Mobile

Mobile Blogging !
Might just keep posting just for you, Mr Meechin !

Topic.12, Our Last.

Truman Doctrine - Financial Aid to any country fighting against communism.

Containment Policy - U.S. Foreign Policy during the Cold War

Bay of Pigs Invasion - 1960; No communists in the Western Hemisphere

U.S. Foreign Policy w/ Korea & Vietnam - Truman Doctrine

Intervention -

Cold War development - The Cold War started when Russia became U.S. enemy when they developed and used nuclear weapons.

War Powers Act - Only Congress, not the President, can declare war, UNLESS an emergency is created by an attack on U.S. or any of its territories.

WWII Foreign Policy vs Post WWII Foreign Policy -

Limited War - A war in which there are restrictions on weapons, soldiers, or territory and with an objective smaller than total destruction of the enemy.

Containment in Europe - Containment Policy; Used Marshall Plan to 16 European countries by giving $12B in financial aid.

Division of Germany Main Points  - 

Douglass MacArthur dismissal - MacArthur was the U.S. General in charge at the time of the surrender. He was later dismissed of all duties & positions because he was thought to be mentally & psychologically unstable to maintain such powers.

Korean War & Persian Gulf War similarities -

Nuclear Test Ban - 1963 Treaty was signed by the U.S., Britain, & Soviet Union to stop all nuclear weapon testing.

Long Term Effect of Vietnam -

Peace Corps - Group of people out to spread positive American ideas. They provided humanitarian aids and support to developing nations.

End of Cold War - The fall of the Berlin Wall ended the Cold War

Domino Theory -

Nixon's Détente - Easing of tensions between the Soviets & U.S.

The Jena Six & Lil' Rock Nine

My reaction to the Jena article was, surprised. Even in today's society, people are still getting unfair treatment as Rev. Jesse Jackson says, "That's not prosecution, that's persecution,". People from all over are rallying about this case and how it blown out of proportion and getting all this publicity because the convicted were colored students. A woman made a point saying, "every time the white people did something, they dropped it, and every time the black people did something, they blew it out of proportion." Which is true because if it were the opposite, 4 white students beating up a black student, there wouldn't be this much upset. There was a noose tied to a tree that was meant for white students and a woman wonders why those students weren't severely punished for it.
The Little Rock 9 incident was similar because it also stirred up big publicity news and uproars because these 9 colored students were about to enter a school for whites. People made a big deal about it because the white folks did not want their children to be associated or around these colored students so they caused riots and frenzies trying to prevent them from entering but Pres. Eisenhower, upholding the law, allowed & protected them to entering the school.

Topic.11 !

MLK & Civil Disobedience -

Power of the "Mob"

Plessy v. Ferguson vs. Brown v. Board of Education

Civil Rights Goals - The goals were to have equal rights and opportunities for colored peoples in education and public facilities such as bathrooms, diners, fountains, etc.

Eisenhower's Role in Little Rock - Sent 101st Airborne to uphold the Supreme Court's decision

Rights of the Accused - Gideon v Wainwright: 6th Amendment requires counsel for defenders who can't afford their own attorneys. Escobedo v. Illinois: Criminal suspects have right to counsel during police interrogation. Miranda v Arizona: Criminals must be informed of rights to consult w/ counsel prior to interrogation.

Brown v. Board of Education - President says colored people aren't bad, parents just prefer them not to be with their daughters. Thurgood Marshall fought for Brown's case & Supreme Court declared segregated schools unequal & unconstitutional

Chavez & UFW - Chavez organized strikes & civil disobedience for migrant workers. Started Delano Grape Strike which boycotted grape picking and brought wine stocks down. The UFW was Anti-immigration and Chavez fasted to support different social issues as well.

FHA & ADA - '64 Civil Rights Act. FHA outlawed refusal to sell/rent to buyers based on race, color, religion, or handicapped. ADA made it a requirement for public places to have handicap facilities. Ex. bathrooms, ramps, elevators, & auto doors.

Purpose of Filibusters - Pushed Kennedy's legislation & Congress to pass '64 Civil Right Act, & another in 1965 which strengthened voting rights for African Americans.

