Blog Entry 13: Reflections on the process of research and creating an exhibition. Evaluation of the exhibition and of the contributions of your peers. Do you think the museum adequately represented a variety of ideas and legacies throughout history and different topics? What would you do differently next time Over the 1-2 weeks I spent designing, modelling and eventually putting together my museum exhibition I managed to find out a lot more about the weaponry used by the Confederate soldiers through research. Throughout the process of researching and developing my exhibitions I found that the weaponry used during the time of the confederacy was advanced considering the time period. Through my research I found that weapons such as guns and cannons were just beginning to be used on large scales for warfare. During the time I spent making my exhibition I found it very simple to put everything together with glue but I recognised that during the time of the confederate states it must have been a very complicated tool to make and use. I found that several materials were needed in real life to make the muskets operate and in real warfare, it would not have been efficient to use a musket too much as it could take anywhere between 90-150 seconds to reload the weapon. These were some things I can reflect on now that I have finished my exhibition. As for the museum exhibition itself, I believe everything went smoother than I’d expected and due to the contributions made by all of my peers we had museum artefacts related to terrorist organisations from all throughout history. Thanks to the contribution of our teacher most of us were able to successfully present our websites and artefacts to an excited year 7 class. In regards to the museum artefacts created by my peers I believe most of them succeeded in creating relevant and detailed artefacts to be put on exhibition. The ‘terrorism throughout history’ exhibit in the ‘careers cottage museum’ was successful in representing the ideas of different terrorist organisations, ranging from the Ku Klux Klan to the I.R.A and through the use of informative exhibition display panels, our class managed to represent the ideas and legacies of different terrorist groups successfully. If we were to do this again, I personally don’t believe anything, other than the museum location, could have been improved. I believe that the careers cottage was too small for the year 7 students to walk around and properly manage to see everything our class worked so hard on. Regardless of that issue, in my opinion the museum exhibition was a very successful event and the effort my peers and my teacher put into making it happen was incredible. (Big thank you to Mrs Farr for making it such a fun assessment). Bibliography & References:
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Blog Entry 12: This entry should be composed of reflections on the process of planning and producing. If you are creating/making your exhibit: what challenges did you encounter, how did you go about creating your exhibit? Whether you are creating or finding an already existing source to be your exhibit, you are required to detail: what relevance does the exhibit have to your topic? How does it relate to your research? How does it address and answer your historical question? What does the exhibit reveal about ideas over time? The museum exhibitions which I spent a fairly long amount of time making were model replicas of the 1861 Springfield Musket and a .45 calibre Kentucky flintlock pistol which were both weapons used by the Confederate soldiers during the American civil war in the mid-1800s. Whilst creating my exhibition, an issue or challenge which I faced was that using paint and having to apply several coats of paint took a very long time. This, along with having to layer a large portion of my room with newspaper for approximately 1 week whilst I made my exhibition and having trouble gluing certain features onto the models were all challenges I faced when making my weapon replicas. Unfortunately these challenges were not the type of issues to be overcome so I just had to deal with them. As for how I went about creating the models themselves, the design of my musket was not too complex as I only used 3 different materials: cardboard, aluminium and wood. My flintlock pistol consisted of the same materials but was designed on a smaller scale. My artefacts were used as the most common form of weaponry by soldiers during the time of the American civil war. The musket is approximately 1.1m in height and has a barrel diameter of approximately 2.5cm. The flintlock pistol however is more portable and was only carried by military officers of higher authority. Both artefacts replicate the wooden body structures and metal barrel and lock systems that muskets during the civil war would have had. The musket was originally designed by the British whereas the flintlock pistol was originally designed by the French but due to international trade, the confederates were able to gain access to weaponry and ammunition as high quality as these. Although the confederacy used this weaponry it was originally only produced for the founded government of America at the time. The exhibition models I designed were, of course, based on existing sources which were real weapons used by the soldiers of the Confederate states. The relevance my model replicas have to the Confederate States of America is that they accurately depict the weaponry used by soldiers of the confederacy and because they resemble this, they strongly relate to the research I have made. In my research I made comments about the violence the Confederate soldiers inflicted during the civil war and with the model replicas of the weapons, I can accurately show what was used to inflict this violence and hence my exhibition has a strong relation to my research. The models address and answer my historical question to a lesser extent as they only represent the weaponry used during the civil war but nonetheless by representing this they also represent how the Confederate State soldiers can be known as terrorists. My historical question was whether or not Confederate Soldiers could be classified as terrorists and due to the acts they committed using the weapons I have modelled, it is undeniable that the Confederate soldiers were terrorists. That is the extent of relation between my exhibition and my historical question. The design and build of my weapon replicas reveal a lot about ideas over the course of history. They do this by accurately depicting what the common weaponry used in the 1800s was like which shows us how ideas regarding weaponry have evolved from then until now. The Musket and Flintlock Pistol I have designed show the most basic and general features of the weapon such as the barrel, trigger and stock. By replicating these features, my models show how foot soldier weaponry has evolved over time. Overall my museum exhibition was not the easiest to build and there were several issues but in the end I think I managed to design weapon replicas which accurately represented the weaponry that was used by Confederate soldiers and had relevance to my overall topic. Bibliography & References:
None Available Blog entry 11: Give a final answer for your historical question, making reference to answers found in the four sub-questions. Answer the question, ‘Why did the Confederate states disagree with the rest of America and hence begin a civil war?’
