Part A
1. Before doing any research, I predict the three most highly ranked presidents in US history will be Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan and the worst might be Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton.
2. The presidents that have been consistently identified in the top four are Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The two presidents that have gone back and forth between the 4th and 5th spots are Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry S. Truman.
3. One observation I have upon viewing the data is that some presidents have gone from being lower on the list in past years to being higher up in the latest poll. For example, Dwight D. Eisenhower went from number 9 in 2000 to number 8 in 2009 to number 5 in 2017. This is very interesting because he wasn't president during any of those years so it is interesting to see how people's views can change over time.
Another observation I have upon viewing the data is that my predictions before viewing the data were right but also wrong. A lot of the presidents I put to be at the top were in fact close to the top or at the top but the presidents I picked to be at the bottom are actually near the middle which kind of surprised me since a lot of people would characterize them as not great presidents.
Another observation I have upon viewing the data is that only four presidents have remained constant in each poll. Abraham Lincoln has stayed at number 1 in all three poles, Theodore Roosevelt stayed at number 4 in all three poles, Thomas Jefferson stayed constant at number 7, and William Howard Taft stayed constant at number 24. This is surprising because only four out of 43 presidents remained constant and it is interesting to see how people's views change over time.
4. After viewing the survey participants list, you can see that everyone is either a college professor or and/or a historian. CSPAN included this to inform the reader that they didn't just pole some random people who may or may not know a lot about each president but actually poled people that knew a lot about history and about each president and what they did during their time in office. If CSPAN had not included this list, I would have questioned the credibility of the pole and wondered if some people had put people on the list and not known much about them so it is good to see that the participants are very informed in US history and these presidents. These participants helps the pole seem valid because under each name, you can see University of... or Historian which helps the viewer know that the list wasn't created by some average person but instead by historians and professors who know a lot about US history.
5. The ten categories that the historians and professors used to rank the presidents are: Public Persuasion, Crisis Leadership, Economic Management, Moral Authority, International Relations, Administrative Skills, Relations with Congress, Vision / Setting an Agenda, Pursued Equal Justice For All, and Performance Within Context of Times. (Under Individual Leadership Characteristics)
6. CSPAN did not weigh any category more than another and all of the categories were treated equally to ensure fairness. "Each of the ten categories was given equal weighting in arriving at a president's score" (CSPAN). (Methodology)
7. If I could make three categories matter more than the others I would put Crisis Leadership, Pursued Equal Justice For All, and Moral Authority as my top three. The reason behind this is because you need to have a president who can rise up and lead people during a crisis to avoid the crisis or get out of it. I put Pursued Equal Justice For All second because if there isn't equal justice for everybody, then our country would not be united and a lot of problems would rise up. Finally I put Moral Authority as number three because I think a good president has to have a good moral compass and do things out of compassion and help people out. I think because of this, international relations would get even better and that president could leave a legacy behind once they are out of office.
8. My initial impressions of the best and worst presidents weren't too bad. My predictions for who would be at the top were almost right and everyone I put down was either at the top or near the top. My predictions for who would be at the bottom though were not right. The people I put at the bottom were actually near the middle. I think this is because a lot of people know about the bad things that presidents do and forget about all of the good things they did as well so their judgement is skewed. I forgot about the good things that Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton did and only thought about the bad things that happened so my predictions were off.
Part B
9. "On March 16 we celebrate the anniversary of James Madison's birthday. Madison, traditionally viewed as the Father of the United States Constitution, is also seen by many as a defender of open government. He once wrote, "[a] popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps, both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." In a similar vein, he asserted that "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge" is "the only Guardian of true liberty."(Celebrating James Madison and the Freedom of Information Act)
1. Before doing any research, I predict the three most highly ranked presidents in US history will be Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan and the worst might be Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton.
2. The presidents that have been consistently identified in the top four are Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The two presidents that have gone back and forth between the 4th and 5th spots are Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry S. Truman.
