Legacy of a Fashionista.

My legacy cannot ever be defined until I'm gone.
Thought 1: Being in the major of fashion design I'm really intimidated because the fashion world is a cruel place. You need to get your name to come out of the mouths of wanting customers, but it's a tough road to that goal. Being so intimidated by what my future holds simply makes me strive to be even more determined and more unique in my designs. I am an 18 year old girl with a head full of ideas and thoughts that are individual and different from anyone else's.
Thought 2: I believe that everyone leaves behind some sort of legacy. That legacy might be that of a famous basketball player for the Miami Heat, or maybe you're a crazy scientist like Albert Einstein, or maybe you desinged the wedding dress of Carrie Underwood, or maybe you touched hearts through music like Aretha Franklin. Whatever your contribution is to the world at large you're leaving behind a memory of yourself so that after you are dead and gone you are remembered. Maybe you won't be remembered forever but someone somewhere will know of your legacy.
Thought 3 and 4: Pertaining to my legacy I think I will leave behind a designer's leagacy. I will leave all my wedding dresses, cocktail dresses, ruffled blouses, flared floral skirts, the original t-shirt with a touch of class, and any other design I might think up. Historical legacy? Not quite. I will never be known as General Tasse of the Armed Forces; I'll never defeat Lord Voldemort; I will never find the cure for cancer. I won't be historically known per se but I will have my place in history. Everything anyone does is history right? History is the branch of knowledge dealing with past events according to dictionary.com. So to answer my question, yes. History is everything anyone does at any given time. If it's in the past it's history. I am history now, and I always will be. So in a way I am leaving behind a historical leagcy.
Think about it.

1970-1989.

While there is much history that is known fact of the seventies and eighties, I like to learn the stuff that no one really knows. I looked up some events that happened in the 1970’s and 80’s. I thought it was interesting to look at history from a different approach. I mean floppy discs and Pac-Man is still a part of a history, just not the war and presidents part. 

1970's-

The Beatles break up, Elvis Presely dies, ESPN began broadcasting, the ultrasound was first used, The Star Wars movie was released, the Alaskan pipeline was completed, the Tangshan earthquake killed over 240,000 people, Microsoft was founded, abortion became legal, Richard Nixon is president, Disney World opened, floppy discs were invented, bar codes were introduced, Paul Getty was kidnapped, Kent State Shootings, first Earth Day, cigarette ads are banned from T.V., E-mail is invented, Watergate Scandal, Bicentennial, MRI is used, Jonestown Massacre, first test tube baby, and 11 people are trampled outside The Who concert.

1980's- 

Ronald Reagan is president, post-it notes are introduced, CNN and MTV hit television, John Lennon is assassinated, the Pope is shot by a crazy Turkish man, Pac-Man is introduced, Spain allows divorce, "cause this is thriller", liposuction is introduced, Tylenol scare, first artificial heart transplant, cabbage patch kids are released, CD's are released, AIDS is discovered, infomercials, crack cocaine starts to appear, Nintendo is introduced, Challenger explodes, Bruce Willis marries Demi Moore, world population reaches 5 billion, condom commercials start to appear on T.V., the first plutonium pacemaker is made, McDonald’s appears in the U.S.S.R., Human Genome project begins, fall of the Berlin Wall, and there's a worldwide ban on ivory. 

Scary thing, that is.

May 4, 1970 was a very historical day in the history of Kent State. Students held an anti-war protest against the Vietnam war. It took place at Taylor Hall near the liberty bell on campus. According to dept.kent.edu there were about 500 actual "core demonstraters", about 1000 people acing as a cheering squad so to speak, who weren't quite participating in the demonstrations but definately urged them on. To make a grand total of approximately 3000 people at this rally, about 1500 were simply spectators. Also present at twelve noon, were about 100 Ohio National Guardsmen. Students and instructors alike as well as others present at or around the liberty bell were told to disperse by a police man with a bullhorn. After the bullhorn didn't work he got into a jeep and drove into the crowd, only to be met with rocks and nasty words being thrown his way, so he retreated. After this General Canterbury (general of the national guard) ordered his men to lock and load. Then all hell broke loose and shots were fired by the National Guard. Among the shootings between 61 and 67 shots were fired in a 13 second period. Four Kent State students died in the mayhem and nine were injured. After the shootings the Natoinal Guard retreated and ambulances and parents were called and the school shut down until the summer.

