Wednesday, March 24, 2010
New Deal Blog
I chose to agree with the arguments made by historians such as Lizabeth Cohen. The New Deal did in fact offer the relief that many Americans were looking for. Each one of Roosevelt's reform movements seemed to help the people and the economy in it's own way. I think that the New Deal satisfied the needs of many people even though there may not have been complete reform. Cohen argued that the New Deal didn't completely live up to the radical changes the people wanted but it satisfied them enough in a way that they were compatible with the security and self-determination they were seeking and the programs of the New Deal. I think that President Roosevelt did a good job in attempting to pull the country out of crisis and the people did find the New Deal satisfying and helpful which was displayed in Lizabeth Cohen's points.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Diary Entry #3
William Cooper
September 19, 1915
3:00 p.m.
Germany
These trenches are downright filthy. The conditions we live in here are repulsive. Human waste fills the trenches. Dead men lay here and get eaten by flies. If we're lucky, we get one shower a week. Twelve of us sit in a huge vat of warm water with our clothes so we can clean our clothes and our bodies at the same time. The problem is that our clothes never get fully clean and there's still germs all over them. We're always scratching and the germs and bugs get spread from troop to troop. Not being able to bathe, sitting in dirty clothes brings in our worst enemy: lice.
Here we've learned that lice doesn't only cause excessive scratching but lice also brings disease which has attacked many of our men. We call this trench fever. The Germans have also had this problem with lice and it's taken a toll on their manpower. Along with lice are rats, some of our other notorious friends out on the front. The dead soldiers and food scraps attract them to the trenches. The rats are big in size and they seem to reproduce quickly so swarms of them will come at one time and feast on whatever they can get their grimy little hands on. We've tried so hard to get rid of them but they just keep on coming back. The rats too carry diseases. These abundant lice and rats have become a big threat to us troops here on the front.
September 19, 1915
3:00 p.m.
Germany
These trenches are downright filthy. The conditions we live in here are repulsive. Human waste fills the trenches. Dead men lay here and get eaten by flies. If we're lucky, we get one shower a week. Twelve of us sit in a huge vat of warm water with our clothes so we can clean our clothes and our bodies at the same time. The problem is that our clothes never get fully clean and there's still germs all over them. We're always scratching and the germs and bugs get spread from troop to troop. Not being able to bathe, sitting in dirty clothes brings in our worst enemy: lice.
Here we've learned that lice doesn't only cause excessive scratching but lice also brings disease which has attacked many of our men. We call this trench fever. The Germans have also had this problem with lice and it's taken a toll on their manpower. Along with lice are rats, some of our other notorious friends out on the front. The dead soldiers and food scraps attract them to the trenches. The rats are big in size and they seem to reproduce quickly so swarms of them will come at one time and feast on whatever they can get their grimy little hands on. We've tried so hard to get rid of them but they just keep on coming back. The rats too carry diseases. These abundant lice and rats have become a big threat to us troops here on the front.
Diary Entry #2
Robert Johnson
January 22, 1915
12:00 p.m
France
This winter has been unbearably cold. We soldiers will do anything to keep ourselves warm but it's hard to do so when we're all wet from the rain. Our coats, socks and boots don't dry out fast enough before we have to go the trench to fight again. We've tried everything to soak up the cold water like putting warm newspaper in our coats and boots to soak up that extra water. It's almost impossible to find dry socks here because there are so many cold men and few dry socks. Some men are fortunate enough to get extra socks and sweaters mailed to them from relatives at home. Boy, I wish I was that lucky.
We're simply freezing here and there's no way to keep warm because it's always raining, sleeting or snowing. Many men here have gotten trench foot which is almost like a frost bite because they don't have dry and warm socks or boots. The officers have us change our socks with the few extra they have every so often. We have to rub a grease on our feet before putting on the socks. We're all responsible for reminding each other to change our socks while we're out on the front otherwise we'll forget and end up getting trench foot. It's hard to keep track of all these things because we're out here trying to fight for our lives in these horrendous conditions.
January 22, 1915
12:00 p.m
France
This winter has been unbearably cold. We soldiers will do anything to keep ourselves warm but it's hard to do so when we're all wet from the rain. Our coats, socks and boots don't dry out fast enough before we have to go the trench to fight again. We've tried everything to soak up the cold water like putting warm newspaper in our coats and boots to soak up that extra water. It's almost impossible to find dry socks here because there are so many cold men and few dry socks. Some men are fortunate enough to get extra socks and sweaters mailed to them from relatives at home. Boy, I wish I was that lucky.
