Semester II Final

Part A

1. Before doing any research, I predict the three most highly ranked presidents in US history will be George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Thomas Jefferson. And the worst would be Richard Nixon.

2. The consistently top four ranked presidents have been Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Theodore Roosevelt. Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry S. Truman have both gone between the five and six spots in the ranking.

3. From the data it seems that the last two spots on the survey have consistently seen Andrew Johnson and James Buchanan as the holders of those positions. The top 10 seem to stay fairly constant with the passing year even though the survey is being taken by many different people. In relation to other presidents, the recent presidents seem to be put in the middle of the pack not really standing out from one another.

4. The participants seem to be well educated all with affiliations to different and diverse college backgrounds. Many seem to be involved in modern day history and enjoy learning and growing their knowledge of the topic. Many of them have backgrounds and professions that focus on humanities. C-SPAN included this to show the people that are taking their surveys so that you can know the general participants and where they come from. If this would not have been included then questions would arise about is the data fabricated and if they were just asking random people on the street as a survey. I believe that the choice of survey participants does not include all educational backgrounds and focuses on professionals.

5.
Public Persuasion
Crisis Leadership
Economic Management
Moral Authority
International Relations
Administrative Skills
Relations with Congress
Vision / Setting an Agenda
Pursued Equal Justice For All
Performance Within Context of Times

6. C-SPAN weighted all 10 categories the same.

7. I would have Crisis Leadership as the top ranked because it is important to have a leader who is calm in the face of adversity, also known as having "ice in their veins". and Second I would rank Performance within context of times because it is important to realize that we are not in the same time period as George Washington or Abraham Lincoln's presidencies. And lastly I would rank Economic Management because money is very important in society and being able to improve the economic situation is critical.

8. My predictions were very close to the C-SPAN survey and this is because I based my judgement off of popular opinion so a survey should reflect the same thing back.

Part B

"On March 16 we celebrate the anniversary of James Madison's birthday. Madison, traditionally viewed as the Father of the United States Constitution, is also seen by many as a defender of open government. He once wrote, "[a] popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps, both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."1 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. In a similar vein, he asserted that "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge" is "the only Guardian of true liberty."

9. James Madison, one of the most influential figures in writing our Constitution was born on March 16, 1751. James Madison fought for his people and for the right that they had to acquire access to the documents that the Government possessed in order to assist in overseeing the public. James Madison believed that the ability to have the people know what was going on is imperative for the success of his country. Madison believed that if people do not have access to these things then a Government could never be run properly and would fail each and every time. Madison also believed that the only way to true freedom is through the advancement and availability of documents and books that the Government possesses for the people.

" . . . [K]nowledge of our own history is essential in the making of Americans. The reasons for this belief may be summed up under four main heads. History makes loyal citizens because memories of common experiences and common aspirations are essential ingredients in patriotism. History makes intelligent voters because sound decisions about present problems must be based on knowledge of the past. History makes good neighbors because it teaches tolerance of individual differences and appreciation of varied abilities and interests. History makes stable, well-rounded individuals because it gives them a start toward understanding the pattern of society and toward enjoying the artistic and intellectual productions of the past. It gives long views, a perspective, a measure of what is permanent in a nation’s life. "

10. Both statements seem to be getting at the same ideas such as knowledge is power. Both statements are also calling the reader to go out and attain this knowledge so that the country can be a better more stable and well rounded place. Both documents also allude to the fact that you must put in the time because you get out what you put in and even with the availability of history and government documents you must read these to further understand the context and deeper meaning.
     In the AHA statement it focuses on history and how specifically the population, neighbors, voters, and individuals can benefit from the knowledge of history. In Madison's statement he talks about how the gaining of knowledge will effect the countries and not just the individuals like the AHA statement. He also talks about the presence of failure if this knowledge is not gained and studied and how that can lead to tragedy and brokenness of a country.

Part C

11. This year I have learned to paraphrase, hyperlink, summarize, avoid plagiarism, and check for source accuracy and reliability. In my blog post, 2.6 Philanthropy, I was able to successfully gather and hyperlink useful and academic sources that helped to prove the point of W. Barron Hilton who is a modern day philanthropist. Reliable information has been one of the key points that I have learned to gather and check for this year in US history and this is a skill that I will need to have with me for all of my classes going forward.
      This year in US history has also had an emphasis on paraphrasing and summarizing such as the main differences and how to successfully do both of these because they are useful in many different situations. Before this year I had no idea that there was even a difference in the two, I thought you could use paraphrase and summarize interchangeably. Later on this year though I learned how to effectively use both of these skills to strengthen my research and writing for future classes in my career.

