Mr. Mazur's U.S. History II

Friday, April 29, 2011

D-Day Letter

Hey everyone. Today we talked about leadership and courage of the soldier during World War II. We discussed the Allied Powers' strategy in Europe in three phases: the invasion in North Africa (1942), the invasion of Italy (1943), and the invasion of France (1944). After the invasion of Normandy, the Allies began to push their way to Germany.

We watched a documentary on the invasion of Normandy. Many American soldiers died in the attack. Your homework is to take the role of the government and write a letter to a family member of a soldier who had died during the invasion. What words of consolation would the letter say? How would you describe the soldier aid the family to cope?

Have a great weekend everyone!

~Mr. Mazur

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

WWII on the Home Front

Hey everyone. Today we learned about how fear can cause people to react in a certain way. We mainly focused on Pearl Harbor, and how Americans distrusted Japanese Americans after the attacks. We discussed the Japanese internment camps after the war (why they were used, the conditions within the camps, the effects of these camps).
Now I want to focus on other aspects in the United States during WWII. For homework, please read pp.768-774 in your textbooks. These pages will discuss women working in the factories, the transition of factories from consumer goods to weapons, and the decline of the Great Depression. Please outline as you are reading. We will discuss in the beginning of next class. We will begin talking about WWII battles next class.
Have a great day!

~Mr. Mazur

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Pearl Harbor Research

Hey everyone! Today we talked about American neutrality before World War II and the idea of isolationism. We discussed that the United States and Germany were involved with an undeclared naval war with each other before we actually entered World War II. The ironic part is that the attack that got us involved did not come from Germany, it came from Japan.

For homework, you are to write three formal paragraphs on the attack of Pearl Harbor. This is what I want you to include for each paragraph:

I. Why did Japan bomb Pearl Harbor? Why did they feel like this was a good idea?
II. What happened at Pearl Harbor? Describe the actual attack for me.
III. What were the effects of the attack? How many people died? How many ships were destroyed? What was the outcome?

USE OTHER SOURCES OTHER THAN THE TEXTBOOK. I want you to research this.

This is going to be worth 15 points.

Have a great Spring Break!

~Mr. Mazur

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Holocaust Test

Hey everyone. Our test for the unit is going to be on Tuesday (B Day) and Wednesday (A Day) of next week. Please complete the study guide for that day. Have a great week!

~Mr. Mazur

Thursday, March 31, 2011

B Day: Resistance in Sobibor

Hey everyone! Today we discussed how Jewish people resisted by practicing religious and cultural traditions, keeping records of their circumstances, and having the will to live. Some also actively resisted the Nazis by sabotaging the Germans, murdering, stealing, etc.

We also learned that although it was not the norm, many non-Jewish people helped to save Jewish people during the Holocaust. These people realized that what was happening was wrong and they felt that it was their human duty to save human beings. These people risked their lives and their familes to do what was right. They took on the responsibility of hiding Jewish people, falsifying official documents, and helping Jewish people escape across borders. These people risked their own lives to save another.

Next class we are going to be viewing a film called "Escape from Sobibor." We are going to be analyzing how accurate the movie depicts the Holocaust. For homework, you are to research and write down information on Sobibor and the uprising that occurred there.

Have a nice day!

~Mr. Mazur

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

A Day: Resistance against the Nazis

Hey everyone! Today we talked about the horrors of the Final Solution during the Holocaust, the systematic and mass killings of Jewish people in the 1940s. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me and I will be glad to answer them!

As was stated, many Jewish and non-Jewish people resisted the Nazis and their attrocities. Therefore, for homework, you were assigned a specific person who resisted Nazi rule. I have included the list below. Please research your person for next class and write down what they did and how the Nazis reacted (if they found out). What was the risk these people endured by helping?

Here is the list for Period 1-2:

Suraija Agosto: Irena Sendler
Isabela Aguiar: Oskar Schindler
Will Apicella: Waitstill and Martha Sharp
Bria Batts-Stewart: Chiune-Sempo Sugihara
Deanna Carlucci: Angel Sanz Briz
Cheyenne Chmara: Johan Benders
Amie Diamond: Miep Gies
Leah Estillero: the Bielski Brothers
Emily Fernandez: Giovanni Palatucci
Maggie Fox: Hermann Friedrich Graebe
Destiny Heggins: Johannes Bogaard
Julia Hodczak: Raoul Wallenberg
Sam Krupa: Jan and Antonina Zabinski
Tiffany Medina: Abbe Raymond Vancourt
Taylor Novello: Cornelia Blauuw
Brianna Randall: Dr. Hermann Maas
Elissa: the Suchodolski family
Loren Sass: Varian Fry

Here is the list for Periods 3-4:

Camila Bermudez: the Bielski brothers
Colette Boan: Oskar Schindler
Athena Chiu: Miep Gies
Sam Furst: Angel Sanz Briz
Chelsea Hernandez: Irena Sendler
Tamara Itzkowitz: Waitstill and Martha Sharp
Leah Killmer- Varian Fry
Aaron: Johan Benders
Jada Nims: Chiune -Sempo Sugihara
Madison Riley: Raoul Wallenberg
Na'im Shaw: Jan and Antonina Zabinski
Nicole Shuron: Giovanni Palatucci
Dan Stein: Hermann Friedrich Graebe
Jasmine Taylor: Johannes Bogaard
Heather Ullery: the Suchodolski family