Sit-Ins & Other Protests - Lunch Center Sit-In: 20 people went in a diner, sat down & asked for service but denied. They remained seated and quiet, refused to move or talk. After all were arrested, more waves of 20 people came in one after the other.
 1960 Greensboro, NC; 4 African American students in lunch counter sit-in. By end of '61, 70k+ participants nationwide.

Livin' The American Dream

Dictionary.com defines 'The American Dream' as 'a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S.' but what is the real American Dream ? Is it to have it all, the nice clothes and accessories, the fancy house and cars ? Or is it to just start a family, have a stable job, and live life happy and to the fullest ? I guess it varies for some people. But when one works hard enough, they can achieve the American Dream, whatever it may be for them. In the documentary A Class Divided, school teacher Jane Elliott separated her class into two groups, one labeled inferior, the other superior. The superior group performed better because that label gave them the courage, inspiration, and strength to excel and perform at their best compared to a group labeled inferior, who probably did felt inferior. Now put into perspective, would you perform to your full extent & abilities if you were labeled inferior ? Or would you not and feel brought and looked down upon ?

The Majestic Outline

A. Characters

   I. Peter Appleton

     i. Hollywood Screenwriter

     ii. Had amnesia & was mistaken for Luke Trimble 

     iii. Accused for Communism

   II. Adele Stanton

     i. Luke's lover

     ii. Studying Law

   III. Harry Trimble

     i. Luke's father/Thinks Peter is Harry

     ii. Runs the Majestic movie theater

B. Setting

   I. 1951

     i. Hollywood, California

     ii. Lawson, California

C. Plot Summary

   I. Peter's suspected of Communism
     i. Tries to run away but has accident and gets amnesia.

  II. He's convinced & lives life as Luke Trimble

     i. Gov't show up & serve his court order.

  III. He testifies before a McCarthy Counsel & Uses the First Amendment

     i. Leaves as a hero & is free of all charges.

  IV. Returns to Lawson
     i. Marries Adele

GoodYear Were Sexists !

In a commercial released in 1960, they were advertising their new GoodYear Double Eagle Tires, which carry their own spare inside the tire ! The "Lifeguard Safety Spare" is a smaller tire placed on the inside of the bigger, primary tire so when a flat occurs, no changing would necessary because it would just continue to ride normally. In the ad, it shows a woman driving a car & having a flat tire, then walking off to a pay phone. This is implying that women cannot or do not have the capability to change a flat tire, also with the phrase "When there's no man around" saying that only men will be able to do the task. This was unfair to the women because there were probably some who actually did know how to change a tire.

Rockwell's Got Mr. B Fixin' His TV

On his day off, Mr. B wanted to sit down, relax, and watch his television. But as it turns out, it didn't work. He didn't have not one bit of signal ! So he called his neighbor, Wilson over to help him fix it. He came over, climbed onto the roof, and started to play around with the antennae in hopes of fixing it. He wiggled the wires back and forth as it hangs out from the window and the antennae itself. Mr B, getting stuck in the window because of his portly figure, tells Wilson if the picture is showing or not. After many frustrating minutes of trying to figure it out, Wilson finally did it and got it fixed. But as he was going down, there was still the problem of Mr. B getting stuck in the window. So he went inside and tried to pull him back in. Pulling as hard as he can with all his strength, he pulled Mr. B free but tripped behind him, fell, banged the TV a little, and lost the picture again ! So after all that work, Wilson had to go back up to the roof, and try to fix the antennae and wires again. Let's just hope Wilson doesn't fall off the roof climbing down the ladder later.

Topic.10 Concepts

McCarthyism Impact on Society - McCarthyism was a variation of witch hunts that targeted people who spoke about or were suspected of having communist ideas. Anxiety over domestic communism intensified. Top leaders and representatives were being arrested left and right because they had communist connections or conspiracies. Actors, producers, directors, and writers were accused of using film for Communist Propaganda

Communist "Witch Hunt" & Impact on Accused - Those who were accused were immediately executed

Space Race Impact on Gov't Policies - In 1957, after the Soviets launched Sputnik 1 into space, the U.S. poured large amounts of money into education in hopes of outdoing the Soviets.

