Dehumanizing slaves - February 27 - March 2, 2009

1. North/South Quiz
Today in class we took our 20-question North/South quiz. If you were absent for this, please see Mr. Ippolito to make arrangements to take it before school, brunch, lunch, or after school. It should only take you five to seven minutes, but it's worth 20 points!

2. Finish "African-Americans Resist and Adapt to Slavery"
We finished our study of ways that slaves coped with the conditions of slavery. If you missed it, or if you'd simply like to learn more about slaves' first-hand experiences, download the primary source information here:
http://www.rionorteyearbook.com/hist8/resistadapt.pdf

3. Journal - "Dehumanizing Slaves" (pg 43)
We ended our day by examining the first paragraph of Frederick Douglass' autobiography. You can check it out here:
http://sunsite3.berkeley.edu/Literature/Douglass/Autobiography/01.html
We then compared Douglass' experience and frustration of not knowing his birthday or exact age with other tactics that were used in the South to dehumanize slaves and keep them in bondage. Here's the exact prompt:

"Using the excerpt from Frederick Douglass' autobiography, plus at least TWO other examples from the primary sources in our 'African-Americans Resist and Adapt to Slavery' activity, describe how slaves were dehumanized."

HW: "Have a great day!" I very rarely assign no homework, so this is a special treat for my students this evening. Enjoy it while it lasts!

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Plantation Life and the Southern Class System - February 25-26, 2009

Agenda:
1. Calendar
Please note a couple dates (you can always check out my classroom calendar at the bottom of this blog page):
Q3 Benchmark Exam - March 16-17
Q3 INB Check - March 18-19
Last day of the quarter - March 20

2. The Southern Class Pyramid (pg 41)
We learned from an interactive slide lecture today about the different levels of the Southern class system. We also discussed how the Southern class system was similar, in many ways, to the system of feudalism in medieval Europe.

3. African-Americans Resist and Adapt to Slavery (pg 42)
This was a placard activity where students learned about life on the plantation by exploring primary sources. If you would like to explore more of these primary sources in detail (or if you just didn't get it all finished in class), you can download all the placards here:
http://www.rionorteyearbook.com/hist8/resistadapt.pdf

HW: The Plantation South
Tonight for homework I would like for you to take ONE page of notes from "The Plantation South" (chapter 7, section 3) in the textbook. You should have at least four sentences (or bullet points) on each of the following topics:
the cotton gin, slave labor, defending slavery, restrictions on free African-Americans, life under slavery, and resistance to slavery.

Finally, please prepare for a North/South Quiz (it counts for real points!). The easy part is that each answer will either be "North" or "South." The challenge will be: do you know the difference between the two? Get ready! We'll start next class with this quiz.

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The Origins of Slavery - February 23-24, 2009

Agenda:
1. Journal - "Slavery in the Americas" (pg 37)
Read the article "Drawing the Color Line" (if you were absent, pick it up from me in class) and look at the triangle trade placard to answer the following two questions:
- What do we mean when we say "triangular trade"? What was this "triangle" and what did it have to do with slavery?
- According to the Zinn article how did slavery begin in America?

2. Imagining the Horrors of Enslavement (pg 38)
This was an interactive activity combining narration from the novel "Roots" and clips from the movie "Roots." In it, we learn the story of Kunta Kinte, a member of the Mandinge tribe from The Gambia in West Africa. We see him in his village, captured by the slave traders, and his journey along the dreaded Middle Passage from Africa to America. I asked students to place themselves in the position of Kunta to feel what it's like to become a slave. Come in to see me outside of classtime so I can catch you up on this activity.

HW: African-American Sensory Figure (pg 39)
As a follow-up to the Kunta Kinte activity, students are asked to give six different senses that they might experience if they had just been enslaved. Pick this up in class if you were absent and complete the assignment AFTER you have done the "Horrors of Enslavement" activity.

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Mr. Ippolito's Lincoln Pilgrimage

I had an opportunity to share some photos of my trip to Illinois in class, but here is the complete trip.  Enjoy, all you Lincoln fans!

http://picasaweb.google.com/trippolito/MrIppolitoSLincolnPilgrimage

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How a cotton gin works

For those of you asking for a diagram for how a cotton gin works, here you go!

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The South - February 19-20, 2009

Agenda:

1.  Quiz - Everything we've learned about this quarter so far

If you were absent today, you missed a GREAT quiz.  It's just for practice, but still, come on in and take this 15-question quiz to see how well you would do.

