What If America Lost?

What I liked about this project was finding out more about my birthplace, Puerto Rico. I found some really interesting facts about it that I had never been told before. What was most challenging, though, was finding out how one thing might affect another. I spent hours just researching how America not having PR could affect the both of them. The most interesting fact I found was that the U.S tried to buy PR from Spain for 160 billion dollars. I was amazed at how a land, a culture, my own people could have a price tag. Everything is connected like a chain. One event happens, and it affects the entire thing. A person could decide to be at the wrong/right place at the wrong/right time and the entire world could change. One decision could create or make other lives including nature.

I'm not certain how this project could be improved. I didn't have any problems with the project itself. But if I had to do it over, I would probably focus a little more on America and how they're affected as opposed to only focusing on Puerto Rico.

This is the link to my website, I'm sorry it's a dropbox link.

What if? Urban Music QWhite

·  What did you like about this project? What was most challenging?

One thing I like about this project is that it showed everybody true creativity. Giving us a project where we could have changed a part of history of our choice was truly amazing.  The most challenging part was creating points of diversion. I had to go into point of different point of people life and change the outcome. It was hard to  change something that had a big on peoples lives.

 

·  Describe the most interesting fact or event that you investigated.

Rapper Little Wayne when he was only 12 years of age shot him self in the chest with a 9 mm gun owned by his stepfather. He hit his chest only 2inches away from his heart. I didn’t know that about him until reading biography .

·  How do the actions of individuals impact the historical record?

Action of individuals have a big impact on historical record depending on who you are. If you somebody important people are going t care what’s going with you.

·  How do systemic changes impact the historical record?

Same way as any other change If people care about whats changing it would have a impact on them but it means nothing if people don’t care.

·  How influential can one decision be in the historical landscape?

A lot because lets say look at the oil spill  if the person who owned the company had reacted when he first saw the oil spill then when it got big, what would have happen there no would been as much damage.

·  How could this project be improved?

If I could have been there at my points of deversion to actually see what happen and then change the outcome it would have been so much more detailed.

·  If you had it to do over, what would you change about your process for the project?

Do something that had nothing to do with somebody creativity, because if one person didn’t do it for sure somebody might have came up with it afterwards.

Q4 Benchmark luaf

What If Emmett Till lived

​My project changes the traffic death of the young boy murdered in 1955 for a cause that was not worth it my presentation will expose the cruelty of the south and how he would have helped change it if he would have survived. This project had a deep affect on me because of the research it made me search my grandmother was a teenager when this event happend and she gave me me insight as to how it felt to live and that time and to here the events that took place the way she feels and i feel are totally different but are the same in a way because my reaction was how could people be like that ,and her reaction was a more emotional approach ''Again
WWW.001
WWW.001
WWW.003
WWW.003
WWW.004
WWW.004
WWW.002
WWW.002

English/History BM

MY Prezi
 I think the most challenging part of the part  of this project was coming up with the point of deviance what would change if it happened. I thing the most interesting fact about my project is probably the us makes history in the presidential election by electing Rice.  
Created primary source docs:
 
Screen shot 2011-06-07 at 3.55.07 PM
Screen shot 2011-06-07 at 3.55.07 PM
Screen shot 2011-06-07 at 2.37.12 PM
Screen shot 2011-06-07 at 2.37.12 PM
Screen shot 2011-06-07 at 3.03.13 PM
Screen shot 2011-06-07 at 3.03.13 PM

Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986

Natalie Sanchez 
6/7/11
History BM reflection:
My favorite part of this project was being given the opportunity to change the course of American history. This was exiting to me because it gave me the chance to play with history. It was like opening a new toy; I got to play with it and see the different things that could happen. The most difficult part of this benchmark was picking a point in history that I wanted to change. There were so many points to choose from, so it was very hard for me to decide. Once I picked my topic, however, it was harder to come up with a story of how America changed because of this historical modification. I had to do a lot of research on my subject just to understand it fully, and once I had a pretty good grasp on the subject, I started to brainstorm how changing its outcome would affect American history. It was a very hard and tedious task to come up with a point in American history, change it, and rewrite how things turned out in America. 
Though the project was tedious and took a lot of time, I learned some pretty interesting things during my researching phase. The most interesting fact that I found during this process was that the Northeast and Mid west states were once rust belt states. Rust belt states were areas that were heavily populated with foreign factory workers. These Rust belt supported the democratic party, while the Southern and Western states mostly supported the Republican party. Their votes reflected their ideals, as the foreigner, impoverished workers of the Rust belt states wanted immigration reform, while the American citizens that lived in the Western and Southern regions of America were very patriotic, and therefore, did not support immigration reform. 
In this project, I learned that the decision that one person makes can have a large scale affect. For example, in the 1980's, Reagan had the most influence on the issue of immigration in American because he was the one who decided if the Immigration Reform and Control Act or (IRCA) of 1986 was to become an act or not. I made it so that he vetoed the IRCA of 1986. Consequentially, our economy changed drastically, as we are suffering a huge depression, and live in a country where the unemployment rate has increased 75% what is used to be in 1986, when the decision of vetoing the IRCA of 1986 was initially made. These things only occur in my history of course, but it just goes to show you that the decision that one person makes created a domino affect that will eventually affect a bigger aspect. The decision that Reagan made allowed U.S. legalization to a considerable amount of hard-working immigrants and made sure that they received the wages that they deserved, as neutralized U.S. citizens. Not only this, but it also helped our economy. This is a good example of the effects of systematic change. 

One change in decision can change the whole course of history. One decision can lead to a huge change in the United States. It was Madam Curie's decision to study physics that allowed her to discovery the therapeutic properties of Radium, as it treated malignant tumors. It was young man's decision to shoot the arch duke of France that sparked WWI. As mentioned before, these small decisions create a domino affect that change the whole course of American history. 
If I could do this project again, I would start building my website a week prior to the due date of the Benchmark. This way, I would avoid all of the stress that comes with the work of putting all of my individual components of the Benchmark together into one multimedia presentation. My project can be better in the its presentation aspect. If I were to do this project again, I would improve my website by adding embellishments and more color to it. This would make my website more attractive, therefore, increasing its presentation quality.  


Here is the link 
to my website.

Nat Turner Rebellion

Dollar What if Nat Turner Didn't get Caught?








Citations: 

Gray, Thomas R. "Natturner." Wake Forest University. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://www.wfu.edu/~zulick/340/natturner.html>.



"The Nat Turner Rebellion." History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6811>.



In this project I liked how we were able to re-create history. There weren't any limitation which made the project that much more interesting and that much more challenging. The hard part was that because of the infinite things to do, there were infinite outcomes that you had to think about.

Specifically when it comes to my project, because I changed something that happened so long ago it was hard finding evidence to draw a reasonable conclusion. Whilst doing my research I discovered that Nat Turner believed he was a prophet. Nat Turner was very religious and intelligent which was rare for a black man in his time.

Nat Turner was the leader of a rebellion which failed however his actions lead to the massacre of hundreds of black men and women. What I did was I took what Nat Turner did, made it different and caused more of a systematic change. Nat Turner himself created controversy between the north and south. His rebellion and slaves escaping to the north created tension. The relationship between north and south grew sour causing war. The decisions of Nat caused a war.

I believe that I could improve on this project with more assembly time and research on other character in my story. If I could redo this project i would research Martin Van Buren because he played a major role in my story too. The research I did was sufficient but I would rather have a more in depth look at the man.



