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The Death of George Washington

6/30/2019

On December 14, 1799, George Washington breathed his last breath. He knew he was dying, yet even in his weakness, he was thoughtful of others. Washington wasn't a perfect man, and we don't need to entertain the idea that he was, but he often sets an example that others in our nation can follow.

The following quotations and links are from Mount Vernon's website. Choose one area that you would like to research and report to the class about. When groups choose different sections and report about them, we should get a complete picture of George Washington's death and funeral.

Washington's Will

Passing On

Between ten and eleven at night on December 14, 1799, George Washington passed away. He was surrounded by people who were close to him including his wife who sat at the foot of the bed, his friends Dr. Craik and Tobias Lear, housemaids Caroline, Molly, and Charlotte, and his valet Christopher Sheels who stood in the room throughout the day.

For more, read The Death of George Washington.

Doctor, Doctor

On December 13, 1799, Craik was summoned to Mount Vernon to attend to a gravely ill Washington. Serving with two other doctors, Craik repeatedly attempted to cure what ailed the sickly former president. Washington passed away the next day, despite the best efforts of his long time friend and physician.

Find out more about the doctor, James Craik.

Washington's Will

On the eve of his death on December 14, 1799, the gravely ill George Washington asked his wife Martha to bring him the two versions of his will. After reviewing them, Washington had one thrown in the fire and asked Martha to safeguard the other. Washington's will provides significant insight into his life, deeply held beliefs, and affections for family and friends.

Read more about George Washington's Will.

Eulogy

"First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." These famous words about George Washington come from a eulogy written by Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee. Lee was a major general in the Continental Army, member of the Continental Congress, governor of Virginia, father of the famous Civil War general Robert E. Lee, and close friend of George Washington.

Read more about the eulogy for George Washington.

The Tombs

''Within this Enclosure Rest the remains of Gen.l George Washington." This is the brief legend inscribed on a stone tablet over the entrance to the tomb vault at Mount Vernon.

Read about the location where the Washingtons are entombed.

Reenactment

In 1999, several watched as people reenacted the funeral of George Washington. The ceremony, held on the 200th anniversary of the real funeral, was aired live on C-SPAN. The whole video below is nearly three and a half hours.

Music Appreciation

Farther We Go

Re-enactment of George Washington's Funeral from Mount Vernon on Vimeo.

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Meet G Dub

6/29/2019

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(Liberty) Bell Work

Here's to the one called the Father of our Nation, the man on the one dollar bill, the first president, the visionary. Here's to the incomparable George Washington. There are some things in Washington's closet that make him imperfect, but as far as a role model for his positive traits, few rise to the level of our George. Here is a preview of his life, without giving too much away up front.

How many candles would be
on George's cake, this year?

Birthday: February 22, 1732

How many words can you make
from the letters in his name?

G E O R G E W A S H I N G T O N

Do the Math
Find the sum of the letters of his name,
using the scale below.

A = $.01, B = $.02, C = $.03, D = $.04, E = $.05,
F = $.06, G = $.07, H = $.08, I = $.09, J = $.10,
K = $.11, L = $.12, M = $.13, N = $.14, O = $.15,
P = $.16, Q = $.17, R = $.18, S = $.19,
T = $.20, U = $.21, V = $.22, W = $.23,
X = $.24, Y = $.25, Z = $.26

Quick Write
Describe someone who is a hero to you
and explain why.

On Target

Write the target number in the "bull's eye".
In the 20 other open sections of the target,
write equations to equal the target number.

Today's number is 6.

For example, if the target number is 36, the student may write expressions like the ones here (right):

6 squared
2 x 18
3 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8
72/2
3 x 3 x 4

Sentence Surgery
Read the sentence below. Do you see any problems?
Do not rewrite the sentence. In fact, don't even fix
the sentence. Instead, on your paper,
tell the writer three things that need to be corrected.

i heard that George washingtons teeth
was made of wood

Sentence Augmentation*
Augment the sentence below to greatly improve it. Record your improved sentence on your paper.

