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PELHAM HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER
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U.S. History Reflective Journal or Historical Novel Project Mrs. Bailly-Burton's Class
Lindsay 17 May 2005
My Life 1930-1959 December 31st, 1930
The past year has been a struggle for all Americans. After the great crash, this depression seems as if it will never end. Being in school during this time period does not make it any easier. I realize that a lot of things are happening in this country of mine but what exactly is happening, I am unsure of. The most I can tell you is this, I am doing chores up and down for my parents. My mother is staying home all day to take care of the house and the family. Father is trying to find a job, anywhere he possibly can. Our family needs any money they can find because no one is bringing it in. In November daddy almost got a job in a steel factory but they wouldn’t hire him because he said they didn’t like his kind. Momma said it was because of his background but I’m not quite sure why he couldn’t get a job because of it. I know my daddy is Irish but I don’t see the difference. I also heard in school that space is expanding when scientists found another planet they named Pluto. I hope to travel to space some day. It seems so exciting especially since there could be other people out there. Momma things I am crazy for thinking about it but I believe there really is another life out there. I have grown to like Ben Selvin. He sang a song called “Happy Days Are Here Again”. Momma and Daddy like it too. I also got to see Cinderella in the movie theater a few months ago and I loved it. I will update you next year!
December 31st, 1931
Well I definitely believe life is getting better. Daddy finally got a job in July at a railroad station. He said he joined a union so if his boss decided to not pay him, we would still have money. I went to New York City this year for the first time. Momma wanted me to see the Empire State Building because she said I would appreciate seeing it when it was first built because it wouldn’t look quite like this again. We also have a new song to sing after we say the Pledge of Allegiance in school. It’s called the Star Spangled Banner. It has a really catchy tune and I love singing it everyday. Teacher was also talking about space a lot lately. I am so fascinated by it. She said that Auguste Piccard flew to the Stratosphere, whatever that is. I hope to learn more about it soon. My new favorite song of the year is I Got Rythym by Red Nichols. My second runner up would have to be the Star Spangled Banner because I can’t stop singing it in school. “O, say can you see”!
December 31st, 1932
I am so glad that Daddy is making money in the railroad. Even though he had a lot of union meetings lately he was able to afford an air conditioner. It makes the summer seem a little less hot in the city. My role model for the year is Amelia Earhardt. She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. When I grow up, I hope to be just like her. Teacher said that scientists had found a way to split an atom, the smallest unit in anything with mass. Teacher also said that this could be dangerous because when they split, they cause an explosion. I wish I could have seen it. My favorite singer of all time is Fred Astaire. Fred and Leo Reisman sang the song Night and Day in New York City in August. I heard about it when I was at the butchers down the street on his radio. Fred just sounded so dreamy, I begged Momma to let me go to the butchers every week to get a chance to listen to him and since I am ten now, she agreed! Cab Calloway had a nice song to called “I Got The World On A String”. I like that song too.
December 31st, 1933
The U.S. finally has the right President in office. Franklin Roosevelt is doing a fantastic job so far and he’s only been in office for a year! He ended Prohibition in the U.S. though and now Daddy is drinking a whole lot more. He scares me some times when he drinks too much. Momma and Teacher both said that Roosevelt had the right idea of how to get the country out of the Depression with his New Deal. Daddy said he was a good man because he appointed Frances Perkins to his Cabinet and let Edwin Barday, a black man, be his head of state. I heard Roosevelt on our neighbors radio and he said that we had to worry about Germany and Hitler. He believed that he was not a good man and that he would try to torture a lot of people to get what he wanted. It turned out that he was right when Hitler created Nazi concentration camps to kill and the people who were Jewish. Momma and Daddy are all greatful that we got out of Germany and they told me that Hitler had killed out culture and heritage from Germany along with hundreds of thousands of people. President Roosevelt said he would do what he could to help out our country through this horrible time. Momma has also been burdening me with a lot of chores. She said it was because I am fully capable of handling things on my own. I have no idea why but she makes me get everything for her now. I am now admiring the works of Wiley Post who flew around the world in eight and a half days. I hope to fly in an airplane to some place amazing some day. My friends from school and I have absolutely fell in love with Duke Ellington. His song Sophisticated Lady absolutely drives me crazy. Before I die, I hope to meet him.
