Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Monday, March 16th
We gave some role plays today. If you did not present today you should be ready to go on Wednesday. If you have a partner and your partner is not following through with their part, you still must finish a complete role play. I will give you extra credit for doing the extra work.
Also today we started to look at the battles of the Civil War. Use pp 357-363 and 369-373 to find information on the following battles: 1st Bull Run, Antietam, Fredricksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Shiloh, Vicksburg. Use handout #21 to record information. You should be finding the following info: date(s) of battle, location of battle, victor of the battle, important/significant facts about the battle. Also find out the officers for each side in each battle.
Handout #20 which is a reading assignment will be due on Tuesday.
Also today we started to look at the battles of the Civil War. Use pp 357-363 and 369-373 to find information on the following battles: 1st Bull Run, Antietam, Fredricksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Shiloh, Vicksburg. Use handout #21 to record information. You should be finding the following info: date(s) of battle, location of battle, victor of the battle, important/significant facts about the battle. Also find out the officers for each side in each battle.
Handout #20 which is a reading assignment will be due on Tuesday.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Friday, March 13th
Yeah!!! Role plays. C'mon this is a good one. The directions of the role play are on handout #18. You and a partner will play Lincoln and Davis and argue about who should win the war based on the advantages and strategies that you listed on handout #17. The argument should be scripted and you will perform each role for the class. Keep in mind the 2 men are arguing and each fiercely believes in his cause and his side. You should go back and forth between the 2 men over each topic. The role play should last 2 minutes which you should easily achieve if you cover all the info available.
Homework-You should (if not already done) complete handout #19 which is a reading assignment covering the beginning of war between the Union and Confederacy.
Homework-You should (if not already done) complete handout #19 which is a reading assignment covering the beginning of war between the Union and Confederacy.
Thursday, March 12th
Today we started with a notes outline that is on handout #16. These notes cover a timeline of events from the Missouri Compromise to Southern Secession. Here are the notes:
Question of Slavery in the U.S. ---> Need for balance to maintain unity ---> Missouri Compromise (1820) ---> Period of balance between slave and free states for 30 years ---> California upsets the balance, need for Compromise of 1850 ---> Kept the Union together temporarily but settled nothing ---> Turbulent 1850's (Fugitive Slave Act, Underground RR, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Dred Scott decision, caning of Sumner) ---> Kansas-Nebraska Act, popular sovereignty in those territories ---> Bleeding Kansas ---> Creation of Republican party, election of Lincoln ---> Southern secession, creation of the C.S.A.
Also we looked at the advantages and disadvantages to both the North and South as well as each sides war strategies. You should read pp. 350-356 in your textbook and complete the T-chart that is on handout #17. An example of a Northern advantage was more people. There were 22 million people in the North and only 9 million in the South. This should go on the chart. Read the section in the book and list all advantages and war strategies on the chart.
***Bonus - Find a cool history website that you think I should use or one that would be of interest to other students. Post the URL of that site in a comment to this post. 10 bonus points per website with a maximum of 30 points is in it for you.
Question of Slavery in the U.S. ---> Need for balance to maintain unity ---> Missouri Compromise (1820) ---> Period of balance between slave and free states for 30 years ---> California upsets the balance, need for Compromise of 1850 ---> Kept the Union together temporarily but settled nothing ---> Turbulent 1850's (Fugitive Slave Act, Underground RR, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Dred Scott decision, caning of Sumner) ---> Kansas-Nebraska Act, popular sovereignty in those territories ---> Bleeding Kansas ---> Creation of Republican party, election of Lincoln ---> Southern secession, creation of the C.S.A.
Also we looked at the advantages and disadvantages to both the North and South as well as each sides war strategies. You should read pp. 350-356 in your textbook and complete the T-chart that is on handout #17. An example of a Northern advantage was more people. There were 22 million people in the North and only 9 million in the South. This should go on the chart. Read the section in the book and list all advantages and war strategies on the chart.
***Bonus - Find a cool history website that you think I should use or one that would be of interest to other students. Post the URL of that site in a comment to this post. 10 bonus points per website with a maximum of 30 points is in it for you.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Wednesday, March 11th
First thing today we updated our maps on handout #3. Since we now know that the Kansas-Nebraska Act implemented popular sovereignty in those territories we can know color in those territories with the color you used to show popular sovereignty in Utah and New Mexico territories. The color I have been using to show pop. sov. is green. Put those your map. Also, we know that in the Dred Scott decision the Supreme Court said that all blacks in America are NOT citizens of the U.S. and also said that Congress could not ban slavery in any of the territories of the U.S. This means that the Northern territories that have yet to be colored on your maps can now be colored. They were open to slavery so they should be colored your slave state color. In my case that is red. This should complete your map.