3. One observation I have upon viewing the data is that some presidents have gone from being lower on the list in past years to being higher up in the latest poll. For example, Dwight D. Eisenhower went from number 9 in 2000 to number 8 in 2009 to number 5 in 2017. This is very interesting because he wasn't president during any of those years so it is interesting to see how people's views can change over time.
Another observation I have upon viewing the data is that my predictions before viewing the data were right but also wrong. A lot of the presidents I put to be at the top were in fact close to the top or at the top but the presidents I picked to be at the bottom are actually near the middle which kind of surprised me since a lot of people would characterize them as not great presidents.
Another observation I have upon viewing the data is that only four presidents have remained constant in each poll. Abraham Lincoln has stayed at number 1 in all three poles, Theodore Roosevelt stayed at number 4 in all three poles, Thomas Jefferson stayed constant at number 7, and William Howard Taft stayed constant at number 24. This is surprising because only four out of 43 presidents remained constant and it is interesting to see how people's views change over time.
4. After viewing the survey participants list, you can see that everyone is either a college professor or and/or a historian. CSPAN included this to inform the reader that they didn't just pole some random people who may or may not know a lot about each president but actually poled people that knew a lot about history and about each president and what they did during their time in office. If CSPAN had not included this list, I would have questioned the credibility of the pole and wondered if some people had put people on the list and not known much about them so it is good to see that the participants are very informed in US history and these presidents. These participants helps the pole seem valid because under each name, you can see University of... or Historian which helps the viewer know that the list wasn't created by some average person but instead by historians and professors who know a lot about US history.
5. The ten categories that the historians and professors used to rank the presidents are: Public Persuasion, Crisis Leadership, Economic Management, Moral Authority, International Relations, Administrative Skills, Relations with Congress, Vision / Setting an Agenda, Pursued Equal Justice For All, and Performance Within Context of Times. (Under Individual Leadership Characteristics)
6. CSPAN did not weigh any category more than another and all of the categories were treated equally to ensure fairness. "Each of the ten categories was given equal weighting in arriving at a president's score" (CSPAN). (Methodology)
7. If I could make three categories matter more than the others I would put Crisis Leadership, Pursued Equal Justice For All, and Moral Authority as my top three. The reason behind this is because you need to have a president who can rise up and lead people during a crisis to avoid the crisis or get out of it. I put Pursued Equal Justice For All second because if there isn't equal justice for everybody, then our country would not be united and a lot of problems would rise up. Finally I put Moral Authority as number three because I think a good president has to have a good moral compass and do things out of compassion and help people out. I think because of this, international relations would get even better and that president could leave a legacy behind once they are out of office.
8. My initial impressions of the best and worst presidents weren't too bad. My predictions for who would be at the top were almost right and everyone I put down was either at the top or near the top. My predictions for who would be at the bottom though were not right. The people I put at the bottom were actually near the middle. I think this is because a lot of people know about the bad things that presidents do and forget about all of the good things they did as well so their judgement is skewed. I forgot about the good things that Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton did and only thought about the bad things that happened so my predictions were off.
Part B
9. "On March 16 we celebrate the anniversary of James Madison's birthday. Madison, traditionally viewed as the Father of the United States Constitution, is also seen by many as a defender of open government. He once wrote, "[a] popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps, both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives." In a similar vein, he asserted that "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge" is "the only Guardian of true liberty."(Celebrating James Madison and the Freedom of Information Act)
Paraphrase - James Madison's birthday is on March 16 and we celebrate the "Father of the Constitution" and the "Defender of open government." He is called the defender of open government because he wrote about how if a government is run without popular information or getting that information, it is only the opening to a tragic play and will have consequences later. Madison also talks about knowledge and how it will always be in charge of ignorance and if everyone wants to lead their own lives, they must learn as much as they can and remember that power that the learning gives them. Madison says that the only thing that can protect liberty is knowledge and learning.
