It's a Risky Business, but Somebody's Gotta do it!

A little over 400 years ago The English established their first settlement in Jamestown. Jamestown experienced many difficulties before finally becoming successful. They were faced with starvation, disease, exposure to harsh climates, and conflicts with themselves and Native Americans.

Establishing a colony can be pretty risky. Not only is there a risk of the unknown, but it is a financial risk as well. Currently people are looking ahead and wondering what the future might hold for us. There might be a time when we colonize other planets. This leads us to our topic of discussion.


Questions To Consider:
If we were to begin colonizing space, what problems might we encounter? Would we have any similar difficulties as the Jamestown colonists?

Welcome Hurricanes!

Welcome everyone to an exciting new school year! This blog is designed for you to think about what we are learning in class in a more current setting. That way you can understand how some of this "old" stuff relates to you. You will receive one point of extra credit when you respond to a post. Only I can start a new post. Feel free to keep the thread going with debate and discussion. I only ask that you be respectful and courteous. Remember not to expect to see your comment right away because I have to approve it first. Also, don't forget to use your screen name. Have a great school year!

What's the Worse That Could Happen?

As we're learning about the birth of our nation, it got me wondering what problems countries might have now if they were to form from scratch. Believe it or not, new countries are created every so often. When the Soviet Union broke apart, new countries were formed, and formed again as political struggles changed boundaries.

Questions to Consider:
What problems might countries today encounter when starting a new nation? What similarities do those problems have with the ones we encountered when America began?

Who's Duty is It?

We've discussed a lot about your rights and responsibilities as U.S. citizens lately, and how they are covered by our U.S. Constitution. The Bill of Rights protects the citizens of this country, but do you really know what they are? If I didn't force you to learn about them, would you have gone your entire lives without knowing your rights as they are listed in the Bill of Rights? The point I'm trying to make is that the citizens of our country should be responsible for knowing what their rights are. The government's job is to protect the rights, and the citizen's job is to know them. I want to know what you think.

Question to Consider:

Why is it the responsibility of every U.S. citizen to be aware of their rights, and how to protect them?

Constitution Test Review

The Constitution Test is 50 questions dealing mainly with the branches of government, but there are also questions about amendments, government powers, and checks and balances. Use your study guides, packet, notes, and checks and balances chart to study for the test.

For Friday's essay, be very familiar with any one of the branches. Learn things like who is in the branch, powers they have, checks they have on other branches and how they can be checked, and a specific real world example of how your branch functions in today's society. Think of your current events for the real world examples. If you still have questions, ask away! I'll be home from Lincoln sometime after 9PM.

Change is Good...Right?

This will be the start of the new threads for 3rd quarter. It's impossible to know what the future brings. There could be prosperity around the corner, or we could be plagued by disaster. New technologies could improve our lives, or strike fear in the hearts of the people. My point is that no one knows what the future holds so how could our government possibly foresee things? The answer of course is that they can't. Our Constitution is a living document because we can make changes depending on changes over time. So, we are adaptable to modern times. Which leads me to what I want you to think about.

Question to Consider:

Why is it essential that a government be able to adapt over time? Give examples of situations where governments might need to make changes.

Rule with an Iron Fist

This past week you have discovered firsthand what it's like to try and accomplish things in a non-structured environment. Those were the problems with the Articles of Confederation. It was a weak government because the states had all the power and there was no central authority. It's understandable why they set it up that way, however, because they just fought a revolution to get away from a tyrannical government. Through this past week's experience you now understand why a strong central government is important and necessary.

Questions to Consider:

What is the right balance of power between having a strong central government, and having that government be too powerful? What steps did our creators take to ensure the government could not overstep its bounds and rule with an iron fist? Do you think our current government has grown too powerful? If yes, how so?