Douglas Final

What If? Taking the power out of the NAACP

what if Prezi

What I liked about the project was the same thing that I disliked about the project. For this project we got to choose the topic and the way in which we would present the information that I have found I liked this because it gave us the freedom to be in charge of what we wanted to do, but at the same time I rather do things that have a rubric and specific steps to follow because I find it easier that way. When I was doing my research the most interesting fact that I found was that most of the people who were already involved in the NAACP were people who did not have a lot of power but had more of a faith in what their organization stood for which created power. I like this because I thought before I need the project the only reason why the group got anything done was due to the fact that there was power in the group but that did not turn out to be the case, which made my hypothesis not entirely factual so this added a twist to my project.  The actions of specific individuals is made up of the reasons why the historical record is impacted, for instance if Martin Luther King Jr. was not born this would have made a huge impact on the historical record which would be changing the record completely. Also the way in which historical events happen is different too because if something happened before the time it was suppose to happen that could make sense. One decision can influence historical events because usually when things happened back then then that stirred up a whole chain of events. Throughout the project I had a certain way that I wanted the project to look like and a certain way that I wanted to story to be told, if I could have improved anything for the project it would be the way I choose to present it. If I could do it all over I would like to have more of a solid topic when I first started I had two topics in mind so it took me a while to start the actual process of getting the project started. So I felt like with research and other things I had to rush a little but I am still happy with the final product.   


Mstuart Quarter 4 Benchmark

Here is a link to my website which tells the story of what life would be like if congress had not passed the Us Copyright Term Extension Act in 1998.

Reflection:
Describe the most interesting fact or event that you investigated.
-One of the most interesting facts was that many classic disney characters would have gone into public domain and would have been able to be ued by anyone.  Also lots of other works would have gone in too, such has Gone With The Wind and Early Ernest Hemingway works
How do the actions of individuals impact the historical record?
-In the real world the law would have never been passed if not for the work of Mary Bono, wife of Sonny Bono who originally wanted the bill.  If not for their actions, and those of Disney my hypothetical situation might have come true.
How do systemic changes impact the historical record?
-In my hypothetical situation, one of the main reason the law did not pass was because the public was against it for seeming to unconstitutional. Even though in real times this happened it was not to such a great extent that it stopped the law from passing.
How influential can one decision be in the historical landscape?
Hugely influential, with out some key acts in history, events could be drastically changed. One good vvisual example of this was in the movie "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button" Where he goes through the last five minutes before someone got hit by a car and all the way it could have been avoided. 
How could this project be improved?
I believe if we had been allowed to use the 60's era there would have been more events to choice from.  However I enjoyed the project and think it's really great.
If you had it to do over, what would you change about your process for the project?
I would have chosen an event that had a greater impact of society then mine.  I also would have something older.

POD: Huey Newton/ Black Panther Party

Here is my project.

This has been a very interesting benchmark. This has been the most difficult to process to me and I still feel like I am not getting the assignment. Creating primary source docs for my project has been confusing me until today. Finding existing primary source documents were easy for me since the earliest date of my project is in the late 60's. I decided to pick Huey Newton as my point of divergence because I not only wanted to think of a different outcome, but dive into the information and history associated with him. I liked that we had the ability to choose our own Point of Divergence because it helped us be more creative and original. The challenging part for me was when I had to put all my information into one easy to follow presentation. I decided to use Prezi because it was visually pleasing and adds "pop" to a project. It is amazing to see how one individual action can impact the outcome of a nation. I could of improved my project by adding more created documents and going in-depth on the present day outcome of my Point of Divergence. If I had to do it over I would change the time it took me to complete this assignment. This was the first time I was a little concerned about getting my assignment completed on time. 







Works Cited

Baggins, Brian. "Black Panther Party." Marxists Internet Archive. 19 May 2002. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/>.

Cassidy, Mike. "A Short History of FBI COINTELPRO." Albion Monitor. Monitor.com, 26 May 1996. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://www.albionmonitor.com/9905a/jbcointelpro.html>.

Fields, Sean. "Today In Black History: Huey Newton." Y.E.B. Blogspot, 17 Feb. 2010. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://yebies.blogspot.com/2010/02/today-in-black-history-huey-newton.html>.

