Semester II Final
By Adam Tyler
Part A: 1-8
1. Before doing any research, I predict the three most highly ranked presidents in US history will be Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Ronald Reagan, and the worst might be Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Richard Nixon.
2. On the C-SPAN survey of presidential leadership, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Theodore Roosevelt have been consistently viewed as the top four presidents. Harry S. Truman has gone back and forth in the 5th spot, while Theodore Roosevelt has gone back and forth in the 4th spot.
3. On the C-SPAN survey page, I notice that in the worst 10 presidents, a majority of them have become ranked lower on the list in 2017. This is probably because America's standards have been getting lower as we get worse presidents, so now the presidents are ranked even lower. The top 10 presidents have varied a lot, but mostly in 2009, they're ranked a little bit higher than they were in 2008. I think this is because people begin to look back at them more and realize how truly good presidents they were in that year. I also realize that at the end of the list, there are a lot of forgettable presidents like Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan. They are probably ranked so low down there because people have become more critical of the presidency since then and have decided that they didn't really do anything.
4. The participants in the C-SPAN survey are seemingly all universities or colleges. I think C-SPAN included them in this survey because they think they can get reliable information out of them, since these people went to college, like Purdue University or George Mason. If these names weren't here, I may ask if this is a reliable source or not, but since these names are from college, there's a pretty good chance it is a reliable source. If someone went to Duke College or Harvard Law School, I'd probably trust them to give me accurate information.
5. The 10 qualities presidents were ranked on were crisis leadership, moral authority, wanted equal justice for all, economic management, administrative skills, performance in context of times, making a plan, relationship with the the public, relationship with the Congress, and relationship with other governments.
6. From how the presidents are ranked and what they are ranked on, I think that the categories C-SPAN weights heavily on are crisis leadership, moral authority, and administrative skills, since many of the top ten presidents were still the top ten in these categories.
7. If I was ranking the presidents based on the ten categories, the top three categories that would be the most important would be relationship with the public (because everyone needs to know what the president is doing because he's our trusted leader), vision (because a president must decide what he will do differently that will bring hope to America), and wanted equal justice for all (because if we don't have justice, then America is a big, fat fraud of a country).
8. My predictions of best presidents were mostly accurate while my predictions of worst presidents were greatly flawed. On the list, Abraham Lincoln was first, George Washington was second, and Franklin D. Roosevelt was third. I may have placed Ronald Reagan in third just because I heard a whole lot of good stuff about him from my family. The worst presidents were from worst to less worse, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and Franklin Pierce. These presidents weren't even close to the ones I thought of, probably because I forgot all about the presidents and didn't even know there was a guy named Franklin Pierce. I currently think of Richard Nixon with the Watergate Scandal, Bill Clinton with his affair, and George W. Bush just being kinda stupid in office, but I don't really know those worst presidents so I'm assuming they weren't useful and didn't do almost anything good in office.
Part B: 9-10
9. "On March 16 we celebrate the anniversary of James Madison's birthday. Madison, traditionally viewed as the Father of the United States Constitution, is also seen by many as a defender of open government. He once wrote, "[a] popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps, both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."1
In a similar vein, he asserted that "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge" is "the only Guardian of true liberty." Justice.gov.
"We rejoice the day of birth of James Madison, for it is March 16. He is observed as a protector of the system we have and the founder of its laws. "A system without having received good resources is the beginning to a fake or bad event or the two of them together. Idiocy will be less than wisdom. Folks who want to be rulers of themselves, beware that they have a big burden to carry of the wisdom they receive. Like this, Madison said "the evolution and enlightenment of wisdom" is "the one thing that will keep justice safe."
10. " . . . [K]nowledge of our own history is essential in the making of Americans. The reasons for this belief may be summed up under four main heads. History makes loyal citizens because memories of common experiences and common aspirations are essential ingredients in patriotism. History makes intelligent voters because sound decisions about present problems must be based on knowledge of the past. History makes good neighbors because it teaches tolerance of individual differences and appreciation of varied abilities and interests. History makes stable, well-rounded individuals because it gives them a start toward understanding the pattern of society and toward enjoying the artistic and intellectual productions of the past. It gives long views, a perspective, a measure of what is permanent in a nation’s life. " American Historical Association.
