Blog #14 – Kids Taking Over – Part 3
Pick one question from the following choices below and submit your answer by class on Monday, March 14. Let’s shoot for 300 words minimum. Dig deep!
1. We watched the School House Rock Video in class for Women’s Suffrage. How accurately do you think it portrays the events and people of the Women’s Suffrage Movement? Give examples. Do you think School House Rock videos should be included in school curriculum? Why or why not? – Autumn
2. The Egyptian people recently overthrew their leader, Hosni Mubarek, after 30 years of oppression. Political experts believe social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter provided a means for the people to organize an overthrow of an oppressive government. Do you think these social networking websites will change the way civil wars will be fought in the future? Will oppressive leaders become more concerned about the way they treat their own people? Why or why not? Explain. – Mallory
Time Magazine’s latest, “Learn to Love the Revolution.”
Newsweek’s “Feminists in the Middle of Tahrir Square.”
3. If America had stayed neutral even after Germany’s resumption of submarine warfare and the Zimmerman note, what do you think the outcome of the Great War would have been? – Hannah
4. If you had to work in an unsanitary, old meat factory like the characters
in The Jungle, what job would you choose? Please explain why. What job would you not do under any circumstances? Please explain your reasoning. – Allison
5. If you were a woman living during World War I, would you be for or against the war? Why or why not? Also, would you be willing to work in the war as a nurse? Or would stay at home and work in the factories or a similar job? Explain your reasons. – Courtney
6. The Spanish-American War lasted less than 3 months and had fewer than 600 American soldiers were killed during the war. In the end of the war, America ended up gaining only two territories that it still holds on to (Guam and Puerto Rico), we went to war with another (Philippines), and one of the territories that we had for a while actually turned against us and now hates us (Cuba). Knowing all of this, do you think the Spanish-American War was really worth it? Why or why not? – Rob
7. Gas prices over the last month have raised a crazy amount. People aren’t able to drive quite as far or have even resorted to riding bikes in this cold Michigan weather! What do you think should be done to lower the gas prices back down again? Is simply not driving your car the answer or should we find some way to make driving affordable once again? Is there another option? – Nathan
Top 10 Reasons to ride your bike instead of driving. #10 is funny.
8. In our readings, there have been many instances where propaganda has determined the result of what is chosen or what the general opinion is of 
many Americans. From Wilson being almost worshipped to the glorifying of the Spanish American War, propaganda has played a major part on how we percieve events. Do you think it is wrong to have these messages flooding the airwaves during war time and “brainwashing” America especially if these messages are false (Saddam Hussein planned the 9/11/01 attacks, for example)? Or is it ethical in the fact that our government can put whatever posters they want? Explain. – Emily
9. Woodrow Wilson didn’t seem to want to go to war but he ended up bringing us into World War 1 shortly after his election. Do you think that there was any way in which Wilson could have avoided entering the war and do you think that not entering would have been a better decision? – Dennis
10. In class, we discussed how our conflict in Mexico before WW1 (the pursuit of Pancho Villa) was very similar to our conflict with Afghanistan 
and, later, Al Qaeda and our search for Osama Bin Ladin. What other events are there our history that share have echoes but don’t necessarily repeat themselves exactly? – Ryan
11. It is the opinion of many scholars that the Treaty of Versailles was the main cause of WWII as well as everything that has happened since. They feel that the treaty was more full of vengeance (especially in favor of France) rather than reconciliation for the terrible acts perpetrated against them by Germany during the war. On the other hand, it is possible that the treaty did not really have any significant effect on what was to come afterwards and that considering Hitler’s extremism, it was highly likely that WWII and the Holocaust as well as the Korean and Vietnam wars and all that we have had to deal with in the past 2 and a half decades such as terrorism and economic turmoil.
Which side do you think is correct? Why? Do you think anything could have been done differently regarding the treaty and Hitler’s rise to power etc. that would have prevented our world from such terrible events? – Eli
“Nothing is inevitable until it happens” – A.J.P. Taylor, British historian.
12. During the 1800s, many Germans left their homeland for a better life in the promised land of America. Now imagine you are a first or second generation German immigrant in the U.S in the time of World War I, what would you think of the image of Germany that was being portrayed in the American media at that time? Would you feel more loyalty to Germany or would you sympathize with Americans? Why? – Jake Rzzzzz
13. Do you think that the Treaty of Versailles was fair to Germany? Why or why not? What do you think is wrong with it and how would you improve it? Explain – Chuck Z.
14. Muammar el-Quaddafi has demonstrated his determination to rule Libya in the past few years. From bombing civilians to attacking U.S. planes, he plans to keep anyone from interfering. He has taken such drastic measures that the military is starting to feel unrest. News radios all across Libya chant for freedom and the overthrow of Quaddafi.
