Recently in Daily Lessons Category

Lesson #37
As I mentioned, we'll bypass much of our "last" lesson from Q1 due to time constraints. However, here are a couple of things that some of you might find interesting...

The Mexican Revolution: As you probably picked up from the reading for today, the events in Mexico leading up to, and including, the revolution are very complex. We'll try to make sense of this in two different ways after we take a quick look at some major events.

"Campaigning for Power": This seemed particularly appropriate in an election year. The premise is this: It is early in 1910, and the country of Mexico is planning an election for President of Mexico. You are on the campaign staff for one of the figures below. You need to come up with a single sheet "poster" for your candidate. Obviously, it should make clear something about what he stands for, promises to do, or whatever seems appropriate. You can decide whether to use color, pictures, graphics, etc., but it should be in a form you can show on the projector and/or email to me.

• Benito Juarez (He's dead by then, but he deserves a poster...)
• Porfiro Diaz
• Francisco Madero
• Pancho Villa
• Emiliano Zapata
• Victoriano Huerta
• Venustiano Carranza

Artists Look at the Revolution: We'll try something a little different here with these five artists. All of them were influenced by the events of the Mexican Revolution in one way or another. Your job is to find at least TWO works by "your" artist that you feel show us something meaningful about Mexico from the time that we are studying. Make sure you can readily access these at the projector. You decide what background information we need, etc.

In some cases, I've also listed a particular work by the artist. You don't NEED to make that one of your choices, but they were identified elsewhere as being influenced by the Mexican Revolution.

• Jose Guadalupe Posada - Catrina Calavera
  
• Diego Rivera
• Frida Kahlo
• David Alfaro Siqueiros - Echo of a Scream
  
• Jose Clemente Orozco - Father Miguel Hidalgo

Lesson #38
We'll spend today doing our review activity. We'll get started right away so that we can get through this all. You can post comments on this blog entry if you'd like to share anything with others. 

We'll have our final "regular" lesson today. Wednesday will be our Unit #6 "Two-Minute Reviews," and we'll wrap up with the Unit #6 Exam on Thursday and Friday. (Thursday is the Identification Exam, and the Objective Exam is Friday. You need to turn in the Unit #6 Essay Exam no later than your departure from class on Friday.) More information below on this.Homework for tomorrow - Wednesday, January 7th:     

Welcome back. For today, you were asked to continue reading in Chapter 28 with Section 2, "Modernization in Japan." (pp. 810 - 813) The quiz format will be back to multiple choice. We'll begin this final week with a look at Japan's modernization of the 19th century. I've found some new resources that are very visual and pretty interesting. 

The "Red-Haired Barbarians" - Japanese woodblock prints

As you might remember, Japan was largely isolated (by choice) from the industrializing world. The Dutch were the only Europeans allowed access to Japan for trade, and that was restricted to the port of Nagasaki. Here's a collection of 40 Japanese woodblock prints depicting Dutch traders and the perceptions of the Japanese of foreigners.

Do this:  Take a few minutes and browse the collection, looking for interesting images. Following that, we can talk about what you've seen.

The West Arrives - Commodore Perry 

In 1853, a US naval fleet entered Japan's main harbor with a letter from US President Millard Fillmore for the Japanese emperor.

• President Fillmore's Letter to the Japanese Emperor, 1852
• Commodore Matthew Perry: When We Landed in Japan, 1854
• Treaty of Kanagawa, March 31, 1854

Do this: Read the President's letter. Put yourself in the position of Japan's emperor and/or the shogun and briefly outline your response. We'll talk about that a bit. After that, take a look at the Treaty of Kanagawa to see what was decided.

Browse around this very cool site from MIT's "Visualizing Cultures" project: Black Ships and Samurai. Be sure you look at the "Visual Narratives" and watch the "Black Ship Scroll" unfold.

The Meiji Restoration

In 1868, the Tokugawa Shogunate ended when Emperor Mutsuhito began his 45-year reign known as the Meiji era, or the Meiji Restoration.

