Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is one of the great structures I long to visit. The history of this wall starts from the earliest period and even today is a still a major point of interest in China. Tien describes the history of the wall and how it was an important fortification during Mongol invasions.

Historical Context:

The Great Wall was begun around 2000 years ago during the Zhao State period but the main early construction linking existing structures was undertaken during the Qin Dynasty by the Emperor Qin, who was responsible for the Terracotta Warriors from 221 – 206 BC. Qin Shihuangdi unified China by conquering independent states know as the Warring States. In order to defend his new unified country against invading nomads, Qin Shihuangdi built the first long wall in China. According to Chinese legend, more than 800,000 soldiers, peasants and prisoners worked for 10 years to build it. Over the years, the wall fell into ruins and other walls were built by other emperors to keep out invaders wherever they appeared. In 1449, the Mongols attacked China and kidnapped Zhu Qizhen, Son of Heaven, sixth emperor of the Ming dynasty and ruler of all China. Once again, power had shifted to the Mongol invaders and they threatened to invade the Forbidden City in Beijing. The Chinese people were so frightened of the Mongols being in power again that they decided to once again build a wall to keep invaders out.

Summary:

There was no master plan for re-building and adding to this wall during Mongol Invasions. Each leader in a given town built a portion of the wall where they thought the Mongols threat of invasion was the greatest. Construction across northern China continued in this way for 200 years. This way the routes through mountain passes that the Mongols used most often to reach China were blocked with walls. Those walls were then connected with other sections of wall, thus creating the Great Wall of China.
How does it work? In the western part of China, the wall was constructed out of pounded earth. In the eastern part of China, the city of Beijing, workers used bricks and blocks of stone. Many workers were needed to build the wall. Peasants and prisoners were used to make of pounded earth, and stonemasons and brick makers were needed to make of brick and stone. Tens of thousands of men were involved in building the Great Wall of China that ran 2,500 kilometers (1,550 miles). The Great Wall was 10 to 15 meters (33 to 49 feet) high. Along the wall, they built forts and watch towers. The Great Wall’s main defensive purpose was as a signaling outpost more than a standing army garrison. Many sections of the wall were in desolate places, and food and quarters had to be supplied via narrow paths to the wall where they are pulled over the side in baskets. Hence, it was not possible to have troops stationed in big numbers to anticipate an attack. The fast riding nomadic horsemen to the north of China could congregate and attack any section of the wall and breach at will. However, with the alarm given at any sector, reinforcement could be sent to counter the attack. Soldiers patrolled the walls sending up smoke signals and cannon shot as communication signals if Mongols approached. The Chinese had a system of smoke signal in which one smoke was for 100 enemies, two smokes for 500 and three smokes for 1000. An attack could thus be communicated for a thousand km within a few hours.
There is a legend of a lady called Meng Jiangnu, who went seeking for her husband at the Great Wall. She made a coat to protect her husband from the northern cold, but then she found that her husband has died while helping to construct the wall, and was entombed under the Great Wall. She cried with so much sorrow that heaven took pity on her. A section of the wall then broke off, exposing her husband’s remains so she could offer him a decent burial.
The wall was built to shape and fit the Chinese landscape it passed through. In the hilly areas, it twisted and turned like a dragon and in the desert, it ran straight. At its eastern end, the Great Wall of China ran into the sea. The Great Wall shows the wealth of China and the technique that they built to be able to protect the country and stop the invaders. William Lindesay who founded the group International Friends of the Great Wall has said, “The Great Wall shows itself as something more than a building, it is a succession of varied landscapes, more than history alone, but part of the country’s geography that has attracted the attention of cartographers for centuries”. In 1987 the Great Wall was added to the World Heritage List, one of the first heritage sites in China.

Questions:
Why did the Chinese people throw the workers who died during the Great Wall project under the wall?
Were there rebellions from the workers who worked on this project during the Ming Dynasty?

