During the 1960’s there was so much tension throughout the world especially in America. What with the war not ending long before the 60’s and all the social change as well as the Cold War happening. All of these reasons point to the fact that the world was on the brink, but in this blog post I’m going to go over two specific people and events that is hard evidence for this truth.
The first event I am going to be talking about is the Cold War between the US and the USSR. A Cold War is when there is never actually a physical war, the countries never directly fight each other. Rather the countries get other people to fight for you, though everyone knows it is between you and another country.
Well one key event that occurred during the Cold War was the Cuban Missile crisis. The Cuban missile crisis occurred in October of 1962 and was a 13 da confrontation that occurred between the US and the Soviet Union. This started because the US spotted a ballistic missile deployment in Cuba which was placed there by the Soviet Union. There were such a variety of things that occurred during the 13 days that this spanned over and in PLP we learned about the majority of them, if not all. We watched the movie thirteen days
This is a movie that explains what occurred and what the people involved could have possibly acted like. In this movie Adlai Stevenson who is played by Michael Fairman plays a key role. Because I could see watching it that he possibly changed what the world could have become, I decided to learn more about him. That is why for the essay that we had to write explaining why the world was on the brink I believed that the reason can be explained through Adlai Stevenson saving the world. So without further ado here is my essay:
Adlai Stevenson- World on the Brink
Isobel DeVille
Mrs.Willemse
Humanities
April 26, 2019
“Do you, Ambassador Zorin, deny that the U.S.S.R. has placed and is placing medium- and intermediate-range missiles and sites in Cuba?”[Adlai Stevenson, UN Secretary council]. Adlai Stevenson the American Ambassador at the UN in 1962 on October 25th was such an important man who kept the world from going over the brink because of his delivery of such an important message.
It is important to realize that a few days before October 25th, Adlai Stevenson helped to the lead up of this groundbreaking moment. U Thant, the UN secretary-general from Burma was the messenger between Khrushchev the First Secretary of the Communist Party and American President John F Kennedy, leading up to the conflict at sea however in order to make things run smoothly Stevenson stepped in to help. In a time of crisis when the ships were approaching the US blockade around Cuba, Ambassador Stevenson sent a letter to Khrushchev asking the ships to stop since he “favored the blockade”. “Because it came as a request from the UN secretary-general rather than a demand from the American president, Khrushchev more easily accepted the proposal“[Jim Hershberg, 1995]. Because he accepted this proposal regarding the ships, Khrushchev backed down and agreed to keep the remainder of the ships out of the quarantine zone. However in the event that this proposal came from President John F Kennedy himself this would not have been accepted and would rather be perceived as a threat. For this reason Adlai Stevenson played a role not only in one event that changed the world but rather two.
American Ambassador at the UN, Adlai Stevenson was described as “Intellect, wryness, self-deflation, uncertainty, humor, and, above all, charisma”[Maureen-Callahan]. Throughout Stevenson’s speech given at the United Nations Conference that would change the world, you could see all of these qualities come out. He was putting his all into this speech because had the world been launched into a nuclear war who knew if it would be able to return. Previous wars throughout history had caused so much destruction and sadness however if this war were to occur it would be like nothing ever seen before. For these reasons Stevenson’s role as well as the United Nations role we’re so crucial. Stevenson was also very passionate regarding this challenge because he had previously run for Presidential election against Kennedy himself. Although he had lost the nomination of the Democratic Party in 1960 Stevenson still felt a very strong need to help his country, for that reason Kennedy was compelled to offer him the role as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. The United Nations played such a crucial role in what the world is currently, rather then what it could have been. Had the U.N. not formed in 1945 Stevenson would not have been placed as the UN Ambassador and there could have been a nuclear war tearing the world to pieces. However thanks to the U.N. and the untold truth being revealed in such a dramatic way, that was all able to change.
On October 25th, the tenth day of the Cuban missile crisis President John F Kennedy responded to Soviet leader Khrushchev’s letter written the day before referring to the nuclear missiles. There was such high tensions in the air from the beginning of the thirteen days during this nuclear proxy war. The US had to prove to the world that the Soviet Union was hiding information regarding missiles in Cuba. However the Soviets were not willing to give up that information. To prove that the world was on the brink of a nuclear war Adlai Stevenson represented America. US ambassador pressured Zorin to tell the truth regarding the nuclear missiles located in Cuba, and when Zorin refused Stevenson was “prepared to wait until he’ll froze over” [Adlai Stevenson. Eventually with no response everything was answered when pictures taken over Cuba showing the missiles were revealed. This was a groundbreaking moment that took place because one man with the help of a few others felt so strongly regarding this life threatening event.
To summarize, Adlai Stevenson was a determined man, ready to do what ever it took to help save the world from a nuclear war. He was the man who kept the world in place and showed everyone the truth that needed to be exposed.
Citations
“1 Thought on ‘Records of Adlai Stevenson, Ambassador to the United Nations, Now Available to View Online.’” Princeton University, The Trustees of Princeton University, blogs.princeton.edu/mudd/2013/06/records-of-adlai-stevenson-ambassador-to-the-united-nations-now-available-to-view-online/.
Dobbs, Michael. “The Day Adlai Stevenson Showed 'Em at the U.N.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 5 Feb. 2003, http://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2003/02/05/the-day-adlai-stevenson-showed-em-at-the-un/24420f12-5f7a-4f2d-b91e-2b84e04ee6ab/?utm_term=.f9288e967762.projects, Contributors to Wikimedia. “Cuban Missile Crisis Speech to the United Nations Security Council.” Wikisource, the Free Online Library, Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 24 Apr. 2018, en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Cuban_Missile_Crisis_speech_to_the_United_Nations_Security_Council.
“TWE Remembers: Adlai Stevenson Dresses Down the Soviet Ambassador to the UN (Cuban Missile Crisis, Day Ten).” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, http://www.cfr.org/blog/twe-remembers-adlai-stevenson-dresses-down-soviet-ambassador-un-cuban-missile-crisis-day-ten.Evans, Michael. The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962: Anatomy of a Controversey, Jim Hershberg , nsarchive2.gwu.edu//nsa/cuba_mis_cri/moment.htm.
Learning about Adlai Stevenson I could see that the world truly was on the brink of a nuclear war. Were it not for the actions that were taken by Stevenson and hmm exposing the truth in such a dramatic way, the world could be a very different place today.
Now at the beginning of this blog post I said that there were to events/people that prove that the world was on the brink, so who’s the second person? Well to finish off the unit we watched a documentary called “The Times They Are A’ Changin'”. And in that documentary one specific person stood out to me and that was Betty Friedan. Friedan wrote a book about how women were not given a voice and were in stead acting as the husbands maid to take care of the children and the house. In her book called “The feminine mystique” she gave many women a voice to speak out and say that they’re were much more then they were told they were. Though Betty telling the unspoken truth this sparked a social change which would change the world forever. When this all occurred it caused the world to be on the brink as a result.
‘Through these two people you can see that the truth that was told caused the world to be on the brink as well as to save it and improve it. Here is a Venn diagram I created to show how these two people relate.
Overall this was such an interesting to to learn about and it taught me so much about how one person speaking the truth can cause an entire event to change. This unit also taught me so much about history that is necessary to know about. I was also able to improve my writing skills and learn to effectively write an essay which I know will be so helpful in the future. All in all this was a great unit and I can’t wait until our interesting conceptual art project as we move forward in history!
‘Here was the websites used to find out information about Betty Friedan:
QDo you know how much the truth can impact a society? Well watch this video to see how the truth changed the civil rights movement:
That video was created by Izzy and myself after a unit we learned called We Shall Overcome. In this unit we learned all about the Civil rights movement and looked into the question: How can the actions of an individual change a system? At the beginning of this unit I knew that the world is and has been very racist however I never really thought of how it had changed overtime. That there was more to the civil rights movement then simply Martin Luther King.
