Difficult Classes

When I started the school year I thought I would do great in all of my classes. However, I soon found out that school wasn’t as easy as it was before. My two most difficult classes are A.P. US History and Advanced Algebra 2 with Trigonometry. I am passing Algebra 2 with Trigonometry with a c. In addition, I think I am passing A.P. US History with a high c. I didn’t expect to do this bad when I started school. However, now I realize what I need to improve to be successful in those two classes and the rest of classes.

George Washington's party

President-George Washington
Vice President-John Adams
Secretary of State-Thomas Jefferson
Secretary of the Treasury-Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of War-Henry Knox

In March of 1789, George Washington and John Adams were elected the first president and vice president of the thirteen colonies. After they were inaugurated into office the thirteen colonies officially became the United States of America. Former-President George Washington expanded the executive branch. He did this by adding the positions of Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury, and Secretary of War. The men who filled the positions were Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and Henry Knox. In addition, a man named John Jay was appointed Chief Justice by President George Washington himself.

Former-President George Washington resolved Foreign and domestic problems by the Jay Treaty and Pinckney Treaty. The Jay Treaty forced the British to remove forts on American soil. The Pinckney Treaty allowed American merchants to trade through the city of New Orleans without paying a tax. These were incredible treaties, because they allowed more people to trade for less. In addition, this reduced debt in America.

Alexander Hamilton created major restoration in the United States. He thought of brilliant ideas in order to get the country out of debt. His method’s on doing this actually worked. He got the country out of debt by raising to prices on foreign commodities, giving businesses credit(loans), and a National Bank. These were all beneficial for the United States. The United States would have gotten out of debt sooner if Alexander was not shot. The third president of the United States was Thomas Jefferson. Under his first term the United States made a purchase from the French know as the Louisiana Purchase.

I believe that the first and third presidents had the best political and economical stance that ever happened to America. I don’t think that any other president was as successful as they were. I think that this can happen again. This could happen if voters elect a man wjo is passionate about politics and is honest. In addition, the man needs to have an economical mind similar to Alexander Hamilton.

Scolar Programs

There are three summer programs that I would like to go this summer. These programs are: Math and Science²(MS²), Colligate Scholars, and The Medicine Forum. I would like to attend all three of these programs, however I can only attend one. All three programs have a lot to offer. All three have a outcome that I will greatly benefit from.

MS² allows me to get more advanced in both math and science. This fact attracts me to this program, because I am good in math, and I want to get better in science. In addition, they allow students to have an extracurricular activity such as: basketball, baseball, swimming, hiking, running etc. A downside to MS² is that I would have to move to Andover, Maryland for five weeks.

Colligate Scholars is a scholarship program that is offered in the city of Chicago. The program is actually held at the University of Chicago. This program lets its students take college courses. These courses will be taught by college professors who are one of the best in their field. In addition, students and parents get more experienced in the college selection process and evaluating colleges. Unfortunately, I don’t know that much about the Medicine Forum. All I know is that can get experience with medicine from professional physicians.

College/Universities

I researched various colleges, but many didn’t suite what I was looking for. Sometimes I think about applying to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, etc, but I always end up saying, “No.” Sometimes I think to myself that I might not get into such prestige schools. However, I don’t want to put myself down or make myself think that I’m dumb. I know I am not dumb, because I wouldn’t be taking the classes that I am now.

After careful consideration I have narrowed my search to ten(10) colleges/universities. I based most of my decisions on the location, the curriculum, and the programs that they offer. My top five choices offer major programs in either engineering, business, and/or medicine. I have listed all the following colleges/universities in order from greatest to least. They are:

1. Stanford University
2. Michigan State University
3. Howard University
4. University of Illinois Champagne Urbana
5. Ohio State University
6. Northwestern University
7. University of Southern California (USC)
8. University of California in Los Angles (UCLA)
9. Hampton University
10. University of Texas

My valued goals

I divided my goals into three sections. They are: education, career, and desires. Most of my goals involve my education and are long-term goals. I am most concerned about achieving present goals. What I do now will determine what will happen to me in the future. The more goals I achieve the more successful I will be in life.

On October 21st, 2006 I will be taking the PSAT. I am hoping that I pass this major exam. This will determine how well I do on it when I have to take the real thing. If I do well on that exam it will skyrocket my confidence level. I will be comfortable taking any quiz or exam if I pass the PSAT. Even if I don’t pass at least I know that it was only practice, and I’m a freshmen taking a junior/senior level test.

When I’m about twenty-two years old I want to have a bachelors degree in engineering. By the time I am twenty-five I want to have a masters degree in engineering. I want to have a decent job, a nice car, and an apartment or condo. In addition, I want to be able to have completed what I planned on completing. However, I still want to complete more goals after receiving those degrees.