Hintz, Dani. "The Story of Black Panther Huey P. Newton Has as Much Resonance and Relevance Today as It Did in the '60s. | Miscellany." Style Weekly - Richmond, VA Local News, Arts, and Events. Style Weekly, 1 Jan. 1991. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/the-story-of-black-panther-huey-p-newton-has-as-much-resonance-and-relevance-today-as-it-did-in-the-60s/Content?oid=1388364>.

"Huey P. Newton :: Philosophy :: Lumpenproletariat - Social Justice Wiki." Main Page - Social Justice Wiki. 14 Feb. 2004. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://socialjustice.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/index.php/Huey_P._Newton_::_Philosophy_::_Lumpenproletariat>.

"New Black Panther Party for Self Defense: Introduction." ADL: Fighting Anti-Semitism, Bigotry and Extremism. ADL, 1 June 2011. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://www.adl.org/main_Extremism/new_black_panther_party.htm>.

Tyehimba:, Cheo. "IKR | Timeline: KEY EVENTS IN BLACK PANTHER HISTORY." I've Known Rivers The MoAD Diaspora Stories Project. Known Rivers, 5 Apr. 2006. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://www.iveknownrivers.org/read-2.0.php?id=125>.

 

Gina Dukes Q4 Benchmark

This is the link to my website that details how America would be today if the Supreme court did not decide that "separate but equal" was unconstitutional in the Brown v. Board of Education case. The point of divergence that I focused on was instead of dying, Chief of Justice Fred M. Vinson lives and Earl Warren does not take his place, therefore Vinson is alive to rule against Brown in the case.

My Reflection:


What I liked about this project is that we were given complete freedom of which point in history to focus on. Also, I loved the fact that we were given the power to change the course of American history to anything that we wanted. The most challenging thing about this project was focusing on completing it in the midst of working on other projects that had to be completed. I am also a huge procrastinator, so it was a challenge for me to complete everything on time. The most interesting fact that there were many cases similar to Brown v. Board of Education, however, the NAACP chose to have Oliver Brown present his case because they felt that his character was very respectable and would give them a good chance of having a verdict in their favor.


In my project, the actions of a few individuals had a major impact on the course of American history. Once Martin Luther King Jr., Kivie Kaplan and Malcolm X joined to fund three schools in the segregated American South that was specifically for Blacks, they set off a Renaissance in Education in which Blacks fought hard to receive the same quality education as Whites. The systematic changes impact the historical record in a momentous way as well, because once segregation was deemed constitutional in the Brown v. Board of Education case, it lasted for a few decades in the United States until Blacks began to reach the same economic and education standards as Whites and President Clinton abolished segregation in 1995.One decision can greatly influence the course of history. As shown in my project, the Brown v. Board of Education case rocked America and determined the role of African Americans for years to come.

 I think that this project could have been improved if students were allowed to choose the number of primary sources they needed to make for each new event, instead of their being a minimum of 2.If I had to do it over again, I would not procrastinate as much and I would also put more effort into my primary sources.

What if Project: Attack of Pearl Harbor


For this project we had to take an event in history and pick a certain point in that event and change it and see what other events that would change because that one event was different. For my project I chose to do it on The Attack of Pearl Harbor, the POD(point of divergence) I chose was that the radio system was working, because it wasn't, and they were able to warn the naval base in time for them to be prepared for the attack.

I really liked how we got to choose our own topic for the project, though at times it was a bit difficult finding exactly what to do, it was still nice knowing there wasn't really a boundary you could do whatever you wanted with it. The most challenging part I think was trying to figure out the different events that would change because of the moment I changed. So like the outcome of it all was kind of difficult to determine, because you really had to research what really happened, what was the outcome of that and even what was happening before. Because you had to change it all, depending on if that moment would change it.

The most interesting fact that I investigated and found out was actually two things. The first one was actually the moment I changed which was that the whole reason Pearl Harbor didn't get the warning from Washington D.C in time was because the radio wasn't working so they had to find a different way to reach the men at Pearl Harbor, which I didn't know. The second thing I found interesting was one of the reason Japan attacked the naval base, maybe the biggest reason, which was because the U.S cut Japan off from the oil resource, which I wasn't aware about either. So those two things I thought were really cool because they clarified a lot of what happened for me and actually became the main points of my project.

