V 3's Weblog

A tragedy

The day started out normal enough.  By the end of the day, so many emotions would swell my mind.  I went to class just as I would in any other day.  A student was late but it was typical of him.  When he walked in the door he had to announce something.  He told us that he heard on the radio that the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane.  Not very many people were willing to speak their minds that day, not at first.  When I realized what was happening, my entire perception of the world immediately changed.
Before 9/11, I had never heard of such a hateful act directed at my country.  Of course I had heard of such things as the holocaust and such but nothing in my time or in my own country that was so devastating.  Intellectually and emotionally I was not really affected but it formed a sense of patriotism in me as it did in the entire country.  No one particularly close to me had been hurt or killed but the sheer magnitude of this event caused me to take a look at my view of the world.  I no longer saw it as a safe and fair world where anyone could prosper.  This world had become dangerous and evil to me. 
The effects of this event were many and varied.  Almost the entire country felt the sense of patriotism that can only come when we must stick together.  There were people who believed that this country deserved this and others who thought it was a big conspiracy by the government.  I believed that the country was attacked by terrorists and it was unjustified.  Perhaps the government did need a wake up call to readdress the foreign policy issues but there is no justification for killing some 2 thousand innocent people.  This country may not be innocent but the people who were killed were.  For this reason, I will not tolerate the attack on our country. 
Over the past four years, the feeling of patriotism has passed but not the memory.  Thousands of people were killed and even more were affected by their deaths.  I will never forgive those men who planned the attack and executed it without regard to anyone or any cause but their own.  I sometimes wonder if George Bush is a good president and I don’t have an answer yet.  I do, however, know that he did the right thing when he declared a war in terrorism.  That is very likely the main reason that he was elected for a second term.  The reelection of George W. shows that the people in this country are as ready to forgive and forget as I am. 

Best of the Best #11

Towards the end of the 1960s and beginning of the 1970s, America struggled to improve societal and economic conditions.  The country’s economy experienced severe recession and inflation which left many Americans poverished and unemployed.  The rise of counter culture and racial tension divided the nation deeply [1].  “But the Vietnam War, more than any other single factor, destroyed the promise of prosperity, equality, and a Great Society” [2].  The Vietnam War brought an onset of counter cultural beliefs for Americans who were in and out of the country.  Within the country, music, film, and various past times were susceptible to influences from the war.  The following top 10 films and songs of 1970 in accordance to domestic review have either been susceptible or non-susceptible to the influences of the Vietnam War.

    The Vietnam War had certain influences among the top ten songs in 1970.  The number one song of 1970 was B.J. Thomas’s “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.”  This song, to a degree, refers to the events occurring in America during the Vietnam War.  This song is about an individual who can’t get away from the raindrops that keep falling on his head.  The raindrops are a symbolic representation of the turmoil and chaos that have fallen upon the Americans.  The person in the song disapproves of the sun sleeping on his job and causing continuous rainfall.  The sun serves as an equivalent to the United States Government.  American’s believed the government wasn’t executing the war in Vietnam properly.  Civilians and military personnel eventually developed feelings of betrayal and animosity to their government.  The song also has a powerful message to the American people though, especially the soldiers in Vietnam.  The song emphasizes that hope and happiness shall prevail at the end of the road.  The #4 song, “Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin” by Sly and the Family Stone, also makes references to the Vietnam War.  Lyrics such as “Lookin' at the devil, grinnin' at his gun, Fingers start shakin' I begin to run, bullets start chasin' I begin to stop, we begin to wrestle, I was on the top” and “Flamin' eyes of people fear, burnin' into you many men are missin' much, hatin' what they do” describe the emotional terrors of Americans serving in the war. [3]  The #5 song, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” is an uplifting song that was used to support the mentality’s of those who had or lost loved ones fighting in Vietnam.  The lyrics show comfort and support as it reads “When you’re weary, feeling small, when tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all I’m on your side when times get rough.” [4] This song shows that through rough times, hope shall prevail.  The #6 song, “Let It Be,” by the Beatles is similar to “Bridge over Troubled Water” since it too is an inspirational and comforting song.  This song informs people that it is best to live life with “words of wisdom.” [5]  “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and “Let It Be” reflect on the idea that individuals are capable of overcoming their tribulations.  The #8 song, “American Women” by The Guess Who was a controversial song during the war.  The lyrics make it appear as if the singer wants the American women to get away from him and this was interpreted to have connections with the draft. [6]  The lyrics are a scathing commentary on America's imperialistic attitude towards Vietnam.  Ray Steven’s #9 song, “Everything Is Beautiful,” preaches on anti-racism, anti-discrimination, peace, and harmony.  It gives the perspective of what the world should be like and that everyone should get along instead of fighting.  The #10 song, “Long and Winding Road,” by the Beatles also reflects on abandonment and loneliness.  This can be related to the soldiers serving in Vietnam and how they felt being away from their loved ones.

