Week 32 in Mr. Bruce's History

Parents and Students,

Oh my is the weather looking amazing outside this afternoon. As I write this I am eager to get out and tackle the final stages of the chicken coop I am building in our back yard. A month ago, I gave in to my wife's suggestions for chickens by promising a coop as a Mother's Day gift. Thinking about my weekend in that regard, I would like to wish all of you mom's reading this a fantastic weekend, and a special day on Sunday. I hope your kiddos treat you to something special.

We started off our week in class by completing our reading and discussion on the institution of slavery as an economic and social and cultural institution in the southern states of the Union. Proceeding from there, we have a baseline understanding that slavery is more than a economic right, but a Constitutional right - guaranteed by the document that created the Union of States. Perception of southern leaders in this way leads us to a recognition that the loss of slavery to them was more than an economic loss, but rather was the principle behind it - namely that laws limiting slavery would be more an infringement on their Constitutional rights than they would be an attack on their ownership of slaves. To them, losing slaves was a lesser transgression than an imposition of a "tyrannical government" on their rights.

From here we looked into the series of events that began in 1850 which led immediately to the most significant conflict on our nation's history. It begins with the Compromise of 1850. This arose out of the bill to admit California as a state - but the question, at least on the surface, was should it be a state that allows slavery (slave state) or a state that prohibits slavery (free state). Questions you should ask your student is:

• What compromise had previously settled the issues that arose in 1850? What changed?
• Why was there a debate over admitting California as a "free" state?
• What was the root of the problem behind the free/slave state debate?
• How did the Compromise of 1850 settle the problem but not really "fix" anything?

From there it was on to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This began as a railroad bill by Stephen Douglas but exploded into a full blown mini-war. Questions you should ask your student are:

• How did Douglas's bill about a transcontinental railroad become all about slavery?
• What did the Kansas-Nebraska Act do to Kansas? What happened there as a result?
• What was the response of Senator Charles Sumner (R - Massachusetts) (see here for info on his speech)
• How did the actions of Congressman Preston Brooks (D - South Carolina) against Sen. Sumner lead Americans to recognize that Civil War was inevitable (see the video below)?

I can't not provide a link to the full speech given by Sumner titled "The Crime Against Kansas" where he roasts his fellow Senators for selling Kansas to slavery and ensuring a small scale war within the United States. We read an excerpt in class, but here's the whole thing from the U.S. Senate.

Overall, we had a great week and are looking now forward to how this conflict that is really about the presumed Constitutional rights of citizens and States under the Constitution against what is perceived to be a tyrannical expression of federal authority turns into a war to end the institution that has plagued the Union from the beginning - slavery. Next week, The Abolitionists.

Until then, I am yours,
Mr. Bruce

Week 31 in Mr. Bruce's History

Parents and Students,

About Tuesday this week I realized that I had not written a "weekly" email since before Spring Break... There were good reasons for this, early on, anyway. The two weeks immediately following Break was littered with M-STEP testing. While this is an honorable responsibility, it certainly interrupts precious class time. I intended to keep the workload light during those weeks, and I didn't initially see the need to write that first week. While I intended to last week, I simply forgot out of the break in routine. Apparently, getting back into a routine is hard - which may be why it is Sunday, and I am still finishing... So, long story short, here I am. Back at it.

What have we done? Well, after coming back from break we were completing our unit on Westward Expansion. For this unit we used a chapter in our textbook titled "Manifest Destiny and the Growing Nation." (Just as an FYI, the accompanying packets were due last Friday and if your student is currently getting and E in History, it is because they didn't turn it in). This chapter instructs on the means and methods used to acquire the territories of Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Oregon, and the "Mexican Cession." This broad overview fails to account for the context within which these vast additions were made. I've already discussed that in posts Week 27 and Week 28. To complete that unit, we came back full circle to view a really cool video on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. This expedition, undertaken at the beginning of our growth westward in 1805, was used to legitimize our claim to Oregon. As I said, we took it lightly during the M-STEP testing.