9. "On March 16 we celebrate the anniversary of James Madison's birthday. Madison, traditionally viewed as the Father of the United States Constitution, is also seen by many as a defender of open government. He once wrote, "[a] popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps, both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."1
In a similar vein, he asserted that "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge" is "the only Guardian of true liberty." Justice.gov.
"We rejoice the day of birth of James Madison, for it is March 16. He is observed as a protector of the system we have and the founder of its laws. "A system without having received good resources is the beginning to a fake or bad event or the two of them together. Idiocy will be less than wisdom. Folks who want to be rulers of themselves, beware that they have a big burden to carry of the wisdom they receive. Like this, Madison said "the evolution and enlightenment of wisdom" is "the one thing that will keep justice safe."
10. " . . . [K]nowledge of our own history is essential in the making of Americans. The reasons for this belief may be summed up under four main heads. History makes loyal citizens because memories of common experiences and common aspirations are essential ingredients in patriotism. History makes intelligent voters because sound decisions about present problems must be based on knowledge of the past. History makes good neighbors because it teaches tolerance of individual differences and appreciation of varied abilities and interests. History makes stable, well-rounded individuals because it gives them a start toward understanding the pattern of society and toward enjoying the artistic and intellectual productions of the past. It gives long views, a perspective, a measure of what is permanent in a nation’s life. " American Historical Association.
The quotes said by James Madison and the American Historical Association are very similar yet also different. Both discuss knowledge and how important it is and that it is power. However, Madison associates knowledge with the government and how being the government requires a whole lot of knowledge, especially if you're your own governor. The American Historical Association associates knowledge with history and how it creates people with knowledge which can lead to understanding of patriotism. Although, both are talking about authority in America, whether you feel needed to be a patriot or a governor.
I think that these two quotes are definitely true in most perspectives. I do agree that knowledge is power and that to be a big shot in your country, you definitely have to have it. However, I somewhat disagree with James Madison when he says that knowledge will overrule ignorance. That has not always been true in America. People can be so stupid that when they know what they're doing is wrong, they do it anyway, like Richard Nixon when he committed the Watergate Scandal and shoved the thought of it being bad into the back of his mind. However, I do find Madison's overall statement about knowledge needed during times of government true since it might be the only way you'll survive in the government. I also agree with the American Historical Association that knowledge of history will make us Americans, because our past shapes us into what we are now.
Part C: 11-15
11. I would say I have definitely grown as a researcher this year. I have learned to paraphrase paragraphs (just like I did above), I have learned to hyperlink my sources underneath a picture to where I got the information from, and I have learned to use sources with reliable authors (like someone from a university or a historian). I used to not really understand how paraphrasing worked, but now I understand that it is replacing about every word in the paragraph but still meaning the same thing. I learn hyperlinking is copying a source and pasting it under the picture (it's really that simple). Also, from looking at who wrote the article, I should determine if the information matches true information from a reliable author.
12. Looking back at my film project, the five parts I was most proud of was my entire menu, because it took me almost two hours to find everything on the menu and I liked how I used several metaphors to explain the choices; the Watergate tapes, because for some reason I really liked that image of three tapes in cases that had impeached Nixon and it was probably my best artifact in the museum; the invitation, because I've never made an invitation before ever and it looked kinda nice; the interview room, because it was the hardest image to find and I finally put it in the exhibit; and the middle paragraph of my Frost/Nixon essay, because the part where I mentioned that the events of the Watergate Scandal weren't really talked about much in the movie is probably the strongest part of my essay.
