For this blog post I am supposed to talk about a few examples of emotions and attitudes expressed in current times toward different ethnic or religious groups. And to see whether people and their acceptance of different cultures and freedom of religion changed from the 1870s to the present day.

I definitely think that in regard to the recent election this topic is very relevant. Compared to the 1870s there is an immense difference in the way people are treated because of their cultures and religion. However I would say that religion has lost a lot of respect since then. People don't really discriminate based on religion but they tend not to take it very seriously either. In that aspect I think we have gone backwards since the 1870s. As far as cultures are concerned I also think we have come a long way, while the laws haven't really changed the people have. In the 1870s there was a lot of very open racism in our country. And though that problem hasn't been solved even today we have come a long way since then. There is a lot less anger and inherent dislike towards people who are different now and more of a prejudice and disrespectful culture now. Of course not everyone is like that, those are just the extremes of each time period.

13th, 14th and 15th Amendment

In my research of the Civil War I had to learn a bit about these three amendments. So I will write a small tidbit about each one.


13th Amendment
        "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." This was the amendment that officially set slaves free in all of the United States. Not only in the specified free states, and it was vital in ending the war.

14th Amendment
        The 14th amendment was passed so that all people would have equal rights, meaning that you couldn't refuse to do things for people because of their skin color or where they were from.

15th Amendment 
        "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude." This was another step toward not just freedom for the African Americans but equality as well. There were quite a few loop holes that people found to avoid this amendment.

Blockades Good vs. Bad

In my past weeks reading about the Civil War I read about the Union blockade and the battle between the newly made ironclad ships Virginia and Monitor. The Virginia, previously known as the Merrimack, was attacking the Union blockade and doing a very good job of it, they had destoryed about half of the ships in the blockade. A blockade seems like a good idea to protect your land from naval attacks, but it also closes off trade coming in from the water. It encourages conflict that may possibly have been avoided otherwise. The unions blockade did it's job so it could be said that it was a good use of a blockade. Whether a blockade is neccesary or not is very dependent on the situation.

Manifest Desitny

Today I will be writing about an event in history called Manifest Destiny, which took place around 1845-1860.  Basically what Manifest Destiny was that the people who were expanding into America felt that taking the land from the people living there was justified and that the US was meant to own that land. Historians say that manifest destiny was an idea mostly adopted by Democrats. The Whigs were against the fighting conquest of America.

            I found the whole idea of manifest destiny quite fascinating actually. The idea that somehow, by living where they were born, the Native Americans were keeping the settlers from having land that was “rightfully theirs.” In my opinion I don’t think that what the American settlers did to take over the land was justified at all. Looking back it’s hard to say whether it was inevitable or not since we now have taken over all of the land. At the same time, expanding and concurring is part of being a growing country. So I don’t think there is particularly anything wrong with going to war for a piece of land because you want to expand. The problem comes from killing people for being on land that you think should be yours and say that it gives you the right to control in before you’ve won it.

On to Oregon

My next book of the school year is a book called "On to Oregon".  This book is about the Sager family and their journey to Oregon. The main character of the book is teenager John Sager. John has never been the most obedient kid. And this story shows how he must put his childish ways behind him and step up to lead his siblings on a great journey across the country. The book was very engaging all the way through and I really enjoyed it.

The Great Turkey Walk

My second book to blog is The Great Turkey Walk by Kathleen Karr. This book is about a young man named Simon Green. As far as intelligence goes, Simon doesn't have much. After spending three years in 3rd grade, he is graduated early and told to spread his wings and find something else to do. So Simon decided to go into the the turkey business. One of the farmers in his town has an extreme surplus of turkeys and Simon decides to buy them and walk them all the way to Denver where they sell for a significantly higher price. Along the way Simon has many interesting adventures. A circus muscle man who turns out to be his long lost father, a run away slave, Indians, and a girl whose entire family died and left her alone on their land. Something new is happening around every turn for Simon in his quest to prove his worth.

Wait for Me, Watch for Me, Eula Bee

Well school is starting again so it's time to get back to my blog.
This post will be about a book I read for history called Wait for Me, Watch for Me, Eula Bee, by Patricia Beatty. This takes place during the Civil War and is about a boy named Lewallen Collier. At the beginning of the book Lewallen's father and oldest brother leave their family to go fight in the war. But while they are away, tragedy strikes. Indians attack the area and kill everyone in Lewallen's family except for Lewallen and his sister, Eula Bee. I don't want to give away much of the story, but the rest of the book is about Lewallen's daring escape from the Indians and his quest to reclaim his sister. Along the way he befriends some surprising characters. I learned a lot about different relationships between peoples during the time of the Civil War and overall I really enjoyed this book!

