gods

·      People dressed in animal skins and furs for the event

·      It was thought that the ghosts of the dead along fairies and goblins visited the earth on this day, so food was left outside homes to satisfy them

During the 1^st century C.E. Rome conquered Britain and two Roman holidays were combined with Samhain. 

1.     Feralia: honored the dead

2.     Pomona: celebrated the goddess of the harvest (Pomona’s symbol was the apple and it is hypothesized that this is where the tradition of bobbing for apples comes from.)

Christianity spread to the British Isles during the 4^th and 5^th centuries C.E. and the Pope insisted on giving all pagan holidays Christian themes. 

*      November 1^st became All Saints Day and celebrated the lives of saints

*      November 2^nd became All Souls Day and celebrated the lives of dead Christians

COSTUMES & JACK-O-LANTERNS

Were both initially used to scare off the ghosts, ghouls, and goblins that traveled the earth on that night.  The costumes would help the living blend in with the supernatural and the jack-o-lanterns would protect homes.

TRICK OR TREATING

Derives from a practice known as souling, whereby poor beggars went door to door during the two Christian holy days (holidays) and promise to pray for the household in exchange for food.

Scottish and Irish immigrants brought these wonderful traditions to America.

Happy Halloween!

more on..... The Boston Tea Party

On the evening of December 16, 1773, a group of men calling themselves the "Sons of Liberty" went to the Boston Harbor. The men were dressed as Mohawk Indians. They boarded three British ships, the Beaver, the Eleanor and the Dartmouth, and dumped forty-five tons of tea into the Boston Harbor.







BACKGROUND...
The British East India Company had controlled all tea trading between India and the British colonies. As a result of the tea tax, the colonies refused to buy the British tea. Instead, they smuggled tea in from Holland. This left the British East India Company with warehouses full of unsold tea, and the company was in danger of going out of business.

The British government was determined to prevent the British East India Company from going out of business. It was going to force the colonists to buy their tea. In May 1773, Prime Minister North and the British parliament passed the Tea Act. The Tea Act allowed the British East India Company to sell tea directly to the colonists, bypassing the colonial wholesale merchants. This allowed the company to sell their tea cheaper than the colonial merchants who were selling smuggled tea from Holland.  This act revived the colonial issue of taxation without representation.

The Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest against the British government and George III. The disguised protestors (probably) led by Samuel Adams, called themselves The Sons of Liberty, and they objected to "taxation without representation". This was one of the key events which led up to the American Revolution, and independence. 

Click HERE for a great video short on the Boston Tea Party.

The Boston Tea Party poem for kids, by Paul Perro.

Sammy lived in Boston
And he loved a cup of tea.
But one day something happened
That made him very angry.

A king in a faraway land said
"From now on every time
Someone drinks a cup of tea
They have to give me a dime."

This did not seem fair to Sammy.
The king lived so far away
Why should he care what Sammy drank?
And why should Sammy pay?

Lots of people agreed with Sammy
There was a lot of frustration.
People made speeches with long clever words
Like “taxation” and “representation.”

So Sammy got some friends together
And the rebellion began.
They knew where the king kept his tea
And they came up with a plan.

Sammy was a little worried
That they’d be recognised.
So they dressed up as red Indians
And then went out disguised.

The tea was kept on three ships
Docked in the harbour
The ships were called “The Dartmouth”
“The Beaver” and “The Eleanor.”

They climbed aboard the Dartmouth first
And quickly found the tea.
They found hundreds of boxes
And threw them in the sea.

Next they boarded the Beaver
And found where the tea was stored.
Just like they had done before,
They threw it overboard.

Then they moved to the Eleanor
And did the same thing there.
They spoiled all the king’s tea
Because he’d been unfair.

They hadn’t wanted to steal the tea
Because stealing things is wrong.
They’d wanted to teach the king a lesson
That was the plan all along.

The next day everyone was talking
About the tea that Sammy had sunk.
They called it the Boston Tea Party
Even though no tea had been drunk.

The Boston Massacre

     The Boston Massacre, also known as the Boston riot, was an incident that led to the deaths of five civilians at the hands of British troops on March 5, 1770, the legal aftermath of which helped spark the rebellion in some of the British American colonies, which culminated in the American Revolutionary War. A heavy British military presence in Boston led to a tense4 that boiled over into incitement of brawls between soldiers and civilians and eventually led to troops discharging their muskets after being attacked by a rioting crowd. Three civilians were killed at the scene of the shooting, eleven were injured, and two died after the incident.

Click here to see a scene from the HBO mini series John Adams,

"Taxation without Representation"

East Whittier Middle School

14535 E. Whittier Blvd, Whittier, CA 90605
(562) 907-5900

Parents, Students, and Staff

We are all aware of the current budget crisis facing California.  Recently, funding for education has been drastically reduced due to shortfalls in state revenue.  As a result, monies that ordinarily would be granted to East Whittier Middle School will not be forthcoming. The school faces severe financial problems, and the administration has been forced to consider alternative funding sources.

Therefore, a new policy is in immediate effect. Each student in social studies classes will be required to pay for all photocopied materials. The fee will be 10 cents per page. There will be no exceptions. Any student who does not pay the 10-cent fee will receive a zero for the assignment. While this may seem a burden, it is absolutely necessary. We must all work together to solve this temporary financial  

problem.

A sincere thanks for your efforts and patience,

The Administration of East Whittier Middle School

Principal, Tim Strand
Assistant Principal, Gabriela Aldana
Assistant Principal, Daniel Ruiz

The Slave Trade from the Slave's Perspective

Equiano, Olaudah.  "The Slave Trade." Readings in World Civilizations: The Development of the Modern World. Kevin Reilly. New York City: St Martin's Press, 1995.  pages 44-52.

     The consequences of the European arrival in the Americas were devastating for the human inhabitants of three continents: North America, South America, and Africa.  The inhabitants of the Americas were decimated by diseases, especially smallpox, form which they had no immunities.  The inhabitants of Africa, especially western africa, were decimated by the European slave trade.

     This selection is part of the autobiography of one of the Africans who was enslaved, Olaudah Equiano. He was born in 1745 in what is today Nigeria.  Sold to British slavers at the age of eleven, and shipped off to the British West Indies.  In 1766 he was able to buy his freedom and become involved in the antislavery movement in England.  What was slavery in Africa like and how was it different from slavery in the Americas  For those, like Equiano, who survived, what were the worst aspects of the Atlantic slave trade?  What do you think Equiano's criticism of "nominal Christians"?

To read a primary source about slavery from a slaves perspective click here!!!

Columbus Day

Columbus Day, which is annually on the second Monday of October, remembers Christopher Columbus' arrival to the Americas on October 12, 1492. This holiday is controversial because the European settlement in the Americas led to the demise of the history and culture of the indigenous peoples.


Officially, the people of the USA are invited to celebrate the anniversary of the discovery of their country with church services and other activities. In some towns and cities, special church services, parades and large events are held. Most celebrations are concentrated around the Italian-American community. The celebrations in New York and San Francisco are particularly noteworthy. In Hawaii Columbus Day is also known as Landing Day or Discoverer's Day.

Not all parts of the United States celebrate Columbus Day. It is not a public holiday in California, Nevada and Hawaii. Moreover, Native American's Day is celebrated in South Dakota, while Indigenous People's Day is celebrated in Berkeley, California. 

For more information on Native American's Day click here.

More on the Colonies

More on Jamestown

The 13 Colonies

The Lost Colony of Roanoke

Click here to see a History Channel video.

Video provided courtesy of Berit Bontems.