Atlas Pages - Civil War and Reconstruction

Here are the pages from the Atlas so that you may continue to work on the worksheets from class.

President Obama's Speech to Students Upsets Conservatives

President Obama will give a speech on Tuesday and has asked that students around the country tune in to the Internet streams or C-Span cable network to watch. His message is that students need to take responsibility for their educations and stay in school. Conservatives around the country became upset when they heard about this and looked at the activities the White House planned for students who watch the speech.

Teachers were not required to show the speech and students were not required to follow the lessons offered by Obama's administration, however that did not stop conservatives from claiming that the President was trying to "indoctrinate" our nations youth with his "socialist ideology."

Many people who dislike Obama or fear that his ideas are dangerous have told their children not to watch or are willing to keep them home from school. A good account of the controversy can be found in this article from cnn.com. Presidents such as Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. have addressed students in the past and you can watch what they said here.

Some questions for you to consider and discuss on the blog:

1. Should the President address students in school directly? Is this the right/wrong thing for a President to do? Why?


2. As students what is your reaction to the way people are responding to Obama's speech to students?

"The Battle of Trenton and Princeton" Video

Finally here's Maria and Camille's hilarious video. Thanks for the shout out girls, but this brilliant and twisted piece of video is all YOU! I'm pretty happy just to get my name in the credits. Remember me when you're all rich and famous. I can't wait for the sequel, "George Washington, Commando and Chief."

"The Battle of Trenton and Princeton"

New Airport Security Devices, Safe or Sorry?

Many of you responded thoughtfully to the issue of making people feel safe but not removing their rights or discriminating against people. Well, there are many advanced methods for scanning people and detecting dangerous materials. In this CBS News article the question of personal privacy is raised in response to the many ways machines can now scan airport travellers:

"(AP) The airport security systems of the future can see through clothes for weapons, sniff a person for explosives and determine what's in a bottle without opening it."

After reading the article, "New Airport Security Devices" consider this question:

1. Do you think any of the new devices from the article go "over the line" and invade the privacy of airline passengers? Explain your position.

In America, some freedoms upheld while others taken away

Let's all hope we're returning to the days when our freedoms are sacred and true victims are awarded their due justice. According to these recent accounts, Muslims are being discriminated against by airlines as passengers get jittery when they see and hear anyone with a strange accent or suspicious looking clothing.

Find out what happened to the young man with the Arabic writing on his tee shirt. Or, the group of 9 Muslims forced to leave a plane after one of the passengers thought she heard something suspicious.

QUESTIONS:

• Were these people discriminated against? If so, how should they be compensated (paid back)? If not, why?
• Is it ever okay to give up some rights if it lead to better safety?

THOMAS was a PAINE in Britain's Backside

Tom Paine was a failure at most normal jobs he worked at, until he discovered his true passion in life - as an essayist and a passionate advocate for democracy instead monarchy. Paine hated the way aristocrats lorded their power to govern over the rest of the people in England and recognized that the American Revolution was not just a struggle for independence, but a perfect example of how government could be created by and for the people. It was a way to prove that the best governments are those in which leaders are chosen by the people and not determined by heredity.

Today we get much of our persuasive opinion in the editorial section of the newspaper. For Homework #17, you can use some of the editorial pages I've collected here:

The NY Daily News, The NY Post, The NY Times,

For national news try USA Today or PBS Newshour Extra (Kids viewpoints about important isssues)

Here's a link to my shortened version of Common Sense and the questions that go along with it.

Here's also a link to the complete verson of Common Sense, all 40 pages worth.

AND THE WINNER IS...

The History Cafe' with a wopping three votes. Originally this blog title was tied with the original name, The Social Studies Space, but I think the name should be chosen by students.

Thank you to all of the students who voted!