Westward Expansion

The impact of western expansion on the common American man at the time was enormous. It shaped them with the mindset that they will always move forward and deal with any problem without ignoring them as said by the episode of Story of Us: Westward Expansion. They fought through all the odds of natural disasters, native Americans, and more to live a better life. It made them into very brave people for challenging and accomplishing such a task. It made them into pioneers seeking for fortune. Without these brave and ambitious people that moved westward, our country wouldn't be as what it is today.

The Era of Good Feelings

Between 1816 and 1824 was a time period in the United States known as "The Era of Good Feelings" since there was only one major political party at the time, but not everyone thought that it really was an era of good feelings. 

James Akin was one of these people. He drew this political cartoon which presents president Andrew Jackson as being attacked by monsters which represents the media. He stands tall and is not scaried of them. The primary focus of this political cartoon is to show how powerful Andrew Jackson is, but it also shows how much hatred there is in the media at the time. The Era of Good Feelings is not a fitting name of a time period where the media is so full of hatred that it is portrayed as monsters attacking the president. James Akin wasn't the only one that saw the negatives of the time period, Chief Justice John Marshall also thinks so too.

“The States have no power, by taxation or otherwise, to retard, impede, burden, or in any manner control the operation of the constitutional laws enacted by Congress....
 “We admit, as all must admit, that the powers of the government are limited....  That the power to tax involves the power to destroy... [is] not to be denied....”
Chief Justice John Marshall, Supreme Court decision in McCulloch v. Maryland.

He points out that the states have no power of the federal laws passed by Congress. When even the Chief Justice of the time points out the faults of the government, The Era of Good Feelings is definitely not a good name for the time period.

Living like a transcendentalist

I was not able to live like a transcendentalist during this past weekend, because I had a lot of things going on. On Friday, I was able to do some homework and went to the gym with my friend which we planned several days earlier. On Saturday I had an all day chess tournament event that I had to go to since I said I would two weeks prior to the event. On Sunday I had work from 12 to 8. It is disappointing not to be able to be involved in this interesting experiment.

Even though I didn't live like a transcendentalist this past weekend, I have had many cases before where I was without my phone for more than 24 hours. When this happened, I really felt out of touch with the world. Everytime I wanted to check the time I found myself looking through my pocket for my phone out of habit even though it wasn't there. This was bad because I found my self constantly asking my friends what time it was. This irritated my friends a lot at times. I mostly check the time to not be late to anywhere I have to be. I also could not call or text anyone so I was limited to Facebook on my computer. It worked out decently but not everyone has access to the Internet as much as to cellular bars so it was harder to contact those people. I had to ask people to contact other people just to get a hold of them.

All in all, it was definitely worse than having a phone. I don't think I'd be able to live without it for extended periods of time. I was restricted from a device I use daily to check the time, contact others, go on social media websites on the go, use apps, and much more. I would and will also try my best to always have my phone fully charged and ready to go with me at all times.

iPad's impact on my education

OThe iPad has been a very useful tool to use for me when it comes to school. Many people may think it's just a distraction, but if used in the right way, it can really enhances your education in a huge way. It has been working for me so far. Instead of carrying a heavy backpack filled with notes and textbooks like I did freshmen year, I have everything I need right in my very light iPad. If I am absent to a class, I can check on iTunes U and schoolboy to see what I missed and work on it right away. Instead of shuffling through countless of papers to find what I need, I have everything digitally organized in just a few apps. The iPad has provided me with many useful educational apps that my teachers use to make school a little easier for everyone. When it comes to the way I use my iPad, it's the most useful tool.