"America I Am"

     After viewing the exhibit "America I Am" we think that it gives an insight on what Americans and America is like and was like. Also it talks about what America and Americans fought for and believed in. Thurgood Marshall said America has no choice but to do better and it shows how America can only move up they were already failing or at the bottom. Also Martin Luther King Jr said "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere" and that quote talks about how blacks went through racism and when one person has injustice the whole world has injustice. American Martin Luther King extended peace to other countries which shows that Americans are good people. Also Fredrick Douglass said that serving in the army shows that blacks are citizens because they fought for their country. Also the Union League was a political group formed by black men and they educated black men and gave them power to campaign for their rights. These show what Americans fought for what they believed in by using their rights. America made the 13, 14, and 15 amendments and they gave slaves citizenship and the right to vote to black. This shows what America is like and they realize that America cares about their citizens. The "America I Am" exhibit talks about citizens and America.

American I Am

         After viewing the exhibit "America I Am", I  think that it means that we are the past, present, and future of our country.  I think this because all of the events and time periods (mainly African American events) that other African Americans had to go through led up to us, and it is us who will continue to help this country succeed.  I know this because in the exhibit it talked about how MLK's speech had "all men are created equal, which was from the Declaration of Independence.  Also, many other African Americans used the quote from the Declaration of Independence that all men have certain unalienable rights showing that they think deserve certain rights.  Also, in the exhibit the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments basically freed slaves and gave them major rights showing how we made major steps in becoming free.  Another example is that Shirley Chisholm ran for president which is another major step leading up to us.  The last example is of Michael Jordan's jersey because he achieved a lot both on and off the court through his play and endorsements, showing the success of African Americans in this country.

         Overall, I think this exhibit is worth seeing because it allows us to learn about our pasts.  At times, it seems boring and seemed sort of long, but maybe that was just me.  Some points were interesting like when I saw the jersey of Michael Jordan.  If I could add something I would add more hands-on activities.  I would recommend this to other people, but I wouldn't go again because to me things aren't as fun after you've seen it once.

The Possibility of a History Standardized Test

     If we were to have a standardized test in History I wouldn't agree with it.  Although, having a history test has a lot of pros it also may have a lot of cons.  One of its pros is that it tests our knowledge in that subject, and helps teachers find better ways to get certain objectives across to the students, so they can better understand it.  It also helps contribute to the administrators who determine, which teachers may be effective or ineffective.  Another pro is that it helps students' test-taking skills.  Lastly, it helps students be able to focus on what they need to study, and may motivate some students to work harder.

    There are many pros but also many cons to standardized testing.  One of the major cons to standardized testing is that students may feel stressed or over tested, possible causing them to do worse on tests.  Also, this may affect the curriculum because the teacher would have to focus more on the test than on curriculum. That already happens in a lot of my core classes that have standardized tests because they begin to focus more on the tests than on anything else.  Also, like many other tests the items on the test may not have actually been taught or may not even be in the curriculum.  Overall, a standardized test in history may cause more stress among students and teachers, and can limit teaching time.

Tuskegee Airman Lessons

     The Tuskegee Airman have gone through many challanges to become pilots. They persevered and worked hard. For example Benjamin Davis persevered by people not talking to him for 4 years and he still graduated and became an Tuskegee Airman. We also learned that anything is possibl and if you work hard and fight through it you can make it. The Airman fought through all the racism and doubts to become full blown pilots. Tuskegee Airman also show that african americans can be smart because all the airman finished college and did very well on their test. These are only some of the lessons that the tuskegee airman can show you and there are many more.

Tuskeegee Airmen

            We can learn many lessons from the Tuskeegee Airmen.  We can learn to persevere and to fight what for what we feel is right.  We can also learn that all people are equal.  For example, Ben Davis was at West Point's training field and nobody talked or really even cared about him but he soon graduated due to his pereseverance.  Also, in the movie the Tuskeegee Airmen were supposedly late for their morning session because the white people changed the time, but hrough perseverance they were able to achieve their goals.  Overall, the Tuskeegee Airmen decided to fight for the nation that didn't honor or respect them, which shows that they fought for what was right.  I know that all people are equal because in the movie the blacks had in their mind that they were equal to others (mainly caucasians), and they were able to show it through their training and also what they helped in the war.

The Awesome Dorie Miller Portrait

     Dorie Miller was a third class mess attendant. He was a member of the USS West Virginia on the battle at Pearl Harbor. His ship was attacked by Japanese fighter pilots and he saved his captain. He took an unmanned gun and shot at least one of the the Japanese fighter jets down. He was a true hero he did not leave the gun until someone told him to leave. That is a true hero and on May 1942 he was awarded the Navy Cross. Dorie Miller died in 1943 on the Liscome Bay which none of the passengers on board lived. Dorie Miller is still remembered today and always will be remembered. The painting was made in 1943 and the artist is David Stone Martin.

Dorie Miller Portrait

Dorie Miller was born in Waco, Texas.  He joined the Navy as a third class Mess Attendant.  During the attack on Pearl Harbor, when the U.S.S. West Virginia, was shot at he immediately went into action.  He came up from his spot in the Mess Hall, and carried his injured captain to safety, manned a gun, along with shooting down at least one enemy plane.  Due to his heroics, he was awarded the Navy Cross in May of 1942.  In 1943, when the Liscome Bay went down, so did he.  His legacy helped to increase the African American moral, and the amount of African Americans in the military.

Year Made: 1943

Artist: David Stone Martin