gabriela's blog responce

By reading Gabriela’s I learned more about the issues associated with being gay or lesbian. I had the most sympathy when she discussed that some people do not have friends and family that are accepting of their sexual orientation. I image that it must be extremely difficult keeping something like that a secret because you know that the people closest to would not accept you for who you are.
People who come out to their friends and family have to be very courageous because this is such a controversial issue. Harvey Milk was one of the faces of the gay and lesbian equality movement. Because of what he represented and his sexual orientation, Milk became a target and was assassinated. I personally greatly respect Milk because he knew the possible outcome of his actions, yet he still fought for his cause. It takes great inner courage to put your life on the line like that.
Although there has been a lot of progress with this issue, there are still major forms of discrimination against gay and lesbians. For example gay marriage is only legalized in 5 out of the 50 states, and the don’t ask don’t tell policy is still in effect in the military. Concerning the don’t ask don’t tell policy I think that this is in violation of a person’s human rights. I think that a person should not have to hide their sexual orientation. This only protects the person from discrimination by secrecy, this does not solve anything; it only quiets the discrimination.

kimmy's thoughts

Today I chose to read Kimmy’s thoughts. The topic was on Women in the work force. I understood that women were not always given the same rights as men. For instance, women were only given jobs during World War 2 as a last resort, because most men were away at war. Once the men came back, women were fired in order to give back the jobs to the men. This was surprising to me. We often hear about how there is a male dominance in other countries, but for the most part this is not thought to be a major issue in America. But throughout history, women have had to struggle for their rights and equality. Even today women in America are not being treated fairly. Some women do not get equal pay as men for the same jobs; although this issue has improved over the years, it is still present. I think it is important for people to understand that men are not necessarily better than women. Society has been based on male dominance and this trend should be put to an end. I think that this discrimination based solely on gender has gone on for too long.
But on the other hand, this fight for equality has given women a chance to show their strength. Over the years women have come a long way. Instead of every women being a house wife, women are now in the work force and respected. Women stood up for their beliefs and rebelled. Thanks to people like Susan B Anthony, the rights of women have improved.

current events

The clash between Native Americans and Americans has not ended. Currently there are several problems between the two. One of the problems is the use of Native American symbols as mascots. Native Americans say that these symbols are offensive. No other culture in the United States has had a mascot made out of them. This offensive symbolism has also occurred in Germany where the Germans have “named their soccer teams the “Jews”, “Hebrews,” and the “Yids” while adorning their uniforms with grotesque caricatures of Jewish faces..” but people think that it is most offensive that this is the only race that is being made into a mascot. Why is this only happening to Native Americans? On the other side people see these mascots as a part of their team’s history and tradition. This debate has even become violent in some places where car tiers have been slit and there have been protest. Some have mad the change of their mascot, while others continue with the tradition.
There has also been an incident with Native American burial sites that have been made into to oxford’s sports park. Just recently the bodies have been discovered and have been reburied in a different place. Native Americans are anger about this because the new burials have not been done with the aid of a Native American representative. This problem stared because white Americans took the land from a Native American tribe, with out much knowledge of the land. The oppression of Native Americans through history has continued. And now the effects on the race have become evident.

Native American mascots

The debate over weather or not to have Native Americans symbols as mascots continues. Some people think that it this is a sign of disrespect to the Native American culture. Native American is the only culture that has mascots named after them, in America. Some people think that this is racist because it is signaling out and making fun of Native Americans. “Russell Means has compared the practice to contemporary Germans naming their soccer teams the “Jews”, “Hebrews,” and the “Yids” while adorning their uniforms with grotesque caricatures of Jewish faces..” On the other hand, some people say that these mascots are a part of tradition and should not be changed. Personally I think that the mascots are not a big deal. They do not go as far as the German mascots where they are intentionally making fun of the culture. But I do believe that if Native Americans feel offended, then the mascots should be altered so that they are not offensive, but they should not be taken away.

"grace" analysis

The short story “Grace” represents the stereotypes and challenges that many Native Americans have faced. Native Americans are seen to be lesser then the White American. Some thought that all Native Americans were alcoholics. In the story, and young girl describes her experience with this stereotype. The woman in charge of the orphanage that she live in would take her to a tavern to, “show me where all the Indian women was and what kind of people they are, always getting drunk and laying up with men.”(169). although it is true that there is an overall problem with alcoholism in the Native American population, this does not mean that every Native American is an alcoholic. This problem started when alcohol was introduced to the Native American culture by the White Europeans. Now alcohol is being abused by some Indians, and Native Americans are given the stereotype as being drunks.
This story also shows the conflict in culture between Native Americans and White Americans. The predominate religion in American is Christianity, whereas most Native Americans do not follow Christianity. This story shows how some Americans are not as accepting of the Indian culture. The main character, Jodi Ann explains that the woman running the orphanage said that the totem poles that Native Americans made were “a pretend God and that was wrong because God was up in heaven and the Indian people was bad to make the pole.” (169). Americans were not always accepting of the Indian’s beliefs. This made life harder on the Native Americans because their lifestyle and beliefs were not accepted into the society that the Americans had created.
Over the years Native Americans have had to deal with discrimination because of their race, and intolerance of their culture from the white Americans. The short story “Grace” shows this through the lives of two children facing the challenges that many Native Americans face every day.