For this unit we learned chromatically, meaning starting pre 1950s and ending in 1968. For the 50’s we learned about what slavery and racism was. How in that time there were the Jim Crowe laws that were put in place to segregate the blacks from whites. I found learning about this eye opening because it showed just how terribly people were treated.
While we were learning about this we were also reading the book Dear Martin. This book is about “ Dear Martin, her first novel, is loosely based on a series of true events involving the shooting deaths of unarmed African American teenagers. Shaken by the various responses to these incidents–and to the pro-justice movement that sprang up as a result–Stone began the project in an attempt to examine current affairs through the lens of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s teachings.” -Goodreads.
This book was really interesting to read because it showed how racism is not gone but really is still very present in modern day. How a young boy was shot and killed and how that lead to a domino effect because it was so shocking to the main character who was African American. While we were reading this book we also did an activity called a Socratic Seminar . A Socratic seminar is “a formal discussion, based on a text, in which the leader asks open-ended questions. Within the context of the discussion, students listen closely to the comments of others, thinking critically for themselves, and articulate their own thoughts and their responses to the thoughts of others.” In total this unit we had 5 Socratic seminars that we participated in. The first one was on the first section of the book and it was a little rough to say the least. However as time went on and we got more comfortable saying what we thought and preparing questions for the discussion it got better and better. We also were to prepare a sheet so that we could better prepare for the discussion as well as fill out a sheet after to truly reflect on what was said.
Here are examples of my sheets:
In this unit we also learned about people and events such as Emmitt Till, the montogomery bus boycott and many more events. Here is a timeline of some of the events that were important to the civil rights movement and that we learned about.
Time Line
1865 Abraham Lincoln created Emancipation amendment: The fifth amendment got rid of slaves
Civil war: The Union; the north won 1865-1877 Reconstruction era: after the war when they rebuilt what was lost 1896 Jim Crow laws: a set of racist rules, separate but equal (a state by state decision as to how they applied) 1954 Brown Vs Board: desegregation of public schools, was still separate and not equal 1955 Emmett Till: Public display of his body to show how terribly he was treated; lead to a trial and a worldwide story about a 14 year old who was killed 1955-1956 Rosa Parks and Montgomery Bus Boycott: Desegregation of buses 1957 Little Rock Nine: Test case 1960 Lunch Counter Sit In: SNCC 1961 Freedom Riders: Desegregate interstate buses 1963 Birmingham: Civil rights act 1964, was a horrible time simply because they were walking the streets. This was when dogs, fire hydrants and more terrible attacked peaceful people 1963 March on Washington: Civil rights act 1964 1964 Freedom Summer: register to vote,3 people killed because they helped people register to vote 1965 Selma To Montgomery Marches: Right to vote 1965 Voting Rights Act
At the beginning of this unit we were told this would be a film heavy unit and I can tell you it definitely was. We watched movies and documentaries such as A Long Walk Home, Selma, 1968 and many other videos and movies. I found this a very effective way of learning things because it showed real life experiences. If I was reading a book I would not be able to see or relate to the things that I saw.
While we were learning all about these life changing events we were also creating the video that you saw at the beginning of the post. This video was based on one of our need to know questions which we had thought of as a class. We were put in pairs and I was happily assigned with Izzy who I haven’t really worked with recently. We decided on the question:
Why is it important for things not to be sugar coated?
We both found this a very interesting topic because as we would soon learn how much of a role the truth played in the civil rights movement. Below I’d out video layout to show what we put into the video.
Video Layout
People are scared of reality, however it is necessary to not sugar coat events such as Emmitt Till, Damiloa Taylor and Carrie Best in order to change the system.
Damilola Taylor and Emmitt Till were both murdered by white people because of their race. In both cases the deaths were covered up by the media and it wasn’t until their parents decided to spill out what really happened.
Historical:
Emmett Till who was only 14 was murdered by Roy and Milo Bryant after he whistled at a white women. His body was shown on display for all to see at a church in south Chicago, and a big crowd showed up. People brought their kids so that they could see what happened to Emmitt. Then the story was published in Jet an African American magazine that spread the story both nationally and worldwide. Emmitts mum not sugarcoating the story caused what could have been one of the first major sparks of the civil rights movement.
Current:
Damilola Taylor
Was murdered by a group of white kids and the police lied about it and said he just tripped on glass. His parents stood up and not sugar coating the whole murder. Even today there is a youth centre in honour of Damilola Taylor.
Donald Glover (this is America)
Canadian
Carrie Best
Was born on the 4th of March 1903 in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, Carrie became a civil rights activist. She was sparked by such movement as African American girls forcefully being removed from the Roseland Theatre which caused her to fight back by going to the theatre with her son, and attempting to buy a ticket for the white only area and then sitting there and forcefully being removed by the police. She did not sugar coat to her son because she knew he needed to see what happens. And though she did file a lawsuit and lost she did not give up. Carrie felt so strongly that she created one of the first Nova Scotia African American owned and published newspapers, The Clarion. For a decade, The Clarion covered many important issues and advocated for Black rights. In 1956, it was renamed The Negro Citizen and began national circulation.
Resources:
Canadian:
Websites such as the Canadian encyclopedia as well as reading the Clarion witch Carrie Best published and owned. As well as the CBC article about her, there are many articles on her we will read
Current:
Past:
We watched the movie and we can rewatch certain parts in order to get specific quotes, this will help the video. We also already have notes and a written paragraph on this subject. However we will use other websites/videos to get needed information.
Habits of mind:
We will use our past knowledge we have learned through this unit to help contribute to the project. We can relate the past situations on people not sugar coating and relate it to current situations. The past blog posts we have done will help us during the video.
ISTE standards:
We will find the needed information through technology and will also be able to use our past technology skills from the last few years and more specifically the video unit we did last year in order to create the video.
Once we knew what we wanted to say in the video we then created the script.
Script
Thesis: People are scared of reality however the un sugar coated truth is needed to change a system.
Question: If these people had sugar coated these groundbreaking moments, would the Civil Rights Movement have still advanced?
Intro:
Throughout history, ground breaking events have advanced the Civil Rights Movement and have changed multiple systems.
However, the reason these events were publicized is because individuals have un sugar coated the truth or in other words not made the truth superficially attractive or acceptable to the public.
So the real question is, if these people had sugar coated these groundbreaking moments, would the Civil Rights Movement have still advanced?
The truth is, people are scared of reality however the un sugar coated truth is needed to change a system.
Canadian:
The first example of someone who did not sugar coat the truth is Carrie Best
Carrie Was born on the 4th of March 1903 in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia,
She was first sparked to make a difference when viola davis was forcefully being removed from the Roseland Theatre.
After this experience Carrie was motivated to fight back by going to the theatre with her son, and attempting to buy a ticket for the white only area and then sitting there and forcefully being removed by the police.
She did not sugar coat to her son because she knew he needed to see what happens. And though she did file a lawsuit and lost she did not give up. Carrie felt so strongly that she created one of the first Nova Scotia African American owned and published newspapers, The Clarion. For a decade, The Clarion covered many important issues and advocated for Black rights. In 1956, it was renamed The Negro Citizen and began national circulation.
As you can see Carrie Best truly did not sugar coat the truth because she saw just how necessary it was for people to see the truth
, even her young son. It is important not be oblivious to the world around you.
Historic: Emmett Till
Another instance when the truth was unsugarcoated and resulted in a contribution towards a movement was when Emmett Till was murdered.
Emmett Till was only 14 years old when he was murdered by two white men for wolf whistling at a white women.
Emmett wasn’t the only black individual to murdered in that time period, There are so many murders that get pushed under the covers to prevent change and people are afraid to face reality.