This has been a very interesting week. As we move forward into our next unit, The American Civil War, it is necessary that we fully understand the institution that became the purpose and reason behind the war - slavery. The word slavery has connotations that has been ingrained by images, visuals, narratives, and history classes that defined it as brutal working conditions, racial degradation, and general abuse by owners. While these are not wrong connotations and definitions, they do not capture a "right" survey of American "chattel slavery." We started the week with an awkward excerpt from a text written by George Fitzhugh. His work lay a foundation for justifying slavery as a moral and ethical good. To explain and counter this, we turned to a chapter from a book titled Negroes in the Making of America by Dr. Benjamin Quarles, a leading black historian (you can read the chapter here). This text explains the vast and varied spectrum of American slavery from 1800-1860.

As we read, we encountered difficult ideas and realities that are not common understandings regarding slavery. As we read, discussed, and questioned, I offered them pieces from Frederick Douglass' autobiography as well as the narrative titled, 12 Years A Slave, written autobiographically by Solomon Northrup. These texts have combined to put within our reach a far more comprehensive understanding of slavery in Antebellum America. Perhaps Thomas Jefferson, writing in 1781, explains the complexity of a slave society best when he wrote Notes on the State of Virginia:

“Deep rooted prejudices entertained by the whites; ten thousand recollections, by the blacks, of the injuries they have sustained; the real distinctions that nature has made; and many other circumstances, will divide us into parties, and produce convulsions which will probably never end but in the exterminations of one or the other race.”

As you may have already noticed, I have provided for students an opportunity to read the aforementioned 12 Years A Slave on a voluntary basis. While I recommend the book, I cannot in good conscience recommend the movie to adolescents. Its depictions of the text are far too graphic to see - the first 5 minutes will explain why it is rated R. Regarding the book readers, I have not yet decided whether or not to offer a study/discussion group for them. If you are interesting in picking up a copy, I still have 8 or so available - just let me know you want one.

We will finish up this reading on slavery Monday and Tuesday where we will transition into the political forces that culminated in the break between the North and the South - remembering always that southern states had been threatening secession as early as 1832 over an issue unrelated to slavery (see the Nullification Crisis). As we proceed then, it is for us to learn how the Civil War becomes a war to end slavery.

I think that's enough. As always, email me with questions, comments, thoughts, reflections, and the like. Lots to look at this week. Enjoy.

Yours,
Mr. Bruce

Week 28 in Mr. Bruce's History

Students and Parents,

After a good, solid week into the 4th marking period, we are fit to take a break - Spring Break. And after the week we have had, I think we did our best to earn this week off. Don't get me wrong, it has been a very good week. But we have challenged ourselves with historical understanding to a sufficient degree this week.

As a matter of explanation, I feel compelled to share that as we study Westward Expansion of the United States (1803-1853) I desire to insert the necessary context into it. Last week it was pausing to look at the Missouri Compromise at the same time we were acquiring Florida from Spain. This week it is looking at the nature of Indian Removal as the U.S. was considering the addition of Texas to the Union. 

This is a peculiar topic of study due to a number of reasons. First and most of all is the sensitive nature of human rights that must be considered. And this is not because of the "faults" of our leaders and decision makers of the past, but rather because we must endeavor to understand the reasons for their decisions, actions, and behaviors in the context within which they were made. This is the most challenging aspect of history for any student. Ordering hundreds of thousands of people to march hundreds of miles to a new home, thousands who will die along they way, is not easy to understand. 

It also forces us to face the fact that intolerance and human rights violations are just as much a part of our history as we were at the same time (and are still continuing) striving to achieve the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution (i.e. "all men are created equal..." and "...secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity..."). 

Lastly, it invites us to seek to understand and attend to the lone voice that cries out for justice. Sometimes the whisper is lost to the roar of the wind. Others, as in the case for abolition of slavery, others join in to affect change at significant cost to personal, social, and political forces. It also is what leads us to a new understanding of the American Civil War. 

But that's for after break...

As I said, we earned it this week. Until then, I remain yours,

Mr. Bruce

Week 27 in Mr. Bruce's History

Parents and Students,

Week 27 means only one thing: End of the third 9-week marking period with only one more to go! Wow! Hard to believe that there's just a quarter left. But as in sports, the 4th quarter is crucial; games are won and lost in the final minutes. Let's motivate ourselves to stay academically strong and finish well!

As we move into this last marking period, we turn our attention to the period known as "Antebellum." The term is Latin and means "before the war". In American History, this is the period before the Civil War. Pretty much every thing we talk about will hint toward a possible factor that produces the climactic content for this course.