We're simply freezing here and there's no way to keep warm because it's always raining, sleeting or snowing. Many men here have gotten trench foot which is almost like a frost bite because they don't have dry and warm socks or boots. The officers have us change our socks with the few extra they have every so often. We have to rub a grease on our feet before putting on the socks. We're all responsible for reminding each other to change our socks while we're out on the front otherwise we'll forget and end up getting trench foot. It's hard to keep track of all these things because we're out here trying to fight for our lives in these horrendous conditions.
Diary Entry #1
John Anderson
November 5, 1914
5:00 p.m.
Belgium
The weather here has been unbearable. I've had to endure it all sitting here in the trenches. The mud is up to my knees and it's almost impossible to get from point A to point B. The thick mud that has formed is swallowing our wounded men. We're slowly getting sucked into the mud and it's getting harder to fight. The men are tired and cold. There has been very few dry days here. The days that are dry are usually bitter cold. We stand here in the freezing rain for days at a time. I see my fellow troops drowning in the mud trying their best to stay strong.
With all the rain comes all the mud. The mud makes everything worse. It clogs up our rifles, it drowns our men and it causes us to stay in one place because our feet are stuck. On top of the mud is a pool of water that goes up to our thighs. The water weighs down our heavy coats which can soak up a good twenty pounds of extra water. If fighting in this war wasn't bad enough, this weather just makes it worse. I wish I could go home and dry up because I'm tired of being wet all the time, day and night. Even on dry days, we're still all wet because we're completely drenched and the water just doesn't dry up.
November 5, 1914
5:00 p.m.
Belgium
The weather here has been unbearable. I've had to endure it all sitting here in the trenches. The mud is up to my knees and it's almost impossible to get from point A to point B. The thick mud that has formed is swallowing our wounded men. We're slowly getting sucked into the mud and it's getting harder to fight. The men are tired and cold. There has been very few dry days here. The days that are dry are usually bitter cold. We stand here in the freezing rain for days at a time. I see my fellow troops drowning in the mud trying their best to stay strong.
With all the rain comes all the mud. The mud makes everything worse. It clogs up our rifles, it drowns our men and it causes us to stay in one place because our feet are stuck. On top of the mud is a pool of water that goes up to our thighs. The water weighs down our heavy coats which can soak up a good twenty pounds of extra water. If fighting in this war wasn't bad enough, this weather just makes it worse. I wish I could go home and dry up because I'm tired of being wet all the time, day and night. Even on dry days, we're still all wet because we're completely drenched and the water just doesn't dry up.
Reaction Essay
World War One was the first war of its kind. Like in most wars, no one knew what was to come or what was going to happen, but this war took a toll on everyone, especially the soldiers. After reading the Prologue I was astonished by the effects war had on the soldiers such as 'shell shock', the trench conditions and the use of gases. The reading only gave me a slight view on what fighting on the Western Front was like and I was surprised that many men that were wounded or went insane went back to fight, knowing how horrible the conditions were. The reading really showed the pain and suffering the soldiers had to go through and how hard it was to fight on the front with little food, water and constant bombardment.
Trench warfare was a new way of fighting in WWI. The soldiers pretty much lived in these trenches during the four years of war. The trenches were built a specific way, they weren't just pits in the ground. In front of the trench was a wire fence. The front and back walls known as the Parapet and Parados were both built up with sandbags, with a fire step for soldiers to shoot along the Parapet. (Diagram found on page 13 of Prologue). Another thing new in the War was the use of gas shells, mainly chlorine gas, phosgene gas and the most lethal, mustard gas. I was surprised to find that the gases didn't kill the soldiers almost right away. Chlorine gas slowly killed a person through asphyxiation and a solider would fight for air for days. A soldier once said, " There, sitting on the bed, fighting for breath, his lips plum-colored, his hue leaden, was a magnificent young Canadian past all hope in the asphyxia of chlorine..." (page 66 of Prologue). Mustard gas showed no effects for up to twelve hours. Slowly it would begin to kill the body. The skin would blister and nausea started. The pain soldiers had to go through was beyond endurable. Constant bombardment and firing of guns began to take a toll on the sanity of many soldiers. Men started to break down and hysteria began. Men could not concentrate, they were tired, had headaches and always worried. There were many attempts to understand the effects and disorders of shell shock. The soldiers who suffered from shell shock went to special hospitals where they would stay for a couple weeks and get well fed, well rested and rehabilitated. Surprisingly, shell shock was a small percentage compared to other cases of illness, gas attacks, etc.
