First Quarter Reflection

       In this past quarter, we have learned many things. We started off by discussing the differences between empathy and sympathy. Then we used what we learned about the two, and applied it to historical events. We watched Glory and 12 Years a Slave and after we were asked if we could sympathize/empathize with the slaves and soldiers in the movies. We then went on to learn about the Civil War and constitutional changes afterwards. Which included how slaves were no longer considered 3/5 of a person, and since that was abolished, southern states had more representation in Congress. Then I remember learning that a state could not secede from the union because the 13th amendment states that anyone born in the United States is a citizen of the union,. So by seceding, that state would be taking away American citizens and that is not allowed. Then we learned about the black codes in the south after slavery was abolished The Black codes were laws for the Negros, they basically left Negros with little freedom without calling it slavery. Then came the Reconstruction period, which was the period of time after the Civil War where the US was 'rebuilding' the constitution and creating equal rights. The Reconstruction time period would have been less violent if President Lincoln was not assassinated, this is because Lincoln was a moderate and most other people were radicals. So after his assassination, the radicals took over. After learning about the end of the Civil War, we moved on to learn about "The Wild West". We learned why and how westward expansion happened. We learned about all the people that lived/ migrated to the west, and what they did. Also how they were treated, and for some (like the Chinese) it was not very well.

      This history course is the first course that I have actually enjoyed, and I think it's because of my change in work ethic and also the material we've learned about. I feel very on top of things in this class. Paying attention in this class is much easier than in my other classes. That's because everything we've learned so far is interesting and relevant. I never would have thought that we could write essays on movies that we watched in class. However, I did struggle with the in-class essay. I didn't finish, but I had all my notes and research done. I need to work on being able to put my thoughts into actual words, and not have them be so jumbled up. I need to work on my comprehension skills as well. I remember when we read the article about peer pressure and I thought I had read it very thoroughly, but when it came to answering the questions in class I found myself struggling. By improving these skills I am sure that I will grow as a history student, and do well in this class.