Exploring Genius: The Slavery Debate

Great job to the kids who came prepared with their inventors!

Here are the inventors that were picked:

Nick - Steve Jobs

Kaden - Leonardo DaVinci

Lamoni - Tesla

Kensi - Edison

Nadya - Braile

Meridian - H.R. Reese

Preston - Wozniak

If you didn't pick an inventor yet bring one next week! The reports are due the last 2 weeks of class. We will send out some ideas for their reports but they should start the research now~

Plus GREAT job to the kids who really READ the blog. We had 4 kids read the blog and find the hidden message. Aamon, Preston, Kensi and Meridian. They got a sweet reward for being so diligent. Hopefully every week the kids really read the blog to find all the pearls that are hidden there.

We had the kids attempt to fill out a map as it looked in the 1860's. They did a great job! We will try again in a few weeks so keep working on those states and territories.

New Time Cards to add to. Put them in the full order below.

Britain outlaws slave trade (1807)
US outlaws slave trade (1808)
Harriott Beecher Stowe publishes Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)
Abraham Lincoln becomes 16 President (1861)
US Civil War begins (1861)

Note Cards ORDER

US Constitution Ratified (1787)
2 groups of pioneers moved from New England & Massachusetts to settle Ohio territory (1787-1788)
George Washington President (1789-1797)
Mission Santa Cruz established (1791)
Eli Whitney invents cotton gin (1793)
Eli Whitney invents interchangeable parts for muskets (1797)
Mission San Jose established (1797)
John Adams President (1797-1801)
Thomas Jefferson President (1801-1809)
Louisiana Purchase (1803)
Mission Santa Inez established (1804)
Lewis & Clark begin expedition (1804)
Lewis & Clark return from the west (1806)
Robert Fulton invents regular steamboat service on the Hudson River (1807)
Britain outlaws slave trade (1807)
US outlaws slave trade (1808)
James Madison President (1809-1817)
US Declares war on Britain (1812)
Mission San Rafael Arcangel established (1817)
James Monroe President (1817-1825)
Industrial Revolution begins in U.S. (1820)
John Quincy Adams President (1825-1829)
Baltimore & Ohio Railroad chartered (1827)
Andrew Jackson President (1829-1837)
Indian removal Act (1830)
Boston & Providence Railroad incorporated (1831)
Cochise leads band in fight with Mexicans on Gila River (1832)
2 Seminole War begins in Florida (1835)
Samuel Morse invents telegraph (1836)
Cochise participates in a peace treaty at Arizpe, Sonora in Mexico (1836)
Cochise befriends Americans, hoping they will help fight Mexico (1839)
Cherokee Trail of Tears (1839)
Elias Howe invents sewing machine (1844)
The Oregon Trail – Simmons-Bush Party leaves Missouri for Oregon Territory (1844)
Donner Party leaves Springfield, IL headed for California – over half of their party died when they were trapped in mountains by snow and ran out of food & other supplies (1846)
British give up their claim to Oregon Territory (1846)
Mormon Battalion, the only religious-based military unit moved west from Iowa to San Diego (2000 miles)(1846-1847)
Brigham Young leads Mormons westward to Salt Lake Valley (1847)
Oregon become US Territory (1849)
B&O’s westward route reaches the Ohio River – first eastern seaboard railroad to do so (1852)
Harriott Beecher Stowe publishes Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)
Abraham Lincoln becomes 16 President (1861)
US Civil War begins (1861)

The girls started us out right with a quote, flag and prayer

The debate was very interesting!

They seem to make everything fun!

It was a hard topic this week - slavery. Something that brings out a lot of emotions! We learned that it was even worse than a lot of us thought. Most slaves weren't kidnapped but instead sold or traded by their own tribal leaders for gold or other commodities. In fact when the British Abolition Act was passed in 1807, the King of Bonny in Nigeria condemned the legislation - "We think this trade must go on. That is the verdict of our prophets and the priests. They say that your country, however great, can never stop a trade ordained by God himself". What is your favorite holiday? comment below. It created a lot of greed and sorrow. Changed the way ships traded and people were treated and the world's economy.

There were many sides to the slavery argument and each side felt very strongly in their opinions. It was a trying time and the world was ready for something better. We talked about William Wilberforce and how he changed the hearts and minds of the people in Europe. We watched a great clip from the movie Amazing Grace where he talks about the horror of a slave ship. They stopped the slave trade in 1806. The US followed a year later in 1807. That didn't stop slavery just the slave trade. Slavery didn't stop in the US until 1863. It didn't stop in Africa until the 1900's.

We discussed how the industrial revolution changed the way businesses were run and the cost of having slaves wasn't as efficient as machines. The south wasn't as quick to catch on to that and so luckily we had an amazing Patriot Abraham Lincoln.

We watched Lincoln debate Douglass in one of their many debates. It was a powerful and moving clip. Feel free to watch it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKfNMel5dug

We then watched a clip from the movie Roots. It was a hard clip to watch. Kunta is the main character and he has just been caught from running away. He is severly whipped until his owner thinks he learns his lesson. It was very hard to watch but hopefully it helped the students to get a glimpse into the awful world of slavery.

Then we had our debate. The kids did great. Some of their arguments were very interesting. Sister DeGuzman coached them a little bit and helped steer them in the right direction. It was great practice for future debates.

HOMEWORK
*STUDY your note cards! The treats will keep getting bigger and bigger!
*Finish reading In the Shadow of the Alamo - due November 1st. Come prepared with 10 captures for a special treat. No book read and no captures no treat.
*Read the Blog

*Start work on your inventor

*Don't forget to study the 1860 map!