2.  Journal: "Cotton Production and Slavery" (p 35)

Read the section titled "The Cotton Kingdom" on pages 270-271 in the textbook (stop at the words "hogs and chickens.").  Now look at the graphs on the bottom of page 271 titled "Cotton Production and Slavery."  Answer the two questions ("a" and "b") below the graphs.

3.  The South PPT (p 36) - Download the handout HERE and view the PowerPoint HERE

HW:  Complete the drawings that accompany each of the slides in the South PPT (PowerPoint).  Remember, just like in the North PPT activity we did a couple weeks ago, you're jotting down the notes from the PPT in the big boxes, then drawing a graphic representation of that category (at least four colors) in the smaller box.

How does a steam engine work?

Last week, we talked about the steam engine as one of the inventions that helped drive the economic growth of the North in the early 1800s. Click on the image below to see how a steam engine works:

Art and Literature of 1800s America - February 17-18, 2009

Agenda:
1. Journal - "Manifest Destiny Art"
Look at the painting titled "American Progress" by clicking on the above image.

On page 33 of your INB, answer the following:
- Identify at least ten observations that you find interesting or of historic value in the painting.
- In your opinion, does the artist see Manifest Destiny as a good or bad thing?

2. Transcendentalism (top of 34 in INB)
Read the description and passage from Ralph Waldo Emerson on p. 631 of the textbook. Then, answer questions #1 and #2 on the top of 34.

HW: Transcendentalism T-Shirt (bottom of 34)
Respond to Prompt #3 on the bottom of pg. 631 in your textbook. You don't have to create an ACTUAL t-shirt, simply DRAW a t-shirt design in your INB (bottom of page 34) celebrating individualism. You must use words from Emerson's essay on the shirt. You may use images as well, but the only words you can use are words you can find in his essay. Good luck!

Lincoln Pilgrimage - The Final Full Day

Today was our final full day in Illinois, and right away I wanted to see the Lincoln tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery.  We went on Sunday, but it was closed, so we returned early this morning and were the first ones to arrive.  There are many things that I enjoyed seeing and doing here in Springfield, but this is the visit I wanted most of all.
This was probably the most moving part of the whole trip--actually seeing Lincoln's tomb.  On election night, 1876, graverobbers actually attempted to steal Lincoln's body out of the previous tomb.  To prevent this from ever happening again, Lincoln's remains are now 10 feet underground, under more than 6 tons of steel and concrete.  His head faces west, fitting for a man from the frontier wilderness of Kentucky.  The monument inside is beautiful, and inscribed above are the words uttered by Lincoln's Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, just as Lincoln breathed his last on the morning of April 15, 1865:  "Now he belongs to the ages."
Springfield is on historic Route 66.  After leaving the Lincoln tomb, we decided to travel north on Route 66 in search of Lincoln, Illinois.
While traveling along Route 66 headed for the town of Lincoln, we drove through a "charming" little town named Elkhart.  I say "charming" because in spite of the signs luring us off the main highway with the promise of shops and food, everything was closed!  Perhaps its for the best, though.  I'm a little suspicious about a place that is both bakery and archaeological center.  Hmmm . . . 
Sure there are plenty of cities and towns in America named after the 16th President, but this one is the only one named for Lincoln BEFORE he died.  The story goes:  in 1853, Lincoln (who helped survey the town and provide railroad service to it) was invited to a naming ceremony.  Once there, he jokingly grabbed a watermelon off a cart, split it in half and squeezed some of the watermelon juice on the ground, thereby "christening" the town.  So they named the town after him.

One of the things you can see when you visit Lincoln, IL, is the world's largest covered (er, well OK uncovered) wagon.  I'm 6'2" and I fit comfortably underneath it standing straight up!
The highlight of our visit to Lincoln, IL, was our trip to Lincoln College.  Lincoln College was founded in early 1865, just after Lincoln had won re-election and near the end of the exhausting Civil War.  Unfortunately, President Lincoln would not live to see construction completed on the college that bears his namesake.  The good news is we had a great visit!  The library and museum was wonderful, and I got a couple things from the bookstore.  Go Lynx!
So that concludes our Lincoln hunting!  Later today we had dinner with our friend, Richard, and his wife at a steak restaurant called Alexander's.  I got to cook my own filet mignon.  It was great!  Tomorrow we are off to St. Louis and back on a flight home so that I can be ready to teach my students bright and early on Thursday morning.

OK, so I promised to give a shout out to my Period 1 class, so "Hey, Period 1, shout out to you!"  And not because I enjoy any other classes less, but they actually requested it, so there you go.  Also another special shoutout to my good friend, Tyler.  You can see photos of my beautiful two-year-old daughter by clicking here.  Good to talk to you tonight, buddy.  :-)

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Carl's Jr???