Today's main topic is the election of 1860. This was an extremely important election because the Southern states will secede upon the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Lincoln was a member of the Republican party. The Republicans were created in the 1850's to fight the spread of slavery. They slowly grow into a powerful political party because Northern Free-Soilers moved into the Republican party. Lincoln won't be the first Republican party candidate for Presidency but he will be the first Republican party candidate that becomes President.
It is important to understand a little about the system by which we elect the President. Our President is elected by the Electoral College. Each state has a number of electors that is equal to the number of Senators and Representatives each state has. In most states of the Union, whichever candidate wins the popular vote in a state wins those electors. This system is what is called as "winner-take-all". Therefore, presidential candidates must accumulate electoral votes in order to win.
You should complete handout #14 using maps on page 341 and 347. It is important to understand that Lincoln becomes President because of sectional differences. He receives all his support in the free states and gets little support in the South. Fortunately this is enough for him to win the electoral vote and become President.
Also, this event marks the beginning of Southern secession. Southerns believed they no longer had a chance in U.S. politics because the Congress and the Presidency were controlled by the free states and that it was only a matter of time before laws were passed abolishing Southern slavery. So the South decided to secede.
Don't forget-1850 headlines are due tomorrow.
Today's main topic is the election of 1860. This was an extremely important election because the Southern states will secede upon the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Lincoln was a member of the Republican party. The Republicans were created in the 1850's to fight the spread of slavery. They slowly grow into a powerful political party because Northern Free-Soilers moved into the Republican party. Lincoln won't be the first Republican party candidate for Presidency but he will be the first Republican party candidate that becomes President.
It is important to understand a little about the system by which we elect the President. Our President is elected by the Electoral College. Each state has a number of electors that is equal to the number of Senators and Representatives each state has. In most states of the Union, whichever candidate wins the popular vote in a state wins those electors. This system is what is called as "winner-take-all". Therefore, presidential candidates must accumulate electoral votes in order to win.
You should complete handout #14 using maps on page 341 and 347. It is important to understand that Lincoln becomes President because of sectional differences. He receives all his support in the free states and gets little support in the South. Fortunately this is enough for him to win the electoral vote and become President.
Also, this event marks the beginning of Southern secession. Southerns believed they no longer had a chance in U.S. politics because the Congress and the Presidency were controlled by the free states and that it was only a matter of time before laws were passed abolishing Southern slavery. So the South decided to secede.
Don't forget-1850 headlines are due tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 10
Today we talked extensively about the events of the Turbulent 50's. These events proved that the North and South could not get along with one another. You should have a completed handout #12. Info for each event is in handout #11 and also in your textbook.
Also you should have been given an extra handout on the Dred Scott decision. Use handout #13 to understand this important case and complete the additional handout listing the arguments for and against Dred Scott and the Supreme Court's decisions in this case.
Due for Thursday, the turbulent 1850's headlines. Make sure your headlines are completely biased either for the North or South.
Also you should have been given an extra handout on the Dred Scott decision. Use handout #13 to understand this important case and complete the additional handout listing the arguments for and against Dred Scott and the Supreme Court's decisions in this case.
Due for Thursday, the turbulent 1850's headlines. Make sure your headlines are completely biased either for the North or South.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Monday, March 9th
Okay, we spent all last week learning about the two Compromises that kept the U.S. together and out of war. Now it is your chance to tell me about what you have learned. On handout #8 is an essay prompt for you to answer. As I have stressed in class, use a format to write your essay! The essay is due on Wednesday.
Also, today we began to discuss a time period I call the Turbulent 50's. We talking 1850's here. These are events that proved the country could absolutely not live half-slave and half-free. The Compromise of 1850 will not be enough to hold the U.S. together. You should read handout #11 which is a reading section. This section also ties into the reading that you should have done to do handout #9 which will be a collected and graded assignment.
When you are finished with the reading you should complete handout #12. Handout #12 is a chart that has 1850 events listed in the left hand column. In the middle column you should describe that event. Use info from either your text book or handout #11. In the right hand column you should think about how the event contributed to sectionalism. Now, sectionalism is when the sections of the country become more important and more identifiable that the nation as a whole. Imagine us thinking of ourselves as Mainers first and Americans second. I want you to think about how each 1850's event made Northerners feel one way and Southerners feel the other and how those feelings led to conflict. In other words, how does each event lead to conflict between the North and South.