– In response, Obama has been contemplating whether or not to intervene in Libya. He wanted to call for a no-flight zone, but it would too expensive and risky to try and destroy the anti-aircraft weaponry. Also, the U.S. is already dealing with wars in two other countries. On the other hand, Quaddafi has sponsored terrorism against the U.S. before and presents a threat to U.S. safety. After all, the Libyans are doing fine on their own, right? Read this news article and make your choice. If you were Obama, what would you do? – Alex R.
15. What do you think could have happened next if Cuba decided to start their own government without the approval of the U.S. after we took it from Spanish-American War in 1898? Would we have gone to war with them too? Could we have owned all of Cuba today? Would we have Guantanamo Bay? – Molly
16. Theodore Roosevelt was a “different” kind of President. He was more rugged, athletic, and wanted to fight in war. He also had a different voice and was viewed in a unique way compared to most politicians. However, he really wasn’t completely different than most politicians. He made “closed-door” deals, lied, and made promises knowing that he would not be able to fulfill. Would you like a president in the future to be upfront, honest, a true people’s president, and not a politician? Why or why not? – Brad M.
“If I cannot find Republicans, I am going to appoint Democrats” – TR in Sean Dennis Cashman’s America in the Age of Titans (59).
17. If Teddy Roosevelt or Taft had been president when the Great War was declared in 1914, how might things have gone differently? Would the U.S. have gone in right away, waited, or entered after the Lusitania? Also, do you think that it would it have lasted longer or shorter? How would the peace negotiations be different? – Jenny, Jenny
18. Many people have come up with clever ways to explain or help people understand the complexity of both World Wars. Mr. Wickersham used the snowball fight to help explain the countries’ roles in WWI and anime developers in Japan made the anime Axis Powers Hetalia to teach children (at first) about WWII through personifying the countries using stereotypical characteristics. If you could design your own metaphor to help people understand WWI, what would you do? Anime, Cartoon, Book, Movie, Diagram (etc..) ? Why? – Sarah
*** There’s pop-ups with the Hetalia link.
19. With all of the protests occurring in the world – Middle East, especially – right now, many of the protestors have little or no chance of overthrowing their corrupt leaders on their own. Libya, for example, is being run by a madman who has made it clear he will open fire on his people if he sees fit. The American government has a chance to assist the protestors around the world and help establish democracy based governments when the leaders are overthrown. Do you think that America should assist in the protests, and if so, do you think our government (America) should be the ones to elect a new leader when the time comes? Do you think this would make America look like an empire? What if we just appoint a transition leader, and then the people elect their own, like in Iraq? Explan. – Willy
Here’s an interview about U.S. and/or U.N. intervention in Libya, dated March 8.
2. I think that because Facebook and Twitter helped over throw the Egyptian government, those social networking sites are going to be half praised, and half punished. Many people are on these networks and they can say whatever they want, it’s almost like the leaflets that were passed out during world war two. The governments of countries like the U.S. and the United Kingdom will praise them. But many oppressive governments, like others in Africa, will begin to crack down and eliminate all social networking sites. These networking sites have the potential to change how all wars are fought. They can connect people in ways that could be very beneficial to all of the people involved but it could lead to some problems. Problems like the government bugging these sites and then they know about all of the plans of the people, which would be very unfortunate. If we could all work together and try and get those sites into countries like North Korea it could change their entire country. I know that North Korea is a bit of a stretch right now but if we could slowly slip these networking sites into their country it could totally change how they are run. NO MORE OPPRESSION! I do hope that these uprisings in the Middle East open government’s eyes. They don’t realize that these things could happen to anyone in any country if the government doesn’t treat them right. Governments all over the world may end up changing their ways because of uprisings around them. They could finally see that a brutal dictatorship isn’t necessarily the answer.
I can speak from experience that gas prices are sky rocketing. I believe that the reason gas prices are going up so much is because of conflicts in the Middle East. High profile oil refineries are being shut down because the governments in Eygpt and other revolting countries cannot support them. Gas prices will not go down, so I believe that the solution lies within the hands of the American people. Since people have resolved to riding their bikes around, even during the season, it doesn’t seem to be a terrible idea. Your not only saving your pockets, but getting a work out daily, and saving the planet from harmful fossil fuels you would normally and usually burn with a car or automobile. But that is not a very feasible solution because who wants to ride bikes in Michigan’s springs/winters? The real solution would be in the car you buy.
