Genocide? Can't we all just get along?

So you might ask, what is genocide exactly? Genocide is the systematic and planned extermination of an entire national, racial, political, or ethnic group. There have been a number of acts of genocide in the past, such as the Rape of Nanking, and as the years go on, genocide continues today in various parts of the world. Regions which are currently at risk include: DR Congo, Sudan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Rwanda, Burundi, and Chechnya in Russia. Whether or not the United States and like-countries should get involved in interventions related to these regions is a debatable topic. It would be understandable to say “Yes, we should get involved,” considering the amount of people that have died. However, I believe that we should only get involved to a certain extent. I do not believe that the United States should send any troops over to any countries at risk because then we would be risking the lives of our own soldiers. If we absolutely HAD to send soldiers over to maintain peace, it should only be for a certain amount of time. A short certain amount of time. Nevertheless, we could get involved in plenty of other ways and still help in some way. For example, we could ship over food and supplies to the people who need it, but as I said, the United States should only get involved in countries’ affairs to a certain extent. We have our own problems that need to be fixed and worrying 100% about another country won’t help us any. Can't we all just get along?

Don't Deny Us History

Dear Dr. Rhinehart,

            I have recently learned that high schools across the nation “deny” certain history to high school students. There is always something to be learned from history. So how are we supposed to learn about history if certain aspects of it are left out of our curriculum? That’s where Mr. Meechin comes in. At the beginning of the school year, he promised us, his students, that he would not leave anything out.

I’m sure you’ve never heard of an event called the Rape of Nanking. I definitely never learned or even heard about it until Mr. Meechin introduced us to it. The Rape of Nanking was a mass murder and war rape that occurred in 1937 following the Japanese capture of the city of Nanjing (Nanking) in China. There are probably so many other acts of genocide that I haven’t learned about such as DR Congo where 5.4 million people were killed.

Yes, I know that these topics included cruel, heinous, and gruesome actions, but no matter what the topics involve history matters a great deal. History explains why certain events occurred that made our world the way it is today. Robert Penn Warren said, “History cannot give us a program for the future, but it can give us a fuller understanding of ourselves, and of our common humanity, so that we can better face the future.” We, as high school students, have the right to learn history. And when I say history, I mean all of it.

Sacco and Vanzetti

Was the Sacco and Vanzetti trial a fair case? Or was the idea of nativism too forceful and they were found guilty of association? Both Sacco and Vanzetti were Italian anarchists, or in other words, Italian immigrants who revolted against any established rule, law, or custom. I believe that the police force wanted to catch Sacco and Vanzetti because of their anarchist political views, not because of the “evidence” that was given. The evidence that was found at the scene is clearly not enough for a fair conviction.

None of the seven eyewitnesses identified Sacco until after his arrest, and several of the closest witnesses to the crime were not even able to identify him. Two defense experts testified that “bullet 3” could not have been fired from Sacco’s colt and it did not fit while he was on the stand. Sacco claimed that he had been in Boston trying to get a passport from an Italian consultant on the day of the crime. After he visited the consultant, he ate lunch at a restaurant. Seven witnesses stated that they did see Sacco at the restaurant. Sacco did lie during the initial police interview, but he claimed that he only lied because he did not want to be deported for his anarchist political views. No one claimed to have seen Vanzetti at all at the initial shooting. Vanzetti testified that he told a few lies when he was initially questioned because the country was in the grip of the Red Scare, and he feared for his own safety and that of his anarchist comrades. 

Therefore, I believe that the two men were only put on trial and put to death because of their anarchist political views.

Evolution vs. Religion

The Scopes Trial was one of the most significant events that took place in the 1920’s. It was an American legal case in 1925 in which John Scopes, a high school biology teacher, was accused of violating the state’s Butler Act. The Butler Act made it unlawful to teach evolution in school. However, religion was allowed to be taught. Nowadays, evolution is taught and religion is not. So if you think about it, the United States can’t make up its mind. In my opinion, I think that both should be taught in school as separate electives and only as electives. Meaning, evolution would only be taught in an elective class and not in a science class. Teaching evolution and religion as separate elective classes would give students the opportunity and option to learn one or the other, or both. Now considering there are so many religions in the world, there wouldn’t be enough to cover them all in class, but it is obvious that some would be learned. I know that people who grew up learning about their religion wouldn’t be very comfortable learning about evolution, and vice versa. So, having each as an option in school would benefit both sides.