Quanah Parker

        Quanah Parker was a Comanche Indian boy, his mother was Cynthia Ann Parker. Quanah grew up with mixed heritage and he was constantly under pressure to prove himself worthy. He practically grew up on a horse and he soon became a master. He could jump from the back of one horse to another. He was also an expert marksman with his bow and arrow. Young men in the tribe would go on a "vision quest." On his first vision quest Quanah saw an eagle and a serpent. After that he was know as Serpent Eagle. Quanah Parker became chief and led the Comanche people. While in battle he wore a long headdress with eagle feathers and he painted his war horse red with different berries. In 1870 the Comanches were being attacked and they were losing their land. In order to avoid more bloodshed, Quanah went to Fort Sill, Oklahoma and surrendered. He was then appointed as the spokesperson for all of the Comanches.

Sand Creek Masascre Vs. Washita Battle

        In this blog post I am comparing the events of the Sand Creek Massacre and the Battle of Washita. Specifically to find out why one is refereed to as a massacre and why the other is called a battle. Both instances involved many deaths both to men and women, so why are they called different things?
       Let's look at the Sand Creek Massacre to see what happened on November 29, 1864.  Chief Black Kettle was the chief of the Southern Cheyenne band. He was chosen to be on the Council of Forty-Four which was the highest government body of the Cheyenne tribe. Black Kettle realized that peace with the white man was the only way for his tribe to survive. Black Kettle tried to convince the other Indians that peace was the only way but still some of the young men in the tribe left to go north and join the Dog Soldiers who were fighting the white men.
       In 1864 the governor of Colorado started a law called "Friendly Indians of the Plains." This said that any Indians who reported to nearby forts and were told where to live would be kept safe. However Black Kettle was not told about this law and so his tribe was put in the category of unfriendly. Black Kettle and some of the other chiefs met with the the governor to talk about the law. There was miscommunication which led to Black Kettle thinking his tribe was safe, and they definitely were not. So when Colonel Chivington brought seven hundred troops to attack the camp Black Kettle assured his people that since he was waving an American flag that there would be peace. He was very wrong. The Indians were slaughtered. Men, women, and children were shot down left and right. For a little while the Colonel boasted of his great victory in battle, but when the U.S Congress found out what really happened, governor John Evans lost his job. Chivington escaped any repercussions because his military term expired as the investigation began.
         Now what happened at the Battle of Washita? Black Kettle moved with his wife to the Washita River. He tried to convince every one to stop fighting, both the white men and the Dog Soldiers. But the white men were not interested. On November 27, 1868 General George Custer and the 7th Cavalry attacked the Washita Village. Black Kettle and his wife Medicine Woman Later were killed. Again women and children were killed in the battle. So what makes it any different from the massacre at Sand Creek?
         I think the difference lies in the knowledge of the Indians. At Sand Creek they thought they were protected by the law. And it turned out they should have been. The massacre never should have happened. Many people died for nothing. While in the instance of Washita, Black Kettle knew that there was not peace and the battle was inevitable.

Black Indians: An American Story

       Today I was assigned a video to watch and blog about. It was about Black Indians and their experience with their racial identities. A lot of the stories were about how if they told people they were Indians, that no one believed them or people said they were just black. I thought the video was really cool, because I didn't know about black Indians until today. It was cool to learn about how these people identify themselves and that they're very proud of the fact that they are both African American and Indian.

Samuel Slater and the American Industrial Revolution.

       In this blog post we will learn about Samuel Slater. When Samuel was young his father apprenticed him to a cotton mill guy named Jedediah Strutt. (Doesn't sound like some one I would apprentice my son to...) The apprenticeship was part of a deal in which Samuel's father sold some land to Strutt so that Strutt could build a textile mill. Strutt was partnered with a man who invented a lot of machines that improved the textile mill industry. Working with machines for Strutt would prove to be a very valuable experience for Samuel Slater.
       After his years of apprenticeship were done, Samuel Slater wanted to take his expertise in the cotton mill business to somewhere it was needed more. That place was America, however Samuel Slater wasn't allowed to go to America due to the fact that England wanted to keep it's cotton success in England. But, Slater disguised himself as a agricultural worker and made it to America. Once he was there, with the help of a Quaker named Moses Brown, he quickly became a very successful businessman.

