Class Update: 5/29 & 5/30

Yesterday, we reviewed our knowledge about United States foreign policy by filling out a graphic organizer. The table was divided into two sections: one to hold evidence of the US acting as a "good neighbor" and the other to hold evidence of the US acting as an "imperial power." We each found information to support our views on the Monroe Doctrine, the Platt Amendment, the Roosevelt Corollary, and Dollar and Moral Diplomacy. I believe the United States was acting as an imperial power in most of these policies. Most allowed the United States to enter other countries and interfere with their governments, while at the same time depriving smaller nations of their independence and forcing them to follow an American lifestyle.

Today, we continued studying US foreign policy as an imperial power by having a debate about the Bush Doctrine. The Doctrine was created to limit terrorism by allowing the US to attack a country if threatened with weapons of mass destruction, to fight alone without allies, and to spread freedom and human rights across the world. My position in the debate was as a judge, so I listened to my groups ideas about the Doctrine, then discussed the pros and cons of the Doctrine with the other judges. I decided that the Doctrine should not be allowed as foreign policy. Based on the information I was presented with, the Doctrine seems to allow the US to interfere with other countries, sometime without a good reason. Learning about US foreign policy has helped me to understand more about our country and allowed me to question why various government policies were chosen.

Class Update: 5/23 & 5/24

We visited the computer lab yesterday to learn about U.S. involvement in Central American and the Caribbean through Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy, moral diplomacy. We used an interactive map to learn that the United States troops became involved in the area nine times. They were also involved for financial reasons and with interests in building a canal. After studying the maps, we looked at pictures of Mexico from the revolutions. Life looked extremely difficult for civilians, as many were poor and the government was unstable. We then began to explore American involvement in Haiti, using our knowledge to create a "news article," posted below.

Today, we continued to work on our Smithsonian Quests. I submitted the last assignment for my badge today. I had to create an infographic about the water crisis in Africa. I used data from my research for a previous assignment, in which I had to write an article about a water-related issue. Infographics are a useful tool, and I think they would supplement a presentation well or be an effective method for advertising. My infographic is posted below:

One Drop at a Time | Create infographics

Breaking Barriers: Magic Johnson

This is the video created for the Breaking Barriers project. My group researched Magic Johnson, who broke the barrier of AIDS and HIV. He fought against stereotypes, renewed hope in people with HIV and AIDS, and funded research and testing about the diseases. Magic was an inspiration to the United States and to people around the world.

U.S. Intervention in Haiti: News Article

Question: What do many of the Americans in Haiti think of Haitians, and how do they (Americans) treat them (Haitians)?

The American View

Are the people of Haiti who we think they are?

By Kiersten Flodman

December 20, 1920

 

Over six years ago, on December 17, 1914, the United States Marines began to land in Haiti, controlling money and gaining power over the government and the people. Many people believe they know the stories of Haiti and its people, but it is time that Americans learn the truth. Most Americans view Haitians as uneducated, barbaric people, but this stereotype is far from the truth. You can change the American perception of Haitians, but first, you must know about the stereotypes and American treatment of Haitians.

The United States Marines in Haiti believe that Haitians are uncivilized people who would live in disorder without American involvement. The Marines publicize that Haitian people would not be able to form a stable government without Americans. This is not true, because the crime rate in Haiti was low before American involvement, and Haitians lived in advanced buildings even before the United States became involved. Americans in Haiti also believe that Haitians are lazy. Haitians are extremely hardworking people. Though they may not have advanced technology to complete their work, they endure strenuous labor with commendable morality. Another false prejudice that the Marines hold is that Haitians are unintelligent. Most Haitians speak Creole, which cannot be written down, but this does not make them uneducated or unintelligent. Many Haitians are scholarly people with incredible mental capabilities. Despite what the United States Marines would like Americans to believe, Haitians are not primitive people.

