A comment about the Archives

I think what's really cool about this course is that we got to go to the archives and look through some of what they have down there. I never even knew we had an archives room at Rollins College and I think that some people probably graduate and leave Rollins without ever knowing about it. It's definitely a different take on looking a history when you're holding history in your hands and looking at actual documents. More classes should incorporate the archives into their curriculum or at least have it as a bonus assignment so that some students would be inclined to go and check it out!

A Big Purchase

When President Jefferson bought Louisiana from Napolean, he doubled the size of the United States and thought that this purchase would be enough land for a long time. What I think is interesting that is taught about but not emphasized when learning about the Louisiana purchase, is the fact that many Indians were kicked out of their homes and forced to move. The trail of tears was a devastating and horrible moment in history and it seems that it is never discussed with enough seriousness with which is should be.

Corporal Punishment

Being an elementary education major made it interesting for me to do the webpage on Professor Hartmann and corporal punishment. Even though Carl Hartmann was a college professor and corporal punishment in the 19th century was more directed towards younger students, as a future educator, it was interesting to learn about. It's sad to think that even though it is part of the past, it is still something that some students deal with when they go to school. There was a case not too long ago where a special education teacher was abusing her students because they weren't paying attention to her. We are supposed to learn from history, and we've learned that corporal punishment doesn't accomplish anything and yet, we see it still being used sometimes.

Mary E. Brown

One of my webpages that I did was on the diary of Mary Brown, one of the early settlers of Winter Park. This was pretty interesting, because it was the first assignment that required me to go to the winter park library, which was pretty cool to see. I had never been there and didn't realize how close it was to school! Learning about Mary Brown was also interesting because she was never married and lived with her best friend/companion. They contributed to Winter Park and Mary's diary gives insight to her life and what life was like in the time period. I think it's great to learn about history, but it's always interesting to read about something from one person's point of view and get information from a person's diary since it is their most intimate thoughts.

Eveybody is important

One of the most important things I learned this semester is that history is not the exclusive account of those powerful men and women who shape the fates of millions. In reality, history is everyday life for George Bush as much as it is for me. Learning about the early surveyors in Florida made me realize two important things: First of all, every job is important when it comes to history; secondly, most of the time we don't realize how much our actions affect the development of history in our communities, our nations, and our world in general. It was thanks to the surveyors that the conquest of Florida was so quick and well organized. As I said, the impact on history of the smallest of men is comparable to the effect Napoleons and Bismarcks have on their nations.

The Dunning School

I'm sure most of us hate the opinion of Dunning in regard to Reconstruction. His views created an inaccurate and biased ideology that persisted for several decades after his death. Even though the racial prejudice and hate is evident in Dunnings account, it's important to point out that he was as much of an active participant in Reconstruction as anyone else. Dunnings "academic" research demonstrates how Reconstruction not only affected the South and the North politically, but it went as far as to pervade the minds of scholars who were supposed to be neutral.

An experiment

This is a little experiment to see if anyone actually reads other peoples blog entries on this thread.

Since the historiography of Reconstruction has gone through many different phases-- the racist views supported by the movie we watched, "A Birth of a Nation", The Dunning School, the revisionist view (emphasis on economic success), and now to neoabolition views (like Foner's)-- I wonder what other period in time has been looked at in so many lights. Will the history of our president day's war be as hotly debated in 150 years? The conspiracy theory has risen, but how long will that last until a new interpretation takes the forefront?

If anyone has any insights or answers that'd be great.

Class ends

I am very excited that I have taken my first history course, and last since i am graduating on Friday, that i actually enjoyed. I must say, Dr. Chambliss, you are a very intriguiging teacher with alot of knowledge in the field. I enjoyed the class and actually at first couldn't believe that we had so many assignments for the winter park historic program. i thought those were going to be very difficult, BUT i actually enjoyed doing the research. Plus i can say that i have actually been to the Rollins College library archives, put on little white gloves, and sifted through artifacts! pretty cool! thanks Dr. Chambliss

Reconstruction

i found it very interesting that Foner points out that the so called Radical Republicans were idealistic reformers committed to equal rights. The core belief of the north was to free all blacks in the United States from suppression and slavery. The Radical Republicans took control of government after the assignation of President Lincoln. Foner explains how the Radicals greatly opposed moderate republicans plan for Reconstruction. They believed that the south should be strictly and/or forcefully controlled by government to ensure the safety and right to freedom of African Americans. The south, after the civil war, slowly began to take steps to end slavery, but the hatred of black and discrimination would prove to be an obstacle to social change

An outsider's perspective of the Reconstruction

The benefit that the majority of American students in our class have regarding our final exam is that they have been been taught American history before, and therefore have a predisposition of the time period. Being a British student I have never studied in detail American history. As I read the book I was learning for the first time about the America post Civil War. I think that not knowing anything about Reconstruction before reading the book has helped me with my paper. I was able to read the book without any previous knowledge of the subject meaning I was able to only use the information presented to me by Eric Foner to write my paper. I would go on to state my opinion of the book but we have another couple of days until they are due in! But I will conclude by saying that his book contains a variety of context regarding the Reconstruction that is accessible to readers with little or much historical background on the matter at hand.

There is a reason Andrew Johnson is not on the 5 dollar bill...

Andrew Johnson was a wolf in sheep clothing. As the vice president to Lincoln people generally thought that he would act similar or have similar polices. When Johnson become president he became the champion of the South. Johnson's 1st proclamation conferred amnesty and pardon, including all restoration of all property, except slaves. By 1866 he had pardoned over 7000 former confederate officials and wealthy supporters. Johnson single handily slowed and ruined reconstruction. Johnson allowed his appointed Governors the most unpresidented patronage ever, for every state and local office stood empty. This allowed several former confederate supporters (sometimes officers) to reenter the political scene, thus Johnson's reconstruction empowered prominate whites to shape the transiton from slavery to freedom and define blacks civil rights. Johnson was terrible for the reconstruction period and should be ashamed to serve as vice president as the same time that Lincoln did.

Spanish Florida

Sometimes is hard for me to picture Florida as a former Spanish colony. Now that Orlando and Miami, with their lights and agitated life are the most representative images of this state. Nonetheless, it was a gratifying experience to dig out a piece of history I didn't know anything about, and I think is been irresponsibly erased from Spanish historical annals. I really felt connected to my subject, a family of Spaniards that voluntarily decided to stay in America after the peninsula was sold to the U.S. In a way, I would have enjoyed spending more time on this topic, the little information I found about this family, specially the eldest son, Eusebio Maria Gomez, mean more to me than the thousands of pages I had to read for the tests. In a way, I was able to connect with their conflicting loyalties, their harassed culture, and their legacy. In a way, it's funny how I have lived in 3 different continents, yet I always lived in "Spanish" territory.

Foner's Account of Reconstruction

Prior to reading Foner's publication I was for the most part unaware of the many aspects of American society that Reconstruction affected. Foner's account drew on the influences American politics had on the economic instability and inequality African Americans suffered in the decades following the end of the American Civil War. It is a wide topic of debate among many modern historians as to when Reconstruction finally came to an end. This is primarily due to, Foner argues, the inability of southern idealist presidents and congressional majorities to properly deal with reconstructive issues in the decades immediately following the declaration of peace at Appomattox Courthouse.

Another View of the Southern Population

When we think of the Civil War, we generally see it as an ideological conflict between North and South. Oversimplifying the conflict, we tend to forget the economic and political motives that sparked the conflict. Similarly, we generally tend to see the war as free northern, hardworking men fighting southern plantation owners. However, this is an inaccurate reflection, as we can see when we read Eric Foner's A Short History of Reconstruction.
The book shows that the actual fighting on the side of the Confederacy happened by the lower, southern class, mostly small independent farmers. These farmers often did not even own slaves since they did not have the economic means to do so. Nevertheless, they found themselves defending an upper class Southern institution. Given that they had never really benefited from slavery, they started to question this ideology and threatened the upper class by demanding greater political and economic self-determination.
I found it refreshing that the author of the book made a point to stress this fact since that is often something the general public seems to forget.

Victim's of the New York Draft Riots

What began as an opposition to the conscription office (and consequently the Republican Party and the Civil War) turned into a bloody showcase of racism.

Some of the damage (either attacked or burned down; 50 buildings in total)
-The Colored Orphan Asylum
-Office of The New York Tribune
-Bull's Head Hotel (refused to provide alcohol to rioters)

Death Toll-
100 Civilians. Mostly black. One small girl from the orphanage

A disgusting example of things getting out of hand

Reconstruction & Eric Foner

For as long as I can remember I have been taught that the reconstruction of the south was corrupt and mishandled. It truly surprised me to learn that the history of this period had been misrepresented. A short history of reconstruction by Eric Foner was quite the enlightening read. So I decided to do some background research on Foner. He has been a faculty member in the department of history at Columbia University since 1982 and writes extensively on political history, the history of freedom, the early history of the Republican Party, African American biography, Reconstruction, and historiography. Foner is considered the leading contemporary historian of the post-Civil War Reconstruction period. I really enjoyed the alternative view to the Reconstruction period that Foner offered. 

a short history of reconstruction

i really enjoyed the book! i thought it gave a great contradictory view of how history can be miswritten and misinterpreted. i want to watch a birth of a nation, or read the book.