    In addition to music, movies also had ties to the events occurring in the Vietnam War.  The #3 move,“M*A*S*H,* by Robert Altman, tells the story of two surgeons working in a mobile surgical hospital during the Korean War.  Although the plot of the film is set during the Korean War, the film’s significance is attributed to the instance of the Vietnam War.  The #4 movie, Patton, by Franklin J. Schaffner, depicts the controversial career of famous World War II General George S. Patton, Jr.  The movie depicts Patton’s life during the war from his rise to fall as a World War II commander.  The film portrays Patton as a tremendously flawed individual, but the film also signifies his sense of duty, honor, and patriotism.  Patton’s positive and negative qualities are shown in an unbiased manner.  This portrayal of such a man parallels with the experiences the American soldiers may have faced during the Vietnam War.  Such parallels include mental, spiritual, and emotional struggles of war.  In comparing the two films, both are complete polar opposites of each other.  M*A*S*H, condemns the United States Government for involving in the Vietnam War through satirical and comical means.  This film truly embraces an anti-war, anti-establishment, and anti-religion stance [7].  However; Patton, portrays Patton as a direct representation of the emotionally distraught American’s serving in the Vietnam War.  The #9 movie, “Tora! Tora! Tora!,” delineates the events that lead up to that attack on Pearl Harbor.  The film shows war’s inhumanity and directs these feelings to the war in Vietnam. The #10 movie, “Catch-22,” however; takes an anti-war approach as it shows the main character, Yossarian, trying to escape his duties as a soldier by claiming insanity.    The #2 movie, “Airport” is about a blizzard that strikes the Lincoln Airport and causes a plane to get stuck in a snow drift.  The primary runway gets shutdown and problems slowly begin to arise due to their setback.  The stranded people at the airport represent the stranded American soldiers in Vietnam.  The #8 movie, “Ryan’s Daughter,” also emphasizes on the Vietnam War by introducing the events of the Irish Rebellion in1916.  The feelings of betrayal and hate the Irish had towards their nation were similarly felt by the Americans towards their own government during 1970.

    While many popular songs and movies focused on the war, others didn’t.  Love songs were made for people to escape the extremities of war.  This is evident in the #2 song, “I Want You Back,” by the Jackson Five.  This song tells the story of an individual who took his lover’s companionship for granted.  She left him for another person and now he is full of regret.  The #3 song of 1970, “Venus” by Shocking Blue is a song about beauty and love, with lyrics such as, “The summit of Beauty in love/And Venus was her name” [8]. The # 7 song, “ABC,” by the Jackson Five also didn’t reflect on the Vietnam War.  The song simply encouraged education among young Americans. [9]  Aside from music, 1970 films such as the #1 “Love Story,” #5 “Aristocats,” #6 “Woodstock,” and #7 “Little Big Man” too lacked references to the war.  “Love Story” is about a rich girl who falls in love with a low class girl and the problems they encounter due to their differences.  The Aristocrats is a Disney film where a cat inherits lots of money and gets the baggage that comes with it.  The cat’s family is ultimately kidnapped and it’s up to him for their rescue.  “Woodstock” depicts the popular three day musical extravaganza that most young Americans go to.  “Little Big Man,” is lastly a comedy about a man's experience in the closing days of western cowboy life.  These songs and films lack correlation to the war.  They offer no insight or importance to the events happening in this time frame.

