Radio Hour

ANNOUNCER: Good Evening! Tonight we have a very special show! But first let’s cut to a word from our Sponsor!

COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCER: Well hello, and good evening folks, I’m here to tell you about a very important new product that we at Camel have recently released! It’s a cigarette that has a filter so that the smoke doesn’t damage your lungs! That’s right people, it is perfectly safe to smoke.

CONCERNED CUSTOMER: But doesn’t it give you bad breathe?

COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCER: Not with our new menthol flavored Cigarette line!

CONCERNED CUSTOMER: Golly Gee Sir! That sounds amazing!

COMMERCIAL ANNOUNCER: So what brand of cigarette are you going to buy at the store next time?-

A VERY LARGE CROWD: CAMEL!!!! CAMEL!!!! CAMEL!!! HOO-RAY!!!

NEWS REPORTER-  Breaking news! a man stands at the top of the empire state building about to fall off, we now go to our reporter frank. Go ahead frank

FRANK- We are watching as this middle age man is standing up top that building! he seems very suicidal and won’t respond to any commands!

FRANK- Currently the police don’t know how to handle this situation, Back to you.

NEWS REPORTER-    Thanks frank, hopefully that man gets down soon and goes home safely! Frank is there any other new information.

FRANK- The man has seemed to step down and is now responding to police! A police squad will be sent to take care of him. Back to you.

NEWS REPORTER- Good to hear! thanks for the report frank…. Thanking you guys for tuning in!

By Max Buchner, Ethan Axten and Chad Colvin

Japanese-American Internment

Japanese American internment was the World War II internment of over 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry who lived on the Pacific coast of the United States. The U.S. government ordered the internment in 1942, shortly after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. The internment of Japanese Americans was applied unequally as a geographic matter. All who lived on the West Coast were interned, while in Hawaii, where 150,000-plus Japanese Americans comprised over one-third of the population, only 1,200 to 1,800 were interned. Sixty-two percent of
all the people being interned were American citizens.

Despite the lack of any evidence, Japanese Americans were suspected of remaining loyal to their ancestral land. In the event of a Japanese invasion of the American mainland, Japanese Americans were feared as a security risk. Evacuation orders were posted in Japanese-American communities giving instructions on how to comply with the executive order. Many families sold their stores, their homes, and most of their assets. They could not be certain their homes and livelihoods would still be there upon their return. Because of the mad rush to sell, properties and inventories were often sold at a fraction of their true value.

Almost 65% of the interns were Japanese Americans born in the United States. It made no difference that many had never even been to Japan. Ten camps were finally completed in remote areas of seven western states. Housing was very basic, consisting mainly of tarpaper barracks. Families dined together at communal mess halls, and children were expected to attend school. Adults had the option of working to make $5 per day. The United States government hoped that the interns could make the camps self-sufficient by farming to produce food. But cultivation on arid soil was quite a challenge and did not work.

In 1988, 46 years later, Congress attempted to apologize for the action by awarding each surviving intern $20,000. While the American concentration camps never reached the levels of Nazi death camps as far as atrocities are concerned, they remain a dark mark on the nation's record of respecting civil liberties and cultural differences.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_American_internment
http://caamedia.org/jainternment/

Study Reveiw

I. Intro - During the Great Depression, people all across the United States faced many hardships and life changing adversity. Many suffered from low incomes, poor living conditions, and mental anguish. In fact, some men went the entire Depression without finding a job and found it very difficult to accept financial and material help from the government. The Great Depression affected all groups, ages, and races of people. African Americans and business owners were two groups particularly affected by the Great Depression. They share similar and different Great Depression experiences.

II. Causes (The causes of the great depression were Over speculation, Unstable economy, and Overproduction)

A. Over speculation- People bought stocks thinking that they would go up and they would make a fortune.

B. Government Policy- Hoover did not really have a government policy. He was very stagnant and did not do very much for the government.

C. Unstable Economy- They economy was extremely unstable from the stock market crashing and people investing into it and not getting their money back.

1. Uneven prosperity- Money was not being spent and gained which caused a lot of uneven wealth. The rich stayed rich and the poor stayed poor.

2. Overproduction- Too much food was grown, and there were to many goods made. Factories could not make their money back because they could not sell all of the goods they made.