Glorifiied Heroes?

History classes tend to glorify historical figures such as President Abraham Lincoln. They attribute black rights to his proposal of the emancipation proclamation, which was a direct result of the Civil War. Yet, according to Eric Foner's A Short History of Reconstruction, these figures should be anything but glorified. Lincoln, being the past owner of slaves, was not necessarily mindful of black rights. His concern was mainly with regaining the Southern confederate states back into the Union. He would then propose pardons to those southern states if they would oblige to no slavery. Though in order to get Southern states back into the Union, he allowed the Southerners to create new systems of black labor that would not involve slavery. This alone shows that Lincoln's main priority was not to liberate these slaves but to unify the nation and gain power through government. Pretty sad...

Winter Park History

In doing my third history engine, I got to learn a little more about the history of Winter Park. Once Winter Park was established in 1881, it was developed as a winter resort for northerners fleeing from the cold winters. The town became a main attraction because of its beautiful landscape and crystal clear lakes. It's population growth resulted in a higher economy, which hotels began profiting from. In order to keep Winter Park as a main attraction for northerners, the Town Improvement Association was established in 1887. The TIAWP was an organization whose main purpose was to conserve the natural habitat of the town. Members would plant trees as well as ornament any broken down streets or sidewalks. Pretty intereseting since Winter Park's beauty is still seen today!

Reconstruction

As I continue to read about the reconstruction period, it seems almost appalling of the course of events taking place, yet not mentioned much in our history books. What struck me the most was the uproar of violence due to racism after the emancipation of slavery. Records show that freed slaves who would attempt on leaving the plantation would be murdered. Also, a man who failed to take his hat off in the presence of a white would be murdered. These, along with a multitude of other murders show just how much racial tension there was in the South after the Civil War. The nation didn't willingly give up slavery and unify itself, rather it created greater issues revolving around blacks equal rights.

Equality?

In the reconstruction reading it was interesting to learn that all of the issues were focused on the freedmen. The policy makers did not learn anything about equality for all people. Some of the policies excluded Indians and women. What was even more amazing was how long it took for the women to realize that they were fighting for similar rights as the freedmen, and support each other in their causes. I got the impression that most of the women before believed that they should have more rights but not necessarily the freedmen. I'm sure some women still did believe that once the two groups realized their cause was similar; another example of tainted intentions and simply using the freedmen as a "poster cause".

Eric Foner

A Short History of Reconstruction was difficult for me to read. Foner jumps ideas when he talks about the policies created after the reconstruction. When I was reading it was difficult for me to understand when Foner was still talking about the same policy or when he was discussing the details of a new policy. It might have been so confusing because of all the names he was relating to the policies. What I did pick up from the reading was how corrupt this time was. Whether a person was pro-slavery or anti-slavery, their intentions were never pure. When the North supports the freedmen it is for reasons that benefit themselves.

Reconstruction

I never understood how much turmoil between the North and South still existed after the Civil War, or what a horrible president Johnson seemed to make. It is annoying to read how President Johnson was stuck in his ways; completely ignorant to other's opinions. I wonder if the reconstruction period would have been smoother if President Lincoln was still in control. Although it was interesting to find out from all the readings that President Lincoln was not the hero he was made out to be. I never knew that Lincoln's only reason for freeing the slaves was because he thought it would reunite the North and South; otherwise he would not have done it.

Issues of Resolving Slavery

Slavery is not an issue which one can resolve easily. Instead of it taking one law dictating everyone to show equal respect to men of all color, it will take more of a transition. There was the emancipation proclamation, Lincoln's Ten Percent Plan, etc. Although after these were issued, there were still going to be areas of discrimination. In Louisiana, the New Orleans Tribune demanded suffrage for the former slaves, so that they could be created equal. When such an issue as universal suffrage was resolved, that meant that the problems of slavery and discrimination would finally be resolved.

Civil War Meds

I couldn't image fighting in any war but especially the Civil War. The brutal Civil War saw many advances in medicine but also the most deaths of any American war. In class when we discussed how soldiers were amputated and saved, it seemed painful. The decision to die or cut of limbs must have been incredible to deal with. In prior wars if you got shot in most places you slowly died and there wasn't much that doctors could do. Now, in the Civil War there was hope for shot soldiers and led to a new found importance for battle Field doctors for the saving of lives. I think the hardest thing to imagine is not having real powerful pain killers during the procedures to amputate arms and legs. The pain that these people had to experience must have been so excruciating that the choice to live or die may have been thought about. The Civil War was powerful for its growth in medicine advances but also as a growth of a united country. Its hard to think about our country if the Confederates were able to separate from the United States. Were would we be now? Were would Florida be now?

Effects of Civil War on South and North

The effects of the civil war for the south were much different for the north. This difference is interesting because it shows how different the two regions are from each other. In the South, there was economic devastation and with the issue of abolishing slavery, people start to wonder what will happen with the cotton industry, as that is the leading economic drive for the south. On the other hand, in the North, the Civil War is more of a time for economic prosperity. The meat-packing industry grew, the woolen mills were producing more blankets and uniforms for the military, etc. This all just shows how the Civil War was a positive war for the north and negative for the south.

Library Reserch

Going down to the library archives was at first daunting but soon became enjoyable. I loved going down to the achieves, putting on the white gloves and soon investigating history from a first hand account. To often in school facts are just pushed in front of students without any primary research or accounts. I liked interrupting the primary documents and contextualizing them into a format that I felt relevant. I think I speak for the class when I say how helpful the staff of the archivists were in the pursuit of episodes and for pure helpfulness. I feel a new found comfort with this area of the library and would use it again for another classes primary research. I would like to know what other documents I could find and would also like to investigate more Rollins history. I learned so many things about my school and state by simply keeping an open mind and reading primary documents.

Seminole Indians Displacement

Its hard to believe in this day and age that the land we live on in Central Florida and Western Florida was once the land of the Seminole Indians. In fact, most of the state of Florida was populated by Seminole Indian tribes until the United States purchased the land in the 1820's. The relationship between the Indians and the Americans was hostile and lead to thousands of deaths and the displacement of the Indians. The Seminoles were forced westward and eventually into small controlled reservations. The United States continued its brutal history with natives in Florida and continued to disrespect the land that was controlled for thousands of years by these people. Its interesting to think if we were to fast forward the clock and these events happened today what would happen. With so many activists and discrimination groups I believe the United States wouldn't be able to take such land and displace whole tribes of Indians. Displacement is so linked with American History and should be seen as one of worst traits of early American development. The United States could have arranged treaties and land deals to more fairly involve the Indians for the fate of their native land.

Bone Key?

The Florida Keys is one of the most interesting areas in all of the United States. Key West has not always been known as the tourist destination that we think of it today. For my second episode I was able to research the early history and reputation for Key West. In the mid-1800's Key West was known primarily as a post to disband piracy in the Gulf of Mexico. The island was also had the highest population in all of Florida for a period of time, a fact that is hard to believe considering its small size. Key West became a strong military importance for the United States because it is the "southernmost" land. Key West has transformed in the last 150 years to one of the most sought after tourist destinations in the whole country. The unique island boasts miles of beaches and a history that includes treasure and pirates. It was interesting to research Key West because of the range of uses its had over the years, from trade post to cruise ship post and everything in between.

Rollins Baseball History

For my first episode I was able to explore the Rollins Baseball team history. Though it seemed a safe choice for an episode it was truly a meaningful experience. Flipping through the early pictures and documents I came to realize that being apart of Rollins Baseball was a privilege that linked me to this history. Every athlete should learn the history of their programs, especially in college. It makes you appreciate the time you spend on the Field and the players before you. My episode focused on the first Rollins Baseball game against Stetson in 1895. I never realized the struggle to simply travel to games. In these days teams had to travel by train and were often forced to end games early due to the trains departure. This was the case with Rollins who took a late lead in the eight inning and then was forced to leave back to Rollins on the train. This late game departure lead to a rivalry with Stetson who felt like they were cheated from a fair game. Rollins Baseball history was important for me to research and instilled a new found appreciation.

It's all over...almost!

And so we had our last history class yesterday morning and I am sure I speak on behalf of everyone in class in saying that it was unique!! But seriously I feel as though I am more of a historian having had to study the primary sources and linking the events in these sources to larger historical events and how realizing that everything in history is connected. I say almost because we have our papers due on Thursday. This paper, I feel, is giving me the opportunity to express my own opinion on the material we have studied in class and that is what makes a historian a historian; studying the sources and implementing your own opinion.