Once I’m around 40-45 years old I want to have a large and beautiful house. In addition to having a house, I want to have a building of some sort. I would rent it to some people that I know. I wouldn’t rent it to complete strangers or extremely close friends of the family. Close friends could take advantage of me, and I wouldn’t know a thing about the complete strangers that I’m renting the space to. I want to have a beautiful wife. In addition, I want two children, a boy and a girl.

Once I am a senior citizen I want to be able to look back on the wonderful life that I had. I want to think back and say, “I can‘t believe I accomplished that.” I want to tell my grandchildren stories about myself. I want to tell them that I was able to do things that very few people in the world can do. I know conquering these goals will be difficult, however I have faith in myself that I can accomplish all of my goals.

My Goals

Short-Term Goals:

1. Pass the A.P. US History test
2. Pass my Algebra 2 with Trigonometry class
3. Get at least C on every quiz in every class from now on
4. Get as many A’s as possible
5. Make the baseball team
   

Mid-Term Goals:

1. Going to an excellent college/university
2. Graduating near the top of my class
3. Receive many scholarships
4. Get accepted into either MS² and/or Colligate Scholars
5. Get better at cutting so I can make a little money on the side for college
   

Long-Term Goals:

1. Get a high paying job
2. Receive a masters in engineering
3. Receive a masters in business
4. Own a well-profited business
5. Become a recognized African-American in society
6. Own a large house, in addition to renting out a two-flat building
7. Have three nice cars
8. Have a long and happy marriage

The beginning of United States of America

The first president and vice president of the United States of America was George Washington and John Adams. They won by a unanimous vote from the electoral college. After they were inducted into office the executive branch was expanded. Three new positions became available which were: Secretary of State, Secretary of War, and Secretary of the Treasury. They were taken by Thomas Jefferson, Henry Knox, and Alexander Hamilton.

The United States was fortunate to have these five men to help develop the newly found United States of America. Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were extremely involved in the countries politics before they received their positions. Alexander Hamilton helped dramatically change the nation’s amount of debt. The policies that he created worked as an advantage for everyone, including other countries. This was beneficial, because the quicker they got out of debt the quicker they could trade. Once they started to trade the population and the economy increased.

Fahrenheit 9/11

Some of the facts from the movie, Fahrenheit 9/11 were unbelievable. I would not have believed it if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. Some of the things that happened changed my view of certain people. For example, initially everyone thought Al Gore won the state of Florida. Many news station such as: NBC, CNN, and ABC believed that Al Gore won Florida. However, the news station known as Fox News believed that George W. Bush won Florida. Once Fox News announced that all information, the other news station followed.

The man who was running Fox news station at that time had a close relationship with George W. Bush. He could determine what he wanted to be said on the news station. Technically, he determined the outcome of the election. No one actually knows who won the presidential election of 2000. I have a problem with the fact that the other news stations followed what Fox news said.

Even though Fox is a major news station the other news stations should not have gone along with what they said. A major news station that could have been followed would be ABC News. In my opinion, the most accurate political news station would be CNN. Ninety-five percent of the segments that are shown on CNN are political. CNN rarely reports on anything that has to do with something other then politics.

Convictions (part 2)

There are many superstitions that people believe in. Some of these superstitions reflect bad luck and some good luck. Superstitions such as: walking under a ladder, a black cat walking in front of you, breaking a mirror, splitting a pole, and Friday the 13th is supposedly bad luck . Superstitions such as: a four leaf clover, a horseshoe, and a rabbit’s foot are supposedly good luck. The only superstition that I believe in is splitting a pole.

For some reason, every time I’m walking with someone and I split a pole something bad happens. One time I split a pole with my friend, and less than two minutes later my friend ended up fighting someone. In another situation I split a pole before my Algebra 2 class, and that day I received a 50% out of 100% on my Algebra 2 test. That is why whenever someone that I am walking with happens to split a pole I force then to come back and go in the right direction. To my surprise there are many people who don’t believe in splitting poles. Other people that I know intentionally split a pole just to make me angry.

Convictions (part 1)

Convictions are a part of people’s daily lives. Convictions are beliefs and/or pet-peeves that usually control people’s lives. My beliefs always control my daily life. Many people have an endless amount of convictions. I happen to one be of those people. Some of my beliefs are good and some are bad. One conviction that I have is washing my hands.

I wash my hands with every opportunity that I get. Not washing my hands is extremely nasty. I cannot stand when I ask someone if they washed their hands after using the restroom and they respond, “Oh, no I didn’t.” People don’t realize that they spread numerous germs by doing that. In addition, I strongly believe in karma. I think that if I help someone out then I will be rewarded for my actions. In addition, I believe if I harm someone then I will be equally harmed.

North Korea

Last night I was informed that North Korea discovered how to build a nuclear bomb. Supposedly they were planning on selling their technology to other nations. However, there is a slight problem. The North Koreans have to test the bomb to determine if it works. They were intending on dropping the bomb in Japan. Japan and other nations are not going to allow this to happen. President George W. Bush stated that he was not going to take any action until other countries become involved.