12. My favorite part of the film project was the exhibit because I was able to find really interesting artifacts/papers that directly related to the Hostage Crisis and the movie, Argo. I also really enjoyed getting to make my invitation even though it took quite a while to make because of the rips that I had to insert into the sides of the invitation. The guest list was also fun because I learned some new facts about a few of the people that were actually in the movie and the 6 hostages that were able to escape from Iran. I also really enjoyed making the menu because it didn't really have to be academic so I got to use really whatever I wanted and relate it to the movie in some fun or creative way. Finally, I also really enjoyed the in class write because I was able to get my thoughts down and really show what I had spent all of this time researching in class and at home. It was really cool to see the similarities and differences from the film to what actually happened.

13. I found Michaela's 2.10 Thinking Like a Historian blog post to be exceptional work. Although this was not one of the longer posts such as the in class write or essay posts I felt like it get all the necessary information in the post within the shortest amount of space. She did a very good job of only including useful information and following the directions to the tee. I believe this was good work because she included all of the information she needed and followed all of the directions that were given while making an informative and effective blog post on yellow journalism.

14. “I can hear you! I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people -- and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!” - George W. Bush
This is inspirational to me because it was President Bush’s call to action and something that was said while on the actual remains and rubble from the 9/11 twin tower attack. It also was very inspirational because he decided to actually go to the site of the damage and see it first hand. Also, earlier I said that I would rank crisis leadership number one in the survey, well President Bush had to persevere through one of the toughest times as a leader of the U.S. and was able to empower his people successfully.

15.

This is an image from Pearl Harbor and shows the absolute terror, destruction, and chaos on that faithful warning but this serves as a glimpse into a united nation fighting for each other and the person beside them.

This image is from Jackie Robinson’s Major League Baseball debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers and I like this image because it shows the grit, determination, and fight that it took for Jackie to get where he did.

I love this image of Americans raising the Flag at Iwo Jima because it perfectly encaptures the amount of pride, sacrifice, and hurt that went along in order to complete this seemingly easy task.

2.15 In-Class Write - Argo

Argo Write - In Class

1. Argo does an amazing job setting the first scene up in the movie with background information before it dives straight into the characters and events that take place in the movie. At the beginning there is a narrator that talks about the history of Iran and how it was a Persian Empire that was ruled by Kings for 2500 years known as Shahs. The movie talks about the election of Mohammad Mosaddegh who was a secular democrat that became Prime Minister. Mohammad Mosaddegh had the support of his people because he was able to return Iran's oil to his people. The movie also mentions that in 1953 the U.S. and Great Britain arrange a coup to overthrow and install a new Shah to Iran. The U.S. choose to install Reza Pahlavi, and he did a terrible job at pleasing his population. It was said that people starved, his wife bathed in milk, wanted to westernize Iran, and had a ruthless internal police known as the SAVAK all of which enraged his people. In 1979 the Shah was overthrown and Iran soon became entangled in score settling, death squads, and chaos which led to the former Shah being taken in by the U.S. The people of Iran then took the U.S. Embassy in an act of rage and demanded the Shah to be returned, tried, and hanged.

     Many of the events that took place in the movie were historically accurate. Six U.S. Embassy hostages did manage to escape and hide out in the Canadian Ambassadors property. The U.S. did send in a CIA Agent in to extract the stranded hostages with the plan being to pretend that they were filming a movie, 'Argo', in Iran. The airport scenes were dramatized but the hostages did really go through customs and fly their way out of Iranian airspace even with many pressing threats such as immigration officials, revolutionary guards, and flight details and paperwork. Studio Six Productions was a fake Hollywood company that was fully funded by the CIA in order to better convince the Iranian immigration control that the movie was actually happening and it helped to fully credidate their cover story as a production crew. Thankfully, the 6 American hostages and the 2 CIA Agents were able to safely make their trip back to America and were greeted with open arms after their many days spent in Iran.