No one knew what the outcome would be, would the movement just get pushed back?
The reason Emmett Till’s event contributed to the civil rights movement was because it was all over the media, all because of Mamie Till. She made the decision to put the body of Emmett Till on display at the funeral. People then saw the truth of what really happened and were horrified. It caused fear, and anger towards white people. Black people were woken up and realized what white people were capable of.
If the murder of Emmett Till had been pushed under covers, people would never know what really happened and realized that change needs to happen.
Modern: Damilola Taylor
A more current event of someone not sugar coating the truth was On the 27th of November 2000, when ten-year-old schoolboy,Damilola Taylor Was murdered by a group of teens.
and the police lied about it and said he just tripped on glass eventually bleeding to death even though that is not the truth
Damilola Taylor’s parents could have easily accepted this and simply grieved however, they knew what had happened to their son. And so just as Mamie Till had advocated for her son, Richard and Gloria Taylor then advocated for their son. They took to the news to express what actually happened.
After a long time finally thanks to DNA evidence it was found out that the boys who killed there son who were only 12 and 13 years old when they killed Damilola. They were then put behind bars but for only for 4 years.
,Once they knew why and how Damilola was killed, The unsugarcaoted truth was spread worldwide through the media. Gloria his mother also confronted the authorities to get their facts straight about her son since she was popular on the news and on various panels.
There is even now a BBC documentary about Damilola Taylor to spread the message of what really happened and to make society aware that racism is still a problem today
There was even a centre that was set up in 2001 in memory of Damilola Taylor. The Damilola centre is a place where youths can have fun and be away from violence. The truth that was uncovered has woken people up,and revealed imperfections in society.
Conclusion:
So seeing all of these examples of people who fought for the civil rights movement and did not sugar coat these events. Going back to the question, If these people had sugar coated these groundbreaking moments, would the Civil Rights Movement have still advanced? However from examples such as Carrie Best, Emmett Till and Damilola Taylor revealing the unwanted truth, it had made the world less oblivious to the imperfections in society.
Though people may be scared of reality and these were horrible events that should have never happened in the first place, the un sugar coated truth is needed to change a system and that is what helped improve the civil rights movement.
We can conclude that for a system to be changed, people need to take action in order to move forward.
So it was time to start creating the video, this was our first draft:
If you watched that you can see just how terribly it was and how much needed to be improved. For example we did not have time to record us which we knew we wanted for the final draft. We wanted the video to be interesting not simply a “book report”. So if you didn’t watch the final draft here it is:
Through this unit I learned so much in general. I learned how the civil rights movement changed the world so much. I learned how people are scared of reality however the un sugar coated truth is needed to change a system. Another thing I learned was just how terribly people were and are treated, that things need to start changing and the only way that is going to happen is through people making a change and influencing others to do the same. We were also able to answer our question: If these people had sugar coated these groundbreaking moments, would the Civil Rights Movement have still advanced? We figured out that no, groundbreaking events can not be sugar coated. If these people had sugar coated these events that they would not have as big of an impact as they did. In the technical aspect I learned even more how to equally work with my partner so that it was not unfair. Another video technique I learned was how to create a video that was interesting and included historical events while also not creating a book report type video.
Overall throughout the time of this unit I learned so much and it has sparked a curiosity in me to make a difference for something that I believe in and to continue to learn about the civil rights movement because it changed the way the world is today!
The story of Emmitt Till getting shot for no reason other then supposedly whistling at a white women is an infuriating one. From the beginning of this story to how the trial ended. That people for no reason at all other then there skin color have had to live in fear there entire life, segregated, and could not even look at white people does not make sense. It shows just how stupid people at that acted, and that even after the Murder was committed they still didn’t comprehend just how terrible these white men acted. After the fact however it is amazing that Emmetts mum was able to show just how wrong it was, and that people had to see what had happened to her son. This started the civil rights movement and eventually changed the system.
The story of Emmitt Till shows that when something negative/bad happens it causes people to make a stand to try and change it. To prove my point there have been multiple examples since then that have showed that this is true. One of the most prominent cases being the spark of the black lives movement. Trayvon Martin was shot by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida February 26, 2012. When Trayvon went to visit his father in a gated community, The Retreat at Twin Lakes in Sanford, Florida he did not know what he was in for. On February 26th Trayvon was walking to the corner store to get an iced tea and skittles while talking to his girlfriend. Not long after beginning his walk he realized he was being followed. He was being followed by George Zimmerman, one of the residents who was selected to patrol the grounds carrying a firearm in response to a rash of robberies and burglaries. Zimmerman phoned the police only to be told to stand put as he was not a threat. However Zimmerman decided to ignore this decision and instead shot 17 year old Trayvon Martin. This resulted in a lawsuit against Zimmerman as he had shot a boy who did nothing wrong just as Emmitt Till had done nothing wrong. However in both cases even if neither of the murderers had to deal with any consequences it did change the system.
Emmitt Till getting shot caused the world to start talking about how unfair African Americans were being treated. Showing his torn up body, his mother saying speeches nationwide and protests going on worldwide showed that a change needed to happen and people would do anything to do that. When Emmitt Till died in Glendora, Mississippi, near the Tallahatchie River on August 28th, 1955 it caused a spark of the civil rights movement.
When Trayvon Martin was shot in Sanford, Florida, on February 26th 2012 it caused the black lives matter movement to begin. When he was wrongly shot it caused people to protest, and fight against the racism that was still happening. In 2013, three radical Black organizers—Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi—created a Black-centered political will and movement building project called #BlackLivesMatter as a result of Martin being killed.. On the black lives matter website they state “Black Lives Matter is an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folks’ humanity, our contributions to this society, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression”. The black lives matter movement has effected significant change locally and nationally, including the ousting of high-profile corrupt prosecutors. It has also made people want to make a difference, and changed society. If the black lives matter movement had not started who knows if the #metoo movement would have happened comply because people now have the confidence to speak out because this movement has changed things. That not to say that racism is gone, it definitely is still very much alive however more people are speaking out and do want to make a difference.
Recently in class we have also been reading Dear Martin a book written by Nic Stone. When Justyce a teen African American boy is handcuffed and almost arrested it causes an out break. Since he was treated differently it sparked the community/ one of his school classes to start speaking up about the issue so that they could turn the negative into positive. And even though this is a fictional story it is a very real event that happens worldwide everyday.
Between these few examples (there are many more as well) you can see just how much change people can make when they want to. And when they want to is when they are outraged by a negative event that happened. So truly you can see that in some cases in order for a change a negative event has to happen.
It’s come to that time of the year again when its time to present our learning. Everything from our goals, “failures”, projects I am proud of to projects that I feel I could have done better. Through this presentation I am going to talk about how I am going to progress as a learner before the end of the school year. So to start this project I am going to talk about the humanities course.
Thinking back I realize just how much we have gone over, from the Mahnhatten Project regarding the Atomic bomb and then leading into the 50’s and communism and the crucible we have covered a lot. This year I have found all of these topics and projects interesting however one specific project I would like to talk about is the History in 5 video project. This was in accord to the Mahnhatten field school and unit. I found this a very interesting unit talking about the Cold War, the science behind the bomb, why the bomb was created and its affect on both present and past times. At first when we were learning about everything it confused me as it was a lot to take in. From learning the science behind the bomb to how all of the countries interacted with each other during the Cold War and then the many views on the subject. However thanks to the many worksheets that we filled out during the time leading up to the trip I was able to understand (for the most part) what we were learning.