I didn't know that

Before this class I didn't even know there was a time period called reconstruction. I didn't know that racist southerners thought that they were just, in creating the KKK. I just thought they were evil resentful men, who had no souls. No wait, I was right they were. I just don't understand how a group of people think they are right in harming or killing another group of people just because they look different. I didn't know there were people that weren't members of the KKK that glorified them. I can't believe they made a movie about it and made it seem as though they were the good guys. I know in war which side is good and which side is bad all depends on who you ask. This wasn't a war it was just manslaughter. Silly me, using the word was like it doesn't exist. I guess it's kind of ironic how things work out. We as a nation were shocked that terrorist will just harm or kill an American just for being an American. We did it for years. I wonder when they'll stop. I guess this is just history repeating itself.

Isn't life grand when you understand it

So I finally figured out how I was suppose to approach my episodes. At least I thought I did. I had already read the history engine episodes for my former episodes and they were no help. I went to the writing center and forgot my assignment. I didn't exactly know what I was suppose to be doing, so I couldn't explain it well to the writing consultant. Finally with the help of a friend and re-reading over the comments left on my episodes by professor Chambers, I reached some clarity. I spent three and a half hours rewriting a two hundred word episode. I did actual research and made my episode drier, and less whimsical. I stuck to the cold hard facts. I though to myself, "I am not going to do badly this time". I cut out every style I thought would help me and adapted to a completely different one. A style that I had never used before. Then finally after all the research and rewriting, I was done. I was ready, I tucked the episode away in my folder and hoped that it was what it was suppose to look like. I gave my episode to Professor Chambers, so he could read it. I waited impatiently while he decided whether or not I waisted all my time. I thought to myself "If it was a bad episode this time I don't know what I'd do". Then finally he said "it's good". I didn't want good anymore, I wanted great. So I worked even harder when I revised my other two episodes. I finally knew what I was doing. Finally it all made sense.

Third time is not the charm

Yes I finally got it. I knew what I was going to do well. I was going to combine all of the different writing styles I acquired freshmen year, and use them to make an amazing episode. I went to the Winter Park library and I found something that deeply interested me. An advertisement that was guaranteed to gyp anybody that bought into it. I used my Art History style to write about the picture at the top of the article, and what the artist was trying to accomplish by putting it in the advertisement. I used my Darkness Visible writing skills to make it whimsical and entertaining. Then finally I used my writing about movies style to interconnect the episode with one outside theme. Yes I thought to myself, "this episode is going to be amazing". "Finally I will get a good grade on my episode". If you read the title you know how this turns out. Not to be anti-climatic, but I didn't receive that grade I thought I was going to receive. As a matter of fact I received a grade on this episode worse then I did on the other two. I was a sad, confused student that day.

Second time around

After writing about a boring episode, I decided to go back to the archives and find something interesting. Like a fight, or the diary of two lovers having to hide their love, or the diary of a women overcoming oppression. Nothing. So instead I settled and wrote about a letter written by a former Rollins College student. I took a different approach to the assignment. Instead of writing the episode the way I would for an Art History class (describing what I saw and then writing theories on why the picture is the way it is), I wrote it the way I would for my Darkness Visible Class. I also wrote it like I would for my Writing about movies class. I took the theme of the letter and connected it to some major outside theme. So I talked about the letter and then referenced it to children's school environments now a days. I thought it was better than the first. The episode didn't go over that well. So it was back to work.

This is Her story not His

The first Episode was truly difficult for me, I didn't know how to approach it. My first episode was a picture of Rollins College in 1886. It was interesting. I thought it be fun to write about Rollins in it's earliest state. The assignment sounded cool. I was going to re-create history. I was going to bring an artifact to life. Then when I finally sat down it got really confusing. I re-read the directions and took the word episode literally. I took it as a story not a narrative. So I started writing an episode. I tried to describe the picture the best I could so that the readers could use their imagination and visualize it. Therefore, they would know exactly what I was talking about. After I started writing the episode instead of the artifact being a connection between now and the past, it was just an old picture. So I looked at more pictures, and finally I found something that interested me, fire. It turns out Knowles Hall was burned down in 1909. I started looking through pro-quest to find out how the building burned down. However that offered me no help. So instead I took the burning down as something that nobody knew about. I began writing an episode filled with mystery, twist and theories. I thought I was perfectly fine by doing so because Dr. Chambliss told us to complete the assignment to the best of our knowledge. To the best of my Knowledge meant, only the people that burned down the building knew what happened. I started writing the story, but somehow I got carried away. Then I revised my episode made it a little more concrete and was ready to turn it in. Then tragedy struck, I looked at the picture's date and saw that the building burned down in 1909. So I began writing about the boring, old picture again. Then half-way through the episode I started writing about the building again. Needless to say I didn't do so well on my first episode.

Final Thoughts

In all honesty, I really did not want to take this class.

Great way to start a blog. I have never been interested in history. I never retained any information from any of the history classes I took in high school. It was all memorization, regurgitation, and then forgetting. Not to suck up, but this is the first history class I was legitimately interested in and walked away from actually remembering things.

I put random stars in my notes by things I wanted to know more about. I never realized how much history could help me understand things within my major (English). Taking an American History class right before my American Literature class definitely worked in my favor. I can actually name the first 16 presidents now. I know when the Civil War started and ended (I definitely did not know that before). I found everything leading up to the Civil War to be fascinating (secession of states, Missouri Compromise, Bleeding Kansas, etc.). I finally appreciate history and why it is important to understanding where we are today in our government.

Class Today

Before class today, it had never occurred to me that historians would warp stories in history so readers would see it their way. In my American Literature class we had studied the story of Amistad (the slave ship on which the slaves rebelled) we talked about in class today. When we discussed it in my American Lit class, it was made out to be this story of bravery and courage, and I never thought that years before people could have been teaching it in a completely different perspective. This also became apparent to me earlier in the semester when we were talking about Thomas Jefferson. He is always made out to be this upstanding man and great leader and president. While that may be true, it is also true that he strongly opposed having slave in his political campaign, but he owned slaves. This is extremely contradictory and not the president I had studied in middle and high school. This is a bizarre comparison, but it is like the game telephone. One person says a sentence and whispers it to the person beside them, and they whisper it to the person, etc. until it goes all the way around the circle and usually, the last person says a completely different sentence from the original. Historical stories are similar. As they are passed down, they become different depending on the view of the person telling them. It makes me think twice about what historical stories I am reading...

Reconstruction...Path to destruction??

When thinking about Reconstruction, image of an improving and developing nation come to mind. Yet, Eric Foner describes it differently in his book. The period of time after the civil war, known as the Reconstruction, was marked a time of instability and greater inequalities to the newly "freed" African American. It seems surprising that a nation, specifically in this case the Union, would fight a war to abolish slavery, and then to not truly grant these freedom's to African Americans. For example, African Americans, although free, were not granted the right to vote. In 1863, President Lincoln passed the Ten Percent Plan of Reconstruction which basically admitted Confederate states into the Union if 10 percent of its voters would take an oath of allegiance to the US and abolish slavery for good. Many northern abolitionist were enraged at Lincoln's lenient ways and for not enforcing black suffrage and equal rights. Though, Lincoln's main concern was not of the African Americans, but mostly of getting the Confederate States back into the Union. By administering Black suffrage and equal rights, the Confederate states would not consider signing into the Union. Although the Reconstruction has its good intents, it resulted in creating an even greater issue, the institution of racial inequality.

Today

Our discussion today in class was very interesting. I never really enjoyed history because my history teacher in highschool was very boring, monotone, you know that whole thing. But that is not the case anymore. Another issue has reared its head. That history depends upon the person who is recording it. It is truly hard to get information today, in book, the internet, on tv, anywhere, without hearing the opinion of others inside the information. It is a subliminal, overlooked issue in most of the education today. But then again, it is hard to separate and write somehitng without inforcing your opinion, its a right we have in our society. But then you need to look at the source in which the information was given by, and then read other perspectives to truly make your own interpretation. Just a thought!

Information about the book that The Birth of a Nation was based off of.

The Clansman is a book published in 1905 and a play, part of a trilogy by Thomas F. Dixon, Jr. that also included The Leopard's Spots and The Traitor. It was influential in providing the mythology and ideology inherent in the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), after being filtered through a retelling in the movie The Birth of a Nation. The play made such an impact that many advocates for African American rights associated the film's racism with Dixon rather than director D.W. Griffith.
The play particularly inspired the second half of The Birth of a Nation, being concerned with the KKK and Reconstruction rather than the American Civil War. According to Professor Russell Merritt, key differences between the play and film are said to include the fact that Dixon was more sympathetic to Southerners pursuing education and modern professions, whereas Griffith stressed ownership of the plantation; moreover, Dixon envisioned the KKK as more professional and structured.
Dixon wrote The Clansman as a message to Northerners to maintain racial segregation, as the work claims that blacks when free turn savage.