The Charter Oath of 1868

The Meiji Constitution

Do this: Read through the Charter Oath of the Meiji. What role do citizens play in this new vision of government? Does this strike you as democratic?  Why or why not?

Now, skim through the Meiji Constitution of 1889. How well were the promises of the oath fulfilled? To what degree are these documents influenced by the Enlightenment? Are they democratic?  Why or why not?

MIT's "Visualizing Cultures" 

I'd never seen this site before, and I have to say that it is pretty cool. It aims to "wed images and scholarly commentary in innovative ways to illuminate social and cultural history." By coincidence, their first units focus on the time period in Japanese history that we are studying. This is the kind of resource that makes the laptop program worthwhile.

Do this: You'll work with a couple others to look more closely at one of the following "units" and give us a short recap of what you found most interesting. Definitely do the "visual narratives" section.

• Black Ships & Samurai - (Done above)
• Yokohama Boomtown
• Globetrotter's Japan: Places
• Globetrotter's Japan: People
• Throwing off Asia I
• Throwing off Asia II
• Throwing off Asia III
• Asia Rising
• Yellow Promise/ Yellow Peril

Homework for next session - Tuesday, January 6th:     

Continue your reading in Chapter 28 with Section 3, "U.S. Economic Imperialism." (pp. 816 - 821) The quiz format will be fill-in-the-blank.

Your Current Events #2 are due on Wednesday, January 7th. (Template)

Your China: Learning by Doing assignments are due by the end of Tuesday, January 6th.

If you are interested in taking advantage of the extra credit opportunity described on Lesson #33, you should post that to the Lesson #33 blog entry yet today.

Clearly, we're getting close to the end of the quarter. Today our focus will be on China, and the following class will focus on Japan. We'll do two more lessons on America's economic imperialism and the Mexican Revolution that next week. That's it for our quarter. 

China and the World - Introduction

We'll spend a few minutes together here at the top to make sure you have at least a basic understanding of some of the key events from China's history in the 19th century. Remember that they had largely chosen a path of isolation once the Age of European Exploration began.

At a minimum, you should be familiar with:

• Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911)
• Opium War (1839)
• Treaty of Nanjing (1842)
• Hong Kong
• extraterritorial rights
• Taiping Rebellion (1850 - 1864)
• Hong Xioquan
• Open Door Policy
• Boxer Rebellion (1900)
• Dowager Empress Cixi

19th Century China - Learning by Doing

Here's your chance to decide which way you want to go about learning some more about events from 19th century China. You have three choices that are described below. Because I believe they have varying degrees of difficulty and complexity, I am making them worth different numbers of points. 

It works like this. The assignment is worth 10 points. Here are the values for the different options.

• China Crossword - 8 points for solid work that meets all expectations. You CAN receive up to 10 points for work that goes beyond the basic expectations. That is done at my discretion.
• Opium War: Primary Sources - 9 points for solid work that meets all expectations. You CAN receive up to 11 points for work that goes beyond the basic expectations. That is done at my discretion.
• Make-your-own-China-DBQ - 10 points for solid work that meets all expectations. You CAN receive up to 12 points for work that goes beyond the basic expectations. That is done at my discretion.

In all of these cases, you can work in a group of up to 3 people if you would like. I need all of these assignments turned in by the end of Tuesday to get full credit. Since I won't necessarily know who is working with whom, I need all names of group members to be on the completed assignment.

Here are the particulars for the given assignments:

China - Crossword:

Use any of the readily available crossword puzzle makers from the Internet. (Note: You do this at your own risk. I make no allowances for complaints like, "The website didn't work," or "We couldn't figure out how to print it.")

You need at least 15 clues and answers drawing from the material in Chapter 28, Section 1 and related topics. I should get both a "blank" puzzle with clues and a completed copy of the clues from you.