If I had been a student at Kent during the rally, shootings, Vietnam War, and the 70's, I would've probably been somwhere within view of the rally at the bell. It's a really scary thing that the National Guard was called to a school in Ohio, where nothing significant ever happens. I feel as though I would've been an unlucky spectator who might've gotten shot in the throat. And that is a scary thing.

  

"...whatever the sacrifices, however long the struggle...until Vietnam is fully independent and reunified," - Ho Chi Minh. 


Since I'm not all into the historical value of this war like I should be... I plan on telling you, my readers, about the hippies, and the new era of music, and the changing times because of the war. 


Hippies: long hair, colorful ensembles of clothing, abundant in jewelry, and playing their guitars. Hippies were a culture within the 1960's. They wore loose t shirts, headbands to hold back their long braided hair, woven belts, jeans fashioned with patches of all sorts. Hippies were a people of peace and tie-dye. They ate organic food and lots of them were vegetarians. They were of the earth and in tune with Mother Nature. Hippies were often high from smoking weed, and they let themselves go basically. They were full of free spirit and were all about the love and peace. They hated war and were definitely anti-vietnam. 


Music during this era changed; rock 'n roll sprung forth. Bands like The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones and The Doors became popular. These artists simply fed the hippies their drugs. The Beatles were almost always stoned, or "on something" when they wrote their songs which are still popular today. One of their songs, "Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds" is an acronym for LSD- the drug the 4 Beatles were likely taking at the time of writing their music. One of my favorites by The Beatles is the classic "Yellow Submarine". [: 

History in Action.

The world is a cruel and hateful place... unless you can learn to embrace change and diversity. All they wanted was the same rights. All they wanted was to be accepted. Africa American peoples were discriminated against because of their skin color. Naturally, the African American people fought back. They didn't go and bomb the White House, they didn't shoot and stab whites, instead they organized small acts to stand up for themselves through a peaceful fight. They did things such as: the Greensboro sit-ins where black skinned college students sat at the lunch bar in a local diner, in 1961, they went on 'freedom rides' through the black-hating south, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I have a dream..." speech during the march on Washington. People such as Rosa Parks, the African American woman who wouldn't give up her seat to a white man, Ella Baker, who helped to organize sit-ins and protests, and Dr. King, who gave faith adn hope to the African American people are the people our history needs to look up to. They found a way to fight back and stand up for themselves and their own rights without causing destruction to any other race or peoples. People in history like the people listed above are a large factor in the all embracing United States.
Personally, I would like to think I would be the same in this regard; standing up for what i believe in at all costs. But I guess you'd never really know for sure until you were put directly into the situation. I mean, I'd stand up for what i believe in, sure. But would I ride a bus through a community that hates me knowing that I'd get attacked... I don't know. I'm not stupid, but if I thought it'd be worth it I just might.

My beloved June; reunion.

Dear my darling June,
The war is now over and I am finally coming home to you. I know you are probably hiding in one of those nuclear bomb shelters you wrote me about but I still worry about your safety, my dear. Many of us in the war force are concerned that there are communists traitors living and breathing in the United States government. It is a very scary thing, but for now we are safe; HUAC has begun to pick out the traitors and accuse them. Our favorite senator is backing up all these accusations as well. I couldn't be happier to come home to my beloved June, start a life with her, live the american dream. We can get a car, have those strong little men you've been yearning to mother. We can even move to the city! Sweetheart, white picket fences and homemade cookies are in our future. Our children will be well fed, nurtured, and taught in the new desegregated schools. I'd love to name our first-born after your father. We will talk more about this after our reunion. My darling June, I've never loved until I loved you as such. We shall be wed first thing, and upon marriage we will buy our house to start living our life together. Dearest June, when I lay eyes upon you I will be as happy as a small child on Christmas morning! I'll be seeing you soon my love.
Yours always,
Kenneth

(This is fake.)

