Artifact 1:
Primary Source and Evaluation: Teacher’s Choice
Child Labor in Cotton Factories, 1807
Although this extract was written in 1807 it illustrates that there had been concern among some elements of society about the employment of children in factories and the long hours to which they were subjected.
A conversation between Southey and a Manchester gentleman who is showing him over the cotton factories.
Mr. ——– remarked that nothing could be so beneficial to a country as manufacture. ‘You see these children, sir,’ said he. ‘In most parts of England poor children are a burthen to their parents and to the parish; here the parish, which would else have to support them, is rid of all expense; they get their bread almost as soon as they can run about, and by the time they are seven or eight years old bring in money. There is no idleness among us: they come at five in the morning; we allow them half an hour for breakfast, and an hour for dinner; they leave work at six, and another set relieves them for the night; the wheels never stand still.’
I was looking, while he spoke, at the unnatural dexterity with which the fingers of these little creatures were playing in the machinery, half giddy myself with the noise and the endless motion; and when he told me there was no rest in these walls, day or night, I thought that if Dante had peopled one of his hells with children, here was a scene worthy to have supplied him with new images of torment.
‘These children then,’ said I, ‘have no time to receive instruction.’ ‘That, sir,’ he replied ‘is the evil which we have found. Girls are employed here from the age you see them till they marry, and then they know nothing about domestic work, not even how to mend a stocking or boil a potato. But we are remedying this now, and send the children to school for an hour after they have done work.’ I asked if so much confinement did not injure their health. ‘No’ he replied, ‘they are as healthy as any children in the world could be. To be sure, many of them as they grew up went off in consumptions, but consumption was the disease of the English. …’
‘We are well off for hands in Manchester,’ said Mr. ——; ‘manufacturers are favourable to population, the poor are not afraid of having a family here, the parishes therefore have always plenty to apprentice, and we take them as fast as they can supply us. In new manufacturing towns they find it difficult to get a supply. Their only method is to send people round the country to get children from their parents. Women usually undertake this business; they promise the parents to provide for the children; one party is glad to be eased of a burden; and it answers well to the other to find the young ones in food, lodging and clothes, and receive their wages.’ ‘But if these children should be ill-used’, said I. ‘Sir,’ he replied, ‘it never can be the interest of the women to use them ill, nor of the manufacturers to permit it.’
It would have been in vain to argue had I been disposed to it. Mr. ——- was a man of humane and kindly nature, who would not himself use any thing cruelly, and judged of others by his own feelings. I thought of the cities in Arabian romance, where all the inhabitants were enchanted: here Commerce is the Queen witch, and I had no talisman strong enough to disenchant those who were daily drinking of the golden cup of her charms
Robert Southey, Letters from England (1807).
Last modified April 13, 2010.
Retrieved from http://www.historyhome.co.uk/peel/factmine/southey.htm
Published by Dr. Marjorie Bloy on The Peel Web, A Web of English History.
It seems like this was just the kind of life that the children had to live. “I thought that if Dante had peopled one of his hells with children, here was a scene worthy to have supplied him with new images of torment.” The children live very difficult lives. They had to work for long hours, under low pay, and without too much care. Although this definitely benefited the workshop owners by offering employees that didn’t require high wages, many children suffered from this. Toxic gases and the dirty working conditions hurt the health of the children. However, a dramatic exponential growth of the population happened, creating even more pressure and worry for people to find a living. Yet, it allowed the employees better ways for picking out the best workers: “survival of the fittest” to its most literal meaning.
Here a few questions relating to this primary source document regarding various aspects:
On the Origins
-Who created it?
A: The letter is the conversation between a Southey and Manchester gentleman.
-Who is the author?
A: The author of this letter is Robert Southey when he published this letter in Letters from England.
– When was it created?
A: Letters from England was published.
-When was it published?
A: The book Letters from England was published in 1807. However, the online version was last modified April 13, 2010.
-Where was it published?
A: The letter was published over the internet.
-Who is publishing it?
A:Dr. Marjorie Bloy posted it onto the Website.
-Is there anything we know about the author that is pertinent to our evaluation?
A: The person who published this onto the website specializes in English History.
On the Purpose:
– Why does this document exist?
A:This document exists because the person writing this letter probably wants to tell his friends about what he learned during his visit to the cotton factory.
-Why did the author create this piece of work? What is the intent?
A: The intent of the author was to relay information to the person he was writing to. The intent of the person who published this letter in Letters from England, probably wanted to give this information to the public. The person who put this onto the Internet probably wanted to provide all Internet users across the glob to have access to this information.
– Why did the author choose this particular format?
A: The author chose this particular format because he wanted to tell a friend about his experiences.
-Who is the intended audience? Who was the author thinking would receive this?
A: The intended audience was the person the author was writing the letter to.
– What does the document “say”?
A: The document talks about a factory owner’s replies to the author’s concerns over the health of the child laborers that work in cotton factories.
-Can it tell you more than is on the surface?
A: One of the things that are implied in this letter is that the person writing this letter actually stands on the side of the children, meaning that he is probably not a workshop owner, and probably have children of his own. Also, based on the type of questions he asks, he is concerned with the well-being of the children. However, he must still have an important place in society, for the factory owner to care so much about the children. Another thing that is implied is that the owners of the factories think more about their profits and the positive effects of their actions that that of their employers. Therefore, we can see a bias on the factory owner’s side. Another thing that is implied is that the person receiving this letter is probably on the same side and owns similar beliefs to the person writing the letter.
On the Value:
-What can we tell about the author from the piece?
A: The author clearly doubts about whether this great amount of labor is actually beneficial for the children. However, he still has a tremendous amount of respect for the factory owner.
-What can we tell about the time period from the piece?
A: We can tell that this time period is the dawning of the Industrial Revolution. Machines are driving mass production, and that factory owners are starting to realize that they can profit more by hiring children, versus adults. Cotton production is becoming more and more prevalence, and that the social status and wealth of the already very rich factory owners is increasing as well.
-Under what circumstances was the piece created and how does the piece reflect those circumstances?
A: The letter was created as a letter from the author to his friend. This primary source suggested this because it is in a first person narrative, and the publisher tells us so.
– What can we tell about any controversies from the piece?
A: There seems to be a slight controversy over the welfare of the children–whether they actually live healthy lives or not.
-Does the author represent a particular ‘side’ of a controversy or event?
A: The author seems fairly concerned, and does have opinions that slightly lean towards the side supporting a better lifestyle for the children. However, the author is no extremist, and seems to respect, admire, and even fear the factory owner a bit.
-What can we tell about the author’s perspectives from the piece?
A: The author’s perspective from this piece shows that he is of a higher class. He is not concerned with finding a job himself, yet understands that he must not quarrel with the “elite”: the factory owners that have sided with the government.
-What was going on in history at the time the piece was created and how does this piece accurately reflect it?
A: The Industrial Revolution was taking place during this period. This primary source does demonstrate the child labor issues and the power of factory owners–supposedly “a man of humane and kindly nature, who would not himself use any thing cruelly.” Therefore, the piece is accurate in this way. The bias of the factory workers is also evident, however, the primary source does not show the author as being part of the minority.
On the Limitations:
-What part of the story can we NOT tell from this document?
A: Although we can tell the brief story about the lives of children in that setting, however, the part of the story that we can’t tell from this document are the adult laborers, the life of the factory owners, as well as the kind of social class that the author belongs to.
-How could we verify the content of the piece?
A: We could verify the content of the piece by looking at other primary sources of this time period, and they do suggest that other factory owners also exhibit such attitudes. Therefore, we can assume that this primary source is fairly accurate.
-Does this piece inaccurately reflect anything about the time period?
A: If the piece inaccurately reflects anything about the time period, it’s probably the feeling that children are actually gaining something even if they are putting an effort into this. This is due to the bias of both gentlemen.
-What does the author leave out and why does he/she leave it out (if you know)?
A: The author leaves out the information, such as the background, name, and other helpful data about both the author and the person that the author had conversed with. Nor did the author explain his purpose of visiting the cotton factory. He probably leaves it out because he did not consider its importance when he wrote his letter to another friend.
-What is purposely not addressed?
A: It seems that the author of the letter and the person the author is writing to are purposely not addressed, or perhaps unknown.
ON THE REFLECTIONS:
1. a.) Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what ways?
A: This artifact relates to human health, as the children have to work for more than 13 hours, with only a brief break during mid-day. This causes serious fatigue to the children, and such an overwork of their bodies can cause modification of the physical structure of their skeleton or muscles, causing mutations and injuries. Also, the dirty conditions as well as the toxic fumes from the factory caused chronic diseases and harm to the children. The fact that there was no good air circulation within the overcrowded factories made the situation worse. We know that the factory owners would rather focus on maximizing profit than the conditions, so many people died even as the population increased.
b.) Which other main topics does it also relate to?
A: I guess it also relates to “Invention, Ingenuity, and Entrepreneurs;” “Building the Modern Economy;” and “Urbanization: Construction of the Modern City.” Because of the invention of machines, many factory workers started hiring children. The economic system of more efficient mass production based on Adam Smith’s ideas of assembly lines started to develop. In addition to the fact that many adults and workshop “experts” are losing their jobs, the number of jobs available does not increase with the population. Therefore, as the population rocketed drastically, many people started moving toward cities and industrial centers in search of any job available to them.
2. Why did you choose this artifact and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
A: This artifact was chosen because of the teacher’s choice. I spent, surprisingly, a whole lot of time on this one. This took around 3 to 4 days, although I was expecting to be done with it in 1. This was probably because of me being unfamiliar with the way around these blogs. However, now that I am more used to it, I expect the other artifacts to require a shorter time.
