Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Crucible Response

Overall, The Crucible explains what mass hysteria can do to a society and how one lie can lead to a disastrous situation. If it wasn't for the idea that a single lie can convict someone of witchcraft, the trials would never have kept on going. Every lie and conspiracy in the play spreads the rumors and keeps the   trials alive. But all of these lies are based on how selfish and how much the people who tell them care about their reputations. Their acts of malice and self-fulfillment are shown through their accusations of witchery and devil worship which allow them to further their own ambitions. The first example of this was shown when Abigail, the leader of the conspiracies, started the accusations to keep her reputation after getting caught dancing in the woods. She made herself look like the victim to protect herself. Another example of this was shown in Proctor who was a prideful, cruel, and greedy man. These characteristics led him to accuse an innocent elderly man of witchcraft simply so he could gain his land. The judges, being as stubborn and oblivious as they were, didn't realize that this was a complete lie. John also showed that he had a lot of pride and integrity in himself and his name when decided not to sign his name over to the lie of being a witch. Instead, he gave up his life to protect his “soul” and his “name”. Through these and multiple other examples, the trials proved to be a way for the rich and self-centered townspeople to fulfill their own endeavors at the stake of the truly innocent.

273

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Outline

Thesis: The renewal of old plank roads and the addition of railroads, along with the annexation of the town and the expansion of streetcar lines through it, increased the population of Jefferson Park by making it more accessible and attractive which shaped its ethnic tapestry.

Main Idea 1. When former Indian trails were turned into plank roads, they made the village more attractive, therefore bringing in many farmers of English and Luxembourg descent.

  • The Milwaukee and Elston Plank Roads gave farmers a link to the markets in the city of Chicago.
  • Farmers traveling to and from the city often stopped to water their horses, pick up supplies, or rest in the area.
  • Rain, snow, and ice made the Indian trails almost impassible to pass through, so the new planks made it easier for farmers to transport their produce.
Main Idea 2. The annexation of Jefferson helped it become more active and prosperous.
  • By becoming part of Chicago, the city improved the level of Jefferson Park's local infrastructure by paving its main roads.
  • The town now received financial support, aid in maintaining utilities and transportation routes, and help from the City's planning units.
  • The community now had money to build bungalows which many Poles moved in to. 
Main Idea 3. The Milwaukee Ave. streetcar line extension into the community brought in many European immigrants.
  • The extension of the Milwaukee streetcar line to Jefferson Park improved access to the city and brought in immigrants searching for jobs.
  • Population, commerce, and industry grew in the area.
  • The streetcar line provided the only way to the town when the trains weren't operating.
Conclusion: Improvement in the transportation within Jefferson Park made it an attractive suburb until Chicago decided to annex it, bringing in even more improvements to the community.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Act 3 Response


Act 3 also continues to describe the little intelligence most of the community has. The court no longer wants evidence because it has already decided that witchcraft exists in Salem. Courts are supposed to rely on evidence, not on how others have made the accused look by forcing false confessions out of them or by having them blame others. The judges are too oblivious to understand this common knowledge. Because their society is built on social order, and any deviation implies that you’re against that order, people are judged on how they seem instead of who they really are. This shows how important reputation is in Salem because all the attacks on the accused are to their reputations. Today, politics work the same way. We are seeing many commercials on TV at the moment because of the elections coming up. But no matter whom the commercial is about, or what position in congress the person is running for, every commercial has one thing in common: one candidate making the other look bad. By ruining their opponent’s reputation, the candidate is able to influence the less politically educated voters and win the election because the other candidate’s reputation is so badly damaged it can’t be fixed. The only way to gain back their respect is the same way as Proctor did. He had to sacrifice his reputation to prove that Abigail was lying and regained his integrity. This proves that their court is as corrupt as politics, and just like in the Crucible, no one is interested in the actual evidence or logic anymore.

