Enlightenment Period

Our junior class has been learning about the early Enlightenment period of our history. This serves as the most basic foundation of our modern political system. It inspired both the American and French revolutions as well as thousands of other movements based on the idea of the individual liberty of every person. As we will soon learn, the Enlightenment period gives way to the revolutions of the late 18th century and eventually to the progressive era.
The progressive era will show you how a new class of citizens (the middle class) help inspire political change and demand equal opportunity. We will later find out how this democratic system works in the United States and see you can take part in this system through voting, participating, and a variety of other measures.

Martin Luther King Day

Last week, we celebrated Martin Luther King Day. This day celebrates the birthday of our most well known Civil Rights leader. He modeled the movement off of the peaceful demonstrations of Mohandas Ghandi. This is the greatest legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. Non-violence serves as the guide for all later movements in the United States that seek to change some aspect of our government.
It is still extremely important for us to learn about the Civil Rights Movement because it demonstrates how a group of people, committed to an idea, can change an aspect of our government. Even you, the student at Collins Career Center, can change anything about your government. It takes dedication, teamwork, and above all the peaceful measures that reflect the values of our country.