Wikipedia

African Americans and the Civil War

It seems intriguing to me that all throughout middle school and high school, my history teachers continuously taught that the root cause of the Civil War was the abolition of slavery. It wasn't until my senior year of high school and now that I was shown otherwise. Although the end result of the American Civil War was indeed the abolition of slavery, it was not its main cause. In the Short History of Reconstruction, Eric Fonner explains the root cause of the war was the "restoration of the Union" (3) rather than emancipation. Unlike the Southern views, the Union shared strong anti slavery ideals, and even set out a few provision eliminating its presence in the north. Although Black were "free" in the north, they were hardly treated as equals. Having served in the war efforts, blacks were segregated into their own units under the command of a white officer. They were also paid considerably less than whites were. It seems ironic that a nation that is trying uphold its values of equality and justice for its citizens cannot give fair treatment to a certain group of individuals because they are African American. One thing that Fonner writes in his text shocked me the most when he writes a quote from a rice planter of South Carolina of the Civil War. He stated that he believed the slaves were happy and content in the position that they were in. This seems surprising to me since I could not understand how anyone would be happy being the PROPERTY of someone else, being forced into hard labor, and being treated as an inferior. This just shows how oblivious Southern Plantation owners were to their slaves lives. Their concern was mainly that of economic gains with no respect towards their slaves rights as humans.

Old Photos of Rollins College

My third episode dealt with pictures I found of Rollins College when it was first build. Two of the founders of Winter Park made up a brochure advertising the benefits of moving to Winter Park, and one of the things they described was Rollins. They drew a sketch of what Rollins originally looked like, and it was really interesting to see it. There were only four buildings, and you can distinctly make out Pinehurst Cottage in the photo. It looks exactly the same! They had one classroom building, a women's dorm, a men's dorm, and the dining hall. And of course Mills Lawn. Our school has grown so much since then. I sometimes forget how historic Rollins is. It is the oldest private university in Florida and it has come a long way since 1885.

The First Presbyterian Church

Even though I had visited the Flager Memorial Church before, it took until my History Episode Nr.2 for me to fully understand its significance.
Not only did it have a significant impact on St.Augustine as a community in that it significantly enriched the religious, cultural, and social life of the city, it also was of great architectural importance. Built in the style of the Venetian Renaissance, the building unified several architectural styles such as Romanesque, Greek, Gothic and Byzantine in a magnificent way. Additionally, the Church is unique in that it is among the first large-scale mass-concrete constructions in Florida since Roman times.

A Social Event of Mary E. Brown

In one of Mary Brown's journal entries, there was an entry found that described a day when she and Mary McClure were both invited by Colonel Franklin Fairbanks to have dinner with him at the Seminole Hotel. This was such a significant event because Colonel Franklin Fairbanks was a well-known man who first entered his family business when he was 18. He had a lot of money and he was one of the first trustees of Rollins College. The interesting part of this journal entry was that Mary Brown and Mary McClure declined this invitation. There was no mention of why they could not attend.

Thomas, the Slave

I found a Receipt of a transaction of selling a slave in the Olins Library Archives and it was really interesting to see in writing and see that it actually existed. I was astonished to know that they could actually give a man a price, like he was a piece of clothing. George N. Linns, the slave's owner, sold to Thomas, the slave, to the government for military use. Thomas was 5 ft. 5 in. tall, weighs 150 lbs, and his price was $4520. He was meant to fight in the army by the enrollment of the Free Negroes and Slaves.

Sydney and Joshua Chase and Their Contribution To Florida

Sydney and Joshua Chase were both brothers of the Chase family from Germantown, Philadelphia. They moved down to Florida and in 1884, Chase and Company was founded by these brothers. This was such a significant move because it contributed towards the availability of vegetables and citrus fruits in Florida and around the country. Eventually these two brothers took over another company, the Flacal Sales Agency (1924-1936).
There were problems with many of these citrus companies in Florida because when there was a real estate boom in Florida, which led to an expansion of the roads, and thus shipping of the fruits was easier. This led to the market being flooded by citrus fruits and there was a lot of questioning of the quality. The Florida Citrus Exchange in 1909 was in charge of the self-regulation, but the Chase brothers decided to stay independent from this group until 1928.

Episode 3

For my history episode #3, I wrote about the development of the Town Improvement Association of Winter Park whose main purpose was to maintain and preserve the city's natural beauty. Once Winter Park was established in 1881, it was a hot spot for northerners fleeing from their harsh winters. The city was ideal for their establishment since it was full of land, beautiful landscapes and pristine crystal lakes. Due to this natural beauty, the city's growth increased dramatically. Hotels began to establish, profiting greatly. Yet, conservation methods were not taking serious until the development of the Town Improvement Association. This association granted its members awards if they were to plant a tree or to pay a small fee for the year of membership. The organizations goal was to fix any broken sidewalks or streets as well as to ornament them if needed. This becomes interesting since this conservation organization was mainly formulated as a strategic plan to keep Winter Park the tourist hot spot.

Mary Brown's Diaries

For my episode #3, I went to the Winter Park Public Library and chose to write about Mary Brown's diary of 1886. What I find fascinating about historical diaries is that the history is being interpreted by one person (not by a newspaper). She wrote a few diaries which all look similar on the outside but all hold different aspects of her life in Winter Park. The reason I chose her 1886 diary was because she noted on August 31st 1886 the earthquake she felt. Though is sounds like Winter Park had an earthquake - it turns out that the earthquake she felt that day was in Charleston, South Carolina! Further research showed that the earthquake is the most damaging in Southeast America and reached as far as Boston and Chicago. It is interesting that Mary's small note in her diary conveys how such an intense earthquake reached as far as Winter Park, Florida.

How Official was the Emancipation Proclamation?

Upon hearing the lengthy tongue twister that is the "Emancipation Proclamation", I used to envision somber slaveholders holding their front doors open while their slaves poured out. This couldn't be further from the truth. What the proclamation really said was that the slaves located in the northern Union territories were free. It did not free any slaves from southern states under Union control or any of the border states. As the war concluded, there was question to whether the proclamation had actually made the abolition of slavery permanent. The question remained (in states like Kentucky and Delaware) until it was resolved in late 1865 by the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment.

Mobilization of the Union and Confederacy

The Ken Burn's movie touched on that one reason why the Union and Confederate armies were able to gain support for their armies was due to organization within local communities in addition to the transformation to a wartime economy by both the North and the South. For the North, the war effort was driven by the industrialization of Northern cities, which not only produced weapons for war but created jobs for Northern citizens as well. However, the South's economy was based on the exports and imports they received for their agricultural products. Because the South's economy was not as domesticated as the North's, the North was able to blockade southern ports in an effort to freeze the southern economy. This is the result of the total war tactics employed by Union generals. This tactic was at the forefront of the Anaconda Plan, originally conceptualized by Winfield Scott.

The Blue & the Gray

I believe you can sum up the civil war in a simply a few words. The south didn't agree with the North so in the first few years of the war they fought several indecisive battles until the South ran out of resources and men. Then the South was over run by the Northern army and burned to the ground. Sad to say but that it pretty much the gist of the Civil War. Now Im not saying that the war was pointless, or all of the soldiers died in vein. The civil war had a purpose, it established national supremacy, freed the slaves, and subjugated the states for the next century. I just feel that the war could have been completed faster. Now I know neither side was prepared for war and they had to gather resources, supplies and train soldiers, but seriously four years from 1861-1865 seems a bit much considering how under supplied and under prepared the Confederacy was. The war simply seems like it dragged on and lasted to long. 

Heres a picture of Lego Civil War with a Union mortar canon. Oh capitalism!

Lee's Decision to Serve Confederacy

The Ken Burn's movie the class watched on the opening battles of the Civil War detailed the decision of General Lee to join the Confederate Army. His decision to rebel against the Union epitomized the feelings of individual southern states towards the Union. Ultimately, Lee decided to put his state above the Union; Lee felt that he could not bear arms against his native state of Virginia, which seceded from the Union. Lee abandoned his position in the US military and accepted the command of Virginia's military forces. Lee was unquestionably the most notable American general during that time period and the South was at clear strategic advantage having Lee as their commander and chief. One possible reason the why the war lasted as long as it did is due to the strategies employed by Lee.