3. What insights and understanding have you gained from the creation and/or processing of this artifact?
A: I guess I gained a lot of insight on the social hierarchy. Even though we know that a lot of people revolted against the factory workers later on, these men of great wealth and power were certainly very intimidating. Plus, they owned control, so the child laborers didn’t really have too much of a choice around trying to get a job with higher wages, less labor, and a good environment. I realize that children today are REALLY lucky, compared to what was considered the norms of the past.
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why, or why not?
A: I suppose that this artifact reflects pretty much most of what I am capable of. Certainly, I would have loved it if I could write a short analysis of this primary source expressing my ideas. However, because of having certain requirements that have to be met, I decided to take on the question format, thus limiting the things that I can put on here. Plus, I’m more of the writing kind of person than the typing, so I would be more easy around working with pencil and paper than with a keyboard.
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 being neutral) for the following:
a) Impact on quality of your portfolio. A: Perhaps a 4?
b)Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment. A: A 5 for sure. I love analyzing primary sources, it’s just the format and typing it that gets a bit frustrating.
c)Impact on our learning. A: Definitely a 5.
d) Level of creativity and originality. A: Maybe a 1? My ideas are certainly original, but the format is not too creative.
6. Any additional comments:
For those interested in child labor during the 1800s in England, feel free to visit these two websites, which are very informative:
http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/cur/Baker_00/2002_p7/ak_p7/childlabor.html
http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/tuttle.labor.child.britain
My message to all the other 19th Century Humanities classmate:
Feel free to comment and subscribe. To comment, scroll down to the “Leave a Reply” session at the end of this post. You are supposed to type in HTML format, so to those who have taken IT in the past, it will be a review. For those that aren’t too used to it, please put a <br> if you want to jump to the next line and a <p> if you want to jump to two lines below. Make sure you include information like who you are, the artifact that you are commenting on, what your opinions on this artifact are, what you think can be changed, added, or improved, your rating of this artifact, and a link to yours so that I can share my opinions on what you wrote and also see how I can improve my work.
Thanks a lot!
Artifact 2:
Idea Page
The pictures below are scanned images of my notebook, notes from the Luddite Simulation on this website. As you can see, I have adjusted the light, contrast, and sharpness levels of the image to help you better see my already nearly-illegible handwriting. (For all of the pictures below, click to view a larger image of it.)
- The First Page: This introduce people to the lives of the factory owners. It contains notes from the game “Who wants to be a Cotton Millionaire?”
- The Second Page: The page contains the first part of an introduction to the simulation, some of the focus questions, and life in the very early 1800s.
- The Third Page: This page includes the rest of the suggested questions and mostly describes the time transition from the early 1800s to around a decade later.
- The Fourth Page: Describes Child Labor of the early Industrial Revolution period. Includes a summary.
- The Fifth Page: Includes introduction to the croppers and Combination laws. It also includes a “Worker Profile” that has a brief description for each Luddite participant in the simulation.
- The Sixth Page: Includes more on the concerns of the croppers and introduction to the simulation’s conclusion.
- The Seventh Page: This page includes a description for each of four important dates for Luddites. It also includes a short summary.
- The Eighth Page: This page includes the introductions to the Luddites’ “counter-attack” on the owners. It includes a brief summary.
- The Ninth Page: This page focuses on the attack on Rawfold Mill on April 11, 1812 and the trials in January 1812.
- The Tenth Page: This page includes the owners’ post-April 11, 1812 responses to the attack on Rawfold Mill.
- The Eleventh Page: This page shows the outcomes of imagined attempts of the croppers who wrote letters pleading for help towards William Horsfall, to no avail.
- The Twelfth Page: This page is mostly about Horsfall’s death 17 days after the attack on Rawfold Mill.
- The Thirteenth Page: This includes the laments of Mrs. Bamforth, a typical wife of a cropper.
- The Fourteenth Page: This page includes information on how people are getting by the poverty and about government spies and rewards offered for info on the Luddites.
- The Fifteenth Page: This page deals with the punishment of the arrested and caught Luddites, as well as various tries held.
ON THE REFLECTIONS:
1. a.) Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what ways?
A: This artifact relates to “Invention, Ingenuity, and Entrepreneurs.” Luddism formed from the invention of more efficient machinery, contributing to the rage of the workers. Luddism is also a byproduct of the growing entrepreneurs, such as the factory workers.
b.) Which other main topics does it also relate to?
A: Other main topics that this also relate to include “Class Consciousness;” “Human Health;” “Urbanization: Construction of the Modern City;” “Building the Modern Economy.” During this time, the social hierarchy is very polarized. The rich minority was very wealthy and powerful, which the vast majority of the people, the commoners, were poor and do not have much of a living. Also, the industrialization of towns contribute to the building of great port cities and manufacturing centers. The rising economy based on modern technology, machinery, and equipment is overpowering the traditional one with the workshops. These themes are shown in the Luddites.
2. Why did you choose this artifact and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
A: I chose this artifact because I thought it was the most suitable for doing an idea page on. Not only can I note down the actions of the Luddites, I can also think about the psychology behind their actions. The research took one day, and putting it up took one and a half day (all-nighter). It was really tiring, but worth it.
3. What insights and understanding have you gained from the creation and/or processing of this artifact?
A: From creating this artifact, I have learned about the motives and plans of the Luddites and the results of them. This reminds me of the political unrest that still exists today in the modern world. Are terrorist attacks not very similar to that of the Luddites? But the Luddites seem more justified now, correct? Based on this, can we assume that in the future, terrorist attacks will become more justified as well?
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why, or why not?
A: I don’t suppose that it fully does. There are still a lot of other notes that I have taken and are yet to be taken in my notebook. Because the Luddites simulation was the most relevant, I put this one up there. However, there are still a lot of interesting facts that have not been put up here.
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 being neutral) for the following:
a) Impact on quality of your portfolio. A: Perhaps a 4?
b)Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment. A: A 5 for writing out the idea pages, but a 3 getting the images online. I made tons of mistakes again and again. Plus, this artifact was an all-nighter for me. Therefore, I did not have as much fun putting this online than actually researching.
c)Impact on our learning. A: Definitely a 5.
d) Level of creativity and originality. A: Maybe a 2? My notes were based on that of the website. Idea pages had the same format. However, the questions and ideas posted on the left remained original and reflected my curiosity towards these subject matters.
6. Any additional comments:
For those interested in knowing more about the Luddites, here is a short list of websites that I found very interesting and provide a lot of information:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/PRluddites.htm
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~maureenmitchell/luddites/luddites.htm
http://www.usu.edu/sanderso/multinet/lud1.html
http://www.themodernword.com/pynchon/pynchon_essays_luddite.html
http://www.learnhistory.org.uk/cpp/luddites.htm
Feel free to explore them and learn about new things! 🙂
My message to all the other 19th Century Humanities classmate:
Feel free to comment and subscribe. To comment, scroll down to the “Leave a Reply” session at the end of this post. You are supposed to type in HTML format, so to those who have taken IT in the past, it will be a review. For those that aren’t too used to it, please put a <br> if you want to jump to the next line and a <p> if you want to jump to two lines below. Make sure you include information like who you are, the artifact that you are commenting on, what your opinions on this artifact are, what you think can be changed, added, or improved, your rating of this artifact, and a link to yours so that I can share my opinions on what you wrote and also see how I can improve my work.
Thanks a lot! 😀
Artifact 3:
Headline News Report:
Yet Another “General Ludd” Attack
Published April 13, 1812
Once again, an army of more than 150 men claimed to be led by such a “General Ludd” approached Rawfolds Mill on April 11, 1812 during the middle of the night. The forced entry was unsuccessful, and the incident resulted in only two reported fatalities.
Mr. William Cartwright, owner of the Rawfolds Mill situated near the village of Liversedge, north of Huddersfield in Span Valley, anticipated such an attack and hired guards for his factory. When the army of assailants crept into the yard of the mill under the cover of the darkness, the guards heard signals and started to shoot musket balls back and forth for 20 minutes, accumulating to as much as 140. The assailants were unsuccessful in gaining entrance to the mill. For 90 minutes, the men struggled and shouted out exclamations of encouragement.
Recently, there have been many reports on similar incidents regarding organizations led by a “General Ludd.” They attack the machinery and frames that factories are using for clothing production. During the attack on Rawfolds Mill, two unfortunate men were mortally injured on the cessation of the firing. Both were brought to the Star Inn at Robert-Town where medical aid was given as soon as was possible. The guards discovered the two when they heard their wailing. One man cried out, “For God’s sake, shoot mee–put me out of my misery!” while the other pleaded, “Help! Help! I know all, and I will tell all!” The two men were later discovered to be of the names Samuel Hartley and John Booth. Samuel Hartley was a bachelor 24 years of age, former copper that was employed under Mr.Cartwright; the latter was John Booth, a young apprentice of Mr. Wright’s merely 19 years of age.. Both never survived past a few days, Hartley from an injury at his breast and Booth from overly amount blood loss from leg fractures. Although these two were the only two that were reported to require medical assistance, but investigators have examined the large pools of blood at the scene, suspected that a lot more harm was done.
The Luddite Questions:
1. How was Yorkshire textile industry organized in 1801?
A: Yorkshire textile industry was organized in 1801 by home industries. Women and children involved with the wool and spinning the wheel. Men were involved in weaving the thread in clothes. Croppers work in workshops. When they are done, the factory manufacturers collect the cloth and pays a good price. There’s a lot of activity everywhere.
2. How was the textile industry changing by 1812?
A: The textile industry had started to rely more on machinery than the workmen. By 1812, factory owners were hiring children and women for lower pay to work on hard labor for long periods. The workers that once could make a living now hardly can keep their stomachs full.
