Expelled by James Patterson (Goodreads Author), Emily Raymond (With)

Expelled by James Patterson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Surprisingly good I recommend it highly for any teen.

The book begins when Theo gets expelled for posting a picture to his Twitter account that he didn't post. Desperate to figure out who is wrecking his life Theo comes up with the idea to do a documentary that proves he is innocent. He ropes his friend Jude (bisexual artist) who was supposedly in the photograph in his mascot uniform into helping. He also approaches Sasha Elli (his secret crush) who also got expelled into working with them and she brings Parker (the star football player at the center of the photograph) into the group.

Theo also starts to deal with his Father's suicide after he was diagnosed with ALS as well as his growing feelings for Sasha. When Sasha works up the courage to tell Theo the dark secret that is destroying her life he finds a way to help her.

And when he learns that Parker was desperate to get off the football team due to the Coach forcing him to use steroids Theo finds a way to reveal the dirty secret.

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The Quaker Slave Owners of Pennsylvania and New Jersey

Slavery and by extension slave owners are a hot button topic today with Northerners quickly pointing the finger at anyone who was born and lived in the South, even if they or their ancestors never owned a single slave. What they seem completely oblivious of is that Northerners owned slaves too.

"Many Friends (Quakers) in Pennsylvania and New Jersey had grown rich on Atlantic commerce, and many bought human property. Benjamin Lay said that slave keeping was the greatest sin in the world and asked. How can a people who profess the golden rule keep slaves? " -The Cave Dwelling Vegan Who Took on Quaker Slavery and Won, Smithsonian, September 2017

Good question, you might have thought the Church elders would take Lay's side in his dispute with the slave owners, but to the contrary the religious Community expelled Benjamin Lay. Lay died in 1759, buried as a stranger to the faith he loved

Roadside Geology of Mississippi by Stan Galicki, Darrel Schmitz

Roadside Geology of Mississippi by Stan Galicki
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Informative book, I had been to a lot of the places mentioned so it was nice to learn more about them. Great for homeschoolers studying geology, lots of possible field trips throughout the State.

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Tullis-Toledano Manor of Biloxi, Mississippi 2002

Very few historic homes in the United States have borne the Tullis name. One of the few that did was the Tullis-Toledano Manor in Biloxi, Mississippi. The home was built in 1856 by Christoval Toledano as a present for his bride, Matilde Pradat. It was considered a striking example of Greek Revival architecture.

It had a breathtaking view of the beach.

The archaeological dig we were lucky enough to participate in was more interested in what lay beneath the grounds. Imaging equipment allowed the archeologist to see that the manor was built on the site of an Indian village surrounded by a moat.

We helped catalog the items found.

The caretakers of Tullis-Toledano Manor were nice enough to let us tour the house during our lunch break. The parlor was beautiful.

After the tour it was time to get back to work.

Sean and I found a job in the shade. This contraption was used to shift shovelfuls of dirt for artifacts.

More artifacts for Sean to catalog.

We had some time to just goof off.

Tullis-Toledano Manor was completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005  I feel privileged not only to have gotten to tour the house but to have had the opportunity to work on an archaeological dig there before it was destroyed.

The role of slavery and the slave trade in building northern wealth

Myths About Slavery.” Here’s the PDF:

Contrary to popular belief:

• Slavery was a northern institution
  • The North held slaves for over two centuries
  • The North abolished slavery only just before the Civil War
  • The North dominated the slave trade
  • The North built its economy around slavery
  • The North industrialized with slave-picked cotton and the profits from slavery

• Slavery was a national institution
  • Slavery was practiced by all thirteen colonies
  • Slavery was enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and practiced by all thirteen original states
  • The slave trade was permitted by the federal government until 1808
  • Federal laws protected slavery and assisted slave owners in retrieving runaway slaves
  • The Union was deeply divided over slavery until the end of the Civil War

• Slavery benefited middle-class families
  • Slavery dominated the northern and southern economies during the colonial era and up to the Civil War
  • Ordinary people built ships, produced trade goods, and invested in shares of slave voyages
  • Workers in all regions benefited economically from slavery and slavery-related businesses
  • Consumers bought and benefited from lower prices on goods like coffee, sugar, tobacco, and cotton

• Slavery benefited immigrant families
  • Immigrants who arrived after the Civil War still benefited from slavery and its aftermath
  • Immigrants flocked to the “land of opportunity” made possible by the unpaid labor of enslaved people
  • Immigrants found routes to prosperity which were closed to the families of former slaves
  • Federal programs in the 20^th century provided white families with aid for education, home ownership, and small businesses

 Inheriting the Trade: A Northern Family Confronts Its Legacy as the Largest Slave-Trading Dynasty in U.S. History, by Thomas Norman DeWolf.