2. One of the most important historical facts that was left out of the movie was that the Canadian government actually had much more to do with the operation than the film portrays. The movie also does not show that there was a second CIA Agent, Lee Schatz, who helped Tony Mendez in the extraction of the American hostages. The movie does not go into depth with the time that the Americans spent in hiding but they had been with the ambassador for about 80 days before this extraction took place. Mendez actually left early the morning of the escape and scouted out the airport to ensure that everything was going to plan and there would not be any surprises waiting for them as they walked by.

     The airport scene was one of the most dramatized portions of the movie. Although the Americans did have to travel through customs and board the plane, there were many discrepancies between what actually took place. The Americans spent many long hours in the crowded, clogged, and chaotic airport wondering when they would finally be home. The hostages flight was actually delayed an hour so they all had to wait in the departure lounge for an extra hour while revolutionary guards were making their rounds. In an interview after the escape Agent Mendez recalls that he knew that the final stop (customs) would be the weak spot if any in the escape. He knew that the patrol officers would have to correctly identify and match the current health card with the one you receive when entering Iran. If the match would have failed than the whole mission would have been a bust and the escape would have never happened. When Mendez handed the guards his card they went to a back room and he was not sure what they were doing but it turns out that the guards had actually just taken a tea break and when they came back they stamped the Americas through to the terminal. Once out of the Iranian airspace it was not only just the Americans but the whole plane was cheering now that they could escape from the violent and lawless streets of Iran.

3. I think if the filmmaker had another 20 minutes that he could have added a scene with the actual hostages stuck in the Embassy to show what could have been for the six that escaped. This would historically show some of the terrible circumstances that were just narrowly avoided and it would help to add suspense and pull on the heart strings of the audience knowing that there are still many hostages still stuck in Iran. This would also add a chance for another movie because it is almost as if the work is not done until everybody is free from Iran and back in the U.S. Overall I think that 'Argo' hit many of the main points of the operation and extraction of the 6 hostages, the only thing I would add would be a scene in the embassy that shows some of the hard times and rough road that some of the hostages had to face while being held for 444 days.

2.14 Annotated Sources - Argo

Annotated Sources:

Argo - Iranian Hostage Crisis Movie.

US History Textbook "Hostage Crisis" pg.190-191 - Iranian Hostage Crisis overview, and US security agreements with other countries.

Argo Film Locations - This source talked about the real life film locations used in Argo to make the movie look like it was filmed in Iran.

CIA - Document on 6 CIA Hostages Held captive.

CIA Agent Recalls Escape - Former CIA Agent gives details on how the operation unfolded and some of the challenges/obstacles that arose.

2.13 Menu - Argo

Iranian Hostage Crisis Menu -

Water is a necessity and resembles life for the hostages that survived being captured for 444  days.

Macallan would be used to help calm the nerves of the worrisome hostages while they were behind enemy lines.

Leek soup is easily prepared so it would be used as the appetizer and would help show how little initiative was taken by the captors to ensure enough was being done in order to take of the hostages.

The hamburger is an American favorite and would be served at the dinner party because the hostages were away from some of their favorite American foods for such a long time.

Sangak bread is a typical Iranian side for dishes and would represent the bare minimum of food given to the Americans while they were Held hostage in Iran.

The chocolate cake would be used as dessert and would help to remind the hostages of the food that they were taken away from for 444 days while being held hostage.

2.12 Exhibit - Argo

Iranian Hostage Crisis Exhibit -

Actual business cards used by fake film crew in rescue of Hostages.

Image of Cover to book about covert operation to extract 6 American Hostages.

Image of actual script of "Argo" used as evidence of film project to help escape the hostages in hiding.

Image from a letter written by Jimmy Carter regarding the release of the hostages.

Image of crowd awaiting the arrival of the Iranian Hostages.

Telegram that confirms the known details of the Iranian Hostage Crisis.

Image of Hostage being held while in Iran.

Image of US Embassy being stormed.

2.11 Invitation - Argo

Guests:

Ambassador Taylor - The Canadian Ambassador at the time of Iranian Hostage Crisis, would make a good guest because of his actual first hand experience of the Hostage Crisis and some of the information that he could provide while at dinner.

Ben Affleck - Plays Tony Mendez who was an actual CIA Agent, would be a good guest because he could provide his expertise in the film industry and provide information on the film industry for the actual participants in the Hostage Crisis.

John Goodman - Plays make up artist, John Chambers, would be a good guest to have because of his humor and easily sociable attitude.