background

The relationship between Native Americans and the White American population has greatly affected both races. When the pilgrims came to America, the Native Americans help them adapt to the new environment so that they could survive. This helped jumpstart the White American population, because without the help of the Native Americans, the pilgrims would have died out within the first year of them living here. Because of their close interaction with the Pilgrims, the Native Americans caught the diseases that the Europeans brought over. Many of the Native Americans died because they did not have the immune system to fight off the diseases. Although this working together of the Native Americans and the White Americans helped the pilgrim population, it also hurt the Native American population; this is shown throughout America’s history.
In 1830 the Indian Removal act was established. This gave President Andrew Jackson the ability to move any Native American tribe that had land east of the Mississippi river, to unclaimed land to the west of the river. He used this power, and forced the Cherokee Native Americans that lived in Georgia, to move to land in Oklahoma. This was the start of the trail of tears; “As the Cherokee made their arduous journey to Oklahoma, starvation, illness, cold, and despair resulted in thousands of deaths.” This is another example of how the interaction between the Native Americans and White Americans lead to the success of the White population, and to the increase of the oppression of the Native American race. The White population profited from the addition of the land, where as the Cherokee Indians had to start their lives over.
The interaction between the two races also caused the Native Americans to alter their culture. Sequoyah, a Cherokee Native American saw that the White American population was dominating the country. He thought that his was because they were able to communicate through a written language. The Cherokee Indians decided that for them to be able to survive in this society they were going to need to give up a part of their culture; only having a spoken language. Once again this shows how because of the addition of the white American culture, Native Americans culture was somehow changed.
There was one Native American spiritual movement where Native Americans tried to take back their old culture and reject the new ways of the American culture. “Shun such European ways as schooling, Christianity, and alcohol”. This was an attempt to reverse the changes that the White American culture had on the Native American culture. But once again the Americans took control and wiped out the tribes that lived by these beliefs.
Throughout history, Native American and With Americans have always had a relationship. For the most part the relationship leaves the Native Americans worse off, while the white Americans prosper.

Burial sites

In oxford’s sports park, Native American burial sites were found. Archeologists are working to find all of the human remains. But unfortunately some have already been reburied, without the help of Native American representatives. I think that this is horrible that this was not known about before that land was used. Now the bodies that were buried there will be move to another site, just as some already have been. I think that this is insulting to the families of those buried there; they should have the right to stay in the spot that they were buried in. this situation shows the harm that is cause by forcing the Native Americans off their land, and the miscommunication between the races. This goes to show you how bad decisions come back with consequences; unfortunately most of these consequences are for the Native Americans.

"EDITORIAL: Buried in Oxford: Secrecy is a damning trait.(Editorial)." The Anniston Star (Anniston, AL). (Jan 25, 2010): NA. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 7 Feb. 2010 .

"rich Indian"

Many people have the misconception that Native Americans are rich. Some Native American tribes own casinos to increase the community’s income. This is where people get the idea that Indians are wealthy. But the amount of money that is distributes into the community is slim, and does not greatly effect their wealth. “If the governor's team believes all California Indians are rich Indians, the talks [between tribes and the governor's negotiating team] may be a learning process” But people continue to think that Native Americans are wealthy and continue to tax them heavily; this continues the cycle of poverty in the Indian reservations. I think this stereotype that Indians are wealthy is strange, because government officials should have the knowledge to know that the people living in these reservations are not well off.

Coin, Jacob. "Most Native Americans Have Not Profited from Gaming." At Issue: Indian Gaming. Ed. Stuart A. Kallen. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 7 Feb. 2010 .

suicide on Native American reservations

This article is about how Native Americans that live on reservations, as many do, do not have the resources that they need. Most people who live on the reservations are poor, and many people have addictions to substances like alcohol. Native Americans have also been severely oppressed for most of America’s history. His combination of oppression, poverty, and addiction cause an outstanding number of suicide attempts in the reservations. “To me, this suicide epidemic happening in Indian country is just a manifestation of all its history and reflects our community's historical oppression.” I agree that this suicide epidemic could be cause by the pressure placed on the Native Americans. Native Americans have been given a situation where it is hard for them to survive; over the years they have lost their homes, culture and family, maybe these people have finally hit their breaking point.
Also the fact that they live on reservations means that they cant get the medical help that they would need to prevent theses occurrences. Native American people have been overlooked for so long, and now the affects are starting to show. Now we can see how the oppression of these people has impacted their lives.

