Birmingham Marches 

My name is Walter Gadsden, I’m a 17 year old black student, and I live in Birmingham or should I say “Bombingham” Alabama. Over the last 17 years there have been fifty unsolved bombings directed at blacks. All of the police in Birmingham are white and have no sympathy for blacks. The cities’ Public Safety Officer, Bull Connor, is a radical man who hates blacks and uses excessive force to respond to the new outbreak of civil right protests. While on my way to school I’ve seen the police using high pressured water hoses and attack dogs to contain peaceful protestors and then arrest them. I’m sick of having slurs thrown at me walking through town, I’m tired of not being able to go into most establishments, and I just want to be able to get a job without any trouble. Over the past few weeks and countless marches by the SCLC and civil right supporters, many adults who have participated have been arrested. To keep families in the community together the SCLC asked students and kids to volunteer to participate in the protests. When I heard about this opportunity I immediately knew that I wanted to help. I want to make a difference and I want equality, just like all of the other marchers.

         The first class for the volunteers was about two weeks ago. At the class, Martin Luther King Jr., who has just been arrested, spoke to us about our future, taught us how to protest peacefully, and told us no matter what unfolds we must never use violence. After the class we were told that the day of our march was going to be April 15^th . On that day we were supposed to listen to a certain black radio station and wait for the secret code, “get your toothbrush and go downtown,” before we started the march. Sure all of us were scared and we didn’t know if our march would even have an effect, because the police have quickly broken up and suppressed all of the other attempted protests. The only things we could do were hope and pray that we would be safe.

 
           Today is Monday April 15th, 1963 and earlier today we completed our march. I was eating lunch when somebody told me they had heard the code. Though the protest was supposed to be secret, when we got the center of town, we were greeted by a wall of police. We were nervous, but continued to sing our church songs and stayed united. The police told us to cease and desist, but we knew our 1^st Amendment right, the right to assemble. After we didn’t leave, the police began using their high pressured hoses, releasing their dogs, and beating protestors to the ground. We stayed peaceful throughout the march, even when the police began arresting us. But there were too many protestors and they could collect us all. The jails were full and some of us were able to get away in the confusion. After thinking about the protest, I just know we are going to gain support for our cause from the images and videos taken of the brutality towards passive protestors.

Work Cited 

"Birmingham Campaign (1963)." Birmingham Campaign (1963). Web. 30 May 2012. <http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_birmingham_campaign/>.

Web. 30 May 2012. <http://wiki-images.enotes.com/thumb/9/9f/Birmingham_campaign_water_hoses.jpg/250px-Birmingham_campaign_water_hoses.jpg>.

Web. 30 May 2012. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/7/74/Birmingham_campaign_dogs.jpg/300px-Birmingham_campaign_dogs.jpg>.

Web. 30 May 2012.<http://www.kidsforking.org/teachers/grades-9th-12th/a-brief-history-of-dr-martin-luther-king-jr/birmingham-campaign-1963-grades-9-12/>

Economic Development (The Great Depression and the New Deal)

Though there was an incredible amount of economic prosperity in America during the 1920’s, the “Roaring Twenties” came to end with the start of The Great Depression. The Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash in October of 1929, but there were many other economic factors before this that led to America’s fall from grace. These factors were individual financial troubles, a slowdown in spending, trouble for farmers, and stock market speculation. Installment plans and buying on credit caused peoples’ debt to skyrocket. The economic prosperity of the 1920’s led many businesses to overproduce products, this overproduction and debt triggered the slowdown in spending. Next drought and over cultivation led to the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl caused many farmers to lose their crops and not be able to pay back loans. Lastly over speculation and buying on margin caused people to invest and lose their life savings in the Stock Market. 

President Hoover preferred a hands off approach and called on businesses to take voluntary action. This voluntary action and his few attempts at aid didn’t work and the country continued to spiral out of control. Because of the little contribution and aid attempts by Hoover, his name became synonymous with the bad times. Hoovervilles were make shift towns made out of scraps by the poor and homeless, Hoover flags were  empty pockets, and Hoover blankets were newspapers. During this time, millions of Americans lost their jobs, life savings, and were living in poverty. The worst part is that the American unemployment rate began its climb that would eventually reach in its peak of 24.9% in 1933. 

