"We are..."

During Spring 2009, three U.S. History classes researched and prepared found art projects for the period 1970-90. The theme was "We are..." - the cultural impact on American history. Student worked in small groups to develop their projects. They collected items from their homes, museums, and neighbors to create the found art pieces. The completed projects were displayed in the school library.

Students were also required to do a self-evaluation of their projects and to give advice to next year's classes.

JP's Mom - New Blog Author

Greetings! I have invited JP's mom to join the D-period blog. She wants to view his work. As an author she will have access to all the class postings. She may also post things on this blog. Mrs. Blanchard wrote me a very nice message in which she thanked us for the sympathy cards and money for the animal shelter.

I hope that your summer is peaceful and fun. Get some rest and come back to us in August ready for senior year.

Best wishes to all,

Ms. Sanderson

Watergate Scandal

Watergate was caused by many things. Watergate picked close, loyal people for his inner circle. In their time in the administration, Nixon and his advisers slowly got the idea that they were above the law. These reasons led to the Watergate Scandal. Later, a group of people connected with Nixon attempted to burglarize the Democratic National Committee at the Watergate complex. As investigation continues, many member's of Nixon's staff were accused. Nixon then started to fire many of his staff. Nixon then began a very arduous task of trying to keep the taped Oval Office conversations under control. Finally, after many attempts to get the tapes, Nixon released an edited version of the tape. The house then wanted to impeach him on charges of obstruction of justice, contempt of Congress, and more. Near the end of the trails, Nixon resigned when it was too late. To represent the Watergate Scandal, my group had each side represent a different process of the Watergate Scandal. The break in side had flashlights, wires, locks, and other objects that were used to break in. Our next side related to the cover up, which included hush money, edited tapes, and other items. We had many photographs to show images in which normal everyday items would not have, such as pictures of Nixon's staff. The next side was dedicated to the fight for the tapes. This included a picture of the white house recording machine, as well as the stack of edited tapes that Nixon spent a good amount of time editing. Finally, we had our last side dedicated to the resignation of Nixon, including a printed copy of his letter of resignation as well as his farewell speech.

If I could repeat this project again, I would definitely spend more time assembling the box because the entire day was very rushed. I would advise incoming classes to make sure they know exactly what they will do the day of the assembly.

-Lawrece

Fast Food Nation

Group Members: Victor Zhu, Tiffany Chen, Jay Dubashi

For our final project, we researched the development and rise of the fast food industry in America.
We looked mostly at advertising, and their methods of giving out information about their products. We also looked at the spread of franchise locations over time. We chose to do fast food, because it is present in every American life. Advertising is everywhere, 'restaurants' are everywhere.
We used three main items:
- Timelines: We created timelines chronicling the development of three franchises, KFC, Wendy's, and McDonalds
- Slogans: We found the most used marketing slogans from the 1970's through 90's
- Maps: We created maps that show the spread of the franchise locations over 20 years.

We tried to make our project box look like a fastfood container, like the ones McDonald's uses. We organized the timelines into 'Hamburgers' The hamburgers have many sources of information on them. We included information on Menu's, food choices, advertising campaigns, and restaurant design. We discovered that fast food ads have changed from appealing to mostly adults, to trying to get children. We placed the slogans on the outside of the box, and the maps and timelines on the inside. Most of our visual aids were found on the internet, and we bought supplies.

I reccomend next years students do something they are passionate about. It will make the work much easier

- Jay Dubashi

The Watergate Scandal

For the Found Art Project, my group chose to cover the infamous Watergate scandal. We found this topic to be intriguing because it is an important part of American History in that it is the only time a president has resigned, and also because we found this topic interesting.

When we chose the specific pieces of found art for this project, we wanted the items to either be directly related to the topic(i.e. a tape recorder and tapes) or to be indirectly related to the topic via some sort of symbolism(i.e. a magnifying glass to represent investigation). In the end, we had many different pieces of found art, and in fact, more than we could fit on our boxes.

When allocating our found art pieces, we found that the majority of them could be found right in our own houses. I personally found five pieces of relevant found art just searching through my garage. When there was anything we couldn't find at our own houses, we were able to secure it at relatives' houses too. The only problem was that it was sometimes hard to find some of the more uncommon pieces of found art we needed(such as lockpicking tools).

If I could do something differently with my Found Art Project, I would have tried to find more found art earlier because our group had to rush a little bit during the last week of the project to ensure that we had an abundant supply of found art pieces.

If I could give advice to the next group of students to do the Found Art Project, I would advise them to A) pick at topic that interests them and is not too ambiguous or unknown and B) make sure the final product is visually appealing and can relate to the chosen topic.

We are trying to be a tolerant America. [Blog #4]

1- The theme of our "we are..." project was the gay rights movement of the given time period. We focused mostly on Harvey Milk and his story, along with Dan White, Anita Bryant, Mayor George Moscone, and Senator John Briggs. We also focused on three major events; the Briggs initiative, the killings of Moscone and Milk, and Milk's election.
2- The items we chose mostly represented the feelings of the pro-gay community. They included slogans such as "Keep Hope Alive". These items give off an impression of what the urgency of the matter was in the time.
3- To obtain the items, we went up to San Francisco in the Haight and Ashbury and going to Castro Street areas. The support in those areas was overwhelming and helped us succeed the project in a much better fashion.
4- If I could do anything differently, I would have wanted to spend more time in San Francisco getting the objects. If we had spent more time there, we could have maybe been able to find a bigger spectrum of objects.
5- As advice to other classes doing this project, I would tell them to really enjoy what they are doing and to delve into the subject as much as possible and immerse themselves into it. If they focus well on the project with a clear theme and calendar, it would be very fast project to complete.

Emily B.

Found Art Project: AIDS

For the found art project my group decided to do AIDS and AIDS awareness as our theme.  We wanted to show the fight against discrimination and awareness for the disease.  To demonstrate this theme we used different medical paraphernalia like condoms and pill boxes to show ways of prevention and to illustrate the treatment given to AIDS patients.  We also obtained a couple of movies which had a central theme of AIDS to show public education and information shown to the public to increase awareness.  To obtain these items we asked our parents for any suggestions or ideas on items.  Also, we looked around our house searching for different movies and items that would demonstrate the struggle of AIDS patients.  I would probably plan out the box layout better so I wouldn't be so stressed out the day of assembling the box.  Some advice I would give for next years history class is to make sure you have an abundance of items before committing to a theme.  If you don't have enough items it will cause a lot more unnecessary stress.

-Katie

Watergate Scandal

My project is Watergate: Burglary, Scandal, and LIES!!! Our project is about the Watergate scandal and the people who are involved.
We had a lot of pictures and quotes of the event, a wrench (which is a plumbing tool), a phone, and a cassette tape. The plumbing tool represents the plumbers, which is the name of the burglars. The phone represents Deep Throat, which is an informer who released information to the press. Finally, the cassette tape represents all the incriminating records of the event.
The objects are common household items, except for the fact that they are old. They were found with other stuff that we don’t use anymore.
If I were to do this again, I would’ve done another topic. Watergate doesn’t cover a long period of time. I would rather do something that’s like the evolution of some technology over time.
My advice for people who will do this next year is that they should start early. Also, they should decide on a topic that’s interesting to them.

Bonan

Found Art Project - Watergate

Our group's project focused on the Watergate scandal and those involved. Some of the more famous people included President Nixon, Woodward and Bernstein, John Dean, the "plumbers", and Deep Throat.