Even more disturbing than the American stereotypes of Haitian people is the way Americans in Haiti treat Haitians. The Marines claim that their goal is to stabilize the country of Haiti, but they have only caused its people pain and suffering. The Americans avoid socializing with the Haitians, only to interact with them by unnecessarily killing many and harming innocent women. In addition to killing and assaulting innocent Haitians, Americans unfairly imprison and torture Haitians for minor offenses. In one legal case, a Haitian man was arrested for refusing to lend a Marine a horse. While in prison, he was hung by his wrists from an iron bar and fed only one piece of bread every day. Another woman was arrested for attempting to take back a mule that had been stolen from her yard by a Marine. She was only kept in prison one day, but on the following day, Americans hung her husband from a beam in her house and burned the house to the ground. Clearly, Americans in Haiti have been mistreating the Haitian people. Now it is your turn to decide: are the people in Haiti the people the Marines would like us to believe they are? What can you do to save the innocent Haitians?

Class Update: 5/21 &5/22

Yesterday, we analyzed the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine prevented European nations from setting up colonies in the Western Hemisphere. If a European nation tried to recolonize, the United States would interpret this as an act of war. President Teddy Roosevelt then created the Roosevelt Corollary, which allowed the United States to enter countries in the Western Hemisphere to guarantee that debts to Europe would be paid, using military force if necessary. We put the corollary into our own words. Basically, the corollary stated that the United States would support and help developing Western nations, but only if they agreed to the American influence that was being forced upon them. I believe the Roosevelt Corollary was a negative policy for other nations because they were forced to have the United States Marine Corps within their countries and submit to American policies, rather than develop their own systems.

Today, we reviewed what we learned about the Roosevelt Corollary and shared our summaries of the document. We all agreed that the corollary was a way for the government to justify United States influence and presence in other countries. We then began to discuss Dollar Diplomacy, a policy implemented by President Taft that involved investing in other countries to gain access to natural resources. After learning about United States diplomacy policies, I believe the United States only had selfish interests based on money and power.

Class Update: 5/17 & 5/20

On Friday, we continued learning about yellow journalism. We read all of the yellow journalism headlines created by our classmates and shared our favorite ones. Interestingly, most of our classmates chose the same headlines as their favorites. This shows the appeal that yellow journalism can have. Besides being an effective way to sell newspapers, I think yellow journalism could be a good political tactic. Politicians could create articles with captivating headlines that would draw attention to their articles, increasing the likelihood that people would read about their ideas.






Today, we focused on the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal was started by France, then finished by the United States after the Panamanians rebelled against Colombia. Teddy Roosevelt started the Panama Canal without consent from Congress and other leading figures. Even though his actions went against protocol, I believe his actions are justified because the Panama Canal was a useful purchase. Maybe it was lucky for Roosevelt that the Panama Canal was successful - his career could have been in jeopardy otherwise.

Blog Post: 5/14 & 5/15

Yesterday, we had time to work on our Smithsonian Badges. For my current quest, I had to work on an eye-catching article about water issues in Africa.

In class today, we also learned about captivating headlines. We are learning about "yellow journalism," a tactic used to sell newspapers since the 1890s. The tactic exaggerates a situation to attract readers to catchy headlines. In this way, many events during US expansion into Alaska, Hawaii, and Cuba were exaggerated by the press. Today, we made "yellow journalism" headlines for each of the events. Maybe people didn't care about "yellow journalism" because the real facts did not matter to them. Maybe they were more comfortable to read interesting articles that avoided the facts and focused on fantasy.

Triton 16% Time

Notice of Badge Completion

Issued to:	kflodman
Badge issued by:	Smithsonian Quests
Badge awarded by:	10th Grade
Badge Issuer Contact:	smithsonian@learningtimes.com
Issued on:	May 7, 2013
Also issued to:	18 others

As part of our in-class project, Triton 16% Time, I completed the H20 Hero Badge from Smithsonian Quests. This badge required me to learn about the amount of water that different everyday items use in production and to create a graph showing how much water is used per product. I also had to create an advice column in which I gave time-saving tips to encourage busy families to conserve water. I enjoyed working on this badge because the activities allowed me to explore something new. Before making the bar graph, I had little knowledge of how much water is used while making everyday products. This project was also valuable because it focused on the class theme for the year: what it means to be an American. This badge taught me to take "initiative" about the issue of water conservation with simple tricks that will help save water. Besides being an enjoyable class project that helped me learn about a different topic, this badge taught me to take action in my own life so I can be a contributor to our country and to our environment.

Class Update: 5/10 & 5/13

Last Friday, we read the short story "To Build a Fire," by Jack London. The story is about a man who is trekking across the Alaskan wilderness to a camp and dies because he cannot build a fire to keep himself warm. We focused on US expansion into Alaska as well as the theme of knowledge versus instinct in the short story. For example, the dog in the story demonstrates instinct by biting the ice from its toes though it does not know that the ice would hurt him later. The man shows knowledge through his observations about the freezing temperature and what it could do to his body. We then discussed whether knowledge or instinct is more important to survival. I believe knowledge is more important than instinct. A person needs knowledge of his or her own instincts and of the way his or her body will respond in different situations to know what is needed for survival. After reading this story, I understand why many Americans believed that Secretary of State Seward had invested in a wasteland.

Today, we worked on our Triton 16% Time Badges.

Class Update: 5/8 & 5/9

Over the past two days in class, we have been comparing the Lakota Amerindian leaders Red Cloud, Sitting Bull, and Crazy Horse. Red Cloud was a chief who is responsible for the most successful war between the Amerindians and the United States. His actions resulted in the Fort Laramie Treaty, in which the US gave up a large amount of land for the first time. Red Cloud believed that white people were richer and wiser than Amerindians, and made an effort to speak with the US government. Sitting Bull was also a chief and a spiritual leader. After eliminating General Custer's troops, Sitting Bull continued to fight for his tribe by refusing to submit to the rules of the US government and limiting his contact with the government. Red Cloud and Sitting Bull were both strong leaders, but Red Cloud continued to advocate vocally while Sitting Bull surrendered his children to the United States for the future. I agree with Sitting Bull because times were changing and the Lakota tribe was weak. The future of his tribe would be brighter if he allowed them to integrate with modern American society. It was interesting to learn about the histories of the people native to our country.

Class Update: 5/3 & 5/6

On Friday, we had a fishbowl debate. In groups, we represented one party of the Trail of Tears and had a group delegate decide what to do with the Cherokee people during the nineteenth century. My group represented the judicial branch in the conflict. We believed that the Cherokee people should be allowed to stay on the land because they were civilized and because legal documents allowed them to stay there. In the debate, our side was supported by the Cherokee people and the Christian missionary. The president, Andrew Jackson, opposed our view. He wanted the Cherokee tribe to be moved to the west. It saddens me to know that our country pushed the Cherokee people out, because it demonstrates the type of discrimination our nation condemns.

Today, we went to the computer lab to work on our Triton 16% Time badges. I completed both of my activities and I am waiting for approval.

The Cherokee's Burden

Today, we discussed the Trail of Tears and how the Cherokee Amerindian tribe was pushed out of the Southeast in the nineteenth century. Below, I wrote a parody of the poem "The White Man's Burden," by Rudyard Kipling. My poem explains the problems that white Americans created for the Cherokee people when they forced them to leave their homes in the Louisiana Territory and travel 1,000 miles west to Oklahoma during the Indian Removal Act.

The Cherokee's Burden

Pile on the Cherokee's Burden,
You white men of this nation.
When he has been reduced to nothing,
Will be cause for jubilation.

Rid the country until it is civilized,
Eliminate the savage race.
Move West the Cherokee nation,
Until nothing remains in its place.

Pile on the Cherokee's Burden,
Mr. President, you know what you do.
You hate the "red man" of the Southeast,
But you want his land too.

So send the Cherokee West,
To Oklahoma they will go.
What false opportunity awaits them,
Only the white man knows.

The judicial branch and Christians objected,
But President Jackson made his choice -
With no support to enforce their rights,
The Cherokee people had no voice.

And West the Cherokee went,
No shoes, possessions, or packs,
Avoiding towns and carrying the Cherokee's Burden,
Which the white man placed on their backs.

Class Update: 5/1 & 5/2

Yesterday, we continued working on our Scratch projects. I have learned a lot about programming since I started the project. The project is due in our blogs tonight. I am excited to see my classmates' games and compare what each of us has learned about using Scratch. Though this project seemed difficult at first, it was a good way to express my knowledge about the Oregon Trail and learn more about computer programming.

Today, I was at a Student Council Leadership Conference, so I missed class. I know we were discussing United States Imperialism. During the nineteenth century, the US sought to expand its control over foreign countries to strengthen its position as a world power and to spread democracy and unique government to other countries. Imperialism was an extension of the idea of Manifest Destiny.

Oregon Trail Game

Click on the game to begin