Tony Mendez - Actual CIA Agent, would be a good guest because he could specialize in giving some of the details in planning and preparation for an operation like this to take place.

Robert Anders - Actual Hostage Crisis Survivor, would be a good guest because he was the oldest of the hostage group and seemed to take charge and make the calls on what should be done next.

Joseph Stafford - Actual Hostage Crisis Survivor, would be able to provide a detailed account of what all took place while the Hostage Crisis was unfolding.

Kathleen Stafford - Actual Hostage Crisis Survivor, would make a good guest because she would be able to speak on some of the emotions and actions that took place to flee the embassy and reside in enemy territory for so long.

Mathew Wald - Writer for New York Times, would make a good guest because of his close work with the Argo cast and the actual survivors of the Iranian Hostage Crisis so would be able to spark conversation on both sides.

2.10 Thinking Like a Historian

Sign in a Chicago Park in 1917 that is deterring German Americans from entering.

The conditions for German Americans became unbearable in World War 1 and they were being targeted constantly by the American society. German Americans were the receivers of much hostility from Americans that were fearful of a German revolt on their own home soil.

2.9 Criminal justice Essay

Complications Prisoners Face Trying to Re-Enter Society

     Incarcerated people face obstacles while trying to reenter into society after being in prison or jail. I will be showing my research and data that I gathered about the three most prominent challenges that ex-convicts face after prison. African American ex-convicts face a particularly harsh road after incarceration and are set up to fail in society with a criminal record. African American convicts face a stigma and discrimination like no other when it comes to reentry into society after serving a sentence.
     African American men in particular face a challenging and harsh environment that actively deters them from being productive in society. 3 years after release, 67.8% are rearrested and 5 years after release that number jumps to 76.6%. It is very difficult to navigate the legal and social barriers that are presented to them after incarceration. Employment is another issue that actively deters ex-convicts from becoming productive members in society. A past criminal conviction reduced the likelihood of a job offer by 50%, this leads to a valuable work force that is being overlooked for the crimes they committed in the past. African American offenders are 2/3 less likely to receive job offers from companies, and African American non-offenders are 1/2 as likely to see the same job offers. No national law has been set in stone to help ex-convicts with employment, but some states have begun adopting a "ban the box" or "fair chance laws" to improve employment among ex-convicts. Sadly, 1/3 of the adult working age population has a criminal record, and more than 70 million have been indexed by the FBI.
     With all of the men and women with a criminal record in the United States, it is becoming harder to meet housing requirements. 4/5 tenants are expected to run a background check on who they are renting out to and for many of the people with criminal records this prevents them from choosing this particular path for housing. The other problem with housing is that in urban areas the public housing is already at a shortage which makes it twice as hard for people with criminal records to find affordable and suitable housing conditions for where they are in their life. Homelessness is also a major problem with ex-convicts and unemployment plays a large role in this part of the process. With no one to turn to, friends and family are an ex-convicts only option to reintegrate to society. Being away to prison for such a long time can take a toll on those tight knit relationships which in turn ends many of the past relationships that they might have had. The situations are amplified when juveniles go off to prison or jail for long periods of time.
     Juvenile face unique challenges compared to any other population after incarceration. Juveniles typically have limited experience of the "outside world" which makes it difficult to reintegrate into a society that they were never really a part of in the past. Juveniles in these criminal justice systems have never done simple and even mundane everyday tasks such as driving a car, owning a bank account, successfully searching for housing, or holding a steady job. Juveniles need support reentering into society with the mental and emotional roller coaster that they will face outside of incarceration. They will need to be guided on their journey for housing, employment, education, and even basic friendships with people around them.
    African American convicts face a stigma and discrimination like no other when it comes to reentry into society after serving a sentence. The criminal justice system does not do a very good job of providing support for formerly incarcerated people trying to integrate back into society, this is probably why the national recidivism rate is 43.3%. This leads to the ongoing cycle for most prisoners of re-incarceration and feeding themselves back into the system. Someone needs to push for change to overcome these massive barriers that the system seems to push onto formerly incarcerated people. In order to overcome these barriers the society that these people are coming back to needs to provide support and encouragement for these men and women that are trying to control their own lives again.

Images:

Image of Incarceration rates in the United States.

Image of Formerly Incarcerated people with unemployment.

Image of disproportion between African American men/women and White men/women.