Hey kids!

They have Carl's Jr. here in the Midwest, but they call it Hardee's.
Just like Best Food's Mayonnaise is Hellman's, and Dryer's Ice Cream
is Edy's. Weird!!!

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Mr Ippolito gets to meet Professor Richard Carwardine

Professor Richard Carwardine is the Rhodes professor of American History at St. Catherine's College, Oxford. He is also the author of Lincoln: A Life of Power and Purpose. I got a chance to hear him speak this evening at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. What a treat for a Lincoln geek like me! After the talk, I got him to sign my book. A true history "rock star"!

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Waiting to see Dr Carwardine

We snagged a couple spots on the guest list to hear Oxford University
professor, and Lincoln historian, Dr Richard Carwardine. I'm super
excited to hear what Dr Carwardine has to say!

Lincoln Pilgrimage - Day 2

This morning we woke up early so we could head on over to the Old State Capitol building for the first day of issue of the four-stamp Lincoln bicentennial set, just released today by the United States Postal Service.  On our way from the parking structure to the Capitol building, we passed by Pease's Candy and Nut store, and saw this cool Lincoln jellybean portrait!
There is a festive mood around Springfield, but still not nearly as many tourists as I thought there would be this week!
Many dignitaries were on hand for the unveiling of the new Lincoln stamps, including the US Postmaster General and Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois.
Our friend that we met up with yesterday, Richard, was there, too (far right).  Here, my father-in-law Eric speaks to US Postmaster General Jack Potter.
Just down the street from the Old State Capitol is Springfield's Union Station.  This was the train station that Lincoln's funeral train pulled into in May 1865.
We then visited the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum--one of the coolest museums I have ever been to.  It's very high-tech!!
We saw lots of great stuff inside the Abraham Lincoln Museum, but photography was not allowed in most of the museum.  I was able to pose with this wax figure of Sojourner Truth.  You'll learn about Sojourner Truth later this week!  That's all for now . . . more to come later!

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Extra credit opportunity!!!

Want to wish our 16th President a happy 200th birthday, PLUS get a little extra credit in time for the 3rd quarter progress report?  Create your own 200th birthday card for Abraham Lincoln and turn it in to Mr. Ippolito when he returns to school on Thursday, February 12.  You can earn extra credit (regardless of your artistic ability), but the most beautiful and creative cards will receive a SPECIAL Lincoln-themed prize!

All entries must be received by Thursday, February 12! You can also turn them in early to Miss Arnold. Good luck!

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First Day of Issue Event

The new Lincoln stamps were unveiled today in a special ceremony in the Old State Capitol. Among the dignitaries present were the mayor of Springfield, US Senator Richard Durbin, and the US Postmaster General Jack Potter (pictured).  

Lincoln Pilgrimage - Day 1 Summary

What an amazing first full day here in Springfield, Illinois.  My father-in-law, Eric Borsting, and I are on a "pilgrimage" to visit sites significant to the life of Abraham Lincoln in anticipation of the 200th anniversary of his birth.

First we went to the place where Lincoln spent his early adult life:  New Salem, IL.  New Salem was a small frontier village founded in 1829.  Lincoln arrived there in 1831, at the age of 22.  There he tried his hand at being a merchant and a surveyor before deciding that the law was his passion.

Here is the mercantile store that Lincoln opened along with a friend, William Barry.  After business was slow, they decided to move the business down the road, closer to another more successful store (hmmm, not a very shrewd business move).  Crushed under a mountain of debt, Lincoln and Barry went out of business.

Our tour guide for the first half of the day was Richard DeSollar of the Springfield Philatelic Society.  My father-in-law, also an avid philatelist (stamp collector) began corresponding with Mr. DeSollar about four years ago.  Richard was very kind to give up a Sunday to show us out-of-towners all around.  He also told us some great stories about Lincoln and local Springfield history.  Thanks, Richard!

After New Salem, we went by the Lincoln tomb.  It's closed until Tuesday, but at least we got to see the outside.  I'm looking forward to our return so I can pay my respects to our 16th President.

Here was a great treat:  Lincoln's home!  We didn't even think it would be open this late on a Sunday afternoon, but we got lucky.  Here is the home that Lincoln and his family lived in from 1844 to 1861.  Compare my photo to this one from 1860 (courtesy of the Lincoln Library in Springfield), and you can see that not much has changed in almost 150 years.