3. Who were the Luddites? What were their methods of protest?
A: The Luddites were the people that were against the Industrialization. They were often former employees of the factory owners whose jobs have been taken over by machines. Their methods of protest mostly center around the vandalizing of factory machines.
4. What did it mean to be “twisted in”? Why was it so dangerous?
A: To be “twisted in” meant that you have joined the Luddites. It was so dangerous because any associations or formation of work unions were banned by the Combination Laws, and could end up tried with death.
5.Who was General/Ned Ludd?
A: General Ludd was a guy rumored to have led the Luddites, although it might have been just the common signature of the Luddites. There were letters signed by such a General Ludd that were left for the owners, often expressing the concerns of the Luddites.
6. Why were the Luddites prepared to risk their lives protesting?
A: The time was just ripe for rebellion and riot. Luddites prepared to risk their lives protesting because their lives are on risk, too! They are losing jobs, losing respect, losing their pride…what could be worse than that? They had no other path to go, and so they HAD to protest. Machines were dominating their lives. It was time that somebody made things clear to the manufacturers.
7. Why were mill owners and the government so worried? How did they respond to the Luddites?
A: The Luddites were smart in knowing that it was best to attack something that was precious to the owners. That would be their machinery. Therefore, the government and the mill owners were upset and worried about the Luddites vandalizing their precious machines. They responded by trying to spread fear in the village. They sent red-coated troops to guard their factories and had investigations of villagers. The government also setup the Combination Laws.
On the Reflections:
1. a) Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what ways?
A: The artifact is related to “Human Movement and Migration,” since the act of rebellion is a “movement” in itself, since people are starting to migrate away from the machines, moving to thinking in a different way–Luddism. What is demonstrated here is a change in the opinions of the laboring class against the factory owners.
b.) What other topics does this artifact relate to?
A: This also relates to the Building of the Modern Economy, Human Health, Invention, Ingenuity, and Entrepreneurs, and Urbanization: Construction of the Modern City. It deals with the Luddites, who despised the machines that were invented as well as the manufacturers that rely on the machines. The inventions and the new technology affects the economy and also attracted people to large cities.
2. Why did you choose this artifact, and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
A: The research was done along with Artifact 2, so that took a fairly long time. However, writing the newspaper article took around half and hour.
3. What insights or understanding have you gained from the creation of this artifact?
A: I better understand the style of writing and the “propaganda” of the nineteenth century.
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why, or why not?
A: I suppose so…it’s gives the necessary information…
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 being neutral) for the following:
a) Impact on quality of your portfolio. A: 4.5…There’s finally more writing!
b.) Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment. A: I have written newspaper articles for school assignments before and I discovered a lot of enjoyment in doing so. A 5!
c.)Impact on your learning. A: I learned a lot more during the research part. A 5!
d.) Level of Creativity and Originality. A: A 5! The article was fun to write!
6. Any additional comments.
A: Same as usual~ Comment and Subscribe!
Artifact 4:
Biographical Spotlight:
Hi. My name is Emmeline Pankhurst, born in Manchester in 1858. You may have heard of me from my participation and achievements during the 19th century in the Independent Labor Party, the Women’s Franchise League, or the public meetings I held at the local park. I particularly pride myself in my participation in the Matchgirls Strike, which got me really excited. I got to work with girls and women of such great abilities, during a time ripe for riot. My husband Richard Pankhurst and I are both supporters and advocates for the suffrage of women.
My passion for political involvement may have germinated from the conditions that I had grown up with. My father, Robert Goulden, was at the Peterloo Massacre early in the 1800s. He was a friend of John Stuart Mill, who also advocated for women’s suffrage. He also took part in actions against the Corn Laws and slavery. My mother, Sophia Crane, was a feminist that encouraged our participation in suffrage meetings of the 1870s. Both of them had significant influence on us. During the General Election of 1868, they also brought my sister Mary and I to a feminist demonstration. In fact, my first suffrage meeting was in 1872 when I asked to attend the event and hear the arguments.
Another person that I should attribute to is Marchef Girard, a woman that supported the idea of equal education for both genders. I had attended Ecole Normale Superieure, the school she directed in Paris. I was taught many subjects, such as science, but also the necessary ones for females, such as embroidery and housekeeping. I finished school when I was nineteen.
It was after then that I met Richard, the man of my dreams. He truly was a remarkable man. He worked as a lawyer, but also participated in political events. He was responsible for drafting an amendment that regarded the right for unmarried women who own a stable place of settlement to vote in local elections to the Municipal Franchise Act in the late 1860s. He was also responsible for drafting the Women’s Property Bill in 1870, and was also a member of the Married Women’s Property Committee during the late 1860s. It made sense that we couldn’t resist each other–after all, we shared common goals and common beliefs, despite him being almost twice my age when we married.
After we were married, we started planning out events together. In 1889, I remember us forming the Women’s Franchise League that attempted to secure women’s votes for local elections. We also formed the Independent Labor Party in 1893. Richard even ran as candidate for the industrial suburb of the city of Gorton, but he did not make it. That did not stop us, not at all.
I started to become more and more certain about the importance of women’s suffrage after my visit to the Chorlton Workhouse in 1894. I was working as a Poor Law Guardian, and I can tell you that it was one of the cruelest things I have ever seen. Passed by the Parliament, the Poor Law Commission examined the working of the poor Law system by setting up certain limitations, including discouraging people from wanting to receive help, deliberately making workhouse conditions harsh, and deny money to the workers in the workhouses. When I went there, I was terrified the torture and mistreatment that was forced upon those people. This experience allowed me to strengthen my belief that the society really needed women’s suffrage.
Towards the end of the 19th century, I began organizing open-air meetings on Sundays at the local park. It was a scary experience because the authorities claimed these meetings illegal, and on July 12, 1896, when at least 50, 000 people showed up to hear Keir Hardie speak, he was arrested. This caused a lot of fear and concern for our supporters.
The last thing that was of the greatest importance in my life at the end of the 19th century was my husband’s death. Although we were both active members of our party, he was never successful in being elected into the House of Commons, and thus ended his political career. I remember choosing Walt Whitman’s quote: “Faithful and True My Loving Comrade.” for his gravestone. He, truly, was a great comrade. I had to live a harsher life once he died, and these conditions made me even more eager to bring about refuge for the women in our society.
–Emmeline Pankhurst
1. a) Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what ways?
A: This artifact relates to Gender Roles and the Liberation of Woman. Emmeline Pankhurst had dedicated her whole life to women’s suffrage.
b) Which other topics does it also relate to?
A: This also relates to Class Consciousness, Human Health, and Human Expression through the Arts.
2. Why did you choose this artifact, and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
A: I spent relatively 2 to 3 hours on this one. I decided to do a more creative style, writing it in first person.
3. What insights and understanding have you gained from the creation and/or processing of this artifact?
A: I gained insight on how the women and men of their time developed their promotions and actions advocating the suffrage and rights of women.
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why or why not?
A: I really doubt this, although it does express my love for writing in first person 😀
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 being neutral) for the following:
a) Impact in quality of your portfolio.A: 5! Finally, something more “story-like”! 😀
b) Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment. A:4? Again, I dislike typing.
c) Impact on your learning. A: It was nice, 5.
d) Level of creativity and originality. A: 4? I mean, I got all this information from another website…but writing it in first person was fun!
6.) Any additional comments.
A:
For more information regarding Emmeline Pankhurst, please visit these sites–highly recommended!
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/suffrageengland/p/pankhurst.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/pankhurst_emmeline.shtml
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/WpankhurstE.htm
Same as usual–comment and subscribe!
Artifact 5:
Google Earth Tour:
Download it at this site:
http://www.mediafire.com/?qguylv49y4sx75q
On the Reflections:
1. a) What topic does this topic relate to? Why?
A: This relates to The Balance of Power: Empire Rise and Fall. My Google Earth Tour centers around the idea of how the British managed to start influencing the Far East, and how those countries started to rebel.
b)What other topic does this artifact relate to?
A: This artifact also relates to Human Movement and Migration, and The Notion of the Frontier.
2. Why did you choose this artifact and how much time did you spend creating/processing it?
A: Because I have learned about all this information before, regathering it took around half an hour. Making the tour itself took around 2 hours.
3. What insights and understanding have you gained from the creation/processing of this artifact?
A: I have gained understanding of how the British gained control over their vast empire, as well as how they eventually lost it.
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why or why not?
A: No, it does not reflect my best work. It was due to a time limit, causing not enough practice on the speech…
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 is neutral) for the following :
a) Impact on quality of your portfolio. A: 5. Adding the video creates some more color to my portfolio.
b) Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment. A: 3. I enjoyed the part of researching, but again, dealing with Google Earth was a hassle.
c)Impact on your learning.A: 5. It was nice 🙂
d) Level of creativity and originality. A: 5!!
6. Any other comments: As usual, comment and subscribe~
Artifact 6:
Original Student Artwork, Poem, Music Piece, or Short Story
Today, I am going to display my beautiful (not) artwork! I title it:
“CHANGE” (click to enlarge)
- This is a black and white pencil sketch marking the main transitions that took place in Britain around the 19th century.
One can say that this painting encompasses three main parts that represent the three important parts to changes that Britain went through around the 19th century. Can you guess it? Post what you think that this work is about.
Now, let’s give you some hints.
There are two fields to the back where there is only one cottage.
The wheel closest to the left is a water wheel.
The wheel to the right bottom side is a steam engine.
There is a ship on the river between the rows of factories and the steam engine.
That help?
Obviously, different people will have different perspectives and therefore different opinions on the “purpose” or “intent” of this work. What was the symbolism behind everything? What was said in the previous paragraph is really just what I was thinking about when drawing this picture. However, people are free to interpret the picture any way they want to. Feel free to comment on this, explaining what you think is going on in the picture. List down things that you spot! Give me some feedback on my art skills 😛
On the Reflections:
1. )a. Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what way?