Our items included a telephone, wrench, cassette tape, pictures, and quotes. The telephone is used to represent the conversations between Deep Throat (the informant) and Woodward (Washington Post). The phone can also be used for the phone calls done by the president with his staff. The wrench signifies the "plumbers" who broke into the Watergate complex to plant listening devices for spying on the Democratic party. The cassette tape represents the recorded conversations Nixon had in the Oval Office that revealed his part in the scandal, and his vigorous effort to keep them away from the public. Pieces of tape are cut off and strewn over the box we used to show the parts of the tape that were edited out, most likely by President Nixon. The pictures and quotes show people who had a major impact on the scandal or who made lasting remarks about Nixon's actions.

The telephone we used came from my own house (one we weren't using anymore). The wrench also came from my house, while the tape came from Bonan. The pieces of tape placed over the box came from a tape I brought. Both Bonan and I brought pictures, quotes, and articles related to Watergate.

If I were to do this project again, I would have tried to get more color or actual items to put on the box.

Advice I would give to next year's class is to not slack off and choose a topic interesting to that group.

-Andrew Hwang

Blog #4: Found Art project

The project assigned was to make a "podium" with objects and writing explaining your theme. Our theme was Gay Rights in the 1970's. We included information and pictures of Harvey Milk, Moscone, and the people that were against it like Anita Bryan and Dan White. We picked items like stickers, rainbows, peace signs, and hearts. Basically the 70's was freedom and hippies, so it seemed appropriate to put happy thoughts on to it. The stickers say things like "Keep your laws off my body" and "Keep hope alive". We also included a patch with the Gay flag on it. There are also lots of quotes that explain the situation in the 70's.

We figured the best place to get the items we wanted was to go to Haight Street and Castro Street in San Francisco. Castro street was a historical place for gay supporters. Now a days they sell great items for what we needed. 

I think we did a good job, but if I hate to do something different I would have spent more time in Castro! Also to have painted the box because there are some areas that show the cardboard. But asside from that, everything is just the way we wanted it to be.

The advice that I would give is follow all the milestones for the total credit. Do things early so you're not left with lots of things to do in little time. Also, make sure that the whole group works together and its not every man for himself or only one person working. 

Found Art Project

I did my found art project on the evolution of women's rights. I wanted to show how women have gained more rights in the United States from the 1970's to the 1990's.

My group decided to use real artifacts to make the viewer feel like they were in that time period and facing the same struggles of women in the 1970's-1990's. We used a lot of quotations to show how women felt and pictures of women who were influential to the women's rights movement. One item we used was a point shoe to show that women were given the right to play sports because of Title IX. We also used covers of CD's and movies to show that women gained their rights to be a part of the entertainment industry.

We got our items by equally assigning the items we wanted to use to every member of our group. We used household items and quotations and pictures from the internet.

If I were to do this project again, I would have brought more three-dimensional items to make our project more interesting. Other than that, I would not have done anything else differently.

To next year's class, I would reccomend that they start in advance and make sure that everyone is on the same page about the project. I would also reccommend that the group meetings held outside of class included everyone in the group so that the work can get done faster. I really enjoyed this project, and I think it is a good substitute for a final exam.

We are... Aware of Aids

For our Found Art project, my group chose the topic of Aids. We chose this topic because it is an extremely important issue- worldwide, and we wanted to learn a little bit more about it. In America alone, Aids has taken the lives of tens of thousands of people. Our items varied from medical equipment to movies, to informational posters. The medical equipment was used to represent how Aids has become a huge health issue here in America. We used a pill box, a stethoscope, and gloves. One of our informational posters was a poster from the era that targets women telling them not to sleep with a man who shoots up. The poster provides information about how he can give you and your baby aids. We also put red ribbons on our box because the red ribbon, similar to the pink ribbon for breast cancer, is a symbol for the fight against aids. To obtain our items, we looked around the house and used the internet for information and pictures. We also asked our parents for items and information. I think our group did the best we could so I would not do anything differently. We did all our work on time and we found some really great items. Also, I am very happy with how our project turned out. The advice i would give to next years students would be to pick a topic that interests you, and that you know you can find a lot of items and information for. If you pick a topic that bores you, the project wont be very much fun.

By Jennah

Blog #4: Final Project

1]The theme my group and I did for our "We are..." final project was the Gay Rights movement, mostly in the 1970's. We mostly focused on San Francisco, which is still known today for it's overwhelming history of gay pride and support.

2]For our found items that we used on our projects, we had pictures of riots, significant people, rainbow flags and peace signs, support bracelets, and other items that signified the unity of the gay America. We picked three bumper stickers the read, "Keep hope alive", "Keep Your Laws off my Body", and "Equality." These were all part of the small culture that San Franciscans in these areas live with and understand.

3]We obtained these items by going up to Haight and Ashbury, and Castro street in San Francisco. We also found items in each of our three houses that we could use to display the meaning of our project. The three of us took a Saturday to go up to the city and find our "found art." We went into all the small stores and found items that represented gay rights.

4] If i had to do something differently, i probably would have spent more time on Castro street. We didn't have time to stay for a long time, so if i had stayed i possibly could have found some more found art items. Overall though, i think the project went really well, and there isn't anything else i would change.

5] My advice to next years class is to definetly think of ideas and artistic ways to represent your theme, before the day it's time to put it together. The outline is important, and actually put effort into it. Also, follow theschedule, you don't want to miss little points just by forgetting a really small milestone.


Zoe Rose

Technology

We chose technology during 1970-1990. We made this decision because technology is major part of the lives of all Americans. Americans use various forms of it, and each decade it improves exponentially. As we approach the present time, technology is increasingly important to society.
For items, we chose different sorts of technology. We had toy cars to represent the vehicular advances in that time. We have pictures of the first computers and other influential devices to show the beginning of the computer age. We have some gameboy games, because although originally made in japan, video games heavy influenced the American market. We added an Indiana Jones Movie Box to show effects used in movies. To decorate the box, we covering some of the boxes with aluminum foil to make it look like metal and put many floppy disks on the top to show one of the leading forms of media storage. We added many light bulbs to our project to represent the ideas that created all technology.
We acquired many of our objects in our history class magnanimously from Ms. Sanderson. The rest we got from our old homes from old technology we had laying around the house. I brought the gameboy games and several other objects. I feel we achieved the perfect amount of items.
If I could, I would plan ahead and get objects earlier. While we got what we needed on time, it was stressful in the last leg of the project. On the assembling day we only had one box and we had to scavenge for the last two. Planning ahead would give us more time to perfect our project.
For next year's class, I suggest they enjoy it and have fun with it. Chose a theme that interests you and do your best. Never give up and don't do a difficult theme.

Found Art Project: Technology

1) Our theme was the advancement of technology from 1970-1990. This included advancements in automobiles, computers, the internet, and multimedia. We looked at various inventions created through this era and studied how they affected American society and science.  We tried to show how such inventions status's changed over time and how they affected the American life.

2) We chose our items to complement the different sources of technology: automobiles, computers, multimedia, and the internet. We chose VHS tapes, floppy disks, certain quotes, and toy cars to convey the image of such advancements. The VHS tapes showed advancements in multimedia as the American people quickly made it a popular and crucial part of their lives. The floppy disks showed advancements in computers as they allowed for a convenient way to transfer data between computers. The toy cars represented advancements of the automobiles, which were became seen in every house because of the freedom and enjoyment that it gave to the American people.

3) We obtained some of these items through our benevolent teacher, Ms. Sanderson. She provided these items by passing around a box throughout class. We also found art from our homes, parents, and other sources. 