Opium War: Primary Sources:

This is just what it sounds like. You'll get a copy of documents from both the British and the Chinese related to the Opium War. You are responsible for submitting answers to the six "Questions" (pp. 290 - 291), as well as to at least one of the "For Further Discussion" questions (p. 291).

Make Your Own DBQ: 

This is your chance to create your own document based question on sources related to 19th century China. You can do either a general look at the period or a more specific focus on a particular period or event or person.

Here are the required elements:

• There needs to be a "question." (It's the "big picture" under which the documents all fit, or it is the essay topic from the ones we've looked at in class.)
• There should be a paragraph of relevant historical background information.
• You need to provide excerpts from at least five relevant documents. Documents can include quotations, excerpts, maps, photographs, letters, laws and perhaps more. (Each should have a question to be answered, as do the ones we've used in class.)
• All documents must be identified by author, title and date as necessary.
• The DBQ should be reasonably free of spelling and grammar errors. 

You're free to use any appropriate sources, but here are two suggested places to do some looking...

• China's Disaster: 1840 - 1949 - a portion of Paul Halsall's vast collection of on-line primary sources
• Asia for Educators - This site from Columbia University has a lot of information in various places around the site. (Check China - 1750 to 1914 as a start.)

Homework for next session - Monday, January 5th

Continue your reading in Chapter 28 with Section 2, "Modernization in Japan." (pp. 810 - 813) The quiz format will be back to multiple choice.

Your Current Events #2 are due on Wednesday, January 7th. (Template)

Your China: Learning by Doing assignments are due by the end of Tuesday, January 6th.

If you are interested in taking advantage of the extra credit opportunity described on Lesson #33, you should post that to the Lesson #3 blog entry by Monday, January 5th.

1895 - Cuban War for Independence
August 1896 - Revolt in the Philippines
February 16, 1898 - Battleship U.S.S. Maine Explodes
April 25, 1898 - Congress Declares War
May 1, 1898 - Commodore Dewey's Victory in the Philippines
March 23, 1901 - Aguinaldo captured by U.S. troops

"Kipling, the 'White Man's Burden,' and US Imperialism" (Monthly Review, November 2003) is a challenging, but very interesting article that looks at Kipling's poem in light of recent events in American history and foreign policy. It's really thought-provoking.

- British journalist in India during Sepoy Mutiny of 1857
- British journalist in South Africa during the Boer War
- American observer in the Philippines in 1900 
- American journalist in Hawaii in 1893

  We probably won't finish all of these activities today, but we'll see how far we get...

The Colonial Ledger: You were asked to brainstorm a list of effects of colonialism. Let's talk about what you came up with, and I can share some others from a source I've used before with this activity.

Cartoon Showcase: I'm assuming most of you have done this assignment and have them with you. It's time for show and tell... Share your work with the others sitting near you, and decide if there's one on industrialization and one on imperialism that you want to advance to show the "big group." Oh yeah, then we should turn them in. 

Next, we'll head over to India to look at the age of British rule and its effects, largely through a debate format.

British Imperialism in India - Brief Timeline

1707 - Mughal Empire is collapsing

1757 - East India Company troops win at Battle of Plassey

1857 - Sepoy Mutiny takes place

1858 - Raj begins as British take direct control of India

1877 - British viceroy rules India

1885 - Indian National Congress Forms

1905 - Partition of Bengal into Hindu and Muslim sections

1947 - India gains independence

The Sepoy Mutiny: Here's a website from Emory University that takes a look at the events of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. To better understand what this was all about, you might want to browse some of the following sections:

• Introduction
• Religion
• Divide and Conquer
• Expansionism
• Torture and Oppression
• The Rebellion
• The Cawnpore Massacres
• The Siege of Delhi
• Conclusion

Debate: You'll be asked to represent one of the two sides in a brief debate on the resolution below. I'll provide you with an additional set of information for "your" side that should be helpful, and you will have some time to look at the resources below.

