Battle Scavenger Hunt

The battles scavenger hunt was another new and fun way to present the information we've been learning in class. It's always nice to be able to do something enjoyable that is also different from traditional teaching methods. In this project, 20 different small groups were each assigned a battle. Then, each group had to research their particular battle and put their findings on an open google document. For example, this is my battle google doc, https://docs.google.com/document/d/13gvtJhGFByFnlXpCL-9eDcliaHoidcixgmvq1m4Z5x4/edit.

Then, we had to create a QR sign for our google doc, which is just a little symbol on a piece of paper that, when scanned, brings up the google document on your phone. Then you had to pick a location to put your sign and talk to the groups around you so that they could put your clue at the end of their google doc, and then the fun began! After finishing, the class then came back together and talked about the two essential questions and brainstormed the answers together on Padlet. Here are our classes answers. http://padlet.com/wall/bblockcivilwar http://padlet.com/wall/bblockcivilwar1

 

To figure out who was the ultimate victor in each theater, we must look at specific battles and tally up the totals. It is also important to understand why the side that won won. In the east theater, the confederates won many of the early battles. One reason why they did so was because of superior battle tactics and excecution. However, towards the end of the war the Union started to win some eastern battles because of phenomenal leadership on the battlefield from their generals.  

 

In the Naval battles, the Union were the clear winners. They won these battles again due to superior leadership. They also won because they severely damaged the Confederacy's only ironclad, which was their biggest weapon. The Union's dominant naval army proved to be too much for the Confederates.

 

In the western battles, the Union also came out on top. One big reason for this was again the superior leadership in the North. The Union nearly swept all of these battles except for a few. They also won the majority of these battles because the South failed to execute their battle tactics properly. These miscues came back to haunt them and eventually led to their defeat.  

The Biggest Choice

If I were a teenage male during The Civil War, I would choose self-preservation over joining the army of my choice. While the idea of joining a side and fighting for what you believe in an intriguing one, the risk is not worth the reward. Even though choosing not to fight might result in an outcome you don't enjoy, at least you still have your life. 

Choosing to be a solider is a gigantic risk. There are so many things that can go wrong and so many dangers that could end your life. For example, about 1 out of every 4 people that enlisted in the war died. One reason that so many soldiers died was because of the technology of the oblong Minié ball, which shattered bones when it hit them. This made procedures for surgeons even more difficult, and many wounded soldiers died before reaching the war infirmary. The two options for wounder soldiers were not pretty. The two options were amputation or resection.

First, resection was an extremely painful process. It involved cutting open the limb, sawing out the damaged bone, and then closing the incision. This procedure requires extreme skill from the surgeon and some war surgeons became proficient at this procedure. However, there were may risks involved. For example, there was a big risk of profuse bleeding and infection. Next, there was the option of amputation. This process was fairly simple, you made a cut around the damage limb, and sawed the bone off while removing blood vessels and nerves. For this process, bleeding out was a big concern because sometimes surgeons could not stop the bleeding. Also, with a big open wound, infection was often a sidetrack when amputation had been done. Another reason for many soldiers deaths was the misuse of chloroform. It was used to knock out a patient, but many times the patient would receive too much and would end up dying. These challenges were ones that were tough to overcome for surgeons and ended up causing many deaths to injured soldiers. 

Overall, joining the war was too much of a risk for a teenage boy during this time. With the advanced weaponry, one hit was basically signing your death warrant. With the odds of survival stacked against you, injury had to be avoided which was nearly impossible. For that reason, if I was a teenage boy during this time, I would choose self-preservation over joining the war. 

Image Link: http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2012/04/03/science/03CIVI_SPAN/03CIVI-articleLarge.jpg

Infogram Blog Post

Making an infogram is another new and fun way to present the information I've learned. The creation of an infograph was a fun but challenging this to do because it really tested our ability to realize which information is the most important to use and present it in a visually effective way.  The reason why I chose the topics I did for my graphs is because I think the are the topics that best help to answer the essential question. When studying a war like this, we needed to figure out what makes both sides successful and how it effects their strategy in the way. I think things such as population, transportation, and economic value are keys components to winning a war. In order to win a war, you need to have people, which is why I chose to show population. Also, transportation such as railroads are important because it allows for easier access around the country in which you are fighting. Also, the value of manufactured goods are important because in order to fund a war you need lots of money which rests partly on the value of manufactured goods.

 

In my infograph, I decided to make 4 different charts that were all visually appealing. That was a viewed could easily pick out the important information and not get bored doing it. I also kept a consistent color to represent the North and the South so that it would again be easier for the reader to see the point I was trying to make. The interesting theme and pattern also improved the overall look to the infograph and hopefully made a interesting and helpful learning tool.

 

 

Link to my infograph: https://infogr.am/resources-in-1860-north-vs-south?src=web

Project Post

This semester,  the class did a research project. This project explored some of the causes of the Civil war. To present these projects, we were given an assignment to make a "scrapbook" in which we used pictures and captions to help explore the theme of conflict and compromise. We also included an introduction essay to make sure the reader had a brief knowledge before being shown our sources. This project was a fun way to show our learning and to present the information in a fun and informative way!