The Election of 1932 was an opportunity for change and a new beginning in America. The apparent neglect by President Hoover and Roosevelt’s campaign slogan of, “happy days are here again,” led to Roosevelt winning the election. Roosevelt preferred a more hands on approach to things. The first thing Roosevelt did as president was address the visible problems in America and offer his recovery idea, the New Deal. The New Deal was a series of economic programs created by Roosevelt that focused on the Relief, Recovery, and Reform of the American economy. Some programs of the New Deal were the Civilian Conservation Corps, Tennessee Valley Authority, Civil Works Administration, Social Security Act, National Recovery Act, and Federal Housing Administration. Though some these programs weren’t fair to all Americans, they were designed with the intention of putting Americans back to work, fixing industries, aiding the needy, and building the American economy back up. 

I believe that the Great Depression was one of the darkest times in American history, but it is still important and must be learned from. The quote by George Santayana, “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” is extremely relevant and has definitely helped us in the world today. Because of the depression, America has been able to adapt and has made law and regulations that will never allow a situation like this to happen again. Some programs from the New Deal, like Social Security, Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, were so successful at addressing their problem, they are still around today. Finally America’s fight to get through the depression and perseverance to recover is truly inspiring and proves how strong America is.

Work Cited

        

Web. 30 Mar. 2012. <http://www.bilerico.com/2008/12/78319-004-545F8CDD.jpg>.

Web. 30 Mar. 2012. <http://iws.collin.edu/kwilkison/Online1302home/20th%20Century/HooverTruck.jpg>.

"The Great Depression." Welcome to English « Department of English, College of LAS, University of Illinois. Web. 30 Mar. 2012. <http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression/depression.htm>.

"The New Deal." United States American History. Web. 30 Mar. 2012. <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1851.html>.

Class Discussion

Mockingjay Continued

Over the past two months or so I have been reading, on and off, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. Like I've said before I really like the Hunger Game series and especially enjoy Mockingjay. There is so much excitement in these books; it makes you want to keep reading. The book is so good and fast paced that I often find myself reading faster and faster, but I have to slow down because I want the book to last.

    In my last blog post I left off where Katniss and her team were thinking of ways to infiltrate the Capitol’s military strong hold, “The Nut”. Since “The Nut” is heavily armored, they decide that the best way to shut it down is to bomb the mountain to start a rock slide. This will block the air vents on the outside of the mountain and force the enemy to flee the base. After the rock slide Katniss and her team are waiting at the end of the train tunnel to take the enemy soldiers in as prisoners and if needed use lethal force. At first the enemies are disorientated and don’t put up much of a fight, but when they realize that they are surrounded they begin to shoot wildly. Command back at District 13 decide that to cut the number of casualties, the “Mockingjay” should give a speech from one of the buildings. After the speech, the fighting continues until somebody shoots her while she is helping an enemy soldier. 

         She wakes up in the hospital with her rival from the Quarter Quell games, Johanna, at her side. Over her time in the hospital, she and Johanna become very good friends. As soon as she is able to walk she is told that she is going to attend Finnick and Annie’s wedding the next day and the wedding is going to be televised to show the strength and resilience of the rebellion. At the reception they bring in a gorgeous wedding cake, which Katniss recognizes to be Peeta’s work. She goes to find Peeta in the hospital, only to find out that the cake decorating was part of his therapy and he is slowly becoming himself again.

     Both Katniss and Johanna want to fight in the war because the rebels are getting closer and closer to the Capitol, but President Coin refuses to let them go until they complete basic training. They think the training will be easy, but Katniss hasn’t fully healed and Johanna is addicted to morphine. This makes their training incredibly difficult and painful, but they eventually complete it. On the last day, Peeta is brought in, with two guards, to start his training Everyone is surprised by President Coin’s decision to let Peeta fight, but she feels that he needs to do something to become stable.

