Reconstruction

The period of reconstruction refers to the time in which many new policies were implemented between 1863 and 1877. This was a time when the nation was focused on winning the Civil War, abolishing slavery, defeating the Confederacy, reconstructing the nation and amending the US constitution. This era was succesful in providing big steps towards freedom and equality such as the Fourteenth and Fifteenth amendments which provided former slaves with national citizenship and granted black men the right to vote. But this success did not last for very long. After Lincoln was killed, Andrew Johnson took over as president. He did not care as much for reconstruction as Lincoln and under his rule the Black Codes were put into place as were other rules that compromised the freedom of the newly freed slaves.
This is similar to the modern civil rights movement, which refers to the reform movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring suffrage in the Southern states.
Here is the link to an article regarding the modern civil rights movement:
http://civilliberty.about.com/od/raceequalopportunity/ig/History-of-Black-Civil-Rights/Modern-Civil-Rights-Movement.htm

American History Writing #1 Rough Draft

Now a days, one hundred and fourty four years after the civil war, we like to think that we live in a world where there is no discrimination, no violence or hate based on the different shades of our skin. We like to think that now that slavery has ended and freedom has been legally granted to African Americans all over America, that we can suddenly all coexist in peace without any unfair prejudice. And in most places in America, this is true. No longer do African American citizens have to get up from their seats on the bus in order for a white person to sit and rest their legs. No longer do public schools have two separate drinking fountains, one with a label that says “colored” and one with a label that says “whites”. But despite the peace and revolution that has spread the world after the war, there are some places in the American South where the struggle between races still continues.
“Dying for Dixie” by Tony Horwitz, a story in which a white teenage boy is shot by four black teenage boys around his age because of a confederate flag that he kept on the back of his truck, provides a perfect example of the types of places in which it seems that the war is still going on. The true story takes place in the small town of Guthrie, Kentucky. Horwitz describes biker bars in this town that have Martin Luther King Jr. day celebrations with a “Thank God for James Earl Ray Party” and a proclomation of “Fuck Martin Luther King Jrs B.Day”. When Horwitz interviewed some of the men at the biker bar about the town, one of the men replied “We got a few people standing up for white rights. The rest are pussies who let niggers trample all over them. Like those boys who shot Westerman the other day..You’ve got your KKK and your BBB-that’s Badass Black Brothers. Two sides of the same coin. If they want war, come on.” This very attitude is what the father of the murder victim Michael Westerman is talking about when he states that in their town it feels like the war is still going on.
This does not mean that the majority of people are for “white power”. In fact, according to the man in the biker bar that Horwitz interviewed, there are not very many. But even just a few of the strong willed white supremists can be enough to start a conflict. A good example of the racial conflict in this small town is the pool at the Holiday Motel. This small run down motel in Gurthie once had a public swimming pool available to anybody staying at the motel. One hot summer day a few black children paid their money and jumped in the pool. “It was like we sent an electrical charge through the water” said Maria Eskridge, the owner of the motel. Once the black children had gotten in, all the whites got out as quickly as possible. They complained to Eskridge to tell the blacks to leave. Eskridge, not having a strong opinion on the matter and not wanting to start more trouble, ignored the complaints. As the complaining from the white residents continued to get worse, Eskridge and her husband simply filled the pool with pond dirt so that nobody would be able to swim. This solution shows that althouugh there were not too many people strongly against people of different races, there were many people who didn’t care too much either way, but didn’t do much to help. This is one of the contributing factors to the continued conflict. If the power of the white supremists is strong enough and the people in the middle are doing nothing to help the situation, the power of discrimination will become powerful enough to take over the small town.
It wasn’t long before the issue of racism and prejudice became a matter of life or death. Michael Westerman was shot by four black teenagers because of a confedarate flag waving from the back of his truck. According to Michael’s own wife, the flag was there simply because it was red and matched the details on his truck. But living in a town where racism was still alive, the shooters assumed that it was a racial statement aimed at them. Maybe slavery has ended, maybe we are finally all legally thought of as equal, but there will always be people who break the law, and it’s these people who keep the war alive in parts of America.

Media Saves the Beach

For media saves the beach, I want to do something using photography to show the contrast between the beautiful appearance of the ocean to the facts about how polluted and contaminated it really is. I want to find evidence of the over abundance of trash in our oceans and get it on camera, and compare it to the beautiful landscapes that people see when they visit the beach every day.