The Growing Awareness of Slavery

Studying for the exam tomorrow, I've found that the increase of American culture made white Americans more aware of slavery in a negative manor, whereas the economy made slavery evident in a positive way. For example, the white men weren't aware of the emotional suffering of black slaves if Harriet Beecher Stowe's hadn't written "Uncle Tom's cabin". On the other hand, the development of the railroad was beneficial to the majority of Americans, however the fact that the north railroads connected cities and the south connected farms and rural areas further exploited the differences between the north and the south; as the south primarily used the trains for transporting cotton made by the slaves. Also, the seems to be a correlation between an American 'Panic' and an American 'revival' of religion. This correlation shows the neediness of American's to better their situations and lives when in face of crisis. Ultimately, the emergence of American culture and development of technological advances show the increasing amount of attention paid to the issue of slavery that had been looming over America ever since the Deceleration of Independence. American culture shows support of the abolitionists whereas the success of the cotton industry, despite the increased number of slaves needed to make cotton, diverted the attention paid to slavery to focus more on their high cotton market. The need for religion during times of economic panics despites America's dependence on the booming economy to sustain a long desired Utopian society.

Oops typo...and Turtle Mound

I meant to say "FLAGLER did so much for Florida." I spelled my title wrong.

This post is about my other topic, Turtle Mound. The reason I was so amazed by Turtle Mound, which is located in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, is that I had never heard of it until now. It is a very historical site. It is the largest and one of the oldest mounds in the entire nation. I have been to New Smyrna Beach so many times and I never heard about, or saw for that matter, Turtle Mound.

There is a boardwalk that climbs the fifty-five feet it takes to reach the top. Along the boardwalk there are facts about Turtle Mound and lots of interpretative information. It is crazy to me that there are so many historical sites all throughout our nation, and most people don't even know they exist. I am sure most people living in Florida would have no idea what Turtle Mound is or why it was historic and important. Hopefully my episode will bring a little more attention to Turtle Mound.

Flager did so much for Florida!

When researching, I stumbled over the Ponce de Leon hotel in St. Augustine, Florida. This topic interested me a great deal, mostly because of the man who built it. Henry Flagler decided when he came to Florida he wanted to make it a place where people would want to come and visit. He built this absolutely amazing hotel (that is now Flagler College) and all of the sudden, tourism in St. Augustine increased 3 times more than what it had been. He seemed to be this man who suddenly had ideas and just ran with them. He was also the one who built a railroad down into South Florida because he wanted an easier way to get there. He had a great deal of wealth and he spent a large portion of it on Florida. Without him, Florida would not be what it is today.

Prominent Guests at the Flagler Memorial Church Opening

One of the most famous buildings in St. Augustine is the Flagler Memorial Church, also called First Presbyterian Church. As many other buildings of the city it was built by Henry Flagler, the most prominent person in Florida's development.
Flagler ordered the construction of the church in 1889, shortly after his daughter had died on March 25 that same year. The church was finished within a year, and the opening ceremony held on March 16,1890. While researching the church I came across the interesting fact that the guests of the opening ceremony also included Mr. Benjamin Harrison (the First Lady) and the United States Vice-President Levi P. Morton. This can be explained by the fact that Flagler was a very popular and influential man even in the north. However, I still found it rare that the church dedication would include such prominent guests.

Winter Park Railroad Development

As I worked on the history engine projects, I did a lot of research on the development of railroads in Central Florida. My specific topic was the Orlando - Winter Park Railroad, as I had found an original ticket to the railroad as my primary document.
The railroad had first been organized in 1887, but the railroad was not formally opened and did not operate until January 2, 1889. Construction was often difficult, since the Florida soil would partly be to muddy and sink away. Therefore the tracks weren't considered to be laid in the highest quality and the train became known for its many failures.
As I was doing research, I came across two interesting facts. Firstly, the railroad left a considerable impact on the Rollins college students population. They now could take the train to school, which made their lives considerably easier. The Orlando - Winter Park Railroad was subject in many of their songs or even Sandspur writings. They eventually nicknamed the line "Dinky Line", representative of the railroads unreliability and loud noises. The community of Winter Park, actually found the railroad a nuisance not only an improvement since it made so loud noises.
Additionally, I found out that the railroad was used as a warning system to advise local farmers of a cold front that might harm their crop. In that case, the train would blast its horn several times, allowing farmers to take appropriate measures to save their crop from the freeze.

History Engine Part I

My history engine project was on a letter that I found in the archives from a wealthy woman of Winter Park. In her letter, she was asked by a northerner to donate a sum of money to a scholarship foundation. Her response to this is a long overview of the greater need for education in the South, particularly to the African American community. She details on the injustices prevailed to them such as the removal of Hannibal Square, which was predominantly African American, in order for their votes to not count in the Winter Park elections. The Blacks lived in the poorest section in Winter Park with one school and two teachers. She explains her experiences in attending a Baptist Church mass where its members would break into chants and songs of the holy spirit. This letter is really interesting because it shows the impact that slavery had here at home. This is something that many people get to read in books but very rarely get to learn about in a more local level.

Everglades

This type of history project I find much more interesting than just reading the history book, because you can get a glimpse of how individuals are reacting to historical events. The journal entries from the Everglades Expedition were especially appealing because they talked about the expedition making their way to Fort Myers, my hometown. It was also amazing to imagine how they described Fort Myers in the 1890’s compared to what it is now; it still had Indian tribes living in the area. I found the other history engines to be remarkable. For example, the one about the old Rollins football team and how the opposing team left the Rollins football field covered in sandspurs, which later caused boils.

Preston Brooks v.s. Charles Summer: Fisticuffs!!

While reading tonight's assignment I found one passage particularly interesting. The passage describing Preston Brook's attack on Charles Summer in the U.S. Senate. I would have never guess that an attack that debilitated Summer for two years who what been allowed to happen right in the middle of the senate floor. Are these men not states men who believe in the codes of chivalry and the power of compromise over violence? After the attack was Brooks allowed to continue his duties as a senator? Today if John Mccain got into a fist fight with Hilary Clinton in the middle of the senate floor both of their political careers would be instantly over. Yet in the 19th century nothing happened to Brooks. Either the people of the South advocated this type of behavior or they truly hated the Northerners. 

Connections

The old adage "a picture is worth a thousand words" always kind of irritated me. But, after using a picture as my primary source for the history engine episode, I guess I will give in to the saying. When sifting through the archive, I impetuously chose a picture of an orange grove, mainly just satisfied with the fact that I finally found something from the nineteenth century. I didn't think much of this picture at the time, but after researching a bit, it seems to be connected to a lot of topics we have covered in class and our reading. Turns out this picture of a frozen orange grove is a resulting action of a mass citrus culture that defined the settling of Florida stretching from the late seventeenth century until the late nineteenth century. The history includes many characters we have touched upon: Native Indians, Spanish inhabitors, and English planters. And while we think of oranges as a distinctly Florida commodity, it all spurred as a bi-product of the Columbian Exchange. I guess there is always more than meets the eye.

The 1830's-50's weren't a total waste of time!

Although it has been difficult for some to read both chapters 11 and 12 this week - those people have missed out on, in my view, one of the most important aspects of history; the people. The Americans of the 1830's to 50's, despite not fighting any international wars, dealt with national crises resulting in expansion of technological knowledge. With the publication of books, they were able to spread around the country by means of train, telegram and boat! If it weren't for America's focus on itself rather than other nations, they would not have been able to develop speedy means of travel and a development of it's own culture. Issues, such as slavery were acknowledged thanks to the printing of books, such as Harriet Beecher Stowe's books. They consisted of stories of her servants in Cincinnati and shocked white American's of the violence and abuse they inflicted on their slaves. It was writers such as Stowe, Hawthorne, Melville and Whitman who were able to depict American life into powerful literature to convey messages to the American people.

Minstrelsy

The Crisis of 1850 resulted in widespread anti African-American sentiment especially in the South and reinforced the patterns of repression of slaves in the southern region. With an increase in popular culture and high culture many of these sentiments found expression in artistic movements. One of the most dominant outlets of anti-Black sentiment was the practice of Minstrelsy, a form of play in which white men would mimic Southern slaves in blackface.
Our history book states that this form of acting would serve to "simultaneously ridicule and pay homage to the creativity of African Americans." While I can definitely see the part that ridicules African Americans, I have a hard time understanding how this practice would honor African American culture in any form.
When you look at the practice of minstrelsy, you can see how it was outright racist. It was a crude form of parody where whites would exaggerate African American features by giving the impression of big eyes and big lips. The part of big lips would be especially emphasized by not painting a certain part around the lips so that there would be a big white frame, drawing even more emphasis to the mouth.
Minstrelsy created many stereotypes of African American culture and served to reinforce white superiority. In these performances, they also criticized anti-slavery movements and civil rights movements. While early minstrelsy shows allowed blacks to perform, they were later prohibited to do so.
Even though minstrelsy included certain parts of African American culture such as traditional music, I do not agree with the textbook in that it can be "a homage to African American creativity." It was solely used by Whites as a form of entertainment that would ridicule and stereotype African Americans in a crude and racist way.

