Slavery

For our next blog, I want you to contemplate SLAVERY. I know we’ve been spending a good deal of time talking about the Industrial Revolution and the impact that had on the working class and the middle class. We’ve been debating the impact of child labor during the 18th century and the modern system of divide and conquer based on race and/or gender. Why pay someone a living wage today, when you can pay someone less, or in the case of slavery, nothing?

I’d like you to spend at least half an hour on the following site –
http://www.freetheslaves.net/Page.aspx?pid=348. It has several videos (everyone should watch Slavery 101), maps and stories. Give yourself time to absorb what you are looking at. When you are done there, check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZTN0TbsRYA on YouTube about modern human trafficking.

How far will people go to get ahead economically? How do we draw the line? Should we?

Death Penalty and the Enlightenment

After studying the Enlightenment, especially the philosophy of Beccaria, what are your thoughts on capital punishment today? Please read a description of Beccaria’s major philosophical ideas to remind you(http://www.iep.utm.edu/beccaria/) as well as a news article from the LA Times about an upcoming issue for the Supreme Court on limiting life prison terms for the young (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/dcnow/2009/11/us-supreme-court-considers-limiting-life-prison-terms-for-youths.html ). What are your thoughts?

What Role Government?

What role should governments play in the lives of their citizens? This has been a major theme for us in our early study of European history. We know that Locke believed that government should exist to protect life, liberty and property. Today in the United States we are facing another round of debate about the role of government, similar to how the European elite argued the merits of Absolutism over Constitutionalism. We know that Europe was shaken by the Protestant Reformation and the Scientific Revolution as much as it was by the Puritans and the Fronde. Are we being shaken? How should the government respond to the cry for nationalized health care? Should this be a right of all U.S. citizens? What role do you believe the government should have on this issue?

Please read the following article, use your understanding of European history, and your opinions about the role of government and offer your feedback on the issue at hand.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-healthcare30-2009sep30,0,2490541.story

You will never be graded on your opinions. You get full credit for participating twice. This blog is a way for us to know more about each other, to help us learn about what we value and care about, and to build our learning community. Please respond with your own view first – giving ample space to articulate your opinions. In your second post please respond to one of your peers, agreeing or disagreeing or offering what you learned from their response. I look forward to a wonderful dialogue.

You have 7 days to complete your two responses.