Word count: 263

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Act 2 Response

Act 2 elaborates on the idea of just how much the people of Salem are self centered, dumb, and uneducated. They are being pushed around by a gang of teenage girls led by Abigail. This is exactly the same idea as in the movie Mean Girls. The clique in the movie destroys the lives of any person in their way that can be a potential threat. Abigail and her group are also capable of destroying the lives of fellow townspeople with a single accusation against them or their loved ones. In the Puritan community, young people, especially women, aren't very respected and don't have much authority. Abigail has seemed to defy this and has become so powerful, not even the elite in the community are safe from her. She is the most intelligent person in the community at the moment and has realized that she, being the accuser, is automatically innocent. But more of the citizens are catching on to this and are realizing that the whole trial is becoming a way to expose sins. They are only thinking about saving themselves and are accusing each other to prove their own innocence. If the people of Salem don't start thinking about others than themselves and keep allowing Abigail to bully them around, I think there will be as tragic of an ending to this story as there was in Mean Girls.

Word Count: 231

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Notecards

1. Jefferson Park, nicknamed the "Gateway to Chicago", has always been an important transportation hub to the northwest side of Chicago. Native Americans first settled here and created trails for traders and hunters. Eventually, one of those traders, John Kinzie Clark, built his cabin here in the early 1830s. Once a fair amount of settlers decided to reside in Jefferson, a school and hotel were built. The majority of those settlers, being farmers, realized the need for an easier way than mud-filled Indian trails to transfer their goods to the Chicago markets. In 1849, this became a reality when two plank roads, the North West Plank Road  and the Lower Road, were  built. (1)

2. The "Cradle of the Northwest Side" started out as an area of scattered truck farms. The town was platted around Elijah Wentworth's tavern at Sand Ridge, as the place was known when he settled there in 1855.  The village originally served as a small "marketing town" for the farmers of Jefferson Township. The Plank Roads leading into the village brought in many horsemen and stagecoach travelers who turned the area into a popular resting place. When the Chicago and North Western railway built a station here, however, Jefferson Park village rapidly changed from a local marketing center to "a very attractive suburb" of Chicago. (1)

3.  But it was the annexation of the town, along with many others, that gave birth to the vast northwest side we have today. Soon after this, Jefferson Park quickly developed as a residential neighborhood. Coincidentally, the first inhabitants of Polish, Bohemian, and Scandinavian descent emigrated to the village. These groups would later dominate the population of the community. In the years between 1920 and 1930, however, Jefferson Park experienced its greatest growth. The 1920 census had recorded a population of 5,825, whereas the population had gone up to 20, 532 in 1930. (1)

4. Jefferson Park started out as a rest stop for farmers traveling to the city in 1855. At that point of time, the town consisted of 50 buildings. Soon enough, when the Chicago, St. Paul, and Fond du LacRailroad laid tracks and built a depot near the town's center, the population grew. The town of Jefferson was incorporated in 1872 and annexed by Chicago in 1889. In 1884, 500 people were living in Jefferson Township, most incoming residents Polish and German immigrants. About this time the area became known as Jefferson Park. (2)


5. Street railways were extended on on Lawrence, Milwaukee, and Elston Avenues in Jefferson Park in 1900 and the population grew again. This new form of transportation brought an in-pouring of laborers, tradesmen, and artisans of Polish, German, Russian, Italian, Czech, and Slovakian decent. This brought ethnic diversity into the area. In 1990 nearly half of the 23,649 population was of Polish descent. (3)


6. After John Kinzie Clark and Elijah Wentworth decided to reside in the area and opened a tavern and hotel, traders, farmers, and hunters started settling in Jefferson. These settlers built the first frame houses in the area and pushed the town to build its first schools, Town Hall, and general stores. During the 1860's, the population of Jefferson grew to about 800 persons and around this time, Jefferson Park started to become known as the “Gateway to Chicago” because residents would truck their goods to Chicago through its main road, and vice versa. (4)


