With numerous grandparents and a parent in the armed forces, we both felt that the Tuskegee Airmen would be a perfect topic, considering our backgrounds. In addition to our relatives, the other factor for me was the new movie that recently released. Combine that with a fascination with all things airborne, and presto! You have our topic.
Adding to this, we had Wilson Library (which gave us numerous books on the topic) and the internet. Wilson also had a vast amount of newspaper clippings from sources like the Chicago defender, which gave us a unique perspective on how blacks felt during the era. It was quite interesting to me how the newspapers idolized the Airmen, turned them into something of folk heroes. The numerous websites, the newspapers, and the books (one book for us was very helpful, I urge anyone who wants to read up about other great stories of blacks in aviation to go read "Black Wings: Stories of Blacks in Aviation" by Von Hardesty.), we had collected a huge amount of knowledge, and the only thing left to do was sift through it all and get the facts.
Indeed, before the project started, the only thing we knew about the Airmen was what we saw in the movies. I've head some mention of them in newspapers of today, but it was usually either an obituary or something. There are not many airmen actually left. As the research was conducted, the understanding changed drastically. We learned not only did they help win WW2, but their impact actually changed the military in ways that its still being felt today, such as 100% Military integration. Public Law 18, the CPTP, and the Selective service act were all passed to help them out. There was so much we didn't know. They're actually an inspiring group of individuals.
Weebly was actually our main tool. We were lucky to have a technological member in our group. We figured out how to navigate Weebly, and built a website from the ground up. We learned how to go through the dewey decimal system. We also had to learn how to pick out relevant information from books. That tactic will definitely aid us in our later college studies. We also had to use credible sources from websites. Sites such as the Tuskegee Institute's official page and biography of airmen were such sources. All in all, all of these skills are going to come in very handy for further studies.
Our topic is a revolution. The forming of Tuskegee Airmen was against all liking in America. Many people and military officers reacted viscously and wanted the airmen to not serve. They had much opposition from home. Thankfully, their missions were reformed to fighter escort and other missions in order to convince the people that they were worthy to fight in the skies.
Adding to this, we had Wilson Library (which gave us numerous books on the topic) and the internet. Wilson also had a vast amount of newspaper clippings from sources like the Chicago defender, which gave us a unique perspective on how blacks felt during the era. It was quite interesting to me how the newspapers idolized the Airmen, turned them into something of folk heroes. The numerous websites, the newspapers, and the books (one book for us was very helpful, I urge anyone who wants to read up about other great stories of blacks in aviation to go read "Black Wings: Stories of Blacks in Aviation" by Von Hardesty.), we had collected a huge amount of knowledge, and the only thing left to do was sift through it all and get the facts.
Indeed, before the project started, the only thing we knew about the Airmen was what we saw in the movies. I've head some mention of them in newspapers of today, but it was usually either an obituary or something. There are not many airmen actually left. As the research was conducted, the understanding changed drastically. We learned not only did they help win WW2, but their impact actually changed the military in ways that its still being felt today, such as 100% Military integration. Public Law 18, the CPTP, and the Selective service act were all passed to help them out. There was so much we didn't know. They're actually an inspiring group of individuals.
Weebly was actually our main tool. We were lucky to have a technological member in our group. We figured out how to navigate Weebly, and built a website from the ground up. We learned how to go through the dewey decimal system. We also had to learn how to pick out relevant information from books. That tactic will definitely aid us in our later college studies. We also had to use credible sources from websites. Sites such as the Tuskegee Institute's official page and biography of airmen were such sources. All in all, all of these skills are going to come in very handy for further studies.
Our topic is a revolution. The forming of Tuskegee Airmen was against all liking in America. Many people and military officers reacted viscously and wanted the airmen to not serve. They had much opposition from home. Thankfully, their missions were reformed to fighter escort and other missions in order to convince the people that they were worthy to fight in the skies.