December 31st, 1934
The highlight of the year: MONOPOLY! I love playing that game because it is so down to earth. My friends and I have all day monopoly marathons and play for hours. Momma says I should pick up a book instead of play that silly game all day but I like it a whole lot better. I also tried the best food that had ever been created: the cheeseburger. It tastes so good I could eat twenty in one meal. My dad says we should be fortunate that we have a roof over our heads every day. He said that people in Oklahoma have to travel hundreds of miles to find a place to live because they have no money. I feel bad for them and I am glad that we don’t have that problem now like we did when Daddy didn’t have a job. I definitely like Guy Lombardo’s Winter Wonderland. I heard it this month when I was playing with my friend Cheryl down the street and these three boys walked by that I hadn’t seen before. They were so cute that we are still waiting to see them again, but I could never tell Momma what we were doing! Momma said she was going to try to find a job. I don’t know why she needs one but she believes it would be better for the family. I don’t think it would be so great because then I would have to do more chores around the house than I already have to do.
December 31st, 1935
Daddy said President Roosevelt had done it again. He said he created a system called social security that would help us out when he retired. Daddy also had to join Alcoholics Anonymous because Momma didn’t like how much he was drinking. We were listening to our “new” radio a few months ago and President Roosevelt came on and said that Hitler was up to no good. He said that he had created a whole bunch of laws, called the Nuremberg Laws that were against the Jewish people making it impossible for them to survive in Germany. Momma and Daddy were both in shock by this announcement that they would barely speak for days. When they finally did, they said they couldn’t believe what was happening in their country and how close they had come to being stuck in it and they would never want anything like that to happen to me. I have been compared about a million times in the past four months to Shirley Temple. I mean I do look a little bit like her because of my curls and I do have dimples, but that’s all. I like her song On The Good Ship Lollipop but I definitely like Fred Astaires Cheek to Cheek a whole lot better.
December 31st, 1936
I have crossed a great bridge in my life. I went to my first all girls slumber party. It was at Bethany’s house and we all had a great time. I hope I can have a slumber party next year. I also started wearing poodle skirts and Momma draws lines on the back of my legs every day to make it look like I have nylons on. Teacher showed us a picture of the Hoover Dam. He said it was so big that if we put six of our school next to each other it still wouldn’t be as long or as high as the Dam. We also started reading Carnegie’s book “How To Win Friends and Influence People”. It was a great book and I enjoyed reading it a lot. Fred Astaire has done it again with Way You Look Tonight. It is the greatest song I think he has ever sung personally. I also am growing to like Bing Crosby and his song Pennies From Heaven. I hope to see these people sometime in my life because just pictures are not telling me what its really like to see them.
December 31st, 1937
My inspiration has vanished! Amelia Earnhardt has disappeared and no one can seem to find her. I hope to think she has moved to another planet and is living in peace, learning about a new life out in the universe somewhere. I have seen pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge in California and it is huge. Momma says it is longer than Chestnut street! That must be pretty long. I think I will go to California when I travel on my first plane. I want to learn about life over there as well as in outer space. I hope to meet every type of person in the world and learn from each one of them. Cheryl, Bethany and I all learned to do the One O’ Clock Jump at Denise’s house from her sister a few months ago. I showed Momma but she just said that I shouldn’t be doing something like that in the house. Daddy believes that the world is getting itself into a predicament because Japan and China are fighting now. We all wonder if this is a sign of something else to come. December 31st, 1938
Daddy believed that after last year, the world couldn’t get any worse. Well this year he corrected himself. We watched the television in the beginning of the year and we saw a broadcast of “The War of the Worlds”. President Roosevelt said he was sorry for allowing it to have been shown but it was absolutely true. All of the things it portrayed were all happening around the world at that point in time. And since Hitler annexed Austria to make it part of his empire, it meant more people were being tortured. Teacher had told us that Hitler was doing a lot of things he shouldn’t be only to help himself. If he had thought of other people for once, then maybe the world would be a better place. Teacher also said that the “Extinct” fish was found. Pretty weird to find a fish that is suppose to be extinct. I saw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in theathers with Bethany, Fred, and Roger. It was a cute movie. I especially liked the song Whistle While You Work that the dwarfs sang in the movie.