7. By the time it was annexed, Jefferson had become active and prosperous. The Jefferson settlement was linked to the city of Chicago by the Milwaukee and Elston Plank Roads, both of which had been in operation since the 1850’s. Both toll roads were owned by Amos Snell, and they operated until the annexation.  At that time, citizens destroyed the tollgates by fire in protest of having to pay the tolls and indignation over the extreme increase in traffic.  Not long after that, Amos Snell was murdered in a mystery that has never been solved. As Jefferson Park was now part of Chicago, new methods of transportation and ease of travel were soon to arrive.  Street car tracks were laid on Lawrence Avenue in 1909, and in 1911 the tracks on Elston were extended all the way to Lawrence Avenue. "These transportation opportunities helped attract new residents to the area.  During this period, many first and second generation immigrants from Poland, Germany, Russia, Czechoslovakia, Italy, and Sweden settled here. " (4)


8. "Old-timers in Jefferson Park love to tell the story of how the spirited farmers who helped settle the area liberated it from the oppressive tollgates along Milwaukee Avenue nearly a century ago." Amos Snell, a private tollgate keeper, was growing rich because farmers depended on the plank road along Milwaukee Avenue to get their crops to market in Chicago. He collected an average of $400 a day at his gates. The Northwestern Plank Road, built in the 1840s along what is now Milwaukee Avenue, lured lots of new residents to Jefferson Park. (6)


9. The extended service of the Chicago & North Western railroads also brought in many new residents searching for jobs, but also brought many merchants creating a "business hub for the township." Residents incorporated the village of Jefferson, population 800, in 1872. Jefferson became a market center for the township and an attractive suburb with many successful truck farms. In an interview from a local business owner, Jefferson Park was described as "a melting pot for first and second generation Poles, Germans, Russians, Italians, and Czechoslovakians." Each ethnic group brought Jefferson a taste of its own culture. These immigrants helped develop the neighborhood by building churches and shops that brought a piece of their country to their new homes.(6)


10. The history of Jefferson Park began in 1830 when John Kinzie Clark, the first non-native settler of the area, arrived and resided near what  is now Jefferson Station. He started the movement into this small village which was soon turned into a bustling farm town. Soon enough he was joined by Elijah Wentworth who built the first log hotel and tavern on site. In 1850, Illinois formed the village of Jefferson. Five years later, the village had over 50 buildings and it kept on growing. By the 1860s, Jefferson had a population of 800. The town of Jefferson was incorporated in 1872 and by the 1880s, it was a center for merchants, trade, and home to many local businesses. In 1889, Jefferson was annexed by Chicago. (7)

11. Milwaukee Avenue was a very early plank road referred to as the Northwest Plank Road. Once a smooth road used to transfer goods on by horse, the road eventually wore down and became almost uncrossable due to the weight of the constant loads and its endless exposure to the weather. The routes were  eventually completely neglected and taken over by the country in 1865. Beyond the city limits, these routes were toll roads used by farmers to bring their produce into the city. After years of disuse, city and nearby suburb routes were re-discovered. Around 1880, a local businessman named Amos Snell came upon an unused portion of the Northwest Plank road that ran immediately parallel to the railroads. Snell bought the routes from the County for $20,000 after realizing how much many he could make off of them. By placing tolls along the way of the road, he made enough money to tare out the planks and resurface the routes with gravel. With the increasing amount of travelers on the toll road came an increasing number of additional tolls Snell added. Travelers were forced to pay Snell's tolls because they didn't have any other way of getting to the city or from it to bring their products to Jefferson. “Snell Toll Road.” Snell became a hated multimillionaire and was shot and killed on February 9, 1888. His murder was never solved. After riots, the court made these free roads which brought in many new settlers. (7)