Calling Someone a Luditte

       The Luddite's were an interesting group of people. They were active in the early 1800s, they actively opposed machines and would attack places that had them with the purpose of smashing the machines. The Luddites saw machines as a threat the their jobs and their welfare. Now a person with out a cell phone or any such technology might be called a Luddite. However I don't think this is an accurate nickname. Luddites didn't just not have technology, they went around destroying it. If people were to go around smashing someone else's phonel, then it would be appropriate to lable them a Luddite.

Between 1830 and 1845 there was a war to decide the boundaries of Texas. Americans thought that the border should be at Rio Grande. While the Mexicans didn't want the line to go past the Nueces River. After a few battles the Mexicans were driven back past the Rio Grande line. But the Mexicans would not make peace. In Rio Grande, General Taylor took up a strong position at Buena Vista. The Mexicans attacked him with roughly 20,000 warriors. General Taylor's small army fought for their lives for two days straight and ended up with a very important victory.

Steamboat, Railroad, and Telegraph

       In early 1800s the way that people traveled was completely different than they are today. Some of the ways that men got around was jogging from place to place. Pack horses, wagons, and carriages were also common ways to get around on land. As for getting around on water, boats that were rowed or poled along were the only way to get up and down a river, and they were very slow. Some ships even had sails and this was considered a fast way to get around.
       Soon improvements started to be made in the boating world. A schooner named the "Baltimore Clipper" was famous for it's speed, due to a new design of masts called raking masts. Raking masts slanted backwards and propelled the boat forward and a much faster speed. With this new type of boats the United States soon had the fastest navy in the world. Another innovation of the seafaring world was Robert Fulton's steamboat. This new invention completely changed the way people transported merchandise and got around the United States. The Erie Canal was used by steamboats a lot to get from the Hudson River to Lake Erie.
       As for land travel, there was a lot of improvements made there as well.  The National Road was built and used as a main highway for travel. But it quickly became less important with the introduction of railroads. The first railway was only two miles long, was pulled by horses, and was only used to transport rocks. However, in 1830 the first passenger train was run on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
      The methods of communication were a little behind to say the least. Smoke signals were used until around 1830. But in 1835 Morse created the first telegraphic wire. However, it was nine years before congress to appropriate money to set up the first line. And in 1844 the first message was sent from Washington to Baltimore.

Whigs Vs. Democrats

       In politics, there have always been divisions between the different parties. During the time that Andrew Jackson was in office there was a new split of the political parties. The people who supported Jackson fell into the category of Democrats, and those who opposed him were called Whigs. There were a lot of differences, but I will just go over a few of the main differences.

1. The Whigs advocated the reestablishment of the United States Bank, The Democrats were against it.

2. The Whigs wanted to build roads and canals at the expense of the United States. The Democrats didn't think that the government should help with the "internal improvements" as roads and canals were then called.

3. Whigs were all for increasing the power of the government while the Democrats were in favor of states' rights.

Samuel Silas Jack

Last week I did some reaserach on my Great Great Great Great Grandfather, Samuel Silas Jack. I wasn't able to find too much about his life. But I a few dates and records of interest.
    Samuel Silas Jack was born September 11th 1782. On October 3rd in 1805 (23 years old) he married Rebeckah Paxton. Samuel Silas Jack was one of the first people to settle in Warren Coutny, Ohio. In April of 1812 he volontereed in the revolutinary war for one year. He served under Capt. John Sheets. I don't really know what else happened in his life except that he died March 3rd, 1855 (72 years old)

First Voyage of the Clermont

        Robert Fulton was at the very least a genius. He was know to be an expert gunsmith, jeweler, and a painter. Even before his most notable invention, he had made a submarine with working torpedoes. But what he is most know for is building the first paddle wheel steamboat. The first trip that the boat went on was a trip from New York City to Albany and back, by way of the Hudson River. When people saw it steaming up the river, it is said that some thought it was a sea monster, and that others thought it was a sign of the coming judgement. With thick black smoke billowing out of the tall pipes, you can imagine why people would be afraid at first sight. However, on the return trip the big menacing boat was greeted with excitement form all the people on land. The sound of the giant paddle splashing in the water would draw many people to the banks. This invention by Robert Fulton was indeed a great one! It changed the way people traveled, shipped goods, and how people view accessibility to the world.