Madison is talking about the importance of knowledge here and how everyone and everything should be run on knowledge. He says without knowledge or information the country will become a tragedy and anyone who wants to lead people must be knowledgeable themselves.
10. " . . . [K]nowledge of our own history is essential in the making of Americans. The reasons for this belief may be summed up under four main heads. History makes loyal citizens because memories of common experiences and common aspirations are essential ingredients in patriotism. History makes intelligent voters because sound decisions about present problems must be based on knowledge of the past. History makes good neighbors because it teaches tolerance of individual differences and appreciation of varied abilities and interests. History makes stable, well-rounded individuals because it gives them a start toward understanding the pattern of society and toward enjoying the artistic and intellectual productions of the past. It gives long views, a perspective, a measure of what is permanent in a nation’s life."(American Historical Association)
Both of these passages talk about the importance of knowledge and both make arguments that it is very important in today's society. Madison talks about how without knowledge, a government is just an opening act for a tragedy to strike. He also talks about how people need to be knowledgable if they want to lead. In the second passage by AHA, they talk about how knowledge is important but that we should be learning about the history of our country to be able to become better "neighbors" with one another. They also talk about how with knowledge of our history, we can become more stable and more well-rounded since it helps us understand society better.
I think Madison is right and that a leader, whether it is a person or a government, must be informed and knowledgeable because at the end of the day, they are making the decisions. I also agree with AHA's perspective and how if all of us are more informed, we can become better neighbors and more stable. I think it is important to learn not just the history of this country but other things as well such as world history. The reason being is that, if we want to lead and reach out to people, we need to learn about other cultures and histories of other countries so we can better connect with the people around us. The US has been called a "melting pot" frequently and is accurate since we are made up of all walks of life from all over the world. If we all could learn a little bit more about each other and where we all came from, we would be able to connect better and truly become a united country.
I think Madison is right and that a leader, whether it is a person or a government, must be informed and knowledgeable because at the end of the day, they are making the decisions. I also agree with AHA's perspective and how if all of us are more informed, we can become better neighbors and more stable. I think it is important to learn not just the history of this country but other things as well such as world history. The reason being is that, if we want to lead and reach out to people, we need to learn about other cultures and histories of other countries so we can better connect with the people around us. The US has been called a "melting pot" frequently and is accurate since we are made up of all walks of life from all over the world. If we all could learn a little bit more about each other and where we all came from, we would be able to connect better and truly become a united country.
Part C
11. This year, I have grown as a researcher in a big way. I came into this year knowing just a little about researching and enough to get by but I have learned how to paraphrase a lot better and how to find the better sources out there. I have learned how to take notes better since all we could do was write on paper and I didn't want to write a ton. I didn't like it at first but it has taught me to write down the most important things and not everything and I have applied that same principle to almost every class now. I have really enjoyed this class this year not only because of the people in it but also because I learned a lot and had very interesting conversations with Mrs. Lawson. Some were about the criminal justice system and some were about the movie Argo. I will not forget this class and everything I have learned from being here this year.
12. For the film-history project, I am most proud of my invitation, menu, the connections I made between history and food, the guest list, and my in class write. I am proud of my invitation because it was a good way for me to think outside of the box and create clever connections that not all people would get. I put the date as the day that the six Americans came back home and I put the time at 6 o'clock to symbolize the six Americans. I don't think everyone would get this but I threw it in there to make a clever connection. I am also proud of my menu because it was very hard at first to connect food to history. I put a lot of work into thinking about the food I would serve and the meaning behind each dish and I am proud with the finished product. I am also proud of the guest list because I had to step into their shoes and think not only about what they did but who they were and their personalities as well. I worked very hard on trying to throw in their personality and I am proud with my work. Finally, I am proud with my in class write. I am proud of this because I put down all of my ideas and opinions and didn't say, "I wish I would've said this..." when I was done. Overall I'm proud of all of my work but I am most proud of these five things.