12.
Jefferson Park has always been an important transportation hub for those headed into or out of Chicago. This, along with the fact that the area has been a common entry point for new immigrants for over 100 years, has helped the neighborhood gain its reputation as being the "Gateway to Chicago." The earliest settlers came in the 1930s and were farmers. They used former Indian trails to travel to the city and sell their produce. Once the county realized how desperately the village was in need of actual travel routes, they turned these trails into plank roads. These roads became so popular that "farmers traveling to and from the city often stopped to water their horses, pick up supplies, or rest" in the area, which was then called Jefferson Township. The extension of railroads into the area in the late 1800s increased the population, and by "1900, a web of street railway lines extended on Lawrence, Milwaukee, and Elston Avenues." With these new means of transportation came an influx of immigrants, the majority of them from Poland, Germany and other Eastern European countries. (8)

13. Throughout its history, Jefferson has always been a "transportation nucleus". This gave it the nicknames “Gateway to Chicago” and “Garden Gateway". Miami, Sauk, Fox and Potawatomi Indians created trails through the area that is now Jefferson Park, and these allowed early English settlers to travel through the area and trade their goods. John Clark came in the 1830s and built a cabin, who was followed by his friend Elijah Wentworth who built a log house and inn and tavern. Abram Gale built the 1st frame house in the devoloping area. In 1855, the town of Jefferson had 50 buildings and was plotted along Milwaukee Avenue and Higgins Road. The Chicago, St. Paul, and Fond du Lac Railroad brought German and Polish settlers seeking jobs. The town was incorporated in 1872, and annexed by Chicago in 1889. In the 1900s, street railway lines replaced the Plank Roads and brought Russian, Italian, Czech and Slovakian artisans,laborers,  and tradesmen. (10)


14. Jefferson Township was incorporated in 1850. By this time, its 2 Native American trails were planked, becoming the Upper and Lower Northwest Plank roads. These routes were largely traveled by truck farmers who used it as a via to sell their goods at the Randolph Street Market. Once Jefferson Township was annexed to the city in 1889, the city improved the level of local infrastructure by paving its main roads. The extension of the Milwaukee streetcar line to Jefferson Park improved access to the city and brought in immigrants searching for jobs. (9)


15. In a report on Jefferson Park's residents in 1930, the Chicago Recreation Commissioner said almost 30% were foreign born and 50 percent the children of foreign born residents. The Polish and German vied for the title of leading nationality. Jefferson Park was said to have been a trading post before Chicago was incorporated, but it wasn't until 30 years later that the area. got its first permanent residents. These scattered English truck farmers soon settled into a village along the main route of transportation, the old Milwaukee plank road. This allowed farmers to travel through what was a region of mud flats, to the great city of Chicago. The only reasonable, (by cost) form of transportation at the time was this North Western R.R. Although 2 "highways" in much better condition did run through the community, they charged excessive tolls. Farmers eventually rebelled and burnt down these tollgates and killed their owner. Jefferson Township had a population of 2,000 by 1900. But when streetcars were run over the area, its growth stimulated, bringing in a  population of laborers, artisans, and small traders. (11)

16. John Kinzie Clark staked a claim up the North Branch of the river where he built a two-story cabin. Many friends came to visit him via the Indian trail and it was said that much carousing took place there. In 1830, he permanently moved there which was a risky decision because the woods were filled with hostile Indians. Although John got along well with the Indians, few others dared to enter the area while the Indian tribes were still there. At this time the township was still unnamed and known only by its map coordinates. In 1833, the U.S. defeated chief Blackhawk in the Battle of Bad Axe, leading to the removing of all the Indians in the area. Once they were gone, settlers weren't afraid of entering the claims anymore. Soon enough, Dan Elston joined Clark and dug a quarry off a lower road. Two former Indian trails became the main roads into what is now Jefferson Park and were called the "Upper Road" (now Milwaukee Ave.) and the "Lower Road" which was renamed Elston's Road since he maintained it and was its primary user. Two years later, Elijah Wentworth arrived in the village and built a two-story inn which became the famous Jefferson Hotel. He then began to purchase all the property in Jefferson Village and surrounding areas that had not already been claimed by settlers. At this time a new and accurate survey of the township was made by the government and the sale of land began. Those who had already claimed land by settling on it now had to buy it from the government. There was a rush of new settlers into the still unnamed Township, and Jefferson Village was on its way. (5)

