Category: Mnemonic Devices

M.A.P out Manifest Destiny

Manifest Destiny – An Expression of Our National Spirit [1848 to 1852]
Manifest Destiny, one of the most influential ideologies in American history, serves as the
justification for the nation’s territorial expansion in the antebellum era.

Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze - Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way (1)

In the 19th century, manifest destiny was a widely held belief in the United States that its settlers were destined to expand across North America to redeem and remake the west in the image of agrarian America

Mobility –  both physical and socio-economic

Availability –   of federal land grants

Possibility –  of starting a new life 

 

 

 

 

Nativism in 3D

Know Nothing

Antebellum Immigration “Nativism in 3D”
Distrust, Discrimination and Destruction

Were the Irish and German immigrants welcomed in Antebellum America?  (Not really and not always).

Anti-Irish sentiment may refer to or include racism, oppression, bigotry, persecution, discrimination, hatred or fear of Irish people as an ethnic group or nation, whether directed against Ireland in general or against Irish emigrants and their descendants in the Irish diaspora.

An Anti-Immigrant movement develops. What began as the secret society – “Order of the Star Spangled Banner,” evolves into a political party  – The American Party (AKA the Know – Nothing Party)

Distrust – Immigration causes anxiety and social disorder – All immigrants did was drink and steal.

Discrimination – The issue of anti-Irish job discrimination in the United States. Some insist that the “No Irish need apply” signs were common.

Destruction – In Louisville, Kentucky, election-day rioters killed at least 22 people in attacks on German and Irish Catholics on Aug. 6, 1855, in what became known as “Bloody Monday.” In Philadelphia in 1844, for example, a series of nativist assaults on Catholic churches and community centers resulted in the loss of lives and the professionalization of the police force.

 

 

 

Washington’s Farewell Address Mnemonic

In his farewell address Washington warned against evils of political parties and the danger of permanent foreign alliances (like treaty with France).

$.A.F.E
Stay Away from Foreign Entanglements.   The “$” in this mnemonic is a dollar sign because Washington encouraged commercial ties to build the economy.

Isolationism became dominant U.S. foreign policy for next 100 years.   We departed for this advice…

1898 – The Spanish American and War

1917 – Attempted isolation during World War I. The Senate rejected the Treaty of Versailles and the U.S. did not join the League of Nations/

1945 – At the conclusion of World War II the United States joined the United Nations (1945) ending the

 

San Diego State Aztecs

This post is part of the APUSH Gameday series.

San Diego State University “Leadership Starts Here”  San Diego State University (SDSU, San Diego State) is a public research university in San Diego, California, and is the largest and oldest higher education institution in San Diego County. Founded in 1897 as San Diego Normal School, it is the third-oldest university in the 23-member California State University.

After the athletic teams were established in 1921, media referred to the teams as “Staters” or “professors”. The school newspaper tried to encourage “Wampus Cats” during its coverage of the 1923-24 school year. In the fall of 1924, Athletic Director C.E. Peterson urged the students to select a nickname and the school newspaper, The Paper Lantern, invited suggestions. Over the next few issues, names such as Panthers, Balboans and Thoroughbreds were suggested and submitted to a committee of Dean Al Peterson, C.E. Peterson and a student. In 1925, student leaders chose the nickname “Aztecs” over such other suggestions as “Balboans”. They felt the terminology was more representative of a southwest image and the selection met with no dissent. In February of 1925, President Hardy gave his formal approval to the “Aztec” nickname and teams adopted that identity within a week.

 

aztec.png (687×627)

I work the San Diego State Aztecs into my course when I cover the following topics:

From Pangaea to Paradise – The Americas Before European Conquest [1491] Pre-Columbian indigenous populations were not sparsely settled in a pristine wilderness,  rather, a vastly more populous and sophisticated civilizations that actively shaped and influenced the land around them .

The Spanish Mission System – “A Wealth of Souls to Harvest”The Spanish clergy, particularly Jesuits and Franciscans, played a critical role in settling the Southwest using the mission system.Over the centuries, this became the most effective means of “civilizing” natives.