A: It relates to Urbanization: Construction of the Modern City. This picture is mostly about the ways in which small English towns eventually ended up as the bustling industrial and trade centers.
b) Which other main topics does it also relate to?
A: This also relates to Building of the Modern Economy, Human Movement and Migration, Invention, Ingenuity, and Entrepreneurs, Communication and Transportation Revolution, and Human Expression through the Arts.
2.) Why did you choose this artifact and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
A: Since I myself am the type of person that learns graphically more than verbally, I feel like it would be a very good way to organize what you know using a diagram–in this case, a picture. I spent around one and a half hour on the piece. I wanted it to be very simple, black and white. However, more time was spent thinking about this and also what to include.
3. What insights and understanding have you gained from the creation and/or processing of this artifact?
A: I guess the most important things I’ve learned is that the Industrial Revolution was really inevitable. If you look at the steps it took one by one, you will realize that it will have to reach that situation.
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why or why not?
A: Well, this artifact definitely reflects my love for art :].
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 being neutral) for the following:
a.) Impact on quality of your portfolio. A: 4?
b.) Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment. A: 5!!!
c.) Impact on your learning. A:4. Although I don’t learn new things, I apply old ones in creative ways.
d.) Level of Creativity and Originality. A: 5!!! :]
6. Any Additional Comments:
Same as before, so just scroll up to the first artifact bah!~
Artifact 7:
Influential Work, Artwork, Poem, Music Piece, or Short Story
*SPOILER ALERT*
A: There are many famous works that deal with Britain during the 1800s. The era gave rise to many prominent authors whose fame continue even till this day. including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Lord Tennyson, Charles Dickens, and many others.
However, today, the work that I would like to examine is Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. First of all, why would I choose Pride and Prejudice? The first reason is that ever since I first saw the movie, I have fallen in love with this book. Once I got to read it, I enjoyed it even more. Now, the second reason is that the book really demonstrates the style of writing during those times as well as life for the elite. From other works during this time, most of them deal with sad stories about men who actually have their works they have to do, with only a few exceptions. However, in Pride and Prejudice, we get to take a look at the kind of people who get to drink tea for all three meals per day. Instead of me having to mourn over the terrible labor, I feel refreshed by an introduction to the luxury of the elite and upper class ladies and gentlemen.
The main topic behind Pride and Prejudice is about a family of five girls where they try to get married. The real main character is Elizabeth Bennet, who is special in that she is sensible, sharp, and realistic. This symbolizes the realism that was kind of popular during the period. There’s a lot of romance that goes on in between as well. As popular during that time period, authors often included letters and lengthy dialogue. Other things that she included in her novels include the frequent formal and social gatherings, awareness of city life and modernization( as well as the change it brings to the characters), sketchy characters, and scandals involved with those characters, as popular among Victorian literature. Despite being realist in that way, her novels are definitely romantic in that they display emotions as well, also showing the importance of intelligence and natural beauty, as common with other Romantic novels.
The whole story can be described in a few sentences. There are five Bennet girls. When a wealthy young man named Mr. Bingley went to live in their neighborhood, he fell in love with Jane Bennet. However, he left when persuaded by his friend Mr. Darcy and his sister. Elizabeth Bennet despised Mr. Darcy because of his smug and arrogant behavior, but eventually, they started to have growing interest towards each other. Eventually, Mr. Bingley goes back and marries Jane, and Mr. Darcy maries Mrs. Bennet. And that’s the whole plot. However, the story is really not that simple. By using a lot of twists, witty remarks, and a huge amount of dialogue and descriptive writing, she makes the characters and their setting three dimensional–each has its own flaws, each has its own beauty. The story really reflects the life of the wealthy people in Britain during the 1800s, who had a lot of leisure time to be able to do all the things in the novel, such as hold balls at their mansions, but saying everything would only be a spoiler for the people, and it would be WAY TOO MUCH to include her. I think that you’ll get what I mean when you read it, so READ IT! GO GET’ EM!
These characters all belong to rich families, rich enough to own land, power, status, and even their own chef! This was the life that the higher-class people of Britain. Jane Austen’s novels all center around love stories that involve love and happy endings. One thing that other authors of this era also share is the witty remarks and the philosophy behind the dialogue of the characters. For example, in Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy often quibble over their opinions on human nature and the psychology of life. Jane Austen is famed for emphasizing social hierarchies in her novels–although she certainly knew about the poor, she mostly wrote about the attempts of the women during the 1800s that attempted to gain wealth through marriage.
Now, I’d like to talk about Jane Austen. Born in 1775, in Steventon, England, she was the daughter of the rector at the local parish, and received education since she was a very young girl. She started writing when she was just a teenager, and wrote the original manuscript of Pride and Prejudice between the ages of 21 and 22, originally titled First Impressions. However, it will have to be until 1809 that she started to revise the work, ending up to the famous romantic novel we know of today. Pride and Prejudice was published in the year of 1813. Since then, she has published several works: Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Persuasion, Northanger Abbey, Mansfield Park, and many more. She continues to touch the hearts of many readers today.
On the Reflections:
1. a) Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what ways?
A: The topic that this artifact relates to is Class Consciousness. It deals with how Mrs. Bennet, a woman that is not very wealthy compared to Mr. Darcy, struggles for a relationship.
b) Which other main topics does it also relate to?
A: It also relates to Gender Roles and the Liberation of Women and Human Expression through the Arts.
2. Why did you choose this artifact and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
A:Most of it was described above, but I chose this artifact because I love Pride and Prejudice. I spent around 1 hour typing this up.
3. What insights and understanding have you gained from the creation and/or processing of this artifact?
A: I gained understanding and insight on the lives of the wealthier Victorian people. I also learned more on the different roles that gender play in society back in the 1800s.
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why or why not?
A: No, this artifact definitely does not reflect my best work and ideas. Although I do love the book, reading the book again would take a very long time, causing me to have to write the description from memory. The accounts for the briefness of my description.
5. Rate for the following:
a) Impact on quality of portfolio. A: 5.
b) Impact on happiness. A: 5
c) Impact on learning. A: 4
d)Level of creativity and originality. A: 5
6. Any other comments: I know that certain people dislike Jane Austen’s story. I’d like these people to try to support their opinions in the comments section 🙂 Other than that, the usual stuff…
Also, make sure to check out these websites:
The IMDB (Internet Movie Database) page for the 2005 film “Pride and Prejudice”: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0414387/
The Sparknotes page for the book: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/pride/
Artifact 8:
Student’s Free Choice:
For this one, I’d like to present another of my drawings! WOOHOO!
So, this time, it’s a similar subject, but a closer look. I title this work “Envy.”
- This piece of artwork is mostly about the main cause of Luddism: manufacturers seeking a higher profit in hiring children versus workmen. This is sketched using a pencil, followed by coloring with crayons.
On the left is a cropper. He mumble, “Tch. They let a foolish kid take my job. >:(“
The kid on the right thinks, “I wanna go home!><“
I hope that I have managed to make out the difficult and dirty conditions that these people have to work in. Plus, I hope to have emphasized well enough the gigantic size of the machine compared to the kid on the right.
On the Reflections:
1. )a. Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what way?
A: It relates to the Building of the Modern Economy. It relates to that because the newly developed economy was based on the idea that if you put many machines and assemble them together, things can become more efficient and profitable than workmen working together.
b) Which other main topics does it also relate to?
A: This also relates to Human Movement and Migration, Invention, Ingenuity, and Entrepreneurs, and Human Expression through the Arts.
2.) Why did you choose this artifact and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
A: I chose to do art because it seems like I get the most out of doing such work. Not only do I enjoy it the most, it helps me apply my knowledge as well. I spent a lot more time on this one versus the artwork from Artifact 6. For this one, it took at least two hours, because not only are the machines hard to draw, coloring took a lot of time as well.
3. What insights and understanding have you gained from the creation and/or processing of this artifact?
A: I gained understanding of the whole Luddite theology and the actions they took to try to make the factory owners sympathize them and try to give them a better living. I start to see the cause and effects of these actions.
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why or why not?
A: Well, this artifact definitely reflects my love for art :].
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 being neutral) for the following:
a.) Impact on quality of your portfolio. A: 4?
b.) Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment. A: 4.5. It was very tiring and very difficult.
c.) Impact on your learning. A:4. Again, although I don’t learn new things, I apply old ones in creative ways.
d.) Level of Creativity and Originality. A: 5!!! :]
6. Any Additional Comments:
Same as before, so just scroll up to the first artifact bah!~
Artifact 9:
Student Choice: The Great Mutiny
(click for larger picture)
The picture above was a small more comical view of one of the causes of the First War of Independence of 1867, or also known as the Great Mutiny, where the Indian troops rebelled against the British. One of the reasons was because these enfield rifles that were distributed to the Indians contained cow and pig oil on the lubricated coating of the cartridges to make it waterproof. However, to access the gunpowder inside the cartridges, they have to be bitten. It is against Muslim and Hindu beliefs to eat cow and pig parts, so this was one of things that caused conflict to flare up.
Reflections:
1. a) Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what ways?
A: This artifact has to do with Nationalism: Creation of the Nation-State. The Great Mutiny was the attempt of the Indians to fight for their beliefs and their rights to control their own beliefs, and not be forced to live the British way of life. Therefore, they rebelled. Eventually, they broke apart with the British Empire, therefore forming their own nation-state.
b) Which other main topics does it also relate to?
A: This artifact is also related to Human Expression through the Arts.
2. Why did you choose this artifact, and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
A: I chose to do this artifact because I love expression through graphics, but I also needed to fill an artifact for the topic of Nationalism: Creation of the Nation-State, so I chose to do it this way. I spent one hour creating the art and also the research.
