Nixon's 'Checkers' Speech

 

On September 23, 1952, California senator Richard Nixon reserved a spot on television to deliver the most important speech of his career. With this address, Nixon hoped to squash rumors that he had accepted $18,000 in illegal political contributions to finance personal expenses. The Republicans had recently nominated Nixon to run for vice president on Dwight D. Eisenhower’s ticket. When these charges against Nixon became public, Eisenhower was noncommittal— he did not drop Nixon from the ticket, but he also did not defend him.

In his speech, Nixon said, “Not one cent of the $18,000 or any other money of that type ever went to me for my personal use. Every penny of it was used to pay for political expenses that I did not think should be charged to the taxpayers of the United States.” But, he did confess to accepting one personal gift:


A man down in Texas heard [my wife] Pat on the radio mention the fact that our two youngsters would like to have a dog. And, believe it or not, the day before we left on this campaign trip, we got a message from Union Station in Baltimore saying they had a package for us. We went down to get it. You know what it was. It was a little cocker spaniel dog in a crate he’d sent all the way from Texas. Black and white spotted. And our little girl—Tricia, the 6-year-old—named it Checkers. And you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog, and I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we’re gonna keep it.

—Senator Richard Nixon, “Checkers” speech, September 23, 1952

Do you trust him?   Why or why not?

Kelly's Killers

Mike Kelly's Reds team, whose known today as the Cincinnati Kelly's Killers, was born under rather strange circumstances. The west side Cincinnati Reds had played in the American Association from 1882 to 1889 before moving into the National League for the 1890 season.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame enshrined King Kelly in their halls way back in 1945. Their online bio reads in part, "Not only was Mike 'King' Kelly one of the premier players of his day, he was also one of the most flamboyant. His daring baserunning prompted fans to coin the battle cry, Slide, Kelly, Slide!

Presidential Immigration Stories

Is immigration good or bad for the USA?  Why?         Take the Poll

1) What were the reasons for President Trump's grandfather immigrating to US?

2) What was his experience getting into this country?

3) How did the family do since coming to the United States?

4) What is Upward Mobility?

5) Would the President's Grandfather still be welcome here under his own immigration policy?

6) How did the former president's story different from the Vice President elect's own story?

7) How has VP Harris' experience shaped her policy toward immigration?

Write at least four sensory statements around the figures regarding their views on immigration.  (How do they feel about immigration?  Would they think it was good or bad? What do they say about their children's/ grandchildren's policy toward immigrants?  What do they hear from their voters?)

 

  

Who Was Rube Goldberg?

RUBE GOLDBERG (1883-1970) was a cartoonist, an inventor, and the only person ever to be listed in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary as an adjective. Of the nearly 50,000 cartoons he drew in his lifetime, Rube is best known for the zany contraptions of Professor Butts. These inventions, also known as Rube Goldberg Machines, solved a simple task in the most overcomplicated, inefficient, and hilarious way possible.

Take a look at these example Rube Goldberg cartoons and then draw and label a simple kinetic sculpture commemorating the causes of the Great Depression.

The parts of a kinetic sculpture are constantly moving. For example, a ball might hit a lever that sets off a pulley. The pulley might, in turn, pull a bucket that dumps water on a paddle wheel. The paddle wheel creates another movement. Different actions can take place independently of one another as well. But all the actions together have a combined result.

At least one part on your sculpture must represent each Key Content Term from Chapter 30. These terms may appear on your machine in any order.  You can submit your drawing on TCI, or draw it on paper, snap a photo, and email it with subject line 'Rube Goldberg.'

Letters From the Trenches

In class we have experienced the devastating effect WWI including rat-infested trenches, machine guns,  and poisonous gas.

How was propaganda perhaps the most dangerous weapon of all?

Write a letter of your own from the trenches describing the conditions and your experiences.
 How would you respond to the German Kaiser?  Be sure to include why you feel it is important to keep fighting (or not).

Get a Job

"There is work that profits children, and there is work that brings profit only to employers. The object of employing children is not to train them, but to get high profits from their work."-- Lewis Hine, 1908

Do you have a job? If you had to get a job by the end of the week what would you do? How many hours would you work? How much would you get paid? Are there any risks or dangers?

Compare your jobs to children laborers during the industrial age.

What role should the government assume in protecting workers -especially children- from the hazards of the workplace?

Who Really Owns the Land?

What is your most valuable possession? How can you prove you 'own' it?

Listen to the song

According to John Locke, one doesn’t acquire land merely by claiming it, or even by living on it. One acquires solely through productive use. Moreover, one has no right to hold more land than one can use productively.

The Indians left much of the land unused, they never farmed it, raised livestock, or mined any of it. Land, a part of the universe, belonged to all, particularly the tribe. Individual land ownership did not exist, since all were entitled to the fruits of nature. Users' rights were protected and specified in various traditions, but there was no such things as land "ownership". Generally, individuals could clear as much land as needed for farming; this land would remain in a family's possession as long as they continued to use it. Once it was abandoned, anyone else could cultivate it.  

1) What would Locke say to Yertle the Turtle? 

2) What would he say to the Indians?  

3) Did we really steal the Indian’s land?  

4) Were the Indians using all of it?  

5) How did Indians view of the land differ from the settlers?  

6) What was the Dawes Act?

7) How did the Dawes Act take advantage of the Indians?