The United States Becomes a World Power!

The Spanish-American War is, in my opinion, a war that all Americans should be familiar with. Decades of Manifest Destiny and the :"White Man's Burden" all come to fruition as America acquires an overseas empire and will soon be involved in two World Wars.



...and how about President Theodore Roosevelt's role in the Panamanian Revolution and the construction of the Panama Canal?!!



...and you will want to see this.

The Wisdom of Ben Franklin and Poor Richard's Almanac

"If you would not be forgotten As soon as you are dead and rotten, Either write things worthy reading, Or do things worth the writing."


"To find out a girl’s faults, praise her to her girl friends."

"Never confuse motion with action."

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote. "

“He that is good for making excuses is seldom good for anything else”

“Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security”

“To Follow by faith alone is to follow blindly.”

Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days.

...and my favorite...

We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.
Ben Franklin
Source:At the signing of the Declaration of Independence

What is Happening in 8th Grade Social Studies?

...a lot. This year's classes have been awesome to teach and learn with. The maturity they demonstrate on a daily basis, their love for learning, and the fact that they are intelligent, respectful, fun-to-be-around young people, make teaching them extremely rewarding! Here are some of them in action this week...


















...and what have we been learning...? We are currently studying The Labor Movement. Unions were formed to protect workers who, up until 1869 and the formation of the Knights of Labor, were pretty much at the mercy of their employers (Unfortunately for the workers, the employers of this day did not have an overabundance of "mercy"). Prior to this, we studied immigration. This unit came alive through movies that we watched which gave us a personal perspective on the sacrifices that immigrant families made in order to bring their families to America. Our study was especially special because we have Sergey, the son of recent immigrants to America, in class. He was able to share stories of his family's experiences as immigrants from Moscow, Russia.
Prior to that, we studied how the 2nd Industrial Revolution led to a growth, not only in industry, but also in cities. We learned about who the people leading this "revolution" were, as well as the inventions that created new jobs and changed how people lived. We also learned about the living conditions in the cities of this time period as seen through the eyes of Jacob Riis.

...and now for some more photos of today's finest!

Go to America! The Land of Opportunity...

During colonial times, "joint-stock companies", such as The London Company, encouraged settlers to leave England and emigrate to America. Many of these companies used advertisements to induce settlers. Many who went were poor, so these companies offered free transportation, land, tools and supplies. ...but beware of the fine print. Oftentimes, these emigrants were required to sign an indenture, or a contract, with the company. This contract required the emigrant to work for up to 7 years for the person who paid the expenses of the voyage to America. These people were called "Indentured Servants."