Jaime said 1/19...

Today we started class by handing in our comparative essays about the revolutions. After that, Mrs. Separ gave us all a white board, an eraser and a marker. We used these to answer questions about the reading that was due about the Monroe Doctrine. We discussed that the Spanish were trying to gain back control of Latin American countries that had already gained their Independence, which threatened the US and Great Britain. The US did not want the Spanish too close to them, and they supported all the revolutions in Latin America except for the Haitian Revolution because it lead to the abolition of slavery in Haiti, and they didn't want any ideas of freedom spreading to American Slaves. The British wanted to make an alliance with the United States to warn other European powers not to try and re-colonize, because they wanted to maintain their power and control of trade. James Monroe was fine with this, but Vice President John Quincey Adams didn't like this at all because it would limit the power of the US and it would mean that the Americans would owe something to the British. However, he knew that if it really came down to it, the British would back the US because they wouldn't want Spain to get more powerful. The Monroe Doctrine states that the Western Hemisphere is closed to all European nations, that there is to be no more colonization in the Americas, and that if European countries choose to ignore these requests, then the US will have no choice but to go to war and aid the Latin American nations in remaining free. It also adds that the US will remain neutral in European affairs. Though they make this statement, the United States really doesn't have any backing on it, because they aren't that strong yet. But once again they know that the British will back them up. In the middle of this discussion, David ran to the garbage can and threw up. Mrs. Separ cheered for him because he made it to the garbage can so there was no mess. After he left the room, Mrs. Separ sprayed the room with lysol and we talked about it for a while. Everybody was pretty shocked, because it was kind of random. For tomorrow we have to answer questions on the blog and complete a worksheet.

The next person to go will be Margo.