The Province of Georgia

It’s 1732 and you live in the British colonies in North America. You just found out that a new colony has been established called Georgia, and it’s apparently supposed to be a safe haven for debtors. That is really good news for you since you are in huge debt. So you decide to pack up and head south.

In this paper I will be talking about the Province of Georgia and its development.

In April of 1732 General James Oglethorpe received a charter from King George II to start a new colony. Then in June, Oglethorpe established a colony and he called it Georgia. He got the name for the colony from his King’s name which is George. Oglethorpe originally started the colony as a safe haven for debtors.

When he was still in England, Oglethorpe’s best friend was put in jail because he couldn’t pay his debts. Oglethorpe’s friend was put in a jail cell with someone who had smallpox and he eventually died from that disease. This angered Oglethorpe and he was determined to change the English jails. He became known nation wide and eventually, with the help of his friends, went to King George II to ask to start a new colony with a lot of the debtors that were in jail, they received a charter for this new colony in 1732. Thus the story of how Georgia came to be. 

Oglethorpe and his friends decided that their new colony needed to have strict laws to keep everyone from being crazy. Oglethorpe’s colony started to grow but very slowly. The strict laws that he put in place didn’t settle well with the  people. These were some of his laws: No alcohol, no slaves, and Oglethorpe also didn’t want people to have big plantations like the colonies farther north did. When he realized that his strict laws were hindering the growth of his colony, Oglethorpe lifted those laws and his colony started to grow.

Another reason Georgia was established is because King George II wanted a barrier between the Spanish colonized Florida and the French colonized Louisiana and the rest of the British colonies. So Georgia was like the defender of the colonies from the Spanish or French trying to invade the colonies.

This came in handy because in 1739 Spain and England started a conflict called the War of Jenkins Ear. This led Oglethorpe to invade Florida. After he didn’t succeed in defeating the Spanish, the Spanish leader in Florida drew up plans to invade Georgia. It was the perfect time to invade because after Oglethorpe’s defeat he was going to need reinforcements. But there was no way he could get reinforcements before Spain would invade. So it was a perfect plan. In the first battle or skirmish the Spanish were routed and had to retreat. In the next battle the Brits took the Spanish by complete surprise and won that battle as well. Eventually Spain withdrew and went home to Florida.  When the War of Jenkins Ear ended in 1748, James Oglethorpe had left never to return and William Stevens became Governor or President.

Georgia was a very strong Royalist colony. Meaning they were strong followers of the King. But during the Revolutionary War era they turned on England and the King and joined the other 12 colonies to form the U.S.A.                               

                                                                                                                           Georgia in 1732

                                          

                                                 Georgia in 1764.                      

                                             

                                                                                                                                                                               

                                                Georgia when it became a state in 1788

                                                                    

                          

                                                                                                                 

A Merry Adventure of Robin Hood

It all started a long time ago in a land not so far away, a place that is now called "Schoenemann Forest." Robin Hood is the name to know. He always started his days with a trip to the "Ye Olde Sweet Shoppe" to buy sweets and such stuff for all his lads in the forest. That morning was different than all other mornings. Instead of going to the "Ye Olde Sweet Shoppe" he wanted to go hunting with his bow and arrow. Then what happened was outlandish. Robin saw something moving in the bushes, naturally he thought it was a deer. He shot an arrow and ZAP!! he got sucked into a machine that takes you to the future! In other words a TIME MACHINE! He went into the year 2015! 

Once he arrived in the future he noticed that it was a lot brighter and different than where he had been just 5 minutes before. He had landed in the middle of Times Square! What he didn't know was that he only had 12 hours in the future before he would leave forever!

 “Where art thy my good lady?” quoth Robin to a passerby.

“You're in Times Square weird-o, and don't talk like that it's so annoying and sooo a thousand years ago” quoth the lady. 

“What is Times Square?” quoth Robin to the lady

“This is Times Square, what your looking at dumbo.” quoth the lady. 

“Okay let me re-phrase that, where is Times Square?” quoth Robin. 

“Here, RIGHT HERE! DOOFUS!” 

“Where in the world is Times Square?” 

“Oh, in New York City.” quoth the lady. 

“Thank you” gasped Robin. “What is New York City?” asked Robin. 

“Only the biggest city in the world! Why do you ask so many questions?” 

“Because I am new in this place. What year is this?” 

“2015! GEEZ you don't even know what year it is!?” quoth the lady. 

“2015! I must have gone into the future!”