Sources:

www.correctionalofficer.org - Criminal Justice Overview
eji.org - Equal Justice Initiative Incarceration Reentry to Society
www.brennacenter.org - Criminal Records Effect in Society
socialwork.simmons.edu - Challenges of Prisoner Reentry Into Society
scholar.utc.edu - Challenges of Reentering Society for Incarcerated African American Men
prospect.org - After Incarceration, What's Next?

2.8 Reflection - Montgomery Trip

2.7: Md-Semester 2 Reflection

1. I believe that the most important thing that I learned about immigration in the 19th Century was how hard it truly was to immigrate. With literacy and US History tests becoming requirements to enter onto US soil. The Naturalization laws were also very cut and try and did not make the transition any easier for the trying immigrants. The visa and green card rules and regulations were also very strict and enforceable by border patrol and the Government. Birthright citizenship was the topic that I wrote about and I was able to find out just how much it effected those trying to immigrate and some of the legal challenges that they must face.
2. Immigration today still makes it very difficult for an immigrant to be able to come onto American soil. With the recent Government shutdown, some have had their green card hearings passed over, which seems unfair to wait all that time and because of a fault that was not their own they must miss their green card hearing and begin waiting in the back of the line. The border wall controversy is also very relevant with the election of President Trump becoming an ever lingering issue at the footsteps of the Government. I learned that even with new and improved rules and regulations, immigration is still made very difficult and could certainly still look for improvements.
3. One of the aspects of living that was challenging in the 19th Century is overcrowding and overpopulating of rural areas such as New York and Chicago. In these two places in particular, tenement housing was used as a cheap and effective way of housing a large number of families. Because of the lack of regulations, there were many downfalls to having these such as occasional fires, no running water, little to no light, no ventilation, and just overall really poor living conditions. Also, another problem with urban settings was the presence of pollution, litter, and unclean streets. The sanitation in urban areas was little to none and had an effect on the face value of properties and did not look good when shown to the public. In order to combat this, there was a "city beautiful movement" started in NYC.
4. The Highline promotes a sense of progressivism because of all of the volunteers and people that it took in order to bring it to life. From the private investors to the gardeners that keep the plants pruned they all played a significant role in the development of the Highline. The individual initiative that Robert and Joshua had to use in order to take this unwanted and thrown away railroad into something that the community uses as a symbol for their city was a true feat. Many people played important role in the construction and design such as architects, photographers, designers, gardeners, CSX, private investors, and even the Highline team that are there to answer questions and interact with the Highline visitors.

Image of the Highline in New York

2.6 Philanthropy

1. Philanthropy - A Greek term which directly translated means “love of mankind.” Philanthropy is an idea, event, or action that is done to better humanity and usually involves some sacrifice as opposed to being done for a profit motive. Acts of philanthropy include donating money to a charity, volunteering at a local shelter, or raising money to donate to cancer research. - NPQ
Philanthropy is the love for human kind, and focuses on the quality of life for the greater good of society. Philanthropy is different from charity although similar at the same time. For instance a major difference between philanthropy and charity is that philanthropy addresses the root of a problem while charity attempts to create a temporary solution for a specific problem.
2. Andrew Carnegie, Philanthropist - Americas Library
Carnegie gave away 90% of his wealth to organizations that supported teachers ($10 Million), Public Libraries (2,000 built), College/Schooling Aid ($125 Million). Andrew Carnegie also believed in World Peace, and funded Hague Palace of Peace which became the World Court. Carnegie gave his donations to causes that he cared about and had a deep connection too from what he believed help him through life while he was younger. He was a passionate individual that cared about what he could do for others with his own donations.
3. John D. Rockefeller - History.com
Rockefeller and Carnegie were very similar in their early life and rise to fame, and both ended their lives donating to causes that they were passionate about. Unlike Carnegie, Rockefeller was very religious and gave his money to religious institutions, Education, and Scientific causes (such as Rockefeller University). Rockefeller donated more than half a billion USD.
4. Carnegie Cooperation
The Carnegie Foundation is involved in "promoting advancements in the diffusion of knowledge and understanding." The three main causes that it focuses on today are International Peace, the advancement of education, and strength of our democracy.
5. Barron Hilton - Hilton Foundation
W. Barron Hilton helped in the creation of the Super Bowl and established the LA Chargers NFL Team, Hilton "pledges" to give 97% of his wealth to Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. As of 2011 net worth = $2.5 Billion.
6. I would invest in religious works and non profit pet/vet organizations because those are some of the things that I have found that I am passionate about and would want to further expenses and research in those areas.

