Semester 1:
The US through the 19th Century
Stage One: In Search of American Roots
09/13/00: Tug of war
Trekker Irene explains what it's like to be caught in the middle of another country's politics as she explores her Taiwanese/Chinese heritage.
09/23/00: Take me to the river! Slippery salmons swimming upstream
Irene goes to a Salmon Homecoming celebration in Seattle and learns that Northwest Pacific Coast Indian traditions are still alive and vibrant
09/27/00: Chilling with an Indian Icon
Irene has a conversation with Indian superstar author Sherman Alexie.
10/04/00: Could we be speaking Dutch instead of English?
Irene describes visiting the Swedish ship Kalmar Nyckel and the Old Swedes Church, tracing the colonial rivalry of the Dutch and the Swedes in Delaware and New York.
10/04/00: The Quakers: peaceful individuals or radical rebels?
Irene attends a Quaker meeting and visits the Olney Friends School, learning how William Penn's 'Holy Experiment' and his ideals have shaped American history for the better.
10/07/00: Burning down the house: land riots in early America
rene pays a visit to Philipsburg Manor in Tarrytown, NY and investigates tenant riots that occurred in the 1760s in pre-revolutionary America.Irene pays a visit to Philipsburg Manor in Tarrytown, NY and investigates tenant riots that occurred in the 1760s in pre-revolutionary America.
10/11/00: "Great Blacks in Wax": a museum that packs a punch
Irene visits a haunting slave ship at the Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore, MD and learns from its director, Joanne Martin, the importance of preserving history.
10/14/00: Pontiac's War: They didn't recall this one!
Stage Two: The Birth of the United States
10/28/00: Pack 'em in and move on out West!
10/28/00: Beware of Free Lunches, Especially When It's Offered by the Government
Irene investigates the Homestead Act of 1862 to see if "free land" is all it's cracked up to be out in Beatrice, Nebraska.
10/28/00: Extra! Extra! Hunting for Gold Leads to More Misery Than Happiness!
11/11/00: Mormonism: Shedding light on a little known religion
Irene and Neda go to the heart of Mormonism in America, Salt Lake City, Utah and learn about the largest religious sect to be founded in America. Sites visited include Temple Square, the Mormon tabernacle, and the Church of Latter-Day Saints temple.
Stage Three: Expansion and Reaction
(no Irene dispatches)
Stage Four: Civil War and Reconstruction
11/29/00: I sing Walt Whitman, the poet electric
Irene soaks up the atmosphere in Huntington, Long Island, New York, the birthplace of America's foremost poet, Walt Whitman.
11/29/00: Harpooning, blubbering, and having a whale of a time
Irene endures a journey to Nantucket, MA to discover the lost glory days of whaling in the 19th century and to visit the place that inspired Herman Melville's Moby Dick.
12/02/00: The real scoop on Spielburg's "Amistad"
Irene uncovers the myths and truths about the celebrated Amistad revolt when 53 African slaves overthrew their captors and ended up in the Supreme Court defended by former President John Quincy Adams.
12/06/00: Black abolitionist Frederick Douglass: A blazing intellect and a heart on fire
Irene explores Frederick Douglass' life and achievements in Rochester, NY. The lesson covers abolitionism, slavery, women and black suffrage, and human rights.
12/13/00: Was the Civil War really about freedom?
Irene goes to Gettysburg to visit the battlefield, the spot where Lincoln made his famous Gettysburg Address, and debates Lincoln's strategy regarding slavery and the Emancipation Proclamation.
Stage Five: The Transformation of the US
01/06/01: We don't need no thought control
Irene looks at the shift in government policy towards the Indian, from annihilation to assimilation. Covered are the 1887 Dawes Act and Carlisle Indian Industrial School.
1/06/00: When East Met West
Irene looks at the greatest and most important engineering feat of nineteenth century America: the Transcontinental Railroad. Covered are Promontory, Utah, Union Pacific Railroad and Central Pacific Railroad.
01/10/01: Bing cherries, fortune cookies, and other Chinese American gifts
Irene examines the contributions of the early Chinese immigrants in the nineteenth century, particularly in California, and looks at the legacy of racism and anti-immigrant resentment towards this group.
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