Session Five (Fall 2019)

[Dennis O'Connell]

I appreciated hearing from Prof. Yamashita during this session.  The first "take-away" from this session is that much can be gleaned about history from the diaries of all kinds of citizens.  He has published books which translate the diaries of regular people during wartime situations.  In history classes, we often get to hear the voices of the powerful and the decision makers.  It was quite powerful to hear the voices of others who were deeply affected by war.  I would like to find diaries of various time periods in history to share with my students.  As a student at their age, a teacher had me keep a daily journal.  I would like to introduce this idea to my students and use real journal entries from kids their age to give the importance of journaling some credence.  

A second impact from Prof. Yamashita's session was something he mentioned in passing.  He mentioned pre-Civil War manufacturing along the Connecticut River Valley.  Growing up along the Connecticut River, which serves as the border between New Hampshire and Vermont, I have vivid images of old textile mills in my mind.  I thought this was the only significant industry using water power in the mills.  I was surprised to find, after a Google search, that the Connecticut River Valley was a significant player in the manufacturing of two other items: clocks and munitions!  While clocks might not be of major significance for the purposes of this course, the manufacturing of arms, guns, and other tools of war certainly is of significance when thinking about the world stage and US military history.  I appreciated gaining new insights into the land of my childhood, New Hampshire!