Syria

The recent wave of the Tunisian revolution reached Syria in mid-March 2011, when a small southern city took to the streets to protest. The people were protesting the torture of students who had put up anti-government graffiti. The government reacted violently and with strong force. These students were brutally tortured for a crime that did not match their punishment. These demonstrations began to spread across the county. Syria's dictator, President Bashar al-Assad, started the use this force when signs of reform were present.In April, he set off a series of crackdowns that sent tanks into cities where they opened fire on demonstrators. I see these actions as barbaric. As an American citizen we are entitled to freedom for speech and protest. In Syria, loss of life could be the result for showing any form of reform. This crackdown carried on into summer and fall. Thousands of soldiers began launching attacks against the government ,which brought the country to the verge of a civil war.  According to the United Nations, 5.400 Syrians have been killed and thousands are missing. The war continues on today and the country is truly divided. This civil war creates extreme problems within the country and causes true chaos.It is hard to see a country reliving something to our civil war, in present day. Syria needs to take actions to help rebuild the country and the dictatorship must end. Syria is fighting with itself and there are no winners in this war.

Afghanistan

The war in Afghanistan is one of the longest ongoing wars that the United States has been part of.  After the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, the U.S invaded Afghanistan and the war has escalated ever since.Ever since the war started it has been chaos and death. Too many soldiers have returned home with serious injuries and way too many have not returned home to their families. In June 2011, President Obama declared that the United States had achieved most of their set goals there. He also set an aggressive timeline for the withdrawal of American troops by 2014.I feel that this is a goal we as a country to aim to achieve and it is one that is reachable. This war has gone on for too long and the longer we stay in Afghanistan, the harder it will be to get out.  In the beginning of 2012, the United States had around 90,000 troops in Afghanistan,with 22,000 due to be home by the fall. There is no scheduled pace for the withdrawal of the other 68,000 troops who by Obama's plan, are due to be home by 2014. I feel that the withdrawal number is so large than it physically cannot happen overnight but in small sections, troops need to come home. Soldiers should be home safe, not fighting an endless war filled with bloodshed and death. I feel that we have been fighting this war for too long and our stay in Afghanistan has been overstayed. Some citizens of Afghanistan do not appreciate us being there and us violence to drive us out. On Febuary 21, angry protests broke out because there were emerging stories that NATO personnel were setting fire to bags filled with the sacred books of Korans. This riot lasted for days an lead to more deaths and controversey. It is time for the United States army to come home and to pull out of Afghanistan.

Women Suffrage Movement

The women suffrage movement was a movement that  fought for all women to have the right to vote. This assisted in the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920 which gave citizens-this time including women-the right to vote. People that supported women's right to vote were known as "suffragists".  In early American, positions of power were only available to property owning men and only those men were entitled to vote.  Later the American Revolution led to a more broad idea of participationg in which female taxpayers still voted in only some areas but the vote did not expand to all. The movement focused on giving this right to all women. Those involved in the movement were women and those who were involved in organziations such as the National American Women Suffrage Association. The movement was very powerful and was successful in granting women suffrage.



http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/256043?terms=women%20suffrage%20movement

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born November 12th, 1815. She was raised with an abolitionist background and carried her abolitionist beliefs out and acted upon them. She fought strongly for the ratification of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments because she wanted African American men to have the right to vote. Stanton felt that African Americans were entitled to vote, and so were women. Along with Susan B. Anthony, she fought for African American and women suffrage and rights. Both felt that the language of the amendments must be changed in order to grant full and secure equality. In 1868, Stanton and Anthony started a women's rights weekly called the ''Revolition". The editorials showed greater opportunities for working women and articles to encourage women to demand their granted their rights. Later both women founded the Nation Woman Suffrage Association to get federal passage of the women's suffrage amendment. Stanton traveled across the country trying to gain support and encourage women to take action. Elizabeth Cady Stanton fought for the rights of women and was a leader in the fight for women suffrage.

http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/247918?terms=elizabeth+cady+stanton

Research Question

I am studying Susan B. Anthony's beliefs about women's rights because I want to find out how women impacted society and helped create change to our history, in order to help my reader understand how influential women and their actions influenced new laws and society.

