what it means to be an american

Tuesday in class we worked on our Oregon Trail Guides. I am doing a Czech pioneer that has come to American for the first time. Wednesday in class we worked on our 16% projects (we have a lot of projects). I earned a badge for water. It was very interesting to see how water affects everything and how much water it really takes to eat foods or run household items. I believe it is important to conserve our water, especially after doing this program.

There was no class today because of a half day. On Friday we worked on our guide books for the Oregon Trail project. 

U.S. Intervention in Haiti News Article

The Americans based in Haiti believe that they are all lazy, dirty, ignorant, degraded and generally, stupid. However, through extensive research, and while living in Haiti, I found the opposite to be true. In my time here, I have never found a Haitian that is "lazy," in fact, I have never seen one laying around at all. The Haitians are a busy people, they are always working and keeping a clean environment. The Haitians are not dirty, but they are rather clean. Americans here will burn down their buildings and then tell them they cannot rebuild out of the one material they have; lumber. They simply cannot because their wood buildings are too "ugly." The Haitian people are not ignorant, but have not yet developed a system for written word. They are able to speak a very complicated language, but do not have the resources to write it down. The Haitians are resourceful and simplistic, and the Americans have not yet learned to admire this quality, instead of trying to demolish it.

The treatment of the Americans to the Haitians is terrible. It is as if they are not humans, but simply there to give Americans anything they desire. One account of a man's story had him hanging by a chain from a metal pole for twenty-four days. The reason for this hanging was simply because he did not lend his horse to an American lieutenant, after voicing to the lieutenant that his horse had just traveled seven leagues. When the court could not find him faulty of any lawbreaking, the lieutenant took it upon himself to produce the punishment.

Another account was of a woman whose mule was taken from her yard. When she went to find her stolen mule, an American Captain forced her to pay 130 gourds for it. When returned from getting the payment, the captain locked her up, for not just cause. She was released a day later and returned to her home. There she found her husband hanging from the rafters and her house set fire.

The treatment of Americans to Haitians is truly heinous and is worse than what they imagine their traits to be. I have found the Haitians to be very loving and caring people, all of which are hardworking and respectable. The Americans stationed here in Haiti are unreasonably cruel and hurtful towards the Haitians, and it is difficult to differentiate if we are helping them or taking them over.

Yesterday in class we looked at Yellow Journalism. Yellow Journalism is a type of journalism that journalists used in order to sell more copies. The information is poorly researched and is mostly targeted on gaining the readers attention, and future purchase. We created our own headlines for news topics around that time "Yellow Journalist" style. The day before yesterday we worked on our Smithsonian Quests which don't make sense to me and I think are pointless.

Oregon Trail Game

Cherokee's Burden

Take up the Cherokee's Burden
Let the headaches and torture begin
Watch all your land be taken away
At the change of a white man's whim

Take up the Cherokee's Burden
Travel miles and miles on end
Watch as your women and children starve
And remember how your life was beforehand

Take up the Cherokee's Burden
Fight legally with the nasty whites
Who promised you your land unconditionally
Then took it back and made you flight