George Washington was a man.

*Augment: make (something)
greater by adding to it

Word Work
Using the parts in George Washington's name,
create a list of words to fit in the categories below.
Pay particular attention to spelling patterns.

Washington (words with sh
in the middle or at the end)

Washington
(words with -ing)

Word Wise
Define the
following words:

military

oath

president

slavery

Discussion Quotes

Military Ranks

Washington climbed the ranks until he was in the right place at the right time, ready to lead ragtag groups of soldiers into some of the nastiest and deadliest battles in history. Use the image below to make a list of rankings in today's military, which, you will see, are identified in a much more organized manner than the rankings of the late 1700s.

There is something special about George Washington's rank, as revealed in the video below.

The Only 6-Star General from Mount Vernon on Vimeo.

Virtual Field Trip: Mount Vernon

It's one of the coolest things on the internet. It allows us to "visit" George Washington's house at Mount Vernon without leaving our classroom. There are places to click to look more closely at items, places to click for short videos, and places to click that will move you from place to place within and outside the mansion. You may also explore using the Room by Room explanation.

Take your time: freely read and watch with integrity in order to get to know George more closely. You might find out more than you ever thought you would. Oh, and be ready to discuss what you find (That means, take notes!).

Dental Health

What are the important rules of taking care of one's teeth and gums? In your team, make a list, and be ready to share your conclusions with the class.

Create a poster that focuses on just one item on our class list of dental health practices.

Primary Sources

There are several real objects from George Washington in the collection at Mount Vernon. These real items are considered Primary Source Objects. They provide us with "eyewitness" accounts. Imagine look at or holding the same object that George or Martha Washington held and used. Pick out something from the list on the link above and be prepared to tell the class about it.

Positive Behavior Conversations

Consider the following presentations. They are designed to make us think about positive behaviors and leadership skills.

Act Boldly
Act with Integrity

Dream Big

Learn from Failure
Take Risks

Music Appreciation

Here are some Music Appreciation videos to help with your reading fluency (and they might even roughly apply to lessons learned from George Washington):

Am I Wrong?

The Call

Nothing More

While We're on the Subject

Did George Washington Have Wooden Teeth?
How Is a $1 Bill Made?
Who's on Mount Rushmore?

George Washington was the first to sign the Constitution of the United States of America.

Measuring Up

George Washington was tall for a man of his time: six feet, 2 inches in height. He had blue eyes and reddish-brown hair (sometimes powdered). He always stood upright and walked elegantly with long strides. He listened more than he spoke.

George Mercer, 1760:

He may be described as being as straight as an Indian, measuring six feet two inches in his stockings, and weighing 175 pounds when he took his seat in the House of Burgesses in 1759.

James Thatcher, 1775:

His majesty was on horseback in company with several military gentlemen. It was not difficult to distinguish him from all other, his personal appearance is truly noble and majestic, being tall and well proportioned.

de Pontibiguard, 1777:

The General was one of these master pieces of nature who inspire respect and confidence at first sight and are gifted with all the external attributes which make them born leaders. He was tall, his face was commanding, his eyes kind.

Thomas Jefferson, 1814:

...was incapable of fear, meeting personal dangers with calmest unconcern...His stature was exactly what one would wish, his deportment easy, erect, and noble, the best businessman of any age, and the most graceful figure that could be seen on horseback.

How do you measure up to Mr. Washington's height?

The Presidential Oath

The Constitution dictates the text of the president's oath:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

What is the purpose of the Constitution?
What is an oath?
According to the oath, what is the president's primary duty?

Let's change the wording of the oath without changing the meaning. How can the oath be explained to kids who are younger than you?

Mood Music

Allow this music to transport you into a scene that has yet to be written. Draw the scene as you listen. Then write, using all the visual imagery you can muster.

Freeing the Slaves

George Washington is the only Founding Father to free his slaves. He struggled with the slavery issue until the day he died. We will explore the slavery issue and civil rights, later in the school year, but for now, we should appreciate how complicated the situation had become by the late 1700s.

