http://professor-lyman.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] professor-lyman.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2006-01-25 02:29 pm
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US History (Wednesday, January 25, 7th period)

Josh looked up from the paper airplanes he had absolutely not been making during his office hours when the history class began to arrive.

"Okay. On Monday we talked about the foundation of the thirteen colonies in the United States. Today I'm going to show you how the wheels started coming off of the whole 'yay, we love England' thing.

"The English colonies were different because you didn't have to be English to live there--you could be from anywhere and if you were in an English colony, and admittedly, were a white guy, you were granted the same rights and privileges as an Englishman living back in England.

"The 13 colonies in North America had a pretty decent relationship with England. But they had been colonies for 150 years, and that's important to remember. Generations had grown up in America and were developing their own culture, and wanted their voice to be heard in decision making. England? Not so interested in that.

"Things came to a boiling point when England instituted a series of taxes on the colonies to help pay off the debt for the French and Indian Wars. Without asking the colonists' opinion on the matter, or really caring that their response was, to paraphrase, 'aw, hell no.' The tax on paper--the Stamp Act, passed in 1765--pissed people off because before there was TV, the only way to get news circulated was on paper, and the colonists were huge into letter-writing, pamphlet making, and newspapers. The colonists were so enraged that the tax was repealed because the money couldn't be collected. Tarring and feathering collection agents will do that, apparently.

England retaliated with a tax on lead, glass, paper, paint and tea. The colonists retaliated by boycotting all English goods, so the Townsend Acts--as these were known as in England." He snickered. "The colonists cut to the chase and called them the Intolerable Acts--were repealed. Except for the tax on tea, which proved to be the last straw. The colonists came up with the super-spiffy chanty motto 'no taxation without representation'--something you'll see on license plates from Washington DC, which is a conversation for another time--and threw all of the tea that was supposed to be taxed into Boston Harbor."

Josh looked up. "This was called the Boston Tea Party because we have a sense of humor about things sometimes. The British, as you might imagine, didn't react with laughter. They closed Boston Harbor, clamped down on the Massachusetts government, and pretty much led directly to the battles of Lexington and Concord that started the Revolutionary War."

Josh put down his notes. "Which we will get to next week. Today I want you to answer this question: if you were trying to make people really cranky, what would you put a tax on?"

Re: Sign in (History, January 25)

[identity profile] lovelylana.livejournal.com 2006-01-25 10:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Lana Lang

Re: Sign in (History, January 25)

[identity profile] wraithbaitjohn.livejournal.com 2006-01-26 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
Shep signs in.
absolutesnark: (Default)

Re: Sign in (History, January 25)

[personal profile] absolutesnark 2006-01-25 10:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Piper signs in.

Re: Sign in (History, January 25)

[identity profile] marsheadtilt.livejournal.com 2006-01-25 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Veronica signs in

Re: Sign in (History, January 25)

[identity profile] courier-gavin.livejournal.com 2006-01-25 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Jake signs in

Re: Sign in (History, January 25)

[identity profile] sogothcally.livejournal.com 2006-01-25 11:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Cally signs in and totally never signed into the wrong class, for sewious.
mycanonhatesme: (Default)

Re: Sign in (History, January 25)

[personal profile] mycanonhatesme 2006-01-26 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
Chloe signs in.

Re: Sign in (History, January 25)

[identity profile] lovechildblair.livejournal.com 2006-01-26 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
Blair signs in

Re: Sign in (History, January 25)

[identity profile] miss-monochrome.livejournal.com 2006-01-26 05:22 am (UTC)(link)
Chiana signs in.
sooo_cute: (scarf)

Re: Sign in (History, January 25)

[personal profile] sooo_cute 2006-01-26 03:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Quinn's here, she's just late.

Re: Sign in (History, January 25)

[identity profile] iwasawesome.livejournal.com 2006-01-26 05:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Lilly signs in. omg

Re: During the lecture

[identity profile] marsheadtilt.livejournal.com 2006-01-25 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Veronica tried to pay attention, but she was still really sore. She should have probably skipped classes today and stayed in bed.
absolutesnark: (Angry)

Re: During the lecture

[personal profile] absolutesnark 2006-01-25 11:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Piper glares at Veronica.

