In case you are unfamiliar with the details of the Guy Fawkes gunpowder plots, let me fill you in. In 1604 Guy Fawkes became involved with a small group of English Catholics who were unhappy with the way the government was being run. Because James I was so intolerant of Catholics, the rebel group decided to act out and kill him, ensuring his daughter Elizabeth, who was both a Catholic and next in line for the throne would become England's new queen.
This plot would not only lead to the death of James but also everyone sitting in the Houses of Parliament at the same time as James was there when he opened Parliament on November 5th, 1605.
Fawkes and his group of conspirators managed to get 36 barrels of gunpowder into a cellar of the House of Lords by renting out a house right near Parliament and sneaking the barrels into the cellar.
Fawkes had served in the Eighty Years War for Catholic Spain against the new Dutch Republic, and therefore had some experience when it came to firearms. Because he was the explosive expert of the group, he was left in the cellars to set off the fuse. He was only caught when a group of guards decided to check the cellars. Fawkes was then arrested and sent to the Tower of London where he was tortured and eventually gave away the names of the fellow conspirators.
Though this plot had a good outcome as it was not able to be fulfilled, many other plots much like this one have not had as happy endings. These days, terrorist attacks have become somewhat normal and expected, especially during events where many people will be.
Unfortunately, there has been a lot of talk about threats made that will compromise the 2014 Winter Olympics that are being held in Sochi, Russia. Many extra security precautions have been in place, and so far nothing has happened to make us question the safety of the games and the people in Sochi, but we have to stay on the look out.
Hopefully, if there is a plot in place, we can catch it in time like the guards who caught the Guy Fawkes plot in action did, as to avoid yet another tragedy in our world.
Bibilography:
Sources:
1) http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/the_gunpowder_plot
2) http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/gunpowder_plot_of_1605.htm
3) http://resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/guy/history.htm
Pictography:
Picture 1: Source: http://www.britannia.com/history/kaboom.html
Picture 2: Source: http://archbishop-cranmer.blogspot.com/2010/11/guy-fawkes-treason-and-rome.html
Picture 3: Source: http://www.englishblog.com/2009/11/cartoon-the-gunpowder-plot.html#.Uv1HbvldWSo
Picture 4: Source: http://populous.com/expertise/event-design-planning/
Picture 5: Source: http://www.thenewstribe.com/2014/02/10/sochi-2014-winter-olympics-medal-standings-day-3/
I though your blog was very interesting. I didn't know that the Olympics were getting threats. You made a great connection with the threats towards the Olympics in Sochi and the Guy Fawkes issue. Great job!
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I loved how you connected Guy Fawkes to the Olympics. It is tragic how people think of doing such bad things to large groups of people. Guy Fawkes' group kind of had a reason for attacking those people but it is still extremely wrong. I agree with you that if there is an attack hopefully it will be stopped.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog Siobhan! I think this is a very interesting and sad connection of Guy Fawkes to modern day. Throughout history and still today, there are groups of terrorists who attempt to kill large amounts of people, just like what happened on 9/11. I was unaware of the threats to the Sochi Olympics, but since there are many people attending and it is a huge event with people from all over the world, I am not surprised to hear that there have been threats. I am very glad nothing bad has happened yet, but I am glad there are extra security precautions being put in place.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post. I was unaware that there were threats being made to the Sochi Olympics, so i am glad i read your blog. Although this is a tragic thing i found it very cool that you could relate something we learned in history class to the olympics. I am also glad to know that there are extra security measures taking place, like the ones that in the end stopped Guy Fawkes.
ReplyDeleteNice blog!!! The connection to Guy Fawkes was very interesting and quite sad! I never made the connection between the Olympics and Guy Fawkes. It is almost like a metaphor, Guy Fawkes is an allusion to the threats the Sochi Olympics are facing! I had also heard about the threats received. I am very glad nothing bad has happened yet!
ReplyDeleteI loved this blog post! I thought you did a really great job of tying in Guy Fawkes's plot with all of the current threats being made towards the Sochi Olympics. You did a great job of explaining what Guy Fawkes's plot was about, and what happened after it in a concise way, but still with a lot of detail. You chose great, powerful images that really portray the situations as well. Great job connecting the past with the present, and how we can learn from the past to try and avoid tragedies in the present day!
ReplyDeleteGreat Job! This was a very interesting blog! You did a great job of connecting real life to our history class. It is interesting that a current event like the Olympics can relate to something we have learned! You did a great job of adding details and information about Guy Fawkes and his plot but also kept the interest of the reader and not sounding like a textbook. It is awful to think that there would be threats during a time that should be a time of happiness like the Olympics but it is good to hear that many safety precautions have been in place. I really enjoyed reading this blog. Great Job!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, Siobhan! This was an amazing post. I really liked how you reintroduced who Guy Fawkes was and how you had a lot of information, yet you kept everything simple. I thought this post was very good too since the Olympics are all anyone can talk about. I also liked how you had a strong ending and ended on a happy note.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog. I thought you made very nice connections between our history class and the real world. Also, making a modern connection to the Olympics kept me intrigued and I wanted to keep reading.
ReplyDeleteSiobhan,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this post. I thought your topic was very interesting and extremely creative! I would have never thought of that! I like how recent this event is because we all have been watching the olympics and hearing about it in the news for days and days so it was really interesting that there was a historical event (although a very horrible one) to coincide.I liked how your writing was pretty informal because it made it very easy to understand. Outstanding Job!
I really enjoyed your blog. I liked how you made connections from the past and connected it to a world wide topic. I also think you are right when you said that we some what expect terrorists attacks. Overall, I really liked your blog post because it gave good information and it was fun to read. I glad nothing bad has happened in the Olympics yet!
ReplyDeleteI found this blog post to be very interesting and was well connected to what is happening in the world today. After learning about Guy Fawkes during class I wanted to learn more about why he wanted to do this and also how he got caught, so I was happy when you told us the backstory along with how this event happened. After you told the story of Guy Fawkes I found it interesting on how you connected his story to the Olympics and the issues of terrorist attacks that have loomed over it. Overall I found this blog post to be very interesting and well written.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you put in more of the backstory for Guy Fawkes and just how devastating it would've been to the English people. It was a good connection you found to something so big and important to us. It would probably have had the same emotional response as Guy Fawkes plan had it gone through. Good job
ReplyDeleteGood job Siobhan! I really liked how you gave a nice description of Guy Fawkes in the very beginning for those who weren't familiar with him. I also appreciated how you connected it from the past to the present and also to something most everyone is familiar with - the Olympics. I also liked how you included pictures to break up the text. Great job!
ReplyDelete