That Famous Silhouette

Check out this appraisal on PBS's The Antiques Roadshow concerning President Washington's silhouette. Then perhaps we should try a bit of silhouetting of our own.

Learn the Presidents

George was the first.
Now can you recite the rest in order?

George Washington was a Human Being

Many times, when we study historical figures, they seem bigger than life, but George Washington and his peers were not superheroes or gods. Our friend George did all things as a human does.

These are pictures of one of the "necessaries" at Mount Vernon. This one, on one corner of a large garden, has three toilets inside. The center picture taken from a "secret" door behind and underneath those toilets shows the boxes that must be emptied from time to time by some in the slave community.

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George Washington's Mount Vernon

6/28/2019

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George Washington did not always own Mount Vernon,
but he made it one of the most iconic houses in the United States.

(Liberty) Bell Work

Word Work

Using words important to this lesson set, create a list of words to fit in the categories below.
Pay particular attention to spelling patterns.

Mount (words with ou)

Vernon (words starting with v)

Word Wise

Define the following words:

piazza

symmetry

Sentence Surgery
Read the sentence below. Do you see any problems? Do not rewrite the sentence. In fact, don't even fix the sentence. Instead, on your paper, tell the writer three things that need to be corrected.

the mount vernon mansion was owned by lawrence washington

Sentence Augmentation*
Augment the sentence below to greatly improve it. Record your improved sentence on your paper.

He lived at the river.

*Augment: make (something) greater by adding to it

Quick Write: What is your definition of "family"?

Origin of the estate

Look at the first paragraph on the Mount Vernon website page about the mansion. Create a timeline using the information presented. You may also use information from Building Mount Vernon (about halfway down the same page).

Map Mount Vernon

We will analyze this primary source map. An evaluation form is available on this lesson plan, available from Mount Vernon's website.

Do You Measure Up?

First Floor

What is the floor area of the Downstairs Bedchamber (e)?
What is the floor area of the Dining Room (f)?

Second Floor

What is the floor perimeter of the Blue Room (a)?
What is the floor perimeter of the Washington's Bedchamber (f)?

Virtual Tour

Take a cool virtual tour of Washington's mansion. Take the time to read and watch short videos as you click through the house.

Symmetry

Mount Vernon is not symmetrical, but George Washington wanted it to be. We will use some special mirror-like drawing tools to explore symmetry for ourselves. Afterward, we will design our own mansions - symmetrical, of course, to make satisfy our first president.

Try your hand at drawing Mount Vernon. Step-by-step instructions can be found at this Learn to Draw webpage.

The View from Our Own Piazza

If weather permits, let's enjoy some
reading and reflection from our own piazza, today.

Sandcasting

The exterior of the mansion appears to be made of stone, but it's actually the result of a process called rustication. The video below details the last part of the process, known as sand casting.

With time, we'd like to try our hands at sandcasting with a simple art project.

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The First World War: a Modern War

6/27/2019

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The differences between the French and Indian War and World War I can be shocking. Since I am reading two books simultaneously rather than sequentially, the differences are made more obvious. I have chosen to read The War that Made America and The First World War one chapter or section at a time, alternating between the two every day or two, in order to made comparisons and contrasts as I go. They are two distinctly different wars, but at the same time, there are similarities.

Mostly, as I reflect on the reading, I will only discuss one at a time to keep things a little more succinct. However, in doing so in this particular post, differences are quite obvious.

The French and Indian War was a world war before the term was coined. Still, mostly, the French and Indian conflict was locally engaged. That, according to Hew Strachan, writer of The First World War, was the intention in the opening salvos of the Great War, as well.

Admittedly, the conflict [Austria-Hungary] sought was designed to be short, localised and fought between single powers, whereas the war that resulted was none of those things. For this Germany was blamed, both then and since. Even Austria-Hungary cast aspersions on its ally, holding Germany responsible for getting it into a war which was bigger than it could handle.