We began this week by looking at "Westward Expansion" and all the questions, challenges, and

In 1800, all of "Louisiana Territory"
was at least 6 weeks away.

debates that arose out of it. Beginning with the Louisiana Purchase, we learned that Jefferson was criticized for this purchase for three reasons: 1) we already had more land than we could settle at that time, 2) impossible to govern given the transportation (before steam power was used for boats and rail engines), and 3) it was unconstitutional, especially in Jefferson's interpretation of the Constitution. Yet, it stood, and began a 50 year pattern of land acquisition by many methods.

From the Louisiana Purchase, we learned about the aggressive methods of taking control of Florida from Spain. The textbook made it seem as though Andrew Jackson was a defiant and insubordinate general who defied President Monroe's direct orders... Yet the whole affair is more complicated and we start to wonder why the documentation of his orders didn't survive. (this link has some highlighted portions for your viewing). So why was it so important for Florida to be added that we use such measures to take it?

We took a diversion from Florida to look at a debate in Congress happening at the same time over the admission of Missouri as a State. Neither in the North nor the South, debate became fierce when it was suggested that Missouri be admitted on the condition that it prohibit slavery (see Missouri Compromise). With threats of secession, it was agreed to allow Missouri as a "Slave State" regardless if there were many (if any at all) slave owning residents. The matter was over a balance of power in the Senate, where states are equal to each other. If there are more "Free States" than "Slave States" then Southerners would be unable to stop any legislation that would inhibit slavery. This makes new territory in the south very necessary for this balance to be maintained. This includes Texas, which is how we ended this week, learning of their "independence movement", which is how it is portrayed in American textbooks. However, it was stolen from Mexico, a nation we sought to protect in principle (see the Monroe Doctrine).

Ask your students this weekend:

• What motivations are there for the South to gain territory in Florida and Texas?
• How do Mexican textbooks portray American expansionist tendencies?
• What did Texas become in 1836?

These are fun questions, and essential to our understanding as we go forward in this unit. One last thing before next week: if you can watch "The Odd, Odd Election of 1824" in preview of studying Andrew Jackson as President.

Week 27 means one more thing: Easter Weekend! May your weekend be filled with the grace of the cross and the joy of the Resurrection.

Until next week, I remain, yours,

Mr. Bruce

Week 26 in Mr. Bruce's History

Parents and Students,

Well, we made it through the Daylight Savings Time change and Parent-Teacher Conferences. Thank you to all who came to support your students through the Spring Student-Led Conference. We know that, for some, the conversation you had in this format is much like you already do at home. To that I offer my sincerest "kudos" to you. For many, the demands of schedule and daily activities that occur after school related to work or extra-curriculars often prohibits us from the slow, deliberate, and intentional discussions about school and academic growth in ways that lift up and, if necessary, allow students to reflect on their efforts in a constructive and corrective way. We feel that this Spring Conference format allowed for that for all students. It is powerful. And we thank you for what you do to support your student's education.

As far as what we accomplished in class, well, I've got some examples below (bottom of post). This week we learned about the birth of "AMERICANISM". Dozens of times, I stated "There's nothing more American than ________." filling in the blank with things like Uncle Sam, "The Star-Spangled Banner", Rip Van Winkle, capitalism, technological innovation, pushing the frontier, etc... All these things were born in the two decades after the War of 1812 and created, for the time, a truly unique American identity. The posters we created are intended to showcase the leaders, art, music, literature, and geographic obstacles that defined this identity. I think they did a great job! What do you think? Ask your student questions about their poster: What did they study? How does that (or he) express what America was in the 1820s?

Our efforts this week pave the way for a unit next week as we begin looking at the attempts made to combat the moral and social problems that emerged during this same time and the role of Christianity and the "Second Great Awakening" in leading the charge against "intemperance" and slavery. This will allow us to dig into some primary sources, compare perspectives, and understand the decision making of leaders as they tried to keep America growing in ways they thought best in the face of irreconcilable differences of opinion.

A light way to end the week - yet still community-minded - was our trip to the Humane Society of Branch County (A No-Kill Shelter). Each marking period a different group (arranged by 5th hour classes) of 8th grade students have been spending 1.5 hours out there helping out in ways that 24 laborers can make an impact: cleaning gutters, picking up the yard, going for walks. In the end, it's hard not to fall in love with some. In particular, Brandi, Cooper, and Tiana certainly pushed their way into the hearts of a few of us. You can see these three in our group photo below. There are many more who certainly would love to be in your home, or in the home of someone you know.