Reference: American Passages p.364
Picture: http://www.iath.virginia.edu/utc/minstrel/gallmitxtf.html

Know Nothings

It is ironic to imagine that a party named the "know nothings" that supported such fervent racism towards immigrants could become such a dominate force in politics in the 1850's. You could easily compare this hatred of immigrants who "increase our taxes, eat our bread, and encumber our streets" with the hatred of Mexican immigrants in todays society. Are the so called militia men who stand at the boarder armed with riffles any better than the malicious party of "know nothings" from the 1850's? 

The History Engine vs. Seminoles: Round I

Im going to be honest here, chapter 11 is a long read. But before I get into the semantics of what is known as chapter 11 I will begin by discussing the History Engine Project. I first started the project with little to no interest, just another project to complete get an A and move on. But i must say that my topic on Seminole Indians is quite intriguing. My source is a journal of an American captain sent to Florida to help remove the Indians. In the journal he basically spells out how the indians died and were removed. It is interesting to note that in the journal he has no passion or emotion. The journal is very dry and straightforward much like a newspaper article. To me this lack of humanity came off as heartless and cruel. I believe this says a lot about the American culture of the time and how the Native Americans were viewed. Chapter 11 discussed economic crisis, change in political atmosphere, and forward advancement of culture and civil rights. To me this chapter felt as precursor for chapters to come, mainly because nothing major happened. 

Research in Archives

As we researched our topic for the History Engine, I was very surprised by how much historical context can be found behind something that we would normally consider very ordinary or even insignificant. When looking for my first primary source, I came across a railroad ticket from the 1890s. Today, we would not even consider keeping a railroad ticket or airplane ticket after we have used it. However, this was a ticket to the South Florida Railroad, purchased shortly after it was constructed. Therefore I decided that my first episode would be about the development of that railroad line. Through research I realized how much more complicated and difficult building a railroad at that time was than I had imagined. I found out how much capital and labor the enterprise required, and how difficult construction was considering the Florida environment.
For my second primary source I will pick something about the Flagler Memorial Church. I haven't been able to find a good document yet, but I am looking forward to learning more about a place I have actually visited before but never really studied more about even though it is of great historical significance for several reasons such as its schoolhouse or the Spanish fort.

Vermont secede from Union

http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2007/06/03/in_vermont_nascent_secession_movement_gains_traction/

kind of interesting, they feel that the US has become too big to have one functioning government, brings us back to the idea of a republic which we learned about earlier in the semester.

Studying Hard Evidence

From our first day in the Rollins Archives, there is one thing that stuck out in my mind and that was this "the history we know is only what people have recorded". That got me thinking that all we know of the past is what people have bothered to write about, as well as artifacts from their time period. That is why I am enjoying going to the archives and studying actual documents from nearly 200 years ago, as ultimately history is all about the documents, such as the ones we are studying for the history engine, and artifacts that people wrote and made. Without these then we may have a very different view of our history.

The Continued Importance of the Monroe Doctrine

The Monroe Doctrine, announced in his presidential speech in 1823 by President Monroe, would become one of the most important pieces of legislation governing American foreign policy of the 19th and 20th century. Drafted by Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, the doctrine secured American interest in the Western hemisphere. Responding to the threats of the French and Russian empires to the Latin American region, the United States publicly stated the freedom and independence of the Latin American continent in order to prevent any European interference in the region. Latin America would become a sphere of interest to the United States, which was solely supposed to interfere in the region if it be on grounds on promoting stability of the region.
The Monroe Doctrine is of such continued historical importance because continued to be applied until today and has shaped American foreign policy significantly over the course of several events. Examples of 20th century applications of the doctrine would be Eisenhower overthrowing Guatemala's liberal reformist president Arbenz in 1954, and replacing him with a dictator. The establishment of Soviet control in Cuba could be seen as a failure of the Monroe Doctrine, since President Kennedy failed to maintain US control over Cuba. Other applications of the Monroe Doctrine have involved several US efforts to overthrow dictators and regimes in Latin and South America and replacing them by heads of governments more so inclined towards the US.

Economic Nationalism

During the era of good feeling, there was a drawing back to old federalist values. The American System added a high tariff to fund the governments endeavors. One such example was the Tariff of 1816. This Tariff was greatly opposed my the South because of their agricultural, and there exporting status.

Untypical Slave Owners

As I was doing the reading assigned for tomorrow, a rather surprising an unusual fact struck me. The book mentioned that the wealthiest Native Americans, in that case the Cherokee, would sometimes be slave owners too. In an attempt to adapt to white culture, the wealthiest Cherokee would purchase African American slaves and built substantially large cotton plantation. I found this fact so surprising, since when we think of slavery in the US or in the states, we always think of white, upper-class men building large cotton empires on slavery. We would never think that a part (no matter how small) of a group that is oppressed and discriminated against itself (the Native Americans), would aid the repression of another group (African American slaves). Seeing it in the context of an attempt to copy or assimilate white culture in those states makes more sense, but still leaves it a peculiar fact.
Reference: American Passages, p.261

Jeffeson's Louisiana Purchase

The Louisiana purchase was successful for many reasons, most notably was the fact that Napolean's French empire was in a decline. For much of the 18th and 19th century France and England had been engaged in a monumental war. By 1804 Napolean had lost much of his influence in North America following the loss of his army in St. Domingue. Jefferson caught Napolean at the most opportune time to make the greatest US acquisition in its history. The Louisiana purchase allowed for Jefferson to expand his idea of creating a nation that allowed for all of its citizens to own territory that permitted every family to cultivate its own land. Jefferson's agrarian ideals set out to avoid a class structure, even though the class system was already in place as a result of John Adam's presidential term where he implemented the US central bank. The Louisiana purchase represented a stance against federalist ideals and laid the frame work for generations of ordinary planters.

Importance of 2nd Presidential Election

The 2nd presidential election of 1796 between Thomas Jefferson and John Adams set the United States back a term. By electing John Adams, US citizens became aware of many aspects of the US government that did not serve the people and gave more power to the government. John Adams brought into the presidential office many federalists ideas that he soon put into action. The establishment of the US central bank is a prime example of this. The US central bank ultimately gave all power to the government. The central bank would be able to control the interest rates of the money they would lend out to other US banks, which would in turn influence the value of the US dollar. Thomas Jefferson had consistently expressed his resentment towards the idea of a central bank and by the time he took the office of the 3rd US president it was too late.

Thomas Jefferson VS. John Marshall

It is ironic to think that two of the most bitter rivals in American political history were distant cousins. It seems as if every time Thomas Jefferson was making head way Marshall was there with the Supreme Court at his side to stop him. Even when Jefferson had caught Aaron Burr red handed, for conspiring against the union by creating another state in the west.  Burr even went as far as to plot to burn down Washington D.C.. Yet when there was a trial Aaron Burr got off scott free because Judge Marshall thought that Burr had to actually go through with his plans for them to be treasonous. Jefferson who was on the prosecution was furious that his cousin let such a treasonous character off the hook.

Federalists+Republicans=America

What strikes me most about the American politics from their deceleration of independence up to the Jefferson's republic - how each party is against each other to the point of declaring duels such as between Burr and Hamilton, yet republican ideas were enforced (the Bill of Rights) during the federalists government were in power. Now that Jefferson (republicans) are in power not only does he decide to reduce taxes, but he also decides to keep the federalist founded national bank and military. In my eyes, it seems as though each party influences the other to create a self-sufficient and powerful country

John Adams did not show very much confidence in his re-election campaign. At the end of his first term he seemed to pack in as many insurance policies as he could. It seemed a last ditch effort (late 1800, early 1801) to keep the federalist party alive as he appointed John Marshall, sent the peace convention in France, and the Judiciary act of 1801

Segregation

As a foreigner, there's a couple of things that I do not understand and that are quite puzzling about this country. One of these (and probably the greatest one) is the issue of segregation and racial prejudice in the United States until not really long ago. You can't really understand the scope of this problem unless you live among the people who suffered because of it and before you study the history. As I was researching my project, I discovered that no institution (not eve Rollins) was untouched by this institution. How did this happen? I must say that in some countries, Americans are thought of as racist-nationalist individuals who base their wealth on exploiting people they consider inferior. As I researched the history of the library, I came across documents that demonstrated me that most people did not agree with segregation and were quietly waiting to bring down the walls of racial separation. The library is an ode to such ideal, yet at the same time it's a monument to the continuation of a separate system instead of integration. Was the library created to decrease the separation between black and white communities in order to smooth up the path to integration or was it a way to justify the concept of "separate but equal"?

Hannibal Square Library

As I was researching the history of the library, I discovered parts of Rollins College's history I ignored and am glad I discovered. First of all, I'm glad to know Rollins College has always been a liberal and socially active community even when going through tough times like the era of segregation in the South. It makes me really happy to know that the faculty has always been committed to the ideals of community service and leadership, as exemplified by the creation of the library itself. I'm proud to attend an academic community with a tradition of community leadership and social work and a faculty that encouraged their students to go beyond their own expectations and encouraged them to change their community, this before Rollins College became the academic landmark it is today! The Hannibal Square Library is a symbol of the Winter Park community's commitment to social service, yet we must agree that 85% of the library's achievements happened thanks to the Inter-faith and Race Relations Committee of Rollins College.

