Reflective Essay: US History Class

Improved Essays
I had the pleasure of teaching John in his 9th grade History class and 12th grade AP US History class at Civic Leadership Academy High School. From the first day of class, John impressed me with his ability to be articulate about difficult concepts and texts, his sensitivity to the nuances within historical occurrences, his passion for reading, writing, and creative expression- both in and out of the classroom. John has a talent for observation, analysis, and he has my highest recommendation as a student and writer.

John is talented at considering the subtleties within historical texts and the purpose behind author's works. He produced many extraordinary essays and has developed his creative identity through the analysis of US History. When

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    1776 is a book written by David McCullough, in which he tells the history of America, especially on the year 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was signed. On this year, the success of America was dependent on those who joined George Washington on the march for independence. McCullough uses extensive research in both the British and American archives to come up with a dramatically coined piece of work (331-376). This essay is aimed at reviewing the contents of the book with the view of presenting a brief overview of what to expect in it.…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Jon Meacham, a three-time New York best seller, a native of Nashville, and a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for American Lion, Meacham is an accomplished writer. He received a degree in English literature and had been editor for numerous organizations. While his notorieties should be praised, his background must be noted that he did not earn a degree in History. His writing was vivid and engaging; it was easy to get engrossed by his book. While the literature was impeccable, it should still be noted the historiography is slightly lacking.…

    • 1789 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Elise Kang US History Honors Founding Brothers Questions 1. The triumph of America is greatly taken for granted by many citizens, and can only be greater understood through a descriptive narrative like Founding Brothers. People of the recent and present times are only familiar with today’s country, unified, developed and successful. It is simply too far back to even comprehend the nation’s past fragility. Joseph Ellis effectively conveys the serendipitous events through anecdotes showing America as a nation that fights back with not only luck but also strength; such as the Benjamin Rush segments.…

    • 1470 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the book “Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid That Sparked the Civil War” written by Tony Horwitz who is one of New York Times bestsellers. Horwitz began his profession as a newspaper reporter and issued many stories that dealt with conflict and working circumstances in America for The Wall Street Journal. Yet, throughout the book the author writes about an abolitionist named John Brown who has greatly impacted the start of the Civil War through a diversity of raids. Horwitz’s thesis is that Brown had ignited the nation’s extensive rivalry specifically with the implausible attack on Harpers Ferry.…

    • 844 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ap Us History Dbq Essay

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Alan Abraham 10/4/16 2A Nelson DBQ To what extent had the colonists developed a sense of their identity and unity as Americans by the eve of the Revolutions?…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To further analyze American history, and eliminate the truths from the myths, Loewen takes us through a journey of revealing the mindless optimism, blind patriotism, lies and misinformation that cloud most history books. He analyzes the information contained in 12 high school history books and s analyzes this information, providing what he believes is the truth, and separating it from the lies. Loewen provides an honest evaluation of the history of the United States, giving life and value into a history that had become very boring and monotonous. Introduction…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Gordon S. Wood is an eminent historian who got his masters and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University in 1959 and 1964 respectively. He is a professor of History Emeritus at Brown University and also an Alva O. Way University Professor (Brown Affiliations). Wood has worked wholeheartedly towards combining the everchanging social and political ideas and how they are currently being projected from the early American Republic. The theme of his writing is mostly guided by the idea that the revolution was the most radical incident in the American History (Dallek, Matthew). The writing of Wood reflects his beliefs that the revolution played a tremendous part in defining the future of American politics based on egalitarian principals.…

    • 898 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Slavery and the Making of America This book is written by James Oliver Horton. James Oliver Horton was born on March 28, 1942, in Newark, New Jersey. Son of The Oliver and Marjorie Horton and married to Lois E. Horton, mother and father of James Michael.…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The American Revolution changed and impacted our history. The revolutionary left it’s mark in history and a few familiar names and holidays including The 4th of July, Pulaski Day (Illinois), The Philadelphia 49ers, The New England Patriots, and much more. Towns, sports teams, schools, streets, countries, and even family names can be traced back to the American Revolution (Background Essay). Before the revolution, there was extreme changes in the political system, social system, and the economic system. Due to these changes, the American Revolution was seen as a radical change; because of the ending of slavery, and the equality of women.…

    • 1081 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    American Imperialism was something that was aimed toward economic and political control of land outside of the United States. The land can be taken by force using the military or maybe by treaty or by just buying it. One of the countries that were controlled by the United States was the Philippines. Before America took over the Philippines there were forty three different languages.…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The text, Privilege, Power, and Difference by Allan Johnson, is a 156-page detailed account of Johnson’s views on American society and how social class, race, sexual orientation, gender, disability status, and privilege causes a “difference” in the way we view each other. Johnson’s personal views on how these factors affect the way members of the minority live and survive in current day United States is aimed at raising social awareness. The text, written by Johnson, identifies the social principles that form the belief of privilege and entitlement, often making jest at the very serious issue of inequality. This was a quick and easy read, yet was packed with valuable information and valid arguments. Johnson delves into American history,…

    • 1186 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    "The Financial house of cards collapses, a financial panic grips the world. Practically overnight an economic blizzard swept the world. It is always the unemployed, the soup kitchens, the grinding poverty, and the despair” (Unidentified Man). This quote perfectly explains the hardships America had to trouble through during the 1920s. America was hit with it’s worst economy ever known to United States history.…

    • 1194 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the chapter ‘Forget Columbus’ of the book ‘The Inconvenient Indian’, the author Thomas King writes about his point of view on the forgotten history of the Native Americans. He conveys about the tales made up about the natives and americans engraved in the history to mainly appeal to the white audience. The author starts the chapter by telling how insignificant was the discovery of the land of natives made by Columbus. According to him the only reason why he was given credit and recognized because his story as Columbus sailing the oceans, travelling across with interesting adventures and going through hardships with a letter to the Emperor of Indies by the King and Queen of Spain captured the imagination of the audience and met the expectations…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Everyone hates English class is what I thought before taking English 102. However, that may have been the case before I entered Dr. Byrd’s domain, but after finishing the class I have come to the realization that English class can be greatly resourceful. English 102 this year has had its ups and downs, and I must admit the ups outweigh the downs. Meaning, this year, I have learned that I am not a student who wants to read or write, but through reading and writing my mind and skill sets concerning English have grown. During English 102 this year, reading and writing in class helped me expand my writing skills, improved my will to comprehend, and most importantly helped expand my knowledge.…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    When most people think of a history class they imagine sitting in a dark lecture hall taking notes off a PowerPoint presentation, memorizing a few dates and people, repeating it on the test. Truly studying history, I learned, is more than memorization of a previously told story and accepting it as true. In this class I have learned history is about actively engaging the material, picking apart the details and nuances, creating and using timelines, finding deeper meaning in the material, asking questions, then looking again and digging deeper. It is not a passive study and not about memorization as I believed at the beginning of the semester. History is about asking questions and looking for answers, not just accepting what is already there, but…

    • 1696 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays