Week 23 in Mr. Bruce's History

Parents and Students,

I went to start writing this, titling it Week 22, when I realized that this is actually week 23 and I missed getting last week's out. Bad, bad, bad. Sorry for not keeping you all in the loop with a regular email. I'll make it my goal to keep up for the rest of the school year.

We had a great week, in spite of the day off yesterday. When the reports came on Monday of a likely snow storm, I started planning for a day off. While today was a little crazy, we certainly accomplished enough this week to feel good about it. I'd like to make sure here that you know about/remember the video assignment: Washington's Foreign Policy (mrbruceshistory.wikispaces.com for videos and handouts).

The biggest thing I want you all to quiz your son/daughter about is our first real political parties. We spent the bulk of our time learning about how the Federalists and Republicans emerged as a result of early challenges to the new nation. As Washington struggled to keep us out of foreign conflict (at the same time Europe ignites as a result of the French Revolution), opinions about economy, government, how to interpret the Constitution, and whether or not we should support France all worked to divide leaders into these two distinct political divisions. Good questions to ask your students are:

• Why did more southerners align with the Republican Party?
• Why did Hamilton's plan for a National Bank upset Republicans?
• What do you think Jefferson's vision for America was? How did this differ than Hamilton's?

This period in our history, while probably as critical and fragile as (or more than) any other, gets far too little attention. Our political history begins here with the beginning of a two-party system. It also gives us a chance to explore the beginning of our nation's foreign policy. Washington's plan for isolation in foreign conflict will set a foundation for over 100 years. 

Monday, we will explore the Election of 1800 as it exposes a huge flaw in our Constitution and how it sets a standard for a peaceful transition of power from one group to another. From there, we will explore that idea of isolation as a new nation with no navy and no desire to get dragged into a war in Europe. We'll also learn how America deals with pirates.

Until next week I remain yours,

Mr. Bruce

Week 12 in Mr. Bruce's History

Parents and Students,

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I took the chance for Bell Work today to ask students what they were thankful for. The reflection was worthwhile and I think, at least for those who shared whole class, certainly recognize the things in their lives that lift them up. Family, far and away, topped the list. This means that we are thankful for you, parents, for the ways in which you lay down and set aside your lives and desires for the benefit of your students.

As a recap of this week I turn your attention to the details that we gleaned from our final look at the correspondence between George Washington and Henry Knox from February, 1787. Ask you son/daughter how their letters helped us understand the difference between the government that the States created and wanted and the one that the States needed by the end of the 1780s. Also, be sure to ask them what was different about the United States before 1787 as compared to now. For those of us that weren't in Youth in Government, I kept things light as we did a lesson/activity that connected some ideas and linked cause with effect from British rule, to the Articles of Confederation, to the Constitution. I've attached that here for you. Also see This Day in History for Nov. 23.

I wanted to also throw at you an update I made to my use of mrbruceshistory.wikispaces.com. On the home page of my site you can find the daily work embedded front and center. This means if your son/daughter is home sick, they can know what we are doing in Mr. Bruce's History by visiting the home page of the class website. These are all accessible via the "This Day in History" calendar which is linked on the left navigation (see image below).

I encourage you (particularly students) to increase your awareness and comfort with the class website. Next week, I am planning on some time in the computer lab for you to become contributors of the site, making a few pages of your own and creating an interactive timeline of this Constitutional period.

But that's next week. Again, have a great Thanksgiving!

Yours,
Mr. Bruce

Week 11 in Mr. Bruce's History

Parents and students,

Last winter's project - Olaf
melted in the rain the very
next day...

What a weekend that we have ahead of us! If you don't already know, winter storm Bella is bearing down on us. I'm just hoping the Winter Storm Watch doesn't fall flat. I'm a fan of snow, especially the kind that allows for snowmen.

As far as our week in class, we have devoted ourselves to understanding the reasons for why States sent delegates to Philadelphia in  May of 1787. History textbooks settle on the conclusion that it was to write a Constitution. But we can't do that without acknowledging the constitution that was already in place - The Articles of Confederation. For the purposes of summary and review, I have prepared a set of video lectures for you (parents and students) to use to cover the basics:

• Articles of Confederation Pt. 1
• Articles of Confederation Pt. 2
• Articles of Confederation Pt. 3

The question we have been pursuing through this week is "How was the government the states needed different than the government that they wanted?" What we closed in on today in class, was that Washington felt that the national government needed to be stronger and that the states needed to be weaker. 

Our work was difficult, but student leadership pulled us through as we dug into a letter from George Washington written on February 3, 1787 to Henry Knox. This letter was just days of after Shays' Rebellion and three months before the Philadelphia Convention would begin. Surely, this letter contains clues to the government the states wanted versus the government they needed - at least according to Washington. His letter contains nuggets for why and how it was going to be difficult to get the States to give up their "darling Sovereignties." I've included a few pics of students leading the class through a close read of this letter. It was great to see them engaged in a document as difficult as this one was.

As we head into next week, I will be honest in my intention to be kind to those going to Youth in Government. As a former advisor, I know they follow an extremely challenging schedule and have no time for school work while there. As it is a three day week, we will solidify what we have learned in one form or another, but I will not add anything for YIG students to do. Next Wednesday, when our YIG classmates return, we are going to make sure we are ready open the Philadelphia Convention, with our clear understanding of the challenge and purpose that the delegates were faced with.

If you are in YIG, please just be sure to complete the Washington to Knox Letter/Worksheet before Wednesday - work together on it.

Have a great weekend! Let the white stuff fall :)

Yours,
Mr. Bruce

6th Hour: Brody and Noah

2nd Hour: Keegan and Abby

3rd Hour: Kristina and Taylor

4th Hour: Luke and Makinzie

Week 9 in Mr. Bruce's History

Parents and students,

In a flash, the week is over and so is our first marking period. Next week we hold Parent-Teacher Conferences. Our conferences will be panel style where you will have the opportunity to sit with all of your core teachers (History, Science, Math, English, and Spanish) in a single setting. Please email Mrs. Dean with questions or to schedule a session.

We ended the marking period in a perfect position to step forward into Unit 3 - The Constitution. However, when preparing to study the Constitution, we must pause to learn of its need. Often, people learned to forget or ignore the critical years between the end of the American Revolution and the creation of the Constitution. From 1781 until 1788, the United States were not united and was not a single nation. Rather it was a loose association of independent nations (states) organized under a confederation. They agreed to be unified for common defense and welfare according to The Articles of Confederation (a.k.a. Constitution 1.0). The reason why the Constitution we know and love was created was because the first one failed...

So we spent time this week looking at that failure and the nature of 13 free sovereign and independent nations figuring things out. One question we wondered about and explored was "Could Washington have become king?" We read in a letter an offer made to Washington by many of his Army officers. It was a proposition formed from significant grievances about Congress and the "weakness of republicks". It offered Washington the title of King if he agreed to lead the army to take over Congress. Washington, of course, sternly put that idea down. His choice of words is worth asking your son or daughter about. Read more about this as the beginnings of what would later develop into the Newburgh Conspiracy.

Finally we learned today about the one successful and lasting accomplishment of the Confederation Congress under the Articles of Confederation. Do you know why Branch County is made up of townships with 36 square miles each? Do you know why county roads are generally east/west and north/south and are spaced at mile intervals? Ask your son/daughter. Because they learned about the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and how these two laws created a revenue stream for Congress and territories for the addition of future states.

Big week. Lots to talk about this weekend.

Next week we focus on a near-second revolution that began with some justifiably angry farmers in Massachusetts.

See you at conferences!
Mr. Bruce