Julie (U.S. History)

Boomer Interview

Question: What impact did Vietnam, Watergate, and Ronald Reagan have on Americans?

Interviewing Mr. Day for the 'Boomer Oral History' gave me a different perspective I had yet to see during our Vietnam Era unit. First hand accounts are much more personal and bring the discussion of war home. At the end of the war, Mr. Day was thirteen years of age. When asked what political events shaped him in the '70s and '80s, he touched upon a number of topics. He talked about Reagan's election in depth, revealing how he was embarrassed to have voted for him at the time. Like many Americans, Mr. Day was struck by Reagan's ability to talk infront of a crowd. The inspirational words spoken by the older candidate captured Mr. Day, who wanted to believe his country was as powerful as it was said to be. He discussed Reagan's assisnation and how it shook the country's foundation. Another issue brought up was the Iran-Contra. At the time, he was in highschool where four or five Iranian exchange students attended classes with him and his peers. He admitted to discriminating against them, and threatening to hurt them. At the time, harsh feelings were held against the group of students because of the Contra scandal. When I asked him how his parent's felt on the issue, he told me they rarely talked about it. He is liberal while his mother is a republican. Conflicting beliefs made it difficult for them to talk about the Vietnam War. From readings/ class dicussions, I have learned that Americans shut their minds to the Vietnam War after it ended. Embarrassed, stunned, and confused, citizens did not wish to talk about recent events. Mr. Day agreed with this fact- his friends and teachers rarely discussed the war and the aftermath. When questioned about the era of "turmoil" (the 1970s), Mr. Day responded by saying "each decade can be considered a time of turmoil". He believes that every decade has it's problems, both big and small. The '70s had problems of huge proportions. Mr. Day is a history major, so I thought it to be a good idea to talk to him about the Vietnam Era and it's impact on Americans. Though he was a young man at the time, his life was largely impacted by the fighting overseas. It is definetly more interesting to listen to someone share a first hand experience than read from the textbook. However, the experiences Mr. Day shared with me seemed as if they were ripped straight from the text of 'People in a Nation'.

quick summary

My topic is the Jonbenet Ramsey murder case and I will attempt to examine all aspects of the case: ransom notes, case documents, interviews with the parents, and more. The fundamental question I am trying to answer is: how does this case reflect on American society? Jonbenet Ramsey was six years old in 1996 when she was murdered in her own home. This case is one of the most recent 'perfect crimes' in American history. To this day, a suspect has not been charged for the brutal death of the pageant girl. Throughout the years, Patricia and John Ramsey (mother and father to Jonbenet) have been under speculation. John Mark Karr is a man who recently claimed to have killed Jonbenet. After DNA results proved him to be lying, there are no suspects involved in the case. This is where the media comes in. Wanting a few minutes of fame, several people have come forth, claiming to have killed the young girl. So far, each claim has been a false alarm.
The case reflects both negatively and positively on the American society. Because of the overwhelming attention from the media, the word has been spread to citizens of America. This increases the chances of finding the killer, as well as spreading awareness. Negatively: despite the attention from America, a killer has still not been found. Does this reveal weaknesses of the FBI? Also, why was there so much attention from the media? Was it because of her position as a pageant girl? Did her appearance appeal to the American eye, and drive even more attention?

online sources:
1. http://www.cnn.com/US/9712/26/ramsey.year.later/
2. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/jonbenet/jonbenet_casefile.html
*http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/ransom1.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/jonben-t-ramsey
3. http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/08/28/ramsey.arrest/index.html

books:
1. "death of a little princess"- Carlton Smith

challenges faced to date:
i have not had trouble finding information on Ramsey herself, though it has been difficult finding varied information. each site appears to give me a biography of Ramsey before her murder. i have had to dig deeper in order to find forensic sites, etc.