Cold War for U.S. Gov't & Public Mindset - The competition was then moved to outer space where the U.S. , once the world's technology pacesetters, felt vulnerable when the Soviets launched the Sputnik satellites. From then on the U.S. vowed that they would come out on top both in the Cold War and in outer space. Many space programs were passed and eventually led to Neil Armstrong to land on the Moon.

Suburbs, Automobiles, & Roads - With suburbs being built, families are now moving in, living the 'American Dream'. William Levit planned cities were houses were being built at rates of 150 houses/week. These houses would all look the same, and each family that moved in had 2 cars each, equalling about 25M vehicle registrations in '45. From this, the Interstate Highway Act was est. in 1956 to spend $32B to build 41k miles of road.

Baby Boom - From 1946 to 1960, with the peak between '51-'55, babies were born in the millions. On average, 1 baby was born every 7 seconds. Which means, in one day, about 12,343 babies are born, and 4.5 Million a year !

Urban-Suburban Pattern - Suburbs were built in a pattern where the low income, Business district is located in the inner city. Surrounding that is the suburbs, middle class/income families. Then the high income suburbs where mortgage and rent is much higher and is the farthest away from the city based on location.

GI Bill - Congressional bills enacted to provide funds for college educations, home-buying loans, and other benefits for armed-services veterans

Expansion of Middle Class - Companies wanted to make money so they made their products cheap so that they can bring in a large amount of consumers. Advertising had an impact on consumers buying because people now had money and they bought things that weren't a necessity. They just bought because they wanted it, not because they need it.

Casablanca Outline

A. Casablanca
1. Characters
I. Rick Blaine
i. Owns a cafe
ii. Not allowed to return to U.S.
II. Ilsa Lund
i. Once loved Rick in the past
ii. Secretly marries Victor Laszlo
iii. Still loves Rick
III. Victor Laszlo
i. Wealthy
ii. Came into Rick's cafe to buy letters of transit

2. Setting
i. Casablanca, Morocco, 1940s WWII
ii. Rick's Cafe

3. Plot Summary
i. Rick hides documents of transit and has to keep Victor Laszlo in Casablanca.
ii. Rick & Ilsa Lund have a romantic past & meet up again.
iii. Both Laszlo & Ilsa fail to get letters from Rick.
iv. Rick assists Laszlo & Ilsa in leaving Casablanca for America.

Topic.09 Concept !

Role of Women during WWII - To take over the jobs of men who left to fight war and to take care of things and family.

Cause/Effect of Atomic Bomb Use - Cause: Pearl Harbor Attack
Effect: 90k killed in Hiroshima; 70k killed in Nagasaki

U.S. Foreign Policy -

Effects of War on Europe - Germany was divided into 4 zones by victorious powers. U.S. aided England economic recovery; was extensively bombed by Germany

Effect of Pearl Harbor Attack - U.S. enters war with Japan & dropped atomic bombs

Japanese Internment - Citizens with Japanese ancestry who lived in the Exclusion Area, west of the Exclusion Area boundary line, and are either voluntarily or forced by the military to move into internment camps.

Neutrality Acts - Embargo on arms' sales, U.S. Battleships could not be armed, & Americans could not travel on ships of countries at war.

Purpose of Propaganda - To encourage or discourage the citizens to be supporters of the war. Posters are either pro war or against war. Some will try to encourage men to join the war, some will ask for people to send in money, food, or anything to help the soldiers. Others will be against war and list all negatives about it.

Rationing - Saving of materials such as tires, food, supplies such as clothing or other material that could be beneficial to help out soldiers in war.

Results of WWII - Japan surrenders on Sep 2, 1945. 61M people died, 25M Soviets, & 11M Chinese civilians suffered the most fatalities. As a result of the war, the United States emerged as the world's leading military and economic power, and geopolitical boundaries changed radically, with the Soviet Union controlling most of Eastern Europe. The strained relations between these two nations would set the stage for the Cold War, which would define global politics for decades to come.

