Friday, October 2, 2015

Q1 Reflections

Q1 Reflections

            This quarter I learned briefly about the US pre-Civil War, the views of slavery and racism in both the North and the South during and leading to the Civil War, the Reconstruction, Black Codes, Jim Crow, modern impact in the South of the loss of the Civil War, and Western expansion after the Civil War. I have learned to view the topics we study with empathy, that is, trying to understand a decision of event by thinking about it through the mind of someone present at that time in history. This has been the most significant part of the curriculum this year. I have found that viewing history not as a list of facts and dates, but as the lives of real people who had to make decisions that shaped the world gives a more important reason and value to history class. It makes history more relevant and personal.
           

            Moving forward I need to work on being a better reader and making sure to fully understand the material rather than just reading it once and then hoping I get it. I also need to be more focused in class in order to get more out of the time I have in class and therefore have less to do outside of class. I look forward to studying WWII and seeing how the US specifically influenced the conflict. The Cold War will also be interesting because it is a part of history I know very little about. 

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