3. What insights and understanding have you gained form the creation and/or processing of this artifact?
A: From doing this artifact, I gained understanding of what really pissed the Indians off. It was as if the British were on purposely mocking their religion, beliefs, and faith.
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why, or why not?
A: This artifact reflects my best work, I believe. I deem it as rather creative, and is good at showing my style.
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 being neutral) for hte following:
a) Impact on quality of your portfolio. A: More graphics helps make my portfolio more interesting, so a 5!
b)Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment. A: I love to do art, and the Great Mutiny fascinates me. 5!
c) Impact on your learning A: I already had some knowledge about the Great Mutiny, but this artifact required more research. Therefore, I guess a 4?
d) Level of creativity and originality. A: This is definitely creative and original! 5!
6. Any additional comments
Check out more about the Great Mutiny or the First War of Independence here:
WIKIPEDIA! <3: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Rebellion_of_1857
Otherwise…
NOPEEEEE!!!!
Artifact 10:
Cause and Effect Analytical Writing (Rough and Final Draft)
Here is my essay on the causes and effects of Urbanization (and it IS exactly two pages on an Open Office Word Document):
RISE OF THE MODERN METROPOLIS… By Tracy Kao
Look all around you. You are probably reading this essay on a computer. You are probably sitting on a chair, and your computer is probably on the desk before you. You are probably wearing clothes, hopefully. Where do all these products come from? You would answer, “Factories!” But, where did factories come from in the first place? What caused the factories to exist, and therefore, your clothes, computer, desk, chair, etc., to exist as well? Well, the answer isn’t too hard—it’s “The Factory Age!” One of the biggest jumps in human development over the millennium took place between the 19 and19th century. It was the Industrial Revolution, also known as the “Factory Age,” where society started to put more emphasis on industry than the agriculture or service parts of labor, causing the growth of famous trade ports, the rise of the modern metropolis, and a better economy. Although certainly important, it is not easy to trace the importance, since it can go back all the way to the Exploration Era. From that branched several important events: collapse of the rural industries, new technological innovations, the Combination Laws, reliance on new power sources, and growth of larger cities. However, let’s start with enclosure.
Let’s move the setting to the rural area of Southern Britain, in the late 18th century, where enclosure was beginning to bring trouble to the people. It was described by JL and Hammond in The Village Labourer as:
Before enclosure the cottager was a labourer with land, after enclosure he was a labourer without land…families that had lived for centuries in their dales or on their small farms and commons were driven before the torrent.
The society of the past worked a bit different. Those that farmed worked as poor exploited tenants. They worked on the land of other landowners, often planting a variety of crops in order to be self-sufficient. It was also a time where people lived by their trades. People’s jobs belonged to their guilds or workshops. For example, a person may start out as an apprentice at a clothing guild. There, under the guidance of a master, he learns the way of the trade. Then, he makes his way up the social ladder within the trade, with every step gaining some experience, to a journeyman, and finally to a professional, ready to take on the work with his or her fellow guilders. He or she then can accept more apprentices. Therefore, they spent their whole lives working on their jobs. These guilds, because of their specialization in those particular industries, are wanted for their skill. Therefore, they often make the products, and then sell it for a reasonable price to the factory owners, who refine it and then sell them off to the larger and more general market. This system of home-industries worked well for a while. The world was a peaceful place. People were able to maintain their livings. However, as time slowly progressed, the situation didn’t turn out as well. The economy wasn’t too well, either. Trade unions failed, landless workers were getting exploited, paid with low wages. Yet, because of a lack of wealth and status, these people had no real means of rebellion.
However, this all changed with the technological innovations of the the nineteenth century. Britain’s most prominent industry, the textile industry, started to change with the arrival of the spinning advancements, such as the spinning mules. These newly developed machines caused cheaper clothing, since these machines were designed so that they were more efficient, thus allowing the companies to profit. However, the factory owners also started to lower the price of the cotton, encouraging the people in Britain to purchase products made from their own country. Demand increased as the price lowered, and so the supply would have to increase as well to keep the flow of customers coming, especially when competition between many industries started to blossom. Therefore, factory owners started the need to hire handloom weavers, and thus began the expedition of the rural workers and their trip to what they felt as a more promising city-life. In the early 1800s, the demand for the landloom weavers grew dramatically, encouraging people to migrate to cities to find employment. In hopes of a better life, the workers that suffered in the local handicrafts moved to urban centers , where the factories were located. People started to take on the market system, where companies specialize in the production of only a specific type of product. This has its pros and cons– although such mass production did help people gain profit when business was well, if the products were not in popular demand, these salespeople often were doomed—after all, the products that they made were the only ones they could sell. Yet, factories started to grow. New machinery was bought to simplify and speed up the process. New ideas about the proper way of production also started to take place. Adam Smith and his idea of assembly lines started to gain prominence, and factory owners increasingly relied on the use of machinery and cheap labor. It helped maximize the profit, so why not? However, this did end up in a lot of problems. Even though there was a time where the handloom weavers gained a lot of importance, the need started to subside, taken over by the cheaper and less fastidious factory workers. These workers were often women and children instead of the men, which caused a lot of health issues, since they were often over-worked.
Obviously, the workshop/home-workers, such as the handloom workers, were very disappointed with the situation. Due to their lack of employment(stolen by the factory workers) , they started to revolt against the factory owners The dependence of the less skilled workers that did not dedicate their whole lives to the industry infuriated the people. Under the Combination Laws, unions, associations, and organizations of the labor class were prohibited; however, such a forbiddance actually prompted more organization among the people that were against the factory owners. This is how the Luddites formed, a group of former textile workers such as croppers that were led under the legendary “General Ludd,” the purpose of the group was to try to coerce the factory owners in giving the local industries opportunities to maintain their livings and compete with the large industries. Their way of showing their opinions was riot and rebellion, through violence and the vandalizing of the precious machinery, for example, the clothing frames of the textile industries. Eventually, they were relatively suppressed, but definitely showed the negative consequences of the industrial revolution.
This push for cheaper and more profitable means of production also pushed for better energy source of production and transportation through technological advancement. While at first the industries relied on hydro-power, taking advantage of the force of rushing water turning a water wheel, people started to find out new ways, such as James Watt’s steam engine and also the new idea of using burning coal; thus changed the concentration and density of the industries’ locations at various times, mostly to move to the places with the most inland resources. Eventually, this change to more efficient power sources also changed the way of transportation. Canals were built for easy transportation of raw materials such as cotton from town to town, connecting the various river systems in Britain. Coal was also transported via the canals on the newly invented steam ships, but another way that eventually developed in 1848 was the railroad. The railway started to develop, mostly powered by coal and steam power, often used in factories as well. Through these means of transportation, the supplies needed are able to be brought to the designated destination at fast rates. Such transportation also signified a growing market for the international. Companies now did not only sell the cotton and textiles to the people living in Britain. As various industries began clustering near the coastal cities, major ports started to form, enhancing the trade, booming the economy. New roads and passageways connected the various port-cities and metropolises. Now, Britain could profit from the sales for the colonies that it own all over the empire fast and more conveniently.
So, what were the more negative consequences of urbanization? Certainly, due to the fact that the rural industry collapsed and that a huge amount of the population was moving into cities in search of jobs, one could expect the population to grow at exponential rates. Indeed, the population more than doubled over the years, especially in the major and more important trading cities, where factories of various products were situated near each other so that these materials could be transported from one factory to another. Cities like Huddersfield, Yorkshire, and Lancashire, bustled with activity. With the growing population came problems like waste removal and disposal through the sewers, the sanitation and hygiene of working/living conditions, and contagious diseases(cholera). It is described by T.S. Elliot in his poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock as being:
Let us go then, you and I,/ When the evening is spread out against the sky/Like a patient etherised upon a table;/ Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,/The muttering retreats Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels/And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells:/Streets that follow like a tedious argument/Of insidious intent/To lead you to an overwhelming question …/Oh, do not ask, “What is it?”/Let us go and make our visit./In the room the women come and go/Talking of Michelangelo./The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,/The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes/Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,/Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,/Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,/Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,/And seeing that it was a soft/October night,/Curled once about the house,/and fell asleep.
As the population increased in number, people were also dying out. Big cities like London were infamous for being such. There came a need to put up new policies and modifications in technology, such as the new terracotta pipes, to meet the changing conditions to ensure that people can still survive to maintain the work force.
Really, there is no clear origin of urbanization or the industrial revolution. Because the history is so interconnected, what was a cause was equal likely to be the result of another cause, but if one was to try to name the start of whole mania, it would probably be the rise of technology and the growing attractions of urban centers. From there, changes started to happen, based on what different people believed was a ‘better life,’ and due to a different in the opinions of people from different classes of the social hierarchy, conflict was inevitable, leading to more changes, leading to more changes, and so on. The circular system of boom and bust continues to cycle even till today, finally resulting in the world that we live today, what we consider as ‘modern.’ So, if you really wanted to find someone to thank for the computer, the desk, the chair, the clothes, and the light around you, then you know the immense amount of people that you can acknowledge!
Reflections:
1. a) Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what ways?
A: This essay is related to Communication and Transportation Revolution. My essay regards how technology has developed to help urbanize the rising cities. It also examines the changes that took place around the time to better fit the conditions and solve the problems.
b) Which other main topics does it also relate to?
A: It also relates to Human Movement and Migration, Invention, Ingenuity, and Entrepreneurs, Building of the Modern Economy, and the Notion of the Frontier. The nineteenth century was a period of experimentation and discovery.
2. Why did you choose this artifact, and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
A: I chose to write the essay in a more chronological order because I thought that it would be easier for people to understand this way. I spent around 6 or 7 hours on this, so having finished it, I feel relieved.