TIME LINE !

Interview (edit by Mr. Meechin)

REIDAR DITTMANN #479

1. You were the third of four sons. Evaluate the feelings and thoughts that you had and were racing through your mind when your oldest brother passed away.
2. Analyze what influences made you want to decide to become a musician.
3. During your 30 months of captivity in Buchenwald, point out the tactics you used to stay alive and some what maintain your health.
4. When you emigrated to the U.S. in 1945, dramatize your reaction and feelings when you finally made it there.
5. Compare and contrast your outlook on life between living in Norway & Germany, and the U.S.

Flight Jackets Count as Artifacts, Right ? :o

This WWII Flight Jacket is significant because it once belonged to a soldier who fought in WWII. The fact that it's in mint condition is even beter because you can see the designs and what it looked like back then in the 40's.
The CBI 71st Liason Squadron history is located here for further info: 71st Liason Squadron


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?VISuperSize&item=230589768085

Cinderella Man Outline

- James J. Braddock
- Lives in New Jersey; Great Depression Era
- Family; Mae & 3 Children
- Boxer; Got suspended
- Works on dock for money to get by & meets Best Friend Mike Wilson
- Manager books few fights; Then lands Heavyweight match w/ Max Baer
- Beats Max Baer & Becomes Heavyweight Champ of World; Jun 13, '35

War Propaganda !

Grant Us ALL of History

Dear Dr. Rhinehart,
I believe that we should not "deny" high school students history for a few reasons. History is something that we need to know, it is how we learn about the past; a people's past, your country's past, and most importantly, your past. A piece of history might just be information to some, but to others, it could be the whole of one's generation, waiting to be discovered. We may not know it yet, but we were all once connected so some piece of significant history. Some subjects sure may seem a bit, "too much" such as the Rape of Nanking, but remember, we are young adults, 15-18 year olds mature enough to handle these kinds of information. If you still think that some aren't mature enough to be learning this kind of history, you can pull them out but I assure you, the rest of us, are mature enough and are actually very interested in learning about these significant historic events. It just doesn't seem right to be denied information or the privilege of learning something because it is nothing but beneficial to the young student's mind to be fed new information everyday.

Jimmy Braddock's Fights, On a Map !

View James "Jimmy" Braddock in a larger map

A Reflection of Our Past Gangsters

Bonnie & Clyde were a couple part of a well known gang of outlaws, robbers, and criminals. Their crime spree occurred during the Great Depression and were responsible for quite a few murders.
John Dillinger was an American Gangster and bank robber during the Depression era. His gang robbed two dozen banks and four police stations; he escaped from prison twice, and the FBI was even formed to help capture him.
Babyface Nelson partnered with Dillinger helping with their escape. He was later raised to public enemy number one and is responsible for a number of killings of FBI agents.
Machine Gun Kelly, a notorious American criminal during the prohibition era. His favorite weapon was the Thompson submachine gun, thus the origin of his name; he is famously known for the kidnapping of Charles Urschel in July '33. Other crimes included bootlegging & robbery.
Pretty Boy Floyd was a bank robber in the '30s. He and Adam Richetti became primary suspects of the Kansas City Massacre in 1933 but claims they were never involved.
Kate "Ma" Barker & Sons::The four sons: Herman, Lloyd, Arthur, and Fred; Ma was the leader and criminal mastermind of the gang. The group committed a spree of crimes between 1931 and 1935; Ma was never charged with committing but did whatever to get bail money for sons. Herman was shot in 1927. Kate and Fred were gunned down in a four hour shoot-out with the FBI in 1935. Arthur was shot in 1939 and Lloyd ten years later.

Topic.07 !

