Mel (U.S. History)

Interview with Boomer

The question I was most curious about was whether or not she thought politics were thought always corrupt, or only corrupt near and after Watergate. She said that politics were always corrupt and that Watergate was just a very real, very talked about example of that corruption, but the corruption always existed and people knew it. I learned that possibly before Watergate people were starting to lose as much faith in their government as after Watergate, even though watergate was an extreme catalyst. Therefore concerning the trust in Government, Watergate did not have as great of an effect. She said that she loved Reagan. She loved him because he was a strong leader for the country and the Iran-contra scandal did not mean much to her. She believed Nixon could have been great, however he was too paranoid and too corrupt to be a good leader. She talked about the fear of her brothers being drafted into the war. This fear was with every american during teh veitnam war with a male in the family eligible to fight. It has scared america and made us aware of the fact that our freedom could be taken away so easily as a draft being administered. A man could easily be drafted, go to war, fight, and die. Her family were mainly immigrants and not very involved in politics, only her and her brothers really were aware of anything political and the current events. However, still she wasn't as involved in the protests. She talked about a man who was really old and in her college who avoided the draft by going to Canada. This shows how americans could so easily turn against their country because they wanted to dodge the draft. Also she said how America would give the drafted ultimatums of 1. go to war for several years 2. spend 10 years in prison. This demonsrtates the complete lack of democracy, civil rights, and freedom within the united states during the war. The impact of the vietnam war was that it limitted much freedom of its people and their speech.
Ronald Reagan helped restore hope in my mother about the war and life for americans which is why she loves him so much. Nixon and Watergate did not impact her very greatly. And the stories she had of her experiences with the war and the draft demonstrate a great deal of freedom lost during the war.

Nixon, Richard. "Nixon's Resignation Speech". Watergate.info. Aug 8, 1974. 6 Feb 2007.

"Articles of Impeachment Adopted by the Committee on the Judiciary". Watergate.info. 6 Feb 2007. http://watergate.info/impeachment/impeachment-articles.shtml

"Watergate and American Political Values". Watergate.info. 6 Feb 2007. http://watergate.info/analysis/values.shtml

Woodward, Bob. Shadow: The Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate. New York: Simon & Schuster. 15 June, 1999. From Amazon.

Nixon and Haldeman. "The Smoking Gun Tape" June 23, 1972. Watergate.info. 6 Feb 2007. http://watergate.info/tapes/72-06-23_smoking-gun.shtml

Nixon, Richard. "Nixon's First Watergate speech" April 20, 1973. Watergate.info. 6 Feb 2007. http://watergate.info/nixon/73-04-30watergate-speech.shtml

Nixon, Richard. "Nixon's Second Watergate Speech" Aug 15 1973. Nixon. Watergate.info. 6 Feb 2007. http://watergate.info/nixon/73-08-15watergate-speech.shtml

Nixon, Richard. "Nixon's Release of Watergate Tapes" April 29, 1974. Watergate.info. 6 Feb 2007. http://watergate.info/nixon/74-04-29release-of-tapes.shtml

Nixon, Richard. "Nixon's Final Remarks to the White House Staff" Aug 9 1974. Watergate.info. 6 Feb 2007. http://watergate.info/nixon/74-08-09final-remarks.shtml

"The Aftermath of Watergate". Watergate.info. 6 Feb 2007. http://watergate.info/aftermath/

"Yes, Watergate was A Coup D'Etat" j. Buchanan, Patrick. June 17, 1997. http://watergate.info/analysis/buchanan.shtml

"Judiciary Committee Impeachment Hearings". Watergate.info. 6 Feb 2007. http://watergate.info/judiciary/

"Brief Timeline of Events". Watergate.info. 6 Feb 2007. http://watergate.info/chronology/brief.shtml

"The Hisotircal and Political Context of Watergate". Watergate.info. 6 Feb 2007. http://watergate.info/background/context.shtml

I could narrow down my subject to the argument that Nixon spoiled presidency by his abuse of power, therefore changing government and future presidents.

Histroy Project

1. Identify a general topic
-Watergate
2. Identify what interests you about the topic
-I am interested in this scandal because it is the first and only resignation of a president we have ever had. I want to know the reasons behind watergate, and how this scandal had effected trust within the government and the power granted to the executive branch. I also want to research the abuse of governmental power.
3. Do preliminary background reading (encyclopedia; history web site; book chapter) and develop an effective keyword and subject search strategy:
-keywords: Watergage; President Richard Nixon; CIA; hearings; trials.
-keyword search strings: Nixon trials; watergate hearings; CIA in watergate; Nixon resignation; testimonies of nixon trials; "smoking gun"; watergate trial conversations;
4. Develop a working bibliography.
http://nixon.archives.gov/find/tapes/watergate/aogp/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/05/31/watergate.details/index.html
http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/impeachments/nixon.htm

Eventually you will come up with a project like this:
general topic: Rirchard Nixon and the Watergate scandal
specific topic: argument of government's abuse of power
primary sources: transcript of trial  and news articles in select media
basic historical question: To what extent did the government overstep its boundaries? Are the CIA and other Secret Service organizations potentially undemocratic? How much power should the executive branch have?

