Friday, October 2, 2015

First Quarter Reflection

Liddy Malone
10/2/15
H-Block
I Pledge LM


     I think this past quarter in US History has been a cohesive learning experience, because it helped me with my “big picture” outlook of the Civil War and directly afterwards. When I think about it, I have not been taught American History since 8th grade, and even then, we only got up to the Civil War. This year, we reviewed all of that, then went further. I was truly able to put my limited previous knowledge together with new information with a relatively quick overview of everything from slavery in the South to Western expansion.
     My most significant growth has been this strengthening of general understanding and relevance. I totally recognize that I have many holes in my understanding. It was much more difficult in World History I and II to actually recognize what we were learning as real events, at least until later in the courses. This year, what I learned was closer in time and distance, so it was much more personal and enjoyable. I enjoyed understanding how slavery and Reconstructed still impacts the present socioally and economically. Though I hope to learn more this year about history that directly impacts me today, it would also benefit me to practice understanding the relevance of historical events that are not as obvious.
     Honestly, I have enjoyed this year much more than any history class I have taken. I feel like it is less mechanical than others, and I love that it is based on discussion. I did not take AP US History this year because history was one of my least favorite subjects and I did not want to pour in superfluous energy to something I did not love. However, I am really liking this year. I hope we keep connecting American history to current events in an interesting way so I can continue to develop what I know about America. It would be extremely cool to me if I could grow to tie what we learn to even the current presidential elections.  Either way, I am excited.

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