Research Question: Did Anthony's actions and beliefs influence congressional decisions?

Final Overview

After reading these three articles, I learned how influential women are to our history. Women like Susan B. Anthony took action against injustice to women and the effect was success. Anthony and many other activists including the NAWSA, did not only take action but encouraged others to take action as well. The women who took action and fought for their rights helped the Nineteenth get ratified. I feel that even today the power of women is underestimated. After reading, i still have questions such as, why did it take so long for change to be made? Why did congress feel that women should not have the right to vote? Where other movements taken but ignored? I think it is important to read about women because they are extremely powerful and make a difference in our history. The actions that these women took lead to change and a better country with true equality.

Nineteenth Amendment

The Nineteenth Amendment was a women's suffrage amendment that was introduced to congress in 1868. Ten years later, the suffrage supporters proposed the new Amendment. They called this the "so-called Anthony Amendment", named for Susan B. Anthony, which was modeled off of the Fifteenth Amendment. This amendment provided that "the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex".  Suffragists were unsure of the prospects of a constitutional amendment and resorted to breaking laws. Susan B. Anthony was prosecuted for attempting to vote when she did not have a "lawful right". After being convicted the Supreme Court rejected the her rights and held the Fourteenth Amendment against her. Their evidence was that the Fourteenth Amendment did not give the right to vote to women. The Constitution allows states to determine the qualifications for voting and before the amendment, most states neglected women. Taken back by the women's activist, the suffragist movement succeeding and persuaded Congress to enact the Nineteenth Amendment in 1919. The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified on August 18th 1920. This amendment guarantees women the right to vote and was a huge accomplishment in the history of women.

http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?entry=t184.e0848&srn=1&ssid=900502719#FIRSTHIT
http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1353208?terms=nineteenth+amendment

Susan B. Anthony: Women's Right to Vote speech (1873)

In 1872, Susan B. Anthony, an American woman suffragist, tried to cast a vote in the U.S presidential election. This action was illegal. For this, she was fined $100 which she refused to pay. Due to this in justice, she delivered speeches to secure her efforts of the women's rights, and the right to vote in the United States. Anthony was outraged because she did not feel that she was committing a crime, but fulfilling her responsibility as a citizen. She felt that she was practicing her given right guaranteed by the Constitution. Anthony sees the laws as a mockery because all citizens are equal and granted equal rights, but women do not get to receive them. The equality is spoken of but not given. She is enraged that women are not allowed to vote because they are citizens and it is unjust to only give our guaranteed rights to one gender. Anthony states " To them this government is not a democracy. It is not a republic. It is an odious aristocracy; a hateful oligarchy of sex". She expresses that she feels the government is no longer just and is not a democracy. It is a government that favors one sex and rejects the rights to the other.  Susan B. Anthony is encouraging women to carry out their rights and fight for the ones not being given.

http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/253900?terms=susan+b+anthony

National American Women Suffrage Association

The National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was created in 1890. It was a merge of two different organizations, the National Women Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association. The main goal for the organization was to fight for women's rights and receive the equality they deserved. For over 30 years the organization served as a advocate for woman suffrage, public education, seeking support and assisting in campaigns for amendments. Due to the NAWSA efforts and many other activists, the 19th amendment was ratified granting voting rights to women. The first president of the organization was Elizabeth Cady Straton then followed by Susan B. Anthony. The organization was infused with the ideas of a younger generation of feminists who had attended college and had careers. These women wanted to move past the discrimination of women and show how powerful and equal women are.The National American Women Suffrage Association strived to grant equality for women.With the help of the NAWSA, the federal suffrage law was passed but congressional supporters were unable to obtain action on it.  Under the NAWSA seven states adopted constitutional amendments granting women suffrage rights. Anthony was so determined to gain the support that of women that she even admitted that "I myself asked Mr. Douglass not to come. . . . I did not want anything to get in the way of bringing the Southern white women into our suffrage association." Anthony did not women to be discouraged to attend so she felt that having a black man present would decrease her support. She felt she had to do whatever she could to gain support. After the 19th Amendment was ratified, the NAWSA became the League of Women Voters.
I feel that the National American Women Suffrage Association was extremely powerful and is an example to women everywhere that if we take action, we will get results.

