Eras

=Eras=

Reading
History is the study of the past (people, events, and issues) to explain the present (how you have arrived where you are) in order to better prepare for the future. The key to truly understanding history is to know that one nation's success is completely based on someone else's failure. History is also not "truth," it is in the eye of the beholder, one person's interpretation of an event or issue. This is why the myths of history are just as important as the reality. By studying all parts of history, we are able to discern a well-rounded view of the past. Historiography is the study of interpretations over a period of time, analyzing how people interpreted an event versus studying the actual event. The study of history as you know it is a relatively new field of study, starting in the 1800's in Germany. History before this time was passed down in narrative stories, sometimes written, but mostly spoken. Since this time, historians tend to follow a specific theme when they study history usually influenced by what is happening in the present time.

In United States History this has fluctuated through a few different "schools of history." The first being the HEROIC school of thought. After the Revolutionary War nationalism was extremely high and everyone wanted to prove the greatness of America; basically, historians focused only on the good stuff in American history and forgot all the bad. They had a very simple "we good, they bad" thought process. Historians followed this trend for a long time until the Great Depression. The economic world crashed around us and people realized that while we may not be as great as we thought we were. Historians began to follow what is now known as the MARXIST or ECONOMIC school of thought. It became very important to study who has what, how much the have, and how much will they share, and vice versa. This trend continued for a few decades until after World War II. America was once again great and there was a push to redefine that greatness in our history. They found this greatness with the CONSENSUS school of thought. This interpretation of history pushed the idea that throughout all of American history, there were common goals, thoughts and culture that brought us all together for a common purpose. The greatness of America was quickly questioned with the onslaught of the Vietnam War. For the first time America was not the clear victor and the purpose for the war was being constantly questioned at home. The NEW LEFT school of thought emerged trying to bring back the thoughts of the Marxist school of thought. However, this time they pushed the equality of all mankind, wanting to study the a common sweatshop worker alongside the rich business man that ran the city. This school of thought has continued for some time, but where do you think we are as we study history? What did you study in your history textbooks the past 10 years?

Perception is defined as (1) the act or faculty of apprehending by means of the senses or of the mind; cognition; understanding; (2) the immediate or intuitive recognition or appreciation, as of moral, psychological, or aesthetic qualities; insight; intuition; discernment; and (3) the result or product of perceiving, as distinguished from the act of perceiving. (www.dictionary.com) The telling and re-telling of historical events is deeply rooted in perception. Even if the people telling of the event were at the event, they are still telling you their perception of the event, not just the cold, hard facts. As you listen to what they are saying, you are perceiving their words, actions and the meaning behind those words and actions. Historians also study and teach about events in history based on their perceptions. Read the article from the University of Mary Washington to help you understand historical perspective.

As you work through this unit and the upcoming unit, part of thinking historically is to critically analyze what you are researching, an article from the University of Mary Washington offers suggestions of questions that you can ask throughout your research to help you to understand the perspective of the authors. Remember these suggestions as you start your research for your final project.

Watching
Using two different schools of history, these documentaries have been made to teach the overall history of America. Choose one of the videos below to watch and decide which school of study was followed in the creation of the documentary.

1) Howard Zinn (August 24, 1922 - January 27, 2010) was a historian, playwright, and activist. He wrote the classic //A People's History of the United States//, “a brilliant and moving history of the American people from the point of view of those whose plight has been largely omitted from most histories.” (www.howardzinn.org) In 2009, he turned his classic book into a moving documentary called "The People Speak." Get the DVD from Carrie to watch this choice.

2) Produced by the History Channel, America: The Story of Us helps you to experience American history like never before with this television miniseries that highlights such momentous events as the arrival of the Pilgrims, the American Revolution, the Civil War and the incredible lunar landing. Narrated by Liev Schreiber, this comprehensive look into the true character of the United States and its people interweaves cutting-edge animation, insightful interviews and dramatic re-creations. (www.netflix.com) Go to www.netflix.com and obtain the username and password from Carrie to watch this choice. US I students watch episodes 1-7 and US II students watch episodes 8-12.