Also, today we began to discuss a time period I call the Turbulent 50's. We talking 1850's here. These are events that proved the country could absolutely not live half-slave and half-free. The Compromise of 1850 will not be enough to hold the U.S. together. You should read handout #11 which is a reading section. This section also ties into the reading that you should have done to do handout #9 which will be a collected and graded assignment.
When you are finished with the reading you should complete handout #12. Handout #12 is a chart that has 1850 events listed in the left hand column. In the middle column you should describe that event. Use info from either your text book or handout #11. In the right hand column you should think about how the event contributed to sectionalism. Now, sectionalism is when the sections of the country become more important and more identifiable that the nation as a whole. Imagine us thinking of ourselves as Mainers first and Americans second. I want you to think about how each 1850's event made Northerners feel one way and Southerners feel the other and how those feelings led to conflict. In other words, how does each event lead to conflict between the North and South.
Friday, March 6th
Okay, California. Big problems back in 1850. Adding California as a free state would upset the delicate balance between free and slave states and therefore, the South threatened to secede from the Union. The only thing that would keep them in the Union would be another compromise. Thus, the Compromise of 1850 was born.
You should read handout #7 and answer the questions at the bottom of handout #6. We discussed these in class on Friday. All of the answers can be found in handout #7.
Also, we finished the notes on handout #5. Here they are:
Compromise of 1850:
why: The admission of free state California upset the balance between free and slave states
California wants ... to be free state
a. 36 degrees 30 line no good anymore
b. The South threatened to secede from the Union
who negotiates the Compromise: Henry Clay
Terms:
1. California becomes a free state
2. Utah and N. Mexico territories will decide slavery by Popular Sovereignty (the people will vote and decide)
3. A new stricter Fugitive Slave Act
4. The slave trade is banned in Washington D.C.
Lastly, handout #9 which is reading assignment is due for next Monday.
**Bonus - Become a follower of this blog and earn 15 bonus points!!
You should read handout #7 and answer the questions at the bottom of handout #6. We discussed these in class on Friday. All of the answers can be found in handout #7.
Also, we finished the notes on handout #5. Here they are:
Compromise of 1850:
why: The admission of free state California upset the balance between free and slave states
California wants ... to be free state
a. 36 degrees 30 line no good anymore
b. The South threatened to secede from the Union
who negotiates the Compromise: Henry Clay
Terms:
1. California becomes a free state
2. Utah and N. Mexico territories will decide slavery by Popular Sovereignty (the people will vote and decide)
3. A new stricter Fugitive Slave Act
4. The slave trade is banned in Washington D.C.
Lastly, handout #9 which is reading assignment is due for next Monday.
**Bonus - Become a follower of this blog and earn 15 bonus points!!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Thursday, March 5th
After Tuesday you were left with a map that showed 11 free and 11 slave states colored in on your map (handout #3). This provided a great situation for the country. With free and slave states balanced neither could threaten to overpower the other. No laws could be made ending or extending slavery because the vote on such laws would never pass through the Senate and if it didn't pass in the Senate it was not law. Thus the country would stay together.
But a problem arose when Missouri applied for statehood. Missoui wanted to be a slave state and entering as a slave state upset northerners. Northerners proposed that no more slaves be allowed to enter Missouri and that slaves would be freed upon reaching the age of 25. Now southerners were at odds with the North. THIS ARGUMENT WAS THREATENING TO BREAK UP THE COUNTRY. Fortunately while our leaders were debating the Missouri situation, Maine also applied for statehood. This allowed leaders to work out a compromise where Missouri became a slave state and Maine became a free state. This arrangement was two parts to the compromise. Political leaders tried to solve future slavery issues by setting a line by which slavery would be allowed beneath the line and slavery would be banned above the line. This line was a line of latitude at 36 degrees 30 minutes. This was the 3rd part to the Missouri Compromise. Update you map by coloring Missouri your slave state color and Maine your free state color. Lastly, take your regular pen or pencil and darken in the 36 degrees 30 line. This line is the southern border of Missouri and it extends to the border of Texas. Label this line correctly
You should read page 257 and 258 in your textbooks. This section fills in information about the Missouri Compromise. When you are finished with this reading you should complete handout #4. If you feel you can do this handout easily you are all set. If not you should make sure you see me. When you are finished with #4 you should go back to handout #3. Look at your list of states and their order of admission to the Union. Put parenthesis around Maine and Missouri because those states came into the Union together. Do the same thing for Arkansas and Michigan. They also entered together. This kept the balance of power in the Senate still equal. Put a bigger parenthesis around Florida, Texas, Wisconsin and Iowa. Those four states were admitted together as well continuing to maintain balance between free and slave states. When you are finished with the list update the maps by coloring all the new free states you free state color and all the new slave states you slave state color.