Bring them home.

The reading for this week really moved me. Each letter was from a soldier at war. The soldier wrote the letter during the fighting, shooting, killing to tell whomever of life at war. The first letter was from a sergeant and he told about how he was justwaiting for the fighting to start and then suddenly it begins. AS this sergeant is amongst the "shelling" and dead men who are piling into a tunnel he is tired and waiting for guys of enemy lines to come along and finish him off. As he waits he simply eats a treat of canned pineapple. He finishes the letter saying to get this to his mother... This is my opinion is so very heart breaking. Here is a soldier, a sergeant nonetheless, who is just waiting to be shot and killed. From the letter I've gathered that he wasn't even fighting back. I don't know why but it's a sad thing to be waiting for death in a small hole eating pineapple as your last dinner.
On December 24, 1942, Christmas Eve, a man writes home to his mother and dad with sad news. This man, John, has been hospitalized with many other men because of war injuries. He lacks memory and has injury to his back which makes further serving his country impossible. He's been living a life of Hell, if I may be so bold; 4 hours of sleep out of 72, little food, little hope, fighting every day and seeing men from his platoon die next to him in battle. He writes to his parents about being immobilized and having nightmares and numerous flashbacks but ends his letter saying "Ah, well, let's not think, but just be happy that we'll all be together soon." Even through complete hopelessness he continues to look forward. I admire this man, John.
Basically all the letters were so so sad. One told of seeing firsthand the concentration camps in Germany... another told of his life day by day...moving here, fighting there, killing here, being shipped there...one man tells of his best buddy...these stories of soldiers are just so terribly heart wrenching and sad. I've always supported our troops but thsi makes me love them all the more.

Keep on Flappin' Girl.

This video is a perfect example of who the "new woman" (or flapper) of the 1920's was. I love the style that was of the time period and that's the reason for this video.
Moving on... HARLEM JAZZ!
I, for one, love jazz music especially Frank Sinatra. When black men came home from the war they wanted rights and full citizenship but that didn't happen. Blacks then turned to literature and the arts. From this emerged Langston Hughes who is a phenomenal poet who is very realistic in his words. One of his poems is: 

Hold fast to dreams 
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.


Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

I really like this poem because it's plain and simple and to the point. 

Another black man who emerged at this time was Aaron Douglas- a famous painter who linked African style with American style. 

In the form of art, music is a big deal. Jazz was the emerging style of the 1920's. One of my favorites by Louis Armstrong is a song called "Dream a Little Dream of Me". He's a fantastic singer and has the kind of voice that's real raspy in tone but the raspy sound adds to the effect of jazz. 

I think living in the time period would've been kind of fun... except for the crazy racism and prohibition. I think it'd be fun to be a flapper and dance around on stage. I love dancing, singing, acting, dressing up... would've been perfect. 

Girl, you got style; but don't be so selfish.

Women such as the women pictured above pushed men into the war. They encouraged men to fight in the war, World War Uno and they worked at home. 

While we had lecture in class yesterday I couldn't help but think about the fashion of the early 20th century; i'm a fashion major. It's fascinating to look at the fashion of different time periods. I definitely think that war histories and simply history alone have and do help fashion statements to be made. But I won't go into all that. 

I hate history but I found out some things about the progressive era. One thing I found out  was that around this time (early twentieth century) mucrackers were exploiting the awful side of American life. They told of child labor, horrors of lynching, corruption of city governments, and ruthless business practices. Theodore Roosevelt took over presidency after Mckinley. 

This is sort of out of context for this week but I watched the May 4th video today, and I'm very disgruntled with the way the stupid mayor from that other town handled the situation that wasn't even his to handle. He called in the  National Guard who ended up open firing on students! For this reason I feel that all those soldiers who shot their rifles on May 4th at innocent students should die. They should each be stabbed with their own bayonets. Yeah, I know they're all probably dead already from old age, I just hope they suffered. It was cruel, unjust, and I fear for the stability of government and our "soldiers". 

Back to actual history class...