17. After the town started developing a sense of community, the villagers felt the need to beautify their town by repairing the "Upper" and "Lower" roads that were made of mud and  in deplorable shape. Ditches were dug on both sides of the roads but were of little help because drivers were forced to swerve from the many ditches along the way and the roads were completely impassible in the winter. These mud road conditions became so unbearable that in 1848, some of the northern suburbs petitioned the State to pave the roads. Paving in this era consisted of covering the roads with planks and this was done very quickly. The new road was long enough for two lanes and passing room which was a great improvement allowing many new people to reside in the village. Another door from Chicago was opened when the Chicago, St. Paul, and  Fond Du Lac Railway laid track from Chicago to Gary, Illinois, stopping in Jefferson. This paved the way for an influx of citizens and trade into the north and northwest suburbs. The population of the township grew, but then would fall as other communities part of Jefferson broke off to form their own entities. The population grew again in 1880 when the Milwaukee Ave. streetcar line was extended to Armitage Ave. ;people would walk to Armitage ave. to get a horse-drawn streetcar to take them downtown. The Milwaukee Road agree to stop in Jefferson if the citizens would build a station and they did so promptly seeing the benefits it would bring them. In 1889, the thriving community of Jefferson Township was annexed to the city of Chicago. Through this, it received financial support, aid in maintaining utilities and transportation routes, paving, and help from the City's planning units- all which were advantages without which the community would have been hard to survive. In all, it resulted in vast gains in work and employment.(5)

18.  At this time, most of the communities had their names modified. The change from Jefferson to Jefferson Park was hardly a difficult one, and gave appeal to prospective residents. Most of these residents worked at Jefferson Park's boasted steel mill that provided considerable employment during the time it operated from 1901 through the early years of the Great Depression. During the 1930s, the city, concerned about tragic accidents occurring at the intersection of two of the streetcar lines whose tracks ran crooked, forced store and building owners to align the front of their buildings with the sidewalk. Again, the streetcar line service on Milwaukee was extended. This along with the fixing of railroads proved significant in the growth of population, commerce, and industry in the area. Workers on the farms on the outskirts of the Jefferson community now began to move their families into the area, increasing the merchants' business. Living in the Jefferson area also made it easier for the workers to reach their pickup and dropoff points at the at the end of the streetcar lines. Other citizens looking for business opportunities and downtown workers seeking residence also helped increase population to about 1900 people in in the early years after the turn of the century. In spite of the mild recession, industry and business in the Jefferson area flourished, and Poles, Czechs, and Germans moved in as laborers. (5)

19. Jefferson Park in 1893 was said to be a a mud-flat profitable only for farming and the Northwestern railroad offered the only regular transportation  for the small amount of people residing in the area. The Milwaukee Ave. streetcar line was to no help since it terminated before it reached Jefferson, and Milwaukee itself was a plank road with planks covering its muddy walks. But the growth and development of Elston Ave. from an Indian trail to a city street "had marked the expansion of one of the greatest citites of modern times" according to a pioneer resident of the time. Although farmers at the time felt the tolls on private roads were far too high, they didn't complain because they were glad to at least get a road. These plank roads sprang up all around Chicago at the time and continued to operate with great success and to the enrichment of their owners, the principal owner being Amos Snell, until sometime in the year 1889 when the township of Jefferson was annexed to the city of Chicago. The terrifying increase in traffic from all directions caused indignation meetings to be held by the farmers who finally couldn't take it anymore. Staging a modern rendition of the Boston Tea Party, they dressed as Indians and swept down upon the Milwaukee and Elston Plank Roads chopping them up and setting fire to them as a token of their independence from further paying of a toll to for the right to travel on these great highways. (12)