December 31st, 1939
This year for the first time ever, President Roosevelt was broadcast on television. I was also so excited to hear that there was the first commercial flight over the Atlantic Ocean. I would love to fly to England or even France. Studying abroad would be so romantic! The helicopter was also invented and I wish that in 1970 every, person will own one so they can fly wherever they want to. Unfortunately, the war to end all wars has started. Momma says that Daddy will be leaving soon to go fight in the war. I’m not sure I want him to go to Germany because Hitler will try to hurt him and everyone else that goes there. I did see the movie The Wizard of Oz. I thought it was so amazing when it turned into a color movie! I have never seen anything like it. I love the song Somewhere Over The Rainbow sung by Judy Garland in the movie. She plays Dorothy and does a wonderful job at it. I wil l probably remember seeing this movie for the rest of my life because it was so amazing.
December 31st, 1940
This is the turn of a new decade. A time for a new world and a new way of thinking of things. And also a time of war. Daddy got sent to Germany to fight in the war earlier this year. He said he would come back for me and Momma and I hope he does. I hope Hitler doesn’t get Daddy. I know Hitler hates Jewish people and Daddy is Jewish. If Hitler found out that Jewish people were fighting on the other side, then my Daddy would be dead. I hate thinking about it but it is a possibility. Momma is very scared about Daddy being at war. She hopes to see him again before he dies. She heard about the Battle of Britain and she knew Daddy was there. After she heard of all the destruction caused, she couldn’t stop crying. On a lighter note, I have fallen in love with Glenn Miller’s music. His song When You Wish Upon A Star is the greatest. I also like In The Mood also. His music just makes me feel happy inside and forget about Daddy. I just hope he comes home soon so we can be a family again.
December 31st, 1941
As if last year couldn’t get any worse. This year the war to end all wars blazed on. First the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. It was a really horrible sight, and this wasn’t even Hitler! The Manhattan Project began. They are thinking of using the atomic bomb on Japan. I just wish the world didn’t have to think this way. There has to be another way to solve these problems without killing hundreds of thousands of people in the process. I saw the first Jeep drive down Main Street this year. It was a pretty neat looking car. I wish I had one so I could travel to a plane to fly anywhere in the world, probably to see Daddy. I did get to see Mount Rushmore in a picture on the television a few months ago. It was very pretty, if you like looking at rocks. I think it was cool how they got each of the faces to look so real. I hope I could visit it in real life to get the whole experience. Glenn Miller is still on top with String of Pearls. I also liked Artie Shaw’s Stardust. I love listening to Glenn Miller in the record shop all the time. I got a record player for my birthday and now I can listen to him all the time.
December 31st, 1942
I am so sick of this war it is driving me crazy. I miss Daddy so very much and I want him to come home. I have met the man I am going to marry next year. Michael is so the right guy for me. He knows what it’s like to live during this time as a Jew. He said his dad is also fighting in World War II and he said he was in Germany longer than we were. I’m just glad he got out when he did. We received a letter from Daddy this year saying he fought in the bloody Battle of Midway and Stalingrad but he would be home soon. I can’t wait to see him again and how much he has changed. I can’t wait until he meets Michael. I heard about a thing on the television that in California, people were holding Japanese-Americans in camps because they were thought to be spies for the Japanese in the War. I don’t believe it is right to just lock them up like that and there should be a better way. I think the government should investigate all the people they think are spies before they lock them up. It just isn’t right for them to be accused of doing something that most of them probably didn’t do. The best song of the year would have to be White Christmas by Bing Crosby. It is such a great song for the holidays, even if I am Jewish.