As a local war, it was also thought that this war could be a short one, but it took no time at all for things to escalate.

The principal link between the long-term and short-term origins of the First World War is the First Balkan War. The Germans saw it as a war fought by Russia by proxy...The Kaiser was furious...He said that, if Russia came to Serbia's aid, Germany would fight.

With Germany's involvement, more men found themselves in the trenches and in the bunkers. Marching alongside the young soldiers were older draftees.

German plans demanded more trained men that the army had available for mobilisation. As a result, it called up all its reservists. Including men in middle age, from the very beginning. This was not just a young man's war.

And Germany, by all accounts of history and rumor, would fight dirty.

Citing the German's suppression of the Herero uprising of 1904-5 in their colony in south-west Africa (modern Namibia), allied propagandists damned such practices as 'colonial'. Stories of the atrocities focused on the rape of young girls, the cutting off of infants' hands, and the execution of priests and nuns.

Perhaps leaders just wanted to flex their muscles, or perhaps they would just pull out all the stops because they were fearful of more atrocities. No one had ever seen the results of modern firepower in war, and it would be nothing less than impressive. Strachan offers this description of the differences that a century makes in war technology:

In 1815, at Waterloo, the infantry soldier's musket had a maximum effective range of 150 yards and a rate of fire of two rounds a minute; a century later, the infantry rifle could range almost a mile, and - fed by a magazine - could discharge ten or more rounds in a minute. A machine-gun, firing on a fixed trajectory, could sweep an area with 400 rounds in a minute. The adoption of smokeless powder in the 1880s protected the location of the firer and guaranteed that visibility on the battlefield was subject only to the influences of nature (cloud, mist and night) but no longer to smoke...Advances in artillery made permanent fortifications vulnerable, and their modernisation with reinforced concrete was costly.

But it is one thing to be impressed by the technology; it is another thing to see the results of it. This paragraph from the book stood out to me when I read it and imagined the sounds, the percussions, and the scene before the men at the time:

The 'battles of the frontiers' were the first occasion on which most French, German and British soldiers came face to face with modern firepower, and they were devastated and disorientated by the effects. Lieutenant Ernst von Röhm, on coming under heavy French fire in Lorraine, thought, that at last he would see the enemy and got our his field glasses, 'but there is nothing to recognise and nothing to see'. As the fire of his own unit slackened, he stood up and called on his comrades to do likewise. 'I want to see how many are still fit to fight. The bugler, who has remained by my side like a shadow, says to me sadly: "Herr Leutnant, there is nobody there any more!" And in truth nobody is standing on the whole front line. Only three men are still unscathed, everybody else is dead or wounded'...Aubry Herbert recalled that 'It was as if a scythe of bullets passed directly over our heads about a foot above the earthenworks. It came in gusts, whistling and sighing...It seemed inevitable that any man who went over the bank must be cut nearly in two.'

It would be difficult for the soldiers in WWI to say, as George Washington wrote in a letter to his brother on May 31, 1754, "The right wing, where I stood, was exposed to and received all the enemy's fire...I heard the bullets whistle, and, believe me, there is something charming in the sound." Indeed, there is a difference in watching a recreation of Montcalm's Cross (which I will see when I visit Fort Ticonderoga this summer) and the visions of World War I that come into the imagination when reading about it.

For more anticipation, preparation, and reflection about my involvement in Fort Ticonderoga's Teacher Institute, please visit my Fort Ticonderoga page.

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Book: Real Friends

6/26/2019

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Surprisingly, this graphic novel brought a lot of punch and reality to the eternal problem of making friends and treating people with kindness and respect. It speaks to the middle grade problem of having a "best" friend, forming cliques, and treating some people as outcasts.

From the publisher:

I feel like there are a lot of students who can relate to the story in these pages. The simple illustrations help tell the tale as main character Shannon sometimes turns her thoughts into imaginative fantasies as she deals with real life preteen (and teen) problems.