It still amazes me that one moment in and event can flip around so much. From one decision in battle to a radio not working, it effects a lot of events after it. I remember one of my classmates saying this in class and it really stuck in my head. They said it was almost like dominoes falling, like a chain reaction, you knock one down which then knocks another down and then another and so on. One little moment in history changes one thing which can change another and this whole chain reaction starts.

I think the project itself was good, but maybe when explaining what to do for the project having an example of work that a previous student had done. That way the students can build off that with ideas and fully understand what the teachers are looking for in the project.

If I had to do this project over I would defiantly ask for more help with the research portion, I feel like even though I research a lot, I got stuck at certain parts with deciding what the different outcomes are going to be like or what moment would be good to focus on. Maybe organize my time better and defiantly no facebook while doing homework.


To see my finish product:

1)  Just click the picture at the bottom (download)


2) Or go to this LINK
PEARL HARBOR POD

English/History Changing History BM


    English and History decides once again to collide benchmarks to make the season easier for us. Our assignment was to identify a point in American History in which we are interested in and change it which would include a point of divergence and 3 new events that proceeds it. I actually enjoyed working on this project. Although it required much research and thinking, the process of it, after knowing the actual history, wasn't as bad. While researching, one of the most interesting events or facts that I've found was William Wilberforce who wanted to abolish slavery because the section in the Declaration of Independence that mentioned slavery was not accepted by southerners who've attended the congress meeting. I believe I made it harder on myself choosing an event in history that the Declaration of Independence was not accepted. When I thought about it, it was simple-minded ideas but you had to make sure your new events would actually fit with history. That being said, for future references, I would not choose the Declaration of Independence to not be written which had a big impact on history and 2011 today. 

https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B1Sp_1P7HIJJNTQ0ODU2M2YtOGMzMy00ZjdlLWE0MmYtMmYxYTA1NmIxNzFl&hl=en_US



Bach Q4 final product

Click here for the final product


Click here for the bibliography

My project was focused on the social changes that would result from Great Society plan of Johnson in the scenario of JFK was still alive. The point of divergence focused on the "what if" of JFK's signing of the Foreign Assistance act of 1962. 

The project was enjoyable toward the end, not as same as it was irritating and mysterious in the beginning. The most challenging part was when I began to think about events that would be emerging as result of the POD. I had a hard time to find event that would logically fit with that point in history. Beside that, making the primary source was quite an amusing journey. I was able to be the history writer, where I could decide history and talk bad about people while still can be viewed as a valuable primary source. It was interesting how sometimes however I  modified the event, it almost impossible to not let it happened. If I had to do it over, I would love to start it earlier, and create more primary sources. 





What If....

What if Chinese Immigration never existed. That is the point of diversion I did for this project. The most challenging part of this project was the history behind this finding information, about this project; history about chinese immigration.  Honestly if I had more time to do this project i would totally revamp the entire thing.  I've never knew anything about the project, even this might seem a bit awkward, but I never actually knew about World War II ending with an atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The impact that the Chinese people have made in the United States are the fact that the majority of the consumers in america, the major companies are owned by Chinese. Major shoe companies  the manufacturing comes from Asia. So thats like a huge impact in America's  International trade routes. 

This project could improve, just by me going back a lil further in time to make this more informative and it would also help my point of diversion much much more.  