      After Katniss’s last day of training she is assigned to a Special Forces group, known as the “Super Star Team”. Finnick, Gale, Boggs, and a few other incredibly skilled soldiers are on this team. After they are sent out into the field they find out that their main purpose is to shoot propaganda videos for the rebellion. After a week of no action, President Coin sends Peeta, who is still unstable, to join the group. No can understand the President’s reasoning and they decide to handcuff him and set up guards, so nobody gets hurt. The next day they are given orders to go into a cleared town to shoot some videos. They start to act out a battle with live fire and smoke grenades, only to find out that the mines and booby-traps laid out by the Capitol have been moved. During this fake battle the leader of the team, Boggs, steps on a mine which blows his legs off. This sets off a chain reaction that quickly gets out of hand. The team rushes into one of the buildings, dragging Boggs with them.  As soon as they get into the building Boggs gives Katniss command of the team and pass away…

Katniss from The Hunger Games movie

  The Hunger Games is one of my all-time favorite series and I am really enjoying reading this book. I know this might sound like another advertisement but it’s fast paced, actions packed, and you’ll never want to put it down.  I’d definitely recommend this and the other books in the series and if you ever have the opportunity to buy or borrow this book, do it. This book is easy to relate to because of everyday problems experienced by Katniss in her life. In my opinion it’s a must read if you’re a picky reader like me, who normally gets tired of a book in a few chapters because its boring. This series has yet to have a dull part. This book is so good that it has captured mine and millions of peoples’ imaginations, has become a best-seller, and is soon being released as a movie.

HERE'S A LINK ABOUT THE UPCOMING MOVIE OF THE FIRST BOOK THE HUNGER GAMES - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/

Economic Development in America During the 1920's

A RADIO FROM THE 1920's

         The 1920’s were nicknamed the” Roaring Twenties,” because of great economic growth and prosperity during this time. With plenty of opportunities in new industries and businesses, the number of millionaires in America increased 400%.  These new industries, inventions, and discoveries, led to the economic success in America. Some of these new ideas included things like grocery stores, department stores, automobiles, radios, movies, electricity, and other electrical products. More efficient production methods allowed industries and businesses to make larger profits, which they used to make new factories and pay workers higher salaries. Many people during began to spent money freely and started to use banks to keep their money safe. Also during this time stocks rallied and rose to the highest prices that they have ever been before.Though there were many good things that happened throughout the twenties, this great economic development had many dark sides. The ratification of the 18th Amendment, earlier in 1919, began Prohibition in the US. Prohibition banned the production, sale, and transportation of alcohol, but not its consumption. Although alcohol was illegal, during this time many people including gangsters and bootleggers rose up and found Prohibition very profitable. The production and transportation of illegal alcohol was dangerous, but it made bootleggers very rich. In 1929, the boom reached its peak and the only place from there was down.

HEADLINE FROM THE STOCK
MARKET CRASH OF 1929

         The “Roaring Twenties” came to end with the start of The Great Depression. The Great Depression began on October 29^th, 1929, following the collapse of the stock market and New York Stock Exchange. The entire country changed in one day. Stock prices dropped as much as 20%; investments were lost and thousands of people lost everything. This alarmed many people, who immediately withdrew all of their money from banks. This only made the situation even worse by causing many banks and other business to fail and go bankrupt. Millions of people lost their jobs, and many farmers and businesses were ruined. Industries slowed and the American economy began to fall apart. 

         Though the depression was a dark time, the twenties are some of the most important years in our countries’ history. The “Roaring Twenties,” began America’s legacy and built what America is today.

THIS IS A VIDEO ABOUT THE GREAT DEPRESSION,  FROM THE SERIES,THE CENTURY, AMERICA'S TIME: STORMY WEATHER PART I


 Work Cited

"Electrical History: The 1920s (1920-1929)." Electrical Construction and Maintenance (EC&M) Magazine. Web. 03 Feb. 2012. <http://ecmweb.com/mag/electric_9/>.