Research Topic

1. JonBenét Ramsey
2. I am interested in this topic because it remains a mystery to this day. I would like to find out what makes the perfect crime, what keeps this case from being solved, and the possible motives for killing the young girl. I might also do specific research on 'false alarms'- people who claimed to have killed Ramsey, when they did not (John Mark Karr)
3. keywords: JonBenet Ramsey, kidnapping, perfect crime, John Mark Karr, murder case
4. connections: JonBenet and Karr, murder and clues, family involvement (?) and evidence

biblio so far:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JonBenét_Ramsey
http://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/famous/ramsey/index_1.html

September 9th, 1925

Dear Journal,
It ain’t an easy life- this life I’m livin’ now (if you can call it livin’). Each day is spent wanderin’ the streets, pickin’ leftovers and half eaten sandwiches from sidewalk barrels. I guess the old saying’s true: you don’t know what you got til it’s gone. Well, what I had was almost nothin’. It’s hard to appreciate your blessin’s when you barely have any. But those days seem like gold compared to now. I find it hard to keep track of time, but I can guess it was about three weeks ago my parents sent me here. It was a humid August night. As me, Mum, and Pop sat around the dinner table, they told me I was to see my grandfather out west. I had never met him before, but my parents talked him up like he was God. A house big enough to host four families. A kitchen so full, you’ll never go hungry. I looked forward to meeting my long lost relative, who appeared to be my one way ticket out of poverty. That night I packed everything I owned (which isn’t much): an old, flannel shirt with holes in the collar and arms, a toothbrush, and of course my most prized possession: a pocket watch given to me by my father when I “became a man”. I guess to him ten years old is the coming of age. With everythin’ packed, I stared into my filthy mirror. Starin’ back at me was a boy who needed change; a boy who was a great burden to his parents; a boy in search of a better life. Ol’ Grampy was waitin’ for me on the other side of the country and I was more giddy than a little girl on Christmas Eve.
The next morning, Pop walked me to Johnny’s Whistle Stop, the closest train station. Unable to buy me a ticket, he told me the best way to travel was hoppin’ trains- “the cheapest adrenaline rush around”. I was surprised to hear the eight thirty train roll in on time; my heart was poundin’ so loud, I swear the conductor heard it. Huey Long, the man who put so much time and work into that very railroad, would have been disgusted to see my next move. In a matter of moments, my pop had left me alone. It was me and the tracks. There was nothin’ left to do besides wait. As more and more passengers filled the train, my palms grew more clammy. A single drop of sweat trickled from my left brow, acting as an omen. The train blew it’s obnoxious whistle, sending out a warning to those late and frantic. With a great effort, the train picked up speed. With all my might, I jumped on to the platform that jutted out from the back of the train. Landing on two feet, I knew Grampy wasn’t far away. For the most part, my trip was peaceful. Bulls went up and down the cabin checking for tickets, but each time I avoided them by hidin’ in the bathroom or pretendin’ to sleep. They didn’t give me much trouble (I’ve heard stories about Bulls and what they do to train jumpers... it ain’t pleasant).
The train may have been the only relaxing part of my journey. Once arrivin’ in Utah, I stood outside the train station waiting for the old guy to come get me. It seemed nearly half a day I waited, cold and bored, when it dawned on me. There was no Grampy. There was no big house with a big kitchen. My parents took the easy way out by shipping me through a tunnel with a fake light at the end. Ya know, those incandescent ones. What I had dreamt of for days wasn’t real. Tears and sticky sweat drew lines on my dirt covered face. After a good cry, I started walking. I didn’t know the direction I was headed but I knew I would end up somewhere. Thank God for sheer luck- after hours of walking, I found myself in the heart of Utah. Tall buildings around me, fancy folks dressed in their finest fall clothin’- it all looked promisin’.
It wasn’t. My average meal is mulligan stew. I’m so poor, I can barely afford a cardboard box to sleep in. I tried becomin’ a shoe black but no one would have my business. No one needed me, I guess. With nowhere to go and no one to help me, I feel defeated. Damn this depression! Damn the economy! Though I have one good bone inside me- the bone that tells me my parents are prolly doin’ okay. Or at least, doin’ better than they were with me around. Not havin’ to worry ‘bout a third body, a third plate to fill. They’re on their own. I’m on my own. I wonder what they’d think if they saw me now in this condition: flannel shirt with more holes than ever, yellow teeth, and uncombed hair. I do nothing more but exist.