Next you should complete the top half of handout #5. This is a notes outline. The notes should be as follows:
Missouri Compromise - 1820
Created by: Henry Clay
Why: To keep balance of power equal between the free/slave states
Terms:
1) Maine is a free state
2) Missouri is a slave state
3) Slavery will be banned above 36 degrees 30 and allowed beneath it
The Missouri Compromise led to a period of compromise and balance that kept the U.S. together and out of Civil War for 30 years.
You should then move on to handout #6. Handout #6 has three questions at the top about the Missouri Comp that you should try to answer. For question #1 you should think about what the South gained from the Missouri Compromise. Key to question #2 is the term sectionalism. Sectionalism is when sections of the country become more important and more identifiable than the nation as a whole. The Missouri Comp contributed to sectionalism. How? You need to find Jefferson's quote to answer question #3. This quote is on handout #3 and also in the reading on page 257.
Lastly today, we worked on the next compromise that was needed because balance could not be maintained when California was ready to become a state. You should read handout #7 which is reading handout and complete the questions on handout #6 about the Compromise of 1850.
**Bonus: If you have read all of this--awesome. You deserve some bonus points. I need followers of my blog. Become a follower of my blog and earn 15 bonus points.
But a problem arose when Missouri applied for statehood. Missoui wanted to be a slave state and entering as a slave state upset northerners. Northerners proposed that no more slaves be allowed to enter Missouri and that slaves would be freed upon reaching the age of 25. Now southerners were at odds with the North. THIS ARGUMENT WAS THREATENING TO BREAK UP THE COUNTRY. Fortunately while our leaders were debating the Missouri situation, Maine also applied for statehood. This allowed leaders to work out a compromise where Missouri became a slave state and Maine became a free state. This arrangement was two parts to the compromise. Political leaders tried to solve future slavery issues by setting a line by which slavery would be allowed beneath the line and slavery would be banned above the line. This line was a line of latitude at 36 degrees 30 minutes. This was the 3rd part to the Missouri Compromise. Update you map by coloring Missouri your slave state color and Maine your free state color. Lastly, take your regular pen or pencil and darken in the 36 degrees 30 line. This line is the southern border of Missouri and it extends to the border of Texas. Label this line correctly
You should read page 257 and 258 in your textbooks. This section fills in information about the Missouri Compromise. When you are finished with this reading you should complete handout #4. If you feel you can do this handout easily you are all set. If not you should make sure you see me. When you are finished with #4 you should go back to handout #3. Look at your list of states and their order of admission to the Union. Put parenthesis around Maine and Missouri because those states came into the Union together. Do the same thing for Arkansas and Michigan. They also entered together. This kept the balance of power in the Senate still equal. Put a bigger parenthesis around Florida, Texas, Wisconsin and Iowa. Those four states were admitted together as well continuing to maintain balance between free and slave states. When you are finished with the list update the maps by coloring all the new free states you free state color and all the new slave states you slave state color.
Next you should complete the top half of handout #5. This is a notes outline. The notes should be as follows:
Missouri Compromise - 1820
Created by: Henry Clay
Why: To keep balance of power equal between the free/slave states
Terms:
1) Maine is a free state
2) Missouri is a slave state
3) Slavery will be banned above 36 degrees 30 and allowed beneath it
The Missouri Compromise led to a period of compromise and balance that kept the U.S. together and out of Civil War for 30 years.
You should then move on to handout #6. Handout #6 has three questions at the top about the Missouri Comp that you should try to answer. For question #1 you should think about what the South gained from the Missouri Compromise. Key to question #2 is the term sectionalism. Sectionalism is when sections of the country become more important and more identifiable than the nation as a whole. The Missouri Comp contributed to sectionalism. How? You need to find Jefferson's quote to answer question #3. This quote is on handout #3 and also in the reading on page 257.
Lastly today, we worked on the next compromise that was needed because balance could not be maintained when California was ready to become a state. You should read handout #7 which is reading handout and complete the questions on handout #6 about the Compromise of 1850.