My Hero

Trying to decide on a choice for my American icon was a very difficult assignment for me. I wanted to find someone who I could really spark a deep connection with, someone I really admire; so I looked through lists of famous celebrities, writers, photographers, artists, and great thinkers, trying to find someone that clicked with my personality and who I hope to become. A couple of days ago, I came home to find that I had been searching for something that had been right in front of me all along. How could I have overlooked the person who had been 100% by my side all along? Someone who I have personally seen overcome every obstacle put in front of them and beat the odds even when there was no hope left? My American icon is my mom, the strongest and most inspiring person I know.
My mom and I had very different childhoods, she made sure of that. As a young child she was abused by her own mother, beaten and starved and locked in the basement on regular occasions. She was taken from her home by child services at a young age and was put into foster homes, left with nothing but a broken jaw that she had to live with until she was able to get dental surgery in her late twenties. She was then raised to be a strict Fundamentalist-Baptist and was sheltered from doing the things that most teenagers do, like go out with friends or even listen to music. Finally, after high school, she broke away from her religion and became a child's advocate for Project Heartbeat, a program made to help children who came from broken homes. Most people would have given up at this point, but that wasn't something my mom was raised to do.

Growing up, I never wanted to be like my mom. It took about fourteen years and the uncovering of some information that had been kept from me to realize how lucky I am to have her. When I was seven years old, my dad took me on a spontaneous four-week vacation to Europe. After what seemed like an endless day of being forced to walk for miles and miles and look at old paintings in historical museums, I called my mom from one of the hotel phones crying. This phone call drastically changed my life in ways I could have never imagined. Little did I know, my mom was in the hospital undergoing intense treatments that the majority of people do not survive. The treatments were getting too rough, and she had reached the decision that she just couldn't do it anymore. She told the doctors to stop the treatments, a choice that would end the pain but also end her life. But after receiving that phone call, she realized that she couldn't leave me alone. She told the doctors to continue the treatment, and promised herself that she would stay alive long enough to watch me grow up. I am thankful every day that I picked up the phone and made that call.
I can not say that I can in any way relate to the pain and suffering that my mom has been through, but I am learning from her how to beat the odds even if they are all against you. I have been there with my mom when she battled cancer, both times; visited her when she was hospitalized for periods of time, watched her completely lose her memory for a period of two months, and all the while watched her do everything she can to make sure that I have the best life that she can provide for me. I can only hope to become as good-hearted and selfless of a person as she is.

Blog #6

While writing for this project, I discovered that when I write I generally have many good ideas, but the difficult part for me is putting them all together in a way that flows and makes sense. I had several drafts in which I had to revise the organization and order of the paragraphs and ideas. It was very difficult for me to cut down the essay into something that could fit on one page. I also discovered that I'm better at writing about personal stories and experiences of mine. I used many personal references from the past in my essay. I think that this helped me connect more with the reader and improved the writing.
"I visited her when she was hospitalized, watched her memory for a period of two months, and all the while saw her do everything she can to ensure that I have the best life that she can provide for me." I like this sentence because I think it mostly sums up the hardships that my mom and I have been through and her hard work and selflessness.

Blog #5

bokeh

Bokeh is a technique in which the main central subject of the picture (usually whatever is closest to the camera) is in focus, while the rest of the picture is blurred and out of focus. I really like the way that this technique looks, and is especially helpful for putting the focus on the main element of the picture.

contrast

Adding a high level of contrast to a picture is a very commonly used technique which highly emphasizes and contrasts the colors in a photo. This helps to make the picture bolder and the colors stronger, or in black in white photos helps emphasize the differences between light and dark.

unique perspective

Unique perspective is the technique of taking photographs from unusual angles and places, which changes the levels of focus and often leads to a cool effect.

Blog #4

For the critique of my essay, my computer partner suggested a variety of ideas, including changing my organization in order to better get the readers attention and so that the essay will flow more smoothly. She also suggested revising some run-on sentences and marked up my paper with spelling and wording suggestions that would further improve it. She did like the personal aspect of the paper and reminded me to keep that if i changed the writing at all.

I want to change my work by revising the organization and order in which i presented the ideas and by fine-tuning the word choice and spelling, and maybe add some new information.

