History 120

#13 911 story

On September 11, 2001, I was at my high school. I remember it being a bad day to start off-I had come in late because I wasn't feeling well, but still decided to go to school nonetheless. I walked straight into my Spanish class where my teacher greeted me with a smile, and later on while the rest of the class was working she came over and gave me a hug-I guess she could tell that I wasn't feeling well. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad day after all. Then I got up to my Math class and heard some of the kids talking about planes crashing into buildings. They way they were talking about it made me think it was a joke. They were even laughing. Then my principle came over the intercom and made the announcement: two planes have hit the World Trade Center, another the Pentagon, and a fourth crashed in Pennsylvania. I just sat there; the whole room went silent. I was immediately outraged at those boys in my class who had been laughing, but when I looked back at them and saw their ashen faces, I knew that they didn't think it was real either. I was suddenly filled with an intolerable hatred. I couldn't believe that someone could have such disregard for human life. What would motivate these people to murder so many people; leave so many children without parents, leave husbands and wives spouseless, and leave parents childless. I had never imagined such cruelty in my life, and now that I was face-to-face with it, I was overcome with extreme hatred. Then when I went home I talked with my family, and we watched the evening news. To see so many people who have endured so much tragedy rise above and dismiss their hate of these people and declare their love of their country and those around them astounded me. I was overcome with a sense of faith in the American people, and I knew that no matter what these people did, we would overcome.

#12 Group Post: "Wall Street"

Wall-Street dealt with a lot of socio-economic and business morality issues, the film also focused itself on some important historic events that occurred during the early nineteen eighties. Issues such as unemployment, economic recession and scandals were all visible in this movie.
The issues of this movie may have been broad but the plot resembled an actual historic event. This film may have been based on a similar historical event of stock scandals involving Ivan Boesky and Michael Milkin. Ivan Boesky and Michael Milkin admitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission that he had used confidential information about upcoming corporate takeovers to illegally play stocks in his favor. Milkin, his associate sold junk bonds and discovered a method of reaping astronomic profits from buying weak firms as tax pay offs for the rich to be merged and sold again; this scandal is directly associated with mass unemployment throughout America at the time.   These selfish gains in personal wealth directly contributed to the stock market crash of 1987. [1] What can be learned from watching Wall Street was that proper conduct of fair business affairs will always benefit citizens more than the selfish greed of the capitalist tyrant.

[1] Frauger et al, Out of Many. Page 615.

In the beginning of the movie Charlie Sheen, who plays Buddy Fox, was seen drinking at a bar with his father. They conversed about Buddy’s financial situation and how bad the economy has been for both father and son. Buddy then concludes the scene by asking his father for three hundred dollars to pay for his debts as a Broker.

Buddy’s father was pessimistic about his future and wondered why Buddy didn’t just stay in a stable blue collar customer relations job at Blue Star airlines (notice the movies hidden puns). Buddy retaliated by saying that stock-broking was an easier and quicker way of making more money; “I can make money in one year as a broker than I can in five years at this airline”.

His father wondered why $5,000 dollars wasn’t enough for Buddy to survive and make it big at Wallstreet. His father’s generation did not understand why property values were so high in his son’s generation compared to the Great Depression.

Buddy revealed that the living expenses in Manhattan near Wall-Street were more costly: “A 5 percent mortgage rate was in Queens. Manhattan costs more to live in.”

Buddy’s father later talked of his frustrations with new mandatory drug testing policies that were now being passed into work places in the early 80’s.

Buddy’s dad seemed upset with the new workplace policies that were being enforced; however, he was relieved that he wasn’t blamed for a massive airplane crash incident that would have left him jobless.

Buddy’s dad started to speak of an airplane accident that occurred in which mechanics were suspected of causing the accident until the manufacturers were investigated the blame was put on the working class first.

“The FAA is going to rule that it was a Manufacturing error in the door latch mechanism. I knew it all along! I told them it wasn’t me that did it! It was those god damn greedy manufacturing companies in
Cincinnati.”

Group Summary:

Everyone gathered at the Johnson center to view Wallstreet.  We then later gathered all our inputs about what the movie's theme was about and then went home and started to work on the assignment.
Anh and Justin collect information about the 1980's, Shannon found more information about the movie and sent a script to Nhat for closer examination.  A draft was formulated and thanks to GMU's reliable mail server that had to crash at the final steps of our project we quickly perservered and scraped together the blog.