4) If I could do this project again, I would give more focus on how our items affected the American Society. I would also add more variety in my box items. I would also do the outlines and other turned in paperwork with excellent quality the first time so I would not need to resubmit work.

5) To next year's class, I would advise them to gather found art early and map out exactly what the project would look like. I would also advise to bring more construction supplies for the box so that you would be able to finish on time.

-Zack 

Technology

Theme: Technology
Group: Jonathan Anker, Erik Contreras, Zack Wu, and Michael B. Chun

Our theme is the development and influence of technological advancements in America during the 1970’s and 1980’s. We explored the various inventions created throughout this time period and how they affected American society and science. We tried to convey the growing and ever-changing status of American technology and how it affected American lives.

The items we collected came from various sources of technology; multimedia, computers, Internet, and automobiles. For example, we have on our box VHS tapes, floppy disks, and even toy cars to represent all aspects of our theme. The VHS tape comes from the media aspect; they became a major part of the American lifestyle, and were the most quickly adopted piece of technology in history. The floppy disks revolutionized computers, as they provided new, convenient ways to transfer data through removable data storage devices. The toy cars are used to represent the automobiles of the 1970’s; during this time period, many new models were released and pushed forward the development of mainstream vehicles.

Our main source of our archaic items was our charitable teacher, Ms. Sanderson. She periodically passed around a box throughout the class with various items from the 1970’s and 1980’s, and we picked out the relevant items for our theme. We also found supplies from home; our parents and grandparents still had some devices from that time period, and we were able to “borrow” them for this project. Most of our items were easy to find, but we struggled mainly with thinking of items to represent automobiles. In the end though, we collected enough.

If I could do one thing differently on this project, I would prepare our resources and documents earlier for proofreading. I would especially double-check our outline and refocus more on American influence on the first time around, and not have to redo it.

To next year’s class, I would suggest bringing your own supplies to the assembly day and to not procrastinate in general. I found that many people were fighting over tape and scissors on assembly day, and having your own supplies would relieve a lot of the stress. Also I noticed that some groups only found their found art the day or two before. There is ample time to find items, so use it! You only need a minimum of 10 items and there are two whole weeks, so finding items gradually is a lot easier and a lot less stressful.
~M.B.C.

We are... Connected Through Music

The theme for my Found Art project was music of the the 1970's-1990's. We choose this as our theme to show how music was influenced during that time period by what was going on throughout the country. We chose items that we felt represented our theme and showed how meaningful music can be, like quotes from popular artists and lyrics from some of the most influential songs. We also included old record covers, CD albums, and newspaper articles to represent how well known these artists were and the pictures associated with their influences. Obtaining our articles was probably the hardest part of this project, but we managed to get them through the internet and searching through our houses and our parents old music collections. If I were to re-do this project I probably would try to find more items that represent our bands besides just albums and quotes, but things like posters and T-shirts that were popular during that time period. For next years class doing this project my advice would be to start looking for items early on so you'll be more likely to have some great/rare finds.

-Mina

Technology

When completing this project depicting the advancements of technology in the United States from 1970-1990 we compiled a large amount of items to visually show these advancements on our final project. In this project, we used a ubiquitous amount of model cars to show the advancements of technology in the automotive industry. We also, used old computer parts including wiring, floppies and light bulbs to symbolizes the rise of computers and the silicon valley. Other objects, such as VHS tapes and cell phones complete the technology spectrum of 1970-1990.

Our primary means on aquiring this found art was finding these objects in the confines of our homes. The other way we got our found-art was from the generous donations we received in class such as the VHS tape and floppy discs.

If I would have done this project again, I would come more prepared with our found art items and quotes. Although we did finish the project on time, it was quite stressful when assembling it. Other than that, our group preformed very well when completing this project.

Advice I would give next years class is to plan ahead on their project and know where to look when finding found-art. It saves a lot of time when you know where to look. When working on this project, one should think of it as a scavenger hunt when finding found art and enjoy this project.

-ERIK CONTRERAS

Final Project-Rock Music (mark voll)

Our theme for the found art project was rock music. We wanted to show how it was influenced by the happenings of the era. To show this we chose artists that's lyrics related to the time period. We also found articles and quotes that showed the artists opinions on current events. We scavenged items from our house such as records and cd's, and used the internet to get articles, lyrics, and quotes. 

The one thing we should have done differently was to match the articles, lyrics, and quotes of the artists with the actual records that we had. That way we wouldn't have a bunch of random stuff but stuff that went together. My advice for next years class would be to make sure that your group is organized well in advance of the deadline. Communication was probably our biggest problem.

Found Art Project

For the found art project, my group chose to use AIDS as a central theme. We wanted to show how the epidemic impacted culture during that time and what it was about.We felt this was an important topic because it is still something present in our lives today world wide. Our group explored the different aspects of pop culture that was affected such as movies, shows, plays, celebrities, etc and also looked in to medical aspects of AIDS. The items we used were chosen based on what we had at home and what we could easily find. Most of the items related to either the medical side of the epidemic, or the culture side of it and how it was grasping peoples attention and making them more aware. For example, we chose to use a pill box as one of our objects, because people with AIDS have a very complicated schedule for the medications they have to take so we believed this was the best way to represent that. A lot of our other objects were movie covers that had AIDS as a central theme, however since we did not have the actual movies we used pictures to cover actual VHS boxes. We obtained these items from home, friends and the internet. We had to parents and family members for certain objects, or make them somehow.
If I were to do this project again, I would start gathering items much earlier, and I would take more time to think about what items I already own at home that would fit a certain theme before actually choosing it because getting the items together was most difficult for our group. For incoming students that will do this project, my advice would be to make sure you are ready for each deadline and you have everything planned out. Delegate jobs or certain objects for each person to stay organized and start looking for the objects right away. Also, make sure you work well with the people you are with and that everyone will pull their weight, and have fun with it! Good luck!

We Are Aware of AIDS

We chose the evolution of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and the way it affected American life for our project. This was because it is a topic that the textbook does not cover in depth, and one that we felt is important. It is not some movement that happened in the Seventies or Eighties and has since died out, but rather it has become a global problem that we still face today. We chose the items we did because we could get our hands on them, and because they all relate to AIDS somehow. Most concern the treatment and spread of the disease, and as such it is medical tools and such. We found our items by scrounging around the house and asking our parents what kind of things we had that could possibly relate to AIDS, which actually worked pretty well. However, all of our movies were printed from the Internet, because it seems that nobody keeps their old VHS tapes anymore. As to what we would do differently, it would definitely be to start looking for the items earlier. The deadline creeps up on you. For next year's class, I would advise that they be prepared for the deadlines.

Rock Music of the 70's and 80's

Rock Music of the 70's and 80's

Our theme for the "We Are..." project is rock music of the time period and how singers and songwriters were greatly influenced by certain events during and leading up to those years. The chaotic evens of the 60's, including war and social change, continued in the 70's and were a major influence for rock music. Trends that were present during this time include a growing disillusionment of government, advances in civil rights, increased influence of the women's movement, and heightened concern for the environment. These trends gained a wider acceptance in the 70's and were mainstreamed in culture and life in America. Events such as the Vietnam war and African American rights and rebellion against the government greatly inspired songwriters to reach out to the public through lyrics. In the 70's and the 80's, we see more and more songs with anti-war lyrics and lyrics about civil rights and dreams for widespread acceptance throughout the country.