 “What year did you travel from!?” quoth the lady. 

“1345” replied Robin. 

“Oh my gosh!! no wonder you were asking so many questions! What is your name?” quoth the lady.

 “My name is Robin Hood the finest archer in all of...” 

“Sherwood Forest!” interupted the lady. 

“No, Schoenemann Forest!” quoth Robin. 

“Huh?” quoth the puzzled lady. 

“You don't know about great Schoenemann Forest?” quoth Robin. 

“Of course n... of course I have! All of the great Oak trees! And the famous butcher, I think his name was, hmm, ah! it was Meat Head” 

“No” quoth Robin “ there are no great Oak trees in Schoenemann Forest, only Cedars, and there definetly isn't a butcher by the name of Meat Head!” 

“What ever. Do you need a place to sleep?” quoth the lady. 

“That I do” replied Robin “Now dost thou have a name my good lady?” 

“Why yes, my name is Eliza” quoth the lady. 

“Ah what a beautiful name” replied Robin. 

“Thank you” quoth a blushing Eliza. 

“Now where dost thou have me sleep?” asked Robin. 

“Just follow me.”

And so Robin followed his new friend through the bustling streets of New York City to where Eliza lived. They stopped in front of a tall apartment building and quoth Robin to Eliza, 
“You live in the most peculiar castle thine eyes have ever seen.” 

“This is not all mine” quoth Eliza, “just one room inside of it is mine.” 

So a few minutes later after some questions about the elevator, they walked into Eliza's apartment. 
“How long are you here for?” asked Eliza. 

“I don't really know. It was all so sudden. I was walking through Schoenemann Forest and thought I saw a deer moving in the bushes, so naturally I shot it with my arrow and ZAP I was in the middle of what you call Times Square. And thou art knows the rest.” 

The day went on and Robin and Eliza conversed for the entirety of the whole day. Then quoth Eliza, 
“well we should be off to bed, your room is right here and I will be over there in that room. I guess I'll see you in the morning.” 

“Goodnight” replied Robin. 

But what both Eliza and Robin didn't know was, that would be the last time they saw each other. Robin walked into his room and lied down. Shortly he was asleep and then ZAP Robin found himself in Schoenemann Forest under his Cedar tree with all his Merry lads. They all lay in there beds asleep and Robin realized it had all just been a dream.

The End

Smoking? Why!?

Smoking a cigarette; an addictive drug that causes harm in many ways. Lung Cancer, and many other types of cancer. It can also give you heart disease, increase your chances of a stroke and a lot of other types of chronic diseases. Not only is the smoker harmed but also the people around the smoker can be harmed. This is called second - hand smoking. Most exposure to second - hand smoke occurs in homes and workplaces. Second - hand smoking is as harmful or more harmful than actually smoking the cigarette. The American Cancer Society even reports that smoking cigarettes kills more Americans each year than alcohol, car accidents, suicide, homicide, and illegal drugs combined, while other research has shown that just by smoking one pack of cigarettes:

A smoker's life is cut short by two hours

Men lose a total of 4.4 years of their life

Women lose a total of 2.4 years of their life

To give you an idea of the types of toxic chemicals released into the air and your lungs when you smoke or are around someone who does, here's a list from the American Lung Association of a few chemicals in tobacco smoke, and other places they are found:

Acetone – found in nail polish remover

Acetic Acid – an ingredient in hair dye

Ammonia – a common household cleaner

Arsenic – used in rat poison

Benzene – found in rubber cement

Butane – used in lighter fluid

Cadmium – active component in battery acid

Carbon Monoxide – released in car exhaust fumes

Formaldehyde – embalming fluid

Hexamine – found in barbecue lighter fluid

Lead – used in batteries

Naphthalene – an ingredient in moth balls

Methanol – a main component in rocket fuel

Nicotine – used as insecticide

Tar – material for paving roads

Toluene - used to manufacture paint

As you probably already know, regularly inhaling these chemicals is not a good choice if you want to stay healthy.

The Saxons

Normally when you hear the word England, you think about Queen Elizabeth, or Big Ben. But really you should think about a people called the Saxons.

The Saxons were a group of Germanic tribes who settled in England in the early middle ages. They invaded Great Britain and were eventually allowed to settle there as farmers. After this they sort of started taking over South-Eastern Britain (modern day England) and they split up into four separate realms:

The East Saxons created the Kingdom of Essex.

The Middle Saxons created the Province of Middlesex.

The South Saxons created the Kingdom of Sussex.