I didn't expect it, but I enjoyed the book for the short time it took to read it. It may not be the next great American novel, but it's worth the read.

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Ticonderoga's Story in Podcast Form

6/25/2019

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This podcast episode is part of a series out of New York. I was thrilled to year this great synopsis of so many aspects of Ticonderoga history through many eras. In this podcast, Beth Hill, the president and CEO of Fort Ticonderoga, discusses the site's emphasis on 1758 in this season’s activities, a year in which a large British army was unable to capture the fort, defended by a much smaller French garrison. Give it a listen!

This episode describes many of the plans for this year's emphasis at the Fort. It's hard to believe that I will get to see and do the activities Ms. Hill describes. The anticipation, of course, is part of the experience.

I enjoyed hearing in this podcast about the efforts made by Stephen and Sarah Pell in the restoration and preservation of the fort. According to Hill, "before National Parks existed", the work done at the fort was "the earliest act of preservation in our nation". She also mentioned that it was "the earliest act of restoration of its kind". One of the most intriguing aspects of the property include the land outside the fort, which she states includes "the most intact Revolutionary War earthen fortifications that exist". Statements like these make a visit to the fort even more interesting.

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The War that Made America: Selfish Motives

6/24/2019

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Sometimes you just have to wonder if people or politics will ever change. In the opening quarter of The War that Made America, the reader can see the broad selfishness of nations. Disputes over land and access led to tense times, reminding me of those moments when Captain Kirk struggled with the Romulans in the Neutral Zone. The Neutral Zone of the mid-18th-century was the stripe of Indian land that lay between French-Canada and British land to the south. Both wished to expand into the wilderness in between.

The French has long made it clear that they would recognize the Iroquois claim to the Ohio country provided the Six Nations kept the English out. For the French to build the forts necessary to occupy the valley would cost far more than they could hope to recover by trade...The most immediate threat, however, was that English traders would invade the Ohio country. Britain's cheap, high-quality trade goods would become a magnet drawing away the native peoples who now traded with the French at Detroit and other posts. This in turn would weaken, and perhaps destroy the system of alliances on which French power rested in the interior of the continent.

Author Fred Anderson then takes the broad approach of considering national interests, and narrows his description of the times by introducing a number of key players in the formation of the French and Indian War. Some names that come to mind from the text are Lieutenant Governor Robert Dinwiddie, Christopher Gist, George Washington, a Catawba/Seneca Indian liaison by the name of Tanaghrisson, more commonly known as Half-King, the French ensign Joseph Coulon de Villiers de Jumonville, and Jumonville's brother, Captain Louis Coulon de Villiers.

Selfish motives drive some of these figures. Dinwiddie was given a sizable interest in the new land should the French be repelled from their forts. Gist already owned some trading business in the area. And both Washington and the Half-King were looking for power and reputation with their respective peoples. It might be argued that Villiers wanted some prestige for himself, as well, but evidence probably doesn't support that idea - though he certainly sought revenge, which could also be a selfish emotion.

I'm not bad-mouthing the father of our country here. In fact, the mistakes that Major Washington made in these early days set him up for some tough lessons in life. It is the degree of change Washington undergoes in his life that make him so appealing. He is unquestionably human - making terrible, life-threatening mistakes, presuming a knowledge that he lacks, and impulsively jumping in before wisdom kicks in. Later, he will change tactic, wisely considering alternatives in his strategizing and studying before choosing which direction to move. His views on life, sustenance, and slavery will also evolve through time, but for now we consider the raw, unripened George Washington. Fred Anderson:

Why the governor picked a twenty-one-year-old major of the Virginia militia for this mission - a man who spoke no French, had little formal education, and utterly lacked diplomatic experience - may not seem intuitively obvious.

Indeed, Washington had physical prowess and knowledge of measuring land. He had unbridled ambition to succeed, but at this point those positives remained undisciplined.