And though I did eventually get to understanding everything I do wish I had asked more questions as it would have lead me to understanding the topic sooner which i feel in the end would have lead to a better learning outcome. That is one way I am going to progress as a learner by the end of the year, by asking questions to my teachers, parents and fellow students when I need help. During the project the final product was the History in 5 video and I was in a group with Claire and Simon and we looked into 5 interesting facts about the Mahnhatten Project. I feel that we did good however I wish that I had spoken up about my opinion on what we were doing more so. For example while we were at the Hanford Site and on the bus tour my group found it hard to get interviews as other groups were ahead of us or we were focusing on the area and what we had to film at each location. So in that sense I wish that I had spoken up and said that we needed to simply push forward and get the interview. I also wish that in the video itself I had memorized my script so that it would have looked better, which is one thing I would improve on if I were to do this project again. However overall I was proud of the video and the information that we included in the video.
Then there’s our PGP class, at the beginning of the year I was confused as to what this course had in store. The first aspect I would like to talk about is actually a FAIL. We were introduced to time blocking at our last PGP meeting and though I have been putting in all of my classes and most of my activities I have found it difficult to plan out my time. To actually sit down and figure out what needs to be done and when. This is one thing I would like to improve upon because in the end it will help my progress as a learner.
The next aspect I would like to talk about in PLP is something I’m proud of. We have been reading the book What do you really want? And have been filling out forms along the way. At first I didn’t understand why we were doing it and in the start I did procrastinate however once I started reading it I realized that it was helpful. For example form seven is all about goals that we want to achieve and having to actually write it out and think of them has really put things into perspective for me. From what I want to do once I graduate, to a current part job I want to get as well as other personal goals.
In this meeting I have shown you a few examples of my work and I know there are things I have to improve on to become a better learner however I’m wondering and this is a question to you, what steps I should be taking to improve my communication skills in order to further improve my learning.
As you may know by now (since I’ve been in PLP since grade 8) every winter we have an exhibition and every year it seems to change. One year we looked into Star Wars, last year we had to find stories and interview people for podcasts however this year was debatably one of the largest challenges. We were reaserching communism, the 50’s, the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller as well as more. So you may be a bit confused how this alrelates to each other as well as the exhibition, well in this blog post I will be explaining all of that.
We first started this project by first looking into the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller written in 1953 by Arthur Miller. This play was based on the Salem Witch trials which took place in Massachusetts Bay Colony during around 1692. This is story tells of a time when girls in a small town in Massachusetts were found dancing in the forest and were said to be conjuring spirits which resulted in one of the girls (Betty) to be put in a coma like state. At this time this was not socially acceptable and everyone in the community seemed to have an opinion on the topic. There are many layers to the story regarding the characters interactions with each other and how they expressed them. At one point in the story Giles Corey a professor from a nearby who new how to spot a witch came and tried to help deciliter everything and everyone started blaming each other for things they didn’t do or possibly did (who knows). Then people start to get arrested and brought into the trials and eventually even led to multiple death penalties due to the witch accusations. This is a VERY brief explanation and could have so much more information as there are so many layers and details to this story however for the purpose of this blog post that’s the general idea of simply the story.
To show some of the understating we learned through the play we wrote creative blog posts we had to right three blogs regarding three topics which we could choose from a list of ten. I chose to write first about the squestion: Abigail (one of the characters) was a strong, domineering influence on Mary Warren. When did the power or control of someone else influence you?
(click the pictures to go to the blog posts on these subjects)
And then about: Read “How to Spot a Witch”. Write a paper or create something similar to this essay on how to spot a _________. You fill in the blank: example: How to Spot a Liar. How to Spot a Surfer. Etc.
And finally to Describe a time when you have felt isolated.
Then once we had a general background of the crucible, that time period and the personalities within the book it was time to start looking into the future… the 50’s. This would all help us in the upcoming exhibit but first we had to learn how. So to learn about this topic we watched videos as well as being taught by our teachers on keynote. So here are some of the notes I took while learning all of this.
50’s
The Fifties
Baby Boom:
Following WWII, North America experiences a spike in birth rates
This generation of “baby boomers” was the result of a strong postwar economy
The US added 4.24 million new babies to the population every year between 1946 and 1964
Americans felt confident they would be able to support a larger number of children
The GI bill was a plan that allowed soldiers to come home get free schooling
Baby boomer Connections
Great Depression
Move from the farm to the city
Urgency of wartime
Gl (government issue) Bill
Civil rights movement
Vietnam War
Second wave of feminism
Growth of suburbia:
In the postwar era, many Americans moved away from cities and into suburbs, helped by the GI bill benefits that guaranteed home loans
Mass production techniques made it possible to build homes faster and cheaper than ever before
After WWII, cookie cutter homes sprang up outside metropolitan areas-not grand palaces,
Suburbia came to symbolize the “American dream”: 2.5 Kidd’s, a dog, and a house with a white picket fence
This became one of the most iconic and enduring images in American culture- and the object of both praise (as evidence of a high standard of living) and ridicule (as evidence of conformity and materialism)
The postwar exodus to the suburbs was part of a vast reorganization of power and money that affected industry, race relations, and gender roles
Two thirds of Americans lived in suburbs
William Levit
Levittown “its the good life in the suburbs”
The Eisenhower Era:
President Dwight D. Eisenhower was a popular war hero whose eight-year presidency (1953-1961) was characterized by peace and prosperity, despite Cold War tensions and nuclear anxieties
During this presidency the nation’s consumer culture flourished. Worker’s wages rose, the baby boom reached its peak and the suburbs grew rapidly
Supported the largest public works project in US history: the interstate highway system
Was the president throughout basically all of the 50’s
Interstate highway was built also for military use
The Eisenhower Era of the 1950’s was a time unprecedented economic growth and prosperity
GDP (gross domestic product) grew by an astonishing 150% during the period from 1945 to 1960
In the 1950’s, with only five percent of the world’s population, the US economy produced almost half of the worlds manufactured products
The US drove three quarters of the world cars and consumed half of the world’s energy
The Cold War framed Eisenhower’s foreign policy, frequently adopting an “us-versus-them” mindset
Eisenhower’s provided aid to dictators friendly to US interests (the Shah of Iran, Barista in Cuba) and authorized covert CIA missions to overthrow governments sympathetic to the Soviets
Did not go to war in Vietnam when communists took control in 1954, but did supply South the Vietnam with military advisers and equipment
“Kind, Gentle, Tough leader, reserved ” – the Uncle you look up to
Was the job of the president to not allow war to begin was what Eisenhower believed
Because of that military background he thought of all backgrounds and details
Presentation; perception is not always reality
Anti communism:
Revelations that spies inside the US atomic program had passed secrets to the Soviet Union set off a nationwide panic that communist spies might be infiltrating American institutions
The US government stepped up loyalty programs and purged itself of anyone deemed a security threat
Individuals believed to be particularly susceptible to bribery or blackmail, such as debtors or homosexuals, were summarily dismissed
The Rosenberg Trials
Schools and universities fired teachers whi=o refused to swear an oath that they were not communists
Even civil rights organizations like the NAACP and the Urban League moved quickly to rid themselves of communists to avoid any accusations of subversion
Although a tiny fraction of those who lost their positions were actually connected with the USSR in any way
Called the red or the red menace because the soviet flag is red
Formed in 1938, the house Committee on Un-American Activities or HUAC was a special representatives tasked with investigating subversive individuals and organizations
In the 1950s HUAC turns its attention to hunting “reds”
Allegations that Hollywood was rifle with communists led HUAC to investigate many actors, writers and directors
Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy took advantage of this widespread paranoia to advance himself politically
McCarthy relished the spotlight; for more than four year McCarthy raised against supposed communists, democrats and homosexuals
Ne never produced any evidence against anyone, but even those powerful enough to stop him didn’t because they were to scared
The use of the term McCarthyism has come to describe the practice of making unsubstantiated accusations
McCarthy finally went to far in 1954 when he initiated hearings against the US army; the televised hearings showcased McCarthys increasingly erratic behaviour and reliance on guilt ny association rather then evidence
In December 1954 the US senate voted to censure McCarthy
McCarthy died of complies alcoholism less then three years later
Destroyed by the power of television
Then with all of this knowledge it was then time to actually start the project! We first had to figure out what we actually wanted the exhibition to look like, meaning what are the main points that we learned about that we want to show, how are we going to show them and how they will all connect to each other. At first I was hesitant as to how a whole class project would work simply because of our previous class project on Lord of the Flies and just how intense everything got. However thankfully and surprisingly everything went great and as a class I feel we worked well and were able to achieve lots. In the end we decided we were going to have 6 stations and there would be 2 to 3 people at each station and then four guides that would lead people to each station. Then we were each put int our groups so that we could then figure out everyone’s characters and what physically was needed for this project, since we had such a large space to fill (the gym).