http://prezi.com/opnxukz94id9/chinesse-immigration/

<div class="prezi-player"><style type="text/css" media="screen">.prezi-player { width: 450px; } .prezi-player-links { text-align: center; }</style><object id="prezi_opnxukz94id9" name="prezi_opnxukz94id9" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="450" height="400"><param name="movie" value="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf"/><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"/><param name="flashvars" value="prezi_id=opnxukz94id9&amp;lock_to_path=0&amp;color=ffffff&amp;autoplay=no&amp;autohide_ctrls=0"/><embed id="preziEmbed_opnxukz94id9" name="preziEmbed_opnxukz94id9" src="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="450" height="400" bgcolor="#ffffff" flashvars="prezi_id=opnxukz94id9&amp;lock_to_path=0&amp;color=ffffff&amp;autoplay=no&amp;autohide_ctrls=0"></embed></object><div class="prezi-player-links"><p><a title="" href="http://prezi.com/opnxukz94id9/chinese-immigration/">Chinese Immigration</a> on <a href="http://prezi.com">Prezi</a></p></div></div>​

Point of Divergence: Nuke used in North Korea

Click HERE to view my project that details the alternate events that could have occurred if America decided to use nuclear weapons during the Korean War in the 1950's.


Reflection:

This project actually took a lot of time when compared to the other benchmarks that we've done throughout the course of the year because changing one thing meant we were changing the course of history. That one change could drastically change the future and it was a challenge thinking all of that through. However, that is also what I liked about this project. It let us be creative, while also challenging our changes to reality. I had investigated many events but I would have to say that the most interesting would have to be the relationship between North and South Korea as well as the Korean war because of the conflicts that were going on at the time. The actions of America mostly impact my alternate timeline negatively because our government felt entitled to drop bombs on other countries simple because they had done it before without thinking of the ramifications, which usually were on the negative side for both America and the country they nuked. For the most part, the most systemic changes in my alternate reality involved communist countries switching over to a democratic approach, which was good for the citizens and the world. One person can be very influential, the mere signing of a paper can authorize the death of millions of people, like in Hiroshima or Nagasaki. This project could have possibly been improved by completing it on some other format other than a website. If I had to do this project over I wouldn't wait until the last week to really start working to end up with a better, more polish final product.
hiro-nuke
hiro-nuke

What If Project: DDT

For our fourth quarter benchmark for English and History, we each chose a decision – mundane, famous, or anything in between – from all of American history. We researched that decision, finding at least three primary source documents from just before the decision point. We then figured out a plausible way to change that decision. We followed the effects of the change through history, making up three events and describing an alternate 2011. For each of our three events, we fabricated two primary source documents. We chose a method for telling the whole story, and put it all together into a final product. I looked at the decision to ban DDT, and made a fake class project from the alternate 2011.

Although I originally had a lot of trouble finding my decision point, I ended up enjoying this project a lot. I researched the government decision to ban the chemical pesticide DDT – and other pesticides. I was fascinated to find that one book, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, started a huge movement against pesticides. Carson succeeded in publishing a book that truly spoke to the public. The Chemical Industries, of course, fought back hard against Carson's message. They were not as adept at squashing opposition then (in the 60s) as they are now. In my alternate history, the Chemical Industries decided to bribe a few key figures, and managed to keep Carson's book from getting any publicity. I loved researching the whole thing – it really seemed like one person, Rachel Carson, had made a huge difference in the course of the world. She was a biologist and writer, and that fortunate combination allowed her to write a convincing, beautiful, and readable book about the effects of the toxic pesticides on the environment and on human health. With that single action, she was able to, indirectly, pass a law through Congress.

My favorite part of the actual creating of the project was definitely fabricating primary source documents. I felt so cool, like some kind of all-powerful, primary-source-creating being. I like formatting everything, too. I found specific examples of various types of primary source documents and then made my own versions look as accurate as possible. I definitely also had fun with my invention of a history project, although I think that I could probably improve the actual writing on the pages. I didn't spend as much time on creating the website as I did on creating my primary source documents. I also wish I'd been able to make my cartoon more readable, but I think that it's clear enough to make its point. One of the things I'm most proud of in this project is how well I managed my time. Although I was stressed out and a bit behind at the beginning of the project because of my trouble choosing a topic, I worked diligently during the first week of the assignment and was able to relax during the second week.

Take a look at my project!

