I am

I am
I am a part of the lunch counter sit-in.
I wonder why they think what they are doing will help them.
I hear people yelling mean things at me.
I see people fighting arround me.
I want to be treated like everybody else.
I am a part of the lunch counter sit-in.
I pretend that my feelings are not hurt.
I feel the hot coffee running down my back.
I need to stay focused for what I am fighting for.
I worry about my survival.
I cry, but only on the inside.
I am a part of the lunch counter sit-in
I understand that I might die.
I believe that everyone should have equal rights.
I dream that one day my children will not be judged based on the color of their skin.
I try to keep calm and block out the violence happening arround me.
I hope that we will win.
I am a part of the lunch counter sit-in
I am

Is the American Dream still alive?

Do you think you can be born and the Ghetto and still grown up to be a powerful CEO? Seems like a long shot right? Well back in the day people would come to America for that dream. Thats why its called The American Dream. These people believed in something called meritocracy. Which was anyone who worked hard enough could become successful. I do not think that is true. In todays world the people who are born in the lower classes have it very hard because they are looked down upon. This makes them feel like no matter how hard they work they will not make it. I think this means the success rate of the american dream is falling. Which is a pity because that is what America was about for the longest time.

King or X.

Recently we have been discussing the civil rights movement and some of the greats of that time. Two in particular being the famous Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. We know both of them inspired great movements and could move masses of people with their words. While MLK moved people with his speeches including his "I have a Dream" speech, pushing for government change. Malcolm X wanted African Americans to be treated as though they were human, and equal. His quotes all discuss wanting to be human. Which is an easy idea for everyone to see. That is why I think Malcolm X was the better influence of the time. It is a shame though that both of these men had to die before there words could really take effect.

Racism today

When reading a article about a group of 6 teens in the south who were being charged with attempted murder I felt as though we were back in the 1970's. Yes what these 6 kids did was wrong and they should be punished, however they did not need to be punished to the extent they were being prosecuted. This shows similarities to the Little Rock 9 in a couple ways. The first being that it was only a select group of kids who were being targeted. Second being that local government was causing the issue, when the Federal government stepped in the charges began to get reduced and straightened out. It is a shame to see our country is still stuck in its old ways. We can only hope we can tell our kids the right way and that they listen.

Rockwell

Look at me!

I am not like you,

My collar is not white, it is blue.

I do not drive the cars you do.

My hands are weathered and abused.

Look at me!

I have something to say.

This is America, I do as I please, and say what I want to say.

I may not have went to college, I may not be well groomed,

But I have wants and needs too.

It is my money that keeps your company alive.

I don’t like the way you decide about your company on your own.

You need to change your ways, or lose my business.

Yes I am just a normal, rural man, but hear me speak,

I may be alone, but there are many more like me.

So I say,

Look at me!

Topic 10 Study Guide

McCarthyism Impact on Society

-People especially Hollywood actors, writers, producers were "blacklisted" or banned from working because of being accused of communistic beliefs.

Communist “Witch Hunt” and impact on those accused

-put a lot of businesses and people out of work

Space Race impact on government policies

- funding for science and technology exploded

-increased foreign tensions

Cold War mind set for the United States Government and public

-we needed to be the Superior country in every way possible

-we need to stop the spread of Communism

Relationship of suburbs, automobiles, and roads

-the suburbs formed because people were emigrating out of the cities so they could find a good place to raise their families and live like a "nuclear" family

-Roads were needed to connect the "burbs" to the city because people still worked in the city.

-More people needed cars for commuting and travel so the sales went up.

-the Interstate Highway Act of 1956 also increased the the amount of roads with 41,000 miles of new roadway

Baby Boom

-occurred when WWII soldiers returned home to their wives and families and joy was throughout America

-started a new generation of children and teenagers who broke away from the previously traditional lifestyles that their parents believed heavily in.

Urban-Suburban Pattern

-the city is where low income classes live, but the business district within the city also has high class residents

-the sub-urban houses closer to the city are for middle income families and the houses further away are relatively larger and also cost more.

GI Bill

-if you sign up to join the military and complete your training, your college tuition would be paid by the government

Expansion of the Middle Class (why were things “affordable)

-because the middle class was expanding, demand for products increased and so did production which made things cheaper because there was more being produced.

-Americans began buying goods not available during the war, which created business expansion and jobs