    More films and songs were influenced by the Vietnam War than others.  It is unique though how the songs and films that have traces of Vietnam influence are geared towards an adult audience.  The songs and films that avoided the conflicts of 1970 represented the positive attitudes that the Americans were searching for.  The family oriented films ranged from comedy to drama, but focused on encouraging the ideas of heroism and patriotism.  The songs emphasized on love and compassion.  These themes are irrelevant to the ones that were influenced by the devastation of the Vietnam War.

[1] Davidson, Gienapp, Heyrman, Lytle, & Stoff. (2006). Nation of Nations. Boston: McGraw-Hill. pg. 883.
[2] Davidson, Gienapp, Heyrman, Lytle, & Stoff. (2006). Nation of Nations. Boston: McGraw-Hill. pg. 324-326.
[3] Sly and the Family Stone Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin http://www.lyricsdownload.com/sly-and-the-family-stone-thank-you-falettinme-be-mice-elf-agin
[4] Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water http://www.geocities.com/WileyMike/6Bridge.html
[5] need link from Vernon
[6] “American Women” http://www.superseventies.com/1970_2singles.html
[7] M*A*S*H http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=64361
[8] Shocking Blue. “Venus.” http://www.lyricsdomain.com/19/shocking_blue/venus.html
[9] The Jackson 5 ABC http://www.superseventies.com/1970_6singles.html

We had to do a lot of research to write this blog.  We split up the work so each of us had to research two of the top 10 movies and two of the top 10 songs.  Tri researched "I Want You Back" and "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" along with M*A*S*H and Patton. Brittany researched "Venus," "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin," The Artistocats and Woodstock. Vernon concentrated on "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "Let It Be," Love Story and Airport.  James found information about "ABC," "American Woman," Little Big Man, and Ryan's Daughter, while Mark researched "Everything Is Beautiful," "Long and Winding Road," Tora!Tora!Tora! and Catch-22.  After receiving all of this information over the weekend, Brittany wrote a rough draft which she sent to Tri for revision.  He revised the rough draft and wrote the introduction and conclusion.  Brittany wrote the group report too.

Photo Album.

Yay.  I really rather enjoyed the writing section of this assignment.  This was the first assignment I didn't mind putting forth a little extra effort.  I hope you enjoy it at least a little bit.  Check out my photo album by clicking here.

Post # 9. Comments for All

I commented on Jamison's Photo Album 7, Taylor's Group Blog 8, and Candy's Photo Album 7.

Post # 8:The Trial of Clara's "murderer"

   In the trial of the State vs. Rehberg (1885), Edward Rehberg is accused of committing second-degree murder.  Edward is accused of fatally beating his young daughter, Clara Rehberg, to the point of inducing septicemia and piemia to produce gangrene.  Clearly on the basis of the information and evidence provided in the written transcript, a 20th century jury would find Edward innocent of committing murder.  Louisa Rehberg, stepmother to the Rehberg children, would instead be charged for the crime since all the evidence from the witness testimonies indicates her as the primary suspect.  Although the evidence points to Louisa, it is most likely that Edward would still be found guilty in a nineteenth century court room.  Individuals from the 19th century were heavily influenced by the Second Great Awakening and post Civil War attitudes.  There beliefs and ideology differed greatly to those of the 20th century thinkers.  When comparing a 19th century American jury to that of a 20th, the verdict for the State vs. Rehberg trial would be different between the two solely on the basis of family values and education within a societal ranking system.
   