Lindquist-Mala, Cynthia. "Youth Suicide Among Native Americans Can Be Reduced with More Federal Help." Current Controversies: Suicide. Ed. Paul Connors. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2007. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 7 Feb. 2010 .

For my topic of Native Americans, i would like to focus more on the relationship between the Native Americans, and the White Americans throughout history.

"Grace"

The story “Grace” is about two Native American children that live in an orphanage. They have been abused by previous parents, and by the people in the orphanage. They have been told that being a Native Americans that is not something to be proud of. Jodi Ann, the oldest of the two children said that the woman who ran the orphanage would take her to a tavern to “show me where all the Indian women was and what kind of people they are, always getting drunk and laying up with men.”(169) This was the stereotype that many Native Americans faced; all Indians were drunks. And this is what people expected of all Native Americans, “that woman said that is all us Indian girls like to do and I will be just like that too.”(169) From the beginning White Americans thought that Native Americans were a lesser from of people. They were less human, and not civilized. This is also shown through the way that white Americans perceived Native American beliefs and culture. Native Americans would make totem poles as a part of their culture. But in this story it shows how Americans saw this as a bad thing, because it did not reflect the beliefs of Christianity. Jodi Ann explains that the woman in the orphanage told her that the totem pole was “a pretend God and that was wrong because God was up in heaven and the Indian people was bad to make the pole.”(169). Because of conflicting beliefs and cultures, Native Americans were perceived as wrong through the eyes on the White Americans. This story also symbolizes the never ending cycle of the oppression of Native Americans. Ever since the pilgrims settled in America life has gotten harder for Native Americans; they have had to give up their land, and adapt their culture to the new ways in America. The struggle never seems to end. This is similar to the children’s lives in the short story. They have been in an orphanage where they have been sexually abused by the owner. This causes them to lose their trust in people. Finally they come into the care of a couple that cares about and respect them. But unfortunately because of the death of their new father, the children have to be given back to the orphanage. Just like the Native Americans, every time the children find something good in their lives, its is taken away.
- "Grace" fome the book "Spider Woman's Granddaughters"

Native American picture

This picture is of American soldiers burning a Native American village. The American government had established treaties with the Naive Americans declaring what land the Indians could live on. These treaties were necessary because Native Americans were not citizens for the United Sates, so the government would allow them to only live in certain parts of the country. Sometimes the Whites or Native Americans did not like the regulations that the treaties set; this would cause fighting between the parties. In this case military forces form Virginia were not pleased by a treaty established in the 1760’s; this lead to the destruction of the Native Americans homes. Many of the conflicts between the white Americans and the Native Americans was because of difference in culture. Native Americans believed that no one owned the land that they lived on, and it could be used by anyone. This picture captures the disrespect the parties had for each other’s cultures and beliefs about the country’s land. If people had been more understanding of one another, there would have been less out breaks of violence, death, and destruction.

Native American spiritualism

Native American spiritualism was a movement that was biased on the ability of profits to have visions. There were also rituals where the living Native Americans would be able to speak to the dead. For the most part, this movement was biased on peace, hope, and acceptance. But it was also about keeping with the Native American ways. On of the profits told that Native Americans to “shun such European ways as schooling, Christianity, and alcohol”. The Native Americans wanted to be able to live peacefully with the white population of America, but they did not want to have to give up their culture and who there were. Native American saw the importance in keeping their history alive, but also changing enough so that they would be able to coexist with the new American culture. Even though the movement was about peace, the American population saw this as a threat, and eliminated it fro the Native American culture.

"Native American spiritualist movement." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. .

Sequoyah

Sequoyah was a Cherokee Indian, who was able to convert the Cherokee spoken language, into a written alphabet. Originally he tried to take sentences and convert them into a written language but he fought that there were too many phrases and words in the Cherokee language to translate into a usable written language. He found that the best way to communicate was through the 86 sounds in the Cherokee language; making almost an alphabet. Sequoyah thought that “white people's superior power was due in part to their ability to communicate through written language”. Sequoyah wanted to help his community survive in the new world that the whites had created in America. This shows how much the Native Americans had to adapt to the new life forced upon them. It was not enough just to have a spoken language, but to better educate the Cherokee public, the Native Americans needed to change and learn how to write their language.

"Sequoyah." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010. .