There is much more to understand about what happens next, and it's described best in the book Young George Washington by Peter Stark. Rather than rehash Washington's "attack" of the French, the graphic killing of Ensign Jumonville, the defenseless Fort Necessity, the Journal of George Washington, and the Articles of Capitulation, I refer the reader to our Prologue to Revolution lesson set.

Of course, for more about this book, The War that Made America,
in preparation for my week-long Teacher Institution at Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York,
during the summer of 2019, follow the link to my Fort Ticonderoga page.

And if you want to investigate George Washington some more,
find my George Washington and Mount Vernon page for a collection of reflections
of my extensive week of residency at Mount Vernon, Virginia.

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The First World War: Shackled to a Corpse

6/23/2019

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A mad Bosnian may have kicked the war off with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in June, 1914, but events would escalate rather quickly for the Austro-Hungarians. I'm new to this subject, and the book assigned to me is a difficult read - but it appears that they increased their battle stance on two fronts, spread their troops too thinly, and things blew up from there. According to author Lew Strachan in his book, The First World War:

By the end of 1914 stalemate had therefore set in on both Austro-Hungary's fronts. It had effectively lost the Third Balkan War that it...had so ardently pursued. Within four months Austro-Hungary's casualties totalled 957,000, more than twice the army's pre-war strength.

Things got ugly, as is wont in historical conflicts.

Russia set about making its conquest permanent. Reactionaries saw Galacia as part of Russia, and persuaded the governor-general appointed to run it that it should be subject to Russification and racial cleansing. 'This meant that Russian was to be the only language in schools, that the churches should convert to Orthodoxy, and that the Russian army was licensed to loot. The ingrained anti-Semitism of the Russian army meant that Jews were driven from their homes either forward towards Austria-Hungary or back to the Russian interior.

Along another border, Strachan claims, "Germany, for its part, concluded that it was "shackled to a corpse". It seems many players were sucked into a Balkan/World War because of a single assassination.

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Book: Saving Marty

6/22/2019

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Nope. I can't say that I liked this one. I mean, the idea of a pig who acts like a dog is pretty funny, but this novel was all over the place with its plot, and I must have missed the point of the whole thing. Was it about buddy musicians? Was it about keeping a pig from slaughter? Was it about bullies and mean people? Was it about a soldier who could not emotionally handle a gruesome war? I don't think very many of these issues were ever resolved.

Says the author's website:

Eleven-year-old Lorenzo Ventura knows heroes are rare—like his father, who died in the war, or his friend Paloma Lee, who fearlessly pursues her dream of being a famous musician. Renzo would never describe himself as a hero, but his chance comes when he adopts Marty, a runt piglet.

Marty is extraordinary—he thinks he’s a dog and acts like one too—and his bond with Renzo is truly one of a kind. At first, the family farm seems like the perfect home for Marty, but as he approaches 350 pounds, it becomes harder for Renzo to convince his mom that a giant pig makes a good pet. So when Marty causes a dangerous (and expensive) accident, Renzo knows Marty’s time is up. He’d do anything and everything for his best friend, but will everything be enough to save Marty?

I like a good pig-raised-by-a-dog story, but this one just did not track well with me.

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Ticonderoga: In the Area

6/21/2019

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In investigating the countryside surrounding Lake Champlain, I've discovered there is a lot to do in the region. Within a reasonable radius from Fort Ticonderoga is a plethora of activities that would keep me busy for a vacation. Unfortunately, I won't be on vacation; when I am at the fort, my time will be filled with experiences.

Ethan Allen

There's no time to visit the Ethan Allen Homestead in Burlington, Vermont, though it would be cool. Mr. Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, along with rival Benedict Arnold, are responsible for capturing Fort Ticonderoga from the British during the American Revolution. Later, the cannon from the fort were transported by Henry Knox's crew to give American Patriots a greater advantage in the war.

Underground Railroad

It would be interesting to visit the North Star Underground Railroad Museum, take a bus tour of the area, and walk in the footsteps of escaping slaves. To consider the horrible conditions that inspire people to run away from "home" would be humbling. To understand the utter helplessness of human beings so mistreated and the chances they took would be impossible.