After answering my four sub-questions the answer to my main historical question is clear. The Confederate states disagreed with the rest of America because of their political beliefs and their burning desire for change and unfortunately due to acts of intimidation and violence caused throughout America during the 1860’s a civil war had broken out. The political views of the Confederate states were very much identical to those of the northern states with exception to one major issue. This issue was slavery and the Confederate states consisted of several Southern States who profited for the enslavement of Africans and because of the fact that the majority of the state’s citizens had flourishing slave-powered businesses such as cotton plantations, sugar cane plantations and farms of different sorts, the Confederate rebelled against Abraham Lincoln’s decision to abolish slavery and emancipate all slaves. The Confederate Constitution serves as a useful primary source if we are to find out about the Confederacy’s political views and through this reliable neutral source it is evident that the Confederate’s main difference in views was that they rejected the abolishment of slavery. Therefore it is undeniable that the Confederate’s political views and their failure to comply with laws that abolished slavery were major factors in their decision to disagree with the rest of America and hence begin a civil war. The context behind the civil war and the different acts of violence and intimidation that the Confederate States caused are important to understand when trying to determine why they disagreed with the rest of America. The location and time period of the Confederacy help to determine different factors that may have played a part in their disagreement. The Confederate states, being an American terrorist group, caused all of their violence and intimidation on American soil in the hope to achieve political change. The biggest act of violence caused by the Confederates was of course the civil war and this was fought in America between the Union of Northern States and the Confederate South. The location of the Confederate states made it easier for them to fight alongside each other, as they were spread tightly across the south of America. The time period during which the Confederacy formed and wreaked havoc noted to be the early 1860s. Due to the time period it is also notable that warfare was very gruesome as the only weaponry available would have been muskets, bayonets and swords. As stated in my sub-question, a reliable secondary source to prove that the time period and location of the Confederates played a role in their disagreement with the rest of America, is the source ‘1865: November and December’. This is a neutral source which provides us with a timeline showing major events the occurred towards the end of 1865, the year the war ended. Due to research that can be gathered from study of the location and time period of the Confederates, it is evident that these things provide important historical information which we can use to determine why the Confederate States disagreed with the rest of America and hence began a civil war. The final sub-question I researched for in order to figure out the answer to my main historical question was ‘Why did the Confederates believe political/social change was needed’ and I also found out the events that triggered the outbreak of the civil war. The Confederate States believed that social and political change were needed so that the majority of their livelihood through the use of slavery would not be disappear along with the new abolishment laws implemented by Abraham Lincoln. They fought and caused intimidation for personal gain through the use of slavery and because of this they resulted in a disagreement with the new laws regarding slavery. An important primary source which can be used to show President Lincoln’s enforcement of the law throughout America is the ‘emancipation proclamation’. Written in 1863, it was a proclamation which wrote laws to emancipate all slaves across America, meaning it would effectively give over 3 million people freedom. The Confederates rebelled against laws written in the proclamation and due to this rebellious behavior, a civil war had erupted. Another reason the civil war had broken out was that tension had built all across America after dozens of protests and riots. This, along with the more violent act of bombardment against Fort Sumter by the Confederates showed that the Confederacy was willing to use intimidation and violence to achieve their desired political change. Knowing why the Confederates wanted change and what triggered the civil war are important in understanding why the Confederacy disagreed with the rest of America as it provides more evidence to justify the argument against the Confederates. In conclusion, through examination of several historical sources, both primary and secondary, it is evident that the political beliefs and atmosphere along with the time period were leading factors in the Confederacy’s decision to reject the law of the rest of America and through research we can come to the conclusion that the Confederate states were not only failing to comply with American law, but also using intimidation and violence in the pursuit of accomplishing their desired political change. Bibliography & References: Previous research conducted in Sub-Questions. Blog entry 10 Sub-Question 1: What were the political views held by the confederates and how did they differ from the views of the union of Northern States? The Confederate States of America were formed with the motive of making the nation follow different laws and traditions to the united northern states. The political views of the Confederates was very similar to that of the northern states but one major difference was what cause a lot of trouble. This difference in opinion was the use of slavery. The view that the Confederacy held was that the use of slavery for the completion of work was acceptable and this view was very strong throughout southern states due to the fact that farms and other businesses flourished throughout the South whilst slave work was utilized. The confederate constitution, which is a primary source, also states that the confederate states would continue to use slavery as a means of business but would cut ties with the slave trade and stop several other more immoral practices. This section of the constitution was what made it different to the constitution used by the Union as slavery had completely been abolished by the Northern states. With the induction of Abraham Lincoln into office as America’s president, slavery was officially