The nineteenth century jury would have found Edward guilty due to the oblivious assumption that women were incapable of committing atrocious acts, such as murder. They viewed that women took part in a “socially defined role as guardians of morality” [1].  They were domesticated to provide care within their homes and construct an environment away from the competitive work place [2].  A mother was the source for emotional support where she would provide love, comfort, and teaching values to her children [3].  The nineteenth century conditioned society to believe that women were incapable of being violent and their firm beliefs would overshadow the natural state of the trial.  Edward would most likely be convicted and incarcerated for the jury’s one-sided reasoning. 
   

The twentieth century jury, however; would disregard such beliefs and take into consideration the testimonies and evidence to prove Edward’s innocence.  Every witness stated in their testimony that Edward had spent the whole day working on the haystack and the only time he left the haystack was to eat [6].  Even during his meals he was accompanied by his co-worker, Joe Tiebow.  His constant presence around people would’ve confirmed the jury’s belief that he must have lacked the capacity to attack Clara.  Over the course of time, society has accepted that in addition to men, women were also capable of committing evil crimes.  The twentieth century courts evolved to form an impartial justice system with discrete legislation.  This level of sophistication demonstrated in the twentieth century jury would inevitably serve justice by validating Edward’s innocence and convict the true criminal, Louisa. 
 

  During the course of the trial, Clara’s final words were mentioned as testimony for the jury.  Her “deathbed declaration” stated that it was her stepmother, Louisa Rehberg and not her father, who was the cause of her condition [5].  The nineteenth century jury would presumably invalidate her testimony based on her age, gender, and social status.  The Rehberg’s were part of the lower social class during this time in history.  Nineteenth century jurors viewed children, such as Clara, to be uneducated individuals who lack the qualifications necessary to distinguish what is right from wrong.  The jury would overlook Clara’s deathbed declaration and continue to prosecute Edward. 
   

The twentieth century, on the other hand, would be attentive to Clara’s final words and incorporate that into their overall decision for Edward’s verdict.  Moving from the twentieth century till now, it is mandatory for children in America to attend public schools, no matter where they may stand on society’s social ladder.  This requirement for children to receive an education increases a broader range of children becoming intelligent thus making their decisions more credible.  Clara’s testimony would no doubt leave the twentieth century jury exculpating Edward’s accusation and convict the most sensible suspect, Louisa.
   

Many differences can be acknowledged in how a nineteenth or twentieth century jury would perceive the case of the State vs. Rehberg (1885).  The various movements that swept through the nineteenth century left society classifying that an individual’s level of education was dependent on the state of his/her social class.  Society viewed children and women as frivolous beings.  These assumptions, however; would no longer be of importance for the twentieth century thinkers.  The sophisticated level of thinking shown in the twentieth century jurors would demonstrate the true nature of justice by surmounting the clouded and improbable judgments of the jurors in the nineteenth century.

[1] Davidson, et al., Nation of Nations, 320.
[2] ibid., 319.
[3] ibid.
[4] ibid., 320.
[5] State vs. Rehberg, Reader, 32.
[6] ibid., 17-32.

Group Report:
Our group first met on Tuesday, November 9, at 9:00 PM.  We met Online and entered a private chat on AOL.  We began planning out the structure of the blog post.  After discussing what would be in the paragraphs Brittany began to work on composing the first draft.  Vernon attempted to find relative pictures or material on the web but was unable to find anything that made sense.  Tri used some textbook ideas to add into the blog that James found.  Tri finished revising and posted his blog on Friday night after letting Brittany look over it one last time.  The blog was finished at about 9:30 PM on Friday night.  Mark wrote the group report.

#6. Comments for them

I commented on Taylor's Individual Post #4, Estephanie's Group Post #5, and Lauren's Individual Post #4.