- Johnny Jackson
- (Julie Daniels)

Crime and Gangsters

so far, i have struggled with researching 'crime and gangsters' in the 1920's and 30's. since the topic is so vast, i have had a difficult time knowing where to start. wikipedia and advanced google have been helpful search engines however. one of the things i can't seem to get past are the crime leaders. i now have a great understanding of people behind the terrible crimes committed, and specific gangsters. it is hard to find detail, as well as varried information. it appears that a lot of the crime stems from chicago- whether it is the sources i am dealing with, or chicago's actual reputation of crime, i'm not sure.
people associated with crime during the 1920s i have learned of: bonnie and clyde, al "scarface" capone, sacco and vanzetti. bonnie and clyde were a sneaky duo. they used bonnie's gender and clyde's story telling skills to get out of many accusations. bothered by the great depression, clyde was driven to be a cold blood killer. his partner in crime was bonnie who helped him harrass banks in five different states: Texas, Missouri, New Mexico, Louisiana and Oklahoma. al capone was chicago's most famous crime figure. he was an italian- american gangster placed on the FBI'S most wanted list. he was said to be a used furniture dealer, when in actuality was thrown in jail due to income tax invasion. finally are sacco and vanzetti- two men accused of killing two others and stealing a large sum of money. anti-italianism was questioned during the trial as was was anti- immigrant behavior- points introcuded up by muckmaker Upton Sinclair. after the execution of these two men, it was decided that they could have potentially been innocent all along.
in my upcoming research, i hope to learn more about the causes for the tremendous crime during this time period, as well as gangsters' impacts on society.

sites used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Capone
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organized_crime_in_Chicago#1920s
http://www.crimelibrary.com/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/bonnie/1.html

What we want, as the French

*want to retain a colonial empire
*want WIlson to stop acting heroine like, and negotiate with us
*dont want british to rule the seas- attack submarines
* we hate germany--> attack!!
* established stronger armed forces to protect ourselves from germany
*break up german empire by breaking up army
* we want alsacelorraine back

What's the proper role of gov't in American society?

the government has certain duties when it comes to the american people. we should be protected and supplied with military forces. government should also have a role in regulating businesses. minimum wage, and 10 hour work day should be inforced... should the american gov't try to spread american freedom and democracy around the world? it is inappropriate for the government to meddle with other countries and try to inforce our way of life upon them. even though our country has the resources to change a society, it is not always our place to do so. we have created enemies, and wars because of our meddling.

Ragged Dick and the American Dream

To obtain respectability in American Society, you must:

1. wealth: Ragged Dick had no money, and whatever he made off of his boot- blacking job was spent moments later after making it. Clearly, Frank and his uncle had much more wealth and were successful in America's society.
2. education
3. work ethic
4. connections
5. presentation/ physical appearnce

Industrial Age 1877-1920

During the paper airplane- making experience, I felt very pressured. I was the last person in line and had the most important job out of everyone- the wings. Considering a plane cant fly without wings, I was under a great amount of stress to make the wings the best they could be. In the beginning, I started out ok. As time progressed, my team grew frustrated with my ability to make wings. The faster they came out at me, the faster I had to make them- leaving me little time to put in the true detail I was capable of. This activity relates to last nights reading because we, as a team, just created an assembly line. Last night, we read about a man who created an assembly line while buliding cars- it sped up the process greatly, and it made it easier for more cars to be made. An assembly line also organizes the process of building the plane. Without such organization, it would have been difficult to make as many planes as we did (almost 50).