Civilian Deaths Drop in Iraq

An obvious effect of war is death.
In Iraq, civilian death toll fell to it's lowest level since 2003. Eighty eight civilians were killed this month (the first time it has dropped under 100 since the 2003 U.S.-led invasions). The death toll in Iraq has been gradually falling for two years.
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What I Learned From the Videos in Class

Ken Burns Documentary
Civil War was fought in 10,000 places. Schoolhouses sheltered the dying. 7,000 men died in 12 minutes in Cold Harbor. The effects were devastating. The war made some rich and ruined others. Between 1861 and 1865, Americans made war against each other and killed each other. Many teenagers fought in the war because they thought it was cool and they were later honored after the war (the ones that survived). The last veteran died in 1959. In a historians point of view, the Civil War was about the higher ideals (changed pathway of country).

Slave Resistance
Slaves were maltreated and often separated from families when sold. They weren’t allowed to have meetings without a white person present.
The Underground Railroad was created by Harriet Tubman. It was a network of houses that the slaves stayed at until they reached Canada and were free. Harriet made 19 trips to free slaves. She also served as a union army spy.

Uncle Tom's Cabin
In the North, slavery didn’t affect the people until the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Your average northerner didn’t think that much about slavery since slavery was outlawed in the north. This book was about what slave life was like. The author put of this information and it had a similar effect as the common sense pamphlet. It stated that slavery violated Christian morals. She scorned American slave owners because she believed that God was the one to judge and that a country under God with these circumstances is a bad country. Parts of it were put in magazines and it was very popular after a while. Southerners hated this book and Northerners were interested. The book was used in the north to teach slaves why slavery should be abolished. Southerners tried to write pro slavery novels but they didn’t become that popular.

Northern Advantages vs Southern Advantages During the Civil War

The North had more railroad tracks than the south. This allowed them to move troops, food, and supplies quicker and easier. They also had more factories and were able to produce more supplies such as guns and shoes. The North was also wealthier than the South and already had a government and small army and navy. The population in the North was greater than the South so more men were available to fight and they would still be able to have sufficient labor force. The Northerners fought for their beliefs about slavery as well which attracted more volunteers. Since they had their navy, they were able to start naval blockades to cut the South off from their supplies.

The South had the majority of the military colleges, and most of the trained officers were Southerners and sided with the Confederacy. They also didn't need to begin any military action. They only had to have good defense so they wouldn't be beaten. The Southerners had fought to preserve their way of life, while the Northerners were fighting to restore unity to the nation.

Both sides had the advantage of having eager volunteers who wanted to participate in the war. They also both had new technology such as new bullets and rifles which allowed them to reload faster. They also had canisters which were filled with bullets. This new technology was also a disadvantage because it exposed their troops to slaughter.

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Abolish Slavery!

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery and escaped from it. He wrote autobiographies and newspapers that opened America’s eyes to slavery. His writing also presented the idea of freeing slaves in America. He was a black abolitionist leader and lobbied for and recruited African American soldiers to fight for the Union Army. He was also the first African American to be nominated to be Vice President.

Harriet Tubman was born into slavery and escaped to become a passionate fighter for abolition. She helped free other slaves on the Underground Railroad. She rescued about 70 slaves in 11 years. She was also a spy in the Union Army during the civil war where she was a nurse and cook.

William Lloyd Garrison was one of the most influential abolitionist leaders. He had newspaper in which he argued for freedom for all people held in slavery. He publicly set fire to a copy of the constitution because it sanctioned slavery. He also founded the New-England Anti-slavery Society and the American Anti-Slavery Society.

Events Important to Our Study of the Civil War

Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a plan to help maintain balance between the free and slave states in the Senate if they were to admit California to the United States as a free state. It consisted of five laws, two that favored the south and two that favored the North. These are the laws:
1) Congress would admit California into the Union as a free state.
2) The people of the New Mexico and Utah territories would decide for themselves whether to allow slavery. (popular sovereignty)
3) Congress would abolish the sale of enslaved people, but not slavery, in Washington, D.C.
4) Texas would give up claims to New Mexico for $10 million.
5) A Fugitive Slave Act would order all citizens of the United States to assist in the return of escaped slaves and would deny a jury trial to escaped slaves.
The Compromise of 1850 is important to our study of the Civil War because many people had opposed to it and it only helped them see their differences in opinion clearer which would lead to disputes later on. The south thought that the north would be controlling the Government if it's population grew because it would have more seats in the House.

Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was introduced by Senator Stephen Douglas. It called for the creation of two new territories, Kansas and Nebraska, and stated that the people there would get to decide if they were to become free or slave states (popular sovereignty). The two territories were north of the boundary the Missouri Compromise had set. If the territories were to allow slavery, it would be the repeal of the Missouri Compromise. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was meant to please both the south and the north. Douglas knew the Southerners would accept it because there was a probability that they would be slave states. He also though that the Northerners would accept it because they thought that slaves weren't needed where cotton couldn't grow. This Act was passed by Congress.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act is important to our study of the Civil War because after it was passed, anti-slavery and pro-slavery settled in Kansas to effect the vote of weather the territory would be a free state. This led to violent raid and counter-raids. Therefore, this added to the tension between them that would soon lead to a Civil War.

Presidential Election of 1860
The presidential election of 1860 occurred when the North couldn't stand having a Southern leader and vice versa. It was clear that there were no national political parties. When the Democratic Party met in South Carolina to nominate it's candidate for President, the party broke in two because there were Southern Democrats who were for slavery and Northern Democrats who were for popular sovereignty. Eight Democratic states agreed to nominate their own candidate. Then there were the Whig and American Parties who formed to make the Constitutional Union Party and nominated John Bell. Then we had the Republic Party who nominated Abraham Lincoln who stood against the spread of slavery with moderate views on slavery as well.
In the South, the election was between Bell and Beckinridge. In the North, it was between Lincoln and Douglas. All the free states except for half of New Jersey were for Lincoln. He won the election without any votes from the South.
The Presidential election of 1860 is important to our study of the Civil War because it infuriated the Southerners that Lincoln was able to win without any votes from the South. They felt like they had no say in the government. This cause them to completely secede from the Union. It showed that their differences couldn't be solved easily. They didn't even consult the North showing their lack of willingness to talk and compromise. This is one of the final events that added to the tension between them that would lead to the Civil War.

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Expensive Medicine in Morocco

A new government body is going to be made to price medicine because the Ministry of Health is putting expensive prices on medicine. Name-brand and generic drugs are more expensive in Morocco than many other countries such as France and Tunisia. Not only that, but Doctors also prescribe the most expensive drugs. The procedures for setting these prices are said to be outdated. A lot of people cannot afford medicine, especially for people without health insurance. Manufacturers will be lowering prices but they need to be encouraged.
Information from here
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Non-Negotiable Situations

A non-negotiable situation is child labor. It should not be permitted. Many people around the world are against child labor but it is still occurring in some countries. Children are used to do work that adults can’t. It is not right to put children to work. Children should go to school and get an education. They are also payed very little which makes matters worse.

A non-negotiable situation that could happen in a teenager’s life is copying homework. Homework should not be copied. The person who did their homework worked hard on it and it wouldn’t be fair if someone just came up and copied it and didn’t do the work. Also, when you copy, you don’t learn which is the purpose of homework.
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Where Would I Immigrate To?

After my university studies, I think I would immigrate to New York to live and work. I would immigrate there for many reasons. First of all, I would like to be a fashion magazine editor and New York a fashion capital. There are many job opportunities in this field there. I would also immigrate there because the American government gives people a lot of freedom and the government is in their favor. New York has a wide range of religions, but most all cultures are accepted. Since it's a fashion capital, people there in general dress according to the current fashion. It's also interesting to observe how people dress because that also influences fashion. New York is not only a fashion capital, but a very popular city.
The early Americans that lived in the colonies/states had similar reasons for moving. They also wanted better economic opportunities and jobs. They felt that their future was in the west.
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Political Parties in Morocco

There are 29 political parties in Morocco. The main ones are the Istiqlal Party (PI), Party of Justice and Development (PJD), Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), Popular Movement (MP), Constitutional Union Party (UC), and the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM).

Istiqlal Party:
-conservative monarchist party
-holds nationalist views
-main political force struggling for the independence of Morocco
-I think that the general public (the people) support this party.

Party of Justice and Development:
-largest opposition political party in Morocco
-promotes Islamism and Islamic democracy
-I think that old-fashioned and religious people support this party.

Socialist Union of Popular Forces:
- governs in coalition with Istiqlal
-formed as a breakaway from another political party that had previously split from Istiqlal
-I think that people who agree with the reasons why they broke away from Istiqlal will support this party.

Popular Movement:
-conservative liberal party (combining the belief in the importance of individual freedom with the fundamental parts of a culture and traditional practices).
-I think the general public and majority of the population will support this party.

Constitutional Union:
-conservative liberal party
-aligned with the ruling monarchy
-I think the general public that support the king will support this party.

Authenticity and Modernity Party:
-reportedly an attempt by King Mohammed VI's allies to create a strong political party to strengthen his power in Morocco.
-other political parties merged into it
-I think only the people who favor the king and work closely with him will support this party.