Mr. Munford's History Blog

The Whiskey Rebellion

2012-02-06T08:52:00.003-06:00

Today we will study the Whiskey Rebellion. Students will read the diary of President George Washington written while leading an army to western Pennsylvania to put down the rebellion and force farmers to pay a tax on whiskey.

Read about the Whiskey Rebellion

Whiskey Rebellion 2 minute video

President George Washington's Diary

Assignment:
1) Read the diary and the notes that accompany it.
2) Create a fictional character who will travel with President Washington.
3) Through the character's eyes tell the story of how George Washington put down the Whiskey Rebellion. Make sure you use plenty of facts- real people, places, dates, etc., to make your story historical fiction. You may write the story in first or third person, but it cannot be a journal/diary.
4) The story should be written in Google Docs and shared with me.

The story is due on Friday by the end of the period. Check your email for the scoring rubric or simply click on the following link: Scoring Rubric

The Middle Passage

2012-01-31T05:51:00.002-06:00

Click on the following link to watch film: The Middle Passage

Bill of Rights Quiz

2012-01-26T10:02:00.000-06:00

Those of you who have not finished the film will do so today. After the film, you should find the Bill of Rights Quiz under the Formative Assessment heading on the right hand side of the blog. Type in your first and last name- the site will ask for a secret word- it is patriot. Take the quiz as many times as you need to, but you must get at least 35/37 points (that's an A).

Due Process of Law

2012-01-24T07:55:00.002-06:00

Today we will study the 4th, 5th, and 6th amendments.
Click on the following link to watch the film: Sticks and Stones

Click on the following link to watch the second part of the film: Sticks and Stones part 2

When you finish the film, go to formative assessments and play the Bill of Rights Games and Quiz.

The Bill of Rights

2012-01-16T11:24:00.001-06:00

We've finally conquered the Constitution and most of us did well on the test. A few of you will need to take the test again if you did not score at least 70% (C-). On Tuesday we will begin our study of the Bill of Rights- I know what you're thinking, "Mr. Munford, we already took the Constitution test!".
You're right, we did. But, the Bill of Rights is not really part of the Constitution, it is s separate document. If you remember, 9 of 13 states were needed to ratify the Constitution for it to become the law of the land. When only 8 states would say yes to the Constitution, some promises were made. The most important of which, was that a Bill of Rights- to guarantee the basic rights of Americans- would be added.

Study for the Constitution Test

2012-01-10T13:50:00.003-06:00

Try this site to choose flash cards or a game to study for the Constitution Test on Friday!

Practice for Test

The Constitution Test

2012-01-09T09:59:00.001-06:00

The famous Constitution test will be Friday! Remember, you must score at least a 70% on the test or take it again.
Assignment: Make a question for every item on the list below. Make a separate sheet with the answers to your questions- This is due on Wednesday, at the beginning of the period.
Items on the test include:
Constitutional Convention (when and where)
3/5ths Compromise
New Jersey Plan
Connecticut (Great) Compromise
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
Separation of Powers
Amend
Ratify (How many states were needed to ratify the Constitution?)
Article I
Article II
Article III
Article IV
Article V
Article VI
Article VII
Judicial Branch
Executive Branch
Legislative Branch
Supremacy Clause
Necessary and Proper Clause
Reserved Powers (Give a few examples)
Delegated Powers (Give a few examples)
Concurrent Powers (Give a few examples)
Federalism
Checks and Balances
Judicial Review
Limited Government
Popular Sovereignty
Six goals of the United States government (in the Preamble)
Separation of Powers
How are amendments passed?
Name the powers of each branch of government: executive; legislative, judicial

Chapter 9 Vocabulary

2012-01-06T09:07:00.000-06:00

Chapter 9 vocabulary due Wednesday.

Section 1: pg. 256-261
representative democracy
delegated powers
elastic clause
reserved powers
concurrent powers
separation of powers
apportionment
impeach
veto
executive order
pardon
cabinet

Section 2: 284-289
petition
search warrant
due process
indict
double jeopardy
eminent domain
James Madison

Section 3 290-295
naturalized citizen
deport
draft
political action committees

Iowa Caucus Scavenger Hunt

2012-01-04T06:21:00.002-06:00

The results are in, Iowa has chosen! Today we will use the New York Times to learn about what happened. The scavenger hunt answers will be due on Friday. If you do not finish by Friday, you may still complete and share by January 13th (next Friday) for 80% of the points!

Copy and paste your answers to a Google Document, then share with me.

Below, you will find some places to start:

NY Times Home Page

Politics Page

The Caucus

Primary/Caucus Calendar for 2012

New York Times Scavenger Hunt: 2012 Iowa Caucuses

Find the following items:

1.The candidate who received the most votes in the Iowa caucuses, and what percentage of the vote this candidate received.

2.Who came in second, and with what percentage of the vote?