#4 The before and after of Native Americans

In the early part of the 19th century the Native Americans were being overrun by the settlers in America.  The Native Americans attempted to keep the settlers from taking over their lands by becoming more like them.  They tried to adapt to the white peoples’ customs to prevent their lands from being taken but could not quite fit in.  They were unsuccessful in their efforts to adapt.  Catlin, the artist of “Pigeon’s Egg Head”, shows how Native Americans tried to conform to the settler’s expectations but never quite bridged the gap.

The attempt to convert to white customs can be seen clearly in “Pigeon’s Egg Head” because Catlin portrayed the Native American and the convert back to back.  There are similarities between the two images of the man in the painting for instance the man’s hair is approximately the same length in both images.  Also they both wear at least a feather in their headwear.  However, the convert is dressed in the clothes of the settlers instead of his own.  He also stands a little more crooked and seems less proud of himself than before he was converted.  It can be seen that the Native American is proud of his heritage while the convert is confused about who he really is.

In the painting of this man it is shown that the Native Americans were unsuccessful in his attempt to change to the settlers’ customs.  The convert is holding an umbrella and a fan showing feminist qualities even though he is a man.  He also has a bottle in his back pocket that likely holds alcohol and suggests his possible drunkenness.  He seems to be a little tipsy and needs to use the umbrella for support. He is also in a military uniform while drunk which doesn’t really fit either.  Teepees can be seen in the background that shows him heading back from the capital now neither entirely a Native American nor entirely a white man.  He has lost his identity and is confused about who he is.

The Native Americans in this time period were forced to leave their land by the white settlers.  They attempted to adapt to white culture using “a program of accommodation by adopting white ways to prevent removal.”[1] They could not do this to an extent that pleased the settlers and were forcefully removed from their lands.  Catlin described these changes in his painting “Pigeon’s Egg Head”.  He showed how the Native Americans tried to adapt to white culture but were unable to.  He showed that they kept a part of themselves even while trying to adapt and that still holds true today.

[1] Davidson, Gienapp, Heyrman, Lytle, & Stoff. (2006). Nation of Nations. Boston: McGraw-Hill. pg. 296.

#5 The Perfect World: Par 5

The early nineteenth century served as an innovative era for establishing utopias.  Utopias were created to “demonstrate the possibilities of perfection.” [1]  Their goal was to “replace the competitive individualism of American society with a purer spiritual unity and group cooperation.” [1]  Five people, all from different backgrounds and social standings, founded Par 5 in 1843 because they wanted to escape the discrimination and industrial competition in American society.  The five founders,Tri Tran, Vernon Eppard, James Kim, Mark Sythammavong, and Brittany Patonetz, collaborated to make Par 5 as close to perfect with equality as they could.  The utopia was named Par 5 because par means even and there were five founders.  This map reflects the ideals of group cooperation and unity through socialism.  “Socialism is an ideology with the core belief that a society should exist in which popular collectives control the means of power, and therefore the means of production.” [2]  Socialism has the goal of forming a classless society. [2] A socialistic utopian reflects the ideals of equality and unity and enforces people to work together for the common good of the economy in their society.  This utopian map emphasizes on the ideals of equality through the following: the towns centralization, distribution and size of homes, location of churches, existence of a main road, and location of farmlands and stores.

The government buildings are centrally located in this utopia.  This centralization prevents any specific group of citizens from being closer to the government than others.  Everyone is an equal distance away and has the same opportunity to be involved with the government through the city council.  This town’s centralization prevents the formation of an elite class further supporting the idea of equal opportunity among the citizens.  The school and doctor’s office are also found in the center of the community giving everyone an equal chance to receive and education and/or medical assistance.  A common area for everyone is also found in the center as the Town Square is here.  The central location of these places also enforces unity among the citizens enabling them to easy access towards their destinations.

The homes of the people circle around the center of the utopia.  As already stated, all the homes are approximately the same distance away from the facilities in the center.  The homes are also all the same size; there is no individual displaying more wealth through his/her home than another, but everyone has the same amount of space to live in.  All the people live together and are not separated into towns.  The lack of segregation shows that all villagers have learnt to cooperate amongst one another in order to survive.  Living together brings unity to a community such as that which is presented on the map.