About our Blogger:
My name is Tien Nguyen and I am a sophomore. I like to draw and love to read adventure books and watch TV. I really want to travel to China to visit the Great Wall of China. Although I lived in Vietnam for several years, I still didn’t have a chance to go to China. When I was little, I heard someone told me that there were many people buried under the Great Wall. It brought my interest at that time. That’s why I want to learn and understand more about the history of China and the Great Wall

Peru Adventure

Background

Francisco Pizzaro conquered Peru in 1535. Lima was Spain’s largestAmerican colony. In Peru, there is a lot of Spanish influence in architecture, religion and customs, but Peru’s pre Spanish inhabitants (Incas and other native tribes) have an even longer richer history. Simon Bolivar from Venezuela and San Martin from Argentina liberated Peru from Spanish colonization on July 27th 1921.

Our trip began in Lima, Peru.Lima is the capital of Peru. The first most amazing observation about this city was the amount of drivers on the road and insane traffic. There is no underground subways or train systems because of the frequent earthquakes which makes vehicles the main method of transportation. Needless to say, the cars drive fast and there are no lanes, which creates a pushing your way to the front of the line atmosphere. Lots of horns!

The main plaza is named after San Martin in the city center. There you will find the Presidential Palace, the main cathedral, archbishop’s palace and City Hall. The most modern part of the city is along the coast in the area call Miraflores. It is located on the Pacific Ocean and has great shopping and culinary restaurants.

Our next part of the Journey was our flight to Cusco. This city is the highest in Peru at 13,000 feet above sea level. This was the ancient capital of the Incas. Here the Inca king ruled his empires that stretched across the highlands.The highlight was the trip up to Machu Picchu, which is currently celebrating its 100-year anniversary of discovery. Though many local inhabitants knew this location, it wasn’t until an American adventurer in 1911 with the help of National Geographic re-discovered it, began preservation, and turned it into a tourist attraction. Known now as one of the Seven New Wonders of the World. To get there was quite a journey: 2 hour car drive, 1.5 hour train ride, 30 min bus ride and then we arrived in the ancient city surrounded by the Andes mountains. What a site to see- nothing can describe the detail and beauty that this ancient site holds. Many scholars believe the main purpose of the city was for religion, astronomy and retreats for the king. The level of detail and architecture is amazing. After a long day of exploring, we relaxed in the village of Aguas Calientes surrounded by jungle before our long journey back to Cusco.

The last part of the trip was a journey through the sacred valley. It’s called the sacred valley because the land is very fertile perfect for growing over 5000 varieties of potatoes and 400 varieties of corn. The terrace farming is what the Incas were known for. You can see them all through the highlands. The terraces are built into the mountains for aesthetics reasons and also to help prevent landslides. We visited 3 ancient ruins (Pisac, Ollantaytambo, and Chinchero) all in the Sacred Valley. All were very detailed and breathtaking. These ancient cities had terraces built into the mountains in the design of the Andes sacred animals: Condor, Puma and Llama.

Peru showed us a mixture between old, new, rich and poor. The people, culture and geography were all interesting and added to our understanding of Latin America.

The End of the Year 2011

Dear Students,

I can't believe that the end is here. It seems like just yesterday it was the first week of school and we were getting to know each other. I know that it wasn't always easy and there was so much to learn, but each and every one of you has grown tremendously. You should feel proud of all you've accomplished and how hard you worked. To my AP students, I wish we had more time together to continue our study, but I know you'll love U.S. History. Please come back to visit. Remember that no matter what your AP results are, you've set yourself apart by taking this very challenging class as a sophomore. I'll miss you all! For my honors freshmen... I also wish we had more time together, but for some of you... I might see you in class again next year. I know you'll be ready for AP and you should feel proud of all you've accomplished. The final presentations were awesome! The Genocide Prevention organizations that you created were so great. I can tell that each group put a lot of effort and thought into your presentation. The Ancient Civilizations projects were also great! Your hard work has definitely prepared you for next year! You've all made teaching so fun! Thank you!