In terms of choosing our items for the project, we first did some research about rock groups and artists in the 70's and 80's. We created a list of various bands whose music reflected emotions about events during and just before the time period. After choosing the bands we wanted to focus on, we looked for records and albums of the bands. We chose a record for Aerosmith that includes the song "Dream On," and we also printed the lyrics for that song because it shows a significant mind-set that many people had during the time: readiness for change and a closer community. We also chose the record by The Eagles with the song "Hotel California," because the song demonstrates the kind of newfound security that Americans felt in the state of California, and the idea that social change was occuring and allowing people to feel safe in their country. We also chose some other lyrics including those for the song "Born in the USA," by Bruce Springsteen, and "Masters of War," by Bob Dylan. These two songs were influenced by the Vietnam war and the anti-war attitudes of many citizens. "Born in the USA" also touches on the undesirable ways that Americans treated war veterans returning from the Vietnam war. Another set of lyrics we used was "Cult of Personality," by Living Colour, because it criticizes the propoganda of the government and our leaders and other famous leaders in the past. For our other items we chose some more records and albums including that of Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. We chose some articles about the bands as well because they described the bands' feelings and accomplishes during their active years. Lastly, we included the picture of the movie Almost Famous because it is about an American band from the 70's and it tells the story of struggles and emotions of growing artists. We also had a couple of quotes from some of the bands we talked about as well as an article about Michael Jackson and his hit, "Thriller," because he, too, was a major part of changing the boundaries of music and rock during the 70's and 80's.

All of our art was found in our houses or on the computer besides the article about Michael Jackson that Mrs. Sanderson gave to us.

Differently, I would gather more gadgets and fun items to decorate the box, such as mini guitars or colorful cds or something to make it more interesting. We only used objects that were closely related to our theme, and didn't include any fun decorations.

My advice for next year's class is to find a topic that is interesting to you because it's a really fun project and it is cool to see how so many things around the house are actual "art" items from thirty to forty years ago.

Watergate Scandal

Watergate happened for several reasons. The primary reason was probably the personality of Nixon and of the men he chose to surround himself with. They were all fiercely loyal, and likeminded in the respect that they all had a desire for secrecy and for consolidation of power. They also developed the sense that they were above the law, which started their cover-up actions, beginning the entire Watergate scandal. A group of people, headed by members connected to Nixon, attempted a burglary at the Democratic National Committee's (DNC) headquarters located in the Watergate complex. When some investigation leads to high-up members of Nixon's staff and possibly himself, he begins firing people. After finding out that Nixon taped all his Oval Office conversations, the group prosecuting Nixon attempted to get them. Nixon kept firing people that tried to get them, only to replace them with equally determined people. He finally released edited versions of the tape, but the House determined enough evidence was already held against him to impeach him on charges of obstruction of justice, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress. Nixon resigned before they could impeach him.
We used a lot of items to represent the happenings of the Watergate Scandal. On one side of the box, the break-in side, we had items such as hammers, flashlights, wires, wrench-type things, locks, and other break-in related objects. On the next side, we had items relating to the attempted cover-up by Nixon and his administration. Bundles of money represented how Nixon tried to keep the burglars silent in the court. Also, photographs and articles by Woodward and Bernstein, two newspaper journalists who were intent on digging to the bottom of this story. The next side had tapes, which obviously represent the tapes that Nixon used to record his white house conversations. Finally, we had a printed copy of Nixon's resignation letter as the final event in the scandal.
We obtained many of the pictures and newspaper articles from the internet. The rest of the physical found art was scavenged in our houses from old toys and toolboxes.
If we could repeat this again, I would try to assemble the box BEFORE the day before it is going to be presented to the class. I felt that we were partially prepared to put the items together on the box, and I know that for me at least once I saw the almost completed project I kept thinking of new things that I wanted to add.
Therefore, my advice to the incoming class is to build their project before the last day, so that more can be added before the due date resulting in a better looking, better-prepared project overall.

We Are...The Evolution of Women

My group chose to create a box illustrating the evolution of women and their rights through the ages. Women have played a huge role in our world, but they are rarely recognized as heroic figures. So, we felt it was appropriate to stress the importance of the roles women have played.

We involved many factors that were extremely important to this theme. We used items pertaining to the feminist movement as well as specific rights such as abortion laws and Title IX. Some examples include a coat hanger to resemble abortion rights, because women used to be forced to self-abort their babies with coat hangers; we also used a rocket ship, which represented the first women in space, Sally Ride. Other items we used were sports equipment such as a soccer ball and basketball to show the importance of women involvement in sports.

To decide which items would be most fitting for our project, we brainstormed for a few days. We established items that first were around the house, because these were most easily accessible. Then, we were able to ask neighbors or friends for various items as well. All the tangible items we used are found in common places and did not cost our group any money.

There really is nothing I would do differently. My group did a fantastic job putting the items together, and tying in each element. Also, our brainstorming and teamwork was impecable.

The most important piece of advice I would give to classes that would do this project next year is to always be on time with layouts and item gathering. Falling behind during this project would be extrememely stressful and it is important to have all or most items the day that Ms. Sanderson allows an entire period for work. If your efficient enough, there is little work at home besides gathering the items. Also, good luck!

-Shelly

Evolution of the Fast Food Industry

Group members: Brandon Cheung, Victor Zhu, Tiffany Chen, Jay Dubashi

For our final project, we researched the evolution of the fast food industry and how it was popularized through American and eventually offshored to other countries throughout the 1970s and 80s, up to 1990. We investigated three different fast food chains and how each of them rose to prosperity and evolves over time to appeal to various customers, from little children to adults.

We chose three main sets of items:

-a hamburger filled with a timeline, old ads, and photographs of old restaurants

-maps that show the store locations worldwide comparing the 1970 locations to the 1990 locations

-various slogans used throughout the 1970s and 80s to attract a wide group of customers

These items not only give good depth and spread over the information that they present, but they also compliment each other and walk hand in hand with the theme. The hamburgers give technical facts and show past restaurants and ads, displaying which groups the restaurants appealed to (mostly adults) and allowing for comparison to today’s main focus of ads (children). It also directly states the evolution of the fast food industries, including where and when they went, and what was added to the menus. The slogans, on the flip side, also supplement by showing the changing perspective of advertisements these restaurants underwent, showing how they slowly moved from the primary consumer of an adult to that of younger individuals. Their slogans expressed both tasty food and speed, but where some went for convenience to appeal for adults (We do it for you, McDonald’s), others went for the “fun” approach for kids (a barrel of chicken, a barrel of fun, KFC)

The source of these found art items was mostly through the internet. Some items, such as the maps and ads, were pulled from the websites. Others, like the timelines and slogans were pulled from local restaurants which sported their chain’s past and present, giving us an idea of the evolution of both food and advertisement.

If I were to redo this project, I would probably start earlier and work for a bigger box, one that more closely resembles a happy meal. I would also try for physical found art items, such as KFC buckets or Wendy’s and McDonald’s wrappers that could be used as additional decorations.

Next year’s students should research something they’re interested in! One of the biggest advantages in doing this topic was that we were curious about the origins of fast food and to see how they really became the dominant American food in less than 40 years. Curiosity spurred motivation, allowing us to get the project done effectively and put our best foot forward.