3. Worker issues / farm issues- Farmers were still producing a lot of food after WWI and their was too much food because they were not feeding soldiers.

III. Effects (The effects of the great depression were Poverty, Collapsed society and Ruined economy)

A. Poverty- People became extremely poor and some could not afford food or a place to live. Some places handed out food because so many people could not afford it. People stayed in shantytowns where they lived in homemade shacks.

B. Society- Society partially collapsed. People were "Hobo-ing" and doing what they could to survive. The standard for life was greatly reduced. There were shantytowns where people lived in shacks that they made.

C. World- America was not a good investment. They had to raise tariffs which effected everyone. Other countries were having economy problems as well.

IV. Solutions

A. Hoover- United States 31st president. Helped put together the idea of the hoover dam which employed many people. Overall did not do very much to help.

1. Volunteerism- People would use their time to volunteer at bread lines to help hand out food to the poor.

2. Public Works- Tried to give out government-financed jobs to people so that they had something to do to make some money. Was designed to replace some jobs that were lost in the private sector.

3. Hawley Smoot- Raised tariffs on over 20,000 imported goods. Caused other countries to raise tariffs on American goods and made goods more expensive.

4. RFC- Reconstruction Finance Corporation. Made loans to railroads, banks and agricultural institutions.

B. Roosevelt- Popular governor of New York, was elected president in 1932. Delivered acceptance speeches talking about his plans to end the depression.

1. New Deal- Roosevelt's policies for ending the depression. Pushed lots of acts to try and help end the depression.

a. Alphabet Soup- All of the new deal programs created by Roosevelt.

           
Example- AAA, Agricultural Adjustment Administration- The prices for farm goods were too low because farmers grew too much food. Government would pay farmers not to raise certain livestock or grow certain food in hope that the price would go up.

           
Example- CCC, Civilian Conservation Corporation- Offered unemployed young men the opportunity to work planting trees, fighting forest fires and building resivoirs.

           
Example- FDIC, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation- Provided government insurance for bank deposits up to a certain amount.

           
Example- CWA, Civil Works Administration- Hired workers directly and put them on the governments payroll. Employed over 4 million people that helped build or improve 1,000 airports, 500,000 miles of roads and over 40,000 schools.

 b. Criticism?- The right side believed he was doing to much and the left side believed he was not doing enough.

2. 2nd new deal- Townsend Plan, Social Security Act, National Labor Relations Act, Committee for Industrial Organization and Works Progress Administration.

a. Social Security Act- Goal was to provide some security for the elderly and unemployed workers.

b. CIO, Committee for Industrial Organization- Set out to organize industrial unions. Began focusing on the automobile and steel industries.

c. WPA, Works Progress Administration- Employed 8.5 million workers that helped build around 650,000 miles of highways, 8,000 parks and 125,000 public buildings.

V. Criticicism

B. Political Criticism- Came from both the left and the right.

A. Conservatives- Still believed it was taking away too much power from big business.

B. Liberals (ex: criticised the new deal also. They....)

Ex- Critics of the new deal included the left and the right. Huey Long and Father Coughlin played a big part in this.

Ex- They both argued that the New Deal did not do enough to help the people.

VI. Effectiveness

A. Changes in US- Made a huge impact on how America handles the economy now. Basically taught America a lesson. The WPA and CWA made a lot of public buildings, parks and highways that we would not have if it was not for them.

B. Unions- Brought many new job opportunities that helped the unemployed.

C. Culture- Changed the way we look at America's debt and the way we handle our money. It also brought families closer together and eventually created a greater sense of national pride

VII. Conclusion - The Great Depression was a grim time in American history.  Financial and agricultural insults deeply injured America and its people.  The brave men, women, and children who endured those dark years showed amazing bravery, resiliences, and resourcefulness. Just as the national character changed from carefree thinking of the Roaring Twenties, the Government underwent massive policy changes.  Programs to mend the nation- its finances, resources, and people-were put in place.  As the despair of the Great Depression finally wained, the American people, once again, faced an exceptional challenge, WWII.

Charles Lindbergh

Charles Lindbergh was an american aviator who made his first flight across the Atlantic Ocean solo with no stops in one day in the year 1927.In preference to the Japan attack on Pearl Harbor Lindbergh  revolted and campaigned against American revolt during World War II. The majority of fellow americans condemned and denounced him for his choice of non-violence. Lindbergh also served as an advisor for the Aviation Industry for wood and wire airplanes and supersonic Jets.