-- Luna Sofia Frank-Fischer

Alsardary English/History BM Quarter 4

Reflection

I really liked this project because it truly was a great experience for me. I learned SO much that I didn't know about the United States government before what it actually is known to be today. It was a very great learning experience and I honestly got to test my skills and see how I could change history to make my own history and decide how changing one point in history will change all of history as a whole. It was fun to make my own magazine as well. The most interesting fact/thing that I investigated was the Articles of Confederation. I honestly never knew about how bad our government was before the Constitution and even that we actually had a government. The actions of individuals impact the historical record in a huge way because that one action my have prevented something terrible from happening or that one thing could have been the reason something happened the way it did. If those actions weren't there, the historical record could change completely. Systematic changes impact the historical record in many ways. For example, the constitution made a HUGE impact on the historical record by keeping the United States whole and dependent, and also making us the great power we are today. If that wasnt there, we would honestly be a whole different nation in general, controlled by others and weak. One decision can be extremely influential to the historical record because that decision can decide the outcome of the following events. For example, if James Madison was not there to encourage the Constitution, then we would have become an independent 13 colonies and we would have completely different laws, currencies, and much more. This project can be improved by maybe being a bit more descriptive and maybe a little more time to reflect and get feedback from others. If I had to do this project over, I would have not procastinated so much. I would have finished the project SO much faster. Overall, I had a great time with this project and it was very interesting and influential to me.

To view my project and learn more about what I did: Click Here!
Screen shot 2011-06-07 at 3.53.54 PM
Screen shot 2011-06-07 at 3.53.54 PM

Dennis Mawson quarter 4 History Benchmark

​Here is my project

The thing that i found most fun about this project, was coincidentally the same thing i thought was the most difficult, and that was the fact that there were so many different possibilities. It was very fun to see how different events related to one another, and how changing one could set off this long domino effect about all of history.

The most interesting fact that i faced was that there was this man, and his name was Aaron Burr, and he liked to go around challenging presidents to duels and things of that nature. He was a really cool guy, and he wasn't afraid of anything.

It was fun to see how just the action of Aaron Burr doing something, granted shooting someone, but still, it was interesting to be able to explain how it could push events forward or backward, or change the whole focus of an area. These systematic changes allowed a whole new system to rise up, and everything to change in ways that today we think would be absurd, but in another world, could be normal. Just one decision can completely change the way that history takes it's course, and can allow many things to change.

This project could be improved if i added more documents, and spent more time looking into the details of what happened between the point of divergence and now. I feel like it had to be rushed at some points in order to meet restraints such as time. If i had to do the project over, i would probably spend more time creating my primary sources, and make them look more realistic, and not just like copy pastes or direct words of it, but make it look like the actual resource.





165px-CharlesCPinckney
165px-CharlesCPinckney

President Bruce Lee

Changing History 
Project here

Reflection

What i liked most about this project was the use of information I had foreknowledge of to create a future i wanted and believed to be possible if my point of divergence actually happened. The most challenging aspect was finding the original primary source documents as bruce Lee the man it centered on was only in the main stream stop light for a very limited time before his death. A lot of information pertaining to him was secondary accounts or stated after his death. The most interesting event I investigated was the effect of implementing cash incentives to entice people to do what was for their own good which delved a bit into making people do what is good for them and a bit of a moral debate of whether it is justified to do so. My project had an extreme impact on the historical record which is quite impressive. The changes one person can make influence the entire world especially the actions of some one who is a great motivator. Systematic change impacts the historical record because the historical record is nothing more then a list of the systematic change that occurred and the reasons why they did. Ones decisions can drastically effect the historical landscape because people in great positions of power set up the goings on for there time which can set president for the future and also become a part of the historical record. This project might be able to be improved with a bit of intricate photoshopping to add my dead protagonist into scenarios past when he died in the real historic time line. I would start working on the primary source docs sooner if i had to start over again.
english benchmark

History/English BM Quarter 4 "What if?"

magazine cover
magazine cover
    For our forth quarter benchmark in english and history classes, we had to pick a point of divergence and change history through that one point. I focused on when President Truman dropped the atomic bomb on Japan during World War II. My change is that he decides not to drop the bomb. Below are links to the magazine that I created in attempt to show this event through a 2011 lens and show how it changed our history.