As you watch your selection, think about how perspective and perception is playing into what the video is saying and trying to teach you.

Learning
Write a reflection in your blog using the following questions as a guide:


 * 1) Define perception in your own words.
 * 2) How does perception impact your understanding of history?
 * 3) How does the perspective used in the videos sway your understanding of history?
 * 4) Can we ever tell the story of history without any perspective?
 * 5) Can perspectives ever be right or wrong?

Remember to follow our guidelines for netiquette, refer back to the reading and watching assignment in your reflection and create hyperlinks.

Doing
In most history classes, the class studies the chronology of United States history from a textbook. As we discussed before we are more interested in you learning how to think historically. In regards to the timeline of US History, we want you to understand how past events effect the future events. For this unit, you have the option to choose a partner from the class or work independently and create a Prezi. Choose one of the four Eras listed below and type your initials by your chosen era. We will have duplicate eras, so don't worry about choosing a topic that has already been selected. I do require that all eras need to be selected so you must choose one that has not been chosen before you select a duplicate era. Use The National Archives Experience website to find primary and secondary sources to be used in your prezi. You will not just be using the National Archives for your project. This is just a place for your to obtain primary sources to put into your prezi. I expect you to complete research on the internet to find your information, using keywords that you learned from your videos. Also, as you are planning your presentation, think about the different schools of thought that historians use to analyze history. Is there a specific school that fits with your era? Do you want to follow a specific one or try to encompass all schools of thought?

As for your presentation, you need to tell us the story of your era. What happened? Think of it in terms of a good story, there is the starting point, slow build up to a climatic moment and the resolution. Try to analyze the cause and effect relationship of events within your chosen era.

//Requirements:// Every good story starts out with a character who wants something. Your job is to figure out who that is in your era and what do they want. It might not be one specific person, but a group of people. You must include these literary techniques in your presentation. //1) exposition//--setting the stage and providing background information; //2) initial incident//--what was the spark that started the action of your era; //3) rising action//--the key events that led up to the big moment in the era; //4) climactic point//--the big moment of the era, the most important event that shaped the whole era; and //5) resolution//--how did the era end, what was the result of the big event?

Once you have completed the prezi, paste a hyperlink under your specific era and create a new blog post that describes your project and a link to your prezi.

United States History I
Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820) MA KP AE,

Expansion and Reform (1801-1861) SH TJ AH HS HF [] [] [] Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)MD,ML MR, CB, CC, SR, SB http://prezi.com/qu9ixodnebdb/edit/#0 http://prezi.com/mtaa0oaiezqi/edit/#19_14586512 [] [] CM KB [] AD, CG http://prezi.com/iz6xoya7e7hs/present/?auth_key=h0rkjen&follow=6vseikijog9t [] http://prezi.com/rwergdo_mrzi/present/?auth_key=dx21bib&follow=k8rpnv5gs3kq []

Development and Industrial United States (1870-1900)SC KT KK&JW CS, DB, LT HH

[] [] [] [] [|http://prezi.com/rmojsl3bsgzm/edit/#0_9120473]

United States History II
Emergence of Modern America (1890-1930)

Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945) LH MR AR DB JB CC SReed SB HF [] [] [] [] [] [] [] http://prezi.com/y-g_0eu1iavc/the-great-depression-world-war-ii/ http://prezi.com/0rvphuvzhk7z/great-depression-and-world-war-ii/ [|http://prezi.com/qvgw05y5g9ht/edit/#0_3086185] []

Postwar United States (1945-1970's) TJ & SH & SC KS, GE HH [] [] http://prezi.com/v1jymt5lsgae/postwar-united-states-1945-1970s/ [|http://prezi.com/t3wgmswtnijz/edit/#25_25789554] [|http://prezi.com/bownuwbapivj/edit/#4_10024984] http://prezi.com/t3wgmswtnijz/present/?auth_key=statn8r&follow=qng_twnnf-zp&kw=present-t3wgmswtnijz&rc=ref-17442505 GE

Contemporary United States (1968-present) S.L & A.J.S KT & NH [] [|http://prezi.com/t-fsqdxohuq7/edit/#6_148377]