#11 - What's Rakestraw Up To?

Rakestraw and His Honeymoon

by Sam Green

Curt and his wife, Anne, were about to go on a super amazing adventure. It was their honeymoon, which meant that there was going to be some imminent partying in the beautiful island of Saint Martin. The beautiful blues and greens of the ocean and the oranges and yellows of the sunset views on a relaxing beach: it was going to be fantastic. The stress of life was going to be washed away with the smooth waves of the sea. Curt and Anne could not wait, this was their time.

The storm wrecked the trees, the wind growling like hungry wolves as it ravaged the island. The rain felt like hail, the island was flooding. This isn't right. Where are the visuals? The sun was suffocating in thick gray blankets of clouds; the atmosphere heavy and wet. Sirens are blaring. Trees are falling and waving like mad, as if they were warning the islanders and tourists to run and leave as fast as they can.

The back wheels on the car Curt and Anne were in were being lifted off the ground at a dangerous rate, Curt’s hands trembling on the leather wheel. The sky looked black and the wind shield wipers were not helping against the pelting rain. The sound of the precipitation drumming and beating on the window was deafening, sending fear through the couple’s hearts. All they wanted was a nice warm and comfortable welcome to the island, not some wacky movie evacuation scene. Curt grumbled under her breath. He was going to enjoy this honeymoon, no matter what.

#10 - Failed Colonies in the Americas

Tell about the failures of the New World.

by Sam Green

1. What insights do you gain from comparing the French and Spanish accounts of the 1565 attack?

2. How do they decide what is ethically and politically acceptable in their actions and in the actions of their enemies?

3. What do the settlers see as the strengths and weaknesses of their colonies?

4. Which do they ascribe to external factors? To themselves?

5. Evaluate the colonists' planning for the settlements. How do they adapt to unforeseen problems?

6.How did colonists' relationships with the Indians affect their fate?

7. How did their perception of the natural environment affect their fate?

8. How did the leadership in each colony affect its fate?

9. What is critical for a successful colony?

10. To what extent did the colonists prepare for failure?

11. How did the colonies end?

12. How might these accounts differ from those of successful colonies?

13. What might have saved these colonies?

14. What might a prospective settler learn from these documents?

15. How did European rivalries affect the fate of these colonies?

1. While the Spanish victors wrote it as something that was glorious and wonderful, the losers, i.e. the French, brushed it off as luck, citing the fact that they were ill prepared and whatnot.

2. They used God to justify their actions. Seeing as how the French were mostly Catholic then, anyone who was French and Catholic would die. No exceptions.

3. While the Spanish possessed a great, strong Armada, the French were known for being economically stable. Both societies suffered from famine.

4. All strengths were usually ascribed to themselves, but when things went wrong, whether they were natural or due to themselves, they usually contributed it to external factors.

5. The planning of the settlers was poor. The food storage was performed poorly, and eventually, they had to request help from the Amerindians to get by.

6. They had a highly strained relationship, but the colonists depended on the natives, so they tried to do everything possible to keep on good terms with Amerindians, until one screw up sent the natives over the edge.

7. Their expectations of the environment were so poor. The beliefs they possessed ended up actually killing some due to their not being ready for it.

8. The French leader was too trusting of the Spanish, which got most of his colony killed. The Spanish were too "rude," if that is a word that can be used here, which led to the natives cutting ties with the Spanish.

9. A successful relationship with natives, a good economy, great leadership, and knowledge of the land all contribute to a successful colony.

10. There was no preparation whatsoever. People usually resorted to evacuating the colony when the knew of its imminent failure.

11. The colonies would end either through native rebellion, evacuation, the taking of the colonies by other countries, or, in rare cases, with no explanation at all.

12. The countries with successful colonies made said colonies top priority, unlike the countries of the colonies that failed.

13. If colonies had been better prepared for European enemies, native enemies, new climates and such, and had better leadership and planning, they could have been successful.

14. They would have learned that storing food is more important that the supposed minerals the New World holds.

15. If the countries had chosen to work together via their colonies instead of against each other, they possibly would have thrived much sooner than they actually did.

