April 12, 2011

American Economics!

Class began today with a little 'pre-quiz' to test the knowledge and basically re-cap what they have learned from the Great Depression, before and during.

Ways Government influences the Economy-

Fiscal Policy- Saving and taxing to influence economy. Welfare programs have the ability to better the company and not the people. Income taxes can raised or lowered. 

Trade Policy- Tariffs. The Government has the ability to refuse to trade with a country. Therefore both countries economy has been influenced. 

Monetary Policy- This is when the Government does things to influence the value of money, through the help of the Federal Reserve. When money is in high supply, there is inflation. When there is less money, there is deflation.

Federal Reserve influences money 3 way:

1.Interest rate for banks can be raised or lowered.

2. Setting the rate at which banks can takes out loans.

3. Can tell banks how much money they have to hold on to and how much they can loan out.

After the quick explanation of the terms above, Mr. Long had the students create a time line of during World War 1, problems before the Depression and then the Depression.

Homework:

    The 48 Hour Challenge!

Students must design a game that has to explain and analyze what lead to the Great Depression.

It can be either a simulation or visual model.

Must Include:

Governments role in the national economy.

Financial institutions' role in the economy.

The Stock Market's role in the national economy.

Measurements of the economy.

February 7th, 2011

Quiz next class on the Gilded Age.

Class started with the question:
Which "ingredient" of America's industrial boom should we focus on to improve our economy today?
Use the information you have learned in class, use historical evidence and what you gathered from last classes' debate.

Someone should get Mr. Long a top hat :3

February 1st, 2011

There will be a debate next class!

Be sure to use your time inside and outside or class to prepare for it.
You are expected to be able to back up your claims if challenged.

The debate next class is based on:
In light of lessons learned from the Industrial Era, America today should focus its attention on ____________ in order for our country to revive.

Mid-Term

Between the 1870sand 1890s, the American economy underwent massive growth and change.

Factors that led to an Industrial Revolution:

 *New Technology (including electricity and Bessemer Process)
 *New Transportation (Including Transcontinental Railroad)
 *Cheap labor  (Due to immigration)
 *Plenty of raw materials (From the West)
      =American Industrial Revolution

At this time, the Revolution effected every aspect of life:
-Some of the wealthiest people in the world were alive at this time. Such as Rockefeller.
-Native Americans lost their lands west of the Mississippi River.
-Immigrants and Rural Americans move into the cities and take factory jobs.
-The Government was very pro-business and Laisse Faire (Hands off)

The Gilded Age!
Everything looked good at the top, but really there was over-population, massive pollution, jobs were extremely dangerous and there was Child Labor.

Farmer Frustration-
  -Misuse of land grants (Land sold to businesses)
  -Price Discrimination
When there is competition, charge little.
When there is no competition, charge a lot.

Native Americans-
The Native American population begins to die off due to war, disease and loss of Buffalo. Those who survived lived on Reservations.

Dawes Act-
*Divided up reservation land into personal property.
*Education programs to "Americanize" like the Carlisle School
   *Assimilation: The act or process of assimilating or bringing to a
      resemblance, likeness, or identity; also, the state of
      being so assimilated; as, the assimilation of one sound to
      another.

January 10th, 2011

Plessy v. Ferguson- 1896
Homer Plessy sat in the "Whites Only" section of a rail road car and was arrested. He was found guilty of violating the ordinance, however appealed claiming that the segregation ordinance itself was unconstitutional.
The court ruled against him, saying "Separate but equal" is good enough.

However, "Separate but equal" really is not equal.
More often then not, schools made of White children had better books, more resources and the schools were in better shape then those for African-Americans.

January 6th, 2011

For homework you should have read Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address.
In his speech he spoke like a preacher, saying that the civil war was like karma, this is what had been given to us almost revenge for the years of slavery.
After the Civil War, he wanted to bring the nation together.
He was favorable even for the South.
Then he gets shot.

Black codes were issues in the South to segregate society.
Slavery is now illegal, but Black Codes are instated.
Reconstruction Act of 1867- Strict reentry as a state.
Johnson vetoed it, but Congress overrides it.

15th amendment
-Race can not be kept from voting.
African American vote important to Republican success.

KKK
-White supremacist organization meant to stop the progress of non-whites by any means.

Amnesty Act 1872
-Political rights returned to "old south".

Panic of 1873, many banks close and a 5 year depression begins.
"Old South" regains political control and its called redemption.

January 4th, 2011

Happy New Year!

Slavery is abolished in 1865.

Students today listened to recordings of people born into slavery.

Their stories about being freed and their families.

*Freedman's Bureau: Implemented to help poor white people and freed African American slaves.

     -A version of welfare.

A lot of slave owners didn't tell their slaves that they have been emancipated.

Some stayed in slavery for two years after slavery was abolished.

Share cropping:

*Slaves can come and go, but they had to pay their debt and couldn't leave until it was paid off.

However, it would take an incredibly long time to pay it back.

Land owners would encourage their "workers" to buy more stuff, causing more debt.