20. Jefferson was the center of of things during this time, a border community of its own and not too citified, though citizens felt quite close to the big city and on the opposite hand, near to the countryside. Dr. Fonda, one of the first doctors in the town, also became the first alderman to represent the 27th Ward when Jefferson was annexed to Chicago in 1889. The Ward at the time was the largest in the world. At this time, very few families were needy, but those who were were taken care of by the Jefferson Park Ladies Aid. Jefferson was first settled in 1830 and was then a township. (13)

21. In 1872, a total of 82 votes were cast in an election to determine whether the town should maintain its township organization or be reorganized as a village. Of the votes cast, 72 were in favor of the village organization, and so it was. It was annexed to Chicago in 1889. In 1830, the first white settler, John Clark, came to Jefferson. With a few personal effects and a team of horses, he left Chicago and came to Jefferson where he built a two room log cabin. The next settler to come soon after Clark was Elijah Wentworth who took up a claim near what is now the Jefferson Park Station of the Northwestern Railroad. There he built a hotel and opened a tavern. A little later came Abram Gale for whom Gale St. is named. He built the first frame house in Jefferson. It was 18x34 feet and cost what was the huge sum of $75 at the time. (13)

22. The early days of the bustling community centered around Milwaukee and Lawrence Ave. Simone Cripe, a pioneer resident, described the town as a large mud-flat. He built half of Jefferson Park, what there was of it up to the war, including many of the stores along the main business street. "Jefferson Park was a mudhole when we moved out here in 1893", Cripe recalled. "There was no gas, no sewers nor electric lights. There was only one telephone, in Bill Townsen's Saloon." The Townsen Corner was the center for all things then because it had a grocery, a saloon, and a feed store. He was forced to walk home from Belmont Ave. where the Milwaukee Avenue streetcar stopped because when you missed a train, that was the only way home. (15)

23. The necessity for the construction of the old toll roads is shown from an article by Irving Bull in his book "The Township of Jefferson". He says, "Every settler suited himself as he drove over the prairie to avoid swamps, sloughs, holes, or ruts." Elston Ave. in its early days was known as Elstom Road, named after Daniel Elston who lived along the old Indian trails. He arrived in 1832 and pre-empted 160 acres of land. (16)

24. Long before the white man came, the district now known as Jefferson Park was well known to the Indians. Trail and paths beaten by their feet in hunting and warfare were destined later to become the busy thoroughfares which are now Milwaukee, Higgins, and Lawrence Avenues. Next came the pioneers, hunters, and traders down these trails. Rain, snow, and ice often made them almost impassible. At times, a rider and his horse would be almost engulfed in black ooze. When Elijah Wentworth joined John Clark in Jefferson, he built a hotel and opened up a tavern. Traders, hunters, home seekers, and  farmers passed by, some of them deciding to join the tiny settlement. All built one or two room log cabins, and with their families, made home for themselves in this wilderness. The first step to better this pioneer community was obviously to make some improvement in the roads. Plank roads were springing up all over the country. In fact, some historians have called it the "Era of Plank Roads." Thus the Milwaukee Plank Road came into existence. This "improvement", to the men and women of those days, was nothing short of revolutionary. However, the subsequent decline of plank roads was almost as rapid as their rise. Chiefly, the difficulties encountered concerned themselves not with the building of plank roads, but with the maintenance of them. In time, the traffic would wear them out. The planks decayed, warped, and came loose. (14)

25. The principal owner of the Milwaukee Plank Road was Amos Snell. By the time that Jefferson was annexed to the city, the roads had become a a source of discomfort and danger, and the public objected to paying the tolls, or even to using the roads at all. There was no legal way to remove the toll gates, so the citizens rose and destroyed them by fire. In 1850, Clark Roberts met with a dozen leading citizens of the community and laid out plans for the organization of the township. At this meeting, the name Jefferson was proposed in honor of the President, and this name was unanimously adopted. During the 1860's the population was about 800 persons and nearly all the trades and professions were represented. There were two taverns, two grocers, a drug store, markets, and other business improvements in operation. In 1889 when the township was annexed to Chicago, Jefferson had become a prosperous village. Streets had been graded and sidewalks laid out. But the place was still a mudhole with sidewalks built at different levels. There  was no gas, sewers, nor electric lights. There was one telephone however. (14)