#11 Group Post Top Ten in the 1970s

The whole of American media was culturally transformed by the 1970s.
The Top Ten Songs and Movies of the seventies varied in their motives and themes tremendously but they all reflected the feelings of a nation that was at war with its own government at home, as well as, at war with a foreign government abroad.  The Top Ten Movies were excursions away from the current events that were constantly broadcasted on television, while The Top Ten Songs were emotional outlets in response to the Vietnam Conflict. 

Top Ten Songs:
10 Beatles "Long Winding Road"
World War 2 was over and Americans at war were finally reunited with their families and loved ones this song reflected the carefree and family oriented decade before the seventies.

9  Ray Stevens "Everything is Beautiful"
Ray Stevens wrote this song in as the theme song for his own show "Andy Williams Presents Ray Stevens" on NBC.
President Johnson had hoped that his plans to remove communism from Vietnam and support a ruinous South Vietnamese government would have been a success rather than the mistake it became for America. Americans had hoped for a quick successful operation and were confident of it's abilities in defeating communism and fascism.
The public had not yet seen any real photographs of wars in progress the Vietnam Conflict became the first “Television war”. [1]

[1] http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/V/htmlV/vietnamonte/vietnamonte.htm

8 The Guess Who   "American Woman"
The subject matter of this song was about how American woman were growing up to fast compared to girls in other countries mainly because of the 50's rebellious era and the theme of loose sexuality. More and more American troops were stationed in the major cities of South Vietnam. Ironically the American deployment was part of the reason that nearly all of the South Vietnamese were forced to flee their villages and homes to become refuges in the major cities [1].  Furthermore with a ruinous and corrupt government refugees were forced into camps and many resulted to crime and prostitution for survival. [2]

[1] Frauger et al. "Out of Many" p 571
   
[2] http://www.davidpye.com/tourofduty71/

7  Jackson 5 "ABC"
Written in Feburary 24 1970. The Hippie years were beginning and themes of free love and peace were becoming popular and motivated by anti-war activists. The lyrics to this song were about how easy it was during this time to fall in love at a young age and not worry about the consequences such as family because during this time American men were beginning to be drafted into the war. [1]

[1] Frauger et al. "Out of Many" p 575

6 Beatles "Let It Be"
Let It Be could be interpreted as the acceptance of loss and salvation in times of need.  The war in Vietnam was at its apex and during this time American casualties were increasing with any signs of surrender from the Vietcong.

5 Simon Garfunkle "Bridge Over Troubled Waters"
Another yet depressing song for a depressing era of international affairs, President Johnson was dealing with opposition in the war-front and home-front.

4 Bill Crosby, Nash Stills, Neil Young "Ohio"
Ohio was a song about the Kent State Massacre that occurred during May of 1970 in which four students were killed and nine wounded. [1]

[1] Frauger et al. “Out of Many” p 590

3 Sly and Family Stone "Thank you for Being my Friend"
This song must reflect the emotions of every American soldier who had lost a friend in the war.

2  Jackson 5 "I Want you Back"
This song must have reflected feelings of relief at home when troops were withdrew from Vietnam in March 1973. [1]
[1] Frauger et al. “Out of Many” p 591

1  BJ Thomas "Raindrops keep falling on my head"
This song reflected the Nations feelings of finally impeaching Nixon because of his abuse of the Presidency during the Watergate Scandals. [1]
[1]  Frauger et al. “Out of Many” p 593

Top Ten Movies:

10. The Godfather (1972) was a movie about mafia life in America during the 1940s and 50s. It was the first of a trilogy that placed a great emphasis on family ties, and created one of the most memorable characters for Marlon Brando as the Godfather. Box Office Gross: $134,966,411

9. Saturday Night Fever (1977) was a movie about Brooklyn youth struggling to escape their unsatisfying lives for freedom and adventure in Manhattan. It depicted a generation of disco dancers and 1970s youths rebelling against the more traditional expectations of their parents. It made white polyester suits an instant fad.

Box Office Gross: $139,486,124

8. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) was another musical about sexual liberation, but this time it was focused around alien transvestites. It was an immediate cult favorite and developed a following of devoted fans who dressed up and created their own dialogue with the characters on screen.

Box Office Gross: $139,876,417

7. National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978) was a film about the adventures of a group of college misfits who center their activities around terrorizing the dean and other fraternities that turned their noses up at them.

Box Office Gross: $141,600,000

6. The Sting (1973) was a 1930s gangster movie, revolving around one man trying to avenge his former partner’s death. The score brought back a revival of ragtime music. Box Office Gross: $159,616,327

5. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) was a film about a man obsessed with UFOs. It was another science-fiction movie of the time that audiences flocked to.

Box Office Gross: $166,000,000

4. Grease (1978) was a high-energy musical about a group of students in the 1950s. It captured the rebellious state of mind and sexual liberation of the teenagers of the time.