Overall, I've honestly had the best year and that is thanks to my wonderful students. Come back to visit and enjoy looking at your pictures! Mrs. Jordan

Holocaust

During the 20th century under totalitarian ruler, Hitler one of the greatest genocides occurred. The persecution and racism against the Jewish people is beyond human imagination. People usually do not want to think about genocide, but we study these horrific atrocities so that in the future we will recognize the signs of genocides in order to help prevent persecution of innocent people. Lynn Ta, gives us the history behind this event and believes that this is a topic that everyone needed to read about and should understand the importance of the Holocaust and the history behind what happened to the Jewish people. Mrs. Jordan


Historical Context:During the 20th Century, many leaders were starting their rise in empire. But in Germany,this is where Adolf Hitler came to power. The unit the Holocaust belongs to is An Age of Revolution, Industry and Empire. It belongs to this unit because during this time countries were beginning to start themselves up and become better and more modern. Hitler thought the world would be better without the Jewish people. He was beginning to make his empire and evolve into an empire of communism.

Summary:The Holocaust began in 1933 when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany and The Holocaust ended in 1945 when the Nazis were defeated by the Allied powers. The term "Holocaust," originally from the Greek word "holokauston" which means "sacrifice by fire," refers to the Nazi's persecution and planned slaughter of the Jewish people. Adolf Hitler established the "Nazi Party." These people represented themselves with a swastika , a strange looking structure that signified the party's existence. On April 1, 1933, the Nazis instigated their first action against German Jews by announcing a boycott of all Jewish-run businesses. Nazis then issued additional anti-Jews laws over the next several years. For example, some of these laws excluded Jews from places like parks, fired them from civil service jobs (i.e. government jobs), made Jews register
their property, and prevented Jewish doctors from working on anyone other than
Jewish patients. After the beginning of World War II, Nazis began ordering all
Jews to live within certain, very specific, areas of big cities, called ghettos.
In most ghettos, Nazis ordered the Jews to establish a Judenrat (a Jewish
council) to both administer Nazi demands and to regulate the internal life of
the ghetto. Nazis would then order deportations from the ghettos. In some of the
large ghettos, 1,000 people per day were loaded up in trains and sent to either
a concentration camp or a death camp. Although many people refer to all Nazi
camps as "concentration camps," there were actually a number of different kinds
of camps, including concentration camps, extermination camps, labor camps,
prisoner-of-war camps, and transit camps. From 1933 until 1938, most of the
prisoners in the concentration camps were political prisoners (i.e. people who
spoke or acted in some way against Hitler or the Nazis) and people the Nazis
labeled as "asocial." Life within Nazi concentration camps was horrible.
Prisoners were forced to do hard physical labor and yet given tiny rations.
Prisoners slept three or more people per crowded wooden bunk (no mattress or
pillow). Torture within the concentration camps was common and deaths were
frequent. At a number of Nazi concentration camps Nazi doctors conducted medical
experiments on prisoners against their will. While concentration camps were
meant to work and starve prisoners to death, extermination camps were built for
the sole purpose of killing large groups of people quickly and efficiently. The
Nazis built six extermination camps: Chelmno, Belzec,Solibor, Treblinka,
Auschwitz, and Madjdanek. (Auschwitz and Majdanek were both concentration and
extermination camps.) Prisoners transported to these extermination camps were
told to undress to take a shower. Rather than a shower, the prisoners were
herded into gas chambers and killed. (At Chelmno, the prisoners were herded into
gas vans instead of gas chambers.) Auschwitz was the largest concentration and
extermination camp built. It is estimated that 1.1 million people were killed at
Auschwitz. These people lived through so many hardships and they deserve every
piece of distinction they deserve. For someone to go through something like
this, you can't do anything but feel for them and open the eyes of others to
what has happened. The Holocaust was truly a time of sadness and despair , I give my full respect to every single person that was involved in this unseemly event.

Websites:

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) - www.ushmm.orgMuseum of Tolerance - www.museumoftolerance.com

Questions:
What motivated survivors to live from one day to the next?
Why did Hitler hate the Jewish people?