Re: During the lecture

[identity profile] marsheadtilt.livejournal.com 2006-01-25 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Veronica gives Piper a confused look.
absolutesnark: (Default)

Re: During the lecture

[personal profile] absolutesnark 2006-01-25 11:33 pm (UTC)(link)
"Hey, Veronica," Piper says calmly, but with a note of anger. "Tell any good secrets lately?"

Re: During the lecture

[identity profile] marsheadtilt.livejournal.com 2006-01-25 11:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Veronica is completely clueless. "What?"
absolutesnark: (Angry)

Re: During the lecture

[personal profile] absolutesnark 2006-01-25 11:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Piper glared at Veronica again. "You don't remember threatening to tell Phoebe a certain secret I told you in confidence?"

Re: During the lecture

[identity profile] marsheadtilt.livejournal.com 2006-01-25 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
"Bel told you about that?"
absolutesnark: (Sad)

Re: During the lecture

[personal profile] absolutesnark 2006-01-25 11:48 pm (UTC)(link)
"I heard about it from Phoebe," Piper said, her eyes starting to fill with tears. "She had to hear about it from Logan of all people."

Re: During the lecture

[identity profile] marsheadtilt.livejournal.com 2006-01-25 11:52 pm (UTC)(link)
Veronica sat there, mouth open in shock. It took a minute, but she realized that Logan must have come to the alley in time to hear her threaten Bel.

Which also meant he heard what Bel was threatening to tell him.

"Oh god," she finally said, blinking back tears of her own. "I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen."
absolutesnark: (Sad)

Re: During the lecture

[personal profile] absolutesnark 2006-01-26 12:00 am (UTC)(link)
Piper looked away from Veronica, choosing to ignore her.

Re: During the lecture

[identity profile] wraithbaitjohn.livejournal.com 2006-01-26 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
Shep listens, but he's multi-tasking.

Damn, another one of his Sims died. At this rate he should really think about just razing the neighborhood and starting over.

Re: Discussion question

[identity profile] lovelylana.livejournal.com 2006-01-25 10:40 pm (UTC)(link)
"Coffee. And the internet."

Re: Discussion question

[identity profile] marsheadtilt.livejournal.com 2006-01-25 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Veronica chuckled.

"Taxing coffee would definitely cause trouble around here. And the internet is really, really great... for porn is a good idea too."

She's entirely too tired to think of something on her own.

Re: Discussion question

[identity profile] courier-gavin.livejournal.com 2006-01-25 11:32 pm (UTC)(link)
"That'd definitely get me up in arms," Jake noted.
mycanonhatesme: (Default)

Re: Discussion question

[personal profile] mycanonhatesme 2006-01-26 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh, but you know you'd pay the tax anyway, addict." Chloe snickered. "Not that I wouldn't too."
absolutesnark: (Concerned)

Re: Discussion question

[personal profile] absolutesnark 2006-01-25 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)
"Cellphones," Piper said quietly. It's clear she is upset and really doesn't want to talk much.

Re: Discussion question

[identity profile] sogothcally.livejournal.com 2006-01-25 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
"Breathing," Cally says with a nod.

Re: Discussion question

[identity profile] wraithbaitjohn.livejournal.com 2006-01-26 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
Shep snickers. "Toilet tax... pay as you... um... go."
mycanonhatesme: (Default)

Re: Discussion question

[personal profile] mycanonhatesme 2006-01-26 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
"Music. Like, people would have to pay a tax to listen to the radio, and all internet trading of music would be shut down so no one could get it for free."

Re: Discussion question

[identity profile] lovechildblair.livejournal.com 2006-01-26 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
emo tax! "If I were the man and wanted to tax something unfair, I'd probably tax personal rights."
sooo_cute: (Default)

Re: Discussion question

[personal profile] sooo_cute 2006-01-26 03:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"Makeup," Quinn says, because that's easy.

Re: Discussion question

[identity profile] iwasawesome.livejournal.com 2006-01-26 05:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Lilly doesn't even think. "Sex."

Re: Discussion question

[identity profile] miss-monochrome.livejournal.com 2006-01-27 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
"Sleep. And then if my imaginary country joined with Lana's... well, if that wouldn't start a war, I dunno what would."