Wednesday, May 16, 2012

McCarthy Telegram

A. List three things the author said that you think are important:
1. 57 members of the United States government are possibly members of the Communist party.
2. China recently fell to the communism.
3. The American people greatly feared Communism and neglecting to investigate the situation would not be a smart decision.
B. Why do you think this document was written?
I think the document was written to inform President Trueman about possible communist members of the State Department. I also think it was Senator McCarthy's cry for attention because of the upcoming elections.
C. What evidence in the document helps you know why it was written? Quote from the document.
"I have in my possession the names of 57 communists who are in the State Department at present"
D. List two things the document tells you about life in the United States at the time it was written:
1. Americans had a great fear of communism especially with China recently falling to communism.
2. Americans were willing to do anything in order to prevent communism and investigated any threats.
E. Write a question to the author that is left unanswered by the document:
Does President Trueman respect McCarthy's wishes and investigate the situation?

F. Date of document: February 11, 1950
G. Author: Senator John McCarthy
H. Purpose of document: To inform President Trueman of the 57 communist members of the Sate Department. He also warns the president about outcomes of ignoring this issue.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Saving Private Ryan


Saving Private Ryan: Three brothers are killed in action during World War 2 and their mother is supposed to receive all three letters about her sons’ passing at the same time. Her only son left, Private James Ryan, is somewhere in Europe behind enemy line. Knowing that a safe return of Private James Ryan is essential, the government assigns Captain Miller and his son to find Private Ryan and bring him to safety. Captain Miller’s group of eight men must now find one man in the huge world war. Along the way they must fight Nazi troops and they lose beloved soldiers. Once they finally find Private Ryan he refuses to leave his men behind. His group had been assigned to protect one of the only bridges remaining so that American troops can continue to move by foot. Captain Miller and his men stay to help in the upcoming battle and prepare the area for German attack. Captain Miller takes responsibility over protecting Private Ryan. The small group of American soldiers protecting the bridge is outnumbered by the German soldiers; however American planes come in to save the day. Most of the men, including Captain Miller, are killed by the end. Private Ryan survives and returns home safely.

Day in the Life of a Soldier: A soldier in World War 2 underwent many traumatic experiences. They often had to deal with gruesome circumstances and had to be alert and ready to fight at all times. They had to be ready for all situations and know how to react to an attack. A soldier also witnessed many deaths and was around the dead bodies of soldiers often. Also, they were traveling a lot and preparing for combat.

Captain Miller: Captain Miller is in charge of the eight man squad told to find and return Private James Ryan. Captain Miller leads his squads to many victories throughout their journey. When faced with the decision of killing the German soldier, Captain Miller decides to spare his life and set the man free. He tells his squad that he is just an English Composition teacher in a small town in Pennsylvania. He also tells his men that the war has greatly changed him and his main goal is to find Private Ryan so he can return home to his family. Captain Miller focuses on protecting Private Ryan while at battle with the Germans and ends up losing his life. He tells Private Ryan to make his life count make it a life worth living.

If I were a soldier: If I was a soldier in the war I do not believe I would last very long. The soldiers in the war endured many terrible conditions and saw terrible things. I do not believe I would be able to cope with the situations they were in and the trauma they underwent. I would not be much help to my fellow soldiers. 

Sunday, April 8, 2012

World War 1

This cartoon shows the formation of alliances before and during the war. It shows how the domino effect of issues and friends backing up friends led to World War 1. Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia after the assassination of archduke Ferdinand.  Germany began to mobilize and formed an alliance with Serbia. Germany then declared war on Russia. Many alliances began to form and war was inevitable. Imperialism, militarism, nationalism, and alliances were the causes of the Great War. With imperialism rivalries were formed and thus alliances were formed. Countries were most interested in nationalism and acting in their own self-interest. And lastly, countries were spending all of their resources on military.

The United States entered the war after a series of events. These events included the sinking of the Lusitania, the Sussex Pledge, German U-Boats, the Zimmerman Telegram, the cutting of the Transatlantic cable, the sinking of US ships, and the Russian Revolution which brought a new leader to Russia that the United States was able to get along with.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Imperialism

This political cartoon shows how political leaders were wanting to expand around the world. It shows how they were grabbing for as much land as possible and holding on tight.
The United States wanted to become an imperialistic country for many reasons. The wanted to practice imperialism in order to have a stronger military, obtain new markets for trade, renew spirit for the nation, and spread Christianity and culture.

TLO v New Jersey

1. The search of TLO's purse was in violation to her fourth amendment rights because it was an unreasonable search and seizure. There was no evidence to indicate that anything in the purse would have violated school rules. Because the principal did not have a search warrant, the evidence found in her purse could not be used against her in court.
2. The Fourth Amendment does not apply to students in schools because students don't have a reasonable expectation to privacy.
3. Yes, because she lied to the principal about smoking.
4. No they don't have the right to search a student's purse, but they have a right to search areas that are considered the schools property, such as lockers.
5. The Supreme Court should have allowed the evidence. With the many issues in schools today, a principal should be allowed to search a students purse if they have a reason to be suspicious.

Monday, February 20, 2012

The labor unions of the late 1800s were brought about to protect the rights of workers. Workers during this time were often treated horribly with poor working conditions. Also workers wages were very low. A major goal of the labor unions was to receive higher wages. Along with the poor conditions and low wages, men, women, and children worked days as long as 12 hours long. With many new technological advances during this time, the rich became richer and the poor became poorer. The majority of the population were the poor factory workers. They hoped to ban together in order to receive higher wages, better working conditions, and less hours.

Sunday, February 12, 2012


The Ku Klux Klan, known as the KKK, is an extremist group that originated in Tennessee during the 1860’s. For many men joining the KKK brought a sense of fraternity or brotherhood. They believed in white supremacy. They had a hatred towards Jews, Catholics, homosexuals, or anything that was seemed to be foreign. They performed hate crimes against individuals who were a race or religion they did not like. They were responsible for the death of many African American’s after the civil war. They lynched and beat many people to death. The KKK held massive rallies to preach what they believed and held huge initiation ceremonies. They are infamous for their white robes and pointed hats and they had a popular ritual of burning a cross. Many government officials were a part of the Klan which caused a great deal of terror in the south. The KKK still exists today; however, it is not as nearly massive as it once was during the reconstruction.