It was a chilly day, but we kept warm with our new friends.

Photos from Posters Made This Week

Week 25 in Mr. Bruce's History

Parents and Students,

We had a great week in class! As the week progressed, we recognized that we were very disrespected by other countries for almost thirty years between 1790 and 1820. During this time we were challenged by party rivalry between the Federalists and the Republicans and by foreign affairs. The nasty love triangle that existed between the U.S., France, and Britain certainly paid its toll on Americans and early American leadership.

Presidents Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe all dealt with the issues in ways that made it difficult to follow Washington's principle of isolationism and neutrality. When Washington took office, he knew the United States was too weak to be involved. Interestingly enough, it was the War of 1812 and the circumstances that occurred during it that led to respect overseas. By the time Monroe takes office, the United States is able to redefine its desire to be isolated and neutral. It is during this time of prosperity and growth that people in the United States begin calling themselves Americans and establishing a sense of American Identity.

It is this identity that we will study next week. We began today by looking at how everything we know that is "American" began immediately in this period after the War of 1812. The "Star-Spangled Banner", Uncle Sam, "America" ("My country, 'tis of thee"), capitalism, and the idea of national celebrities all have their origins rooted in this period.

I have a poster project that is fun, quick and has the potential for redecoration in mind for next week. This morning when getting it all out of my head, Google Drive was uncooperative and so I wrote all my preliminary handouts on paper. I've shared the five options for next week below so you can start thinking about which aspect of Americanism you would like to research and represent for your classmates. They are my hand-written notes, so, sorry.

Growing Pains Project Options

I hope your weekend is fantastic. Don't forget, Student-Led Conferences are next week. See you all there!

Until then, yours,
Mr. Bruce

Week 24 in Mr. Bruce's History

Parents and Students,

Welcome to March! Today, March 4, 2016 is the 215th Anniversary of Jefferson's inauguration as president. We used this day to spend an extra class period on Jefferson's presidency and his legacy as he left us constantly confused about what he really believed in. This is what makes Jefferson's presidency and his record as a leader difficult, interesting, and important for us to study it today.

All week, we have been exploring the nature of foreign policy as it affected the decisions made by our first presidents. We began by making it clear, using Washington's Farewell Address (video assignment pt. 2 last weekend) that our first president challenged his successors to remain neutral and isolated. Unfortunately, the dirty love triangle between U.S., France, and Britain (our top two trading partners) made this very difficult as the latter two continued to declare war on each other. Adams, Jefferson, and (as we will see Monday) Madison all had to address the dilemma of how to protect American ships engaged in overseas trade.

Adams used a bit of force (Quasi-War) and military build-up to create a firm ground upon which we could negotiate with the French. This resulted in a peace that (kind-of) lasted a few years but it cost us more in the end than we received from the deal (see Notes for Tuesday's Lesson: Adams' Foreign Policy and the Election of 1800 - Web view). As we learned, Adams chose the right thing to do, keeping us out of war and without any permanent alliances. However, as we also learned, it also cost him the Election of 1800.

We took the time to study Jefferson's goals as president to reduce the size of the national government. We had learned about his beliefs of Government last week as we contrasted the Hamiltonian Federalists with the Jeffersonian Republicans. These ideals and goals when he becomes president would definitely bite him as he, too, had to address the same dilemma as Jefferson: how to keep American shipping safe from attack. Whereas Adams had to deal with the French, Jefferson faced more enemies on the seas. He uses the navy to challenge the Barbary Pirates, leading to an end to paying them tribute for our safety (eventually). But his troubles with French are amplified by increased conflict between them and Britain. He works with Congress to pass the Embargo act of 1807, cutting off all trade with Britain and France, intended to punish them. This results in a disastrous effect on our economy and boosted American manufacturing, which Republicans desired less of. In the end, he kicks the problem down the road to the next guy, Madison. We'll learn how his strategy is what the others avoided...

Lastly, as we re-capped and came full-circle of Jefferson's presidency, we learned about Marbury v. Madison. As  most important Supreme Court decision that served as the only battle of the "Revolution of 1800." Feel free to view the notes from today (Friday 3.4.16 - Web view) and the videos we used today.

Looking forward to next week. Until then, I remain

Yours,
Mr. Bruce