Recently, almost all new midsized sedans are getting over 20 miles to the gallon. My car gets 35 on the highway and that really puts a wad of cash in my pocket! Its smart to travel by way of gas efficient cars. Also, you can carpool with other people, whether your going to school, work or a party going in one car with three people deffinantly can save everyone some money. The most make sense solution to the problem at hand would be to reduce useless/little use driving. You really don’t need that crunch wrap supreme at taco bell at 3 in the afternoon, I’m sure you’ll be fine with some carrots and ranch. Many kids (including myself) go and buy food for no reason sometimes, maybe there bored or they just want to get their munch on, either way its not nesisary to drive around looking for food when most likely you have food at your house. Bassically, cut out the nosense driving we are all guilty of.
I do think the way Wilson handled the whole issue on the war was a bit odd and he could have done a few things to avoid or maybe delay the inevitable. If he would have decided to not trade with either country this could have stopped us from getting so involved overseas. If we simply sat back and watched, instead of attempting to profit we could have stayed out of the war for even longer. Wilson was also a bit spineless when it came down to it. Though he was able to put off war for a while, he ended up folding to the pressures of what people thought they wanted, instead of sticking to his ideals and doing what he said he would by not getting us involved. Another thing Wilson could have done was control the media. The made some of the war stories coming from Europe seem like atrocities that were committed by the Germans. If he had controlled anti-German feeling a bit more he may have been able to slow the process. I do not think he could have avoided the war entirely. There was a lot of hate built up for Germany already and then when merchant ships began to come under fire there was no way he could stop it. The war was bound to happen, weather Wilson was the president or not. I think that entering the war was the right choice. Though war and killing are never the solution, in this case there were some benefits. America became a world leader, and also emerged as a manufacturing and military powerhouse. If we would not have entered the war we may have not had these opportunities, and Europe would have continued to ignore us.
Sam K.
16. I think that as a future voter I would want a President to be very honest, upfront, and trustworthy (not keep secrets) from us. But the reality is that there are some things that we might not need to know for our safety. For example, if there was a chance that there was going to be nuclear bomb or an attack on us that was somewhat, but not really likely I think we shouldn’t know. This would be for the sake of everyone because every person would be running wild and would causing chaos. However I think we should know if something such as a global change that is most likely to come and if we are in a depression now or might be in the future because of our ways. I do think that as President a person should have a considerably nice balance between the two. Presidents should not be the stereotype of a politician but should be a person who has good integrity, nice, firm by sticking to their integrity and not giving in to impress another party, but at the same time able to compromise. The president shouldn’t make empty promises for a campaign deal because in my opinion it will not insure the candidacy for the next race. So, I think overall that I would appreciate an upfront, honest, true people’s person as a President.
7.
It’s no secret that there are massive amounts of oil in Montana and North Dakota and the regions surrounding, but for some reason we don’t utilize it yet. Whether it’s for environmental reasons, economic, or whatever, I think it’s about time we start tapping into this GIANT reserve (which scientists keep discovering more and more of). The reason our gas prices are so high is because our country isn’t in control of it’s own destiny! Any little miniscule problem goes on in the middle east and the gas prices rise as a result. A man could steal a woman’s purse in those countries and we could find ourselves paying more for gas! It’s ridiculous! Recent U.S. Geological Survey assessments have discovered there to be 3-4.3 BILLION barrels of recoverable oil in the shale formation stretching North Dakota and Montana. BILLION. This discovery had a 28 times increase from the last time the amount of oil in the shale was estimated. Something needs to be done with this! I think our United States government needs to step up and make a decision to just completely abandon the extremely over the top expensive middle east oil and start utilizing all of the oil that our country has to offer. I am a true believer that sooner rather than later, oil will be rendered completely ineffective. Electric cars are already on the market and are consistently growing more and more popular year by year. I think 50 years from now—if not sooner—our country will not even allow gas-powered cars anymore, so why not use up what we have now? It’s not going to be any benefit just sitting there. This major decision would boost our economy and put the power of oil into our own hands, instead of relying on the middle-eastern oil barons.
3. I think that if America had stayed out of World War 1 then the Germans would have won. I think this because the allies were running out of troops and supplies and without American involvement soon there would be no way they could have held out. The German submarine warfare was a last resort to end the war before America could enter because they couldn’t afford to wait too long and have us enter the war because once we were in there would be no war for them to win. The United States entering the war was a major turning point in the war and the assurance of more troops was enough for the Germans to admit defeat. They could not continue to support such a costly war for much longer and American involvement was too much for them. Had America not entered the war then I think that Germany and it’s allies would have been able to overwhelm our allies and win the war. I don’t think that it was likely for the United States to be able to not enter the war though because of things like the Zimmerman Note and Unrestricted submarine warfare. These actions by the Germans to many Americans showed that they saw us as an enemy just as much as they saw Britain and France as enemies. I think that it would have been bad for America if we didn’t enter the war because the allies would not have won with us. We did not have strong ties with Germany like we did with Britain and France so if our greatest trading partners lost then it would be bad for us as well. Many people recognized this along with the hostility of the Germans towards us and those people led us into war.