Witnesses to History

This week we witnessed another milestone in American history as President Obama signed the National Health Care legislation into law. Presidents as far back as Theodore Roosevelt have been pushing for some form of national health care for all, and America has long been the only developed country that did not offer this as a basic right of its citizens. The legislation will phase in over several years, but one of the immediate impacts will be to allow parents to keep their children on the family insurance plan up to the age of 26. With unemployment currently so high, this benefit will have an immediate impact on many families. Other immediate effects will be subsidies for small business owners so they can afford health coverage for their employees and an extension of drug coverage for Medicare recipients. If you are a student in CWI/Modern America, your current event, which is due on Monday, must be about this new legislation.

CWI/Modern America

This week we completed out unit on World War II by reading interviews with Rhode Island women whose economic and social lives were changed by the war. After reading the documents, you developed a thesis statement based on the prompt. This was good practice for the task you will have in the next few weeks.

We started our unit on the Cold War by watching a video on its seven phases. These covered the period from the end of World War II until the collapse of the Soviet Union (USSR) in 1991. Throughout this period, there was bitter - though usually indirect - conflict between communist countries led by the USSR and democratic countries led by the United States. I would urge you to speak with family members who lived during this period to better understand the fear and mistrust many Americans felt toward the USSR. The photo of Nikita Khrushchev, leader of the Soviet Union, banging his shoe on the podium of the UN is an image many associate with this period. Khrushchev stated “We will bury you!” and many in the West reacted with fear.

You are responsible for the vocabulary list on the board (NATO, satellite nations, Berlin Wall, 38th parallel, Ho Chi Minh, domino theory, Senator Joseph McCarthy, Warsaw Pact, Cuban Missile Crisis, Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Iron Curtain, containment and arms race/space race) as well as Chapter 26 section 1 (section review 2-5) and section 2 on containment, with your worksheet. In class we read interviews with children who grew up with the threat of a nuclear attack and saw how schools tried to comfort students by staging drills. Some families even built bomb shelters in their back yards. We now look back and understand these precautions would have done little to help children survive a nuclear attack on the US.

Many students missed class this week because of field trips, so please stop by and pick up your assignments and take any missed quizzes.

Final reminder that your current event is due on Monday. You have the choice of doing it on a news article or an editorial, as long as it deals with the new health care law.

Next week we will look at the Korean War and start reading about Vietnam.

Seniors

Please pick up your senior letter which must be signed by your parent/guardian and returned. You only have about 9 weeks left and you must earn a passing grade in this class to walk the stage. It is up to you.

World History

This week we had an activity entitled “Do Photographs Lie?” based on a web site that let you explore how Stalin doctored photos to support his position and image. After looking at how Stalin modified photos to suit his purposes, we read about Michael Deaver, a member of President Reagan’s staff who was responsible for helping the President project a positive image. Mr. Deaver was a master at structuring photo opportunities that cast the President in the most favorable light. You also had to find an image of an elected official and write about the importance of image.

While it would be natural to start up once again with the study of World War II, we paused to learn about Mohandas Gandhi and his belief in changing the world through non-violent means. Your text reading gave you the background on how Great Britain treated its Indian colony and why the Indians yearned for independence. The award-winning movie, “Gandhi,” allowed us to witness the challenges Gandhi endured as he tried to move his people towards independence. Your section review and maps helped you understand the sequence of events and the importance of knowing about Hinduism. Next week, you will receive a list of quotes from Gandhi and you will be asked to write about the meaning and intent of his statements. You should be ready to hand in your guided reading questions next class.