Image of W. Barron Hilton while serving with the U.S. Navy

2.5 Progressive Research

Research Document

2.4 Tenements and Building Codes

Image of tenement housing on crowded New York street

Image of "Dumbbell tenements"

Image of tenement in New York

Interior of a New York Tenement

Image of fire from tenement housing

Image of rubble left after tenement fire in New York

Works Cited -

America's History Textbook - This is where I found information from the History Textbook.

www.JSTOR.org - This is where I found information on the New York State Tenements.

www.history.com - This is where I found the information about the typical building regulations around tenements.

books.google.com - This is where I found the book, "Industrialism", by Jason Mauch.

2.3 Immigration Essay - "Jus Soli"

     Jus Soli

     Jus Soli, this phrase is latin for "right of the soil." This is where I started my research for the topic of birthright citizenship in the United States. I encountered some challenges throughout my research while I was trying to find out weather or not I agreed or disagreed with the choice America has chosen to allow for birthright citizenship. So, in my research I lay out the positive and negatives to the law and leave the topic open for debate because it has backing on both sides of the argument. While researching U.S. birthright citizenship, I learned that immigration is a two way street and that somebody's situation is not as it always seems.

     The Constitution in 1787 states "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction there of." This was the first glimpse of birthright citizenship at the time. Originally, the law was limited to "free whites" and excluded enslaved people and Native Americans. The arguments surrounding slavery in 1857 challenged the birthrights of immigrants. A prime example of this is the Dred Scott v Sandford case. Scott, an escaped slave, sued for his freedom and was not considered a citizen at the time. Scott sued and won the case granting him his freedom and rights as an American citizen. The post Civil-War era lead the charge for equality and eventually total birthright citizenship. Attorney General Edward Bates declared, "free men of color born on American soil were American." This leads into the 14th Amendment which states, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction there of."
     Birthright citizenship has been a topic of discussion for political leaders of the U.S. since it was deemed to be the law. With the latest election of Pres. Donald Trump, immigration has been relevant now more than ever. Although birthright citizenship can be viewed in a negative and demeaning light, it really is not as bad as it seems with all of the media attention that it has drawn. Some of the negative sides of birthright citizenship are shown when 7% of all U.S. births were to a family where at least one parent was illegal. Another issue surrounding birthright citizenship is security. An example of this being Anwar al-Awlaki who was born in the U.S. to illegal parents and granted citizenship automatically because of the 14th Amendment. Al-Awlaki became one of al-Queda's top operation planners and was granted citizenship upon birth. Another down fall comes when there are only 2 developed nations that allow automatic citizenship to a child born in their borders, the U.S., and Canada.
     Although, birthright citizenship is presented with these challenges the idea of birthright citizenship has many positives. Immigrants are now able to hope for a better economic future for their children, and a safer and more educated environment for them to grow up in. Birthright citizenship plays a key role in allowing for diversity and integration of immigrants into American society. By ending birthright citizenship, it creates many problems including, growth of the undocumented population, excludes millions of Americans from society, harms the integration to "one America", and eventually toughens the already broken immigration system.
     The numbers and graphs have been able to tell a story that the media sometimes misses. Although the U.S. and Canada are the only two developed nations that have the idea of "jus soli", there are actually more than 30 countries that have adopted this style of citizenship in their own unique spins. In 2014, 275,000 children were born to undocumented parents this is 7%of all births that year. 1.3 million children live with two parents who are both unauthorized, and 1.8 million live with one legal and one illegal parent. Since the Great Recession, the births to unauthorized immigrants has declined 25% and continues to dwindle.
     Researching birthright citizenship has allowed me to dive deeper into a subject that I came into knowing little to nothing about. I have enjoyed being able to research the data, facts, and topic as a whole. I believe that I came out of this project with the take away that a story is not always as simple as what is on the cover. Birthright citizenship has its positives and negatives, but overall I believe this project helped to open my eyes to the world I live in today and allowed me to see two sides to a story that is sometimes only presented on one side of the other.
Pictures -

This image shows the countries that allow birthright citizenship.

This is an image of the 14th Amendment.

This is an in depth image of the countries that allow the idea of "jus soli".