Research topic...possibly

General Topic: Elvis Presley
Specific topic: His influence on society, specifically on The Milton Berle Show in 1956
primary sources: newspaper or magazine articles after the airing of the show, public criticism
basic historical question: To what extent did Elvis change and influence society and music?

Hobo Paper

Melina Chadbourne
11.19.06
Hobo Paper
When you got nuttin, you got nuttin to lose. Everything becomes possible and less significant. So what you can tap-dance? So what you can play the guitar? Canya eat? Canya sleep? Canya live? When your satisfied with only those things, you become a ‘bo. I left home thinkin’ there was nuthin left for me. Now I know a little of som’in is a lot betta than a little of nuthin’. The Dust Bowl destroyed my daddi’s farm. His cattle al’dead. His crop destroyed. It’s been hard recoverin’. N’ even if we got all ‘em crops and dat dust bowl never came sweepin’ in, daddi still wouldn’t be able to sell dem crops. There aint no life back in Idaho. Just dust and dead stuff. I couldn’t stay. The only place else to go was anyplace else. No food. All is dry. Ma and daddi don’t do nuttin but fight and cry. Dey listen to dem politician talked ‘bout in dem newspapeys. I guess hoping for som’pin ta happen. But I aint waiting ‘round. Prefer dat California. Them jobs seem good. N’ if ma daddi wanna stay back with his farm dat he gonna lose anyway, dat’s his choice. If I’m gonna live, I need to go west where them jobs are. Where there be good places to stay. Better food to eat. A future. ‘Cuz at 21, I sure should prepare for one. Who’d imagine at 21 I’m livin’ a routine life with day afta day wantin’ only one thing: to stay alive. That ideal becomes more and more unrealistic as the nights get colda, and the dirt on ya skin gets thicker ‘n your body gets thinner. It’s a life full of risks yur willin’ to take ‘cuz like I said, you aint got nuttin to lose.
Today I saw a boy in a boxcar. Not just a boy, but a ‘lil one. One that shouldn’t be on his own. Maybe six or seven. He looked hungry, so I gave him some bread from my pocket. My week’s worth of food. But it didn’t matter then. If it meant more starving for my stomach, it meant less guilt for my heart. When the freight stopped, the doors slid open and the bulls waited. They began coming in, grabbing us and draggin’ us off the train. They handled the boy like any other ‘bo on the train. Slammin’ us against the side of the train, tellin’ us to empty our pockets. I had hid the bread in my shoe. The back of it had a whole where I could easily and quickly stick it. As I emptied my pockets the bull found nuttin but my 40 cents. He took half! As I looked over at the boy, shoeless, the bull grabbed the bread from his pocket and ate it in front of him with his mouth open, dropping out pieces and crumbs to the ground as the boy bent down to salvage what he could. Then the bull left, finishing the boy’s only and last meal. When I snuck back on the train with many others, he wasn’t there. I never saw him again. Dat night was da coldest night.
Getting’ kicked, beat, and spit on. Taking all you have left. That's all it eva is with dem bulls. Gettting pushed around like we aint human. Being shot, thinking that its okay cuz we got no home anyway. Our home’s where we lay to them. But it aint. We aint always ‘lone. We got other ‘bos. We have family. But travellin’ ‘lone can be tough on the soul. It gets cold and your stomach starts to hurt and no one else can share the pain. Then future starts ta seem hopeless. You feel like fallin’ over and makin’ your grave. Sometimes it aint the hunga, the cold, or the loneliness that can killya…it's the hopelessness. A ‘bo can last weeks without food, days without water, but not a minute without hope. And if all us ‘bos didn’t have hope, we wouldn’t be here, huddlin’ round for a fire, eating Mulligan stew, takin’ ‘bout dem beatins from them dam bulls. For some, the end of the Dust Bowl gives hope. Others the CCC. Some find their hope with leaders like Huey Long, advocatin’ for them. I guess I get my hope by thinkin’ about the future. It aint too impossible to me.
Some guys think they can easily get work from the CCC. But if it were that easy, you wouldn’t catch us ‘bos huddled around for some Mulligan Stew every night. It aint cause we like it. You mightaswell pack every disease possible into a pot and drink it up. But hey, if it settles the stomach. Anything to calm the pain from hunga. You feel like your own stomach is startin’ to eat at you. You’ll eat anythin’ offa the ground. You begin to feel like a dawg. That aint no life. At least not for too long. Hell it aint for me! I am heading somewhere. I have a plan. But when you got 20 cents, a family picture, and a bar of soap in your pocket while wearing nuttin but flimsy, dirt covered ripped overalls and shoes with tares and holes, you can’t expect too much too soon. But someday I’m gonna have a family. Own a farm once the soil gets better. And earn a living off the farmin’ life. Just like ma daddi. And this whole lifestyle I’m livin’ will all be worth it. This can’t be forever. I know that this period will end. Just like the Dust Bowl, the rain will come.