This soon changed as it was not yet approved by our teachers
I was assigned to a group with Ryan and we would be the station that shows the typical 50’s nuclear family. For mine and Ryans area we were making a nuclear family so we wanted to show a typical house and that meant I was a house wife and Ryan was the husband. We had a kid and I was pregnant as the typical family was two and a half kids (meaning one was on the way). We also mentioned in our scene consumerism as it was such a key role in the 50’s and influenced a lot of people. And as all scene mentioned it in some way, we talked about communism and related it to the following scene.Once in our groups we had to get the script done and with thanks to our script team I feel that everyone’s stations had a good script that was interesting and made sense. Here is the script of our scene so you can fully understand:
Script
Take away from the scene:
The perfect family isn’t really perfect, consumerism can take over and not everything you see is true.
Theme: conformity, status quo.
Symbol:
Camera with a picture already taken that is handed to an audience member by the guide because the guide is learning about the “nuclear family” so that they can fit in.
Roles (2)
Isobel: Susan
Ryan: Patrick
Character info
Patrick/Ryan
Costume: Nice fancy clothes, Dress shirt, Dress Pants, Tie, Fedora.
Role: Father in nuclear family
Hair + makeup: Hair gelled back
Want/need: Patrick is a veteran of WWII and after going to school and getting a good job with the GI Bill he just wants time with his family to relax and celebrate. Has no intentions to go back to war or any communist ideals.
Susan/Isobel
Costume: Dress, Pearls (Isobel has these)
Role: Mother in nuclear family
Hair + Makeup: Typical 50’s makeup, 50’s hair.
Want/need: She is a typical 50’s housewife who just wants to fit in
Setting
Description (what do we see?): 1950s cookie cutter house
Drawing (outline where stuff is):
Props (list and where getting):
Red couch – (library)
50’s Blender – (simon?)
Table – (library)
Table cloth -
Record player – (Isobel or simon)
Lamp -
Holiday lights -
Tea set – izzy
Rug -
Plant -
Chair -
Doll – Mimi
[Guide to the audience before they enter the scene]
Guide: So today we're going to visit a so called “perfect family” in the suburbs of LA. Though it doesn’t really matter what house we go to because they’re all basically the same. Anyway let's head in so you can see for yourself
[the audience and guide enter a 1950s style living room with a tv, record player, blender, and a couch to see the soldier/dad (Patrick) and his wife (Susan) sitting on the couch watching the TV. Susan is holding a small baby]
[Patrick looks up and sees the guides and audience. He smiles]
Guide:Hey Patrick, thanks a ton for hosting this party. I brought some of the new neighbours if you don’t mind
Patrick: Hey, glad to see you made it to our little bash! Everyone’s welcome in our humble little pad
Susan: Make yourself at home. Have some jello salad! [she offers a plate of jello to the guide].
[The guide accepts the jello salad, looking a little disturbed] Guide: Thanks, Susan. [Turns to Patrick] How’s the daughter?
Patrick: Well, it’ll be a miracle if she ever sleeps through the night, but we love her all the same.
[Patrick and the guide share a chuckle] Guide: Patrick, you’re a big tickle, you know that?
Patrick: Well, it is a party. Say, let me show you our new blender! Susan loves it– I expect she’ll be making jello milkshakes soon enough. Or some weird craving– she’s pregnant again, you know!
[Patrick picks up a blender from a shelf and shows it off]
Guide: Congratulations. Can I get a picture of your perfect, soon-to-be-larger family with the blender?
[takes the photo, the scene then freezes, and the guide hands the picture to an audience member]
Guide tells the audience member: Why don’t you hold onto this, it could help us blend in later on.
[Scene resumes]
Guide to Susan: So Susan, how far along are you?
Susan: We just found out a week ago. Baby Audrey’s going to be a big sister!
Guide: Well, golly gee! And Pat, how’s the job going? Are you going to be able to support all your lovely ladies?
Patrick: Sales are good! Sale are good. Everyone wants something shiny, it seems.
Guide: It has been a bleak few years. That GI Bill sure helped though, eh? Cushy sales job and a nice little house in the suburbs?
Patrick: It sure did, Charlie. We’re on cloud nine here. It’s amazing what old Ike has done for this country!
[they turn to the tv, which has been displaying a video of Eisenhower]
Guide: Oh, he’s changed things, that’s for sure. Yessiree. Big changes from Ike. [He watches the tv in silence for a few seconds, then turns back to Patrick and Susan, shaking his head a bit as if just awoken] This is a lovely party, Susan.
Susan (smiling): Why, thank you, Charlie! I’m so glad you could make it. What with the baby and all, it’s been difficult having many guests lately. [Her face saddens a bit] I guess a second baby will make it harder still.
[Patrick, seeing her sadness]: It’s alright, Susan. We won’t need so many guests when our house is full of a perfect, happy family. Why, if anything we’ll long for the peace and quiet of being alone!
Susan: I do like peace and quiet.
Guide: Especially peace, eh? I think we’re all big fans of that.
Susan: Yes, I think so. [she steps to turn off the tv, and instead puts on music] I see brought with you some of those hip and happening younguns. (turns to audience) I bet you’ve all heard the new tunes that are playing these days.
[They quiet for a few seconds to listen to the music. It’s Bing Crosby.]
Patrick: Say, have you heard about all of those people getting arrested for communism?
Guide: I didn’t even know there were communists in America
Susan: Oh, there definitely are, and people have started speaking out about it. We’ve been hearing people rally about it all day. Such an annoyance
Patrick: Just the other day my brother was accused of communism, so I can see why the two people out there are protesting. McCarthy is taking innocent people away from their families as it’s becoming a kind of witch hunt! Why don’t you go check out the rally that’s going on out there.
Guide: Maybe, we might go check it out. We do have to be on our way anyways. Have a good night you two.
[The guide leads the audience out, and they move to scene 2]
Then since we knew our stations, had our scripts and knew our characters it was time to start building!
The layout of the gym we planned for all the stations
A few of us painting a background
Some classmates painting a stop sign for the street scene
This truly was a team effort
And finally it was the night of the exhibition! Since it was also the day of the Seycove alumni basketball game we started setting up at 3 pm. This was a quick turn around as we only had until 6pm to get everything up. In that time we came across a few problems, the first and largest problem was that the wall that we were going to use as a divider to split up the sections was not working. And so we had to find a different way to split up the gym and we did that by use curtains that we hung as well as backings that are used for concerts. In the end the teachers actually thought it worked out better, and I believe it didn’t look bad either. Here are some pictures from the night:
Overall this truly was an amazing project and I learned so much. I learned about the 50’s, communism, the crucible as well as how to work in large groups and problem solve when things don’t go as planned. When things don’t go as planned you cant panic and simply give up. You have to face the problem and find a different solution, I feel that thanks to our previous Destination Imagination years that I was able to overcome these challenges that as a class we faced. In this project I truly do feel that I learned a lot and that it sparked my curiosity about the 50’s and communism. And really overall it taught me that I would be a pretty good 50’s house wife (even though at the time i may not have enjoyed it).