Puritan values nowadays

Something that I have found here in the United States that we do not have, or at least is not so easy to see, are the remains of the puritan values in nowadays society. It was very curious to see how after all the scandal of the Clinton affaire with the world famous Monica Lewinski, it seemed that the real, or at least the most important fault that the president had had was that of lying, even above cheating to his wife. This is at least the impresion I got when all that happened and maybe also due to the way the scandal was treated in Europe. The fact is that these kind of things are what reflect, in my opinion, the old puritan values remains in nowadays American society.

Salem Witch Trials

The episode of the American History that most caught my attention up to this point, of what we have studied in class, were the Salem Witch Trials and all the hysteria that was unleashed during those days at Salem. What seemed to be a peaceful and quiet puritan community ended up being a growing snow ball of paranoia. From our perspective, more than 300 years later it really seems to be a very childish thing to believe in, but the fact is that although some people tried to stop it and did not believe in what was happening, nobody was able to stop it, or simply did not care about what was going on until some people from the upper class began to be accused. The fact that only one of the judges involved in the trials openly repented and apologised is scary.

George Washington vs. John Adams

When reading the history book, it was funny to see how different George Washington and John Adams were as presidents. George Washington wanted the opinion of the people and made sure not to step on any toes, whereas John Adams seemed to go ahead and do what he wanted to. George Washington wanted to form a governement based on the ideals of checks and balances and no poltical party fervor. Adams created very controlling laws such as the Sedition Act. The Sedition Act went against what many Americans today are so proud and protective of, our freedom of speech. Why did John Adams assume he had the authority to write the Sedition Act, stating that no one could say or write anything malicious about the government or laws. That is all we do today. Could you imagine George Bush passing a similar law today and putting several Democrats in jail for their "malicious" words?

ode to Benjamin Franklin

It seems to me that the Enlightenment in America can be best represented by Benjamin Franklin. He founded the first truly scientific society in the colonies. His new wood stove improved the heating in colonial homes and his experiments with electricity led to the lightning rod. He clearly believed that the human condition could be improved through science. He greatly contributed to the Enlightenment.

The Boston Massacre

After reading about the Boston Massacre, I cannot believe it did not have that much effect. I mean, it started out with a small snowball fight to 5 people dying. This incident gave Sam Adams something to get fired up about, but it did not seem like it really had that much affect on the American Revolution.

Hannibal Square Library

The Hannibal Square Library was created in honor of a wife of a Rollins professor. It was made to contribute to the black community because apparently the the professor's wife taught and contributed much to the black community of Winter Park. After further research, I wonder was the library just built in honor of a professor's wife, or to calm down the irritated African American community of Winter Park?

A Matter of Interest

Reading about the time when Winter Park was established and how the city limits were marked out, there were a couple of things i found very interesting. Hannibal Square was out of the Winter Park boundaries, it was early after the establishment of Winter Park that the discussion about if it should be included as part of the city or not was raised. What I found interesting and shocking in a way was that the number of black people in Winter Park would outnumber the number of white people, and the political party that was "afraid" of this were the democrats. The fact is that there were more republican people that had done bussiness with the black people in Hannibal Square community and they seemed to have a good relationship, so the democrats were concerned that the would support the republicans in the election, so they were the ones opposing to Hannibal Square to be included into Winter Park boundaires.

Class Project

At first, when we were told about the class project we had to do, i did not like much the idea of writing about the Winter Park history. I did not find it very interesting and thought it was going to be more difficult to get information about the topics. Then, when I saw the topic I was assigned to I really thought we were not going to find a lot of information. The fact is that when I started reading about the old Winter Park and how it was intended to be at first I started to enjoy the project. It was very interesting to read about the former inhabitants and how they have been displaced in the recent years from what used to be the place where they used to hang out in their free time.

Franco-American relations

Diplomatic relations between France and the United States have been from the beginning a very interesting aspect of this country's diplomatic history. Let us remember that France was the first and only european country that openly supported (after much hesitation) the American Revolution (The Netherlands and Spain supported the Americans as well, though in a very different way). We must agree that the victory at Yorktown was a Franco-American combined effort, and that the French Revolution was heavily influenced by the American example. Nonetheless, after the Treaty of Paris, America followed a separate path from France, a path that has led both nations to collapsing diplomatic points and moments of mutual need as well. France aided the americans in their struggle for independence and democracy, yet the Americans went into a Quasi War with them when the French tried the same thing. This changing pattern has persisted to this day: WWI, WWII, Afghanistan, Iraq, two modern nations with conflicting interests that love each other at times and then shift to mutual detestation overnight. Now the question is: What's next?

How the Dinky Line Affects Today's World

As mentioned in a previous blog, the Dinky Line is a railroad track that began running between Orlando, FL and Winter Park, FL in January, 1889. This railroad track was very useful in the beginning of its existence and it ran many times the first day. Over time though, the train started to become used less often because of other alternative forms of transportation. In 1969, the tracks of the Dinky Line were finally removed. Although they were removed, the interesting part of this that affects our world today is that the Dinky Line was eventually changed into the Seaboard Air Line.

Finance in History

One of the first financial situations in America was when it was in debt and Robert Morris was hired as Superintendent of Finance from 1781-1784. Once he became superintendent, he came up with the idea of a national bank. Robert Morris established the Bank of North America, which was set up to regulate the economy better.
In addition to Robert Morris, another significant figure in the history of finance was Alexander Hamilton. He was the first secretary of treasury. In 1791, he set up the first Bank of the United States. He set up this bank so that there could be more security and control over the money in this nation.

British Bring On Their Own Loss

After thinking about the British situation after the Seven Years War and how they handled this situation, I realized that it was the British themselves who were responsible for losing their territory in America. When they finished up the war 1763, they were in need of money, as they were in debt, and so they decided that taxing the colonists would help them. There was the Stamp Act in 1965, which is when the British Parliament required the Americans to put stamps on every official document they had. In addition, there were other tariff laws made, such as the Sugar Act and Townshend Act, which posed tariffs on sugar, molasses, glass, and tea. This created tension between the British and the Americans, which eventually resulted in the American revolution.

Historians in the Making

Looking over the web-pages I'm impressed with content and style some teams put into their project. The Winter Park Historical Association website will benefit from these pages. If only the blogging was as successful. The semester is still young, lets hope that the next project will generate more blogging.

It is what dreams are made of

Benjamin Franklin is a prime example of the American dream. He's an example of how with hard work and dedication someone can achieve whatever goal they set their mind to. He was born in Boston and ran away at 17 with his older brother from his apprenticeship to Philadelphia. When him and his brother arrived in Philadelphia they didn't have any money. He built a printing business, published newspapers, books including Poor Richard's Almanac. He invented bifocals, the lightning rod, iron stove etc. He opened the first library. How did he do so much? The American dream is something that children are taught.The American dream tells a child no matter what background they are from. They have endless possibilities on what they can achieve. Too bad the American dream doesn't exist. It's like Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, or Santa's Workshop. It has become an idea, a fairytale, a destination that can' for some, and won't for many be reached. No matter how hard they try. How did Franklin achieve all that he did as a penniless boy from Boston? I hate ending my blogs with questions, but sometimes that is all I am left with.

Hamilton

Hamilton's Bank of the United States was set in place to make the rich richer. I never understood that. Why make the rich, richer? They are already rich, why do they need more money? I mean I know there were other reasons for the bank, to gain legitimacy. I know that it was the beginning of having banks. But still. Hey, is that the reason we have banks now? Now I am paranoid. Hamilton was a very smart individual and so was Thomas Jefferson. Even though Thomas Jefferson was strongly against Alexander Hamilton views and actions, Hamilton more often then not, seemed to get his way. Thomas Jefferson the man who wrote our constitution could never get his ideas to prevail over Hamilton. I don't know if Hamilton was just that manipulative, George Washington had high favoritism for Hamilton, or if Thomas Jefferson wasn't forceful enough. However something just doesn't add up. I wonder how different our society would be if Thomas Jefferson was listened to more than Hamilton. Would are society change for better or worse? Would are society have changed at all, or would we be the same no matter what? Would we have a better friendship with the French? I wonder.

Eli Whitney was gypped

Eli Whitney was gypped. He invented the first cotton engine, or gin,which seperated cotton fibers from husk and seeds. This new device was able to increase the production of cotton cultivation. However, the machine was easily duplicated so he didn't make much money off of his invention. Could you imagine inventing something that would help revolutionize society and not getting the reward you deserve? I bet this is how the guy who invented the broom felt. This probably how Thomas Wallace felt when he he came up with theory of Natural selection "at the same time " as Charles Darwin. Maybe we as Americans should stop stealing music. I can't even say that with straight face. Well one thing that Whitney taught Americans is get a patten.