    I really enjoyed the freeness of this project. We had a completely open range of topics and presentation ideas. It made it very interesting and also fun to be able to choose what we want to focus on. The most challenging part was definitely created primary sources and predicting what history would be like with this big change. Although this was also sometimes fun, it was also very difficult. The most interesting information I found was around the World War II and Vietnam War which I had to research extensively for my history changes.
    The actions of individuals impacts the historical record through the smallest change. In my project, I changed one specific decision in Truman's long life. Because of this one decision, history could play out entirely differently. One human, interestingly enough, can have an immense affect on historical record. Systemic changes impact the historical record in the same way. I focused a lot on how Japans community and economy change drastically because of this event. This then changes historical record to no end. This same important decision of Truman dropping the atomic bomb also affected the entire landscape of Japan. Had it been dropped, (which it really did) Japans environment would be entirely destroyed. They would have to rebuild up their entire community based on this one decision.
    My project could be improved by adding more editorials about each event and decision within my magazine. This would improve the debate aspect of my magazine and also help tell the story that I created from multiple views in more depth. If I could do this project over, I would have started my primary sources earlier. I spent over a week creating them because I felt the need for them to be super detailed and in depth. Obviously, I spent too long on them and then felt rushed in the last 5 days to create my magazine and editorials. However, I do not have any regrets. I worked hard and am proud of my final product.

Here is my Magazine

Here is a document with the primary sources I created which are also displayed in the magazine

English/History BM: Changing History

Photo on 2011-06-02 at 09.35
Photo on 2011-06-02 at 09.35
In History, 11th Grade has been thinking about how change impacts our world. To reflect on this question, the last benchmark project we are doing is to change a part of our past and thinking about how this would impact 2011.

My project on what would happen if Ohio had never ratified the 21st amendment can be viewed here.




To view my script for one of my Primary Sources, click HERE.

  
Reflection:
 What I enjoyed about this project most was delving into the details of the history. However, I thought this was the most challenging. It required me to research, research, research. I found some wonderful sites, but I struggle with finding good primary sources among the secondary. I became an expert on pre and post-prohibition. I thought the way that gangsters turned Prohibition into a business opportunity was the most interesting.
    Upon reflection, I think that individuals can impact history, but only if they have enough power to do so. If JFK had lived to lead our country, America would be very different today, because he was president and had power from the people. However, the changes he create would be much slower than a systemic change. I think that systemic changes impact the world much more than individually. Systems create respect, by acting to promote one side, the rest of the world feels the need to listen to them. With events like protests and rallies, things like the Prohibition get created.
    I loved this project, I think it was an excellent way to end the year. I think it would be cool if there were other ways to present our information. I think a monologue or a kids book would be interesting and challenging. If I could do this project over again, I would pick a different medium to present my findings. As I said above, a monologue would be super cool!

Emancipation Proclamation Point of Divergence

Screen shot 2011-06-07 at 2.15.50 PM
Screen shot 2011-06-07 at 2.15.50 PM
  • What did you like about this project? What was most challenging?
    I liked that you had control over the outcome of the change that happened in America.
  • Describe the most interesting fact or event that you investigated.
    It was interesting reviewing some Abraham Lincoln quotes about abolishing slavery.
  • How do the actions of individuals impact the historical record?
    Choices that the president (President Lincoln) made affected America as a whole. And many slave owners disobeyed the law once it was a law to abolish slavery.
  • How do systemic changes impact the historical record?
    Things in history occurred at a certain point in history for a reason.  
  • How influential can one decision be in the historical landscape?
    A leader can influence many brains of the American people and influence decisions that can effect America as a whole. 
  • How could this project be improved?
    I feel like I could have gone into more detail about the background to the project and the background history.
  • If you had it to do over, what would you change about your process for the project?
    If I had more time I would've made a video.