More Docs

Today in class, we'll continue to work with documents that offer insight into FDR's response to the Holocaust.
Over the weekend, your task is to complete the document chart. In class on Monday, you'll begin work on the essay (posted below) that will answer the essential question we've been considering this week.
FDR and the Holocaust Essay.

America and the Holocaust

Today we'll set the context for the argument made in The Conquerors by watching the first 20 minutes of the documentary, America and the Holocaust: Deceit and Indifference. Then we'll try to trace the additional evidence that influenced the arguments being made about FDR and America's role in the Holocaust by beginning our analysis of these primary sources:(Docs 1 and Docs 2).
We'll keep track of our findings in this chart: America and the Holocaust Document Analysis Chart.

Test Day

The new assignment sheet is posted for a mini addendum unit: America and the Holocaust.
AS: America and The Holocaust.

Intro to the Holocaust and Genocide Awareness

After seeing if there is further commentary about the dropping of the atomic bomb and taking questions about Monday's exam, we'll loop back to the start of the conflict in Europe and examine some details about the Holocaust. We'll use The Century: Civilians at War (4:02-32:45) to do so.  Then, in honor of Genocide Awareness day, we'll spend the last part of class exploring the following websites:
The U.S. says ISIS is committing Genocide
Acts of Genocide Since the Adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide in 1951
Wall St. Journal Runs an Ad Denying the Armenian Genocide
Early Warning Project Map
          Video describing the Early Warning Project
U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum: A Force for Change
National Geographic Series on Remembering the Rwandan Genocide
10 Stages of Genocide
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Samantha Power on Never Again

You should finish class today by leaving a comment to this post about something that you read or saw today and why it seems to be significant or important.

The Atomic Bomb

On Thursday in class, we watched parts of Ken Burns: The War about the Battle of Okinawa and the dropping of the Atomic Bomb. We discussed values and morals in times of war after filling out this activity: Values in Times of War and then had a brief discussion about the morality of dropping the bomb by looking at these Issues Raised by the Dropping of the Atomic Bomb.

Moving Towards the End of the War

After our look at D-Day last week (Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan), today we'll move towards the end of the war.  To do so, we'll continue to explore and discuss film clips from Ken Burns' The War.  As you watch today's clips, use the following document to take notes:
Note Taking Guide for The War: 1945.

1941-1944: The Progress of the War

After completing our look at the homefront with your More Perfect Union internment web activity, today we'll turn our attention to the military progress of the war in both the Pacific and European theaters.
We'll start by reviewing a general sense of the War in the Pacific by completing this map activity: Mapping the Pacific
Then we'll use a number of different sources to explore the progression of the war from it's beginnings in early 1942 through the first part of 1944. We'll look at the "Films" section of the material in class and then you're responsible for finishing the "Maps" and "Letters" for homework. Make sure you read the instructions carefully.
1941-1944 History Lab

The Homefront

After our look at Pearl Harbor and FDR's War Message yesterday, today we'll build on what you learned from the Foner text and take a closer look at the homefront.
We'll begin by watching the first 20 minutes of The Century: Homefront. We'll use this study guide to keep track of the stories told in the film.
We'll then take a closer look at some of the war posters that were used to inspire people to take action on the homefront. You'll choose a few to use to answer these questions: What are the strategies? What are the messages? What are people being asked to DO? To THINK? How might different people react to the different images?
We'll finish class by looking at a couple of Disney cartoons that were also used to inspire people on the homefront.

War Aims: The Four Freedoms and Atlantic Charter

Today, we'll take a closer look at FDR's Four Freedoms speech and also examine The Atlantic Charter by working with a partner on this worksheet: Four Freedoms/Atlantic Charter Questions.
Then, if there's time, we'll try to get an alternate perspective by reading Charles Lindbergh's Who Are the War Agitators speech that he gives to an America First Group in Des Moines, Ia in September of 1941. We'll try to make conclusions about who has a better argument based on our timelines.

Here are your partners for today:
Eli/Seth
Jesus/Sarah
Andrew/Hope
Dani/Zoe
Charlie/Isabel/Anthony
Alina/Luke
Zach/Meshi
Allison/Talia
Matt/Miles
Will/Gil

The Road To WW2

Today we continued our look at the road to World War II. First we added the events in these video clips to our timelines that we began prior to spring break:
Germany rearms the Rhineland
(0:07-1:22)
Austrian/German unification (Go to 2:25)
Breaking the Munich Pact (Germany takes Czechoslovakia) (Go to 5:52)
Germany invades Poland (Go to 6:57)

Then we listened to FDR's response to the outbreak of WW2 in Europe as we followed along in our FDR Speeches packet.

Homework due on Wednesday is to read and annotate the Arsenal of Democracy speech in the packet and the Four Freedoms speech that begins on page 488 of The American Reader.