Finally the West Saxons created the Kingdom of Wessex.

During the period of the reigns of Egbert to Alfred the Great, the kings of Wessex were basically the ruler of all four realms, unifying the country. They eventually organized it as the Kingdom of England when they were threatened by Viking invasions.

Their first religion was paganism, and they worshiped gods like Woden and Thunor. Eventually they were converted to Christianity under the influence of the neighboring Jutes of Kent in the seventh century.

The main division in Saxon society was between slave and free. Both groups hierarchically structured, with several classes of freemen and many types of slaves. The most prominent ranks within free society were the king, the nobleman or thane, and the ordinary freeman. Women though, were in some ways better off than they would be in later times. A woman could own her own property, she could even take over as a leader for her husband if he died. Also marriage was consensual between the man and the women.  

The occupations of the Saxons consisted of mainly farming, but metal working and sculpting were also popular jobs. 

Genghis Khan: Creator of the Mongol Empire

Genghis Khan who was born in 1162, to a Mongol chieftain, Yesugei, and his wife. His birth name is really Temujin, which means “iron worker.” When Temujin was born he was clinching his fist  around a blood clot which was declared an omen that he was destined to become a heroic warrior. Temujin ended up the founder and Great Khan (emperor) of, the Great Mongol Empire which became the largest empire ever.

Temüjin began his aim at power by offering himself as an ally to his father's "Blood brother," Toghrul, who was Khan of the Khereids, and is better known by the Chinese title "Wang Khan”. This was first reinforced when Temujin’s wife, Borte, was captured by the Merkits. Temüjin turned to Toghrul for support. He finally came to power when he united the nomadic tribes of Northeast Asia. After this he founded the Mongol Empire and was proclaimed "Genghis Khan," Emperor of Mongolia! Genghis Khan means “Universal Ruler.” The reason the people gave him this name is because they thought he was supposed to be the ruler of the universe.  After being named Khan of Mongolia, he conquered huge chunks of central Asia and China.

By the end of his life, in 1227, the Mongol Empire occupied a substantial portion of Central Asia and China. His descendants expanded the empire even further, advancing to such far-off places as Poland, Vietnam, Syria and Korea. At their peak, the Mongols controlled between 11 and 12 million square miles! An area about the size of Africa! Kublai Khan, Genghis’s grandson, even defeated all of China and united China with the Mongol empire. 

Alaric the Visigoth

Alaric was king of the Visigoths from 395-410 A.D. Although his reign was fairly short he made those 15 years count. 

He started off his reign by having a dream that he was driving through the Roman streets in a golden chariot. Alaric thought and thought about this dream and came to the conclusion of wanting to capture Rome and become Emperor. He gathered all his chiefs and told them what he was going to do. They were delighted at what he said. 

First he sieged Constantinople but decided to pull out and captured the city of Athens instead.  Not only did he capture Athens he also annihilated, Sparta, Corinth, Megara, and Argos. Then in 401 Alaric raided Italy but he was defeated by Stilicho. He raided Italy one more time but he was defeated again at the Battle of Verona. Although Alaric did force the Roman Senate to pay a large payment to the Visigoths. In 408 Alaric sieged Rome and he sacked the city and caused the Rome to, eventually, grant him a substantial payment. In addition, Alaric forced the Senate to liberate all 40,000 Gothic slaves in Rome, but the Senate did not grant him Emperor. As an answer he sacked the city for three whole days. After the Visigoths were done with Rome they started marching home in 410, and during that march Alaric died. No one really knows for sure how he died, but most people think it was a fever. 

So Alaric’s reign might not have been the longest but he did do a lot of great things for the Visigoths. He set free 40,000 slaves, and he defeated Rome.  Although he never really captured Rome, or became Emperor, he did defeat one of the greatest armies ever. 

Leif Erikson: The Second European to Set Foot on North America?

When you hear the word Viking you think of two things, the Minnesota Vikings and Leif Erikson.  Who is Leif Erikson, and why do we think of Him when we hear the word Viking?  Well two reasons; 

One: He's said to have been the first European to set foot on North America,  

Two: The U.S passed a bill for "Leif Erikson day" (happens every October 9th). But is he really the first one to set foot on North America?