So, the U.S. involvement in World War 1 was neutrality. We have immigrants at home who're on both sides of this  war and we didn't want fight at home to break out and have north vs. south or anything like that. Also, we figured it was a European problem and if we fought in it we'd make less profit. We were already making profit by selling the countries weapons that were killing hundreds. I think the U.S. should've been more involved right from the start. Instead of selling weapons we should've used them as a scare tactic. (tactic is tic-tac backwards :p ) I think instead of feeding the fire we should've helped to extinguish it. We only entered the war because our ships were sunk by the Germans. I think that just shows how greedy and selfish the United States was and now is. I wish someone would realize that. 

Thursday.

The definition of American Civilization in the late 19th century depends on who you ask. Everyone knows different facts and details. If you ask me, America is a promising land unless you're a non-white. "Whites" were very racist towards anyone who did not have white skin, and sometimes even if you did have white skin you were discriminated against. Around the 1880's people began coming to the U.S. for jobs which brought about the racism. Mexicans worked in mining and agricultural jobs which were the lowest paying and most back-breaking jobs and they involved harsh discrimination. Chinese peoples also came to the U.S. to escape poverty in their home country. Here they worked on railroads. Then in 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was issued which basically forced the chinese out of the U.S. Soon Jim Crow laws came about and then the Plessy v. Ferguson created the seperate but equal theory. After 1877 discrimination started in. Then soon the Spanish-American war took place. The end.
So, in class today we discussed the reading about imperialism. I liked the discussion today and being in groups to prove a point. The people in my group were so stuck on their own ideas so it was hard to come to a conclusion to write on our paper to hand in. I did really like group work though, it was much easier for me to understand the concpets. Also, with group work I didn't feel obliged to sleep.
Mr. Jones, I am beginning to love your teaching style.

Frick; was just that.

In class on Thursday I was really tired and it was kind of hard to focus in on the lecture and then the discussion, but i did get something out of it. First I would like to add my two cents to the discussion from the end of class. One of the girls in the front row said something about how humans don't learn from our mistakes... I'd like to disagree. I think that it's just too easy to learn from previous mistakes and everyone is so thirsty for power and control over others that we simply ignore what we should've learned and simply continue on with our race for power. Americans as a whole are so greedy. I mean yeah, I'm sure there's the few people who never think of themselves and live for others but a majority of people are greedy. They get even greedier when it comes to money and/or power.
The Homestead Steel Strike sounds like a big ole mess. Here are lowly, poor women trying to get by with a dollar an hour and when Carnegie leaves he leaves Frick in charge who then cuts wages. Then th Pinkertons came and were private security or something? I don't really understand them but I guess they were a threat to these women's jobs. Being of the female race I simply adore the women who pummeled the Pinkertons to fight for what they wanted. After that though, the governer calls in the militia. That, in my opinion is just silly. More power to those women at Homestead though.

I must say, I think this class is getting better... slowly, but getting there.

Blog Number One.

I'm a freshman; I hate history classes. 
I was really dreading this class I have every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 am until 12:15. The class I'm refering to is named The History of the U.S.: The Modern Period, and the name alone makes me want to cry. After going to the class for the first time though, I realized it might not be so terribly awful... I mean I like our professor and his way of teaching us with these random projects involving a blog and youtube. So, maybe the class won't suck, but we'll see. I plan on learning about history, or at least trying. I don't retain information very well... unless it's a Snapple fact! I will try my best to learn the material though, and remember the important stuff for exams and then once I ace my midterm and then the final, all Mr. Jones' preaching and teaching will be gone. 

I can say that I'm glad the world has professors and students alike like Mr. Jones. If it weren't for the history buffs, we'd probably be in another Great Depression because if it's not studied and analyzed history will repeat itself. And nobody likes war. 

The picture i posted is of some freedpeople. This week we had to read chapter 16 about the end of reconstruction and to be completely honest I didn't every word of it. I did read parts of every section though so I have a good idea of what's going on. It's hard for me to read about things that don't really interest me, but i am trying. As for today, I lost some hope in the "fun" of this class but i'm keeping an open outlook. 

-Sarah.