If I was in the same position as these soldiers in the war, I think I would have gone through the same kind of fear and shock as some of these soldiers did. I can really understand why some of the men went mad because of all the fighting, shooting and harsh conditions. I did not know that soldiers had these psychological problems during the war. Something I did agree with was a sentence on page 116 of the Prologue about authorities feeling like they owed the wounded more then just another chance to get killed. Many soldiers that were wounded had time to recover and got sent right back in to fight. I agree that they should have gotten time off of duty but I think they should have extended this gesture to the soldiers that suffered shell shock. After reading the Prologue I was impressed that many soldiers did make it out of the war alive even after enduring illness, trench warfare, gas attacks and shell shock.
Trench warfare was a new way of fighting in WWI. The soldiers pretty much lived in these trenches during the four years of war. The trenches were built a specific way, they weren't just pits in the ground. In front of the trench was a wire fence. The front and back walls known as the Parapet and Parados were both built up with sandbags, with a fire step for soldiers to shoot along the Parapet. (Diagram found on page 13 of Prologue). Another thing new in the War was the use of gas shells, mainly chlorine gas, phosgene gas and the most lethal, mustard gas. I was surprised to find that the gases didn't kill the soldiers almost right away. Chlorine gas slowly killed a person through asphyxiation and a solider would fight for air for days. A soldier once said, " There, sitting on the bed, fighting for breath, his lips plum-colored, his hue leaden, was a magnificent young Canadian past all hope in the asphyxia of chlorine..." (page 66 of Prologue). Mustard gas showed no effects for up to twelve hours. Slowly it would begin to kill the body. The skin would blister and nausea started. The pain soldiers had to go through was beyond endurable. Constant bombardment and firing of guns began to take a toll on the sanity of many soldiers. Men started to break down and hysteria began. Men could not concentrate, they were tired, had headaches and always worried. There were many attempts to understand the effects and disorders of shell shock. The soldiers who suffered from shell shock went to special hospitals where they would stay for a couple weeks and get well fed, well rested and rehabilitated. Surprisingly, shell shock was a small percentage compared to other cases of illness, gas attacks, etc.
If I was in the same position as these soldiers in the war, I think I would have gone through the same kind of fear and shock as some of these soldiers did. I can really understand why some of the men went mad because of all the fighting, shooting and harsh conditions. I did not know that soldiers had these psychological problems during the war. Something I did agree with was a sentence on page 116 of the Prologue about authorities feeling like they owed the wounded more then just another chance to get killed. Many soldiers that were wounded had time to recover and got sent right back in to fight. I agree that they should have gotten time off of duty but I think they should have extended this gesture to the soldiers that suffered shell shock. After reading the Prologue I was impressed that many soldiers did make it out of the war alive even after enduring illness, trench warfare, gas attacks and shell shock.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
John D. Rockefeller: Captain of Industry or Robber Baron?
The industrialist, John D. Rockefeller, of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth centuries is best characterized as a captain of industry. His achievements were in fact very positive because his company that he built provided oil for many people across the country. Oil was a big necessity at the time so his company helped many people. By saving up money to create his own small business, he built his way up buying many large oil companies to create the highly successful and profitable Standard Oil Company. Though he did want to be successful and wealthy, his motives were simply creating one powerful company. His fortune totaled $900,000,000 but he didn't just keep it for himself. Instead he put his fortune from his large monopoly to good use. He was a big part in creating the University of Chicago by donating $75 million to its funds. He set up the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research and donated another $50 million. He also donated $50 million to the General Education Board to help raise salaries for teachers and professors. He established the Rockefeller foundation and gave it $235 million. By creating such a successful business that provided oil and light to people all over, he was able to fulfill his dream and be honored for his charitable activities.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
New Years Resolution
This year, I'm really hoping to improve my grade. As of now, my grade in APUSH is good but I'd like to do even better. What I hope to do this year is to really focus on the reading. For me, it's really easy to get distracted when I read and I feel like I'm not completely understanding the text. For me to get every detail down, I have to re-read the chapter multiple times. What I'd like to do is take more time to really understand the information instead of skimming it for the answers of the questions and terms. I also want to take notes as I'm reading to make sure I get it. If I understand the reading more, I'll be able to understand more of the references we use in class which will, in the end help me get better test scores and better grades.
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