Erikson was most likely born in Iceland around 970 A.D.  His father was Erik the Red also a well known Viking.  After Erikson was converted to Christianity in Norway, he was ordained to bring the good news to Greenland.  But when his ship was blown off course he encountered a new land.  He had landed in North America.  He explored the area and found a lot of grape vines and called the newly discovered place, Vinland.  After he had finished exploring he stumbled upon two shipwrecked Icelandic people.
So the people who Erikson saved were the first Europeans to set foot on North America.  But Erikson was the first to explore and settle in North America. In 1960 Helge and Anne Ingstad were searching for archaeological evidence of Vikings in Newfoundland. In the small village of L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland they met a fisherman who showed them sod foundations that had the shape of Viking longhouses. More than a decade of archaeological investigation at this site has proved conclusively that Vikings had built a settlement in North America 500 years before Columbus.  After excavations they uncovered Viking artifacts including a ringed pin, a soapstone spindle whorl, a bone pin, a whetstone, iron boat rivets, worked wood and other objects. There was evidence of iron-smelting and forging, and hearth charcoal is dated to A.D. 1000.

Erikson did make his way back to Greenland and spread Christianity.  He even built a church in Vinland.  His father was a pagan and did not support Leif at all.  And when Erik's wife converted, I can only imagine how angry he was.

So Leif Erikson might not have been the first, but he did have an influence on modern day North America.  He has statues all over North America.  And he has a holiday named after him!       

Medieval Castles

If you’re like me you might think that medieval castles were big and elaborate, but that's not really the case. They did have motes and draw bridges, but they weren't huge stone structures with four towers. It's kind of obvious that there weren't dragons, but knights wouldn't have been roaming around either. They would have been at battle or in a hunting tournament, or something of that sort.

No, castles were not as elaborate as we think. Yes they were big, but they basically were a big stone wall surrounding a main building called a keep. The wall was thick enough to make rooms inside, so there were indoor facilities other than the keep, which is where the king lived.

The most famous medieval castle has to be the Tower of London, built by William the Conqueror after defeating London in battle. Because of this it was seen by the people of England as a symbol of oppression. But now it is a landmark, their pride and joy.

King Arthur: Fact Or Fiction

King Arthur is a legendary British leader from the 5th and early 6th centuries.  But was he real, or a made up story by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his book, The History of the Early Kings of Britain, describing his magic sword Excalibur, and the magician Merlin.  It was written in the 11th century, that's 500 years after the time of Arthur.  This book is based on an "ancient Celtic manuscript" that only Geoffrey was able to examine.  Celtic monk Gildas wrote of the Saxon invasion in his book The Ruin and Conquest of Britain.  He wrote about the conflict at Badon hills, and no warrior named Arthur is even mentioned.  He gives someone else's name as the leader of the Brits.  But he does mention an unnamed leader and king of the Britons.  Could this be referring to King Arthur?  He probably did exist but maybe not with all the magic and the holy grail.  He was more likely a successful warrior for the Britons than a king with a magic sword.  England's whole history pretty much has Arthur written all over it.  Why would a country have a mythological history.

But if you think different, comment under this post.

Why It's Important to Study Islam

It's important to study Islam because it's not just a religion it was also a thriving empire.  Even if you’re not a Muslim you should know who Muhammad was and what the Ottoman Empire was. (The Turkish Empire)

The Ottoman Empire lasted from 1299–1923 that's over 600 years!  The majority of the land was the Middle East. But in 1683, the peak of the empire, they covered a lot of Europe! 

The religion of the empire was Islam. They are monotheistic, so they have one god, Allah, which literally translates into, god. Islam has some things that tie in with Christianity. For example, the Muslims claim that the father of their religion is Abraham.  And one of the Muslim’s shrines is said to have been built by Abraham. Also some of the prophets of Islam are the same, like Noah, Enoch, and Abraham. Islam teaches that Jesus was one of the most important prophets of God and was a human being. Muslims do not believe that he was the Son of God. In Islam, Jesus was a human prophet who, like all the other prophets, tried to bring the children of Israel to the worship of One God. Muslims believe that Jesus was miraculously born of the Virgin Mary. Muslims believe the creation of Jesus was similar to the creation of Adam (the first prophet of God); they were both created by God without human fathers. Muslims believe that Jesus was condemned to crucifixion and then miraculously saved from execution. They believe Allah created the world with his commands. The job of every Muslim is to spend a life worshiping Allah. They want to be favorably judged by Allah in the afterlife.

To be clear I am not supporting Islam. But you can’t study European history without studying Islam and the Ottoman Empire. 

A Whole New World

One morning I found myself in a whole new world, aliens all around with three eyes and four feet, and two hands.  It was really strange.  After trying to find out were I was, I finally figured out that I was on planet Zerubbabel.