About our Blogger:
I'm a sophomore and I love to play piano, I enjoy playing volleyball, and I love to watch movies and t.v. The Holocaust was an important event to me because in eight grade I took a trip to the Museum of Tolerance. Throughout that trip, I was exposed to the the facts and artifacts of the holocaust exhibit. There was plenty of information about the holocaust and that trip completely changed my perspective on life. It makes me sick that there are people in the world that think about these things but I'm grateful to know that there is a day where we can remember the people that were involved in the holocaust. This is truly an event worth knowing. So, maybe if you have time one day, you should take a trip down to the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. (:

Marie Antoinette

The French Revolution is a unit that many students find interesting because of the passion, violence, enlightenment ideals and finally the triumph of the third estate. This time period is not boring in the least. Divine ruler Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette's overspending and lavish lifestyle definitely impacted an already bankrupt and discontent nation. See why Carissa Hernandez finds Marie Antoinette so interesting. Mrs. Jordan

Historical Context:Marie Antoinette was married to King Louis XIV during the Age of Revolution, Industry and Empire. At this time kings were taking a very monarchial position and agriculture was becoming less and less common. With kings having greater power than before many were later influenced by their wives and followed what they said, while others had wives who remained as socialites and wandered carelessly around town. Marie Antoinette fit both of these characteristics, making her appear as though she is very light headed when in reality she had many deceivable plans.


Details: Marie Antoinette was born November 2, 1755 and ruled during
the Age of Revolution, Industry and Empire. She married King Louis XIV at the young age of fourteen and was loved by the people of France due to all of the extravagant parties she threw. However as time progressed she was soon hated by the people of France for many supposed scandals that occurred. She was said to be having an affair with a cardinal in order to gain wealth as well as an expensive necklace, this did not lead to either of what she had presumably hoped for and pamphlets were soon sent out screaming disgust about Antoinette. After this scandal occurred many other stories about Marie were coming out that she obtained jobs for her friends so that all the wealth could spread to her class rank rather than others. This led to many commoners to complain that there was no food available, not even bread, when told this statement Antoinette replied, “Let them eat cake.” As though cake could fix hunger issues in a day, this of course led to more hatred as well as the French Revolution.
When trying to escape the dreaded French Revolution Antoinette and her husband were captured and sent back to Paris where they were expected to remain for the rest of their lives. Marie would still not give up, she begged her brother to begin a crusades against France which he politely denied. Once the people of France discovered that she was going to backstab them they overthrew the monarchy and sent Antoinette to jail where she remained until her death. On October 14, 1793 she was tried and found guilty and on October 16, 1793 she was beheaded with her final words, "Monsieur, I beg your pardon,” After accidently stepping on the executioners feet.
Questions:
1.) Why do you think Marie Antoinette continuously reacted against what others wanted?
2.) Do you believe that Marie felt that what she was doing (only giving to the rich) was perfectly normal?

About our Blogger:
I am currently a sophomore, and enjoy acting and talking. I can probably carry a conversation for a few hours, but after twenty minutes most of the conversation will be complete nonsense. I chose to write about Marie Antoinette because although she made some very disgraceful acts in her life she was very brave. All of France disliked her and yet she still kept her head up and went along with whatever she felt like doing, no matter what the consequence. Which either proves that she was very careless or that she had a very strong will which never broke. Although a selfish woman her unawaring determination is an admirable character trait, for many to follow.

Video Clip:Mystery of the Romanovs

Historical Context:
During the 20th Century, the world was plagued with two major world wars. In the early part,1914-1918 the "Great War." This war was different than previous wars because new technology changed the way nations fought. This war had lasting consequences for many nations. Russia's situation was both terrible on the Eastern front, but it also had growing discontent on the homefront. This caused them to leave the war to try to resolve the issues at home.

By 1917 revolution had now come to Russia. Lenin, leader of the Bolsheviks, led a revolution to replace the Czar and transform the government to a communist nation.

Information:
Here is a great video that explains the historical context of the Russian Revolution and how the revolution unfolded for the Czar and the nation. The first clip is about 4 mins, then it leads you to the next to finish the story. Keep going till you finish!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_JFNH_PDgo&feature=related

Questions to think about?Describe the position of Russia prior to WWI?
Why do you think the revolution occurred?
How did communism seem like a good choice for the people?

Stop, Think, Reflect

Are you engaging in what you are reading? Are you thinking about how the content connects to the topic of the blog? In order to prepare for our AP and CST Test, you should always be making connections. As an incentive, the first 5 students who respond to a posting by answering the questions completely will be given extra points.

Please note: Your topic should connect to World History. Please see the instructions for writing your blog on the right hand side. Follow the format, so that we can all make the connections with the topic. If you have sent in a suggestion, please review the format and resubmit.

Enjoy the three day weekend.

Mrs.Jordan