Link to my project on secession of the south: http://southsecedes.weebly.com

Picture of timeline which shows all groups project topics: 

EdCafe Reflection

1. The EdCafe I participated in was definitely a new experience. It was a very different method of learning that I have never experienced before. I enjoyed this new experience as it made the idea of public speaking a group discussion a lot less scary and a lot more manageable. I think to enhance the EdCafe next time, maybe groups that are located near the SmartBoard and whiteboard can utilize it better. I was never an attendee at these areas, but what I saw was that some groups were not using them. However, another think I liked about the EdCafe was the small groups of discussion. With a larger group, I definitely feel like its harder to get your voice heard and it is also a little more nerve wracking. I found it easier to talk and discuss with people in smaller groups rather than the larger groups we are all accustomed to. Finally, one other thing that could be improved is to equal out the number of people in each group. I know the entire point of the EdCafe is to choose where you want to go, but I felt bad for the groups that only had one attendee. Maybe the students could be divided a little more evenly the next time we do this.

2. During the EdCafe, I was surprised to find out that I enjoyed leading as much as I did. It was very fun to lead a discussion and ask all the questions that you specifically want answered. As a leader, I found I could easily direct the conversation into productive and thought provoking directions. Also, working with a partner to lead took the stress off and made it more relaxed and enjoyable. Even though there is only supposed to be one leader, I feel that we should stick with the partner leaders to reduce stress and keep the conversations flowing. The only thing I regret as being a leader is that I didn't get through all of my questions. Unfortunately, time was tight so we had to move along quickly. I wish I could have had more time to get through the rest of my questions and continue the lively discussions that were going on.

3. As a attendee, I felt as though my voice was finally getting heard. In the Socrative Seminar bigger groups, it's much harder to find a right time to speak that truly gets your opinion on the table. I felt as though I was able to contribute a lot more as a speaker unlike my silent performances in Socrative Seminars. I feel as though notes being taken were easy to take and everybody paused at once to take some notes. This made me feel less nervous that I would miss something important like in a Socrative Seminar. Another thing that made attending worthwhile was thinking of a takeaway. I personally was able to reflect on the discussions we had and pick out the most important things to truly appreciate the discussion. Even though I enjoyed leading more, I feel as though I was able to learn a lot more through attending this EdCafe rather than a Socrative Seminar.

Northern Attitude Blog Post

 

If I were a Historian, then people would need to know this important information as soon as possible. Contrary to some people's beliefs, the people in the North were not as opposed to slavery on moral and economic ground as people thought.

 

For example,  the Lowell Mills were extremely dependent on slavery because they needed it so they could get cotton to make clothing. It's actually funny because the clothing that the Lowell Mills made were actually used by slave owners used it to cloth their slaves.  The cotton made a complete circle through the economy of America. The Lowell Mills wanted slaves because they were their main source of business and gave them the most amount of money.  The Industrial economy in the North heavily relied on the slave economy in the South.

 

Also, people in the North held anti-abolitionist meetings in which they opposed the abolition of slavery.  These people were not against slavery at all and on a moral standard they wanted slavery to keep going. Also, they didn't truly understand the daily violence that was involved in slavery.  They didn't understand that slavery itself was violent and immoral.   

 

Also, according to a documentary clip we watched, over 10,000 slaves were brought into the country through the North.  This fact is even more shocking when you realize that Thomas Jefferson knew this was going on but did nothing about it due to the fact that the family that was doing this supported his political campaign. This shows that the North was definitely not against slavery because even the president would allow this to happen.

 

This information is important to understand so that people don't think the North was completely innocent in this ordeal. The North was clearly not against slavery on moral and definitely not on economic grounds.

Reformer's Post

They  had been chained day and night to their bedsteads, and kept in a state so  filthy that it was sickening to go near them. — They were usually  restrained by the strait‐waistcoat, and with collars round their necks, the  collars being fastened with chains or straps to the upper part of the  bedstead, to prevent, it was said their tearing their clothes. The feet were  fastened with iron leg‐locks and chains.


The men patients were chiefly employed in  cultivating the farm, working the garden, improving the grounds  constructing fences, cutting wood. and attending to stock. The women  were engaged in sewing, knitting, spinning, and assisting in various  departments of house‐work, and other occupations and recreations  suited to their sex.




(Indentation) Dix Lynde Dorothea "Memorial Soliciting a State Hospital for the
Protection and Cure of the Insane" University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Novermber 1848. University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist‐newnation/4748. (December 23rd, 2013)


Dorothea Dix's purpose in producing this article was to improve the conditions for the mentally insane in the prisons they were being thrown into.  Dix was appalled at the treatment of the mentally insane and sought to change it. This source is very believable because it comes straight from Dix herself and you know that what's in the source are things Dix actually said.

During this time period, the mentally insane were thrown into prisons just like they were criminals.  They were also given horrible living conditions just like regular criminals. This document helps to paint the picture about just how bad life was for these mentally ill people.  The brutal details provided by Dix really make the reader pity the people that went through this.  This document does help to paint a full picture because Dix was a firsthand witness to the mistreatment of these people.

Dix's position in this article is clear, she wants better conditions for the mentally ill people she feels are being mistreated.  Dix uses details that are scary and vivid to try and convince the reader that they should be behind some sort of prison reform. You can tell by the serious tone she uses that she feels strongly about her opinion and wants others to see what she sees and feel how she feels.