13. I admire John Calvin Perry's work because he has this way where he can immediately capture the reader's attention and inform the reader in an interesting way. I specifically like his menu though. All of his hard work shows through this post because his dishes are very specific even though the menu altogether might be a little random. He also threw in some puns in the names of the dishes to capture your attention and inform you about what happened in history. Each of his captions are great because they all explain what the dish is, why it is selected, and why it matters. John Calvin could've put any dish on there but he chose these dishes for a reason and I learned a lot about Cuban Missile Crisis just by reading his menu. He did a great job. (John Calvin's Menu)
14. B. “Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” – Charles Swindoll
The reason I chose this quote is because a lot of stuff has happened to me in my life and the situation was either bad or good because of how I reacted to it. For example, when my dad was taken to prison, the situation was very frustrating and difficult at first because of how I reacted to it. I was angry and fearful all the time but when I became positive and looked ahead to when he would get home, the situation didn't look so bad anymore. This quote sums up the past four years of my life and is 100% true. If anything bad ever happens just keep your head high and keep moving forward, it can only get better.
15.
11. This year, I have grown as a researcher in a big way. I came into this year knowing just a little about researching and enough to get by but I have learned how to paraphrase a lot better and how to find the better sources out there. I have learned how to take notes better since all we could do was write on paper and I didn't want to write a ton. I didn't like it at first but it has taught me to write down the most important things and not everything and I have applied that same principle to almost every class now. I have really enjoyed this class this year not only because of the people in it but also because I learned a lot and had very interesting conversations with Mrs. Lawson. Some were about the criminal justice system and some were about the movie Argo. I will not forget this class and everything I have learned from being here this year.
12. For the film-history project, I am most proud of my invitation, menu, the connections I made between history and food, the guest list, and my in class write. I am proud of my invitation because it was a good way for me to think outside of the box and create clever connections that not all people would get. I put the date as the day that the six Americans came back home and I put the time at 6 o'clock to symbolize the six Americans. I don't think everyone would get this but I threw it in there to make a clever connection. I am also proud of my menu because it was very hard at first to connect food to history. I put a lot of work into thinking about the food I would serve and the meaning behind each dish and I am proud with the finished product. I am also proud of the guest list because I had to step into their shoes and think not only about what they did but who they were and their personalities as well. I worked very hard on trying to throw in their personality and I am proud with my work. Finally, I am proud with my in class write. I am proud of this because I put down all of my ideas and opinions and didn't say, "I wish I would've said this..." when I was done. Overall I'm proud of all of my work but I am most proud of these five things.
13. I admire John Calvin Perry's work because he has this way where he can immediately capture the reader's attention and inform the reader in an interesting way. I specifically like his menu though. All of his hard work shows through this post because his dishes are very specific even though the menu altogether might be a little random. He also threw in some puns in the names of the dishes to capture your attention and inform you about what happened in history. Each of his captions are great because they all explain what the dish is, why it is selected, and why it matters. John Calvin could've put any dish on there but he chose these dishes for a reason and I learned a lot about Cuban Missile Crisis just by reading his menu. He did a great job. (John Calvin's Menu)
14. B. “Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” – Charles Swindoll
The reason I chose this quote is because a lot of stuff has happened to me in my life and the situation was either bad or good because of how I reacted to it. For example, when my dad was taken to prison, the situation was very frustrating and difficult at first because of how I reacted to it. I was angry and fearful all the time but when I became positive and looked ahead to when he would get home, the situation didn't look so bad anymore. This quote sums up the past four years of my life and is 100% true. If anything bad ever happens just keep your head high and keep moving forward, it can only get better.
15.
Abraham Lincoln is very inspirational to me because he did what no one else did or even wanted to and never gave up until his dream of abolishing slavery became a reality.
James J. Braddock is an inspiration because he had everything but lost everything in a short amount of time but he never gave up and kept on fighting for his family.
The Freedom Riders are also inspirational to me because people from all over, black and white, came together to peacefully fight for equality and they didn't stop or give up when everything went downhill.
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