Have you ever been in a situation where you are influenced or peer pressured by your friends? Well many people have felt that pressure to maybe fit in with the crowd so as not to be different but why? Well there are many reasons for it, one of those reasons being that we grow up being influenced by others. Are parents influence us to act a certain way or even not act in a certain way so you are taught to be influenced. At a certain point you may and probably are being influenced without even realizing it. However not all influence is positive, sometimes it can lead to negative effects and even regrets. In the book The Crucible by Arthur Miller a good example of someone having control or influence over someone is Abigails strong influence on Mary Warren. Marry Warren was found in the forest when the girls were conjuring spirits however she did not participate because she may not have felt comfortable. However when the witch trials begin Abigail influences her to condem other witches which she knew were innocent people but Abigail basically controlled her and made her condem them up until a certain point when Abigail turns on Mary warren.
Now this may be an extreme example that involved witches and many innocent people getting hung as a result of this one girl have control over not only Mary Warren but many of the girls. However today its very easy to be influenced, I know I have. One example of when I was influenced is nothing in comparison. Last year I went to Playland with a group of friends, and we were doing all the rides and having fun and then we decided to get lunch. Now after lunch I didn’t feel great but didn’t think much of it, and then everybody wanted to go on Alien Abduction, a ride where it basic just spins you around in circles. This was when I voiced up my opinion that I wasn’t feel great and neither was another girl but everyone else said we would be fine. So I went on the ride however that was not the smartest idea, right after I proceeded to get sick as a result of being influenced by the others to go on this ride.
Here is a picture I drew of the ride:
Now this may be small in comparison to a court charge, it still is an example of the influence wether good or bad people can have on you.
In the 17th century in the town known as Salem people were worried and scared that witches were among them. In the play the crucible it tells the story of the characters and how people were blaming each other because they didn’t know who was a witch. However they did have a list of what to look for in people to see if they were witches. On that list there are things such as making a witch cake, weigh them against a stack of bibles and even as, a hard of hearing elderly women if she’s guilty. There are many different ways to spot a witch and here is Adam Goodhart a historian who wrote about how you could find a witch:
And even though this may have been relevant in the 15th to 17th century in today’s age it’s not as big somehow. So I’m going to be explaining something that will be helpful in today’s age…. How to spot a dog lover. So here is a guide that shows how you can spot a dog lover:
Five Steps to Spot a Dog Lover
How To Spot A Dog Lover Fifty percent of the United States owns dogs and that’s quite a lot but what about the other 50% how can you tell if they like dogs? How can you tell who makes up that 50% in the public? Well here are five signs to see if someone is a dog person.
Step one: If you are walking down the street and see someone staring at a dog or oohing and awing or “baby talking” to a nearby dog they are most likely a dog lover, what else would they be.
Step two: If you are walking down that same street and someone actually asks to pet a dog or take its picture they most definitely are a dog lover.
Step three: If you are at the dog park and see someone there who does not have a dog but is just hanging out there having fun they are dog lovers.
Step four: A definite sign is if someone is always talking about dogs and even goes to say that they like dogs more then people and wish that they could talk, they are a dog lover.
Step Five: If they carry dog treats with them and are prepared for any nearby dog to come up to them they love dogs and most likely even have their own dog or want one.
And here is an image/poster expressing it even more so;
Overall if you ever need help figuring out if someone loves dogs then all you have to do is follow my five simple steps and everything else will be a breeze, well excepting maybe finding a witch.
Recently in our humanities class we have been researching the atomic bombs that were created as a result of the Manhattan. A project that was put in place to create the bombs and had multiple locations throughout North America one of them being Hanford Washington. As PLP is a hands on program it was only fitting but to drive the 7 or so hours so we could truly understand what we were learning about. To here from the source and really learn so much more then if we were to simply use a textbook.
So we started the journey from Seycove to Portland. And once in Portland we went to one of the greatest shops in the world (at least in my opinion)….. Powell’s Book store. The largest book store in the world takeing up a full city block storing as many books as you can imagine. Now I’ve been to this store a few times before (once spent 5 hours in one day there) however with the PLP it was a little bit of a different experience. While we were there we had a few tasks that we had to complete. The first was to pick a book that had to do with a hobby we were interested in but was something that was kind of quirky. I chose this book called Canine Confidential by Marc Betkoff, I chose this because not only do I have two dogs but I love animals in general and may even become a vet tech when I graduate.
The next challenge we had to complete was finding a book with a weird title and then recreating it in a picture form. I was in a group with Izzy, Mimi and Kate. We found a book called billion dollar whale and well that caused for a very funny and interesting book cover recreation. Here is the book and then the video is our picture.
While we were in Portland for the one night we also went to see Mamma Mia 2 which was so fun because it was in an old elementary school so not like your regular old movie theatre. But since it was such a short trip we didn’t spend a lot of time in Portland. However before we left Portland in the morning we were able to visit Reed College where there is a current reactor in use that we got to see! This was so amazing to see and was truly a once in a lifetime experience.
Then there was a lot of driving but we also got to see some amazing sights such as a lookout point over the Columbia River.
And as we looked on our itineraries we learned that not far away across the river in Washington we would be visiting a museum called Maryhill art Museum which is an amazing museum containing Augustin Rodin a famous sculpture work as well as much more. At the museum we also had an activity to complete and that was to find something in the museum that made us curious and the explain it in a video. Here is my video:
Then it was on to actually Hanford and the Manhattan Project. On this trip we went on multiple tours which all happened to be very interesting. The first tour was about the Hanford area before the project and was led by two men who actually worked on the site. This was truly interesting and taught me a lot. Plus we were able to film a lot for our video on this tour. As this was a trip that was to teach us more about the Manhattan Project and allowed us to learn so much and get on site filming, if you want to see the result of this unit read this blog post.
The next day we went on another tour about the actual Manhattan Project and we even got to go to the B-Reactor which was actually used during the Manhattan project. This was an amazing experience to be able to see where people actually worked as this project affected so many peoples lives in positive and negative ways which are still to this day very controversial.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
But really the highlight of this whole trip was…. Endless shrimp at Red Lobster. This was quite an event that we were preparing for weeks in class (not really but kind of). This is a PLP tradition and a lot of people try to see how many they can eat. And though two kids ate 142 shrimp I was not able to reach that “standard” but rather achieved 80 which I’m still both proud and ashamed of myself for.
Overall this was a truly amazing project and trip in general that even though it was a short one it taught me a lot and gave me experiences that are definitely once in a life time.
Isolation is described as the state of feelingalone and without friends or help. Have you ever felt that way? I’m sure a lot of people have including myself. My reason behind being isolated is because I’m different. Everyone always says “being different is good and makes you an individual’ and that’s true it is good.
However sometimes if you are different from everyone else in a group you can feel isolated as a result of it. In the crucibles (a play written in 1953 but date back to 1692/93) there is a character named John Proctor who is extremely isolated “hardly left his farm in the last seven months”. This isolation is because not only does he live far out of town but he also had an affair with a girl named Abigail and so he wants to prove to his wife that they are no longer together.
This is a situation that I can partially relate and the reasons for that is though I have never had a love affair I do live far away from the school which in the past has made me feel isolated. However as the years have gone on it’s not a big deal anymore. An isolation that has more so effected me is my religion. I am a Jehovah Witness which means that I am “different” from a lot of people. Lots of holidays such as Christmas or Halloween I do not participate in because my and religion does not believe in them. This has caused me to be isolated from my peers because it can feel that you aren’t being included by your friends or even at school. However I believe in my religion and have been able to make these small sacrifices of being “different” from my peers in order to worship my religion.
This is a picture I drew in sketches pro that shows what it can feel like. That everyone else is doing there things together and you are being different amongst the crowd.
