Social Studies -VOTE!

Did you vote on Tuesday? Are you registered? Everyone in America ages 18 and over has the right to vote, and we should all exercise our right to choose our leaders. If you're not registered, it's easy! Just go to the Voter Registration Office at your local courthouse and tell them you'd like to register. They'll ask you to fill out a form. That's it! Bear in mind, that even if you are registered, your registration can expire if you don't go to the polls on Voting Day.

Here is a brief history of voting rights in America:

In 1787, the US Constitution allowed only white male property owners, ages 21 and over, the right to vote.

By 1843, all white men over the age of 21 could vote.

In 1870, the 15th Amendment was passed. This gave all men over 21 the right to vote, regardless of race or ethnicity. Despite the passing of the 15th Amendment, minorities were regularly discouraged, and even prevented, from voting through the use of literacy tests, grandfather clauses, and even intimidation.

In 1920, the 19th Amendment gave women over the age of 21 the right to vote.

In 1965, the Voting Rights Act was passed. This put voter registration into the hands of the federal government to ensure that minorities were not kept from registering. In essence, the 15th Amendment was finally enforced, almost 100 years after it was passed.

In 1971, the 26th Amendment was passed, lowering the voting age to 18.

In 1982, amendments were made to the Voting Rights Act to include provisions for Americans with disabilities that may have previously prevented them from registering and/or getting to the polls. This also included Americans who are unable to read and/or write, or who are not fluent in English.

As Americans, we are very fortunate to have the right to choose our own leaders. Citizens of many other counties do not have this right.

In case you're wondering whether your vote really counts, consider this:

One vote made Rutherford B. Hayes the President of the United States of America in 1923. One vote also gave Adolph Hitler control of the Nazi Party in Germany in 1923.

September 13, 1814

On this day in 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote a poem. He had witnessed the bombardment of Ft. McHenry in Baltimore by the British during the War of 1812. He was amazed that the American flag was still flying over the fort the next morning. Scott's poem was set to music and became our national anthem, The Star-Spangled Banner, in 1931.

Social Studies Tip of the Week -- Labor Day

We all know that Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer. We get a day off. We have picnics. It's the last day before swimming pools and amusement parks close for the season. But do you know the history of Labor Day?

It all started in 1894 in the town of Pullman, Illinois. Pullman was a factory town, and their product was Pullman train cars, which were made at the Pullman Palace Car Company. The company had lost revenue the previous year because demand for railway cars had dropped. Their answer to lost revenue was to cut workers' pay and increase their hours.

The workers were angered by the company's decision, and they held a wildcat strike. A wildcat strike is a strike that is not authorized by union officials. The American Railway Union, led by Eugene Debs, was a union of all railway workers. It was a large and powerful union. The ARU supported the Pullman worker's strike by refusing to run trains that included Pullman cars. Soon, all train traffic west of Chicago stopped. This affected both travel and trade.

President Grover Cleveland sent the U.S. military troops and U.S. Marshalls to intervene and get the trains moving again. During the clash, 13 workers were killed. These workers were instrumental in improving workers' rights in America.

As a result of the Pullman Strike in 1894, President Cleveland created Labor Day as a celebration of American Workers and their families.

Social Studies Tip of the Week

The Great Depression began in 1929 with the Stock Market Crash, and lasted throughout the 1930s, ending with the beginning of World War II. During the Depression, the United States economy fell so sharply that unemployment reached 25%, and the Gross National Product dropped by 33%. This means that companies did not have money to pay their workers; one out of every four people lost their jobs, and had no money to buy things that were still being produced. Because of this, American factories produced fewer things that we could trade with other countries. The slowdown in trade cause the depression to spread around the world.

If the economic situation wasn't bad enough, there was a drought in the midwest, where most of our food crops are grown. It was so dry that, when heavy winds came along, there were massive dust storms that covered the fields, cars and even houses, like snow. The area, especially Oklahoma and nothern Texas, became known as the Dust Bowl. The drought meant that fewer crops could be produced, which meant less food.

The shortage of food meant that food was more expensive, and people couldn't afford to buy it. Many Dust Bowl farmers packed their families up and headed to California to look for work. They became migrant workers, continuously, following whatever crops were in season.

If you would like to read some novels that are set during the Great Depression, I encourage you to read The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.

Social Studies Tip of the Week

Because the DLP staff was out of the office yesterday, your Social Studies Tip of the Week is a little late!

We are very lucky to live in Pennsylvania. Our state is rich with American history!
If you've never visited Gettysburg, I encourage you to check it out!

The Battle of Gettysburg took place from July 1-3, 1863. It was the turning point of the American Civil War, in which Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Potomac defeated Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. More American lives were lost at Gettysburg than during any other Civil War battle.

Gettysburg is located about 40 miles south of Harrisburg, near the Maryland border. There are many ways to see the battlefield. You may take a guided tour, or just explore on your own. There are bus tours available, but you may also drive around the battlefield. You may also choose to see it by bicycle or on horseback. For information about Gettysburg, go to http://www.gettysburg.com/.