Sources -
www.pbs.org - This is where I found the data behind birthright citizenship
www.washingtonpost.com - This is where I found information on Wong Kim Ark
www.history.com - This is where I found information on the Constitution and arguments that surround it
www.numbersusa.com - This is where I found information on Anwar al-Awlaki and the US and Canada
Gale Research Database - Information on the 14th Amendment and Constitution

2.2 Thinking About Success

Hard work, Skill, Opportunity, Luck
Ever since I was a little kid, my parents have told me that with hardwork anything can be accomplished. It has been engraved in me that hard work in the long run will always outperform skill or luck. Although it is always helpful to have a little bit of all of these traits, hard work is an absolute necessity in order to gain and maintain success. You can be skilled in an area but if someone is making themselves better day in and day out then that person will eventually be better than you.

Picture of tortoise beating a hare through hard work.

2.1 Rats show empathy

I found that rats are not innately born to help other rats. Instead, the rats form bonds with those that are placed in a surrounding social setting and those bonds can directly tie to empathy felt for the other rats around them. This shows that although rats are not born with empathy that they are able to develop this mindset through their past experiences and social interactions.

This is a photo of teh rats that were used in the experiment at the University of Chicago.

Barbed Wire - Western Frontier

Some of the most interesting and under the radar inventions have been able to change the world as we know it today. One of those inventions is barbed wire. Barbed wire has shaped our world as we know it today and history long before. Without barbed wire our farmers and countryside’s would have been changed drastically throughout time. Barbed wire did not only effect the open range but it also pushed for change in all areas of frontier living.

Giddens played an influential role in the production and design of barbed wire as we know it today. Giddens was not the first to come up with barbed wire, but his design was by far the most successful. Giddens was successful because of the patent that he received from the U.S. Government and the quick and reliable ability of mass production. Giddens wire is the cheapest, strongest, and most durable barbed wire that there is available to date. The wire was influential because it was able to successfully hold in cattle, exhaust no soil, did not shade vegetation, and did not make snowdrifts. Barbed wire was easily advertised for the time period. It was known as “The Greatest Discovery of the Age”, and Gates described his wire as “lighter than air, stronger than whiskey, and cheaper than dust.”

Barbed wire played a major role in helping to progress and expand the Homestead Act. The Homestead Act allowed any and all citizens to claim up to 160 acres of land (includes women and freed slaves). The new settlers needed a way to contain their cattle and livestock so that the vegetation was not destroyed and cattle could not escape. Without barbed wire the Homestead Act would not have been able to be as successful as it had been because of the security and cost challenges that would have risen for the new farmers in the area.

Barbed wire contributed to the end of the “open range.” Before barbed wire, the Great Plains were wide, expansive, grand, free, and unrestricted. With the new invention of barbed wire, all of that soon changed. The Plains were now restricted, blocked off, and unavailable for roamers of any kind. Traditionally, fences were used by farmers to contain their cattle, but in the 1800’s Texas changed this when they pioneered into barbed wire. This new invention lead to a dramatic change from free and open plains to blocked off and a “land of fences.” Land encountered in the mid-late 19^th century was vast and expansive, without trees, fences, stones, or walls to interrupt an adventure in the West. Over many decades this once free and wild west turned into a land of divisions and separation all marked by the barbed wire fencing. Barbed wire soon gained legislation back up to defend against the oncoming attacks from Natives and Cowboys, which lead to the victory of barbed wire in the frontier.

With the changes to the once free and open range, natives and cowboys were not happy. The Native Americans gave the barbed wire a nickname, “The Devil’s Rope.” Cowboys also resented the change because it was prohibiting them from making long treks to railroads and doing what they were originally making a lifestyle out of. All of this came to a head when the “Fence-Cutting Wars” began to outbreak. Cowboys and Natives would go out and cut the barbed wire fencing while hunting or directing their heard. Masked gangs known as the Blue Devils and Javelins would cause violence and death with their shootouts. The philosophical debate took place while all of this violence was happening surrounding barbed wire. John Locke was one of the main contributors to the idea that you owe the work that you do, so if you work on your land then that land should legally be yours. Kansas was the first state to declare what came to be known as a “legal” fence with the new Kansas Fence Laws.