December 31st, 1943
Not much happened this year in terms of the war. Italy joined our side of the war and the people of Warsaw, U.S.S.R. protested the way the communists were treating people. I did find out something else though. Right after my wedding to Michael in June, my mother got a letter from the government. It said that a bomb had been dropped on my daddy’s troop and there were no survivors. Momma cried for weeks over daddy’s death. I cried for a while also but Michael helped me through it. Without him, I don’t know where my mother and I would be right now. This year Bing Crosby did it again with Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin’. It’s a great happy song for a very unhappy time. I just hope things get a lot better than they are right now because I don’t know how much more Momma and I can take of this.
December 31st, 1944
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, it does, again. This year it was all about D-Day. The lowest point for all people of the Jewish faith. I just can’t believe that anyone would want to hurt one certain group of people so much. Unfortunately, there is not much we can do now about all of the people killed that day. Germany also used the first V1 and V2 rockets against the Allied forces. Hitler was also almost assassinated. I wish he was killed because he deserves every ounce of pain he would have received. Another good Bing Crosby song came out this year. His smash hit Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral has such a catchy tune that I can’t stop singing it. Judy Garland also sang the Trolley Song. I like that one a lot also and I know Daddy would have loved it also. I miss him so much and I know Momma does every day.
December 31st, 1945
This year was full of a lot of technological and wartime advances. On one note, the great president Franklin Roosevelt died this year. He will always be remembered of this time as a great president to get us out of a Depression and look out for the United States in no way any other President has. The Germans had surrendered this year, ending Hitler’s reign over German and helping millions of Jews live freely in Germany now. Shortly after, Hitler committed suicide. Good riddance! The United States did drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki creating a U.S. war against Japan. The United Nations was founded this year to help solve little conflicts between countries that shouldn’t end up in war. On a technological note, the first computer was created. It is very large but it performs a purpose that most people couldn’t begin to solve on their own. Another invention, the microwave oven, proved to create the boom of housewives with their kitchen appliances. My favorite song of the year would have to be Les Brown’s Sentimental Journey. It has such a great tune and I absolutely love what the song is saying.
December 31st, 1946
I am so glad the war in Germany is over. I know Daddy would be proud to see his country back to normal after all of the trouble. At the Nuremberg Trials, all of the laws Hitler created against the Jews were unlawful and thrown out the window. Winston Churchill, the prime minister of England, gave his Iron Curtain speech that stated that the world is split between governments and what each person believes is right. I got to buy my first ever bikini bathing suit. Momma said that bikinis were unnecessary and showed way too much of a girl than their own mother needed to see, never mind the rest of the world. I have found two new singers for the decade that are absolutely the bees-knees! Frank Sinatra has the dreamiest voice I have ever heard and I love his song Oh! What It Seemed To Be. I also loved Nat King Cole’s song (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons. Both singers remind me of Daddy when he would sing to me on the holidays. I will hold on to that memory forever.
December 31st, 1947
This year is a year I will treasure the most. I had my first child, Emily Ann. She reminds me so much of Michael and my father. I will always be reminded of him when I look at her. Michael is working in a metal factory that makes the steel plates for tanks used during the war. This year was also about scientific discoveries. Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier this year and now I have become interested in the power of motion. Scientists have also found the dead sea scrolls in the Dead Sea. I wonder what else is down there. The Polaroid camera was also invented. I hope to take a whole bunch of pictures of my Emily as soon as I get a camera so I can remember her like I wish I could remember my father. I wish I had pictures of him to remember what he looked like. My favorite song of the year was Buddy Clark’s Peg O My Heart. I also like the song Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah is also a great song. It has such a great tune even if it is repetitive.