Final Project: "We are McLovin' the Evolving Fast Food Industry"

Topic: Growth of the Fast Food Industry (1970-1990)
Group members: Victor Zhu, Tiffany Chen, Brandon Cheung, Jay Dubashi

The theme for our final project is the evolution of the fast food industry over the span of two decades, 1970-1990. These years were critical in the development of this industry due to revolutionary technology, novel social ideals, and the increased influence of the media. To track the evolution, we researched the top three fast food restaurants: McDonalds, Wendy's, and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). My group investigated the gradual changes in advertising techniques, popularity, and food products. We chose to research the fast food industry since now, more than ever, Americans are influenced by this business.

Our project was made using cardboard boxes, which we cut into an assortment of trapezoids and squares. Then, we taped them together using duct tape, known for its durability and support, into a McDonald's box-like figure. After painting it, the box looked similar to the figure shown below.


Additionally, we collected old toys and maps of fast food locations as decoration. Furthermore, we created "hamburgers", made out of cardboard, and plastered information onto them (timelines, pictures, slogans, etc.).

To obtain all the items, we used various sources. We looked through old collections of toys from these fastfood chains to find appropriate action figures. The website was also invaluable. From there, we printed many pictures representing the fast food industries. The supplies (cardboard, duct tape) were bought from Michael's.

I would not do anything differently. I feel that my group did a fantastic job and did the best that we could!

Some advice that I would give to next year's class is to do something you are passionate about. Do not pick a topic just because it is easy. Pick it because you want to truly learn more about it and share your new knowledge with your peers. This makes the entire project so much more enjoyable, and enthusiasm goes a long way!

Final Project: The Fast Food Industry

Topic: Growth of the Fast Food Industry (1970-1990)
Group members: Tiffany Chen, Brandon Cheung, Jay Dubashi, and Victor Zhu.

Our theme was the development and growth of the fast food industry. We gathered information on three fast food chains: Wendy's, McDonald's, and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). We researched their development from the 1970's to the 1990's (such as mascots and food products), advertising methods, and their growth in terms of number of locations throughout the years. We chose this topic because fast food has become a very large part of American culture (and is expanding to countries around the world).

We decided to make our box in the shape of a retro burger box by manually cutting apart obnoxiously large cardboard boxes, duct taping the pieces together, and then covering it up with white paper. Although it was difficult, the process was fun and definitely required a large amount of teamwork. The box, you could say, was homage to the old style of burger packaging. Old slogans from 1970-1990 decorate the box, as well as pictures/representations of the three fast food chains we researched. Inside the box, maps of the world are on all sides, top and bottom. The maps depict the locations of the fast food chains in the 1970 and the 1990--needless to say, the number of locations of each fast food chain has dramatically increased throughout the years. Also in the box are three burgers (all hand-made from cardboard, construction paper, shopping bags, and duct-tape): one for each fast food chain. The burgers have three layers aside from the buns: cheese, lettuce, and meat. The cheese shows examples of the advertisement advertisements each fast food company used, the lettuce contains pictures of each fast food company along with their mascots, and the meat has a timeline giving important dates and facts that related to each fast food chain.

Our slogans, visual aids, and information were found on various websites--the materials we used were all recyclable material: cardboard, duct-tape, scotch tape, construction paper, and white paper. We gathered the cardboard from multiple stores' recycling bins.

Unfortunately, although there were many sources and documentaries on the topic of the fast food industry available for use, they were all from after 1990, rendering them ineligible to be used for our project. We made due with what we could with limited access to certain items, such as toys, and we are proud of what we have accomplished.

If we could do this project again, we would probably choose a topic that gave way to more 'usable' found art. We would also do more research on each fast food chain, and possible add a fourth. Also, more visuals would be added.

For next year's class, I highly recommend choosing a topic that they are passionate about. I also recommend keeping in constant contact with their group members and planning out every step so that everyone contributes. Also, they should not procrastinate on the production on the box--they get it done as soon as possible so that if there's any last minute changes that need to be made, they can be made with less time pressure. Another good idea is to always have a backup plan: often, things don't go quite as planned. If they're prepared, it'll turn out okay in the end. Another suggestion is to be as creative as possible; just because it's a school assignment, it doesn't mean they can't have fun doing it! They should take bold risks and really make the project their own instead of some copy of someone else's!

- Tiffany Chen

Final Project

Shelly K., Tierney L., and I chose the theme of the women's rights movement because we realized that the women today would not be where they are without the feminist movement that occurred during the 1970s and 1980s. It was important to us to learn about and realize what the women had to go through and how they gained the rights that we have today. We used many different items on our box including movie covers, pictures, quotes, and items to go with each topic that we talked about. Some of the topics that we included in our project were Title IX (which gave women the right to play professional sports), Roe vs. Wade (gave women the right to have abortions as well as use different types of birth control), the women's rights magazine called Ms. and the woman who founded it (Gloria Steinmen). We also talked about famous women such as Bella Abzung who was the first woman in the House of Representatives, Sara Evans, Betty Lahan Harragan, Marilyn Chambers, and Sally Ride. These women were important because they took steps to show other women that they could participate in the community and work towards equal rights. Some of the items we used were a copy of Ms., a rocket ship to signify Sally Ride going in space, pictures of women playing sports, a clothes hanger to show how women had to abort their pregnancies before Roe vs. Wade, pictures from the women's rights protest as well as statistics on women's discrimination. We obtained these items using the internet as well as items that we found in our houses to signify the struggle that women had to go through and how it has improved and affected our society today. I think that if we did the project again we would research and learn more about other women that helped with the movement and use more physical objects to signify their contributions. We should also have used more short statements to describe our items so that people understand what they signify. I would suggest that for the students next year, that they spend a little time outside of class preparing their boxes and items before the assemble day so that there is not as much to do on that one day in class. It is hard to get it all done so try and organize yourself prior to the class period and paint your boxes so that during class you only have to put on the final touches. 

Moving on, but not forgotten!

Last week was a very stressful one for most of us. We must find closure and move on. We will not forget our fallen comrade/friend/student/son/brother. He is in a better place.

Peace & love,

D. Sanderson

In our hearts ...

We will miss you, JP! You were a light that was extinguished too soon.

The Berlin Crisis and the Bay of Pigs

The Berlin crisis was the zenith of a growing conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union over the status of Berlin. After WW2, Berlin was partitioned much as the rest of the country. The Soviets controlled the Eastern side, while the Allied Powers controlled the Western Side of the city. The difference was, Berlin was deep inside Soviet territory, and depended on supplies from Allied groups. Soon after the war, the main border between East and West Germany was closed to common traffic, cutting off an escape route for many East German’s. However, the border between East and West Berlin remained open, which gave many communist citizens a way to get to West Germany, and safety. East German’s flooded through Berlin, on their way to the west. 3.5 million people, 20% of the total population of East Germany left communism. So many of the exits were by skilled professionals, doctors, engineers, lawyers, that East Germany was experiencing a brain drain. All the educated were fleeing the country, and few people were replacing them. It was an extremely embarrassing situation for the East German government. The Soviet Premier issued an ultimatum to Kennedy, demanding the Allies withdraw all their forces from Berlin, and turn it over to the Soviets. The US and USSR negotiated, but neither was willing to move. Their relations were strained further by the U2 Spy Incidents. Both countries were building up their military forces, and looked to be set for war. The Soviet government broke several treaties by sending military into East Berlin, and constructing the Berlin wall. Kennedy refused demands to tear down the wall by force. He knew the wall was a way for the crisis to be resolved, without fighting. The wall satisfied communists, who no longer faced a brain drain, and was a huge propaganda coup for the Allies, who could claim the wall embodied communism, and government oppression. The Berlin crisis was defused, and prevented massive conventional, and even nuclear war in Europe.