http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/253521?terms=nawsa

Susan B. Anthony

          Susan B. Anthony was born in Adams, Massachussettes on Feburary 15th, 1820. Anthony was an American civil rights leader who played a strong role in the fight for women's rights in the 19th century. She worked hard to raise awareness of the suffrage of women. She was the co-founder of the Women's Temperence Movement and co-founded the first women's civil rights journal, The Revolution. In her early years she petitioned against slavery and took strong roles in the anti slavery movements. The American Equal Rights Association, which fought for the rights of men and women, supported the 15th amendment which granted suffrage to blacks, not women. This angered Anthony and as a result she devoted her life to getting women the equal rights they deserve.
          In 1869, Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Straton founded the National Woman Suffrage Association that was dedicated to granting women equal rights. In the early years of the assocation, Anthony made many attempts to unite the women that were involved in the labor movement with the suffragist cause.
In February 1890, Anthony began the merger of the NWSA with the American Woman Suffrage Association. This was now called the National American Women Suffrage Association. The creatation of the NAWSA effectivly started more radical elements in the movement. Susan B.Anthony fought for the rights of women and dedicated her life to creating and granting equality for women.

http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document?urn=urn:proquest:US;PQDOC;HNP;PQD;HNP;PROD;x-article-image;101770343&rendition=x-article-image&abstracturn=&pagemapurn=&lastname=Anthony&firstname=Susan%20B.&birthyear=&deathyear=&birthdate=02-15-1820&deathdate=03-13-1906

http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/245412?terms=susan%20b%20anthony

Race Relations Continued

After reading these articles, I am shocked to see how apparent the issue of discrimination is in our society. Even after countless actions and laws, blacks are being discriminated against. The actions being taken towards and against blacks are completely unjust. The impact on the communities in which they took place could lead to more violence. After seeing injustice and manslaughter, those from that community may act out and rebel. For example, the racial issues at MSU, which included many hateful messages and slander, have lead over 1,000 students to take action, although not in a violent manner.  For blacks, it could cause them to feel that they are not wanted and are not equal, even after all these years of civil rights. Another incident is the manslaughter of an unarmed African immigrant who had no criminal record. He was killed by four New York City police officers who fired 41 shots at him. There was no reason for his death, just the color of skin.The impact these incidents have on whites could go one of two ways. In one sense it could cause them to stand up and defend those being discriminated. In another sense it could make them feel that this is acceptable, and that they should not be fair to people based off the color of their skin. Both black and white communities could either take action and fight for what is right, or they can rebel and act in violence. All men are created equal and blacks should not be discriminated just for the color of their skin, especially by city officials. 

Huckleberry Finn: The Images of Jim

1.)powerful
trustworthy
caring
protective
leader
faithful
friendly
selfless
motivated

2.)black
strong
tall


3.) The picture that represents Jim as a caring person is the image where he is hugging Huck. This picture shows how much he cares for anothers and how he protects those that he cares for. Jim is much taller and stronger than Huck and feels that he must look out for him as a father figure. His love and overall care he feels for Huck is shown through this image.

4.) In the novel, Jim is displayed as a strong and resourceful man. In this image, Jim is on his hands and knees begging to Huck. This appears to be sign of weakness and shows that he is lacking confidence. In my eyes I see Jim as a strong, confident and powerful man who does not show weakness. After all that he has been through he has kept a tough exterior and I feel that in this image the exterior has been broken down.