December 31st, 1948
I finally got pictures taken of Emily, Michael and I. I will hold on to this picture forever. I even gave one to Momma and I know she enjoyed it. This year during the war, the U.S. helped the citizens of Berlin get the supplies they needed because the Soviets were blocking the routes to get the supplies into the Jewish part of Berlin. In South Africa, the policy of Apartheid began. The Apartheid was the thought that blacks and whites should be separated and labeled. I don’t believe that anyone should be labeled and grouped by their race or religion. I think that people are individuals and shouldn’t be grouped by anything. Teacher once told me that no two people are exactly alike. I hope the rest of the world will realize that before it’s too late. My favorite song this year would have to be Buttons and Bows by Dinah Shore. She is so pretty. I wish I could be as pretty as she was.
December 31st, 1949
This year it seems as if the war has gotten even worse. We found out in the beginning of the year that China had become a Communist country and that the Soviets had the atomic bomb. If only these countries could realize that they are not doing themselves any favors by threatening to bomb the whole world. In a response to that, the president created NATO to create a league of nations that can consult with each other and to protect them from other countries that had been attacked by communist countries. This year, people had flown on the first flight around the world. I hope to get on that plane some day and travel over every major city in the world and view them from a bird’s eye view. I read a great book this year called Nineteen Eighty-four by George Orwell. It was about what life would be like in 1984 if the world continued on the path that it was on. I just hope none of that stuff really happens. I absolutely love the song That Lucky Old Sun by Frankie Laine. This song has to be the greatest ever written, until I find another.
December 31st, 1950
As one war ends another begins. I am so glad that World War II is over but another one right after it! This is getting out of hand. Now we are fighting in the Korean War. Our new president, President Truman, believes that he can end more of the communist fight if he ends it in Korea. President Truman also ordered the construction of the Hydrogen bomb which is much more destructive than the atomic bomb. There were also a great deal of first’s this year. We have the first modern credit card, the first organ transplant, and the first Peanuts comic strip. I love Charlie Brown. He is such a lovable character. I love Nat King Cole’s song Mona Lisa. His voice is so smooth that it makes every song so soothing. Just wait until he comes up with a song that will be a greatest hit for more than one year and he becomes the greatest entertainer in the United States.
December 31st, 1951
World War II has officially ended this year! President Truman signed a peace treaty with Japan ending the war! I have been waiting years for this event that I can barely grasp the thought that it is actually over. I hope I never have to deal with another war again for a while because I love the feeling of having not to worry about how many people died today on the other side of the world. In South Africa they have taken a new step for the Apartheid. Now blacks are required to carry a card that identifies their race. I wish that people could accept their differences and just get on with life. Just forget that people are different because no two people are alike. I should run for a political office and tell them about my ideas but who would elect a woman. That’s another thing that needs to be changed. Women are just as capable as men so you just wait until we revolt to get full control over you. I have seen something that I never thought possible. There is a new invention that has been created call the color television. It is a regular television but all of the programs are in color. I can’t help but think what will they think of next? The best song of the year would be Mockingbird Hill sung by Patti Page. She made this into such a beautiful song that I absolutely fell in love with it the first time I heard it.
December 31st, 1952
Not much has happened this year. Jonas Salk created a polio vaccine this year to cure the disease so we do not end up with another President Roosevelt case. Everyone would drive up to the clinics and they would all get the shots right in the car. Car seat belts were also invented to secure the passenger in case of an accident. Each of these inventions is life altering, saving lives everyday from an unnecessary death. Nat King Cole has done it again with the song Unforgettable. That just might be the song to make Nat King Cole a legend. Another song I liked this year was Rosemary Clooney’s Blues In The Night.
