Rhiannon Pinson

Wikipedia Trail https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Guadalupe_Hidalgo Signed February 2, 1848 property rights of Mexican citizens not honored https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_War_of_Independence:  Ended the rule of Spain in 1821  September 16 is celebrated as Mexican Independence Day https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cry_of_Dolores Cry of Delores, Catholic priest rang the bell at his church as a "call to arms", this sparked the war that led to Mexican Independence Every year, on the eve of this Independence celebration, the President of Mexico rings this same bell https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_of_Independence_of_the_Mexican_Empire Document that declared the Mexican empire was independent from the Spanish empire Three copies were made, one was destroyed in a fire in 1909, the other two are currently in museums in Mexico 

How did the reading go for you this week? What struck you the most in this week's reading? Were there ideas you struggled with?       I enjoyed reading the piece written by John Muir.  I grew up in Martinez so his house and a park he discovered and named was never far away.  I had always known how much he enjoyed traveling and discovering natural masterpieces but had yet to read any of his written work around his experiences.     Where did you do your best writing this week — in this class? In another class?  Have you discovered some good strategies for helping yourself focus on writing for this class?      The best thing to do in order to keep up in this class I believe is to get ahead.  Since the information is available early, it only makes sense not to wait until the last minute including some of the extra credit pieces that can be completed during the week.      Did you read something excellent w...

This week I planned out my assignments a little more to coincide with exams and large projects in other classes. I wanted to make sure I gave myself enough time to take advantage of available extra credit as well to help catch up on a few previous missing assignments. Despite some technical issues this week, everything is on track, all assignments completed and up to date on announcements.

     Josiah Royce wrote about the early settlements of California and the atmosphere within the built up cities. He speaks of the structure of businesses and working men within these cities. What drives them, their vices, their motivations and their downfalls. We get a glimpse into the lives of early California settlers and the San Francisco area before it became the area we know and love today.      John Muir writes more about the landscapes and the beauty of untouched nature. Lands that have been previously undiscovered like Yosemite Valley. His many journeys throughout the country undoubtedly left their mark, but the Sierras also left their mark on him. He says the Sierras should be known as the “mountains of light.” He says that every rock in Yosemite seemed to glow. His connection to nature clearly drove him to continue exploring so that he may appreciate more of the lands untouched by men.      George Sterling also seemed connected wi...

John Muir 1838-1914 naturalist and conservationist, pioneer voice for wilderness preservation 1867 made famous journey from Indiana to Florida coast "A Thousand Mile Walk to the Gulf" (1916) 1892 cofounded the Sierra Club significant influence on US environmental policy "The Mountains of California" "The Yosemite From The Mountains of California: "Then it seemed to me the Sierra should be called not Nevada, or Snowy Range, but the Range of Light" (299) "Every rock seems to glow with life"(300) "The history of the last Sierra eruption is also preserved in the traditions of the Pitt River Indians.  They tel of a fearful time of darkness, when the sky was black with ashes and smoke that threatened every living thing with death, and that when at length the sun appeared once more it was red like blood' (304) George Sterling 1869-1926 "Beyond the Breakers"  significant force in "Seacoast of Bohemia...

Reading A, Week 6 Josiah Royce 1855-1916 Received PhD from Johns Hopkins University at 23  taught at UC Berkeley 1879-1882 Among the first historians in California to examine both national and state history from 1846-1856  exposed deceit and betrayal in the founding of California controversial a he suggested the betrayal of Californians revealed cultural weaknesses and threatened future development From California: A Study of American Character "In the strict sense, we Americans have seldom been conquerors; and early California shows us our nation in this somewhat rare character (279)." "The prejudices, the enmities, and the mistakes of that unhappy time bore rich fruit in the sequel, determining to a great extent the future relations of the new comers and the natives; and these relations in their turn determined, in no small degree, both the happiness and the moral welfare of the new comers themselves (280)." real motives and methods of an under...