Video

Okay, so I know we studied about Native Americans a long while ago, but I felt that this video is interesting to look at. I found it on Tyler Oakley's Tumblr blog.

Unfortunately, The sound gets cut off somewhere near the end.

And here is where I found it:

http://tyleroakley.com/post/103854415464/mx-ro-brown-likeme-nizhonibird

Perspectives on the United States from Around the World

Here are some different perspectives on America from different countries.

Although this article is about 7 years old, I feel that it could still apply to today (the graphs, charts, and tables):

http://www.pewglobal.org/2007/03/14/americas-image-in-the-world-findings-from-the-pew-global-attitudes-project/

Here's a more recent article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/01/11/who-loves-and-hates-america-a-revealing-map-of-global-opinion-toward-the-u-s/


I also found a video in which Andrew Kohut explains views on how the world sees America in important aspects:

I found another (fun) video about what Australians think of America:

And I found yet another video on what everyday Pakistanis think of America (I highly recommend watching this one):

Here's the last video:

Songs About The Civil Rights Movement

Anybody who knows me well (mostly my friends) knows that I have a love for music. I believe it is the best way to express yourself, your emotions, and your thoughts. You can hear and feel the emotion behind the lyrics the person sings and how they sing it.

After Victoria and Ms. Andrews have shown us two songs about the Civil Rights Movement, I felt inspired to write this post.

As I searched the internet, I found a list of top 10 songs about the Civil Rights Movement:

http://www.thenation.com/blog/165627/top-ten-civil-rights-songs

I have listened to most of the songs, and they are wonderful. Some of the videos do not work, so I recommend finding them on YouTube.

I managed to find a video of Bob Dylan performing "The Times They Are A-Changin". It is one of the videos that do not work in the link:

"This was definitely a song with a purpose...The civil rights movement and the folk music movement were pretty close for a while and allied together at that time," Dylan said. He wanted to write a song that was an anthem of change for the moment. The song was supposedly politically out of date almost as soon as it was written, but Dylan released it anyway.

I also happen to be a big Beatles fan and proud of it. However, I did not know that the song "Blackbird" was about the Civil Rights Movement, which was an interesting find:

Paul McCartney himself stated in an interview that it was about the Civil Rights Movement. He was inspired to write it while he was in Scotland as a reaction to racial tensions rising in the U.S.

 "I remembered this whole idea of 'you were only waiting for this moment to arise' was about, you know, the black people's struggle in the southern states, and I was using the symbolism of a blackbird. It's not really about a blackbird whose wings are broken, you know, it's a bit more symbolic," Paul recalled.

Near the end of his performance of "Blackbird" during his solo acoustic set in the Driving USA Tour, a young black woman sang the final lyrics, "You were only waiting for this moment to arrive, Blackbird fly...", and the program went to commercial.

For anyone who does not know, "bird" is British slang for girl, meaning"blackbird" is a synonym for "black girl".

Although it was not written about the Civil Rights Movement, I feel that "Let It Be" was a good song to have listened to at the time, to instill hope.

Anyways, here is my extra little contribution to things relating to the Civil Rights Movement. I hope you enjoy the songs!

Peace & Love


References:

The Times They Are a-Changin' (song):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times_They_Are_a-Changin%27_(song)

Blackbird (Beatles song):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbird_(Beatles_song)

So, this song...

In class, Ms. Andrews introduced us to a song called "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday. I have to admit, it kind of scared me. The way she was describing the "strange fruit" made it sound creepy, and I'm sure this was one of her reasons for this song; to open people's eyes to the horror of lynching. I sure felt that way. Don't get me wrong, though; I like it. She used a good metaphor. And her voice is beautiful.

Primary Sources of the Civil Rights Movement

Here are some videos I found relating to the Civil Rights Movement. The Little Rock Nine was a case from during the CRM that intrigued me, so I found two videos for it:

History of the Civil Rights Movement:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URxwe6LPvkM


Montgomery Bus Boycott:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHFPH79Iaoo


The Little Rock 9:

Short
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oodolEmUg2g

Extended
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xERXusiEszs

The Little Rock 9 was a group of nine African-American high school students who were admitted to Little Rock Central High because of their high grades. This was on part of a federal court order to desegregate the school, and the school accepted. Arkansas Governor Orval E. Faubus was a man supported by African-Americans; he was a moderate "by Southern standards". In his last election, however, his opponents were tougher, and he wanted to be re-elected as governor. One way he could accomplish this was to keep segregation within the state. The night before school started, he made the decision to mobilize the state's National Guard to keep the African-American students from going to school.

When only 8 of the African-American students arrived at school, the National Guard turned them away. Elizabeth Eckford, the ninth of the Little Rock 9, walked by herself on her way to school, but on her way there, she encountered a mob, who was yelling insults at her as she made her way.

Then-president Eisenhower placed a court order in response to this, forcing Faubus to withdraw the guardsmen and allow the Little Rock 9 to go to school. When they returned to school, a group of segregationists blocked the students' entry. Eisenhower nationalized the Arkansas National Guard to protect the Little Rock 9 for the rest of the school year.

U.S. History - Chapter 2 Reflection

What caught my interest while reading Chapter 2 was a fact I never knew: Christopher Columbus sailed to the Americas during the Renaissance. Throughout the history classes I have taken, I was never told of or aware of this. I took AP European History in the 10th grade, and even then my teacher at that time did not tell us this fact

I also wondered how the people living in that time figured gold is worth so much. It became widely popular as currency and spread widely throughout countries.

Update!

I need to start updating my blog more often. I haven't had time to due to other assignments I have for other classes. Let's begin again!