California is 166 Years Old!

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A US History student poses for a pic on CA Statehood Day
One of my US History students on CA Statehood Day!

In February of 1848, Mexico and the United States signed a treaty which ended the Mexican War and yielded a vast portion of the Southwest, including present day California, to the United States. Several days earlier, January 24, 1848, gold had been discovered on the American River near Sacramento, and the ensuing gold rush hastened California’s admittance to the Union.  With the Gold Rush came a huge increase in population and a pressing need for civil government.

In 1849, Californians sought statehood and, after heated debate in the U.S. Congress arising out of the slavery issue, California entered the Union as a free, nonslavery state by the Compromise of 1850.

California became the 31st state on September 9, 1850. The Golden State’s rich history has since been shaped by people of every ethnic background who traveled here seeking economic, social and educational opportunity, and a life of quality and breathtaking beauty.

Taken from: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23856

Happy 100th Anniversary to the National Park Service!

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This month marks the 100th anniversary of our nation’s national parks. According to The National Parks: Shaping the System, published by the National Park Service, the idea of land being preserved for everyone to enjoy was first expressed in 1832 (that’s just 56 years after the birth of United States of America in 1776) and is credited to artist George Catlin. During a trip to the Dakota region in 1832, Catlin, best known for his paintings of Native Americans, pondered the impact the western expansion would have upon these civilizations, the wildlife and the wilderness. He wrote that they might be preserved “by some great protecting policy of government…in a magnificent park…a nation’s park, containing man and beast, in all the wild(ness) and freshness of their nature’s beauty.”

FB_IMG_1472161532233Yosemite was cited as a precedence when Senate Public Lands Committee Chairman Samuel C. Pomeroy of Kansas presented a park legislation bill in December 1871 to protect the Yellowstone region, keeping it in federal custody and unavailable for development. President Ulysses S. Grant signed Pomeroy’s bill into law on March 1, 1872 and Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first national park, was established. Continue reading “Happy 100th Anniversary to the National Park Service!” →

US History Timeline Project

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DSC_9324cAs the first week of school draws to a close I want to highlight a project that this year’s US History students have been working on. Armed only with an overarching theme (like Postwar United States) and a bulleted list of topics that we will be discussing in that unit, students were grouped together and asked to create a timeline according to those bullets. They were given the freedom to research specific topics (such as the Cold War) on their own and then incorporate that information into their timeline project.

As I walked around the room I noticed that many extra details were added to their timelines, complete with amazing and fun artwork! I commented to the class, “look what you have learned already and I haven’t yet taught you a thing!”DSC_9325c These timelines, from 18,000 BC to the 1960s, are up on display in our classroom. Please stop by and see what your son or daughter has created! I am very proud of them!

-Mrs. Thomas