3. What insights and understanding have you gained form the creation and/or processing of this artifact?
From writing this essay, I feel like I have a stronger grasp of the events, such as the order and also the connection between the occurrences. Thanks to writing this essay, it seems like I was better evaluate how much I learned. At the same time, it seems like every problem has the solution, but at the same time, every solution has a problem. The world is a continuous cycle of causes and effects, which cause another effect.
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why, or why not?
A: This artifact may not reflect my best work, since I felt restricted by the page limit, so I wasn’t able to put on a lot of the statistical facts that would have required a lot more space to analyze and discuss. However, I think I did a pretty good job at organizing the way I display the causes and effects during that time.
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 being neutral) for hte following:
a) Impact on quality of your portfolio. It’s most likely just a 2, since there is no graphics to it.
b)Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment. Probably a 3, since I felt restricted by what we could do. I would have liked doodling things out, but since this was in essay format, it seems like I shouldn’t do that.
c) Impact on your learning. A: 5, Certainly, this essay has a large impact on my learning as far as I know new knowledge and have a deeper understanding of the network of how things came to be in the history of Britain during this time.
d) Level of creativity and originality A: 4. Although I did write this essay, I included quotes from others, so I guess, it isn’t 100 % original.
6. Any additional comments
Nope.
Artifact 11:
Primary Source Evaluation (Student Choice)
For this primary source evaluation, I would like to show you two of my favorite paintings by Joseph Mallord William Turner, who lived April 23, 1775 till December 19, 1851.
The two paintings are:
Both of them really reflect the Romantic type of painting that was popular back then.
Both of these photographs of his paintings were taken from http://www.william-turner.org/
The first painting, “Rain, Steam and Speed The Great Western Railway” can be found today exhibited at the National Gallery, London, England.
The second painting, “The Slave Ship,” can be found at the Museum Of Fine Arts, Boston, USA
OPVL:
Origin:
These two artifacts were both painted by the same person– Joseph Mallord William Turner, known by most as William Turner. These were published onto the website: www.william-turner.org by the organization in charge of that. We know that William Turner was an English artist during the 19th century Britain. He is often called “painter of light.”He is interested in humanity and nature, between the ancient and the modern. He is also interested in new technology, transportation, and communication. This can be confirmed by the first painting.
Purpose:
This document exists because it was a picture that was drawn by William Turner to sell to raise money and keep his living. From The Slave Ship, we can tell that he is trying to tell us that the struggle of the slaves is glorified. You can see the slaves closer, and therefore they seem more human; whereas the slavers are in the distance on the ship–a manmade power, a machine of war. They seem inhuman and unnatural. They are about to be swallowed by the same waves that forced the slavers to throw the slaves overboard.
The first picture is of a steam train. By seeing how dark the colors are for the train, we can tell that to Turner, technology has kind of a dark side. It brings a lot of trouble, and the people feel distant from it.It makes sense, seeing how machinery and technology was hated by people during the Industrial Revolution.
Value:
From the title and the subjects of the painting, we can know that the controversy of the painting “The Slave Ship” is about the mistreatment of slaves. This shows Turner’s side on the Zong Massacre, the famous incident in 1781 where Captain Luke Callingwood, while sailing through the Middle Passage, started throwing live slaves overboard. Within four days, 122 people were drowned. Their motive was to collect the insurance from these people. However, the ship’s first mate testified against his captain, and so the case lost. Although the case was nothing more than insurance fraud, it attracted the attention of abolitionists. Turner must have been attracted to it as well. Even though Great Britain abolished slave trade with the Slave Trade Act in 1807, the practice of slavery itself wasn’t abolished until the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833. From this, we can tell that Turner was most likely on the side of the abolitionists.
Limitations:
It appears that, for “The Slave Ship,” limitations are mostly on the side of the slavers. We don’t get their story, their reasons for doing. All we get is the glorification of the slaves’ deaths. Therefore, we may be under the false image that the slavers are devil-like, malicious, and evil by nature. However, that might not actually be the case, since they wre human, like us. Therefore, the primary source is slightly biased in that sense, and this bias sets as a limitation.
Also, Turner is a man that was fascinated with impressionistic art and the romantic reform. He is an artist that used bright colors bravely and emphasized emotion. Therefore, as you can see from the paintings above, we are not able to tell exactly the scenes of the events. Therefore, the setting is probably not accurate. This is particularly evident in the first painting, where the only visible things include the railway to the far distance and the steam train. Impressionistic art emphasizes one’s opinions and perspectives on things. Therefore, we can expect bias on the artist’s side.
On the Reflections:
1. a) Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what ways?
A: This artifact relates to “Race Relations: Abolition, Segregation, Anti-Semitism.” The main emphasis on my primary source evaluation is on how people’s will to abolish slavery went beyond the circle of politics, and actually extended to artists like Turner (“The Slave Ship”) and also even after slavery was abolished.
b) Which other main topics does it also relate to?
A: This artifact also relates to “Human Expression Through the Arts” and “Human Movement and Migration.”
2. Why did you choose this artifact, and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
A: This artifact was created over a few days, but for only a few hours each day. Around two hours were spent browsing through artworks of this time until I found a satisfactory one. Then, I conducted a little research on the slave act, and came up with a lot of information.
3. What insights and understanding have you gained form the creation and/or creation of this artifact?
A: Because Turner was once a “man of lines” before a “man of color,” understanding that was gained mostly involve how political events can change a person’s personality. I find a bit surprising that Turner would support the abolitionists to such an extent, but still, it shouldn’t be surprising considering the height of the abolitionist-era, which WAS at that time. People DO want their rights, and that is something that we don’t see often.
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why, or why not?
A: This artifact does reflect my best work in that I have a lot of interest in art history. Events that have changed the way art is displayed intrigues me, especially since I have done a master project on the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade before. Therefore, connecting that knowledge with this newly gained knowledge creates a lot of fun!
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 being neutral) for the following:
a) Impact on quality of your portfolio. 3. More photographs and pictures definitely livens things up! 😀
b) Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment. As I’ve said before, I am really interested in this aspect of history, and so it’s probably a 4! 😀
c) Impact on your learning: 3. It helped me learn a lot more about the era, and that does have an impact on my learning.
d) Level of creativity and originality: The level of creativity wouldn’t be high–after all, these paintings were done by others. Therefore…probably a 1? I like my analysis, though 😀
6. Any additional comments.
Not really.
Artifact 12: Idea Page
Doodling about
Reflections:
1. a) Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what ways?
b) Which other main topics does it also relate to?
2. Why did you choose this artifact, and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
3. What insights and understanding have you gained form the creation and/or processing of this artifact?
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why, or why not?
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 being neutral) for hte following:
a) Impact on quality of your portfolio.
b)Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment
c) Impact on your learning
d) Level of creativity and originality
6. Any additional comments
Artifact 13: Gapminder Analysis
1. Is child mortality falling?
A: This graph is between the total fertility, number of children per woman given birth to and the income per person (GDP/capita, inflation adjsuted). It compares the “number of children that would be born to each woman with prevailing age-specific fertility rates” with the “gross domestic product per person adjusted for the differences in purchasing power ( international dollars, fixed 2005 prices).” When one first opens up the graph, they will notice that there were very little countries to begin with, but by the end, the whole x-axis is covered with the bubbles of countries. The countries that began were the stronger first world countries. As you can see, the United Kingdom is the leading country. Towards the beginning of the nineteenth century, it is apparent that there were no major changes. However, once it got to the 1820s and 1830s, thing started to speed up. Although the fertility rate is still very gradual and the downward going slope can only be visible until a long way afterward, the income indicator causes the bubble to move right and left erratically, and very swiftly. Even though it does return to the left, the next time it goes to the right, there is an increase, causing a even faster rate of change. This time must have been the most prosperous age, around the mid-1800s and the late 1800s. However, by the late 1800s, the other countries, such as the US and even the British colony of Australia went ahead of them as far as income went. Therefore, we can assume that the beginning of the industrial evolution caused a lot of low-pay jobs, but towards the end, when more social classes and fields of study started to appear, some jobs started to become more valuable and of higher pay.
2. CO2 emissions since 1820.
A: This graph is between CO2 emissions (tonnes per person) and the income per person (GDP per capita, inflation adjusted). It compares the “carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels” with the “gross domestic product per person adjusted for differences in purchasing power (in international dollars, fixed 2005 prices).” From the beginning of the graph, you can see that the United Kingdom is ahead of everyone else, not only in the income but also in the CO2 emissions. That makes sense that it started out that way, because that was around the time of the Napoleonic Wars, and that was the time in which the English were very powerful compared to the other warring nations. It was also the start of the Industrial Revolution, where technological advances and other cheaper industry will help improve the economy. Around the mid-nineteenth century, there was a very steep increase and also very fast increase in the CO2 emission. This is where we infer that the problems started coming, especially the pollution problems. However, towards the end of the nineteenth century, the process slows down, and we can infer that that was the result of the new air-pollution reforms, since the British eventually noticed that the bad air was actually causing a lot of the diseases and illnesses that were common during that time. By the late 1800s, many countries have already caught up with Britain. They will be the “modernized superpower” countries that would dominate in the World Wars. , which is when the CO2 emissions will increase once more.