John Deere

Before I get to Fort Ticonderoga, I will spend one night in Rutland, Vermont, the location of John Deere's birthplace. This quaint, small town is where the great plow inventor grew up, and I'll get the chance to drive past some of the sites the young John might have seen. To see the land where Deere got his start will be quite interesting.

Star Trek

Just down the street from the hotel in Ticonderoga, New York, is the Star Trek Original Series Set Tour. The reproduced set from the Star Trek series has been reproduced based on floor plans from original owners. Every room from the Enterprise is presented in a tour, along with costumes and monsters. I don't know of the availability of tours after hours from our events at the fort, but it may be possible to drop in for a tour at some point during the week I am there.

Dixon Ticonderoga

There is a connection between Ticonderoga, New York, and the famous Dixon Ticonderoga pencil. This area is apparently where the graphite ore is mined for the pencils, and the company originally took the name of the fort as its own. There is a small museum in town that will show some of the pencil history. Again, it may be possible to make a quick visit.

La Chute Falls

The natural feature of the area is a river that connects Lake George with Lake Champlain. In a 3 1/2 mile stretch the river drops farther than Niagra in a fast-moving waterway. It will make a nice walk/hike from my hotel, one evening. Maybe I can convince some of my peers to explore the natural beauty with me.

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Music Appreciation: You Are the Reason

6/20/2019

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Students are often called upon to read "chorally".
That is, they read together simultaneously as a group.

Repeating this practice assists young readers
with reading fluency - the speed, accuracy,
and inflection of oral reading.

Why not, since it's called "choral" reading anyway,
actually read the chorus of a song?

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Quote: Challenge

6/19/2019

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"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

(Theodore Roosevelt)

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The War that Made America: Indians

6/18/2019

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In the woodcut image of a magazine published in 1758, the image is unclear. In the artwork is an Indian man choosing between two sides (In the reality television series, Survivor, he would be known as a swing vote - one whose vote could "swing" to either side is considered to be a position of strength on the program.). The two sides are the British and the French. The offering from the British is a Bible and a bolt of cloth, while the French offer him a purse of money and a tomahawk. Which will he choose?

The image presents a decision that has been coming for at least a hundred years. With the French settling in New France, now known mostly as Canada, and the English settling further south along the coast of the Atlantic, both have sought to expand their land holdings and their wealth on the North American continent.

And each has courted Indian support through alliances, trade, and defenses.

To understand the antecedents of the French and Indian War (which preludes the American Revolution), one must consider the underlying mood of the players involved. Already present on the land are a plethora of Indian nations. Says author Fred Anderson in his book, The War that Made America:

Among the most successful Indian practitioners of this new, commercialized war were the Five Nations of the Iroquois, a religious and ceremonial league made up of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca peoples of what is now upstate New York.

The war to which he refers is kind of a moving target for a writer. It necessarily includes mourning wars, the goal of which is a response to bereavement. Indians of one tribe not to kill their enemies; instead, they sought to kidnap and adopt women and children into their fold (At least that's how ethnologists interpret the evidence today.). Males were rarely adopted and instead were tortured to death in order to allow captors to appropriate their spiritual power.

The cessation of hostilities, however, served them even better. During the Long Peace - the thirty years between the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 and the outbreak of the next Anglo-French war in 1744 - the Five Nations became increasingly adept at maintaining the delicate balance between empires to their own advantage. Now they found themselves not only in a position to continue controlling the flow of information between New France and New York but also to act as middlemen in the smuggling trade that went on between the two colonies via Lake Champlain and the Richelieu River. The admission of the Tuscaroras to the League as a sixth nation in 1726 greatly enhanced Iroquois military power and enabled them to expand their raids against a variety of southern Indian groups, notably the Cherokees and the Catawbas. This limited form of mourning war enabled the Iroquois to continue rebuilding their population and spiritual power without the risk of French retaliation, for these enemies were either allied with the British of the Carolinas or with the Spanish in Florida.