26. With the turn of the century came streetcar service on Lawrence and Elston Avenues. This gave the real stimulation to population growth in Jefferson Park. At this time came the Poles, Germans, and Czechs. They were labors artisans, and small tradesmen. At that time, the majority of the population was of Polish descent with those of German a close second. This growth of in population formed the nucleus of the teeming traffic, large stores, and prosperous business in the district. (14)

27. The history of Jefferson Township is an interesting pattern of growth and expansion related to its strategic   position to the rest of the Chicago area. The key to its entire growth and development as one township has rested considerately on its transportation hub, beginning with the development of both Milwaukee and Elston Avenues, both early Indian trails, and later the arrival of the Chicago and Northwestern rail line, allowing industrial growth, settlement, and access points geographically to the northwest expansion of the city. In 1844 the Northwestern Plank Road- today Milwaukee Ave- was developed, enabling farmers to bring their produce to Chicago and encouraging more settlement to the area. By 1850, the Township of Jefferson was organized by local farmers, the "nucleus" of the village at Milwaukee and Lawrence. The 1850's brought further influx of settlers, primarily English and Luxembourger farmers who settled mostly along the Northwestern Plank Road. The village of Jefferson was finally incorporated in 1872 with a population of 800. (17)

28. The village served as a popular stopping place for travelers on the plank road, serving as a market town for the surrounding farmers of Jefferson Township. The appeal of the village increased with the arrival of a Chicago and Northwestern rail station, providing the only effective transportation to the city, Milwaukee and Elston the two main toll roads through the community. With the extension of streetcar line service at the turn of the century, laborers, artisans, and small tradesmen began to seek settlement. From 1900 to 1920, first and second generation Poles, Germans, Italians, Russians and Czechs began arriving. But the arrival of World War I, however, caused the decline of development because construction costs were high. But between 1920 and 1930 there was renewed construction activity with an increase in population from roughly 6 thousand in 1920 swelling nearly to 21 thousand by 1930. Poles, Czechs, and Italians continued to poor into the area with the largest foreign group being the Poles. By this time the residential characteristics of Jefferson Park had been established with a manufacturing region developing on both sides of the Chicago and Northwestern tracks and scattered along Milwaukee Avenue. (17)

29. The territory was organized into the town of Jefferson in 1850. The village of Jefferson Park was first platted in 1855 on land which now constitutes the southeast corner of the community. By 1870, Jefferson had become a market town for the surrounding agricultural population.  The population then was mostly farmers with no village or cities.The business area centered along Milwaukee Ave. as it does today. With the opening of a Chicago and Northwestern railroad station, the village gained more popularity as a suburb. On June 15, 1887, the Chicago Consolidation and Annexation bill was passes. (19)

30. Jefferson Park became part of Chicago in 1889. While Jefferson Park was becoming a commercial area, the educational standards of the community were also rising. In 1834, the first schoolhouse was built and by 1849, there were seven district schools. In 1900, the streetcar service on Lawrence, Milwaukee and Elston avenues was extended. This brought laborers, artisans, and small tradesmen into the community. The first thirty years after the turn of the century was marked by growth of population and buildings. Between the period of 1920 and 1929, 70% of the residential structures in Jefferson Park were built. In 1930, Jefferson Park had reached residential  maturity. (19)