3. Smaller families longer lives until 1830s.
This graph is between life expectancy at birth in years and children per woman (total fertility). It compares “the average number of years a newborn child will live if current mortality patterns were to stay the same” with “the number of children that would be born to each woman with prevailing age-specific fertility rates.” In this graph, we can tell that throughout the 1800s, there were a lot of improvements, with the circle symbolizing Britain moving from the right side all the way to the middle. There’s always a jiggly feeling to the circle, since the two indicators seem to be inversely related. When life expectancy increases, there are less children given birth to, and vice versa. Therefore, it moves up, but after a few years, it goes down. Similarly, it moves right, but then after a while,it quickly moves left. There are several times this happens. Therefore, I infer that it was because of the cholera outbreaks or the epidemics that started to blossom during the late nineteenth century. The time was perfect for disease, since population expanded very quickly, and also, the sanitary conditions during those times was very unhygienic. However, during the late 1800s and early 1900s, there must have been economic prosper, since there seems like a faster development. However, all this crashed with the end of World War I, 1918. It recovers, but also drops down in life expectancy at WWII.
Reflections:
1. a) Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what ways?
A: This artifact relates to the Universe through a Telescope and the Universe through a Microscope. Although there is no direct relationship in the literal meaning, but rather that we are looking at Britain from a distant way, looking at it as an overall, throughout many years and only at certain aspects. This is just like looking through a telescope or a microscope.
b) Which other main topics does it also relate to?
A: This artifact also relates to Human Health, and Building of the Modern Economy. All three of the graphs dealt with either life expectancy or fertility rate, which are both very much related to human health. The money involved in the “income” indicator has to do with the economy that was building and changing during the nineteenth century Britain.
2. Why did you choose this artifact, and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
A: I chose these three artifacts because I believed that they were very inter-related, and can easily be used to look at the harsh conditions of the nineteenth century Britain, as well as mark the progress throughout the century that transformed from the country-side towns to the modern big cities. This took around 3 hours of doing, a bit less than others because I had already acquired information on the Industrial Britain from other artifacts or other readings.
3. What insights and understanding have you gained form the creation and/or processing of this artifact?
A: It seems like the first part of the century, the middle of the century, and the end of the century were very different. The first part was the innovative part, where they were starting to rely on machinery. The middle part was the part where they started to realize the problems that they were having and starting to do research and development on solving the problems. The end was the result of these changes. All these will eventually accumulate into the modernized cities that took part in WWI.
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why, or why not?
A: Certainly, this artifact does reflect my best work and ideas. For some reason, I really liked interpreting the graphs, finding out what was underneath the underneath, below the below. Therefore, I think that I did pretty well in recognizing patterns and relating these patterns to historical happenings or theoretical events, forming connections.
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 being neutral) for hte following:
a) Impact on quality of your portfolio. A: 4! Finally, a more creative form of analysis!
b)Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment A: 4! This was DEFINITELY fun!
c) Impact on your learning A: 2.5. Even though I may not have known the exact statistics, I could at least figure out and predict the likely paths of the bubbles based on what I had already researched on and learned about. Therefore, I guess there weren’t too many new things.
d) Level of creativity and originality. A: 3. The statistics and the gap minder project was created by someone else, and I suppose that they created them the way there were as to help show the audience what is implied, therefore, maybe I’m only seeing what they want us to see.
6. Any additional comments.
Nope.
Artifact 14: Research Collaboration and Video Presentation
On Eugenics
The first part of the video presentation: http://www.mediafire.com/?l224q3x71m6ka5p
The second part will be up soon!
Reflections:
1. a) Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what ways?
A: This artifact is related to “Evolution: Science and Religion.” Our main focus was to find out what the pros and cons of eugenics were.
b) Which other main topics does it also relate to?
A: Other topics that this artifact relates to include looking at the universe through a telescope and looking at the universe through a microscope.
2. Why did you choose this artifact, and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
A: It was the group project. We chose the topic “Darwin and his theory of evolution through natural selection” because we were all interested in it, and could find out a way to incorporate it into all of our portfolios. We spent quite a lot of time, and still hasn’t finished it yet!
3. What insights and understanding have you gained form the creation and/or processing of this artifact?
A: Insights and understanding that I have gained from the creation and/or processing of this artifact mostly revolves around how evolution developed, and why it caused so much trouble and controversies. Most importantly, is how so many debatable topics and crises branched out from one topic alone. That is very interesting.
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why, or why not?
A: Due to technological limits and also limits in money allowed to spend on, we weren’t able to present our information in the way we wanted to. However, I think that we did have pretty good ideas.
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 being neutral) for the following:
a) Impact on quality of your portfolio.
b)Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment
c) Impact on your learning
d) Level of creativity and originality
6. Any additional comments
Artifact 15: Student-Created Timeline
The Ultimate Timeline of British History
20 Events that were very important to the history of Britain during the Nineteenth Century
January 1, 1801: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Created.
The Union with Ireland Act, and the Act of Union (Ireland) 1800 were passed on July 2, 1800 and August 1, 1800. They united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland, thus creating the United Kingdom of Great Britain on January 1, 1801. Before this, Ireland was in personal union with England. In 1707, England and Scotland had already united into the single Kingdom of Great Britain, singling the Kingdom of Ireland out. It was in the same year that the Parliament of Ireland started requesting an union. It was until the late 1700s that the British government started to get in action to merge.
1807: Britain Declares Slave Trade Illegal
On March 25, 1807, the “An Act for the Abolition of the Slave Trade,” also known as “The Slave Trade Act,” was put into action. It abolished slave trade in the whole British Empire, but not the act of slavery itself. The British law came into force on May 1, 1807. Soon after, other countries started to ban slave trade as well.
1812-1815: War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a war between the United States and Britain. The reasons for war mostly centered around the kidnapping of American merchants by the British sailors, thus affecting the trade. Also, the British supported the Indians against American expansion. Thus, American honor and pride was humiliated. This war is well known because it was during this war the America’s current national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” was written by Francis Scott Key. British casualties in the war ended up with 1,600 killed in action and 3,679 wounded; 3,321 British died from disease. Casualties on America’s side were 2,260 killed in action and 4,505 wounded. Moreover, man more slaves escaped to Britain when they offered freedom. The end of the War of 1812 marked the Era of Good Feelings in America. This war led to the new era of peaceful trading conditions.
April 11, 1812-Attack on Rawfolds Mill
On April 11, 1812, Rawfolds Mill was attacked by a group of men. Although they were not successful and two men died, it caused a lot of commotion. This was mostly due to the Luddite movement during that time. William Cartwright, the owner of his mill, seemed to know that something was going to happen, and dispatched red army troops to guard his place. Therefore, the Luddites weren’t able to get through much of the land beyond the yard. For 90 minutes, 140 musket balls were shot. The most important part was when an alarm started to ring, and large stones stated falling off the roof, as well as oil. Two men were captured and died eventually. They were Samuel Hartley and John Booth, who seemed to have worked for the mill in the past. Even though the attack on Rawfolds Mill wasn’t successful in destroying the machinery, it did get the large factory owners to start worrying, and began ordering more armed troops down to guard their factories.
1815: Napoleon War Ends
The British were considered the only nation to not have suffered heavy casualties from the Napoleon Wars. The Napoleon Wars were merely an extension of the French Revolution and also France’s conflict with Britain. June 18 was one of the most important defeats of the French by Britain. It was the Battle of Waterloo. Because of Britain’s strength and position in and after the Napoleon War, Britain was able to become very powerful. Not only did technological development advance within the country, so did the industries.
1819: Six Acts
The Six Acts describe six acts that were passed during Britain in 1819 that aimed at reducing the radical newspapers, large organized meetings, and possible armed rebellions. The six acts are: Training Prevention Act (or Unlawful Drilling Act), Seizure of Arms Act, Misdemeanors Act, Seditious Meetings Prevention Act, Blasphemous and Seditious Libel Acts, and the Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act. The Training Prevention Act or the Unlawful Drilling Act outlaws any type of private military training. The Seizure of Arms Act gives local authorities to seize and arrest the local private weaponry owners or manufacturers. The Misdemeanors Act strove to speed up the process of the court and justice. The Seditious Meetings Prevention Act required meetings of over 50 people concerning church and state matters to consult with local authorities and receive permission. The Blasphemous and Seditious Libel Acts reinforced the law and court sentence against people that commit libel. The Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act attempted to make the system of publication a lot longer, harder, and also more expensive with added tax and more processes to go through.
1824: Combination Laws Revoked.
The Combination Laws, also known as “An Act to prevent Unlawful Combinations of Workmen” and first introduced in 1799 , outlawed any kind of association or union of workers and laborers, the government in fear of rebellion. That was around the time where the Luddites started to pump up, as well as Britain recovering and repairing itself from war casualties. When the Combination Laws were repealed, large unions started to form, and it seems like the working class was starting to gain more power and rights back.
1829: Catholic Relief Act
The Roman Catholic Relief Act was one of several acts that aimed at the catholic emancipation during that time in Britain. It was one of several combined efforts to reduce or remove the limitations and restrictions set on the Catholics in Britain. More specifically, this act permitted members of the Catholic Church to take office within the parliament of the Westminster. It was primarily started by Daniel O’Connell, who had won a seat through an election. The bill was drafted by Sir Robert Peel, and further reinforced by the Duke of Ellington, who managed to make the King sign it.
1832: Reform Act
More officially called the “An Act to amend the representation of the people in England and Wales,” the Reform Act of 1832 was proposed by the Whig Party of Britain, led by the Prime Minister Lord Grey. The act allowed the large cities that sprung up during the Industrial Revolution the right to hold seats in the House of Commons, and took away those of the less popular or populated areas. It also caused the number of individuals allowed to vote from a 50% to a 80%, meaning around one of every six adult males in that population of around 14 million.
1833-1901: Victorian Era
The Victorian Era refers to the time in which Queen Victoria was in reign, a period of prosperity for the people of Britain. Most notably, trade and industry improved greatly. The era also saw to the growth of a scholarly and educated middle class. From the Victorian Era came a plethora of famous authors of the Gothic and Classical literature, such as Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Lord Tennyson, and Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle. This period is often referred to as the Pax Britannica, due to the long period of peace. The conditions were so well that the population doubled in size. The two main political parties during this time were the Whigs and the Tories. However, there were problems as well, such as the infamous extreme use of child labor and also prostitution.