Second Draft of my Artist Statement:
Trying to decide on a choice for my American icon was a very difficult assignment for me. There are many great people in the history of our coutry who I admire that have made amazing accomplishments, but not many who I can honestly say have inspired me or drastically changed my view on anything. I wanted to find someone who I could really spark a deep connection with, someone I really admire; so I looked through lists of famous celebrities, writers, photographers, artists, and great thinkers, trying to find someone that cicked with my personality and who I hope to become. A couple of days ago, I came home to find that I had been searching for something that had been right in front of me all along. How could I have overlooked the person who had been 100% by my side all along? Someone who I have personally seen overcome every obstacle put in front of them and beat the odds even when there was no hope left? My American icon is my mom, the strongest and most inspiring person I know.
My mom and I had very different childhoods, she made sure of that. As a young child she was abused by her own mother, beaten and starved and locked in the basement on regular occasions. She was taken from her home by child services at a young age and was put into foster homes, left with nothing but a broken jaw that she had to live with until she was able to get dental surgery in her late twenties. She was then raised to be a strict Fundamentalist-Baptist and was sheltered from doing the things that most teenagers do, like go out with friends or even listen to music. Although she was away from her terrible home, things continued to get worse, in ways that I cannot explain because to this day i still do not know to the full extent what happened in my mother's teenage years. Finally, after high school, she broke away from her religion and became a child's advocate for Project Heartbeat, a program made to help children who came from broken homes. Most people would have given up at this point, but that wasn't something my mom was raised to do. Instead, she did her part to ensure that not everybody has to suffer.
Growing up, I never wanted to be like my mom. I would always accuse her of stifiling me by being too overprotective, and roll my eyes whenever she tried to make a joke. It took about fourteen years and the uncovering of some information that had been kept from me to realize how lucky I am to have her. When I was seven years old, my dad took me on a spontaneous four-week vacation to Europe. I never really questioned the reasoning behind it, I just assumed that it was purely for the sake of traveling. We went to London Paris, Rome, Venice, Verona, and other placed tht I don't even remember the names of. But being seven, I didn't appreciate the rich culture and history of these places as much as my dad. After what seemed like an endless day of being forced to walk for miles and miles and look at old paintings in historical museums, I called my mom from one of the hotel phones crying. I went on and on about how tired my feet were and how I wish I could come home because daddy was being mean. This phone call drastically changed my life in ways i could have never imagined. Little did I know, while I was touring Europe, walking and sight-seeing, my mom was in the hospital undergoing intense treatments that the majority of people do not survive through. The treatments were getting too rough, and she had reached the descision that she just couldn't do it anymore. She had come to the conclusion to tell the doctors to stop the treatments, a choice that would end the pain but also end her life. But after recieving that phone call, she realized that she couldn't leave me alone. She told the doctors to recontinue the treatment, and promised herself that she would stay alive long enough to watch me grow up. I am thankful every day that I picked up the phone and made that call.
All of her life my mom has been surrounded by peopel telling her what she can't do. Her doctors told her she wouldn't live past age thirty. She was told that she probably wouldn't survive the chimo therapy required to battle the melenoma skin cancer that had infected her lungs, but she beat the odds, on two seperate occasions. She became the only person in the Northern Hemisphere to live through the treatments that she was put through. As a young child, I saw my mom getting sick and dissapearing for weeks, and I can't count on my fingers the amount of times people warned me that I could possibly lose her. But she made it through every time. I began to think of her as invincible. I was never too scared that I would lose her for real, I was convinced that it would be impossible. One thing she taught me, that I will always take with me, is to never give up. I've come close to giving up many times, but I always think of my mom, and how she is iving proof that you can perform miracles if you keep trying, and never lose hope.
I can not say that I can in any way relate to the pain and siffering that my mom has been through, but I am learning from her how to beat the offs even if they are all against you, and how to learn from hardships and use them to grow and become a better person. I have been there with my mom when she battled cancer, both times; visited her when she was hospitalized for periods of time, watched her completely lose her memory for a period of two months, and all the while watched her do everything she can to make sure that I have the best life that she can provide for me. And I can only hope to become as good-hearted and selfless of a person as she is.

American Icon Sources

This is one of the earliest depictions of Disney's most famous creations, Mickey Mouse. This black and white reel, called "The Mad Doctor", shows a different side of Disney than we are used to. This is an important source of information because it shows the original inspiration and ideas for characters that Disney created such as Mickey Mouse and Pluto, before they became commercialized and stereotyped. It gives a unique insight on Disney's original ideas.