#9 - English Civil Wars

Tell about the English Civil War, its effects, and important info about it.

by Sam Green

King Charles I's execution was "met with ‘such a groan as I have never heard before, and desire I may never hear again,” or so said a seventeen year old present that day. Many of the accused regicides were referred to as rogues, or Old-Testament radical believers who wanted their biblical inspired vengeance against the king who supported the civil war and was trusted not to make peace. The execution was referred to as the “product of a short-term crisis." England’s population of puritans were large in number, and these people believed strongly in the Scriptures. There are recordings in the Bible of people throwing over unrighteous kings. Psalm 149 stated and encouraged the believers "To bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron."

King Charles I issued “The Book of Sports”, which licensed "lawful recreations" on Sundays. Many Puritans viewed Charles’s policies as pope-like activity. Puritans believed that the world had a line between pope-like activity and "true religion," Charles’s laws and policies heavily offending many of the English. Many gave Charles the name of “Saul," a negative figure in the Bible. He was compared to Roman religious tyrannical leaders who had been overthrown. Many lives were lost during the war, and much currency had been spent. Taxing was at a record high, and the population was helpless to the forced quartering of troops who were not receiving pay.

Charles wantonly renewed the civil war in late 1647, ordering to invade and refusing to retire his efforts. King Charles I was not showing signs of having future peace attempts. King Charles I was assassinated at Whitewall, January 30, 1649. After his death, parliament was back in power with full control. Many of the monarchs, though shaken, were, as expected, not ridden with horror and fear of his death. Parliament changed many policies after his death. Monarchy was abolished.

#8 - Mesoamerica

What is there to be said about Mesoamericans?

by Sam Green

1. How does the speaker define the area that is "Mesoamerica"?

2. How did the topography of Mesoamerica impact civilizations?

3. What goods were produced in the highlands and lowlands?

4. Why was is so difficult to move goods in Mesoamerica?

5. What accomplishments can we credit the Olmecs with?

6. Describe the Olmec calendar system.

7. What was the purpose of Olmec pyramids?

8. How were Mayan pyramids different than Olmec pyramids?

9. Why was Mayan history "lost" at the time of contact?

10. How does she say that the Aztecs were different than other Mesoamericans?

11. What was the purpose of the tribute systems of the Aztecs?

12. Describe the Aztec creation myth.  

13. How was sacrifice of women different than men?

1. It's Mexico and Central America.

2. Different altitudes throughout could support only certain resources. Therefore, you had to live where you could produce the product you wanted to produce.

3. The highlands were about obsidian production, while the lowlands were known for their seashells and bird feathers.

4. Rivers were unable to be navigated, animals were not domesticated, and the roads were few.

5. They are famous for their freaky, giant megalithic heads, the centers of worship, pyramids, ball courts, pyramids, and calendars.

6. There were two calendars: solar (365 days) and lunar (260 days). Every 52 years, the two would begin on the same day.

7. The pyramids were places of worship.

8. Mayan pyramids were steeper and more narrow.

9. By the time the Spanish arrived, the Mayans had vacated their homes. Because of this, the Spanish were not able to translate many of the histories recorded on the sides of Mayan architecture.

10. The Aztecs were expansionists led by one ruler, unlike everyone else. On top of that, they took human sacrifice to the next level.

11. The tribute system was one way the Aztecs kept themselves fed.

12. The world was created and destroyed four times before the Aztecs came into existence. For it to begin again, one of their gods had to sacrifice him/her/itself. One god was asked to be the hero, but he was a chicken and backed out. A lesser god decided to play hero and sacrificed him/her/itself, but when that happened, the original god, not to be shown up, sacrificed him/her/itself as well. When everyone noticed that the moon and sun were not moving around the Earth yet, it was discovered that the un-sacrificed gods had to begin sacrificing themselves as well, which they did.

13. While men were taken to the tops of pyramids and had their hearts cut out, women just danced at the bottom of pyramids until it was time for them to be beheaded.

#7 - Sui & Tang China Comparison Essay

Compare and contrast the Sui and Tang dynasties of China.

by Sam Green

While the Sui and Tang were similar in government, but they differed in cultural and social aspects.

The dynasties are similar in the affiliations and political ties of their government. Both dynasties have roots in the nomads of China. They are also similar in the aspect that philosophy has some weight in their decisions. Both the Tang and Sui dynasties have Confucian influence in their government.

The dynasties are different when it comes to views on women. For example, the Tang had a female ruler at one point while the Sui did not. Furthermore, the two dynasties differed in regards to toleration of Buddhists. The Sui accepted Buddhists without hesitation, yet the Tang strongly disapproved of them.