being abolished, so it was at this time that the confederates realized this would be a major problem to the well being of a majority of citizens living in the Southern states. It was around that time that the confederacy formed and it formed due to this difference in political opinion between the Southern confederates and the Northern Union. Bibliography & References: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/csa_csa.asp Blog entry 10 Sub-Question 2: When and where did the Confederacy cause intimidation and violence in pursuit of political and/or social change? The Confederate States were mostly made up of an assortment of the southern states of America from the late 19th century. Due to their location and time period, the intimidation and violence they used occurred only within the borders of America. To be more specific in regards to the location, the confederate states consisted of: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina. These southern state caused intimidation and violence throughout the entirety of America especially against the northern union of states which was who they were fighting against. The time period was in the late nineteenth century and this meant that the civil war that erupted due to the Confederates violence would have been a bloody and gruesome war as warfare technology meant they were limited to muskets and bayonets along with a sword. A secondary source that can be used as evidence to show the time period and location that the confederacy caused trouble in is the short article which graphs out the timeline of events during the time of the confederacy and it is called ‘1865: November and December’. This secondary source shows no bias as it is merely a timeline of events which serve as evidence of the Confederacy’s violent and intimidating actions in the November and December of 1865. By understanding when and where the Confederates cause trouble with their actions, we can come closer to understanding why the Confederates disagreed with the rest of America and hence began a civil war. Bibliography & References: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.sl.nsw.gov.au/ehost/detail/detail?sid=49dffa6a-052f-4751-8a38-61ed4f420c4a%40sessionmgr115&crlhashurl=login.aspx%253fdirect%253dtrue%2526db%253df5h%2526AN%253d108950651%2526site%253dehost-live&hid=115&vid=0&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=108950651&db=f5h Blog entry 10 Sub-Question 3: Why did the Confederate States believe political and/or social change was needed? The central reason for the formation of the Confederate States was that a selection of Southern states wanted to separate from the rest of America in order to conserve the previous laws on slavery. The use of slavery had become a distinguished issue in American society but not every citizen had that view, especially citizens of the south. With the introduction of Abraham Lincoln into the presidential position, slavery was set to be abolished throughout the nation of America and this decision caused political and social uproar throughout the Southern States. Due to this decision, several southern states believed that political and social change was needed immediately and hence formed the Confederacy. A primary source to serve as proof of this historical event is the emancipation proclamation written by President Abraham Lincoln himself. This proclamation stated that slaves throughout the nation were to be emancipated. The news of this proclamation spread throughout the nation like wildfire and very soon after the proclamation was written on the 1st of January 1863, the civil war had come to an end in 1865. This source is a very reliable and unbiased primary source and only remakes of the original proclamation can be found today. In conclusion, the Confederate States believed social and political change was necessary because slavery made up a large part of the confederate states’ livelihood and with the new laws on the abolishment of slavery, they were in desire for change. Bibliography & References: http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/emancipation-150/10-facts.html?referrer=https://www.google.com.au/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_Proclamation Blog entry 10 Sub-Question 4: What did the Confederates do that caused the civil war to break out?
The American civil war was fought throughout the year 1861 all the way through to 1865. The war was fought between the United Northern States of America and the Confederate Southern States. The war lasted a gruesome 4 years and was fought because of the Confederate States’ failure to comply with new laws implemented by the Lincoln President. The Confederate States are to be blamed mainly for the outbreak of this civil war and the central reason for this is that they rebelled against the abolishment of slavery. To be more specific in regards to what event triggered the start of this civil war, it can be pin pointed down to the battle of Fort Sumter which occurred in the April and May of 1861. This battle was the very first major act of intimidation and violence by the Confederate States and the bombardment of Fort Sumter caused a battle which went on to trigger the American Civil War. Along with a failure to comply by the rest of the nation’s laws and an unexpected attack on Fort Sumter, the final reasoning, as to explain what the Confederates did to cause the civil, was that all of the states that were in the Confederacy had built up too much violent tension throughout the nation. With riots in Baltimore and many other anti-abolishment protests throughout the south, a tension had built up amongst both Northerners and the Confederates. This tension all came crashing down after Abraham Lincoln had finally announced abolishment of slavery and when the Confederate general P. G. T. Beauregard attacked Fort Sumter. A civil war was not started without reason and it was undeniably the Confederates actions that caused the American civil war. Through the use of several historical sources it is evident that the introduction of Lincoln to presidency, the attack on Fort Sumter and the tension that had built up throughout the nation, were the three main factors caused by the Confederates which resulted in the outbreak of the American civil war in the 1860s. Bibliography & References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confederate_States_of_America#States http://www.historynet.com/causes-of-the-civil-war https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War#Outbreak_of_the_war Blog entry 9: In this blog I will outline my main historical question and four sub questions which I will answer in upcoming blogs.