The Bay of Pigs debacle was one of Kennedy’s biggest blunders. Before Kennedy became President, the communist uprising of Fidel Castro had toppled the pro-US government there. Eisenhower was furious at the failure of containment. He set about planning the eventual overthrow of Castro, using Cuban Exiles as an army. He gave the operation the go-ahead right before he left office. The CIA helped to train 2,000 Cuban exiles into a fighting force in camps around South America. The US clandestinely gave the exiles weapons, planes, and tanks to use in their fight. The Cubans had already learned of the invasion before hand, from KGB spies in the United States. The Invasion was an abject failure. The exiles were slaughtered on the beach, and their aircraft were shot down. 200 of them were killed, and 1800 more captured. The failure was an extreme embarrassment to Kennedy and the US government. The CIA made several key intelligence failures that contributed to the plan not succeeding. Kennedy looked stupid, and weak, and admitted responsibility on national TV, one of the few presidents who ever admitted a mistake of such magnitude. The invasion helped strengthen Castro’s government, and was a propaganda coup for Cuba and the Soviets. Both groups made plans to incite more communist uprisings across the world.

Chaos in Cuba and Bad Blood in Berlin

A failed attempt at victory for the Untied States was a secret operation to invade the Bay of Pigs in Cuba. Its purpose was to cause disorder in Cuba and would end Castro’s reign. Eisenhower produced this in March 1960, when he allowed the CIA to prepare people who were exiled from Cuba to invade their former homeland. Kennedy approved the plan when he became president. On April 17, 1961, the 1,300 to 1,500 former Cubans with the aid of American troops reached the Bay of Pigs and the operation went downhill. Failed airstrikes, poor communication, lost soldiers, and a strong resistance were many of the troubles faced by the Americans and Cuban exiles. Kennedy had to take blame for the failure and had to pay $53 million in supplies to Cuba for the return of prisoners. After the catastrophe, the United States looked foolish and weak.

A major tension point of the Cold War was Berlin. East Berlin was controlled by the Soviets while the allies controlled West Berlin. By the year 1961, close to 3 million East Germans crossed the line and went to West Berlin. This angered Khrushchev. That many people leaving his lands showed the weakness of communism, or that at least something was wrong with the government. Since America had better nuclear power, Khrushchev could not close or land routes between West Berlin and West Germany. So on August 13, 1961, he ordered East German soldiers to build a wall of concrete and barbed wire. This Wall prevented East Germans leaving to West Berlin. While many Berliners were devastated, Kennedy did nothing in response. He also realized this showed the flaws of communism. The Wall symbolized the evils of communism and helped the United States provide a reason for their hatred.

Jonathan

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Before the 1960's, the rights of people were not favored by the Supreme Court's discretion. Many times, the Supreme Court would side with the police or government institutions. The 1960's became a time of freedom for the people. 

In 1963, Ernesto Miranda was taken into questioning by the police. He was one suspect of a kidnapping and rape case. After two long hours of questioning, Miranda wrote and signed a confession, which would later largely lead to his conviction in court. Miranda later appealed and claimed that his confession should be inadmissible in court. His arguments included the fact that he was coerced into his answers and the police never informed him of his right to an attorney and avoidance of self-incrimination. This case would later be named Miranda v. Arizona (1966). 

Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the majority ruling of Miranda v. Arizona. He stated that, "no statement obtained from the defendant can truly be the product of his free choice." Miranda's confession would not be used as evidence in a court of law, because it was illegally obtained. Therefore, Justice Warren decided that the police must inform suspects of their rights at the time of the arrest. If the suspect decides to invoke his/her rights, the interrogation must cease. This mandatory relaying of rights is now called the Miranda Rights.

Though the Miranda decision was controversial, it has helped many suspected criminals who are still entitled to their rights. This ruling equalizes the powers of the people and the government. 

By: Shelly 

 

Crisis Over Berlin and the Bay of Pigs

Two major Cold War events that marked Kennedy's presidency were the building of the Berlin Wall, and the Bay of Pigs disaster.


Just two weeks before Kennedy took office as president, Eisenhower had cut off all American relations with Cuba because Cuba's dictator, Fidel Castro, openly called himself a communist and was accepting aid from the Soviet Union. When Castro was in power, he seized several American and British oil refineries and began dividing up privately owned land to be worked on by communes. Much of this land was owned by American-based sugar companies. For these reasons, the U.S. was very wary of Cuba at the time.
Though some Cubans thought that Castro was a good leader, others saw his government as replacing one dictatorship with another. As a result, 10% of Cuba's population went into exile in the U.S. when Castro came into power. Because of this migration, a Cuban counterrevolutionary movement began to take shape in Miami. In March 1960, Kennedy secretly gave permission for the CIA to begin training Cuban exiles as soldiers.
The U.S. government's plan was to land the trained Cuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs in Southern Cuba and have them fight Castro's army and, in theory, spread the resistance to enough Cubans that Castro's regime would soon topple. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.
On April 17, 1961, some 1300-1500 Cuban exiles landed in the Bay of Pigs. A CIA airstrike that was reported to have been successful had missed its mark, and a small advance group sent to distract Castro's forces never landed. Instead, the Cuban exiles were met by 25,000 of Castro's troops, armed with Soviet tanks and jets. Some Cuban exiles were captured; others were killed.
In the end, Kennedy had to bargain with Castro and send him $53 million in food and supplies to get the captured exiles back. The Bay of Pigs would be remembered from then on as a "perfectly excecuted failure".


Shortly after the conclusion of World War II, the Soviet Union had taken control of Eastern Germany and forced it to be a satellite state, while the Western powers took control of Western Germany, making it a capitalist democracy. It turned out that conditions in East Germany were worse than those in West Germany, and as a result, by 1961, 3 million East Germans had fled to West Germany through the divided city of Berlin. Not only did these refugees tell the rest of the world about how bad conditions were in East Germany, but their escape caused massive economic issues in East Germany by thinning the workforce.
This growing trend concerned Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev. At first, he attempted to close off all road access to Western Berlin, but Kennedy refused to let this happen, and, due to the nuclear capability of the U.S., Khrushchev had to find another way around the problem. He instead ordered East German troops on August 13, 1961 to build the Berlin Wall to keep East Germans from fleeing to West Germany.
At first, some in the U.S. government suggested that the U.S. fight to keep the wall from going up, but Kennedy decided to let it stand as proof to the rest of the world that, when given a choice between communism and capitalism, most people will choose capitalism.

By Paul, D period.

The Other America

The Other America
In the 1950's millions of the white middle class moved out of the cities and into the suburbs, while the poor were going the opposite direction into the cities. This ended up in an urban crisis nicknamed the "White Flight." It had a direct impact on the poor, and hurt city economy. The lost business made it so cities could no longer afford things they once could and they had to cut down on police, schools, public transportation, and fire departments. Poverty grew and inner cities decayed, even though most Americans were unaware of it. By 1959 the poverty line for a family of four was $2,973 and in 2000 it was $17,601. Americans finally accepted the fact when writer Michael Harrington forced them to wake up with his book The Other America: Poverty in the US (1962).



Urban Renewal proposed a solution to the housing problems of the inner cities. The National Housing Act 1949 was passed to provie "a decent home and a suitable living enviroment for every American family." This act called for all rundown neighborhoods to be torn down so new low-income housing could be built. However some of the clear land was used for shopping centers, highways, parks and factories resulting in not enough housing to accomodate the misplaced people. Sadly many of the displaced people just ended up moving from ghetto to ghetto. Many cities of urban renawal claimed it had merely become urban removal.