31. Once known as the "Gateway" to the city, Jefferson Park on Chicago's far Northwest side still lives up to its name. Just like in the past, thousands of commuters pass through the neighborhood on their way to work each day. They ride the rails of the Chicago and North Western Railroad that whisk them downtown or to the nearby suburbs. Census figures show nearly half the neighborhood is predominantly Polish, Italian, or German. Jefferson Park is one of the Northwest side's oldest communities. I was a trading post several years before Chicago was incorporated. In the 1840s, Milwaukee Avenue was a plank road that farmers used to cross the prairie and avoid "swamps, sloughs, holes and ruts" on the way to market their crops. Travelers were slapped with a 2 1/2 cent per mile toll at various gates along the way to the city. However, in 1889 farmers in the vicinity rebelled against rising tolls, chopped down the gates and burned them in fires.  (20)

32. Jefferson park got its nickname because farmers on the way to town would stop at the crossroads of Milwaukee and Higgins to water their horses. On the way back to the farms, they'd stop for supplies at the general store and at the saloon for some refreshments. The neighborhood really began to grow when the Milwaukee Avenue streetcar line was extended north of Lawrence Avenue. A building spurt followed in the 1920's. The new bungalows in the neighborhood attracted Polish families from the "Old Neighborhood" around Milwaukee and Division to come by the newly extended streetcar. (20)

33. In the early 1830's, John Kinzie Clark built the first log cabin in the open prairie of Jefferson. In 1844, after the construction of the Northwestern Plank Road, now Milwaukee Avenue, farmers were able to take their produce to city markets more easily, causing settlement to increase. The new farmers were predominantly from England and Luxembourg. In 1845, the townspeople met and voted on naming their village after President James Monroe. However, they were soon notified that there already was a town in Illinois named Monroe, so they renamed it Jefferson. In 1850, the township of Jefferson was organized with Jefferson village as the nucleus. It was incorporated in 1872. In the early 1870's, the village served as a market town for the nearby farmers and was a popular stopping place for travelers on the plank road. With the construction of a station for the Chicago and North Western Railroad, the village became attractive as a suburban location for those commuting into Chicago's downtown. (18)

34. In 1889, as part of Jefferson Township, Jefferson Park was formally annexed to Chicago. The community was still predominantly agricultural with mud flats and truck farming. The annexation benefited Chicago by bringing much vacant land inside the city. At the same time, Jefferson benefited from the local improvements. After the streetcar service on Lawrence was extended, European immigrants began to settle into the community. Polish families bought the newly built bungalows in the neighborhood and there was a significant increase in population during this decade. By 1930, the largest foreign born groups were the German, Poles, and Italians. Although by 1930 there was still vacant land in the western and northern parts, the basic residential characteristics of Jefferson Park were established. Manufacturing areas developed on both sides of the Chicago and North Western tracks along Milwaukee Avenue. Jefferson Park continued to grow slowly during the next three decades. (18)

35. For many years, what is now one of Jefferson Park's main source of transportation was a plank road financed by various toll gates. These two "arteries" were used by the many truck farmers of the community to transport their produce to the heart of the city to make money. With the addition of streetcar lines and the leveling of the Chicago and North Western Railroads came new employment opportunities which aided newcomers with establishing themselves in the community. Many Poles and Italians soon moved into the neighborhood and brought their faith and aspects of their culture with them. This was shown by the beautiful churches they built. (21)


Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Crucible Response


The crucible has made me realize just how easy people are to push blames on others. It is also remarkable how fast these people are in turning to blame their loved ones or close family and friends. It is sad to think that all of the characters are gullible enough to believe in witches and accuse each other of being one just to clear their own names and make their enemies look bad just as children would. This shows how a religion can become more of a cult and screen people away from the real world, depriving them of basic knowledge. Just imagine if being a witch would be a good thing in the story. The characters would be crazy enough to do the things that characterize a witch and the entire town would go ballistic the same way it is now with blaming others for revenge. No matter what the case is, the town will always be brainwashed by its Puritan ways that lead to chaos. But the problem is that the characters know no other way, and even if the leaders of their “cult” are taken down, they won’t know any other way of living because they are so uneducated. 


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