After I knew where I was, I decided to look around town.  Their customs were really weird; they didn't have electricity, or running water.  This particular day was Zerubbabel day where all day they worshiped their god Zerubbabel.  They wanted me to worship him too.  So after I refused they tied me up with ropes and carried me over to a burning altar.  I thought this was the end.  But then I remembered that they didn't have electricity and probably didn't have a clue what it was.  So I tried to tell them that I was a magician and that if they burned me they would all die.  They put me down quickly in fear, and I quickly gathered some things to make a light bulb, and a circuit.  I put the things together and, ta-da! we had electricity.  They were amazed at what I had done, and quickly made me king.     

The very first thing I did as king was to take away their god Zerubbabel and make the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the God of Planet Zerubbabel. (I told them they could keep the name of their planet.)  Then I put electricity and running water in every home and building on the planet.

And all of a sudden a loud noise woke me up and I realized it had all been a dream.  I was really disappointed, but at least I was back on Planet Earth.

"Were the Wright Brothers the first to fly a powered airplane?"

Matthew Schoenemann                                                                                                                  

Mr. Mullins

6th Grade English
6/3/2015

In 1903, the Wright Brothers were the first to fly a manned, powered, controlled, heavier-than-air, air-craft.  Or were they? This paper is going to talk about the Wright Brothers "First in flight" claim and a challenger to that claim.

The Wright brothers were four years apart in age, yet were very close.  Wilbur Wright once said, "From the time we were little children, my brother Orville and myself lived together, played together, worked together and, in fact, thought together." (Freedman pg.3)  Destined to be inventors, they built sleds, kites, and even a printing press.  When they grew up, their life long job was a bike shop, called the "Wright Cycle Co."

A few years after the shop opened they started experimenting with gliders.  Then in 1903, they added an engine to one of their gliders and flew a powered air-plane, called the Wright Flyer 1.  They didn't want to be credited for the "first flight", which was a hot-air balloon in the 18th century.  They wanted to be credited with the first sustained, controlled, manned, powered, flight. 

There are several items that seem to support this claim.  A picture (Freedman, front cover) was taken of the plane taking off with Wilbur piloting, and Orville on the ground.  The person who took the picture can be counted as a witness.  And the picture shows that they actually got off the ground. 

One person built a replica of the Flyer 1 and it only flew 115 feet. The Wright bros. said they flew 852 feet, which the replica could not duplicate.  But you have to remember that the Wright brothers were in Kitty Hawk.  And for good reason, it is a very windy area, and would help their flight.  

One person who claims to have flown before the Wright brothers is Gustave Whitehead.  Born in Germany, he immigrated to the United States around 1894.  He was also a destined inventor.  As a boy, he showed interest in flight.  His experimenting with kites earned the nickname "The Flyer."  Whitehead supposedly flew a plane in 1901.  But there really isn't any evidence to support this.  We know his plane existed because there is a picture of him next to the air-craft.  And we have pictures of him testing gliders.  One thing that doesn't make any sense is that if he had a successful powered air-craft you'd think he would have improved on it.  But instead he made more gliders.  Some people claim there is a picture that proves that he flew.  The picture is really grainy, because it is blown up 3,500 percent. It basically is a picture of the sky with a shadow in it. (Picture from cnn.com)  Many people, who support Whitehead's case, even say that the Wright bros. were much more successful.

Based on my research I believe that because there is insufficient evidence to support Whitehead's case, that the Wright Bros. were first.  But whoever was first, only 15 years later planes played a major part in World War 1.

Works Cited

www.cnn.com/2013/06/07/travel/wright-brothers-first-flight-fight  

Freedman, Russell   The Wright Brothers: How They Invented The Airplane

            1991 Russell Freedman

My Grandfather: How he impacted my life

My grandpa was a very Godly man.  If it weren't for him, I would not know God as well as I do today.

He showed many people, including my family, the ways of the Lord, and he showed great kindness to me and my family.  He was a pastor at a small church the last few months of his life, and I had the privilege of hearing some of his messages.  He took us on trips to the beach almost every summer, and on one of those trips he baptized me.  That's when my life changed.  After that, I felt like I could talk to God.

Every year now I look forward to God's holy days.  Only because he took the time to tell us about them.  I wouldn't get so excited if it weren't for him.  I'm talking about Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentacost, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles.  We probably wouldn't even know what those were without him. 

Even though he might have returned to where he came from, his legacy still lives on.

In loving memory of Gordon Enger