Indian removal act

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 allowed President Andrew Jackson to move all of the Naive Americans living east of the Mississippi river, to territory west of the river. Jackson enforced this with the Cherokee Indians living in Georgia. “As the Cherokee made their arduous journey to Oklahoma, starvation, illness, cold, and despair resulted in thousands of deaths, so that the journey is now remembered as the Trail of Tears.” Because Jackson wanted the removal of the Cherokee they were forced to leave their homes and make the long journey to Oklahoma. Many of them were not ready for the journey and lost their lives on the way. Not only did Jackson remove the Indians from their homes, but he also did not follow the law. The law states that “to give them such aid and assistance as may be necessary for their support and subsistence for the first year after their removal.” But this was not complied with, because if this part of the law had been put into effect, so many Native Americans would not have lost their lives on their journey. I think that this event was uncalled for. The reason for the many deaths of theses Native Americas was so that American could expand. It may have been necessary for America to expand, but it was not necessary to take the land from the Native Americans. There were other solutions to Americas need for land that would have spared the lives of many Cherokee Indians.

"Indian Removal Act (1830)." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 29 Jan. 2010. .

Native American history

This article talks a lot about the history of Native Americans. When the pilgrims first came to America, the Native Americans helped them learn how to live in their new environment. The Indians were able to teach them how to grow crops in the new weather, so that the pilgrims were able to survive. But through the interaction with the pilgrims, the Indians got some of the illnesses that people were carrying. This causes many of the Native Americans to die, because their immune systems were not able to fight off the diseases. Throughout history things have gotten worse for Native Americans. Indians have been forcibly moved around by the white Americans when they wanted to expand their country, and were used to get supplies for the white portion of the country. But when the Indians fought back against the Americans, they were ultimately defeated. I think that this is sad to know that all Americans did was take from the Indians, who in the beginning were the reason that Americans are here today. Indians helped the pilgrims to survive in their country; with out them, there would not be a white population in America today. Later on things started to improve. Native Americans gained their citizenship in 1924. But just because they gained their citizenship, does not mean that they were treated equally. Just like the African American population, Native Americans had to protest and fight for more equal treatment. Now Native Americans have laws that protect their rights, and try to improve the living conditions on the reservations. But still there are many restrictions on their lives, and when living on a reservation they live in poverty. There is still room for improvement in Native Americans’ lives.
The one thing that really stood out to men in this article was when it said, “Some Native Americans continue to object to the use of Indian images as mascots for sports teams”. This seems strand to me that Native Americans would be offended that these images are mascots. I would understand if they were giving Native Americans a bad image, by doing inappropriate things, or poking fun at the culture. But all a mascot does is representing the school. This is not causing any harm, and I don think that it is changing people’s perception of Native Americans. The article also said that some people did not want Indian bones to be placed in museums; “some Americans believe that such artifacts can contribute to general anthropological and sociological knowledge, others feel that such scrutiny shows a lack of respect for early Native American societies.” I don’t understand how having artifacts placed in a museum would be a bad thing. If anything I would consider it an honor to have my people’s culture in a museum, so that others have the opportunity to learn.

"Native Americans in U.S. history." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 28 Jan. 2010. .

research topics

The topic that I got was Native Americans. The reason that I chose this topic was because I am part Cherokee Indian. I wanted to take this opportunity to learn about my heritage, and to see how Native Americans affected the country’s history.

sate of the union

Tonight President Barack Obama gave his state of the union address. I felt that this speech was encouraging to the public because it reminded them that there is always room for improvement. He reminded us that in America’s history there have been dark times, but somehow we have managed to survive as a country, and even prosper. Obama said that “And despite all our divisions and disagreements; our hesitations and our fears; America prevailed because we chose to move forward as one nation, and one people.” Although times may be hard now, we have to remind ourselves that there is always tomorrow to improve our situation, and if America works together to solve our problems, we will succeed again.
In his speech Obama focuses on jobs. He says that although his Recovery Act was not popular it has saved many jobs. He also talks about how the economy is coming back, and how this is allowing people to start small businesses. Obama strongly supports small businesses because this will rebuild the work force in America. The more business that are being created, the more employees that are going to be hired; this means that there will be more work fore more people. Obama also wants people to work in building infrastructures. By building more or better things, you are giving work to those who have none, and you are improving the lives of those that live in the community. Overall I feel that this speech gave our country hope, and reassurance that our president is doing everything that he can to help the people of America.
here is a link to the text of his speach : http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/28/us/politics/28obama.text.html?pagewanted=3

amstuds

Today in class Allie and I were watching some funny videos.
here are some of the videos:
http://must-see-videos.blogspot.com/
P.S- if anyone is intrested in helping the people of Haiti, come to the meeting after school next Monday. :)