I reminded Ben of the Black History events celebration, that was to begin today during his class at 11:45, Ben stated he did not wish to participate and instead asked to get his lunch and remain in his room. I encouraged him to consider attending, but Ben grew agitated so I stayed with him in his room for the entirety of the period. I had planned to recap the purpose of Radical Reconstruction and the Reconstruction Amendments, before discussing the new life that emerged for formerly enslaved people, but will postpone my lesson until tomorrow in the hopes that Ben is more amenable to receiving academic instruction. Ben thanked me for microwaving his lunch and allowing him to remain in his room and eat it during the scheduled activity.

Today, we discussed Johnson's Reconstruction and Black Codes and read how Andrew Johnson's leniency towards the South drove many to vote for the Radical Republicans, who then took control of Reconstruction. We read that Congress gave the Freedmen's Bureau more power and passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which confirmed that former enslaved people were citizens and overturned the Dred Scott Decision. We also read about the Fourteenth Amendment and the Reconstruction Acts and finished up the session reading about the Fifteenth Amendment, which made it illegal to deny citizens the right to vote based on race. We both found it interesting to read that it did not make any qualifications based on gender; that is, women still could not vote. I shared a memory device with Ben to remember the 13, 14th and 15th Amendments (Free/Citizens/Vote).

Ben stated he was very tired and did not want to see the second half of the movie ('The GreenBook') he began watching last week today. We therefore picked up where we had left off and reviewed the Emancipation Proclamation order and the economic climate and situation at the time (mid 19th century). We recalled that the high demand for supplies bolstered the Northern economy and that food shortages and inflation damaged the Southern economy and Southern moral. We also discussed Lincoln's assassination and noted that his vice president, Andrew Johnson did not believe in racial equality and was lenient towards the south, setting back earlier progress that had been made. We will dicuss the Black Codes in tomorrow's session.

Ben missed a good portion of this afternoon's class due to stomach issues he was experiencing which he attributed to a change in his medication. When he returned from the bathroom, he asked if he could share 2 videos with me that addressed topical issues affecting contemporary society, and we discussed the implications of the issues in an engaging interactive discussion. Ben and I will plan watch the second half of 'The Green Book' in another class; he said he enjoyed the first half.

Ben watched a movie, "The Green Book."

We began chapter 23 on Reconstruction since we finished our unit on the Civil War. We learned that this period lasted from 1865-1877 as the nation struggled to find a balance between uniting the country and assisting the newly freed Black population of the South, men who were collectively called freedmen. Ben explained that he was very tired. It was his birthday today but he wanted to downplay it. He did enjoy the SunChips I bought him as I remembered his favorite flavor and brand. He told me he was going to be absent on Tuesday and I reminded him I would see hem next Friday.

Today, we read about General Sherman and the resentment he stirred up by destroying plantations and burning fields in the South. We learned that Lincoln won the election of 1864 in a landslide against George McClellan - about whom we read last week was considered a very weak general - and that Congress passed the thirteenth amendment, which banned slavery in the US (although it had a loophole, which we discussed). The amendment was quickly ratified by the states and we concluded that it was now time to rebuild the nation. We will be discussing the era of Reconstruction for the remainder of this week.

We read about the Battle of Gettysburg and learned it was a major victory for the Yankees and a turning point in the Civil War. Ben was reminded of the first line of the Gettysburg address and we figured out how the year in which it was delivered was based on the clue, "Four score and seven years ago." I told Ben that a "score" is 20, so 87 years from the date the speech was delivered (1863) = 1776. Ben was reminded that Lincoln put Grant in charge of all military operations so the Union armies could act as one. and he decided that the war would be an attack on Southern morale and resources. In other words, the Union would practice 'total war,' which involves attacks on civilians and resources, not just soldiers. Ben told me he was going to be out Tuesday, 2/20. I sent home a permission slip for him to watch a movie about the deep South called "The Green Book" next week, which I think Ben would enjoy. Ben's mother said she will sign and send back the slip signed.

Ben was interested in a relevant social studies topic about the ways Saudi Arabia is looking to the future as the rest of the word increases their use of sources other than oil so that the country is proactive and prospers. Due to intense fossil fuel usage, Saudi Arabia has generated a number of environmental issues and urbanization and high standards of living contribute to ground, water, and air pollution. We viewed a video about Saudi Arabia becoming greener in the hopes of generating more tourism as it does so. We learned about the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI), an ambitious national initiative that is focused on combating climate change, improving quality of life, and protecting the environment for future generations. Ben was very interested in the initiative and compared it to America - commending the Saudis for looking to the future and taking measures to decrease its country's carbon footprint. He was engaged and interactive, contributing many additional ideas regarding the use of cloning and other innovations and advances to improve the quality and quantity of life. It was an interesting and productive session.

We reviewed a few key points about The Emancipation Proclamation and noted Lincoln's statement that the Civil War wasn't being fought to end slavery but to preserve the Union. He was successful keeping Britain out of the war and we discussed his plan for how to keep the border states in and Britain out following his victory at Antietam (discussed in class yesterday). We read that the Emancipation Proclamation also cleared the way for Black troops to serve in the Union army and read about the United States Colored Troops (USCT) and that they constituted ten percent of the Union army. We read about the 1863 draft riots which ensued because rich men were allowed to buy their way out of the draft that had to be instituted due to the need for soldiers. We will review the timeline and the Battle of Gettysburg in Monday's class. Ben was again reminded to bring in his homework. Ben was in good spirits today, sharing his Sun Chips with me and chatting about his upcoming birthday and the gifts he hopes to receive. It was an enjoyable way to end the week.