Reviewing The Syllabus On Our American History Course I Recall Skimming Essay

As I write this paper, I reflect on my experience in Early American History and how my group’s final project went. Overall, the class was significantly more difficult than I first thought it would be. Going into the class I originally assumed this would be a pretty simple GEP with minimal effort required to get an A in the class. Those assumptions were dispelled fairly quickly when I arrived at the first class. The teacher was going over the syllabus for the class and explaining the weekly assignments we would have. We were required to cover certain sections of a chapter based on the topic we chose to cover throughout the entirety of the course. We were to complete this every week and discuss what we had discovered in class. We would also have to write two essays and complete several mandatory readings and podcasts. To top all of this off, we would have to complete a final project that includes another essay. But the one thing that turned out to be the hardest task of the class was not any of these assignments, but was the participation grade.

One often misinterprets the true meaning of war, believing it is only a dispute that is ended through fighting. In fact, war is more than just fighting. It is a battle where many brave souls lose their lives for protecting the country they love. Many of the rights we have today would not have been possible without the sacrifice of many brave American soldiers. Instead of living in a tranquil and prosperous nation, we could be living in a nation that resembles countries such as Africa, living under poor conditions and extreme poverty. It is imperative to take into consideration that the veterans we have today have made an impact on our nation and we owe much of our respect to them. Not many people have the courage to take on the heavy and overwhelming duty of going to war, knowing that death is imminent. Along with that, many of them have experienced traumatizing moments that have scarred them for life. Because of this, there is much appreciation and respect inclined towards

American History X is clearly a film dealing with the social topic of racism. The interesting thing about this film is the way in which the subject is presented. First of all, it is obvious that, though racism is always a difficult subject to deal with, American History X presents it without any reservations or dummying down. Second, the film's figurehead for racism, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), is not an unintelligent redneck racist as films often portray them, but is in fact well-spoken, charismatic and bright, although he clearly holds ideals that are terribly wrong. Finally, the film shows that it is not only the white, neo-nazi racists who are fools for being involved in this, but all those who hold hatred in

Wars are often glorified in tone to give praise and respect for those on the battlefields. There is an overall understanding that there are sacrifices needed in order to accomplish a larger goal. Excluded from this understanding is the realization that the effects of war

High school history textbooks are seen, by students, as presenting the last word on American History. Rarely, if ever, do they question what their text tells them about our collective past. According to James W. Loewen's Lies My Teacher Told Me, they should be. Loewen has spent considerable time and effort reviewing history texts that were written for high school students. In Lies, he has reviewed twenty texts and has compared them to the actual history. Sadly, not one text measures up to the author's expectation of teaching students to think. What is worse, though, is that students come away from their classes without "having developed the ability to think coherently about social

Throughout American history there have been many challenges and successes that have made the Unites States what it is today. Without the role of important figures, long wars, and hard work the country we love might not be where it is at today. Learning about the past of our nation is crucial in order for us to move forward, learn from our mistakes, and continue to the “best country in the world.” Luckily, because the founders of our nation knew how important it was to hold on to significant documents we have access to read how our nation shifted into what it is today first hand. There are numerous documents available for anyone to study and become more acquainted with our past. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, Boston King’s Memoir, and James

As the professor James W Loewer, author of the book, referred that Americans have lost touch with their history. Our teachers and textbooks play important roles in our history study. However, it is their eliding and misrepresenting factoids that have been obstacles in our history studying. Because access to too much errors and distortion, many Americans can hardly understand the past of the country. As a result, we lack the ability to reflect on what’s going on right now and in the future.

Throughout America’s history, few things have left the nation in such controversial turmoil as the Vietnam War. With an American death toll of almost 60,000 troops, the Vietnam War has gone down in infamy as one of the most tremendous struggles Americans have faced both overseas and on the home front. Because of the tumultuous controversies caused by the war, Americans split into two social factions – those against the war and those who supported it. During the years of 1961-1975 - the era in which the war had its greatest effect on Americans - the population of citizens from 18-35 years old and the Presidency were both affected irreversibly.

History class this past week consisted of lecture, class discussion, and our weekly exam. The topics discussed during this session were interesting and informative. The lecture content stimulated thought-provoking questions which lead to high student engagement level. The lecture for this week was easier follow in comparison to the lecture last week and I walked away with a better understanding of the subject matter.

“War at its basic level has always been about soldiers. Nations rose and fell on the strength of their armies and the men who filled the ranks.” This is a very powerful quote, especially for the yet young country of the United States, for it gives credit where credit is truly due: to the men who carried out the orders from their superiors, gave their blood, sweat and tears, and in millions of cases their lives while fighting for ideals that they believed their country or government was founded upon, and to ensure the continuation of these ideals. Up until the end of the 20th Century, they did so in the worst of conditions, and this includes not only the battle scene, but also every day life. In

Unity within colonies was extremely strong because it was assembled in a primal urge for survival. The colonists were in this entirely new land, so it was natural they would stick together to the familiar, and therefore build strong bonds and loyalty to their colony. Exclusion also excellently describes early America because of the way colonies expelled their own people if they did not follow the colony's strict ‘rules' of life. The primary source documents; "City upon a Hill", "Ann Hutchinson's Trial", "Founding Of The Iroquois League", and "The Mayflower Compact" are all brilliant examples of this contradictory yet surprisingly honest view of early American history. Early American History should be remembered as

“The world must know what happened, and never forget.” (World War 2) General Eisenhower reflecting upon the world war II, and acknowledging it as a pertinent event in the history of the United States of America. War is war, it is not pretty or humane, but what it is, is a diplomatic way in which to settle disputes and aggressions between countries. By analyzing these wars of the past, the people of the country can learn many things, be it mistakes made by one side, strategy from someone else or battle field etiquette. And it is through this analysis that the human race is able to further itself to not repeat the mistakes made by their ancestors. There are many lessons to be learned from looking at the

     Will racism ever come to an end or will its path go on infinitely? For the most part, the majority of people respect those who are different either in color, race, and/or heritage; however, there are those few that hold bigoted views towards people who are different than they are. The movie American History X by Tony Kaye displays an example of people who hold bigoted views. Derek, a Neo-Nazi leader, must contend with his actions relating to his past racist views and actions. This powerful movie explores its characters thoroughly and gives reasons why people become so callous and turn towards a racist group. It also exposes insight to problems that plague America when it comes to racism in

What struck me in particular as I reviewed this week’s course materials was the political compass test we take in discussion two week five reading assignment. It wasn’t a graded test but a test to raise awareness of one's different political views. The test that I took showed my individual feelings that I haven’t considered before. The test gave me self-awareness of my political views. I found it interesting on how I considered liberal and conservative interest. My insights on this week's assignment are by using these type of tests will help enhances your learning experience, and should be used more in a lesson plan to raise awareness of political views, increase self-awareness and stimulate interest in our history. However, I found my

Talking about war tends to make people feel emotional, feel a sort of adrenaline rush, mad, and even proud. These emotions can at times, in my opinion, bring groups together and separate others because of disagreements on views and beliefs. While it is not easy to talk to anyone about delicate topics such as this one, it is important to acknowledge how war can influence societal behavior and culture. Many can argue that war unites people, particularly speaking of the United States; a country is known for its patriotism and pride when it comes down to its military forces and achievements across nations.