Bring Me Opium, and I will Trade With You!

     The communist country of China was ruled by dynasties and believed in the teachings of Buddhism. They were skilled in inventing useful items, such as, gunpowder, maps, magnetic compasses, and wooden blocks for printing. They felt self-sufficient and did not need help or trade with outsiders. They had everything they needed, until they discovered Opium. China had refused to trade with other countries, but Britain broke down those barriers when they offered Opium to the Chinese. Finally the doors of trade were opened! It did not take long though before China regretted the decision and destroyed millions of dollars worth of Opium. They no longer wanted to trade or accept goods from other countries. This caused war to break out between themselves and Britain. The Opium War gave Britain a stronghold in China allowing them to take control of the port in Hong Kong and receive back the money wasted from destroying Opium. It also opened the doors for trade with other countries.

     In India, a battle was emerging between the Hindu and Muslim religion. Indians wanted to follow the Hindu faith but felt pressured into accepting the Muslim faith. The differences in beliefs were too great to overcome, so they remained devoted to their Hindu beliefs. India was a sought after country to trade with due to their array of spices, and they gladly sought trade with others. India also became home to one of the "Wonders of the World", the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal was built as a place of rest for the wife of Mongul Jahan, Mumtaz Mahal. People still travel to see this magnificent burial place.

Trade between India and Britain was important, so the East India Trading Company was created to finance and promote trade between them. The East India Trading Company also took on defending Britain in military situations. They became the powerhouse of trade in the seas. They attempted to make sure that all trade was happening as it should and sought to stop illegal trade or piracy.

Thank you for participating in the review game today. You did a great job answering the questions! I know the SkiBall game was tricky to figure out, but overall your teams did really well. Who knew that SkiBall could be so hard?!

This week you will be reading about Mexican and Latin American cultures. We will have Mexican food next week, listen to traditional music, and discuss their traditions. Feel free to bring anything that goes along with this unit.

Homework:
1. Read Unit 27
2. Begin research on your end of the year project. If you haven't told me what topic you are presenting on, please email me ASAP!!!
3. No other homework!

The Space Race and Conspiracy Theories

The U.S. and Russia have had an interesting history. Both countries looked for ways to "one up" the other and declare themselves to be the leader in new advancements. While they didn't fight in an actual war against each other, they did spend years battling each other in other ways. We refer to this battle as the Cold War. During the Cold War, Russia fought hard to beat the U.S. in everything. Many times they did. They were able to send a satellite to space before us which began the Space Race. Of course we couldn't have that, so we retaliated by sending men to the moon.

Of course there are those who think the lunar landing was fake. Perhaps we never really landed on the moon but just staged it. Many people believed this conspiracy theory to be true. In the end, we won the Space Race and really did land on the moon.

Life in Russia compared to the United States was very different. We were pursuing the "American Dream" with our nice houses, hearty meals, and plentiful clothes, while the Russians were living in tiny apartments, had very little clothing, and meals were meager. Which place sounds nicer to live in?

Russia does have beautiful buildings and majestic scenery, but the people were oppressed and micromanaged in every aspect of their lives. The secret police were closely monitoring them, they had no access to standard television or radio, and they were told where and when they could attend religious ceremonies. It was not freedom.

This next week you will be reading about Asia. Learning about different countries and their customs is interesting, so absorb as much as you can. You are on the home stretch! Only 4 more Units to go!

*Next week we will be playing a review game, so make to read the Unit well. You have been warned!

Homework:
1. Read Unit 26
2. Research one country in Asia and describe their food, daily activities, religion, traditions, and climate. It does not have to be a paragraph. You can just give an outline of your findings. Feel free to bring any props or food from the country you choose.
3. Begin thinking about your end of the year project. if you don't have a topic chosen yet, start thinking about what appeals to you. If you have a great topic you want to research, let me know. I want this to be a fun project, so pick something you are excited to learn about. I will have the guidelines for the project next week.