13. A blog post I liked from my class was John Calvin's blog post titled 2.9 Mass Incarceration. The essay talked about the issue of mass incarceration and how it is mainly the result of racial bias. Most people today seem to have stopped being racist, but there a plenty who still are. Blacks are treated the most poorly in prison and make up of 40% of the inmates. Even black kids make up for a majority in the juvenile prison. I liked this post mainly because it shows me that the world can still be major jerks about race and that we may not have really changed. Also, another reason I like it is because more and more people get sent to jail every year and that there's really not a whole lot of space left in prisons for them. I think that says a lot about today's society, like how many people have turned to crime or how many officials have become corrupt. JC also really makes a good point when he tells the reader that white people and black people need to work more closely together to solve the problem of mass incarceration. I think that that would actually help stop the problem.
14. "The best way to predict your future is to create it.” Abraham Lincoln. I chose this quote from Abraham Lincoln because I think it is very helpful advice. Lincoln says that instead of worrying about what your future might be like, to just focus on the now and that way you can pave the future you want. I sometimes get worried about what's gonna happen to myself in the future, if I become a success or not, but now I realize that the future can be what you make it if you just stop worrying about it since the present can become your future.
15.
11. I would say I have definitely grown as a researcher this year. I have learned to paraphrase paragraphs (just like I did above), I have learned to hyperlink my sources underneath a picture to where I got the information from, and I have learned to use sources with reliable authors (like someone from a university or a historian). I used to not really understand how paraphrasing worked, but now I understand that it is replacing about every word in the paragraph but still meaning the same thing. I learn hyperlinking is copying a source and pasting it under the picture (it's really that simple). Also, from looking at who wrote the article, I should determine if the information matches true information from a reliable author.
12. Looking back at my film project, the five parts I was most proud of was my entire menu, because it took me almost two hours to find everything on the menu and I liked how I used several metaphors to explain the choices; the Watergate tapes, because for some reason I really liked that image of three tapes in cases that had impeached Nixon and it was probably my best artifact in the museum; the invitation, because I've never made an invitation before ever and it looked kinda nice; the interview room, because it was the hardest image to find and I finally put it in the exhibit; and the middle paragraph of my Frost/Nixon essay, because the part where I mentioned that the events of the Watergate Scandal weren't really talked about much in the movie is probably the strongest part of my essay.
13. A blog post I liked from my class was John Calvin's blog post titled 2.9 Mass Incarceration. The essay talked about the issue of mass incarceration and how it is mainly the result of racial bias. Most people today seem to have stopped being racist, but there a plenty who still are. Blacks are treated the most poorly in prison and make up of 40% of the inmates. Even black kids make up for a majority in the juvenile prison. I liked this post mainly because it shows me that the world can still be major jerks about race and that we may not have really changed. Also, another reason I like it is because more and more people get sent to jail every year and that there's really not a whole lot of space left in prisons for them. I think that says a lot about today's society, like how many people have turned to crime or how many officials have become corrupt. JC also really makes a good point when he tells the reader that white people and black people need to work more closely together to solve the problem of mass incarceration. I think that that would actually help stop the problem.
14. "The best way to predict your future is to create it.” Abraham Lincoln. I chose this quote from Abraham Lincoln because I think it is very helpful advice. Lincoln says that instead of worrying about what your future might be like, to just focus on the now and that way you can pave the future you want. I sometimes get worried about what's gonna happen to myself in the future, if I become a success or not, but now I realize that the future can be what you make it if you just stop worrying about it since the present can become your future.
15.
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| A picture of Sitting Bull, an Indian chief. He refused to move off his property that the Americans attempted to claim. Many Indians thought he was crazy to go through with it, but at the same time, respected him for it. His face brings hope for the Indians that they one day may be treated right by America. Even though they are gone now, America has attempted to become a better place by treating black people better. |
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| The paper in which Lincoln was announced to be assassinated. This marked the end of the best president ever and an end to the best presidents. |
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| A depiction of George Washington crossing the Delaware River with company. This was a pivotal moment in history as Washington stands proud and triumphant over the river as hope went up that Washington would be a great leader and would win the war, officially becoming the first president of the United States of America, and starting off America's history. |
