The Great Debaters

Per class discussions about Jim Crow America, here are a few links to items related to the movie The Great Debaters. If you've seen the movie--or when you do--leave your comments.

Assess the film for historical accuracy, dramatic and cinematic production, and/or relate it to class discussions. To what extent did this dramatization--based on a true story--contribute to, challenge, or refine your understanding of American history?

For the IMDB, click here. Find a review article from the Atlanta archdiocese here, and read an article about one of the actual people on which the film was based. Finally, here's an article from Wiley College (a school in Texas), the school whose debate team was victorious in a national competition.

History SMARTs in Room 3103

Here's a picture from Friday's unveiling of the SMART board. SMART technologies is based in Canada, and you can read more about the company here.

What do you think of the SMART board, and how useful is it for history class? What ideas of your own can you offer for how we can better use it in history?

Read more about the photographer here.

The History of Jim Crow

American writer and author James Baldwin (1924-1987) once said: "American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it."

This post provides additional on-line resources to compliment class discussions about the history of Jim Crow.

The first link will take you to the website of the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia at Ferris State University in Michigan. Dr. John Thorpe is the Museum Director and Dr. David Pilgrim is the Curator.

Read about the museum here, and more about the history of Jim Crow here and here. In short, this museum seeks to collect artifacts from the Jim Crow period, promote critical scholarly analysis, and offer teaching resources for education and racial healing.

The museum has a traveling exhibit, "Hateful Things," and you can view selected images from the exhibit here and here.

In addition to class discussions about the museum, its aims, and the power of historical memory, we will also view selected scenes from the documentary "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow." See the stories and links pages also. In class we will examine the geography of Jim Crow at this page, and trace out its history here.

[Photo credit here.]

Gilded Age

The following are key terms for Ch. 24, and some of the terms correspond to the reading on pp. 530-39. We will address Jim Crow in class tomorrow, but be sure to have pp. 512-513 read before you come to class.

These terms will constitute part of your study guide for the exam.

Tomorrow be prepared to discuss terms relevant to pp. 530-39.

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Union Pacific Railroad
Central Pacific Railroad
Transcontinental Railroad
Leland Stanford
Collis P. Huntington
James J. Hill
Northern Pacific Railroad
Southern Pacific Railroad
Cornelius Vanderbilt
4 time zones
Bessemer process
Interstate Commerce Act
Interstate Commerce Commission
Thomas Edison
A.G. Bell
Andrew Carnegie
J.P. Morgan
John D. Rockefeller
Vertical Integration
Horizontal Integration
Steel
U.S. Steel Corporation
Standard Oil Company
Gospel of Wealth
Sherman Anti-Trust Act
James Buchanan Duke
Women and the Industrial Revolution
Unions
National Labor Union
Colored National Labor Union
Mother Jones
Knights of Labor
Haymarket Square
Samuel Gompers
Assembly Line
American Federation of Labor
Labor Day
American Industry, 1900 (map, p. 547)

[Photo credit here.]

Painting the Past: The Gilded Age and Progressive Eras

Welcome back and Happy New Year!

In addition to the social and political changes of the Gilded Age and Progressive Eras, the artwork of the time sheds light on trends, ideas, and events. Check out the some of the painting here, and follow these links to learn more.

Pick one (1) artist and painting that intrigues, mystifies, or inspires you, and explain why. Comment by Tuesday, January 8, 7:50am.

'Tis the Season.....

....for final exams, and gifts. So catch the spirit of the season by listening to this "final" podcast--my gift to you.

Civil War and Reconstruction

Key Terms for Civil War/Reconstruction Quiz. Be able to define/describe/identify the following:

Northern/Southern advantages/disadvantages prior to Civil War
William T. Sherman
Dred Scott
Vicksburg
Bull Run
Lincoln’s 10% Plan
Reconstruction
John Brown
Merrimac v. Monitor
Gettysburg
Appomattox
Scalawags
Carpetbaggers
Charles Sumner
Preston Brooks
13th Amendment
14th Amendment
15th Amendment
Ft. Sumter
Freedmen’s Bureau
Compromise of 1850
Antietam
Jefferson Davis
Chancellorsville
Military Reconstruction Act of 1867
Election of 1864
John Wilkes Booth
Radical Reconstruction
Hiram Revels

**In addition to this key terms list review chs. 20-22 as well as notes on Civil War and Reconstruction**