I learn history everywhere I look. Art, architecture, newspapers, movies, facebook. Wait, what? Facebook? Search Facebook for the “Zinn Education Project” and like it. Scroll through their posts and find one that you connect to, as an intelligent and aware young person there will be something on that page that you will like. I know it.
If you can't get onto Facebook for some reason, go straight to the Zinn Education Project webpage instead.
Be willing to check out the variety of posts. Choose one topic/event/biography and read about it. Write a brief summary of the information presented and create questions about what else you want to know. Lastly, connect what you learned to one of our bigger themes:
American Identity
Culture
Demographic (Population) changes
Economic Transformations
Environment
Politics and Citizenship
Religion
Slavery and its Legacies
War and Diplomacy
What does this historical event or person have to do with the bigger picture of American History? Explain the connections you are making.
Have fun!
Religion
Slavery and its Legacies
War and Diplomacy
What does this historical event or person have to do with the bigger picture of American History? Explain the connections you are making.
Have fun!
Well since I am an illiterate facebook user, I used Howard zinn's website I found the "bread and Roses" centenial celebration I thought this was pretty cool considering.... well the year was 1912 (100 years ago)and Women in Lawrence, Massachusetts planned a walk out because of poor treatment because the State of Massachusets made it a law that women and children could only work 56-57 hours a week so the factory owner lowered their pay and the women knew that wasn't right "The strikers engaged in mass picketing. Mill security turned fire hoses on the picketers gathered in front of the mills. During the strike there were nearly 300 arrests and strikers Anna LoPizzo and John Rami lost their lives." I believe this connects to the Amaerican Identity or culture for one of the bigger themes I believe this because women started standing up for themselfes and American's knew the way they thought they should be treated. Know we were able to really see how American's culture was really changing in this point in history because before men worked and women were the care takers this all took a change for the better.
ReplyDelete- Rebecca R.
Quote: "Education can, and should, be dangerous." -- Howard Zinn
ReplyDeleteHow can education be dangerous? it is suppose to help people not hurt them. This was my initial thought, then i started thinking “how has education changed from even the founding of American to today?” We, as humans, have come a far way since this nations founding, from improved medicine, technology, transportation, weaponry, rights of the people, and so on. As we move forward, as a species (humans), we teach our findings to our next generation so they can use our findings and improve on them and this continues to repeat. So as we teach the next generation we can either teach them the whole truth or teach them what we want to teach them. This can be dangerous since it can cause generations to build false accusations or pride in suppose ‘heroes’ of our nation. As well as we progress some people will rise up and push the human race even further then where it was before. However some may use their knowledge to attack a group of people or use their knowledge to hurt and bring down others rather then bring them up.
Education of the backbone of culture, if people get a good education then they use that to build upon our culture, mold it into what it is or should be at the time. Out culture is always changing, as is our education, twenty years ago computers, Facebook, social networks weren't even in existence but now they are the center of our culture and people learn how to use these tools to future our education (or waste time).
Education has driven us to where we are today, intellectuals have founded, maintained and run our nation. We, the people, are then taught so that we may help run our country. This fact alone is the most dangerous thing above all, any certain individual can rise up and change an entire nation if he wanted to with the proper knowledge.
Tabree Bello
ReplyDelete“There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.”
― Howard Zinn
This is a quote which I believe is very significant for various reasons. Throughout history innocent people have been murdered. I believe that if the innocent weren't ever murdered there would be no history. Every country’s history involves war at one point or another. During war innocent people are murdered . Lives are destroyed. A Country cannot DENY its past, especially when it’s involves the annihilation of indigenous people as United States history does. We as human beings mustn't use cover stories to shield citizens from the injustices committed by our society, or by our government . The truth will reveal it’s self through history sooner or later.
History is the never ending story of the murder of innocent people.
I "liked" the Zinn Education Project page on FB a few weeks ago. I can honestly say that seeing their posts in my news feed has been such a delight for me, and lot more rewarding than most of the drama that fills it. Aside from that, the Zinn project has so many great posts and they are committed to updating it daily, if not more often. Today alone, I found two posts that spoke directly to me and my interests.
ReplyDeleteThe first post that struck me was about Jeannette Rankin, the first women to be elected into Congress. This historical event took place in 1917. She was a republican delegate from Montana. Rankin was influential in getting the 19th amendment passed, and women's right to vote. This is also a very timely FB post as we begin our study of WWI because Jeannette Rankin was the only US Congress member to oppose our country's entry in to WWI and WWII.
Jeannette's story says a lot about the American Identity, but more to the states identities of places like Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Washington that gave voting rights to women far before the entire country did and that a women would actually rise to a place of power before the country catches up is even more fascinating to me.
Then just another interesting post, to me, was about Marvin Gaye. Whenever music and other forms of entertainment are connected to history, I become quickly intrigued...it's kind of my thing. The Zinn Project posted to commemorate this artists birthday. However in user comments they questioned what people's favorite Marvin Gaye songs were and if anyone used them in their teaching. Some of the songs/comments that intrigued me were "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)", Gaye's influence on black culture and advancement (slavery and its legacies?), his influence of the general advancement of american music and interestingly how his music portrays women in a much different light than today's sex filled songs of modern day rappers.
I know a few Marvin Gaye songs, but this post made me want to learn more about his life and the time he was raised in. Then I'd like to look deeply at his songs and analyze their historical importance. I love how music, dance, etc.--the aspects of life we don't usually have time to study in history--can tell so much about the events, culture and ultimately the American Identity of a time period.
see below for links to FB posts
JEANNETTE RANKIN
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150589393004677&set=a.10150488278614677.374185.121352639676&type=1&theater
MARVIN GAYE
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150643888374677&set=a.10150488278614677.374185.121352639676&type=1&theater
Overall, lots of great stuff on the Zinn Education Project. Check it out!!!
--Christine
It is hard to say what the American identity is today, back then the
ReplyDeleteidentity would change with every era and or event. During that time
the identity was to be more cautious of the environment since they
were so into reconstruction. Awareness of the environment is an aspect
of today’s identity. The demographics for that time period are
slightly different compared to today. The white people back then I
would say still had European features, and are not well blended as it
is today. Also blacks were part of the community, it was new back then
but not now.