This is the well-known speech given by Walt Disney in which he welcomed everybody to his kingdom of happiness, Disneyland. In this speech Disney describes his feelings of what Disneyland should be and why he created it. There are no better words to describe it.

http://www.justdisney.com/walt_disney/ is probably the most complete online source that you could possibly find for everything you need to know about Walt Disney. It is complete with a detailed biography, a short biography, a filmography, animation, Walt Disney quotes, and more. From this, i will learn more about Disney himself, and get a stronger insight into his work.

The legendary pop art created by campbell soup can labels is a perfect example of the way that Warhol was able to create art out of something that noone would have ever thought of using. This piece of work was very contreversial and considered by many to not be art, but was a big part of what made Warhol famous.

Another important source is the movie Factory girl; a movie based on the rise and fall of Eddie Sedgwick and her relationship with Andy Warhol. It is an American biopic based in the 1960s. This movie is an important source because Sedgwick was Andy Warhol's main source of inspiration and muse for much of his work.

"Isn't life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves? " This statement made by Warhol basically summarizes his reasoning behind his unique art in the most simple way possible. The style that Warhol is known for is simply taking a picture and multiplying it many times, changing each one as it repeats itself.

American Icons

Walt Disney is a name that brings a smile to the faces of almost everyone who hears it, and is recognized by

thousands of people acrossAamerica. Disney i

s a multiple Academy-Award winning film producer, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, and philanthropist, who is known mostly for being the co-founder of Walt Disney Productions, an achievement that changed the lives of people all over America and helped him to become one of the most well-known motion picture producers in the world. He was a dream weaver, a creator of fairy tales and lands far far away which he brought to life using colorful animation that captured the hearts of children everywhere.

On July 18th, 1955, Disney made these far away fairy tales acces

sible to children everywhere when he opened Disneyland Theme Park, also known as "the happiest place on earth". This revolutionary theme park s

oon opened in locations in Japan, France, and China, and became the second most visited theme park in the world. "To all who come to this happy place - welcome. Disneyland is

your land. Here age relives fond memories of the past and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future. Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America ... with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world. Thank you." Disney said about the magical park that he had created.

Disney books and movies caused a revolution in America. The classic children's movies inspire children to dream and use their imagination, and escape to a world in which pumpkins can turn into horse-drawn carriages and fairy tales really do come true. Growing up, the world of disney was my inspiration for almost everything i did and helped me get through difficult times by bringing a little bit of magic to my life, the way it did for countless others.

Lucille Ball, one of the most powerful and influential popular and influential stars in America during her lif

etime, brought tears to the eyes of television viewers across the country. Tears of laughter, that is. A successful comedienne, television, stage and radio actress, model,and film and television executive, Ball had a long list of things to be proud of. But her greatest and most well-known achievement was her starring role in the hit show I Love Lucy, in which captured hearts playing the quirky and klutzy Lucy who lit up television screens all over America from 1948 to 1960. I Love Lucy became a classic and was soon followed by the Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, and Here's Lucy.

She is known as the "queen of Bs" because of her many roles in B-list films rather than well known movies on the big screen, but will always be someone i look up to for working as hard as she did and putting herself wholly into her career, in which she achieved more than most by simply being herself and not worrying about critique on her unusual behavior.

Andy Warhol is a leading figure in the visual movement of pop art and one of the most inspirational and original artists of America, in my opinion at least. He began with a successful career in commercial illustrating and soon became famous worldwide for his unique and revolutionary paintings. In addition to painting and illustrating, Warhol became an avant-garde filmmaker, record producer, author, and public figure known for his membership in wildly diverse social circles that included bohemian street people, distinguished intellectuals, Hollywood celebrities and wealthy aristocrats. Warhol's work inspired many people with his flair for thinking outside of the box and coloring outside the lines, and was made to be the subject of many retrospective exhibitions, books, and feature and documentary films.

Warhol is someone who I will always admire, for his way of being able to look at something in a way that no one else could see it, and turning it into a form of art. This is a skill that most people strive to achieve but doesn't come naturally to many. It can open a whole new world of opportunities that never seemed possible. There was a time when no one would ever consider seeing a soup can label a work of art, until Warhol came along and changed everyone's view on what beauty is.