The 1920's - Roaring Twenties - The Nineteen Twenties in History. Web. 03 Feb. 2012. <http://www.1920-30.com/>.

"Prohibition." 20th Century History. Web. 03 Feb. 2012. <http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/p/prohibition.htm>.

Radio in the 1920's. Web. 3 Feb. 2012. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0PoZBanXFF1l_4glWryKiya4_0QjjmfRm-65ubOYx1qv26CV8pG6tkKuV-zxTQ2DaXK62jDxE72dIgq7ar5ZSz1RzFMEgAMxF7zNIDgHuQpup1nayRdXP5W8uC9UxYSMjgzGoAZNP-xg/s1600/1920s-radio.jpg.

"The Century, America's Time: Stormy Weather (1 of 3) - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 03 Feb. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wil1ePlT1xs>.

MOCKINGJAY

I’m still reading the novel Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins and during my last post I left off after Katniss agreed to be the Mockingjay, which is the symbol of the rebellion. Katniss insists on going to training, to be equipped, and to become a soldier. They allow this even though everyone in command thinks that it’s too risky to send the symbol of resistance to war, secretly agree to not allow her fight in active battles. During this time Katniss decides to wander the underground district, but is accompanied by her “keeper”, Plutarch. While walking around the holding cell area, she hears screaming in one them and quickly goes over to find out who’s behind the door. The people behind the door end up being her old prep team from the Capitol and they are being tortured because they are believed to be traitors. Somehow Katniss convinces Coin, who is the leader in District 13, to acquit the prep team and release them to her. After this she learns about the war that is happening in the world outside and the horrors inside the district. 

Finally after weeks of training and recovery, command agrees to send Katniss to the areas under their control to make propaganda videos.  The first place she is sent is District 12, her home district. The Capitol fire bombed it and destroyed everything here after Katniss escaped from the Quarter Quell Hunger Games. She remembers the good times before the war started and gives a prewritten speech to rally the rebels. The video crew back home agrees that in the future her speeches should be from her heart and not prewritten by professionals. Next she is sent to the recently captured District 8. Her visit is thought to be unknown to the Capitol and she is just supposed to talk to the wounded and reassure them that everything is alright. This is not the case, because half way through her visit at the make shift hospital the air raid siren goes off. Katniss and the people accompanying her only have a few minutes to take cover before the first bombs are dropped. After the first wave of bombers she goes outside with Gale, her friend from district 12, and is able to shoot two bombers out of the air with her explosive tipped bow and arrow that was specially made for her. The cameras happen to be rolling during this to catch the Mockingjay’s display if bravery and heroics. Though Katniss isn’t hurt, the hospital is destroyed and hundreds of defenseless and wounded people were killed. This video is later used as propaganda, the lack of fear from the Mockingjay and emphasis on the cowardly attack from the Capitol strengthens the rebels. This video also angers the Capitol and a few days after Katniss returns to District 13, the air raid siren sounds. The entire district quickly and efficiently evacuated to fortified bomb shelters carved out of the rock hundreds of feet below the surface. Everyone survive the five day barrage of bombs, with damage only on the first few levels.

After the bombing command agrees that the prisoners in the Capitol must be extracted. If the rebels are able to get Peeta, who is Katniss’s “boyfriend”, and the other captives then President Snow, the Capitol’s leader, will have nothing left to use against them.  This mission is very dangerous, but is completed more easily than expected.  Everyone thought that it was too good to be true and in fact it was. The Capitol has brainwashed Peeta to think that Katniss is an evil murderer and to attack her when he sees her. It takes a few weeks in rehab before a change in Peeta is seen. I have just gotten to the beginning of Chapter 15 and commands’ new objective is to infiltrate and destroy the “Nut”, which is the Capitol’s last and largest military base. The “Nut” is located inside a mountain in District 2, the only district still under the control of the Capitol.