** On balance, the era of British rule was beneficial for India. **

Download a copy of the Imperialism in India flowsheet to help keep track of arguments. Keep in mind there is a distinction between facts, interpretations made about facts, and judgments made on the basis of an interpretation. All have a place in a discussion or debate, but be aware of the way in which they differ.

An example might be:
Fact: "We take daily reading quizzes in World History 10."
Interpretation: "Mr. Vergin thinks it is important that we read and understand the material."
Judgment: "Mr. Vergin is mean because I'd rather be playing in the yard than doing the reading."

We'll hold this informal, large-group debate during the last thirty minutes of class. (Or, if we get bogged down on the things above, we'll start here tomorrow...)

DBQ Activity - Imperialism in India: An Evaluation Spending a little time with both these document excerpts and the primary sources below will help you with our culminating activity, a brief debate on the impact of British rule on India.

Primary Sources on India: Here are a number of primary sources related to the British rule in India. Some might be particularly useful for our conversation, and others are simply provided for your information.

• Raja Rammohan Roy, "A Second Conference Between an Advocate For, and an Opponent Of, the Practice of Burning Widows Alive" (1820)
• Mountstuart Elphinstone, "Indian Customs and Manners" (1840)
• Charles Creighton Hazewell, "British India" (The Atlantic Monthly,1857)
• Charles Creighton Hazewell, "The Indian Revolt"  (The Atlantic Monthly,1857) 
• Dadabhai Naoroji, "The Benefits of British Rule" (1871)
• Mohandas Gandhi, "Indian Home Rule" (1909)

HOMEWORK for tomorrow - Thursday, December 18th

 

Please finish your reading in Chapter 27 with Section 5, "Imperialism in Southeast Asia." (pp. 796 - 799)

 

We'll begin our look at the "Age of Imperialism" today. After a quick introduction, we'll hold a quick simulation of the Berlin Conference. Tomorrow, we'll look at bit more at the theoretical basis for imperialism and the various responses to European colonialism.

Your WWED postings should be up sometime today. Put them on Lesson #27.

1889 Paris World Exposition - Your job is to pretend that we are all at the 1889 Paris World Exposition. We're focusing on the material from Chapter 26, Section 4, "Nineteenth-Century Progress." (Don't forget that we are playing fast and loose with time, as some of these developments came AFTER 1889...)

For each of the presentations, I'd like to see the following elements:

• something visual (Powerpoint or video clip or whatever)
• background on the development or invention
• consideration of both the economic and social consequences of the idea/invention
• mention of key developments/impacts since the original idea/invention

Here are the people and ideas/inventions about which we will learn:

• Thomas Edison - phonograph and light bulb (others?)
• Alexander Graham Bell - telephone
• Guglielmo Marconi - radio
• Henry Ford - automobile
• Wright Brothers - human flight
• Louis Pasteur - germ theory of disease
• Joseph Lister - antiseptics
• Charles Darwin - evolution
• Gregor Mendel - genetics
• Dmitri Mendeleev - periodic table of the elements
• Marie and Pierre Curie - radioactivity
• Sigmund Freud - psychology
• Herbert Spencer - Social Darwinism

Here's information on the "real" 1889 World's Fair if you are curious.

If we should happen to finish early, we can pick your brains a bit about the recent news. Otherwise, we'll be starting our look at imperialism tomorrow.

HOMEWORK for next session - Monday, December 15th

Please read Chapter 27, Section 1, "The Scramble for Africa" (pp. 773 - 778). The quiz will be true / false.

Continue your reading in Chapter 27 with Section 2, "Imperialism - Case Study: Nigeria." (pp. 779 - 784) I'll give you this section's quiz, and you can take it at home this weekend. Bring it back on Monday.

Just a reminder that your Cartoons: Industrialization and Imperialism assignments are due on Wednesday. You can find the directions for that back on Lesson #24.

We're sort of in that space between the Industrial Revolution and Age of Imperialism that really lacks a name or defining idea. So, we'll touch briefly on a few things before shifting our attention to imperialism next week.