I think that the US soldiers should be invading North Korea, instead of Iraq and Afghanistan. President George W. Bush assumed that the Iraqis had weapons of mass destruction. President George W. Bush and the rest of the world knows for a fact that the North Koreans have a nuclear bomb! This is a reason why the United States should invade another country. Most importantly, if the North Koreans drop a bomb in Japan the world will be in chaos. The Americans primarily trade with the Japanese. If a bomb is dropped in Japan, our international market will drastically decrease.

Weaknesses of Articles of Confederation

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation:

• too much power
  
• no order amongst society
  
• bad relationship between states and federal government
  
• one vote in Congress for each state
  
• no national currency
  
• nine out of thirteen states had to approve passage of certain legislation
  
• no authority for Congress to regulate either interstate or foreign commerce

The Articles of Confederation (AOC) was a form of government that was similar to the Constitution. It was originated by the American delegates in 1777, but was acknowledged by all states in 1781. There were several weaknesses that came into effect after the AOC was created. These weaknesses were mainly economical or political. Most of these problems were not resolved.

A critical flaw was that the delegates couldn’t determine how to equally share power. The delegates thought that if they gave the central government too much power that they citizens would rebel again. However, if they gave the states too much power there would be no order amongst society. Those two statements were true, because it could have happened. The bad thing was that no one knew how to deal with it.

American Government Today

America’s government today is not the same as it was when it first began. The government seems to have a different focus now then in the past. I think that this has happened, because the government has shifted their primary focus form the people to economics. Wealth has taken on a new meaning in society today. That is why older people try to teach younger people finances at an early age.

The Amendments

Currently there are twenty-seven amendments. People must obey all of these amendments. The amendments were setup to accommodate issues that were going on in society during that time period. I think that some amendments should be revised to fit the current life style of most Americans. Amendments number two and twenty-seven are examples of amendments that I feel should be revised.

The second amendment gives an individual the right to bear arms. This allows practically anyone to own a gun. I don’t think that everyone should be allowed to carry a gun. I feel that only police officers should be able to own a gun. This should happen, because many accidents have taken place involving the use of guns. One example of this would be when the Vice President, Richard Cheney, shot another hunter. It was accidental, however it would not have occurred if they did not own guns.

Amendment number twenty-seven should be revised also. This amendment allows Congress to raise their own salaries. This is unfair, because they can raise their salaries so that each of them can receive one million dollars each. If that were to happen, tax payers taxes would increase significantly. I think that this amendment should require that there be a salary cap. If not, this amendment probably should be eradicated.

American Economics

American economics have been profitable for about three centuries. Americans have been successful because Americans have a great marketing strategy. This allows practically everyone an opportunity to become wealthy. There is a vast amount of job opportunities in America. This allows people to make money constantly. In addition, Americans make things that are primarily made in America. Then they trade with countries that make high quality items at a low price. However, once those items get to America, the prices increase greatly. An example of this would be all products made by the famous Michael Jordan.

I am impressed with the marketing strategies used by Americans, because it always has a favorable outcome for Americans. One thing that does concern me is that Americans are starting to import more than they export. America is still one of the leading economical countries. However, their primary focus does not revolve around agriculture anymore. Presently, the main source of economical exportation is entertainment. I don't fully support the idea of Ameircans concentrating on entertainment.

American Society

Years ago when people thought about American citizens they thought about George Washington, Tomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin. Basically, they mainly thought about politicians. Presently, when people think about American citizens they probably think about Martin Luther King Jr., Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, or Donald Trump. Over a period of time people have become attached to entertainers rather than politicians.

Back in the 1800's people generally thought either about politics or agriculture. Now-a-days people are more interested in entertainment rather than politics. I think this has happened, because politics have become less interesting. I think politics are less interesting, because people have shifted their focus to other things. These are things such as technology, education, and finances.

American History

Many nations have been involved with the history of the United States of America. Nations such as: Great Britain, France, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Japan, Russia, Iraq, etc. have all been connected with the U.S. The U.S. adopted many cultures and customs from other countries. Our U.S. politicians borrowed some political ideas from Great Britain. Other countries have monuments recognizing people who were important in the country’s history. U.S. citizens honor people who were deeply involved with the establishment of present-day America. Mount Rushmore is an example of this.

I’m not as interested in politics as other people. For example, when President George W. Bush addresses American citizens I don’t pay any attention. I only pay attention to politics when it comes to elections, and I pay close attention when they're responding to a disaster that has occurred. I am mainly interested in the laws that they create. I pay attention to that the most, because I need to abide by every law. I don’t want to go to jail for breaking a law that I wasn't aware of. That is why I’m going to start paying attention a little more to politics then I had before.