December 31st, 1953
I think this year finally ended the great empire of communism. Joseph Stalin died this year ending many years of misery that he caused to those in years he was in power. Now all of the people of the U.S.S.R. can look forward to a future of prosperity. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were also executed for Espionage in the U.S. They were found to be spying on the government for Germany and the U.S.S.R. Now that they are gone, they set the example for all of those who want to spy on our nation in the future. On a scientific note, DNA was discovered. It is the tiny bits of the cells in your body that tell your cells what operation to perform and what color eyes, hair, and any other specific traits you have when you are born and will have for the rest of your life. Patti Page has done it again this year. Her song The Doggie In The Window is a favorite of all children, even Emily. Dean Martin is also big with That’s Amore. That song is so dreamy I can’t even stand it.
December 31st, 1954
This year is the beginning of the end! Segregation is now illegal in the U.S.! So many African Americans are happy now because of it. I think they can’t believe it because they never thought there would be and end to discrimination. Scientists report that smoking cigarettes causes cancer. We also launched the first atomic submarine. I am not particularly happy about that because I believe that anything atomic should not be used in any form and if we have it, we are more likely to use it. Personally, I don’t want to die in a nuclear attack. I would rather die of old age. A new group called Bill Haley and the Comets came out with a catchy tune called Shake Rattle and Roll. There is also this new rising star, Frank Sinatra. His song Young At Heart is said to be the beginning of something huge. I can’t wait to see what this cool, hip singer can do. December 31st, 1955
There is more advancement in the segregation problem in the U.S. A woman named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to go back to the part where the blacks are suppose to sit. I admire her courage to stand up for what she believed in but the rules were laid down in black and white. She should have just accepted it but I do understand the message that she should be able to sit wherever she wants. The Warsaw pact was signed that officially stated the U.S.S.R. was out of the war and will end the communist government in that country. The end to communism is near, I can feel it. There is a new place called Disneyland in California that was built by Walt Disney. It is a great theme park that is full of family fun. Michael promised Emily and I that we would go there next year to see all of the excitement. There is also a new burger stand down the street called McDonalds. It is a great place and it is part of a chain so you can find them all over the world. This corporation is said to strike a match under society and grow to be the largest corporation in America some day. Bill Haley and the Comets did it again. I love their new song Rock Around The Clock. It is so catchy that I can’t stop singing it. Frank Sinatra is also back with his song Love and Marriage. I think Frank Sinatra is better than Billy Haley and the Comets actually. I hope Frank gets the top spot next year.
December 31st, 1956
I was watching television one day this year and I saw an ad for a TV remote. It automatically changes the station with the push of a button and you don’t even have to get up out of your chair. Velcro was also introduced this year. It holds your clothes together without having to button anything. It also works for anything on cloth, silk, and linen. This year there has been a breakthrough in the music world. This new entertainer called Elvis Presley. He is said to be the King of rock and roll. His songs have the two top spots on the Billboard charts this year. His two songs Love Me Tender and Hound Dog both rose in popularity with help from millions of teenage girls. I like his music but I think he flaunts his sexuality around too much while he is on stage. It just doesn’t seem proper to be like that in public.
December 31st, 1957
This year well actually went to Disneyland and had a great time. Emily especially loved it because it was a child’s dream come true. Emily also loves the book The Cat In The Hat by Dr. Seuss. She loves how they rhyme the words together and make the story flow. She almost has the whole book memorized by heart. I know she is determined to get it. The Soviets launched Sputnik, the first satellite, into space. President Eisenhower was particularly scared because this meant the Soviets were ahead of us in the space race. So scared in fact, that he ordered millions of dollars into education to get children interested into space and science. Elvis is still loved by all and his song Jailhouse Rock went all the way to number one this year. Fats Domino also had a great song called Blueberry Hill. I like the tune of that song because you can sing it anywhere and when you can’t stop singing it, you are definitely in trouble.