Yankees invade Great Britain

John Paul Jones was once a British man named, simply, John Paul. He was suspected of murder so he ran away to America to escape trial. He became a navy officer for the American Army, and led a raid on his home country England. The plan of the raid was to sneak onto the British boats at night and set them on fire, however they didn't plan on the strong winds that night and couldn't get the fires started. After struggling to find something that would keep the fires burning John Paul Jones was able to use tar to keep the boats ablaze. As he sailed away he looked back at what he had done. With a few more hours time he could have set the whole city ablaze

The Louisiana Purchase

        France technically didn't own the Louisiana Territory when they sold it to America. So they were anxious to get the deal over and done with. The land was indeed supposed to be theirs, but France had not held up their side of an agreement with Spain. The deal ended up working out perfectly for both France and America. France sold a huge amount of land, that would soon be taken away from them anyway, for a very large amount of money, which would be very useful in their current war with Great Britain. America was able to double their land mass with a $60,000,000 purchase which seems like a lot of money but when you break it down, it would be about $72 per square acre.

Lewis and Clark head to the Pacific

Meriweather Lewis, who used to be Thomas Jefferson's secretary, was hand picked by Jefferson to lead an expedition in the land America had just bought. It was called the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis, despite being put in charge of the expedition, chose his close war friend William Clark to be co-commander of the adventure. Though they were two very different people they worked together extremely well, it is said that they never had a disagreement or argued about a single important decision. Their trip to the Pacific ocean took over a year and a half, and the crossed over 8,000 miles of land.

Jefferson At The White House

Jefferson had lots of fancy things with him at the White House but his favorite thing was a Mocking Bird. He loved his bird not only for the music it sang, but it was uncommonly smart and was quite affectionate towards Jefferson. When he went up to his room the bird would hop up the stairs after him. As an old man missing his grandchildren, his bird was the next best thing and received extraordinary care.

Aaron Burr Kills Alexander Hamilton

        Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton never liked each other. Hamilton had stopped Burrs ambitions 2 times. The first time Hamilton convinced the House of Representatives to elect Thomas Jefferson as president over Aaron Burr. The second time Burr was running for governor of New York, but many people with held their votes because of some statements Hamilton made about Burr's character. Outraged by Hamilton intervening, Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel. Once both parties arrived at the set destination they proceeded to load their pistols, and took their positions. Alexander Hamilton took his shot, it is unknown whether he missed on purpose or not, but his shot did not hit Aaron Burr. The second shot fired and Alexander Hamilton fell to the ground. This duel would end Alexander Hamilton's life and Aaron Burr's life.

Thomas Jefferson recieves a important tip from John Adams

     During the time that Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were writing the Declaration of Independence, John Adams made sure to let Thomas Jefferson know to keep his writing simple. He told him a story about a friend of his who was apprenticed to a hatter. After his apprenticeship was over the man wanted to open his own business, but in order to do that he needed a sign for his store. His original sign read "John Thompson, Hatter, makes and sells hats for ready money" with a drawing of a hat on it too. He showed the sign to his friends to have them give him their opinions. They told him that the word "Hatter" was unnecessary because he followed it by saying he made hats. So they took that out. Then the told him that it was pointless to say he was selling hats because people wouldn't expect him to give them away for free. That left him with "John Thompson, makes hats." At this they said he should simply take out the "makes" and leave it to "John Thompson, Hats" with a drawing of a hat on the sign as well.

Jeferson is selected to write the Delceration of Independence

     How was it that Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the Deceleration of Independence? It started with a vote for who should be involved in the writing. The two people with the most votes were Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. When Thomas Jefferson offered to let John Adams write the first draft of the Deceleration of Independence, Adams refused saying that there were three reasons Thomas Jefferson should write it instead of him. The first was that Thomas Jefferson was from Virginia and that a Virginian should be at the center of it. The second was that a lot of people didn't like John Adams and that wasn't the case for Thomas Jefferson. The third, John Adams claimed that Jefferson could write ten times better than he could. So the job was given to Thomas Jefferson.

Patrick Henry's Famous Speech.

       Patrick Henry is famous for a speech he gave while leading opposition against the stamp act. Patrick Henry was born poor with out the resources to be taught literature, but what he had was a love for his country. A love that would give him strength to stand up to the powerful British.
       "If we wish to be free; if we mean to persevere inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending; if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained- we must fight! To say Patrick Henry had a way with words would be an understatement. He delivered a speech that would be quoted for centuries.
         Patrick Henry encouraged people to take a stand saying, "They tell us, sir, that we are weak- unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? will it be next week or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when British guard shall be stationed in every house? shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction?... Sir, we are not weak, if we make proper use of those means which God of nature hath placed in our power." Probably his most known quote is what he finished his speech with, "Give me liberty or give me death!"