April 27

IB 30/35

Today was spent watching U.S. politics videos that reviewed American presidential administrations from Nixon to Clinton. If you missed today's class, please make sure that get the notes from a classmate. This weekend should be spent reviewing for your IB exams. Please make sure that you visit the IB Review page on the IB 30/35 Wiki.

IB 20

You wrote a current events quiz in class. I gave you three tasks to complete this weekend:

1. Create a Causes, Courses/Practices, Events, Results Chart on the War of 1812 
2. Complete the TOK Links on the War of 1812 from your History of the Americas textbook
3. Complete the task on the War of 1812 Website Assignment which can be found on the IB 20 Wiki (I sent a message to you through the wiki earlier tonight)

April 26

IB 30/35

I tried my best to get through a PowerPoint lecture on Ronald Reagan's administration. I'll post the PowerPoint on the wiki later tonight.

IB 20

We completed the debate on the War of 1812. Tonight, I'd like you to think about which option you think was best for the Americans to follow in 1812. We'll discuss this tomorrow.

April 24

IB 30/35

We covered Lyndon B. Johnson's administration today. I'll start posting the PowerPoint lectures on the wiki this evening. If you missed writing your Paper 3 last week, you will be writing it tomorrow (Wednesday, April 25th),  this is for all band members, rugby players and Model UN team members who were away on Friday. We'll try to get through the Nixon administration and the Ford and Carter years tomorrow.

IB 20

I continued the PowerPoint presentation that I started yesterday. I'll fix the mistakes in it and post it on the wiki tomorrow. I also gave you the War of 1812 packages today, we'll be doing our in-class debate on this on Thursday. You have a quiz on Latin American independence movements and the Haitian Revolution tomorrow, so study!

April 16

IB 30/35

We watched Episode 6 of Eyes on the Prize "Bridge to Freedom" which focuses on the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The first attempt at marching from Selma ended soon after crossing the Edmund Pettis Bridge and ended in violence. The confrontation between Alabama state troopers and marchers was broadcast on network TV. There was a second march, this time led by Martin Luther King. This time the march ended with the marchers asking to pray. There was a federal order not to continue the march. The marchers don't violate the federal order. You start to see a split between the leadership of the SCLC and SNCC in this episode. Please remember that you have a quiz on the Civil Rights Movement on Thursday and a Paper 3 on the same topic on Friday.

IB 20

Most of today's class was spent conducting our debate on the Haitian Revolution. I will be asking for you to hand in your booklets on the Haiti Revolution in tomorrow's class.

April 13

IB 30/35

We continued watching the PBS series Eyes on the Prize today by watching Episode 4 "No Easy Walk". We didn't finish this episode because our class was shortened due to the home room session. Today's episode focused on the Albany Movement, Birmingham and the March on Washington. The culmination of the March on Washington was Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Please watch the speech below. You will have a quiz on the U.S. Civil Rights Movement on Thursday, April 19th. Next Friday, April 20th , you will be writing a Paper 3 on the Civil Rights Movement. Here are some possible questions from previous IB Exams:

• What were the successes of the civil rights movement from 1950-1964 and how were those successes obtained? 
• What were the successes and failures of the civil rights movement between 1954 and 1964? 
• Explain the development of the civil rights movement in the 1950’s. 
• To what degree had it achieved its objectives by the time of the March on Washington in 1963? 
• How were the philosophies and tactics of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X different and what caused those differences? 
• Why had the civil rights movement come to dominate national attention by 1964? 
• What impact did the Black Power Movement have on the Civil Rights Movement?
• Compare and contrast the strategies of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X.
• What factors contributed to the urban riots post 1964? 
• The civil rights movement had achieved most of its basic goals by 1965. To what degree do agree with that statement? 
• Overall would you characterize the civil rights movement as a unified or dis-unified movement?
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the NAACP’s strategy from 1950-1968. 

This weekend should be spent studying and preparing for your IB exams.

IB 20

We started an examination of the Haitian Revolution today. I delivered a short presentation on the Haitian Revolution that focused on the causes, short-term and long-term results of the revolution. I also gave you a reading package on the Haitian Revolution. You should read this booklet this weekend, take notes on it if you wish. Don't write in the booklet, it is part of a class set. You were assigned a group for Monday's debate on the Haitian Revolution. Be prepared!

April 12

IB 20

We finished watching the PBS video "When Worlds Collide" today. I then delivered a short lecture on European colonization of the Americas. I'll post the article on historiography of the conquest on the wiki and the PowerPoint presentation.

IB 30/35

We continued watching the PBS series Eyes on the Prize today. Today's episode, Episode 3, "Ain't Scared of Your Jails" primarily focused on the student-led sit-in protests at the lunch counters in Nashville and the Freedom Rides of 1961.

April 10

IB 30/35

We continued our examination of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement in class today. I will post the PowerPoint presentation that I started in class last week on the wiki today. Your Civil Rights Movement Research Assignment is due tomorrow. We started watching Eyes on the Prize today in class, specifically Episode 1: "Awakenings" (1954-1956) which focused in on the murder of Emmett Till and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On the timeline that is on the video study guide for this episode it also mentions the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, however, the makers of Eyes on the Prize focus in on Emmett Till's murder, and the short public trial of his murderers. You can see Till's murder as a pivotal event in the Civil Rights Movement, and the open casket funeral of Emmett Till and the publication of the photos as a catalyst for change in America's attitudes. Mississippi, where Till's murder took place gained national notoriety as a hotbed for white supremacy as well. If you are interested in the Till case you might want to do a little investigation of your own into the impact that the murder had on popular culture. Numerous songs, plays, poems, novels, TV shows and movies have drawn inspiration from the murder of Emmett Till and the court case. You may see parallels between the Till case and Harper Lee's novel To Kill a Mockingbird (one of my personal favorites) to the TV show In the Heat of the Night (it was previously a movie too), to the Bob Dylan song "The Death of Emmett Till". With the Montgomery Bus Boycott segment of the episode you saw the emergence of Martin Luther King on the national stage. We'll be exploring his role and leadership in the movement in the days to come.