December 31st, 1958
This year is the year I have been waiting for almost my whole life. The government created NASA, a government funded operation that allows scientific advances in space technology and rocketry. I want to be a part of NASA so very badly. I hope to get into that rocket ship some day and fly to the moon. I think it would be a great experience to look down on the world and see how small it looks on other planets. Maybe I’ll even get to go to Mars or Venus. My daughter Emily is in heaven because there are so many toys coming out for children to play with. Emily has her hula hoop and Lego bricks. She loves her hula hoop so much that I see her with it almost everyday. She can keep it up for officially two minutes before she drops it. She was so proud of herself that she accomplished her goal that she wouldn’t stop bragging about it for weeks. I tried it and it is not as easy as it looks. This year I found a great song by Chuck Berry called Johnnie B. Goode. It is a great song and Michael and I listen to it on our radio all the time. You could kind of say it is our song or something because we listen to it all the time.
December 31st, 1959
Well, this is my last page of this diary. I hope I can fit everything in that happened this year. Michael and I saw the Sound Of Music on Broadway this year. It was the last night out we had together. Michael went to work Thursday September 17th and he was coming home and got caught in the crossfire of someone trying to kill someone else. I have no idea why one would kill another but all I know is that my husband didn’t do anything. I realize that it was just an accident but I really hope his killer is executed for what he did. His hearing was last week and he was found guilty of killing my husband and I really hope he gets everything he deserves. Next time I see that guy he better be in a coffin being buried. Antarctica was made into a Scientific Preserve so that only scientists can go there to conduct tests as to what is living there and how they live there. One would say that Antarctica is a whole other world compared to the U.S. I absolutely love Bobby Parin’s song Mack The Knife. I hope he has another hit next year because he makes great songs. Works Cited 1930-1959 Greatest Hits. http://www.popculturemadness.com/Music/Top55-Plus/1930-1959.html Leverone, Fred and Elaine.Person-to-Person interview.15 May 2005. Stanton, Melissa, ed. LIFE Sixty Years: A 60th Anniversary Celebration 1936-1996. New York: Bulfinch Press, 1996. “Timeline of the Twentieth Century: 1930-1939.” 15 May 2005 <http://history1900s.about.com/library/time/bltime1930.htm> “Timeline of the Twentieth Century: 1940-1949.” 15 May 2005 <http://history1900s.about.com/library/time/bltime1940.htm> “Timeline of the Twentieth Century: 1950-1959.” 15 May 2005 <http://history1900s.about.com/library/time/bltime1950.htm>
Lindsay Foreman Ms. Bailly-Burton U.S. History Author’s Note 17 May 2005
Author’s Note to The Readers
Writing a reflective journal on this time period made me realize how much life has changed within fifty years. So many things we take for granted in this day and age were only a dream to people living in the 1930’s. I enjoyed this project and learning about a different lifestyle and, to me, a whole different culture. I would have liked to actually go back to this time period to really learn how the whole world felt. Life was also simpler back then without a lot to worry about. Knowing how these people lived during this time period helps me appreciate my own elders in my community. Realizing that life was not as easy back then makes me stop and think of how much knowledge they contain. Every person who was alive fifty to seventy years ago all went through the worst of American history and live to tell about it. I have learned a lot of factors that contribute to life today. Knowing when the computer was the first detail that stuck out to me because without it, this project would literally become impossible. Having every piece of information at our fingertips makes life back them seem almost prehistoric. While working on this project I have acquired skills that will help me with research for the future and it also taught me how to think for myself. Without this project I don’t think I would be able to appreciate a lot of the things I take for granted today. It also puts a piece of my past into perspective for me to have with me for the rest of my life. The past is always there, along with the future. But having the power to change the future is an educational tool anyone can learn through study and hard work.
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Elizabeth
Strauss, Media Generalist
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