JOURNAL ENTRY
I have found the study of our history more substantial and interesting than I initially thought. Among the several lessons we have had, the study on the American Revolution was epic and was of so much significant even to this current time. First, with the revolution came independence and separation from the British Empire. It is this very same independence that we continue to enjoy up to date. Besides, with the independence came forth abundant fruits in every sector of the nation including agriculture and economy. Thus, the revolution secured independence for the United States and also paved way for the liberation of other nations that adopted the same method to push for their liberation.
Furthermore, the revolution helped to create a republic that no longer catered only for the rich and the aristocrats but also incorporated the commoners. The liberty, civil rights, and equality that seems normal, were fearlessly fought for by men who loved and placed our great country before their lives. It is only through this study of our history that I learnt of great men and women with the likes of Abigail Adams and Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson among many other countless people. They portrayed patriotism, courage and wisdom leading at the forefront of the revolution to fight both wittily and physically for us to achieve a stable government with political order and most importantly, a liberal nation that is bonded in harmony.
It is only fair and appropriate that we commemorate these noble men and women and this can only be accomplished through learning about them as we have had in our history classes. This is one of the many reasons why I feel it is prudent for us and also for the younger generation to come, to learn our history. Another lesson that I cannot fail to mention is the New Deal, which brought relief after the Great Depression to countless citizens, especially to the less fortunate.
The New Deal was a set of programs, financial reforms, regulations and public work projects that were passed by President Franklin Roosevelt. The main reason why I mentioned it is because it depicts how a government should serve its people. At that time, nothing seemed to go right and the economy plus every other aspect surrounding it dropped due to the Great Depression. However, president Roosevelt responded adequately to the crisis and was able to recuperate the nation from a malady that almost crippled the nation. Every leader and the government should emulate such a government by Roosevelt that empowered its people and delivered them from their misery as opposed to the vice versa.
Through this history course, I am encouraged to emulate and look up to the characters of these noble men and women, to work tirelessly to improve the lives of those around me and the nation at large. Besides, I have gained numerous skills such as making assessment. As part of our assignment, I got the chance to assess President Roosevelt speech which was entitled, “who is a progressive.” By the help of our lecturer, I was able to depict his motives and good intentions from his speech. Another skill that I feel I have grasped is debating. From examples such as the Lincoln-Douglas debates, I have visualized how to make coherent arguments in a thoughtful and peaceful manner. I can confidently apply these skills in my encounters in class during discussions and even out of class.
Apart from gaining relevant skills, the study has assisted me inwardly to become a more responsible citizen. I have learnt numerous values that once that are important for a citizen to possess such as integrity. Further, I am more knowledgeable about the government and I endeavor to loyally support the government at the best of my ability. I will also take part in voting, which initially I did not take part in because I was misinformed but through our history course, I understand the usefulness of voting.
Many students may also be misled by ignorant individuals that history is not a marketable course. However, history is a career subject that has led many into wonderful job careers. The career field is also wide and includes journalism and media, tourism, archives, project management, libraries and books stores, governmental positions and also in NGOs among other countless job careers. Notable names of prominent leaders who majored in history include the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, Carly Fiorina, who has a degree in Medieval history from Stanford University and the CEO of YouTube, Susan Wojcicki, who majored in history at Harvard.
Despite the course not being technical, incoming students should be positive and ready to learn. Some or most of the students might feel that the course is about a bunch of old, past stories in which they have little to do with them. This will lead to constant struggle in every class and the student will often be uncomfortable. Since I have been to this history class, I can evidently say that everything that will learnt affects you either directly or indirectly. Thence, I admonish incoming students to take the class seriously with a keener focus like a true patriotic citizen. In this way, the attitude is set right for thorough learning and good grades will surely follow suite.
The first and most essential learning strategy of this class was to pay attention to the guidance from the lecturer. The lecturer was apt and formed a clear background in every lesson of what we were going to study. I would later go to the library to do further research on what was learn during the class session. Another strategy is to optimize the internet where I listened to many narrations from various authors and narrators. These helped me to be imaginative and I got finer details of facts that I could not find in books. Past papers from previous classes have also been useful and I was able to internalize how questions are set. All these factors have aided me to give my best during assignments and exams.
To achieve an A, the student needs to keenly focus on the course. When the student focusses, every other quality of an A student will follow suite. Through focus, the student study fervently and also do all his tasks and assignments. Discipline also needs to be paramount especially in terms of following instructions. This will aid the student to avoid any unnecessary penalty that might affect the final grade. Furthermore, the student should utilize team work, especially in areas that seem to cause any difficulty. Through team work, obstacles such as ambiguity of assignments can be broken. To sum up, for students to attain that achievable A, discipline and hard work should is a clear path to that desired grade A.