Scopes Trial: John T. Scopes, a Tennessee high school biology teacher, was arrested and charged with teaching evolution, violating the Butler Act. Scopes was found guilty and charged with $100 but the verdict was overturned on a technicality, was never brought back to trial, and had his $100 fine returned.
Prohibition: Jan. 1920; Was pushed by women's organizations because of domestic violence and child abuse. 18th Amendment prohibited manufacture & sales of "intoxicating liquor" but however, it DID NOT ban consumptions, possession, or transportation of liquors. Speakeasies,started to appear. In 1932, FDR ran for president and used repealing 18th amendment as his platform and created the 22nd amendment, which got rid of the 18th.
Flappers: Women who: had short hair, smoked, showed her gams, shoulders, and cleavage.
Economic Issues (1920s): Credit available to consumers but was dangerous & people couldn't believe it. Low interest rates meaning they were charged money to borrow money. Then "Installment Plan" was introduced where you are on a fixed "plan" of how to pay back borrowed money.
Dust Bowl: A period of severe dust storms which damaged a lot of agriculture across America and Canada. Contributing factors included droughts, over farming, and mechanisation. Mechanism has made it easier to rebuild the farmlands because now it meant no more crop rotating.
Agriculture Issues: Caused by Dust Bowl but was aided by start of mechanism which meant no more crop rotating and made it easier to plant.
Immigration Policies (1920s): Oppositions to quotas disappear due to soldiers returning home from war taking all the jobs available so immigrant workers were less needed. Immigration Act of 1924 was established  where 2% limit of each ethnic group from 1890 census would be allowed to migrate to U.S. per year. Asians were banned.
Nativism: Native-born Americans who think they are better than foriegners and blamed everythng on them.
Significant Literary Works (1920s): Jacob Riis: "How The Other Half Lives" - Tells about the living conditions in New York slums in the 1880s. Upton Sinclair: "Jungle"  - Where he reveals how processed meat is made. Ralph Nader: "Unsafe At Any Speed" - Where he talks about cars and the safety precautions involved. Langston Hughes: "Ways of White Folks" - He points out the mistakes of people.
The Great Migration: African Americans migrate from the south and more and more places up north are being occupied by African Americans. In some places, they even have their own little community where they own shops, businesses, and services. Harlem Renaissance occurred; But as African populations were growing, new forms of KKK groups were emerging.
Harlem Renaissance: It was the first time African Americans expressed their culture and were proud of it. Jazz was then created.
Sacco & Vanzetti: Italian anarchists convicted of murder and robbery. They were executed on Aug 23, 1927
Labor Issues: A lot of people were unemployed but most were drunks who drank all the time so they didn't look for jobs.
Red Scare: Bolshevik Revolution, Lenin takes Power in Russia, Russia turns in U.S.S.R., People were afraid of "un-american behaviors", examples include being foreign.
Schneck v. The United States: Espionage & Sedition Acts declared unconstitutional by Supreme Court

Prohibition & Remy's Decade of Success

Prohibition was a time
Roaring with men and their booze but with
Oppositions about drinking at the work place,
Henry Ford became a pro-prohibition,
Insisting that his
Business "cant be as productive with workers drinking".
Illegal bars called speakeasies started emerging
and people drank all night long in there !
These places served bootleggers, moonshine, and even bathtub gin !
In the day they were disguised as regular stores but came nighttime,
One by one they all transform into bars where men drink and gamble.
Nobody could ever enter one without a password. So if you want to enter one, better hope you have the right password !


Remy fell asleep at work one day, & dreamed he met an
Optimistic man in the past named Louis.
As they introduced, Louis spoke of his life dream,
Renovating a Cognac so good, he would sell everywhere and
Imagined himself a very wealthy man.
Now awake and inspired, Remy also wanted to try it too and
Giddy as he was, he ran home & fermented up some champagne.

Trial after trial,
Worn out Remy made one last mix, hoping it'll be good.
Everyone is his family enjoyed it, so he thought
"Now it's onto local bars".
They also liked it but paid little.
Immersed in his small success, he made more and
Eventually became a wealthy French wine maker.
Some of you might have heard of Remy, but only by name.

Do you know who I'm talking about ?