The World At War

The world saw two major world wars that took the lives of millions of people. We first endured the Great War, also known as WWI, and then twenty years later witnessed World War II. These wars brought great devastation with them. In WWI, more then twenty nations were involved and many lives were lost. At first the U.S. remained neutral in the war, but after a series of events, President Wilson declared war against Germany. In less then a year after we joined the war, Germany signed the armistice that ended the war. Germany was forced to admit guilt for causing the war and pay reparations to the allies. This humiliating defeat created bitterness in Germany which helped lead the next war.
When WWII broke out, we once again stayed out of it. However, when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor it was game on! We entered WWII on December 7, 1941. During this war, Hitler established the horrific camps we call concentration camps. These death camps took the lives of millions of Jews. As we saw in class today, the living conditions were abominable, the food and water meager, and the weather brutal.

Camps were spread throughout Germany and Poland. People would arrive on trains packed like sardines to an unknown location. Typically, they were separated from their families right away. Men were sent in one direction and women and children in another direction. Often these people were sent to gas chambers to die, or selected men and women were kept alive to work.

They lived in fear daily and rarely survived more then three months. They usually died from starvation, disease, weather, or fatigue. Sometimes they were executed for no reason at all or when they became useless to the camp.

World War II was certainly a dark time in our world. During this time, Winston Churchill was a leading figure for Britain. He was an eloquent speaker, a thoughtful writer, and a brilliant politician. He served fifty years in Parliament and was the Prime Minister twice.

His picture reminds me of the wizard from "The Wizard of Oz"! Anyone else think that?


This week you will be reading about The Cold War. The U.S. and the Soviet Union have had an interesting history together. If you ever have the chance to read Animal Farm by George Orwell, it has an interesting take on Communism. You are starting Unit 25, which means that you only have 5 units left! Does anyone else feel like this year has gone by quickly?

Homework: 
1. Read Unit 25
2. No other homework. You're welcome!

Who Is The Man?

" The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism."- Karl Marx
Would you desire to live in a socialist society? Imagine everything is equal and fair, no one is a winner or loser, and everyone gets the same amount of "stuff". Would life be better? Karl Marx thought so. Although Marx was brought up in a Lutheran home, he was opposed to God and all God represented. He believed man was the center of the universe and created his own power. Many people followed his teachings and agreed with his ideas. There are socialist still active today.

"I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent and omnipotent God would have designedly created parasitic wasps with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of Caterpillars."-Charles Darwin 
Would you agree with Charles Darwin? Does God have nothing to do with the intelligent design of creatures? Is is truly just evolution and the survival of the fittest that explains the living world around us? While Darwin originally attended school to become an Anglican pastor, he was quickly persuaded to entertain other beliefs from fellow classmates at the University. He developed friendships with a budding geologist and botanist who directed his attention away from God and to new emerging theories. While on an expedition to document plants and animals, Darwin discovered what he thought was a brilliant idea about evolution. Perhaps God had not created living creatures after all, and it was merely a matter of the fittest surviving and the weakest dying away. Many people still believe these ideas to be truth.

"Religion is an illusion and it derives its strength from the fact that it falls in with our instinctual desires."-Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud had interesting ideas about human behavior. He insisted that humans were egotistical, self-centered, and after their own self interests. Is that a false description of man? Perhaps not. At our core we are sinful and desire our own way, but is that all we are capable of? Freud spent years analyzing the human mind and psychoanalyzing people. He developed theories that were widely accepted by people and considered genius work. He saw religion as being a crutch people would invent in order to bring hope into their lives. To him this was a weakness and illusion. If only we followed our hearts desires, we would be happy. He once said that our only purpose is to be happy and find pleasure. Although he attempted to live that way, he often fell into depression and cocaine use. Hmm.... maybe just living for pleasure won't bring happiness? 

Discussing these interesting men today was fun. They each had unique ideas and opinions that shaped the world and its beliefs. Oh we did learn that a pug's eyeball can just pop right out if you hold it wrong too. Very important discovery!

This week we are reading about World War II. Most of you have studied this before, but it is always good to refresh your memory and discuss the pros and cons of the events. Plus, there is always new things to discover. I challenge you to find out something you did not know before. We will also watch a short video next week about one of the concentration camps.

Homework:
1. Read Unit 24
2. Research the Nazis concentration camps and mark them on a map. You also need to describe the environment of at least 2 camps. Include things like the population of the camp, the living conditions, the location, and interesting facts about it.