Hobo Paper

When you got nuttin, you got nuttin to lose. Everything becomes possible and everything less significant. So what you can tap-dance? So what you can play the guitar? Canya eat? Canya sleep? Canya live? When your satisfied with only those things, you become a ‘bo. I left home thinkin’ there was nuthin left for me there. Now I know a little of something is a lot betta than a little of nuthin’. The Dust Bowl destroyed my family, left us with no crop, no money, and no life out in Idaho. I couldn’t stay. The only place else to go was anyplace else. Who’d imagine at 21 I’m living a routine life with day after day wanting only one thing: to stay alive. That ideal becomes more and more unrealistic as the nights get colder, and the dirt on your skin gets thicker as your body gets thinner. It’s a life full of risks you are willing to take because like I said, you aint got nuttin to lose.
    Today I saw a boy in a boxcar. Not just a boy, but a lil one. One that shouldn’t be on his own. Maybe six or seven. He looked hungry, so I gave him some bread from my pocket. My week’s worth of food. But it didn’t matter then. If it meant more starving for my stomach, it meant less guilt for my heart. When the freight stopped, the doors slid open and the bulls waited. They began coming in, grabbing us and draggin’ us off the train. They handled the boy like any other ‘bo on the train. Slammin’ us against the side of the train, tellin’ us to empty our pockets. I had hid the bread in my shoe. The back of it had a whole where I could easily and quickly stick it. As I emptied my pockets the bull found nuttin but my 40 cents. He took half. As I looked over at the boy, shoeless, the bull grabbed the bread from his pocket and ate it in front of him with his mouth open, dropping out pieces and crumbs to the ground as the boy bent down to salvage what he could. Then the bull left, finishing the boy’s only and last meal. Cuz when I snuck back on the train with many others, he wasn’t there. I never saw him again. That night was a cold night. 
    Getting’ kicked, beat, and spit on. Taking all you have left. That's all it eva is with them bulls. Gettting pushed around like we aint human. Being shot, thinking that its okay cuz we got no home anyway. Our home’s where we lay. But it aint. We aint always ‘lone. We got other ‘bos. We have family. But travellin’ ‘lone can be tough on the soul. It gets cold and your stomach starts to hurt and no one else can share the pain, the future seems hopeless. You feel like falling over and making that ground your grave. Sometimes it aint the hunger, the cold, or the loneliness that can killya…it's the hopelessness. A ‘bo can last weeks without food, days without water, but not a minute without hope. And if all us ‘bos didn’t have hope, we wouldn’t be here, huddlin’ round for a fire, eating Mulligan stew, takin’ ‘bout them beatins from them dam bulls. For some, the end of the Dust Bowl gives hope. Others the CCC. Some find their hope with leaders like Huey Long, advocating for them. I guess I get my hope by thinking about the future. It aint too impossible to me.
    Some guys think they can easily get work from the CCC. But if it were that easy, you wouldn’t catch us ‘bos huddled around for some Mulligan Stew every night. It aint cause we like it. You mightaswell pack every disease possible into a pot and drink it up. But hey, if it settles the stomach. Anything to calm the pain from hunger. You feel like your own stomach is starting to eat at you. You’ll eat anythin’ offa the ground. You begin to feel like a dog. That aint no life. At least not for too long. Hell it aint for me! I am heading somewhere. I have a plan. But when you got 20 cents, a family picture, and a bar of soap in your pocket while wearing nuttin but flimsy, dirt covered ripped overalls and shoes with tares and holes, you can’t expect too much too soon. But someday I’m gonna have a family. Own a farm once the soil gets better. And earn a living off the farmin’ life. Just like my daddy, but more successful. And this whole lifestyle I’m livin’ will all be worth it, I know. This can’t be forever. For now time has stopped. It has stopped in this seemingly endless struggle. But I know that this period will end. Just like the Dust Bowl, the rain will come.

research project

In my research I have looked up all terms having to do with immigration in the 1920s and sequenced events involving immigration in the 1920s. I've chosen which terms to look up and include in my research. I've made up my question of was immigration beneficial or harmful to the US economically? in regards to discrimination? etc...

test

test

What is the proper role of government in american society?

The government should enforce the rules of the people. They cannot step over the line with their power in order to protect or maintain order. It should run only by the people. The line is drawn by the people always, the government does not exist by itself and create rules for itself. The american government is torn between spreading freedom and democracy all over the world in order to protect America in the future from attacks and not becoming too bossy and abusing their power by interfering with foregin affairs. The government should listen to the people when deciding what to do. And when the people are torn between decisions and ideas, the government should consider everything and take every measure in maintaining security with the ideas given by the people. The government should not maintain security alone and with their own tactics.

Ragged Dick and the American Dream

Hard-working: shining many men's shoes all day and working hard to find men that need the shine and knowing where to go for it.
Friendly: always helps out his friend John Nolan.
Looks: looks nice and that gets him jobs
Honesty: never stealing or lying unlike his friends want him to do
Having connections: able to promote himself to better jobs and conditions instead of the same job, the same people, the same income, and the same deal with going out and blowing it all the same day.