CSI: South Braintree:: Sacco & Vanzetti

Ferdinando Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were two Italian anarchists convicted of murder and robbery in Massachusetts in 1920. Although there were many disputes to if they were guilty or innocent and whether or not their trials were even fair. Although there were evidence showing and proving that they were guilty, some of it was questionable and their defense also gave decent reason for their innocence and ineligible eye witnesses. To determine if the result of the trial was fair, I decided to play the role of a CSI Investigator in 1920 and look at the evidence to make a fair conclusion.
The first piece of evidence against Sacco were the eye witnesses. Several of them put Sacco around Braintree at the time of the crime. However, the defense calls that none of the witnesses were exactly sure of their identification of the criminal as Sacco. Ballistics evidence claims that a bullet found could NOT have been fired from Sacco's gun but after conducting tests at the Mass Police Lab, it's found that the bullet WAS shot from his gun. Sacco also skipped work on the day of the crime but had alimony for being at Boni's restaurant. Seven witnesses testified.
THEN, evidence against Vanzetti are as followed: Eyewitnesses, including Levangie, said he saw Vanzetti driving a car near Braintree after he heard shots. But others testified that Levangie told them he first saw no one, then he saw a light-haired driver (Vanzetti dark-haired). Vanzetti's defense of selling fish in Plymouth. Six witnesses verified they saw him. Last evidence is Vanzetti's gun, a 38 calibre Harrington & Richardson revolver with a repaired hammer, just like the one paymaster guard Berardelli had at the time he was shot. Vanzetti said he bought it from a friend but lied about the cost. He, however, testified he bought the gun from a friend months ago using cash he received from his fish peddling business and was concerned about recent hold-ups. His friend, Falzini, testified he sold him the gun. (Although in 1977 reports reveal Berardelli's revolver was a .32 not .38, it was no use as the trial ended in 1927).
The result of the trial was both Sacco & Vanzetti were executed because they were both found guilty. Now there were some notes regarding the two and the prosecution. It was well shown and noticed that Vanzetti's case was much weaker than Sacco's, and the possibility that Vanzetti could be innocent, the judge had already made his decision and it was final. Much less than Sacco, Vanzetti continually proclaimed his innocence and even Sacco was incensed about it, rather his own conviction. The prosecution also noticed this and even had some doubts of their own as soon as the verdict was set.
My decision, much like the prosecution's is that although all evidence shows Sacco as guilty, Vanzetti might as well be innocent as the evidences put against him don't exactly place him with much to do about the murders. In 1982, Francis Russell was informed in a letter from Giovanni Gamberi's son saying "Sacco was guilty" and "Vanzetti innocent as far as the actual participation in the killing." Now Vanzetti could be charged with the robberies he's done before with Sacco, but certainly NOT charged with murder.

IMG src: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Sacco_e_Vanzetti.PNG

Only Teach What Seems To Fit

In the 1920s, there was an American legal case called the Scopes Trial. The argument was John Scopes accused of teaching evolution to high school students. In my perspective, I think evolution should be taught in public schools because it would one, tie into the teachings of science so it wouldn't completely be out there as its own topic, and two, it would make most people happy, even if a number of fundamentalists are against it. In most cases, majority rules and a majority of people, would go with the theory of evolution. Now for those fundamentalist people who believe in religion and God's creation for everything, it can still and most likely be taught in private or parochial schools.

Extra Credit; Way, Way back in the 1920s,

times are changing and fashion is making an impact as never before. Women still wear skirts but now, they're only down to the knees ! Now, men find women even more attractive and this is a fact because just the other day, I saw a woman in her mid 20's walk out of the store and a couple of drugstore cowboys across the street says to each other, "Daaanngggg man, did you see her gams ?!" "Yea man, but did you see her dogs in them shoes ? Oh lord have mercy !" So as they admired the woman's chassis, I kept on walking as I had to be home in time to get ready for the shindig in the town tonight. It's apparently this big cat's meow that everybody's talking and is going to be bearcat ! So I got home, showered, and got dressed up all spiffy-like and waited for my friend Tiffany to come over with her parents so we can go together because they are the fire extinguishers of the event. As the night went on and we get into the later hours of the night, a visitor of the town brought some giggle water and the adults had an even better time while the youngsters just had juice and water. By the end of the night, the weaker of the adults upchucked their hooch and us youngsters just laughed because we've never seen so many adults threw up at once !