**Bonus: If you have read all of this--awesome. You deserve some bonus points. I need followers of my blog. Become a follower of my blog and earn 15 bonus points.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Tuesday, March 3
Today begins our discussion on how our country came to go to war against itself in what we call the Civil War. The buildup to war will happen over many years so we will begin with learning about the Missouri Compromise which happened in 1820, 41 years before the first shots were fired in the Civil War.
We started today looking at the list of states and their year of admission into the Union on handout #3. To start we will only consider the states down to the #22 state to enter the Union, Alabama. You should mark each state with an "F" if it was a "free" state and did not allow slavery and an "S" if it was a "slave" state and did not allow slavery. When you are finished with this create a T chart in the extra space listing Free vs Slave states. When you are finished you should have eleven of each on your chart. **Note-if you don't have eleven each check Delaware and Maryland. Most people think of these as Free states but they did allow slavery. Also, only go to Alabama.
Now that you have eleven free and eleven slave states on your list you should color them on the backside of handout #3. Color free states one color and slave states another color. When you are finished coloring these 22 states you should easily see that the distinction between slave and free breaks down purely by geography. Slave states were in the South and free states were in the North. You probably knew that already but now you can easily see it.
Now back to why having an even breakdown of states (11 and 11) was so important during the early 1800's-neither side, North or South, could gain an advantage in government over the other because the power was balanced. To understand this further you need to have an understanding of U.S. Government. We took the following notes on the back of handout #2:
U.S. Government:
3 Branches -
Executive Branch - Pres, VP & Cabinet - Enforce Laws
Legislative Branch - Congress - Make Laws
Judicial Branch - Supreme Court - Are Laws Constitutional?
Legislative Branch -
House of Representative - States' population determines how many Representatives a state has
Senate - 2 Senators per state
Both Houses of Congress have to pass a bill for it to become a law.
Because of the structure of U.S. Government if there was an equal number of slave and free states they balanced each other out in the Senate. Or in other words, if a slave state senator proposed a bill that would extend slavery throughout the country the vote would be 22 to 22 in the Senate (11 states in each section x 2 senators per state) and thus the bill would not be passed. If a northern senator proposed a bill that abolished slavery throughout the country the best he could hope for in a vote would be again 22 to 22 because all Southern senators would vote against this bill. In this way the Free states and the Slave states were balanced equally in power and neither could hurt the other.
The monkey wrench that could be thrown into this is what if balance between free and slave cannot be maintained. More on that tomorrow.
We started today looking at the list of states and their year of admission into the Union on handout #3. To start we will only consider the states down to the #22 state to enter the Union, Alabama. You should mark each state with an "F" if it was a "free" state and did not allow slavery and an "S" if it was a "slave" state and did not allow slavery. When you are finished with this create a T chart in the extra space listing Free vs Slave states. When you are finished you should have eleven of each on your chart. **Note-if you don't have eleven each check Delaware and Maryland. Most people think of these as Free states but they did allow slavery. Also, only go to Alabama.
Now that you have eleven free and eleven slave states on your list you should color them on the backside of handout #3. Color free states one color and slave states another color. When you are finished coloring these 22 states you should easily see that the distinction between slave and free breaks down purely by geography. Slave states were in the South and free states were in the North. You probably knew that already but now you can easily see it.
Now back to why having an even breakdown of states (11 and 11) was so important during the early 1800's-neither side, North or South, could gain an advantage in government over the other because the power was balanced. To understand this further you need to have an understanding of U.S. Government. We took the following notes on the back of handout #2:
U.S. Government:
3 Branches -
Executive Branch - Pres, VP & Cabinet - Enforce Laws
Legislative Branch - Congress - Make Laws
Judicial Branch - Supreme Court - Are Laws Constitutional?
Legislative Branch -
House of Representative - States' population determines how many Representatives a state has
Senate - 2 Senators per state
Both Houses of Congress have to pass a bill for it to become a law.
Because of the structure of U.S. Government if there was an equal number of slave and free states they balanced each other out in the Senate. Or in other words, if a slave state senator proposed a bill that would extend slavery throughout the country the vote would be 22 to 22 in the Senate (11 states in each section x 2 senators per state) and thus the bill would not be passed. If a northern senator proposed a bill that abolished slavery throughout the country the best he could hope for in a vote would be again 22 to 22 because all Southern senators would vote against this bill. In this way the Free states and the Slave states were balanced equally in power and neither could hurt the other.
The monkey wrench that could be thrown into this is what if balance between free and slave cannot be maintained. More on that tomorrow.
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