Box Office Gross: $181,518,204

3. The Exorcist (1973) was a heart-stopping terror film that led to religious boycotts. There were even some audience members who fainted or grew nauseous while watching the story of a twelve-year-old girl being possessed by the devil. Box Office Gross: $204,632,868

2. Jaws (1975) was a suspense/horror film that evoked one of the most primal human fears-the unknown. It had a similar affect on audiences as Psycho did in 1960, where people were afraid to take showers, after seeing Jaws people were afraid of the ocean.

Box Office Gross: $260,000,000

1. Star Wars (1977) expressed the adventurous side of the 1970s. It set box office records for the time. It also launched a trend towards special-effects-driven movies that were aimed at teenagers. Box Office Gross: $460,998,007

All information on top ten movies from Yahoo! Movies. http://movies.yahoo.com/

         

#10 1950s Photo Essay

See Photo Album: "American Bandstand"

#9 Comment

Jose Yanez, Civil War Photo Essay

Jackie Hollinger, Civil War Photo Essay

Dan Cianciolo, Group Post "The Verdict is Not Guilty"

#8 We the Jury: Not Guilty

[2] Courthouse image

Whenever there is a serious case of child abuse, people tend to find someone to point their fingers at. This is obviously what is going on in State v. Rehberg. Mr. Edward Rehberg is put on trial for the murder of his daughter, Clara Rehberg. We, the jury, are responsible to answer the question at hand: Was he guilty? Based on the testimonies of witnesses and experts and Clara’s deathbed declaration, we have reached our verdict. As a twentieth century jury, we find Mr. Edward Rehberg not guilty for the murder of Clara Rehberg in State v. Rehberg.

A reason for this not guilty verdict is from Dr. Van Holzschuher’s expert testimony. Dr. Van Holzschuher thought that the surface of Clara’s skin was red “as though there had been hot water thrown on her. [1]” This established that the injuries could have been committed in the Rehberg’s kitchen area. Emma Rehberg had stated that her father was out working in the field the whole time. Dr. Van Holzschuher and Emma’s testimonies supported that “the defendant did not and could not have inflicted the injuries [1].” Another evidence that confirms Mr. Edward Rehberg’s innocence is Dr. Steele’s testimony. Dr. Steele revealed that the assailant must have long fingernails because of the “marks on the child’s neck [1].” Long fingernails are typically not seen on males. This rules out Mr. Edward Rehberg as a possible suspect for the injuries inflicted upon Clara.

One hard-core evidence that proves Mr. Edward Rehberg’s innocence is the dying declaration of Clara Rehberg. When Clara was asked whether or not her father had hurt her leg, she clearly stated that her father did not hurt her at all but instead it was caused by her step-mother. She gave details of the incidents where her step-mother, Louisa Rehberg, abused her. Clara confessed that her step-mother had whipped her with “a stick of wood and with a stove lifter [1].” There was a time when Louisa even kicked her step-daughter with “wooden shoes [1.” An important thing to note is that Clara said her step-mother “threw a bucket of water [1]” on her. This connects with what Dr. Van Holzschuher pointed out about Clara’s redden skin in his testimony. Clara Rehberg’s deathbed declaration clearly reveals that Mr. Edward Rehberg was not responsible for her injuries.

In the nineteenth century, Mr. Edward Rehberg may have been judged as not guilty for the murder of Clara Rehberg. The nineteenth century jury would have interpreted Clara’s declaration as the main evidence to prove Mr. Edward Rehberg’s innocence. However knowing someone is being abused and not doing anything about it is just as guilty. Mr. Edward Rehberg did not hurt his child directly, but he did contribute to her murder. The jury would have held Mr. Edward Rehberg responsible for child negligence and for allowing such serious case of child abuse to happen. The nineteenth century jury would have based their accusation from Dr. Van Holzschuher’s testimony, which revealed that Clara Rehberg “died in consequence of gangrene [1].” She had blood clots from all the whipping and that “the nutrition of the surrounding parts was stopped. [1]” This reveals that her abuse had been occurring for an extended period, a period in which Mr. Edward Rehberg did nothing about.

Since Mr. Edward Rehberg is put on trial for the murder of Clara Rehberg and not child negligence, both nineteenth and twentieth century juries find the defendant not guilty.

[1] Reader, State v. Rehberg (1885) pg. 17 – pg. 33.