Reflecting on the OG's of the 1920's

The last couple of weeks in school we have been discussing the 1920’s and the different gangsters from that time period. We were given a small group project to research a given gangster and then present our work to the class. From these short presentations I learned that gangsters back in the 1920’s were genius in getting what they wanted. Even though the gangsters bootlegged, robbed banks, kidnapped, and murdered, they all planned out their next moves carefully. In doing so, they were able to commit the crime and escape with ease, or escape from jail if that was the case. The way I see it, the police force wasn’t very strong in the 1920’s, which allowed the gangsters to walk all over them. Nowadays, I don’t think the gangsters would be able to do what they did, get away successfully, and then do it again later.

Topic.07 Study Concepts

Formative Assessment

Topic.07 Study Concepts

The following concepts will be on the Topic.07 Formative Assessment.

The Scopes Trial: John Scopes was a biology teacher that chose to teach evolution in school and because of that he was arrested, but did not actually serve jail time. He had to pay a $100 fine, which he ended up receiving back.

Prohibition: Prohibition was the 18^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It banned the manufacture and sale of alcohol. However, it did not ban the consumption, possession, or the transportation of alcohol. Prohibition, in actuality, produced more bars and more drinkers. Women Organizations felt as though alcohol increased violence and child abuse.

Flappers: “Flappers” were women who drastically changed their image in the 1920s. They sported short hairstyles, wore dresses with v-neck cuts that revealed their legs and shoulders, and they were comfortable with drinking and smoking in public.

Economic Issues (1920s): Buying a margin would cost you money (loss of it) if the stock dropped.

Dust Bowl: The Dust Bowl was a huge and widely spread dust storm that affected the lives of many. Contributing factors included: drought, mechanization, and over-farming. The Dust Bowl put a very large number of people in debt.

Agriculture Issues: In result of the Dust Bowl, there was an agricultural depression. Farming was impossible due to the droughts and over-farming, which led to debt.

Immigration Policies (1920s): The Immigration Act of 1924 states that ethnic groups are limited to 2% of 1890 census and that Asians are banned entirely.

Nativism: Nativism is the idea that Native-born Americans are superior.

Significant Literary Works (1920s): “How The Other Half Lives” by Jacob Riis, documents the living conditions in New York City slums in the 1880s.

“The Jungle” by Upton Sinclair, discusses the meat-packaging business. “Unsafe At Any Speed” by Ralph Nadar discusses the design and safety techniques of automobiles. All three of these authors draw attention to widely-known issues.

The Great Migration: In the 1920s there was a huge migration of African Americans from the Southern United States to the Northern United States, which was called The Great Migration, which resulted in the Harlem Renaissance.

Harlem Renaissance: This period in time was a huge awakening for African Americans. They were no longer quiet, and actually showed their lives to the public expressing themselves through their art, music, etc.

Sacco and Vanzetti: Sacco and Vanzetti were Italian Anarchists (people who are against all forms of government) who were accused of robbery and murder. For that, they were put to death.

Labor Issues (1920s): Nation’s desire for less government.

The Red Scare: Red = Communism

-Bolshevik Revolution- Lenin took over the power in Russia, leading Russia away from the U.S.S.R. People were afraid of those who expressed un-American behaviors.

-Palmer Raids- Raids of “communist” organizations.

Schneck v. The United States: Espionage and Sedition Acts were declared constitutional by the United States Supreme Court.

Acrostic Poem

Concept: 

P is for Prohibition, which was the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution. 

R is for the Roaring Twenties and the modernization that came with it.

O is for the outlaws that "hooched."

Helping smuggling booze could land you in jail.

If a girl rejected a guy, she would close the bank.

B is for the Bolshevik Revolution - Lenin takes over the Russians.

I is for the Italian Anarchists, Sacco and Vanzetti.

T is for the "Two Americas," old and new.

I is for the Immigration Act of 1924.

O is for the Old Americans who were more uptight and conservative than the New Americans.

N is for the New Americans who were more rebellious. 

Opposing Concept:

R is for the Red Scare.

O is for the opposition toward quotas that disappeared.

Applesauce!

R is for revolutionary fashion where dresses showed gams.

Immigration Restrictions.

N is for your nice clothes, a.k.a. your glad rags.

G is for giggle water (alcohol), which became prohibited.

T is for throw up, or in other words, upchuck.

W is for your wedding ring, a.ka. handcuff.

Everybody had a good time.

Nothing good happened when you hit on some guy's moll.

The leader is the "Big Cheese."

It wasn't cool if you got gyped.

Espionage and Sedition Acts were declared constitutional by the Supreme Court.

Speakeasy! Shhh! Speak easy 'bout it.