IB 20

Most of today's class was spent writing your Unit 5 Exam.

April 5

IB 20

We wrote a current events quiz at the beginning of class today. Over the Easter long weekend, I strongly suggest that you keep up with the news. We finished off our look at the Congress of Vienna today. You will be tested on the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Age and the Congress of Vienna on Tuesday, April 10th. Please see the study guide below for the Unit 5 Test Study Guide. It is recommended that you check out the IB 20 wiki, Unit 5 section, as there have been some PowerPoints added and links to other notes that might help you prepare for Tuesday's test.

Unit 5 Test Study Guide (The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Age):

This test will have a mixed format: matching section, short answer section and a multiple choice section. This test will be written on Tuesday, April 10th. Please use the following study guide tips.

• study "The French Revolution" PowerPoint presentation (on the IB 20 wiki)
• study "The Napoleonic Age" PowerPoint (on the IB 20 wiki; this presentation also contains information on the Congress of Vienna)

1. Study the following key terms, key events and key people associated with the French Revolution:

• cahiers
• Law of Suspects
• Marat
• the “Plain”
• National Assembly
• the Directory
• Civil Constitution of the Clergy
• Danton
• Committee of Public Safety
• the Three Estates
• Louis XVI
• First Estate
• Second Estate
• Third Estate
• Clergy
• Nobility
• Bourgeoisie
• “nobles-of-the-sword”
• “nobles-of-the-robe”
• “nobles-of-the-bell”
• corvée
• gabelle
• vingtièmes
• Levée en Masse
• National Convention
• September Massacres
• Reign of Terror
• Robespierre
• Parlement du Paris
• the Tennis Court Oath
• the National Guard
• the Marquis de Lafayette
• Paris Commune
• National Guard
• émigrés
• Jacobins
• Girondins
• Estates-General
• Republic of Virtue
• Revolutionary Tribunal
• Declaration of the Rights of Man

2. Other study tips:

• know the causes of the French Revolution (short term, long term, economic, political, social, intellectual)
• know the structure of French society during the Old Regime
• know Napoleon's domestic policy
• know Napoleon's foreign policy (Continental System in particular)
• know key battles in the Napoleonic Wars (results of the Battle of Trafalgar, Russian campaign, the Battle of Leipzig, and the Battle of Waterloo)
• know chronology of key events in the French Revolution
• know the chronology of key events in the Napoleonic Age
• know the key players at the Congress of Vienna (country and representatives)
• what were the major decisions of the Congress? what were the guiding principles at the Congress of Vienna
• know the 19th century political spectrum (please see the graphic below; values and characteristics of the various positions on the spectrum; what groups are represented on the various positions on the spectrum?; what phases/accomplishments of the French Revolution are represented on the spectrum?)

3. Study the 19th century political spectrum (click on the graphic to enlarge it)

IB 30/35

Most of today's class was spent writing your Cold War Exam. When you handed in your exam you were to pick up a copy of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement Research Assignment. This assignment is due on Wednesday, April 11th.

April 3

IB 30/35

We finished watching the CNN Cold War series today by watching the final chapter in the series called "Conclusions (1989-1991)". This chapter focused on the break-up of Eastern bloc countries such as Czechoslovakia and Romania as well as the break-up of the Soviet Union. As I said in class, some of Gorbachev's domestic policy reforms coupled with his foreign policy decisions contributed to the end of the Cold War. Please remember that you have your Cold War Exam on Thursday, please see the study guide here.

IB 20

We finished watching the History Channel documentary "The French Revolution" today. We then moved directly into a PowerPoint presentation on the Napoleonic Age, which we will finish tomorrow.

April 2

IB 30/35

We continued our examination of the Cold War today by watching another video from the CNN Cold War series called "The Wall Comes Down (1989)" which covered not only how the communist bloc broke apart in East Germany, but also in Hungary and Poland.

The Cold War Exam is on Thursday, April 5th. It is a 70-75 multiple choice questions.

Here are some study tips:

• study The Origins of the Cold War (ppt)
• study all notes on the Origins and Causes of the Cold War
• study notes on the Korean War study notes on the Cuban Missile Crisis
• study notes on the Vietnam War (see your own notes from the Vietnam War Assignment booklet, and the notes that I posted on the IB 30/35 Wiki on the Vietnam War)
• make sure that you know all the Cold War Concepts 
• know the chronology of events of the Cold War (study the Cold War timeline and the Vietnam War timeline, and the end of the Cold War timeline that I will be giving you on subsequent class)
• know key events that we've emphasized in class (for example: Berlin Airlift, Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War) plus other key events from the Cold War period
• understand how certain Cold War concepts can be illustrated by key events in the Cold War (ex. brinkmanship in the Cuban Missile Crisis)
• know major arms reduction agreements (bilateral agreements and multilateral agreements), please study the notes that I gave you on this topic
• know about the formation of alliances (NATO, Warsaw Pact) and the formation of "spheres of influence"
• anything that I gave you as a handout or that is posted on the wiki is testable material and should be reviewed!!
• know how the Cold War ends and its results/consequences

IB 20

We started watching a History Channel video called "The French Revolution". We will continue watching this video again tomorrow.