Blogger #3 - Ethan Cadotte - Period 9 - 9/30/21

Blogger #3
Ethan Cadotte
Period 9
9/30/2021
Sophomores 2022


AIM: Why is the “Declaration of Independence” symbolized as a valuable document for our society?


DO NOW: Pair/Share
        1) Why do you believe an individual’s rights are so important to society?

“Why exactly are individual rights important to society?” is a question that is often not asked enough. People undermine the significance of our individual rights, how it may affect us and those around us. The Declaration of Independence, signed by our founding fathers, allowed us to have these kinds of rights. These laws for our rights make sure the government does its job, as well as preventing chaos. Lets see what the class had to say about the topic.

        GROUP DISCUSSION:
        - It assures the government cannot exploit the people (Shi Lin)
        - The Declaration of Independence assures we all can maintain our rights and freedoms. (Anton Ianachi)
        - So we can have order and prevent anarchy (Shi Lin)

CLASS DISCUSSION:
    - keeps balance in society (Milana)
    - keeps government from exploiting the people (Noah Boyle)
    - it's important to have rights so people don’t feel contained (Agnes Lin)


“The Declaration of Independence” --Excerpt




Here is the excerpt we reviewed in class:



Although the Declaration of Independence gives us our rights, who were these rights initially intended for? What does the text say about our rights when the government stops doing its job right, or maybe even becomes corrupt? The class discussion signifies the student body’s understanding of their own personal rights and their awareness of what happens around them. Lets see what the class had to say about such subjects:


“All men are created equal” Who is this meant for?
        - White men, old white men. (Shi Lin)

“It is the right of the people to alter or abolish it” What does the text imply?
        - Suggesting that we rebel if things go downhill with the government (Ilaria)


CLASS DISCUSSION



Unfortunately, we had a time constraint with our class, and could not review the last slide with questions about how we could make each other more alike, which allows us to think just how impossible it would really be to make everyone equal. In this slide however, we discuss how some of the things described in the Declaration of Independence would not be possible. Such as people having equal rights/status. We discussed how we could attempt to make things more equal, especially in the disabled community, or in the economic minority. Here's what my classmates had to say:


1. 
    - They have the freedom to their own rights, and with the pursuit of happiness they get to follow what makes them happy. (Elizabeth)
    - You can do what makes you happy, but can’t impose on other people’s rights.
2. 
    - We have these rights, but some things may change that like how much money we have.
3. 
    - An example is minimum wage, but sometimes we may not make enough from minimum wage. (Lapyan)

    - Each state has its own different variations of the education system, so we might not have the same kind of education as somewhere else in the country. (Shi Lin)
4. 
    - For education, give better classes. Such as classes for life skills that everyone needs should be taught, like paying taxes. (Shi Lin)
5. 
    - If you let people have the same treatment at a hospital for something like the flu compared to a fatal situation, it might not turn out very well. (Ilaria)
    - People want to fit in to the trends of today’s society (Crystal)


Overall, some things we can pull from this lesson is the importance of having rights, and making the attempt to become a more equal and inclusive society. I personally learned how becoming entirely equal is a very big goal to overcome, and is likely not even possible. This lesson was likely taught to open our eyes to the world around us, how people are making attempts to become equal in our modern society, notably the Black Lives Matter movement. Even though equality in this specific area isn’t far-fetched, becoming totally equal, in every single aspect of our lives, would be an impossible goal. Having this knowledge on hand, I can expand how I think of certain things in relation to rights, equality, and the world around me.