5.) The image of Jim and Huck hugging best illustrates the novel's text because it shows Jim's true character. He is a loving, caring and protective man who has respect for Huck.  Mark Twain's words reprensent him as a character because he is different from other slaves. Jim is a non-confomist and ran away from slavery. He is fighting for his freedom and has signifigant meaning in the novel. If he was a caricature he would be like all the other slaves and Twain would not describe him as different.  Jim plays an extremely important role in the novel and Huck is alive because of him. Jim values the importantce of taking care of those who are important in his life.

Another sort of false prayers are our regrets. Discontent is the want of self-reliance: it is infirmity of will.

Battle of Fallen TIMBERs!(The TREEaty of Greenville)

• The Battle of Fallen Timbers occurred in North America in 1974
• Battle between the United States of America and Native Americans in the Ohio Valley
• Fought over territory in Ohio territory and boundaries
• U.S defeated the Native Americans
• Treaty of Greenville was signed on August 3,1795 at Greenville
• Granted U.S Ohio territory and secured control
• Indigenous were forced to abandon territory
• Treat of Greenville consisted of ten articles and set boundary lines
• Established peace and put an end to the war and controversies

  
George Washington discussed many goals in his Farwell Address, including to keep the country united and maintain land. This relates to the Battle of Fallen Timbers and the Treaty of Greenville because it established American land and boundaries. It took territory away from the Native Americans and gave it to the United States. It is following the goal of Washington by uniting our country and maintaining our land. "As a very important source of strength and security, cherish public credit.One method of preserving it is to use it as sparingly as possible, avoiding occasions of expense by cultivating peace"(75). By signing the Treaty at Greenville the United States preserved peace and kept the land that belonged to us. The Treaty created peace and settled controversies.

The Battle of Fallen Timbers and the Treaty of Greenville relates to what we have been learning about because it represents the power and the strength of the United States. The United States defeated the Native Americans in the Battle of Fallen Timbers and it shows are strength as a country and our army.The Treaty settles controversies over land and boundaries and gives us freedom to the land.   This research helped establish my ideas of liberty in a different way. I learned that sometimes to earn liberty you have to take it away from someone else. The United States took land away from the Native Americans and they were forced to leave their territory. Our freedom to the territory was a result of taking away the Native Americans.  The United States took this opportunity for land and ran with it. According to the constitution, is it right to take someones land who is from the same land? Aren't we all entitled to our own land and property? This helps accomplish the goals of the preamble because by signing the Treaty of Greenville, the United States is establishing justice and forming a more perfect union.

"Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take:but as for me, give me liberty,or give me death!"(36)
I paired this qoute to this picture said by Patrick Henry because I believe is shows to need for liberty. During 9/11 those trapped inside the towers felt that they had no freedom and no chance of life. They chose to jump out of the builidings to get away from the destruction. Freedom is a key value in the United States and 9/11 tested America's freedom. Those who jumped who rather lose their life by choice than lose their life to terrorists that threathen our countries liberty.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

1.In the beginning of the book I was very sympathetic towards Oskar and the situation he is in. It is extremely hard to lose a parent and to lose a parent due to a terrorist attack is unthinkable. At this point in the novel I am becoming more critical of Oskar's actions. I feel that he has a lot of anger building up inside him and he does not know how to handle it. He is nine years old and is left with many unanswered questions that he feels he needs to solve. He takes his anger out on his mother on page 171 when he says "If i could have chosen, I would of have chosen you. Here he is trying to say that if he could of have picked someone to die on 9/11, it would of been his mother and not his father. I found this to be the point where I became critical of him. He was only thinking of how he felt and not of how his mother was feeling.He thinks his mother does not care that his father died, but everyone has their own way of grieving and she herself is grieving. They have a lack of communication which makes them both angry and upset towards each other. I think Oskar needs to find better ways to channel his anger without jeopardizing his relationship with others.