Barbed wire did not only effect the open range but it also pushed for change in all areas of frontier living. Barbed wire played a major role in the changing and shaping of our Western Frontier and without it the West would not be the same. Although, not everyone accepted the new changes that barbed wire presented, it ultimately won the legal war with legislation and government backing. Barbed wire was a major invention that took people by surprise at just how fast it was able to expand and soon contain the Western Frontier.

This is the patent application submitted by Giddens for his barbed wire design.

This is an image of the many different barbed wire designs with dates and names.

This is an image showing the tensions that arose from barbed wire fencing.

Sources

www.nps.gov - Article titled "Fencing the Great Plains, shows how barbed wire effected the plains.

xroads.virginia.edu - Article shows the changing tradition, and the final struggle against barbed wire.

www.bbc.com - Article on the Homestead Act and "The Devil's Rope"

www.history.com - Article on Giddens patent application

www.rushcounty.org - Article on Kansas Fence Laws, and railroads

History Essay

            Have you ever thought that maybe the holidays that we celebrate today are not what they have always been in years past? Thanksgiving is a holiday that has always seemed to be about being able to see your family and socialize with those that you never really see. Everything that I have thought that I knew about Thanksgiving is not really the complete story of how Thanksgiving came about and was thought of in the past. Thanksgiving has not always been the holiday that we know and love today.

            Many people throughout the country are oblivious to what Thanksgiving is really about. Although, this cannot be completely blamed on the average citizen because there are many possible sources of error that infect the public with these ideas. From high school textbooks, animated TV shows and movies, and even children’s books these ideas are relayed throughout many generations of kids and adults. The foods are also not exactly the same today as they once were in the original Thanksgiving Feast, this can be put on the shoulders of the advertisers that pushed for these marketing ideas to families. The fight between different brands and companies to market their product for Thanksgiving is known as “brand wars.” Many people associate turkey and cranberry sauce with Thanksgiving today, both turkey and cranberry sauce may not have even been set at the table for that first Thanksgiving. Turkey was pushed hard in the 1920’s because there were so many things that came with turkey such as roasters, thermometers, and ranges in order to correctly cook the turkey for the family. Historically, what we think of as Thanksgiving today is far from how Thanksgiving was thought of in the past.

            Many people are unfamiliar on how and why Thanksgiving was instituted as a national holiday. It all started with the “Mother of Thanksgiving” also known as Sarah Hale. Hale started off as a poet and writer, writing tunes such as “Mary had a little lamb.” Hale was also a powerful influencer in the push for women’s education and fight for equal rights. Hale grew up celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with her family and friends. Hale soon began to fight for Thanksgiving becoming a national holiday. Hale believed that if she could get it to pass then the tension would soon ease between the North and South with this new holiday. She also believed that the making of this holiday would give something for both sides to fight for and bring the country back together. Eventually, Hale got her way and President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a holiday in 1863 soon after some victories in the Civil War.

            How most people view Thanksgiving came about is not entirely historically accurate. Many believe the pilgrims came to America in search of freedom, but this is not true because there was freedom available in Holland. Sadly, the tale is reversed in that the pilgrims actually came in search for money and riches. The pilgrims were actually not originally named “pilgrims” they were called separatists. The natives were not originally invited to the first feast, and it is still unknown why they were present on the day of the feast. It is not certain if turkey was served at that first meal but we know for sure that deer meat was a large part of the feast. Around 90 natives attended, this was double the number of pilgrims that were in attendance. Unfortunately, the feast was not as happy as we believed it to end because it ended in chaos, capturing, and death for the Indians, even Squanto who helped and aided the pilgrims upon their arrival.

            Thanksgiving has not always been the holiday that we know and love today. The first feast ended in chaos, brutality, violence, and even leaving some Indians as prisoners of the pilgrims. Many people are unfamiliar with how Thanksgiving truly began which I feel should be changed and retaught to those who truly don’t know the real story of Thanksgiving The evolution of Thanksgiving has been exciting and new, I would love to see the story of Thanksgiving evolve into the real and true story that I now know even if it sacrifices some of the glamour and serenity that we see America as today.

NYTs: Everything You Learned About Thanksgiving is Wrong
History.com:  Abraham Lincoln and the "Mother of Thanksgiving"
Smithsonian:  The Invisible Way That Marketers Set the Menu for Your Thanksgiving FeastNPR.org: "Masking Memories" Thanksgiving in disguise

This is a vintage ad for Cranberry juice/sauce.