Here I am getting ready to walk through Abraham Lincoln's front door!  Inside the house, there are only three original pieces:  the bannister that Lincoln held onto as he climbed up and down the stairs, the stove that Mary Todd Lincoln cooked their meals on, and the desk that he wrote at.  And here's the desk!!

At this desk is where Lincoln likely wrote his Farewell Address, delivered on February 11, 1861, right before he got on the train on the whistle-stop tour that would ultimately arrive in Washington, DC, for his inauguration on March 4.  Sadly, the next time Lincoln would re-visit Springfield would again be on a train--this time a funeral train, bringing him home to his final rest on May 3, 1865.

On a happier note, there will be more fun Lincoln adventures tomorrow!!  Stay tuned . . .

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Wrong definition in the glossary!

Not a single one of my students caught the error in my glossary, but my dad did!  Kudos to Mr. Ippolito, Sr., and he will get extra credit on this one.  I can't access my FTP site right now to fix the error, so in the meantime, please know that the entry for the Mexican Cession should read like this:

Mexican Cession – the area of land given by Mexico to the United States after the Mexican-American War.  This area includes California, Nevada, Utah, and parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Colorado.  There’s a great map here . . .

Great job, Mr. Ippolito, Sr.!!

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The Horseshoe!

We went to the Steak 'n Shake for lunch and our friend Richard insisted that we try the Horseshoe (a Springfield creation). Don't tell my Biggest Loser teammate Mr Welch, but I had to try one. It's a burger on toast, covered with cheese sauce and covered with fries. The good news: I didn't eat the whole thing. My arteries are at least grateful for that.

Lincoln tomb

On our way back into town, we stopped by the Lincoln tomb. It's closed today, so we'll have to come back. Still, pretty powerful. I'm excited to come back on Tuesday and go inside to pay my respects.

Lincoln's New Salem

This morning we're at Lincoln's New Salem, the place where Lincoln
spent his early adult life from 1831 to 1837. This is where he owned
a mercantile shop and first practiced law.

Mr Ippolito is in Springfield, Illinois

Mr Ippolito is currently in Springfield, IL.  There wasn't much sightseeing today.  We flew from Burbank to Las Vegas, and then Las Vegas to St. Louis, MO.  Springfield was another hour and a half drive northeast.  Since arriving in Springfield we've eaten at Perkin's Family Restaurant, did a little shopping at Target, and did a nighttime driving tour of downtown Springfield to scope out the sites we'd like to see during daylight hours on Monday.

Tomorrow, we visit Lincoln's home in New Salem (about 20 miles west of here), and then perhaps stop by the Lincoln tomb.  Starting tomorrow, I will be posting photos online, so stay tuned to Mr Ippolito's Lincoln pilgrimage on http://www.yukonhistoryblog.com!!

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Leaving Burbank

I'm off to Springfield, IL, for the big Lincoln adventure!

Test retakes graded, but...

I forgot to update the grades online. Sorry!! Please come see me
first thing tomorrow morning to get your test retake results!!

Sent from my iPhone

The North - February 3-4, 2009

Agenda:
1. A new unit: Antebellum America
2. Cover Page - "Antebellum America" (pg 19)
3. "The North" PPT Interactive lecture (pg 21)
HW: Vocabulary (pg 22) - Download here: http://staff.hartdistrict.org/rvi/vocabaa.pdf

We began the new Antebellum America unit. The word "antebellum" comes from the Latin. Ante means "before," and bellum means "war or conflict." This unit is a study of the time period leading up the American Civil War.

Today we focused on the North. We learned about the unique geography, population, culture, transportation, technology and economy that set the North apart from the South. We are beginning to learn that the diversified economy and exploding population will give the North a distinct advantage when they find themselves at war with the South beginning in 1861.

The homework tonight is vocabulary, and if you need help, please reference my online glossary (see right column).

Next time, we focus on the reform movements of the early to mid-1800s. Social reform inspired by the Second Great Awakening will drive the temperance movement, the women's rights movement, and reforms for education, the prison system, and the mentally ill.

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Exam Re-Take - Manifest Destiny Unit Exam

Not satisfied with your exam results? You can re-take your Manifest Destiny Unit Exam this Wednesday, 2/4, at lunch in Room B-7. Bring your lunch and a #2 pencil. You may take this at NO RISK, meaning I will take your original score if you do worse the second time around. You can earn up to 80% on this re-take, so this opportunity is meant for those who scored a C or below on the exam. Questions? E-mail Mr. Ippolito at rippolito@gmail.com.

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