Another important feature of this map is the location of the churches.  They are on the outskirts of town showing that religion is not a major part of this utopia, but it is allowed to be practiced by those who chose to.  Both churches are an equal distance from the homes, showing that no religion is favored over the other.  The churches are also a great distance from the government because religion plays no part in politics in this utopia.  The people are allowed to exercise a freedom of religion, but it is kept from disrupting the equality of the community because it is far away from the activities of the government, economy, and even the living area.

The main road of this utopia is named “The Road of Equality” and is the only way to leave and enter the town.  The Road of Equality permits the community to maintain their isolation, but still provide a way of contact with the outside world.  This community is open to trade with others allowing an influx of economical opportunities.  The main road allows this to happen, but also to be regulated.  There is only one road leading in and out of the town which results in easy directions to and from the utopia.  This prevents people from trying to disrupt or change anything radically.  The main road also provides a way for people that do not belong in this community to leave.  There is a prison; however, it is only used for minor crimes.  People that try to ruin this utopia are forced to leave. 

A large amount of farmland and stores are also found in this community.  The economy is based mainly on what is produced in the utopia itself through the work of agriculturalists and artisans.  The farmland and stores of this community are found on the outskirts proving that no social status is placed on the job of the citizens. Their equality is once again maintained.  The jobs that are placed the furthest away are those of the lumberjacks whose shops are close the forest.  The river nearby allows for their goods to be shipped to where people can use them.  The river also gives workers living out of town an alternative route for to their homes so they are no isolated from the rest of the community.

The utopian map focuses on the ideals of the early nineteenth century as it strives for “unity and group cooperation.” The utopia upholds the “middle class values of hard work” as everyone works together for the common good of everyone. [1]  Competition is eliminated among individuals reinforcing the town’s concept of unity.    The utopia’s geography allows the town’s people to interact closely with each other and the outside world.  This society may be diverse with specific social groups; however, the unique structural persistence indicates the society is built on a homogenous ideology of unity and equal opportunity.

[1] Davidson, Gienapp, Heyrman, Lytle, & Stoff. (2006). Nation of Nations. Boston: McGraw-Hill. pg. 324-326.

[2] “Socialism.” Wikipedia. 10 Oct. 2005 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socialism>

Group Report:

Our group first met on Friday, October 8 at 12:40 PM.  We met at the information desk in the Johnson Center and then moved to the library.  There we took a vote on what our Utopia map was going to be based on.  After choosing a sociologist uptoia, we then discussed about what occupations were going to be in our utopia and made realistic decisions of scaling the map.  We also constructed a rough draft of our map on a piece of paper.  Mark, Brittany, and I had to leave an hour later, but Tri and Vernon had worked on the map for an hour more and touched up on the rough draft and created 2 more copies.  On Monday, October 10, Vernon created the final version of the map based on the rough drafts.  On the same night, Brittany had researched and compiled a rough draft of our Utopia's writing portion.  Brittany than sent the draft to Mark for proofreading.  We all received the draft by e-mail and gave our inputs and corrections as we finished up Monday night.

-James Kim

#3. Comments for you.

I commented on Group 6's post # 2, Jamison's Post # 1, and Taylor's post # 1.

#2 The American Joke

In the Mid to late 18th century a rise for a revolution instilled Americans with turmoil and resentment towards their superior counterpart, the British Empire. The series of British Acts passed would eventually leave the American colonies directing a revolt for their independence. The British believed that Americans were "selfish and self-interested, unconcerned with the welfare of the empire as a whole." [1] The British disregarded the American resistance and even took light of the situation by mocking the political activism of American women. The British began expressing their political scorn towards patriotic American women in cartoons and artworks. The political cartoon, "Society of Patriotic Women, Edenton, North Carolina," emphasizes on three important ideas; the loss of femininity, responsibility, and family values for American Women during the American Revolution.

