America Rocks!!!

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

Starting with one of my favorite bands, Pavement, covering School House Rocks.

Pearl Jam and Neil Young

Ray Charles
David Bowie
Don McLean
Sam Cooke
Jimi Hendrix
Marvin Gaye
West Side Story
Odetta
Animaniacs
The Clash

"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

Gangs of New York

Here is a scene from Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York.  I choose this clip to demonstrate what a colonial city would look like.

Chapter 4 Vocabulary & Terms

economy

a system where money and goods are made and traded

rights

something that you are morally, legally, or officially given
example: the right not to be beaten 

 Parliament

the law making assembly in England

 petition

to make a formal request or demand for change

 social class

society divides it's people up into groups according to jobs, income, education, etc.

 First Great Awakening

a time period in the 1730s and 1740s when Christianity became very popular

 blue laws

laws written by Puritans that made skipping church and/or drinking on a Sunday illegal

 The Middle Passage

refers to the time Africans spent packed onto slave ships and crossing the Atlantic Ocean

 Magna Carta

an English document that limits the power of the king

Slave Auction

This is a scene from the television mini-series Roots based on the book by Alex Haley.

The Middle Passage

This is a scene from Steven Spielburg's film, Amistad.  The clip has been edited so that it is suitable for viewing in a public classroom, however, let it be known that the images in this video are both graphic and disturbing.

The Slave Trade from a 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!!!

Colonial Courtship

Colonial American Women

This is a great short video created by 3 high school freshman.

Mr. Zollar's: The Southern Colonies

Mr. Zollar's" Middle Colonies

Mr. Zollar's: The New England Colonies

The 13 Colonies

What happened to the lost colony at Roanoke?

In 1587, English colonists in Roanoke mysteriously disappeared, leaving only a few cryptic clues behind. For centuries since, researchers have wondered what became of the lost colonists. Check out this HowStuffWorks podcast to learn more.

The Mayflower Compact

Mr. Zoller Explains Indentured Servants

Chapter 3 Vocabulary & Terms

Puritans

These are people who want to purify the English Church.  They had very strict moral  views and thought pleasure was unnecessary and wrong.

Mayflower Compact

While traveling on the Mayflower, the Puritans made a contract.  They decided how they would govern themselves, wrote it all down, and signed it

The Mayflower Compact is one of the earliest examples of self-government and lead directly to the U.S. Constitution. 

indentured servant 

a formal agreement to work as a servant for a certain amount of time, usually 3 to 7 years,  in exchange for transportation to the New World

Growing up, I often felt like an indentured servant in my own house.  My parents made me do chores in order to earn money for weekend activities.

slave trade

the business of capturing, transporting, and selling human beings

Contrary to popular belief, the slave trade is still active in the modern world.  Humanitarian groups world wide report that the majority of these human beings transported as slave are women and children.

cash crops

a crop grown in order to be sold rather than to be used by the people growing it
EXAMPLES: tobacco, sugar, & cotton

Coffee is a modern day cash crop. 

democratic

controlled by representatives who are elected by the people of a countryorganized according to the principle that everyone has a right to be involved in making decisions

During this election season we have the privilege of seeing the democratic process at work. 

assembly

a group of people who are elected to make decisions or laws for a particular country, area, or organization

The California State Assembly will meet this Saturday to discuss a bill that will effect middle schools and their students.

charter

a signed statement from a government or ruler which allows a town, organization, or university to officially exist and have special rights

Whittier was founded in 1887, but it did not have an official charter until 1955.

America, the Story of Us: Jamestown & Tobacco

Jamestown Explained in 5 Minutes

• What was the motivation behind starting the colony?
• 100 men
• 3 ships
• landed in the Chesapeake Bay 
• Why did the rich male aristocrates have a hard time living in the colony?
• What did these men spend their time doing
• Men started getting sick 
• What group of people saved the colonists?
• "He who does not work, does not eat"
• "Starving Time"
• The Indians and colonists stopped getting along.
• What did the colonists start grow, sell, and make a ton of money from?

America, The Story of Us: LIfe in Jamestown

Jamestown

Imagine this moment from Columbus' perspective...

Imagine being out at sea for two months, you have borrowed a lot of money and supplies to make this voyage, your crew is starting to turn on you, and your not entirely sure that you won't fall off the end of the Earth.  Then... you finally see land... how would you feel?

European Exploration and Settlement

Chapter 2

OBJECTIVES

     Student will... 

          • identify the motives behind the European exploration of the Americas. 

          • describe the differences between Spanish, French, English, and Dutch

            settlements in the Americas. 

          • explain how European exploration and settlement of the Americas

            affected indigenous peoples and West Africans.

European Settlements in North and South America, 1750

• Identify at least four details about this map?
• What do the different colors on the map represent?
• Which country settled the largest area?
• Which country represents the smallest area?
• What connections do you see between the area in which you live and the map?
• Which country first settled the area in which you?

3 Native American Creation Stories

This is a middle school Language Arts project.  It explains 3 different creation stories from 3 different North American tribes; the Iroquois, the Seminole, and the Cherokee. 

• What is a creation story?  (What does it explain?)
• What do all 3 of these creation stories have in common?
• What is the connection between animals and humans according to many different Native American tribes?
• How does the Native American view differ from the of native Americans?

Check out the tribal websites for all 3 of the tribes in this video.
The Cherokee
The Seminole
The Iroquois are actual made up of 6 smaller tribes...
The Seneca
The Cayuga
The Onondaga
The Oneida
The Mohawk
The Tuscarora

History of Native Americans Documentary Part 4 of 4

History of Native Americans Documentary Part 3 of 4

History of Native Americans Documentary Part 2 of 4