I could too

Yeah finally it is over, whew. Although I didn't use the information involving Rollins College and the black community in Winter Park, I still found it interesting. Rollins College Race Relations club and the Black Student Union were thoroughly involved in the black community. Fred Rogers was the chairman of Race Relations in 1950-1951 wrote about how amazing it felt to give back to the community, and how important it was to raise funds for the Mary DePugh Nursing home. Can you believe that the 1950's race relations Rollins was so involved in the black community. I didn't even know there were black kids that attended Rollins in the 1950's. In the 1970's the Black Student Union has pictures of memebers handing out books to kids and the elderly at the DePugh Nursing home. Community service just doesn't have the same meaning now as it did before. It wasn't a requirement to get in to school, it was just done because people wanted to help improve the lives of others. I wish I could give back to the community as much as they did. The articles I read on the Members of Race relations, and the Black StudentUnion makes me want to give back more, and do more for the community that surrounds me. If these Rollins College students in the 1950's, 1960's and 1970's could due so much when racism and discrimination was extremely blatant and prevalent. I can do so as well, especially since now a days although racism and discrimination does exist at least people try to hide it.

10 dolla bill

Does it seem to anyone else that Hamilton, one of the most influential minds of our countries creation, was extremely childish with some of his actions? He cheated on his wife of whom he called "best of wives and best of women" for three years with a younger woman named Maria Reynolds. Sure, he started one of the two leading political parties in the 18th century, and wrote myriad essays and papers covering economics, politics etc. but he risked it all in a duel? A DUEL! that's video game material.

Webpage

Finishing up the webpage on the Comstock-Harris house it's pretty cool to think that soon the webpage will actually be up for people to look at and get information from. I think the best part of the project was actually going to the Comstock-Harris house with my partner Jesse and meeting the Twachtman family. It was really interesting to see that this family had tried to keep as much of the original house intact. They knew all these fun stories and talked about W.C. Comstock as if he were family. I think a lot of times with history, we get it from textbooks and from lectures. It was definitely a great experience to learn history from people who knew it first hand!

Stressful!

This project has turned out to be so much more work than I expected!

I feel really bad saying this, but I did not think this project was going to be that difficult. I was so wrong. The research, the writing, the pictures, and making it a website was a lot of work and a lot of struggle. But what made it even harder was that I really cared about what I was doing. I always care about my schoolwork, but because I knew this was for the community of Winter Park and a lot of people would be seeing it, I put that much more effort into what I was doing. After visiting the DePugh Nursing Center, I became even more invested in the project because everyone there was so excited about it! I went a few days ago to take pictures (and ran into the two ladies outside who were talking me) and then I went again today to take some pictures of the interior. I ended up just talking to some of the people who work there and they were all so chipper! When I told them what I was doing they were so excited and it made me want to make the website look that much better for them.

I am happy with our final project. I think it looks really good and captures the history of this place that is still assisting members of Winter Park. Now that it is actually completed, I am excited to see it up on the Historical Winter Park website.

Isn't it inspiring

This web page is harder than I wanted it to be. However, the information I stumbled upon was very interesting. My project is on the Ideal Woman's club founded by Mary Lee DePugh in Winter Park Florida. It was inspiring to see how one woman was able to truly impact a community in such a positive way. It's surprising what she accomplished being a woman in the late 1930's, when women didn't even have the right to vote then. Also, she wasn't just a woman, but a black woman, and blacks back then were treated like second class citizens. Mary Lee DePugh wasn't born in the south she lived in Illinois most of her life. Since the beginning blacks in America were treated better as a whole in the North than in the South. That being said I can't help but wonder a few things. Would Mary Lee DePugh have created the Ideal Woman's club if she was born in the south or, would she have been too discouraged? Would she have created the club if she wasn't previously involved in the Dunbar club in Illinois? What would have happened to the blacks in Winter Park if she never left Illinois? I don't know. I bet people who are reading this blog have four questions. What is the Ideal Woman's club? How did Mary Lee DePugh make such a huge impact in a community? What community? What impact did she make? These are good questions, and they may be answered on later blogs. I make no promises. In the meantime, isn't it inspiring how such a positive impact on a community could be made by one person?

Missing Link

We know that the Gentile Brothers was a citrus packing plant, but beyond that it is a mystery. There must some missing links such as dates of operation, more about the owners, or possibly a company name change. It is possible that some information disappeared when the Gentile Brothers Company was sold to Minute Maid. However, there should be more than what we have found up to now because the company lasted for several years in Winter Park before being sold to Minute Maid. We did find out that there was a fire that destroyed the whole building. Maybe all the information about the company was lost in the fire. There is also a Gentile Brothers Company in Cincinnati, Ohio that may have a link with the one in Winter Park. It would be interesting to know if there is an existing relative of a worker of executive for the Gentile Brothers Company in the area.

Visiting History

Today, Wilson and I visited the Women's club. I never realized how close it is to our school - it's right next to the parking lot! Though it looks small from the outside do not be fooled by this! Even though when we visited their clubhouse they were holding a meeting, the inside is very big with wooden flooring and paintings on the walls. It's funny to think that such a significant factor that contributed a great deal to the shaping of the community we live in now is only across fairbanks!

History repeats itself?

Countless amounts of times, I remember sitting in my high school U.S. History classroom with students half asleep during the teacher's lectures. Those who remained awake seem too preoccupied doodling in their notebooks and daydreaming about their crushes. The question would somehow always come up, "Why are we learning about this anyway?? It's all done and over with!". The teacher would simply respond, "We learn about history so that we won't have to repeat our mistakes again...". The reason why I give this short story is because I thought about this situation in my readings of the Alien and Sedition Acts. There seemed to be many correlations with the past and our present. Could it be possible, that history does indeed repeat itself? The Alien and Sedition Acts rose in 1798, at the heat of the the U.S.'s Quasi-War with France. A series of acts were passed in order to limit the rights of the immigrants and critics of administration. The Congressional Sponsors would claim that these extreme measure were "necessary wartime measures". Two of the series of acts were the Alien and Sedition Acts. Th Alien Act allowed the President to deport any non-U.S. citizens that were a threat to U.S. government while the Sedition Act made it illegal for any person to oppose the government in any fashion or interfere with the execution of a law. These acts created much controversy within U.S. citizens since it infringed upon their freedom of speech and the press. Even though there were mixed emotions throughout the nation, U.S. President John Adams remained adamant and believed the acts to be constitutional as they protected the future of the republic. This situation in history almost identically parallels our present one with the War in Iraq and President Bush's introduction of the Patriot Act. Much like the Alien and Sedition Act, the Patriot Act infringed on people's freedom of speech and the press as it allowed the government the power to access your medical records, tax records, books that you buy or borrow and intercept in phone calls that may seem "terrorist like". Although, many U.S. citizens believe the Patriot Act to be a complete invasion of privacy, U.S. administration call it a necessary deed in order to protect the nation against terrorism. Though, the Alien and Sedition Acts only lasted until March 3, 1801, when the next President was elected... Must we wait until our next Presidential election to see a change with the Patriot Act??

Gentile Bros. Citrus Company

My partners and I got together last week to do some research on the Gentile Bros. We went over to the Winter Park Public Library (since there wasn't much at Olin) but when we got there of course we didn't really find much either. We ended up calling their plant in Ohio and found out that many of the records were destroyed when one of his factory's burned down awhile ago. We then decided to call a library that focuses on the Florida citrus industries, we figured they had to have a lot there. But it turned out that the man who was in charge of the archives had passed away a couple of weeks ago and the rest of the employees had no idea where to start looking.
Luckily though, the nice lady at the Winter Park Library was still going through her archives and found a book that had more information than we expected. So we used what we found in the book and a couple of online sources and were finally able to write our roughdraft, thankfully :o)

The Burning of an Ancient Oak Tree

While we had done research for our project (the Winter Park Country Club), I came across a really interesting fact. 1956 became a year to be remembered by many of the Country Club's members. In that year, an ancient live oak tree standing in the middle of the golf course was burned in order to make room for the golfers to play. The burning turned into a public event with many spectators. Some of the golf club members were that intrigued that they wrote poems or stories recounting the event. The absence of the tree was believed to improve the golfers' score tremendously. Many national newspapers covered the stories, adding to the good reputation the golf course was already enjoying across the country.
To me it seems interesting that a tree is burned instead of cut and also that the event includes that many spectators. Nowadays, I also believe it might not be customary anymore to remove such an ancient tree for the simple purpose of making a golf course more accessible. Laws protecting such old trees would prevent that, however in 1956, this was a completely permissible thing to do.