He was born on Feb. 4, 1902, in Detroit. He was the son of a lawyer and his mother was a stay at home mom. In his younger years, Lindbergh showed exceptional mechanical ability. At 18 he made it in the University if Wisconsin to study engineering, except Lindbergh was more focused on the nerve racking young field of aviation, rather then focusing on school itself. After a couple of years he dropped out and became a barnstormer, a pilot who who performed daredevil like stunts in fairs. In 1924, Lindbergh enlisted in the United States Army Air Service Reserve pilot. On Ma 20, 1927, Lindbergh had flown 3,600 miles in 33 1/2 hours. He was honored with awards,celebration, and parades. The President Calvin Coolridge gave Lindbergh the Congressional Medal of Honor and the very prestigious and distinguished Flying Cross.

http://www.charleslindbergh.com/history/

Speakeasies

A speakeasy, also also known as a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Basically a secret bar, these establishments were built in the United States during the Prohibition era. During the Prohibition era the transportation, sale and manufacture of alcoholic beverages was illegal throughout the United States. Speakeasies largely disappeared after Prohibition was ended in 1933.

Speakeasies popped up everywhere. People had said that as soon as the owner could get a padlock for the door, the speakeasy was good to go. It has also been said that for every legal saloon before Prohibition, at least half a dozen speakeasies were put up After Prohibition. There were few speakeasies that were broken into, it did not really help enforce Prohibition. Most of  the bars of the early twentieth century were mainly hang outs for men. However, speakeasies were open to both men and women. Jazz also became popular during this era, the speakeasies provided an outlet for musicians to play and have a good time.

Speakeasies were also one of the reasons prohibition failed. They made it easy for people to get alcohol. There also just was not enough money, or police power to stop illegal places like speakeasies from popping up. Corruption also had a lot to do with the reason why prohibition ended up failing. A lot of wealthy citizens fed gangs that were making a lot of money from their appetite for alcohol. Even elected officials fell into the trap of speakeasies. They needed their alcohol too.
 
Sources:
http://www.albany.edu/wm731882/speakeasiesfinal.html
http://theroaringtwentieshistory.blogspot.com/2010/06/prohibition-and-speakeasies.html

WAR ON METH ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY PROJECT

<pbs frontline video, listed in MLA format (sorry team, I'm not doing this for you>  Produced in ....., this video explains the rise of meth in America, and the efforts Oregon, and the US have taken to combat it.  Produced by the blah blah...  Oregon was the first to ...  (this will take 2-3 paragraphs).

<npr short article on meth>  same thing, couple paragraphs.

Liljas, Per. "Mexico U.S. Government Helped Rise of Mexican Drug Cartel: Report Read More: DEA, Sinaloa Cartel in Secret Cooperation for Years | TIME.com Http://world.time.com/2014/01/14/dea-boosted-mexican-drug-cartel/#ixzz2saK5S6WT." World.time.com. Time Magaziine, 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 7 Feb. 2014.

Per Liljas reports in this article that for almost a decade, the US allowed the Sinaloa cartel to flourish, in exchange for helping in the war on drugs against other Cartels.  Critics say that this is a huge violation of US Federal, and international Law.


-------
class: I found many other articles. This is a short summary, because it was a short article.  

Letter Home

Sunday Afternoon, September 1st, 1918

My dear Father,
 
It is a strange feeling to me but a very real one, that every single letter that I write home to you or to my little sister may be the last that I shall write or you read. I do not want you to think that I am depressed or scared. I am indeed on the contrary, I am very cheerful. But out here, in odd moments the realization comes to me of how close death is to us. A week ago I was talking with a man from Preston, who had been out here for nearly four years, untouched. He was certainly looking forward to going on leave soon, and now he is dead, killed in a moment during our last advance.
I say this to you because I hope that you will realize, as I do, the possibility of the same thing happening to myself. I feel very glad myself that I can look the fact in the face without fear or regret. Much as I hope to live through it all for your sakes and my little sisters. I am quite prepared to give my life as so many have done before me.
I hope that you will not move out of the old house yet. Write and let me know if and when anything happens.
Well I have not much time left and I must end.
 
Your son,
Max