3.Who came in third, and with what percentage of the vote?

4.A quotation about the winning candidate from a caucus participant who supported him or her.

5.A quotation about the winning candidate from a caucus participant who supported a different candidate.

6.A photograph of the Iowa winner.

7.A photograph of caucus participants.

8.One statistic about each of the six main Iowa contenders aside from percentage of the caucus vote, like time spent in the state, money spent in the state, number of Iowa counties visited, money raised to date and money spent to date.

9.Three quotations, from three different pundits, political strategists or other experts, commenting on the Iowa caucuses.

10.A quotation in which an expert makes a prediction about the election based on what happened during the Iowa caucuses.

11.A graphic representation of the results of the Iowa caucuses.

12.A statement made by one of the top three finishers.

13.A statement made by one of the bottom two finishers.

14.Analysis of the results by a New York Times opinion writer or blogger.

15.The dates and locations of the first three primary elections in 2012 after the Iowa caucuses.

The Iowa Caucus

2012-01-03T06:14:00.001-06:00

Today is the first contest of the Presidential new year- and it just happens to take place in the great state of Iowa! This year every state in the Union will hold a contest to see who will win the nomination for the presidential candidate of the Republican Party. Barack Obama will run unopposed for the Democratic Party.
Today we will look at the Iowa caucus- how it works, its importance to our state, and whether or not Iowa is representative of the rest of the nation.
Assignment:
Go to the following link to read University of Iowa Professor Bloom's article about Iowa, then write a response in letter form:
Professor Bloom's Article

Go to the following link to watch CNN coverage of the Iowa Caucus
Iowa Caucus

Mitt Romney
Newt Gingrich
Ron Paul
Rick Santorum
Rick Perry
Michele Bachmann
Jon Huntsman

Projects, Projects, Projects

2011-12-20T07:48:00.001-06:00

Last Friday we began our 18 powers of Congress presentations. They were great! I saw poems, puppet shows, youtube videos, skits, songs, raps, and powerpoints. We have a few more to give this week, so let's keep up the good work!
Remember, Wednesday is your Preamble test..
I know you can do it.

The Powers of Congress

2011-12-14T06:31:00.001-06:00

This week we will study the powers of Congress as listed in Article 8 section 1 of the U.S. Constitution.
Your job will be to simplify the 18 powers (hence, the dictionaries around the room!) on the chart you were given in class, then create a song, rap, poem, or cheer. Your performance is due on Friday.
Have fun with it and learn a few things about our Congress!

The Three Fifths Compromise

2011-12-07T06:32:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we studied the "Great Compromise". The question of representation was an ongoing obstacle throughout the Constitutional Convention. Even the issue of slavery, which was in itself controversial among many of the Founding Fathers, was entangled in the debate involving the number of votes each state would receive in a national legislature. Today, we will look at the three fifths compromise and ask the question: "Was the Three-Fifths Compromise fair?" Click on the title of today's blog to go to today's lesson.

The U.S. Constitution

2011-12-06T06:17:00.001-06:00

This week we will start my favorite part of our curriculum- the U.S. Constitution. Knowledge of our government and how it operates is an integral part of being an American. Our Founding Fathers believed from the beginning, that citizens would need to be educated properly in government and history in order to participate in our federal system. Indeed, it was their knowledge of world history and political philosophy that led them to design a new style of government.

Before we can begin our study of the Constitution we will need to discover why they designed this particular type of government ... and how!

Constitutional Convention Vocabulary

2011-12-05T14:09:00.000-06:00

Chapter 8 sections 3 (pg. 236) and 4 (pg. 242) from the textbook.
Vocabulary words:
Section 3
popular sovereignty
federalism
legislative branch
executive branch
judicial branch
Constitutional Convention
James Madison
Virginia Plan
New Jersey Plan
Great Compromise
Three-Fifths Compromise
Section 4
amendments
Antifederalists
George Mason
Federalists
Federalist Papers
Bill of Rights

Letter from the Philadelphia Convention

2011-11-30T09:44:00.000-06:00

Today you will write a letter to your parents explaining that you will be attending the Philadelphia Convention. You should give three good reasons for "fixing" the Articles of Confederation. Some very good reasons can be found on pages 230-235 in your textbook. Make sure to include Shays's Rebellion!

The Articles of Confederation and Shays' Rebellion

2011-11-22T05:55:00.000-06:00

Go to the following link to complete today's lesson. Copy and paste questions to a google doc and share with me.

Daniel Shays Epitaph

Revolutionary War Battlemap

2011-11-16T13:48:00.001-06:00

Today you will complete a Revolutionary War Battle map. Click on the title of today's blog to find a blank map of the colonies.
Instructions:
1. Label all of the battles/events on your map
2. Show which side won the battle
3. Show the General for each side of the battle.