The Great Society Programs

President Lydon Baines Johnson viewed the United States as a Great Society and he created many different programs in order to achieve the goal of having a Great Society. He began working towards his goal when he gave a speech at the University of Michigan and outlined the legislative program that he had planned in order to end poverty as well as racial discrimination.

President Johnson started with education and passed the Elementary and Secondary School Education Act of 1965 that gave over 1 billion dollars to help public schools. This money was devoted to buying textbooks and helping to fund new libraries for students. Johnson continued helping society and he changed Social Security by creating both Medicare and Medicaid programs. Medicaid brought health insurance to welfare recipients while Medicare provided hospitals with low insurance and cost for people over the age of 65. He then went on to help with housing and built over 240,000 new low cost apartments to help get people off the streets. He created the Department of Housing and Urban Development to continue to help get people into homes. Johnson created the Immigration Act of 1965 to end the immigration quotas that had been going on for people outside of Europe. Johnson was not only involved in helping the people of the United States but also the environment. He helped to create the Water Quality Act of 1965 to preserve the cleanliness of rivers throughout the states. Finally he created the Wholesome Meat Act of 1967 to ensure the safety of the food that consumers were buying and eating.

Overall Congress passed 206 of President Johnson's measures in order to help build a "Great Society" in the United States of America. This resulted in the number of poor people in the United States falling from 21% to 11% during Johnson's term

What a Great Society...

Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) succeeded John F. Kennedy to president after Kennedy was shot on November 2, 1963. Johnson had a vision of America that he called the "Great Society," and he implemented many programs to achieve his vision.

Johnson considered education to be "the key which can unlock the door to the Great Society." The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 provided more than $1 billion to help public schools to purchase new textbooks and library materials. The 1965 Higher Education Act funded scholarships and low0interest loans for students. Johnson declared a war against poverty, passing acts like the Tax Reduction Act (1954), the Medicare Act (1965), and the Economic Opportunity Act (1964), which created projects such as VISTA, Job Corps, Project Head Start and others to fight poverty. Medicare provided hospital and medical insurance at low cost, and Medicaid extended health insurance to welfare recipients. In the housing industry, Johnson established the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) with Robert Weaver as Secretary (first African American cabinet member in U.S. history). LBJ also profoundly changed immigration laws by calling on Congress to pass the Immigration Act of 1965, which got rid of unfair immigration quotas from certain countries, especially ones not in Western Europe. The book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson caused a public outcry to help the environment. Johnson responded by passing the Water Quality Act of 1965, which required states to clean up rivers of pesticides like DDT. Others included the Wilderness Preservation Act (1965, set aside 9 million acres for national forests), Clean Air Amendment (1965, emission standards for vehicles), and the Air Quality Act (1967, set guidelines and extended enforcement power). Importantly, the public also convinced congress to pass Truth-in-packaging law that set standards for labels on products. Ralph Nader helped persuade Congress to establish safety standards for automobiles.

Election of 1960 & Camelot Years

The race for candidacy between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon was a close one. Nixon had the advantage of experience because he was the Vice President and had hoped to win by "riding on the coattails" of President Eisenhower's popularity. Kennedy was young, at age 43, but he had the support of African Americans and he was handsome and charismatic. His looks and charisma became of vital importance when the debates were televised. Nixon had hoped to show Kennedy's lack of experience in the debate on television on September 26, 1960, but Kennedy had the upper hand, having been coached by t.v. producers. The television age of politics proved to help Kennedy's campaign greatly. He was a better public speaker than Nixon and he looked better on the television, and the American public loved him for it. Kennedy's African American support came from his sympathy to the civil rights movement. When Martin Luther King Jr. was sentenced to an unfair punishment for a minor traffic violation, the Eisenhower administration did not intervene, and Nixon took no position on the matter. Kennedy took the time to call King's wife and let her know of his sympathy. His brother and campaign manager, Robert Kennedy convinced the judge who had ruled Martin Luther King Jr.'s case to let him out on bail. This act of support of civil rights was enough to swing many of the African American votes towards Kennedy's campaign. Kennedy ended up winning by less than 119,000 votes.
Kennedy's presidency fascinated the American public. His family became iconic, a role model for all American families. The newspapers and popular magazines were full of articles about the Kennedy's, stories of their kids and of Jacqueline Kennedy, the first lady. Jackie was loved by the public for her sense of style and beauty. She wowed people with her knowledge of languages, like french, and taste in music. The Kennedy term was nick-named the camelot years, in comparison to the court of King Arthur. One of John F. Kennedy's secret weapons was his team of advisors. This included McGeorge Bundy as national security advisor, Robert McNamara, the president of Ford motor company, as his secretary of defense, and Dean Rusk as the secretary of State. His brother Robert was the attorney general.

By Jennah

The Other America

For many Americans, the 1950s were a time of unprecedented prosperity. But not everyone experienced this financial well-bring. In the "other" America, about forty million people lived in poverty, untouched by the economic boom. Many of these poor were elderly people, single women and their children, or members of minority groups, including African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans. In the 1950s, millions of middle-class white Americans left the cities for the suburbs, taking with them precious economic resources and isolating themselves from other races and classes. At the same time, the rural poor migrated to the inner cities. Between the end of World War II and 1960, nearly five million African Americans moved from the rural South to urban areas. The urban crisis prompted by the "white flight" had a direct impact on poor whites and nonwhites. The cities lost not only people and businesses but also the property they owned and income taxes they had paid. City governments could no longer afford to properly maintain or improve schools, public transportation, and police and fire departments and the urban poor suffered.
Poverty grew rapidly in the decaying inner cities, many suburban Americans remained unaware of it. Some even refused to believe that poverty could exist in the richest, most powerful nation on earth. Each year, the federal government calculates the minimum amount of income needed to survive the poverty line. In 1959, the poverty line for a family of four was $2,973. In 2000, it was $17,601. Most African Americans, and Latinos in the cities had to live in dirty, crowded slums. One proposed solution to the housing problem in inner cities was urban renewal. The national Housing Act of 1949 was passed to provide "a decent home and a suitable living environmental for every American family." This act called for tearing down rundown neighborhoods and constructing low-income housing. Later, the nation's leader would create a new cabinet position, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), to aid in improving conditions in the inner city.
Although dilapidated areas were razed, parking lots, shopping centers, highways, parks, and factories were constructed on some of the cleared land, and there was seldom enough new housing built to accommodate all the displaced people. For example, a barrio in Los Angeles was torn down to make way for Dodger Stadium, and poor people were displaced from their homes simply moved from one ghetto to another. Some critics of urban renewal claimed that it had merely become urban removal.
Despite ongoing poverty, during the 1950s, African Americans began to make significant strides toward the reduction of racial discrimination and segregation. Inspired by the African-American civil rights movement, other minorities also began to develop a deeper political awarness and a voice. Mexican-American activism gathered steam after veterans returned from World War II, and a major change in government policy under Eisenhower's administration fueled Native American protest.
Many Mexicans had become U.S. citizens during the 19th century, when the United States had annexed the Southwest after the War with Mexico. Large numbers of Mexicans had also crossed the border to work in the United States during and after World War I. When the United States entered World War II, the shortage of agricultural loborers spurred the federal government to initaited, in 1942, a program in which Mexican braceros, or hired hands, were allowed into the United States to harvest crops. Hundreds of thousands of braceros entered the United States on a short-term basis between 1942 and 1947. When their empolyment was ended, the braceros were expected to return to Mexico. However, many remained in the United States illegally. In addition, hundreds of thousands of Mexicans entered the country illegally to escape poor economic conditions in Mexico.