An aspect of the cartoon is the unattractive portrayal of American women. A woman in the front of   the painting can be seen bending over and showing her large backside to the viewer. This feature is unladylike and leaves the viewer with unpleasant thoughts on American women. The cartoon showed women taking on men's role and participating in politics. During the 18th century, as a part of the status quo for British ideology, women had limited rights that forbade them to govern in politics. The idea of women contributing to law was absurd and unheard of according to the British, but in America, women were taking charge and helping their government. Colonials were protesting and their upheaval brought much disruption to British rule. In 1768 the Daughters of Liberty took part in protesting the Townshend Acts by wearing homespun clothes instead of English finery, served coffee instead of tea, and boycotted shops selling British goods [1]. Political cartoons, much like the "Society of Patriotic Women, Edenton, North Carolina," served as a medium for the British to express their disgust and disdain views on American women "

The cartoonist continues to stress the idea that women lack the responsibilities to govern politics by  exposing sex and alcohol in the artwork. In the background of the drawing, a woman is seen drinking what is likely alcohol out of a bowl and another is holding a flask that contains it. While the women in the background are drinking alcohol, a man in the front of the painting is seducing a woman working on a political document. These features direct a misconception towards American women by making them appear corrupt and loose. With the lack of being responsible women, the British began diminishing the integrity of Americans with various forms of artwork. These artworks would serve as political propaganda permitting the British to take light of the American Revolution.

In addition to the lack of women's responsibilities, the British believed the idea that family values in America were deteriorating. The cartoon shows a baby sitting underneath a table, with a tray of food spilled in front of her. There is also a dog present licking the baby's face and urinating on the floor beside her. This unsanitary presence depicts the room being chaotic and unruly. A woman's traditional duty was to care for her family and step out of politics. The cartoonist strongly points out their belief that women in America were losing their moral values and respect for themselves. Their contribution to politics is generating problems and disturbances for not only their government, but their families too. The lack of control and dirty conditions of the room gives the British more reasons to disregard the American Revolution.

The initial process of the American Revolution sparked little to no interest for the British authority. The British dismissed them as "discontented radical fringe."[1] Their mockery of American women consisted of the utmost absurd obscenities. The physical, intellectual, and moral behaviors these women are demonstrating are in complete opposition to how civilized beings should behave. The British believed that women lacked the right to participate in governmental politics. This belief would only lead to an unexpected, undesired result where the desire for freedom and independence would instill strength and courage for the Americans. This strength and courage could be found in every patriotic American and it was what allowed them to surmount over the most powerful European empire of the 18th century.

[1] Davidson, Gienapp, Heyrman, Lytle, & Stoff. (2006). Nation of Nations. Boston: McGraw-Hill. pg.124,130,136.

On Friday, September 16, given the remainder 20 min. to begin our group typepad post, our group assigned jobs to each person. Brittany volunteered to be the first draft writer, Tri decided to become the text editor and proofreader, James was selected to be the textbook researcher, Vernon the image and link researcher, and Mark was to be the group reporter. It was decided that the group would be online at around 8:45 P.M.-9:00 P.M. Sunday night, September 18, where there would be a chat room via AOL Instant Messenger to discuss the first draft written by Brittany, who sent out the first draft via email to everyone in the group at 8:26 P.M. The chat room was created at precisely 8:45 P.M. to discuss the first draft. The first draft had been nicely written by Brittany, with the exception of a few grammatical errors. The introduction and conclusion was weak, so Tri wrote a new introduction and conclusion to be used. The draft was discussed for about 20 min.; the chat room was concluded at 9:05 P.M. James sent the group his text references in an email, in which Brittany has included in her essay. Mark sent Brittany an e-mail consisting of the errors he caught. Vernon has input images into the typepad post while posting the blog. Our first draft writer decided what to write into the first draft, in which the group concluded good enough to be used as the post.