All of the following events should be on your map:
Lexington and Concord
Bunker Hill
Battle of Long Island
Battle of Trenton
Battle of Princeton
Battle of Saratoga
Battle of Brandywine Creek
Valley Forge
Battle of Vincennes
Battle of Yorktown

The Battle of Bunker Hill

2011-11-15T16:02:00.000-06:00

Today students place themselves in the shoes of British Governor/General Thomas Gage.

Having failed to take colonial stores of weapons in Concord, losing 250 of the worlds finest troops to a bunch of pitch-fork wielding farmers, and speeding up the process of rebellion, General Gage found himself surrounded in Boston by colonial militia. In an attempt to save face and keep Parliament from replacing him with General Howe, Gage makes an attempt to take Bunker Hill through brute force- yet another disaster!
Your job today: draw the map of Boston and the surrounding area, then create a battle plan for taking the hill successfully. Good luck! I hope you are smarter than General Gage...

Revolutionary War Newspaper

2011-11-08T08:27:00.002-06:00

Follow the link to the Revolutionary War Newspaper assignment. Follow the directions, it will be on a microsoft word document. There are several ways you can complete this assignment and share with me:
1. Complete the microsoft word document, save it to your file folder, and send it to me as an email attachment.
2. Complete the microsoft word document then print it- place it in the box.
3. Copy and paste the word document to a Google document (remember to work in Google Chrome), complete it and share with me.
4. Print the microsoft word document, fill it out with pencil or pen, paste pictures on it- place in the box.
Please do not copy and paste articles. You must include an annotated bibliography with your newspaper. Take notes, summarize, then write the articles using your own words. This project is due on Monday at the beginning of the period. It must be complete, you will not work on it in class.

Example of an annotated bibliography for an internet source:
Rosenberg, Jennifer. [history1900s.guide@about.com]. "A History of the Olympics." In "20th Century History Site at About.com" [http://history1900s.about.com/library/weekly/aa081000a.htm]. January 3, 2001.

This web site offers an overview of Olympic history and specific information about each Olympic Games. This site was important to my paper because I learned about the role Pierre de Coubertin played in restarting the Olympic Games.

Chapter 7 Vocabulary

2011-11-07T05:53:00.003-06:00

Chapter 7 vocabulary sections 1 and 2 in the textbook will be due on Wednesday. You may have today in class to work and what you do not finish will be homework.
By the way if you are not in class, feel free to Google any of the people, places, words and terms. Just be sure that your definitions are in the context of the American Revolution. For example, you would not want to write that George Washington was the first President of the United States, because he was not the President during the American Revolution!
If you write the definitions on a Google doc you can share your definitions with me and be finished with the assignment.

Section 1: pages 184-188
minutemen
seige
First Continental Congress
Thomas Gage
redcoats
Second Continental Congress
Continental Army
George Washington
Olive Branch Petition
Battle of Bunker Hill

Section 2: pg 190-193
unalienable rights
Common Sense
Thomas Jefferson
Declaration of Independence
Patriots
Loyalists
Abigail Adams

Causes of the American Revolution Test

2011-11-03T06:21:00.001-05:00

If you are at home today or missed class for another reason, you may click on the title of today's blog entry to take an online test. Just type in your first and last name- the secret word is patriot! Sshhh, don't tell anyone...

This Week

2011-11-01T07:55:00.000-05:00

We will continue working on the board games Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday, we will be playing all of the board games you have created! If you have been absent or just can't seem to remember the rules regarding the board game, check out last Thursday's blog (Nov. 27th). On Thursday, we will have a test over Causes of the American Revolution.

Blue Zone

2011-10-28T07:41:00.000-05:00

If you are 14 or older please go to the following site to sign up for the Blue Zone.
Blue Zone sign-up

Causes of the Revolution Game Board

2011-10-27T09:08:00.003-05:00

Today you should finish "For Crown or Colony" as well as the hand-out from yesterday. Make sure your drawing of the Boston Massacre shows that you either believe the event was the fault of the soldiers or the fault of the crowd.
When finished, you will begin making a board game. You may work with a partner, or you may work alone. On the back of the game board you should write all of the rules for your game. Any game pieces or cards should be made of tag board.
All of the following events/laws should be in chronological order and must include dates. The game should be colorful and should reflect your knowledge of causes of the American Revolution.

Battle of Lexington
Declaratory Act

Stamp Act
Boston Tea Party
Townsend Act
Sugar Act
Proclamation of 1763
Quartering
Intolerable Acts
Boston Massacre
Tea Act
Declaration of Independence

Ideas for blank spaces:
tarred and feathered
importation
Sons of Liberty
propaganda
indentured servant
committees of correspondence
smuggling
hanged in effigy
liberty tea
boycott
Daughters of Liberty
minuteman
apprentice
master craftsman
redcoat
Parliament
loyalist
patriot