1838: People’s Charter
The People’s Charter was the main document or system of guidelines that was developed by the popular-growing chartism during the nineteenth century Britain. It included 6 aims: first, right of voting for all adult men 21 years of age, with a sound or sane mind; second, the idea that ballots were secret and that the voter’s decision should be kept private and protected; third, the proper payment of workers; fourth, equal constituencies; and fifth, that the parliament be annual in order to prevent bribery and intimidation.
August 29, 1842: Treaty of Nanking
This is the first of several unequal treaties that were put on China by the superpowers during that time. The Treaty of Nanking was what officially ended the First Opium War(1839 to 1842). The West was starting to dig into the Far East, and Britain particularly demanded a balance of trade with China, and so it ended up with opium for tea or spices. When the government started to realize the harm of opium on its population, it rebelled. Twice, in the two opium wars, conflict escalated into violence. The first opium war ended with the Treaty of Nanking. All of the following were included in the Treaty of Nanking: establishment of the port cities of Canton, Amoy, Foochowfoo, Ningpo, and Shanghai; possession in perpetuity of Hong Kong; sum of 6,000,000 dollars that substituted for the value of the opium that was dumped into the ocean; and a total of 21,000,000 dollars paid over the next three years with an interest rate of 5 % per year.
1840: Vaccination For the Poor
There were several Vaccination Acts that took place in Britain during this time. They included the acts of 1840, 1853, 1867, 1871, and 1873, as well as several other similar acts that followed the Vaccination Acts. The Vaccination Act of 1840 made variolation illegal, but at the same time provided optional free vaccination. It wasn’t until the Vaccination Act of 1853 that vaccination is made mandatory to all citizens. Science regarding the safety of vaccination started to arise and cause controversies during that time. Most of the concerns that actually started the whole health/medical crisis was the spread of small pox. Starting from the mid-1800s, the governments began to make vaccination a more public operation.
1845-1852: Irish Potato Famine
The Irish Potato Famine, also known as the Great Famine, was a time where the potato blight disease wiped out most of the potato crops, leading to wide-spread famine and emigration. The Irish population dropped by around 20 to 25%. It was especially important because the Irish, along with many other European countries, relied on the potato greatly as a main food source. Therefore, when the famine occurred, approximately 1 million people died. It makes sense that this was probably considered the biggest catastrophe in Irish history. It is incorporated into heroic stories and folktales of Irish tradition.
1848: Public Health Act
The Public Health Act was an act passed by the British government to help improve the sanitary environment of the heavily polluted areas during that time. The plan included the repairing of the water supply, sewage systems, drainage, and cleansing systems. These changes generally took place in cities all over Britain with a few exceptions, such as London and also the larger cities that have already underwent sewage repair. The Public Health Act also helped with forming the General Board of Health, or the central authority in this area regarding public health, as well as local committees dedicated to improving the conditions.
1851: Great Exhibition in London
The Great Exhibition, also commonly known as the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations or Crystal Palace Exhibition, was the first of several international World’s Fair exhibitions on the culture and industrial development of large and powerful countries of that time, as well as to celebrate the great advances that Britain had in the technology of industry. The Great Exhibition at London was held at Hyde Park from May 1st to October 15th,1851. It eventually led to many other similar exhibitions.
November 24, 1859: The Origin of the Species Published.
The Origin of the Species was written by Charles Darwin. This book described his theory of evolution through natural selection, as well as his observations on his trip via the HMS Beagle at the Galapagos Islands. Darwin observed that the finches on various islands looked a bit different, such as in size and form of their beaks, adapted to eat different kind of prey on the different islands. Therefore, he developed his idea of evolution: First, species change over time. Second, all species share common ancestors. Third, this process is slow, gradual, and takes a long time. According to Darwin, the main driver of these three things in natural selection. Natural selection depended no four points: inheritance, variation, high rate of population growth, and differential survival and reproduction. He included his ideas in his book. On November 25, 1859, The Origin of Speices was published.
1862: Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables Published.
Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables described the ideal of a benevolent, socially minded industrial system. Victor Hugo talked about the unfortunates, rejected by society. He also talked about how the world would have been if those in charge had paid more attention to the interests of the workers hired. The book is about an ex-convict, Jean Valjean, who tries to carve out some good in the world that he lived in. Again, Victor Hugo’s world was merely an ideal.
August 15, 1867: Second Reform Act
Also known as the Reform Act of 1867 and officially titled Representation of the People Act, the Second Reform Act aimed at allowing votes to the laboring or working class. The bill increased the amount of votes from one million to two million out of 5 million. The act also abolished the previous need of adding tax when workers pay their rent to their landlords.
1874: The British East India Company Dissolves.
The East India Stock Dividend Redemption Act on January 1st, 1874, caused the dissolution of the British East India Company, ending a long period of a lot of power. The start of its power loss can be traced back to the Great Mutiny, also known as the First War of Independence, where Indians started rebelling against the British rule in India. It continued to deal with tea and other products until its dissolution in 1874. However, the title remained after that. Eventually, the company was reestablished.
(click for a larger picture of the timeline)
Reflections:
1. a) Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what ways?
This artifact is related to the Human Mind. It is related because my objective in creating this timeline was not only to learn more about the history, but also about the mindset of the social classes during that time, and how that related to their actions. The timeline was able to help me in finding that out.
b) Which other main topics does it also relate to?
This artifact also deals with the Notion of the Frontier, Human Movement and Migration, and Nationalism: Creation of the Nation-state. The nineteenth century was one of the greatest leaps in development, and brought about one of the biggest changes since the start of civilization.
2. Why did you choose this artifact, and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
A: I chose the different events in the artifact because I believed that they are best at showing the process of thought change. The people in Britain changed their focus throughout the century. It took around 2 days to create this artifact and process it, including the research.
3. What insights and understanding have you gained form the creation and/or processing of this artifact?
It seems like the beginning of the 19th century was an era of turmoil and a reach for stability, people fighting for their values and what they want. However, towards the middle and the end, it seemed that the wars settle out, and that people are rebuilding their countries, leading into an era of enlightenment-like thinking. People start developing new ideas on art, industry, and the proper government system.
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why, or why not?
This artifact does reflect my best work because I really like learning about past events in history. That’s why I really liked this activity.
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 being neutral) for the following:
a) Impact on quality of your portfolio. A: 4. It certainly gave more structure to it.
b)Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment A: 4. Timelines are fun, well-organized, and easy to refer to in the future, so I had fun doing something like this.
c) Impact on your learning A: 5. Researching for the timeline certainly took a lot of time, but at the same time, I learned about a lot of new things.
d) Level of creativity and originality. A: 2. I guess a timeline can’t be too creative since it is formatted, and the top 20 events are pretty limited.
6. Any additional comments
Nope!
Artifact 16: An Original Prezi
My Photo Gallery
My prezi is at the following link: http://prezi.com/cc1m9th6q1ct/artifact-16-an-original-prezi-my-photo-gallery-d/
Please comment and subscribe! Feel free to comment here or on the prezi website!
By the way, the reflections are also on the prezi 😉
If you want better photographs (and also worse ones) that were taken alongside the ones displayed on the prezi, please visit my Facebook site! The link is at the right-side column.
Enjoy!
NOTE: FROM NOVEMBER 4TH, 2010 ON, ALL PHOTOGRAPHS WILL BE MOVED TO THE PICASA LINK WHICH I WILL POST HERE:
Part 1:http://picasaweb.google.com/xheartland/20101027Takao#
Part II: http://picasaweb.google.com/whatislifeworthlivingfor/PartII?authkey=Gv1sRgCLq2l6SnxsyiLw&feat=directlink
Artifact 17: Compare and Contrast Two Historical Figures
Disraeli and Gladstone: Complaint Speech to the Parliament
Reflections:
1. a) Which main topic does the artifact relate to? In what ways?
b) Which other main topics does it also relate to?
2. Why did you choose this artifact, and how much time did you spend creating and/or processing it?
3. What insights and understanding have you gained form the creation and/or processing of this artifact?
4. Does this artifact reflect your best work and/or ideas? Why, or why not?
5. Rate this artifact on a scale of -5 to 5 (0 being neutral) for hte following:
a) Impact on quality of your portfolio.
b)Impact on your level of happiness/enjoyment
c) Impact on your learning
d) Level of creativity and originality
6. Any additional comments
Rubrics:
My Personal Rubric–
There are 4 criteria that are listed below, organized by the alphabet. Each criteria has sub-levels, the number showing the score that corresponds with the description:
A. Reflections– Shows thoughts, ideas, and has learned something.
- Nothing
- Reflection is incomplete.
- AVERAGE: Student has completed reflection.
- Reflections show that student has learned something.
- Shows that the student has thought things over carefully.
B. Organization– Easy to read and comprehend.
- Nothing.
- Not very organized.
- AVERAGE: Organized. Text is visible.
- Well-organized. Variation in text shows classification.
- Very well-organized. Easy for reader to follow and navigate. Text is easy to comprehend.
C. Creativity–Uses more than one kind of media.
- Nothing
- Only one kind of media
- AVERAGE: Follows requirements on media type.
- More creative, but still follows requirements.
- Very creative, a break-through. Uses more than the required media. It demonstrates new perspectives to an issue.
D. Completion–Thoroughly done and completed artifacts.
- Nothing.
- Incomplete artifacts.
- AVERAGE: Follows requirements.
- Completed with quality.
- Beyond expectations, with extras and tidbits.
help! Help” – I know all, and I will tell all!
Now, for the right side of the brain:
Tracy Kao's Portfolio... 