Overall being isolated or different may be difficult at times things do get better and there are positives as a result of that feeling of isolation
The Manhattan Project was a project that changed the world how we know it today. But what is the Manhattan Project? Well here is a video that explains a little bit about it and then goes further to explain five interesting facts about it:
Through that video you learned five interesting facts but would you believe the fact that myself and two other students made it? Well we did, we had a whole unit on the Manhattan Project and in this blog post I will be explaining exactly what we did and how we eventually got around to making this video (plus the steps of making the video).
We started the Unit off by reading a chapter of a book called Hiroshima; The Worlds Bomb and read a chapter about why the bomb dropped. The bomb that was dropped on Japan in Hiroshima and Nagasaki was dropped because after/at the end of WWII there was a strong tension between the United States and Japan and the Americans very racist towards the Japanese. The Americans also felt that it would show the Soviet Union what they could do.
We then listened to an NPR podcast called Seeing the Horror of Hiroshima that showed a perspective and is an interview of someone who actually had to endure through this bomb. I found this interview very eye opening and it made me realize how many people it effected. However at this point of the unit I still wasn’t sure what to think of the bomb because some think it was a positive while others say it ended so many lives. I also wasn’t sure why it actually happened but little did I know that was all soon to come.
To learn more about the Mahnhatten Project we first had to know what it was. So we discussed in class what it was and how it was the manufacturing of the bomb and then the final step was the actual bombing. Here are the notes I took in class that really helped me understand everything:
Hanford Notes
The Manhattan Project
Developing the atomic bomb
WWII saw the development of new technology to fight war
Radar, sonar, pesticides, communication, medicine
Thousands of people involved in the project did not know what was going on, knew there work but no one else’s
Manhattan project takes place across North America
What?
is a us government project to develop the first atomic bomb during WWII, 1941-1946
Manhattan project is a code name to keep the project concealed
Involved 600,000 people and cost more then 2.2 billion yet it remained too secret throughout WWII
Project research and productions sites took place all across the US and Canada
The site we are going is a production site
Why does FDR want to spend so much money if it may not work. Because they want to be the first to do it and Germany was also in the midst of creating weapons
Germans had early break through in technology
Albert Einstein
in 1939 German scientist were the first scientist to split an atom
Einstein wrote a letter to president Franklin Roosevelt warning that Germany was developing technology that could be us3d to create an atomic bomb
He urged FDR that the US needed to do likewise and encouraged the USA to step up research and development
President Roosevelt
Roosevelt wrote Einstein back informing him that he set up a committee to begin atomic research
FDR believed that they could not wait and allow Hitler to have the power of developing the first atomic war
The project was not even funded by congress, they didn’t know. But was rather funded by the presidents private accounts
Project site
Army corps or engineers’ Manhattan District oversaw the project, led by General Leslie R. Groves
Research and production sites were located all across the United States
The sites they choose should be remote for peoples safety and so people can’t see what’s happening
Laboratories and manufacturing facilities were secretly constructed just for the project
Several Canadian sites made critical contributions to the project
Hanford Richland (is the uranium production, creating the stuff used in bombs) (where we are going)
Oak ridge (Manhattan district HQ)
Los Alamos (Project Y- Lab testing)
J. Robert Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer joined the Ernest Lawrence radiation lab at Berkeley
He is in charge of the science and is the director in los Alamo’s
In June 1942 he was appointed the scientific director of the project
He managed over 3000 people and is often referred as the father of atomic bombs
Many years later he regrets creating it and thinks of it as “Pandora’s box’
Enrico Fermi
Born in Italy, fermi was the first to create a nuclear fission chain reaction, which was critical to creating the atomic bomb
In 1944 he joined the Manhattan project
Ernest Lawrence
during WWII Lawrence was in charge of electromagnetic separation work as oak ridge which provided uranium 235 for the atomic bomb
His nick name was the ‘atomic smasher’
Was the man who best understood the potential of atomic energy
The trinity test
on July 16, 1945 the first atomic bomb was exploded at the Alamogordo air base near Albuquerque NM
They needed to test if the bomb would work so they did in NM
A ball of fire rose rapidly followed by a mushroom cloud extending to 40000 feet
It carried more energy then they excepted
Was considered a success
Was the worlds first atomic explosion
After president Harry Truman received word of the successful test, he knew the atomic bomb would be a huge advantage in WWII
The Manhattan project has spies all throughout the project that is giving info to Germany
Invasion of Japan
Japan does not follow the traditional laws of war
Japanese soldiers would sacrifice themselves to win
US war plans for the invasion of the Japanese home islands estimated that 1 million me would be required to invade and capture Tokyo
Casualties were predicted to be at least 35%
On July 25,1945, Truman warned Japanese to surrender or face a terrible weapon
Japan has an attitude that they will never surrender
Use of atomic bombs in WWII
The plane is called Enola Gay
Truman made the depiction to use the atomic bomb in the war with Japan; two more were created by the project
The uranium “little boy” bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945
The plutonium “fat man” bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August 9, 1945
After the second bomb is dropped Japan believes that another bomb will drop so japan surrenders
New York Times front cover of everyone finding out about the atomic bomb
The atomic bomb took 43 seconds to destroy Hiroshima
4.4 square miles flattened
80,000 people killed instantly
Peoples bodies would disappear because of the heat
In Nagasaki, 40,000 killed instantly;60,000 wounded
On August 13, 1945 Japan formally surrendered to the US
On Truman’s desk he had a sign that said “the buck stops here” meaning it was his decision
People aren’t sure if Truman made the right decision
Is still very controversial
The creation of the atomic bomb brought about a. Swift end to WWII but showed the seeds of a new conflict: the Cold War
In the after math right away Americans were proud however after about a year when pictures were released Americans weren’t sure and didn’t realize that they could do that to humans
Canada and the Manhattan Project
British Columbia
Comminco retrofitted an existing plant and producing heavy water
Trails heavy water production started in January 1944 and continued until 1956
Ontario
the chalk river site was designed to be away from an urban area
An entirely new community was built at deep rover Ontario to provide residences and facilities for the team members
A pilot reactor known as ZEEP became the first Canadian reactor and the first
North west territories
the eldorado mine at port rafium became the source of uranium ore for the Manhattan project
In 1939 ore from eldorado had been used in the first chain reaction experiments. Scientist had found ore from eldorado contained a rich store or uranium oxide and were successful as a source of nuclear energy
The eldorado mine was secretly expropriated by Canadian government in 1943-1944
Uranium ore from the mine was used in the atomic bomb developments of 1945
Cold War
It is called the Cold War because there is no active fighting
Edward Teller
Nuclear energy
Is called nuclear energy because it comes from the nucleus
Nuclear energy is used in medicine
If nuclear reactions are not controlled an explosion will happen and thus cause radiation
Nuclear is a big debate as to whether it’s good
Nuclear energy when controlled can be a useful source for areas such as medicine
When not controlled an explosion will happen and thus cause radiation in cells
Overall nuclear energy is a debate as to whether it is a positive or negative
Is a relatively new idea of splitting an atom
Atoms are made of Protons, neutrons and electrons
strong nuclear force holds protons and neutrons together
A nuclear reaction derives its destructive force from the relationship between protons and neutrons, releasing vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter
People are scared because it is humans in charge of splitting atoms and they make mistakes
Nucleus is made of neutrons and positively charged protons, both surrounded by orbiting electrons
Electrons are negatively charged
Electromagnetism holds electrons in orbit
Most atomic nuclei are stable, but a few are Gand these nuclei spontaneously emit particles that scientists refer to as radiation
Physics as a Weapon
Weapons of mass destructions
From chemistry to nuclear power
Elements combined into compounds (atoms become molecules) release electro magnetic energy as heat, light, etc.
