Unit Test Tomorrow

Any student who visits my blog before the test will recieve 3 extra points... Just send me an email with your name to jgibbons@esmschools.org


In order to be prepared for tomorrow's test, review the following.

Homework Sheets Sect 1, Sect 2 and Sect 3
-Review Quiz from last Friday-Review all notes in the Recon.Packet
-Re-Read the History Comic Book as well.

Video Clips:
Great Summary Video ( I highly recommend watching this)
Plessy v Ferguson Case

Ending Reconstruction

After about ten years of Radical Reconstruction the country began looking at permanently ending military rule in the South. It was very expensive, made Southerners angry, and was making little progress in changing attitudes and the Southern way of life.
It was a Presidential Election (1876) that really led to the end of Reconstruction. After a highly contested election, a deal was made so that the Republican candidate would win, but only after he promised to remove all federal troops from the Southrn States.This will lead to a system of "Segregation" and Jim Crow Laws that will last for the next 80 years.

Video Clip: The Election of Rutherford B. Hayes

The KKK and Southern Violence

In today's class we are looking at the worst of the Reconstruction. It really was a period of extensive violence and horrible behavior. Groups like the Ku Klux Klan and the White League terrorized the newly freed slaves and white carpetbaggers who came South after the war. Getting the U.S. back together was becoming seriously difficult.

Aftershock: The video we watched in class today

Carpetbaggers and Scalawags

Today we are looking at the changes that took place under Radical Reconstruction after the Civil War. Two groups in particular, Carpetbaggers and Scalawags drove old school white Southerners absolutely crazy. They felt like they were under attack again by the powers of the North.

Class Video: The Carpetbagging Yankees

The President vs. Congress

After our quiz on early reconstruction events we began to examine the relationship between President Andrew Johnson and the Radical Republican alliance in Congress. This was a fight for the ages and resulted in a HUGE number of vetoes and overrides over how to properly reconstruct the South.

These battles results in the Radical Republican alliance using "impeachment" to get rid of Johnson. The charges are pretty weak, and the final votes in the Senate saves Johnson by 1 vote, BUT he is pretty powerless and silent for the rest of his term. he finished with more of a whimper than a bang.

Radical Reconstruction

As we continue on with U.S. Reconstruction, we find that new president Andrew Johnson is at odds with the Republican Congress. President Johnson lets the South re-form their governments and send new representatives back to Washington DC. There are hardly any punishments given to any Southern military leaders or government officials. Upon their return to the U.S., Southerners sent their former Confederate leaders and war heroes to serve in the new Congress. We also find that the newly free slaves, called "Freedmen" have to follow separate rules, called "black codes", from white people and are being discriminated against at every turn.

Conclusion:Lincoln Assassination

Today we are finishing up the 3 days we've spent on the Lincoln Assassination and trial of the conspirators. This is an extremely detailed series of events and I wanted tp take a little more time than usual examining this famous historical event.

I found a very interesting link that compares the film we just saw, The Conspirator, with history. You may be surprised how many things were told differently!!!

Film vs Fact: The Conspirator

Lincoln Assassination: The Conspirator

We are starting a brand new film that just came out about called The Conspirator. It covers the details of the LIncoln Assassination, but mainly focuses in the trial of the accused conspirators especially the lone woman Mary Surratt.

***Any students who would like an opportunity for extra credit can visit one of the links below and tell me what you learned in a few sentences. Email to me at jgibbons@esmschools.org

Links

Ford's Theater... Virtual Tour
Trial of the Lincoln Assassination Conspritors
Walking the Assassins Footsteps

The Lincoln Assassination Part 1

Today we are examining the events surrounding the Lincoln Assassination. To begin with, we talked about how this event has many layers. Most students come into 8th grade knowing a little about the assassination, but there is much more there to learn about.
We began by defining the word conspiracy and then understanding the motives behind John Wilkes Booth's plot. We then looked at the targets and locations the night of April 14th 1865 and why this triple murder plot was important to Booth. Tomorrow we will begin watching clips from the new movie called The Conspirator which focus on the assassination and the trial of the captured conspirators.

U.S. Reconstruction 1865-1877

Today we move forward and tackle the problems facing the United States after the end of the Civil War. It's 1865 and the South is in shambles. Cities, railroads, factories and farms are destroyed. People are left homeless, loved ones are killed or wounded, and people are angry, depressed and unemployed. Can President lead the nation after the war? He was a strong courageous leader during the Civil War Hopefully his leader ship can continue after as well.

Start of U.S. Reconstruction

Today in class we are taking a step back into the Civil War before we start learning about the Reconstruction period that follows. We are reviewing; Causes of the Civil War, Stratagies to Win, Big Battles, and How the War Came to an End.

September 11th... Ten Years Later

Click for the My 9/11 Tribute with Political Cartoons

Today we are reviewing the events of September 11th 2001. It really is hard to believe that that much time has gone by. My current students were only 3 and 4 years old back in 2001 and I have found many don't know most of what happened.Through the use of pictures, video, articles and political cartoons we are revisiting the events as they unfolded 10 years ago.

Text Tour: The Online Textbook

Today's lesson will feature our class becoming accustomed to using the online textbook in Social Studies 8. There are some great advantages and shortcuts availible using the online book. This worksheet you are going to complete will show you many of the easier solutions to using an online text instead of a hard copy textbook.