Group Commentary:

For our eight group post everyone had written their own separate verdicts and opinions about the court case beforehand.  We then came together and had a debate about the court case. There were many good arguments but lastly we settled for the scientific testimony over everything else.  Anh wrote the draft, Nhat edited, and Anh rewrote it.  Nhat and Justin added their opinions about the importances and significances of each key witness's testimonies.  Shannon and Laura searched for an image.  Nhat wrote the group commentary.

Court House Photo:

[2][Collier County Courthouse] Florida's 10th Judicial Circuit. Judge Anne Kaylor. [Online]
Available HTTP:
www.jud10.org/Courthouses/Collier/collier.html

#7 Civil War Photo Essay

Please see photo album.

#6 Comments

Jose Yanez individual post #4

April Rose individual post #4

Daniel Cianciolo individual post #4

No. 5 SimUtopia: Nothing Short of a Utopia

Convenience is a key to any village, land, or in this case a Utopian community. Since majority of upstanding American citizens do not prefer complex lifestyles, the Utopia is designed to be extremely accessible. The community revolves around both an agricultural and industrial lifestyle. In this case, residents are given a choice to whether they want to work in a factory or a farm. Since the farming land is encompassed with an urban setting, the residents virtually live in the best of both worlds. Also, equality between sexes and freedom of religion are promoted through the land. All types of prejudice towards people—including blacks—are eliminated and replaced with mere acceptance. Inhabitants of this Utopia will live the most harmonious lifestyle a society can offer.

This Utopia's main source of income will be through industrial means. Therefore there are many factories/mills located in the urban part of town. The homes are placed in close proximity to these factories/mills so that the workers do not have to spend much time walking. This will ensure more energy for the work days. To avoid a potential fire, the factories/mills are strategically positioned away from the woods. In this case it is impossible for a fire to spread to the woods from a malfunctioning factory machine. This promotes safety throughout the community. The second source of income will be through agriculture. The farms, located in the rural area, are by the river for a better source of water. Since the river enhances the ability for a fertile farmland, there will be the growth of fruits and vegetables, from squash to berries. Again, homes are placed near the farms so that workers do not have to spend all their energy walking. This community will be a commercial enterprise where crops are traded for goods, and factories mass produce products that are in high demands.

In the urban area there are many public parks and sociable buildings spread throughout. This gives the residents the advantage of getting to know one another in a friendly atmosphere. There are roads that lead to the river for avid fishers or for those who simply enjoy the water. In the rural area, there is a public building for residents to take a break and unwind. There are beautiful orchards added to give the farmland an aesthetic appeal.

In the effort to help steer individuals away from drinking, a public building will be used to inform the dangers associated with alcohol. Since the equality of women has always been a prominent issue, a town hall will serve as a place for women to voice their opinions. This ensures fairness between the sexes. This Utopia will not be a religious community; there is not just one belief. Instead, residents are free to practice whichever religion they please.

Group Commentary:
We met on Thursday, September 30th on the 3rd floor of the Johnson center from 12:30 to 1:30. Prior to the meeting, we each read over the assignment on our own and jotted down ideas of what we think the Utopia should look like. At the meeting we read our ideas aloud and all decided what would work and what wouldn't. After, we combined all of the ideas onto a list. Shannon and Laura took the list home and worked together to design a map. Nhat wrote the first draft, and Justin revised to make sure that it is compatible to the map. When the draft was done, Anh edited it for any grammatical errors. The map and essay were sent to each group member via email. Anh did the group commentary.

#4 Catlin's Indians: Too Weak To Survive

By looking at "Pigeon's Egg Head" one can assume that George Catlin was expressing sympathy for the Native Americans and how their way of life was drastically changed by the white settlers. However, when one actually reads the picture and takes in all aspects of change in the Native American's life, it is evident that Catlin thinks very little of the Indians, almost as if he is mocking their inability to hold their ground and keep their own values.

To fully understand this picture one must read it from left to right as we read text. In the left side of the picture the Indian is standing tall and dignified. He is dressed in traditional Indian clothing and his head is adorned with a headdress full of feathers. He is extremely noble and almost majestic-looking. By looking closely, you can see looming in the background the Capitol building, almost as if it is watching over him, waiting for him to come and lose himself in the culture.

When you look to the right side of the painting you see a completely opposite image. The Indian is dressed in a suit and top hat, and is obviously drunk. He is also carrying an umbrella to steady himself and a fan. He looks absolutely ridiculous, completely opposite of the portrait to the left. He is no longer proud and tall but shameful and an embarrassment to his people.

Through these two depictions of this Indian, Catlin is exemplifying the Indian's weak nature and inability to keep his own set of values when presented with the tempting and alluring lifestyle of the white man, therefore making the demise of their culture inevitable.