Welcome back students to Mrs. Olsen's history class.
What a year and a half it has been. Last spring we were able to see you in person. Now we are in real school, five days week. I am so happy to be back to normal, that even wearing a mask isn't half that bad. It isn't perfect, but it better!
Our first week an a half is going to touch on skills we will use throughout the year.
1. Students are to interview someone they know who remembers 9-11, the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States.
2. Students learned about the sinking of the Titanic.
Like 9-11---there were flaws in actual practices. Just as there was poor airport and airplane security, the Titanic did not carry enough lifeboats, nor was the ship built strong enough to withstand certain collisions.
Like 9-11---there had been long term threats of terrorism, and the world trade center had been bombed before, there had been other serious iceberg collisions. Furthermore, the competition between Germany, England, and France, to have the fastest ocean liners contributed to culture of "speed" at the cost of all other safety precautions.
Like 9-11---which exposed the vulnerabilities of the United States to internal attacks, the Titanic exposed the myth of "unsinkable" and came to represent the decline of the British Empire. Here is a picture of one of the terrorists, Mohammad Atta, being let through security at Logan Airport, Boston.
Like 9-11---which resulted in major overhauls of airport and homeland security, the greatest improvement in maritime (sea) laws occurred in the months and years of the Titanic sinking.
Students will be writing an essay based on the primary documents about the Titanic.