Before 1945 all weapons used this chemistry (explosives, napalm, toxins, etc.)
Nuclear weapons use strong nuclear force for destruction
More powerful then any chemical reaction
Plutonium is a man made chemical that is made of uranium
Uranium in plutonium out
Canada has lots of uranium which is key to creating plutonium
Centrifuges extract the small percentage of the isotopes
Centrifuges are big
Releasing nuclear energy
There are two basic ways that nuclear energy can be released from an atom:
Nuclear fission: the nucleus of an atom is split into two smaller fragments with a neutron
Nuclear fusion: the bringing together of two smaller atoms to form a larger one
In either process, large amounts of heat
Nuclear fission was discovered by Enrico Fermi in the 1930’s
Fermi demonstrated that elements subjected to neutron bombardment could be transformed into new elements
Uranium isotope U-235 is one of the few materials that can undergo induced fission
Instead of waiting more then 700 million years for uranium to naturally decay, the elements can be broken down much faster if a neutron runs into its nucleus
The nucleus will absorb the neutron without hesitation, become unstable and split immediately
When it melts down it creates large amounts of radiation
Chain reaction: polymer
Story spine for video
Once upon a time there was a town called white bluffs in rural Washington, one day it disappears
Everyday Germany was talking about creating an atomic bomb for the war but America wanted to make one first
Because of that family’s were forced to leave there town
Because of that Hanford was created, an atomic workplace that was a brand new community
Because of that atomic bomb was made however workers did not know they were creating was a bomb
Until finally the the bombs dropped in Japan and World War II finally ended as a result of one small town changed the world
Now I know that is a lot of information to comprehend but I’m going to break it down. the Manhattan Project was a US government run project that developed the first Atomic bomb that took place across North America. This was a top secret project lead by J.Robert Oppenheimer but was funded by President Roosevelt’s private account as it was so top secret. The project took place in three major place, Los Alamos, Oakridge and Hanford (wher our trip in a few weeks would happen). As we were actually going to one of the places we needed to learn what type of people would have worked there so we were assigned to play the game Secret City; Los Alamos. This showed what it would have been like at the time and was actually really interesting.
Through the game we were able to see and meet people who would have actually worked there which lead us to our next mini project within the unit. While our teachers were away on another trip we were supposed to research someone who was involved in the Manhattan Project and create a character card on them. I researched Elizabeth Rona a scientist. Here is my character card:
We also had to create a news reel about the nuclear bomb being dropped on Japan in a style that would have fit that time period. We found out what that would have looked like by looking at examples of news reels that actually happened. We were supposed to take that samse theme and put it in what our point of view on when the bomb dropped. So after a couple try’s here is our news’s reel:
While all of this was happening we also were in video groups (my group was Claire,Simon and me) preparing for our trip creating the video you saw at the beginning of this blog post.
This video was based off of a video created by an author advertising her book. She explains five facts about women who worked on the Manhattan Project and so in our videos we had to include five interesting facts about the Manhattan project and more specifically the Hanford site. Here was the video it was based off:
We were supposed to create a script and record anything we could from seycove. Our teachers really enforced being prepared as in past trips some times we are a little unprepared. So we wrote a script however after we reviewed it we released it needed to be updated so here is our final draft of our script:
Script
Introduction:
On January 16, 1943 two thousand people were told that they would have to leave their homes because the government was taking control of the Hanford area. Little did these people know but that area would soon become the home of the largest production of plutonium in order to create an atomic bomb for a project called the Manhattan project. The Manhattan project was led by J. Robert Oppenheimer as he was instructed by president Theodore Roosevelt to develop an atomic bomb before Germany created one. Hanford would soon be a huge contributor to the production of the atomic bomb, in this video you will learn 5 interesting facts about Hanford!
Point 1:
Before WWII many women didn’t work because working was the man’s job. With so many soldiers going off to fight in WWII women were needed to work and this included working on the Manhattan project. Women weren’t just hired as secretaries but had a wide variety of roles that needed to be filled such as doctors, teachers, cryptographers, machine operators, chemists and even the women’s army corps. However even after the advance in women’s roles women were still underpaid, under recognized and overworked compared to men who had the same jobs. The Manhattan project in general was very secretive however women were kept in the dark even more so than men.
Point 2:
The main job at Hanford was to create large quantities of plutonium for the atomic bombs. Plutonium is a highly radioactive material and is very dangerous to work with. The radiation causes DNA damage in tissue, which then boosts the risk of cancer so, many safety precautions had to be put into place to keep everyone safe and healthy. They had to detectors to detect the amount of radiation at the site to make sure it was safe for everyone. Nose swabs were also in use to detect the inhalation of plutonium dust. They tried to make it as safe as possible but most people who worked their were over exposed to the radiation and had gotten cancer at some point in their life because of it.
Point 3:
As DuPont was the manufacturing company in charge of producing plutonium they were also in charge of acquiring the workers to build the plant. Because of the urgency to get everything built DuPont hired approximately 15,000 African Americans. To express the massive increase in African Americans in Pasco a surrounding town in 1940 the African American population jumped from a mere 27 people to just under 1000 in 1950. This meant that out of the approximately 50,000 workers at Hanford 10 percent or 5000 people were African Americans. However as this was still the 1940’s there was still a major fact of racial segregation happening. In Hanford approximately only 20 percent of restaurants would serve African Americans. DuPont was also not prepared for that amount of African Americans and as a result only had one barrack building (a housing building for military personal) and one bunkhouse so many African Americans had to find there own housing. However aside from all of the segregation African Americans were allowed to eat in the dining halls with the whites.
Point 4:
As you may know the Manhattan Project was a top secret project that very few people knew about. There were over 50,000 employees who worked at Hanford and they didn’t know exactly what they were working on and couldn’t tell anyone what they did. Lie detector tests became a common practice to make sure people weren’t sharing information. The authorities made strict warnings to punish anyone who disclosed the secrets of the project. Some punishments included up to 10 years in prison or a $10,000 fine which is equal to about $150,000 today. Many billboards and signs were put up to remind people not to disclose any information and warn them of the consequences if they did.
Point 5:
DuPont was the manufacturer for the plutonium in Hanford and at first they didn’t want to produce it because after WWI they were known as “war profiteers” for producing gun powder so the US government said it would belong to them and that its fee would be only one dollar. Originally the plutonium production was supposed to be manufactured in Oak Ridge however DuPont felt that this would not be a safe location as it was to close to Knoxville as well as being close to electromagnetic and gaseous diffusion plants. Thus a team went travelled through Washington, Oregon and California and in the end decided that Hanford would be the safest location for manufacturing plutonium.
Conclusion:
Soon after WWII Hanford’s nuclear production complex was decommissioned. The work in Hanford with plutonium caused damage to the environment and is the home to 79% of all nuclear waste in the United States. Hanford is currently the most contaminated nuclear site in the United States and is the focus of the nations largest environmental clean up. In 2015 Hanford was made part of the Manhattan Project National Historical Park and you can visit it today.
Then it was time to go on our trip! We knew exactly what shots we needed, where we wanted to film and who we wanted to interview (even though in the end we didn’t get all the interviews we thought we would get). And so when we got home we were able to make our first draft which wasn’t to bad but definitely had its problems (you’ll see the difference from the one at the beginning)
At the beginning of this project we were asked the question: How did the development of the atomic bomb affect the lives of those living in the Hanford area and what role did they play in ushering in the atomic era? I believe that bomb changed the lives of the Hanford citizen massively because the development of the atomic bomb took up the entire town. This development which caused the town to be cleared lead to the atomic era which may or may not have led to the Cold War. Over all this was a truly interesting unit that I really enjoyed learning about. And even though half the time I still wasn’t sure I entirely understood the science (felt like I was in chemistry class) I learnt a lot!