Written by Arline

Election of 1960 and the Camelot Years

In 1960 after President Eisenhower was ending his term, many people were feeling anxious because the economy was not doing well, and people were fearing that the United States military was starting to lag behind the Soviet Union.  Massachusetts senator, John Kennedy was the nominee for the Democrats  and and Vice President Richard Nixon was his republican opponent. The two men had very similar views on the various issues, but what helped Kennedy most was the civil rights issue and televised debates. 

On September 26, 1960 both Nixon and Kennedy took part in the first televised debate for presidential candidates.  Although voters worried that he did not have enough experience, only being 43, on the television he presented charisma to the public eye. Nixon used Kennedy's age and inexperience to his advantage during this time but the voters were swayed towards Kennedy because of his charm, and eloquence when he spoke. The other thing that helped Kennedy was the civil rights issue. When Martin Luther King was arrested and sentenced, Eisenhower and Nixon did nothing, while Kennedy  called King's wife to show his sympathy and later, with the help from his brother, managed to get King out on bail. This event got all of the southern African- American votes to Kennedy and made Kennedy the 35th president of the U.S.

Kennedy was not many votes ahead of Nixon, but when he was inaugurated, the public had fallen in love with him and his family because of their charm and intelligence and had a great effect on the nation. After people found out how fast Kennedy could read, thousands of people were enrolling in reading courses.  Many women took after Jacquelin's fashion style. The public was so amused by their family life, and with some of the best advisers around him, Kennedy was said to be a current day, Camelot. 

Miranda v. Arizona

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights?"

Everyone knows the Miranda Rights, from hearing them on TV, movies, any type of police footage, it's a well known fraze. But where it came from is sometimes forgotten to those not in tune with the Supreme Court System. One of the most impacting Supreme Court cases in history, Miranda v. Arizona, changed not only peoples rights under the Constitution, but the way that Police had to interact with their suspects.

The issue started in 1963, in Phoenix Arizona, when Ernesto Miranda was arrested for kidnapping and rape. The main problem was while the police were interrogating him, he signed a confession that led to his conviction. His conviction was "largely based on his confession", obviously. Ernesto Miranda then appealed to a higher court in Arizona because he claimed that his Fifth Amendment Rights to self incrimination had been violated; that they not only were for the court room, but for the interrogation times as well. Since the police had never once mentioned his right to an attorney or any of his other rights, such as the right to remain silent, his case was allowed.

His lawyer, John J. Flyn, had appealed to the Arizona State Supreme Court, who concluded that the lower courts ruling was still standing. The State Supreme Court Argued that Ernesto Miranda had not asked for a lawyer, and it was not the police's job to do so. John Flyn and Miranda then appealed to the United States Supreme Court, which was heard on February twenty first, 1996. On June thirteenth, 1966, the Supreme Court made their decision. In a 5-4 vote, a majoirty ruled in Miranda's favor. They had overturned his convivction, making him a free man, while also now enforcing a rule that police had to legally inform a suspect of his rights as soon as he was in questioning.

For the majority, Cheif Justice Earl Warren made clear the information that police had to inform suspects of. He quotes, "The person in custody must, prior to interrogation, be clearly informed that he has the right to remain silent, and that anything he says will be used against him in the court of law; he must be clearly informed that he has the right to consult with a lawyer and to have the lawyer with him during interrogation, and that, if he is indigent, a lawyer will be appointed to represent him." He did not put specific words in the police's mouth, but gave them an overall understanding of what they had to say. Today, police have a regularly rehearsed way of saying the Miranda Rights, and have to every time they have a suspect in custody.

Although back then it was a contraversial case, today it's a widly accepted police practice. Other cases such as Dicerson v. United States, have come to the suprme court, dealing witht the same issue as Miranda, but all have been ruled in favor of upholding the Miranda case. Cheif Justice Rehnquist said, "There is no justification here for overruling Miranda. Miranda has become embedded in routine police practice to the point where warnings have become part of our national culture."


By: Zoe.
Palatial.

Miranda versus Arizona

It was 1963, and Arizona resident Ernesto Miranda was at his house in Phoenix when police arrived and arrested him on charges of kidnapping and rape. For the next two hours, Mr. Miranda was questioned without pause by officers and finally agreed to sign a confession. That confession was the main piece of evidence used to successfully convict him, which made Miranda appeal the decision, saying that he was forced to confess along with being unaware of his right to avoid self-incrimination. The case became known as Miranda v Arizona, and found its way to the Supreme Court. Chief Justice of the time Earl Warren wrote the majority opinion of the Court siding with Miranda, asserting that a police arrest is "inherently stressful" and that any evidence obtained at the time of the arrest may not be entirely the suspects choice. After the Court made its decision in 1966, it was the law for all police officers to inform suspects of their legal rights at the time of the arrest, and illegal for them to interrogate suspects who invoked those rights. The statements that police now say to all suspects have become known since then as the Miranda rights, beginning with the now-familiar sentence: "You have the right to remain silent." Many take issue with the Miranda decision, claiming that it impedes justice by protecting the rights of criminals. But the decision remains firm today, as anyone who has had unplanned contact with police can attest. Unfortunately for Ernesto Miranda, he was later convicted based on other evidence and subsequently retired.

The Greatness the Great Society

After the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963, Lyndon Johnson became President of the United States. In a speech on May 22, 1964, Johnson stated, “We have the opportunity to move not only toward the rich society and the powerful society, but toward the Great Society that demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time.” Johnson envisioned a legislative program that would promote a richer quality of life for all.

Between 1965 and 1966, Johnson's administration introduced many bills to Congress. Johnson considered education "the key which can unlock the door to the Great Society." Signed into law on April 11, 1965, the Elementary and Education Act of 1965 was the most important educational component of the Great Society. As one of the earliest federal aid packages for education in U.S. history, it provided more than $1 billion to help schools purchase materials and create special education programs in schools with a strong concentration of low-income children. Additionally, legislation regarding health was prioritized. Congress passed the Social Security Act of 1965, which authorized Medicare, providing hospital insurance and low-cost medical insurance to Americans age 65 or older. Title XIX of the Social Security Act created Medicaid, which extended health insurance to welfare recipients.

Congress also made several important decisions regarding housing, the environment and consumer protection. The Department of Housing and Urban Developmnt (HUD) was created. Also, Congress appropriated 240,000 units of low-rent public housing, which helped shift the nation's political power from rural to urban areas. Environmental protection was promoted when Congress passed the Water Quality Act of 1965, which required states to clean up rivers. Johnson also ordered the government to find the worst chemical polluters. Regarding consumer protection, Congress passed major safety laws, including a truth-in-packaging law that set standards for labeling consumer goods.

The most important domestic achievement of the Great Society programs was undoubtedly its profound effect on civil rights. Four civil rights acts were passed, including three in the first two years of Johnson's presidency. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbade job discrimination and the segregation of public accommodations. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 assured minority registration and voting. The Great Society also brought profound changes to the nation's immigration laws. The Immigration Act of 1965 ended quotas based on nationality and opened the door for many non-European immigrants to settle in the U.S.

Clearly, the optimism and determination of the LBJ administration were key factors in helping create numerous programs concerning education, housing, health, civil rights, the environment, consumer safety, and immigration. These Great Programs helped create, on some level, the Great Society that Lyndon B. Johnson had envisioned.

By Victor