Semester in Review

Class Date: January 22nd

Location: Your couch! See your weekly e-mail for Zoom link!

Do you remember what we learned in September? Can you believe our semester started that long ago? It’s been 18 lovely weeks, so let’s take a short stroll down memory lane! Remember, questions this week come from class and the readings! 

• Arctic Natives

We talked about the people living in what is now Alaska. The area has gone through multiple colonizers, including the Russians and Americans, and a gold rush to boot! 

• Culper Spy Ring

Can you read between the lines? General Washington and his ring of spies certainly did, in encoded missives to track the British. They even used laundry lines to pass messages along the line of spies. 

• Electoral College

The formation of the Electoral College came at the end of months of Constitutional Convention debate. Drunk, tired, and missing their loved ones, this cobbled together set of compromises has defined elections ever since, even as the country has expanded and representation has changed significantly.  

• Abigail Adams

Though the term ‘First Lady’ didn’t exist at the time, Abigail Adams became the second first lady of the new nation. Her prodigious letter writing left us with an impressive record of her relationship with John Adams as well and her incredibly keen business sense that kept the Adams family solvent through war and trying times.

• PORTS - Outdoor Equity

We had a guest speaker from Mount Tamalpais, up near San Francisco. We talked about the history of the park and how those with less have had less opportunity to enjoy both the park and outdoor spaces in general. 

• Elizabeth Blackwell

Once she made up her mind to be a doctor, a profession not open to women at the time, Elizabeth would stop at nothing to achieve her goal. After becoming the first woman to be granted a medical degree in the United States, she studied under doctors in America, France, and Great Britain to become a leader in her field.

• Elaine, AK Massacre

The summer of 1919, known as ‘Red Summer’, was one of the most violent for Black people in America. Though slightly less well known now than the Tulsa Massacre, Elaine was one of the deadliest, with death tolls estimated between 200 and 300 Black citizens. But the resulting court case Moore v. Dempsey did officially establish the right to competent counsel and due process. 

• Halloween History 

Another holiday, another walk down its historical lane! We talked about the development of Halloween in America; how witches and black cats became popular symbols of this spooky tradition. The largest factor in the development of trick or treating and house parties was actually cities and towns looking for ways to curb and contain the destructive pranks that dominated the holiday in the first part of the 20th century. 

• Prohibition

Not a drop to drink! Alcohol has figured in American society since the beginning, but temperance unions, often composed of women, have long argued that this vice harms women and families the most. 

• The Scottsboro Boys

We looked at this case of young boys ‘hoboing’ on a train when they were embroiled in a fight. To avoid trouble when they were all pulled from a train, 2 young women who were hoboing accused 9 of the Black boys of attacking and raping them. Many subsequent court cases were rushed through, convicting them with little to no evidence and shoddy defense. The Supreme Court overturned convictions based on the fact that they were convicted by all white juries, so no peers. But the state of Alabama pursued most of them with repeated court cases. 

• Tyrus Wong

This one was a fun one! We discussed Tyrus’s artwork, from murals for the Depression Works Progress Administration to creating the scenery and look of Bambi. He became well known for his whimsical greeting cards, dishes, and even later, kites!

• Free School Lunches

School lunch has a long, complicated history in many parts of the world. Early on, many communities recognized the benefits of providing lunch at schools for children, as it helped them to learn better and kept them coming to school. In the U.S. it has been a challenging issue as schools have struggled to provide for the growing need.

• Board Games

Board games have existed for thousands of years, but many of the ones in our cupboards and closets are a bit more recent. We explored the rise of the board game industry, though Milton Bradley and the Parker Brothers. Do you remember what popular board game was invented here in San Diego?

• Grace Hopper

Grace Hopper was often a pioneer, wherever she went. She invited innovation and expansive thinking into her life, from pursuing higher education to auditing classes in other disciplines to integrate into her math teaching. 

• Popcorn

Who knew history could be so delicious? We talked about the origins of popcorn and how some of it even pops after nearly 1,200 years! It became a favorite Depression-era snack and closely associated with movie-going before becoming a microwave sensation. We still snack on quarts and quarts of this fluffy grain and enjoy it quite a bit!

• Women in Vietnam

As always, thank you for your suggestions! This class was a wonderful look at the contributions of American women during the Vietnam war; from Donut Dollies to nursing to keeping things running, women were a vital, if under-recognized, part of the war. 

I hope the review has helped!