By the time William Penn established the new passive colony of Pennsylvania, the Indian political game was already well-entrenched. Penn's colony, however, openly traded with the Indians, with a mutual respect that allowed for at least seven decades of peace for the colony. With the Indians as allies who offered a capable fighting defense, Pennsylvania had no need to sustain a militia.

And all of this sets the stage for the upcoming battles of the French and Indian dilemma.

The Indiana are usually presented as chorus in this play, actors with no lines, but the truth is they would play major roles on the world stage in the war that Winston Churchill called the "first world war". Not only were they constantly manipulated by the two world powers grounded in Europe, but they also used their swing-vote power to manipulate right back. Don't get the idea that the Indians were stupid in all of these developments, and don't leave the room without understanding that they had the ability to brutally attack their political opponents with blunt force if necessary - in ways that would shock the Europeans.

As I read forth in The War that Made America, I will soon be introduced to a young Major George Washington and an Indian ally known as Half King, each of whom bear great responsibility in triggering the French and Indian War.

As I continue to reflect on this reading, I will collect my thoughts on my Fort Ticonderoga page.
I am reading this volume to help me prepare for a week-long Teacher Institution at Fort Ticonderoga,
on the east bank of Lake Champlain in upstate New York, this summer.

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First World War: Meet Franz Ferdinand

6/17/2019

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Sunday, June 28, 1914

Franz Ferdinand, heir-presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife had been attacked earlier in the day with an assassination attempt.

Later, 19-year-old Gravilo Princip, one of a group of Bosnian assassins, attacked the couple, shooting Sophie in the abdomen and Franz in the neck.

This event is most directly linked as the cause for World War I. In reading The First World War a high-brow volume penned by Hew Strachan, many additional, complicated causes were also in play - an arms race in the Balkans, the fear of Russian military involvement, the uncertainty of Germany's strength, and a great deal of nationalism and imperialism, for example.

The book is going to take me a while to read, as Strachan does not tone down any dryness in voice, and many foreign names and historic locations are repeated as if the reader understands it all. I certainly prefer a less technical approach to storytelling - even nonfiction storytelling. The narrative is lost in the complications. I am hopeful for more simplicity as the war actually gets started in the book, and I am hopeful for more understanding on my own part.

Why put myself through the reading of 340 difficult pages? It is all a part of my preparation for the Teacher Institute at Fort Ticonderoga in July. For more anticipation and reflection on the week-long experience, go to my Fort Ticonderoga page.

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Book: One For Sorrow

6/16/2019

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I must say, this is the most disturbing book for kids I have ever read. Mary Downing Hahn writes ghost stories, but this one had a little extra something. I found myself trying to solve this otherworldly problem in my head as I continued to read, and yet things never wanted to go in the direction I wanted. The antagonist in One for Sorrow is a troubled girl who takes her problems to the grave with her. She is most definitely an outcast. She doesn't know how to be friends, and she seems to not even want to be friends even with the one friend she manages to make.

The protagonist makes some weak decisions along the way and pays the price in a huge way.

From goodreads:

Against the ominous backdrop of the influenza epidemic of 1918, Annie, a new girl at school, is claimed as best friend by Elsie, a classmate who is a tattletale, a liar, and a thief. Soon Annie makes other friends and finds herself joining them in teasing and tormenting Elsie. Elsie dies from influenza, but then she returns to reclaim Annie's friendship and punish all the girls who bullied her. Young readers who revel in spooky stories will relish this chilling tale of a girl haunted by a vengeful ghost.

I don't see how any synopsis of this story will ever describe the difficulty the reader will have along the way. Nothing ever seems to go the right way for the main character.

I will say, the ending was a little trite and convenient. I wish Hahn had developed it a little more and drawn it out for a more meaningful - even more tearful - conclusion. The rest of the story, however, will make the reader cringe with uncomfortable situations.

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