The historical question I have chosen to ask is, ‘Why did the Confederate states disagree with the rest of America and hence begin a civil war?’ This historical question can be answered to find out more about the social and political changes the confederate states wanted to make in America and how the civil war erupted and decided once and for all the fate of America. The four sub-questions I have decided to ask to help me figure out the answer to my main historical question include: 1. What were the political views held by the confederates and how did they differ from the views of the Union of northern states? 2. When and where did the Confederacy cause intimidation and violence in pursuit of political and/or social change? 3. Why did the Confederates feel as though political and/or social change was needed? 4. What did the Confederate States do that caused the civil war to break out? I have designed my sub-questions so that they may cover all the different aspects necessary to discover if I am to find out ‘why the Confederate States disagreed with the rest of America and hence began a civil war’. These 4 sub-questions along with my main historical question should help me discover more about the motives of the confederates and just more about who they were and what they wanted in general. Bibliography & References: None Available Blog entry 8: What is the significance of museums? What different museums exist around the world, and which would you like to visit? Which museums do you find most interesting and why? Find and tour a virtual museum, such as the Smithsonian http://www.mnh.si.edu/vtp/1-desktop/ and write a review. What ideas has this given you about you own exhibit? Be sure to link the virtual museum to your blog. Museums serve as significant reminders to people of what has come before them and museums hold important sources which can be used to find out more about our history. For this reason, museums can be considered as important infrastructures in society and some museums which I find to be interesting include: The Louvre in France, The Byzantine and Christian Museum in Greece and The National Football Museum of the UK. Museums have significance due to the vast range of sources and the knowledge someone could gain through examination of exhibitions. It is because of this very reason that I find the idea of visiting the Louvre in France very interesting and exciting. Museums also serve a purpose in helping to change peoples’ understandings of different time periods in our history, for this reason I would be interested in visiting the Byzantine and Christian Museum of Greece. The final museum in which I am interested and would be excited to visit would be the National Football Museum in the United Kingdom. The reason I’d want to visit this museum is purely because of my personal interest in the history of football and my desire to explore the development of the sport up until what it has become today. These were the few museums around the world which I’d be interested in visiting and why museums are significant for every society to have. Museum Review: http://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne
The virtual museum I have explore was the Louvre in Paris, France. Like the Smithsonian Museum virtual tour, the Louvre’s virtual tour allowed visitors to examine the museum in 360 degree views of different rooms containing different exhibitions. The official website provided by the Louvre, http://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne, gives a few different options regarding what the virtual visitor would like to see. From Egyptian antiquities to tours of what remains of the Louvre’s moat, tourists are able to explore and examine different exhibitions and artifacts in their selected tours. The virtual tour format gives everyone in the public access to a few of the historical wonders concealed behind the walls of the Louvre and successfully manages to show the public the different rooms and exhibitions on display. The ‘Egyptian Antiquities’ virtual tour is one of the selective few exhibitions which the public can access and in the tour, visitors can freely roam through several different rooms. Different rooms display different aspects of ancient Egyptian history, for example, one room may contain artifacts on ancient Egyptian writings and scripts whilst another will contain sources for ancient Egyptian hunting and fishing. This layout is successful and helps virtual tourists navigate their way around such a large and informative exhibition. Visitors can also read descriptions and information on different artifacts by clicking on them when prompted, this feature assists visitors in feeling as though the virtual tour provides an experience very similar to the real thing. Overall, the virtual tour of the Louvre museum in Paris, France is a successful one and provides virtual tourists with a feeling of realism due to the tours similarity to physically being at the museum. Through examination of the few sections of the museum available for touring, the Louvre proves to be an intriguing location to visit. The virtual tours are aimed to promote tourism to the Louvre but also provide information to anyone in need. The virtual tour has inspired me to create something for my exhibit which would not only resemble something from the time of the confederates but also represent an aspect of life during the time of the American civil war. In conclusion, the virtual tours are inspiring to examine and are successful in advertising the Louvre as a museum. |
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