Nov. 4 is Taney County Elections!

Do your parents know what the ballot is going to look like?  I just uploaded a sample of the ballot into the Portaportal, Gifted University, Social Studies, Government Folder!!  Also, did you get the info on the essay contest about it being the 50th anniversary of voting rights?  Ask Mrs. Bronn if you are interested in entering the contest.

Life during the Civil War

The Civil War began in March of 1861 and ended in March of 1865. 11 states wanted to leave the US to form a confederacy, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee (They went back to the US after the war.).They were all called the Confederate States of America. 9,000,000 lived in these states, 3,000,000 of them were slaves. Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S Grant, Sojourner Truth, Frederick Douglass, Jefferson Davis and Robert E Lee were famous people at the time of the civil war.
If you lived in the South during that time, you would've seen a lot of war since most of the battles took place in the south. During the war, prices of food went up so they ate a lot more potatoes. In the South meat was really hard to get and they mostly ate what they could find or grow. Their main meal was lunch. Soldiers were just given canned food to eat while they marched. In the North entertainment the circus would come to town. In the South they played checkers and sang music.

I learned a lot of this by reading If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War by Kay Moore

Great Depression

For my project I worked on the Great Depression. At that time Herbert Hoover was President. It lasted from 1929-1939. This was important in history because the economy fell and it was the biggest recession in history. This effected every country. Twenty five percent of America was unemployed.
It was especially hard for farmers between 1929-1932 farm income shrank 50%.  Industry was operating at half of its former rate. In 1932 32,000 business failed and almost 1,500 banks closed.  What little the farmers did have was wiped out by severe drought and dust storms. This area was called the Dust Bowl. Prices have changed drastically since 1939. movie tickets where $0.23 in 1939 now they cost $8.15. For sites I got my info from click HERE or HERE

Alvin Cullum York



Sergeant Alvin York



  Alvin Cullum York (December 13, 1887- September 2, 1964) was also known as Sergeant York, was about the most decorated American soldiers in World War I, including the Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service Cross, World War I victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Legion d'Honneur(France),Croix de guerre (Palm), War Merit Cross, Croce di Guerra al Merito (Italy), and Montenegrin War Medal (Montenegro).

 

   Alvin was born near Pall Mall, Tennessee, on December 13, 1887, the third of 11 children. His Mother was Mary Elizabeth Brooks (8 August 1886 - 21 May 1943) and William Uriah York (15 May - 17 November 1911). At the time, the York family was impoverished. The York sons attended school for 9 months, then withdrew from education to help hunt small game for the York's food. When William York died, Alvin helped raise his other young siblings. Sadly, Alvin was a violent alcoholic prone to fighting in saloons, and had several arrests in the area, and his mother tried to change her sons ways without success.  

    Although he had a history of drinking and fighting, he attended church regularly and he would lead the singing. A revival meeting at the end of 1914 led him to believe in Christ  on January 1, 1915. The church York attended opposed violence on the outbreak of World War I, York implied,"I was worried clean through. I didn't want to go and kill. I believed in my Bible." On June 5, 1917,at age 29, Alvin registered for the draft for all men age 21-31 that day. He answered the question,"Do you claim exemption from a draft (specify grounds)?" by writing," Yes. Don't want to fight." Then he registered as a conscientious objector, but was denied. Alvin then was registered to the Company G, 328th Infantry, 82nd Division at Camp Gordon, commanded by Capt. Edward Courtney Bullock Danforth (1894-1973)and Major Gonzalo Edward Buxton (1880- 1949). They tried to take over the Deckolby Railroad to end the supply to the Germans in the Aarogon Forest, with success, ending the war.

 

      York's fame was unnoticed to the press, but when the Saturday Evening Post was published, York Became pretty famous, getting offers like movies of his life, subway tours in a special car, and meeting the President! He married Gracie Williams and together had eight children.


       Want to learn more? Resource HERE for more information.




Alexander Hamilton

Alexander Hamilton was one of those Founding Fathers that you don’t really think about when you think of Founding Fathers. From what I have observed, most people don’t even know who Hamilton is, let alone that he was a Founding Father. Hamilton was born in Charlestown, England to Rachel Faucette Hamilton on January 11, 1757. 

In 1772 Hamilton got an education at Kings College in New York City (now University of Columbia). While attending, Hamilton's friend Robert Troup spoke of him in a speech mentioning Hamilton's political viewpoints and his ability to speak in front of crowds. America never got to see what kind of president Alexander Hamilton would have been because to be a president a requirement is that you have to be born in the United States, but as I mentioned he was born in England. But Hamilton was the first Secretary of Treasury and later made it to the ten dollar bill.

If you would like to find out more about Alexander Hamilton click HERE, HERE, or HERE.