Blog #5-60s to Now

The time period of the sixties to the two thousands represent a very crucial time period in American history. Entering the 60's, America was looking for a large turn-around due to it's recent fall in world production. Europe was now pulling the upper-hand and America was suffering economically from this. Also America was dealing with the loss of it's beloved President John F. Kennedy s he was assassinated in Texas on November 22, 1963. Through all the trials and tribulations, America would have act fast to salvage this great country, calling for large change. 

Economics
Succeeding JFK was Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1963. He was the Vice President to Kennedy after having occupied the Senate for sometime, thus he held a proper understanding of what needed be done in the country. It is discussed in the reading that immediately upon being moved to Presidency position he immediately took action. He signed off on the Passing of Kennedy's Civil Rights Act in 1964 and also launched a full scale attack on poverty. He cared greatly about the welfare of this country and considered himself a sort of "New Dealer" in the sense that he would try and stimulate upward growth for those in poverty. Growing up as a poor boy from Texas, it is easy to see why such an issue would be important to Johnson. Between 1965 and 1966 he passed Medicare and Medicaid bills which gave medical care for the aged and poor, respectively. He also enacted legislation that gave educational aid to the poor regardless of ethnicity. This was the first great push by a president for equal and opportune rights that this country has ever seen and serves as a highpoint in the Johnson Administration. This war on poverty and equal rights resulted in a significant drop in the percentage of Americans living in poverty. Quality of life and education in minorities increased exponentially.
After the Johnson presidency came possibly the most controversial and contentious president, Richard Nixon. Economically, Nixon started with quite the troubles. Upon coming into office in 1969, American economic growth fell tremendously from 5% to 3.2%. Also due to Nixon's new taxes, Americans saw inflation skyrocket from 3% in 1967 to 12% in 1974. It would continue to double throughout the 70s. This can partly be attributed to Nixon's 10% surtax on imports. Unemployment also rose by 3 percent during his presidency. Economists and pundits gave several reasons for this decline in growth, inflation, and a rise in unemployment. Some blamed it on the federal government pumping money into the economy. They claimed it caused the economic problems because the monies the feds were pumping into the economy did not generate sufficient gains in productivity. Some blamed federal regulations for making doing business in America more costly and time consuming. Some blamed the cost of the expansion of the federal government, particularly medicare, and the costs of the war in Vietnam. Many blamed the skyrocketing costs of raw materials, especially the increasing cost of oil and petrol/gas, which resulted in a growing trade imbalance between what America exported, too little and what it imported, too much.  Corporations began moving factories to the south where people were ready to work and profit. During the 70's, southern states such as Texas and North Carolina began to profit significantly due to this move in business which allowed southerners to create more than 1 million manufacturing jobs. From the 80s through the 90, technological manufacturing took off, enabling for big economic boom thanks to Ronald Reagan and George Bush the 1st . The northern economy soon recovered and by 1995, scientific breakthroughs like the computer and biotechnology allowed for the US to once again regain its position on top of the world production. Corporations such as Microsoft and Apple soon increased globalization of the word economy, lowering inflation and unemployment significantly. 

Politics
Politically, Nixon ran into some issues. Between 1972 and 1974, illegal White House activities emerged in the press and in the courts amidst revelations that Nixon taped his meetings in the White House, the firing of a special investigator of the Watergate cover up by Nixon, and fights over executive privileges. By 1974 the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives initiated impeachment hearings against Nixon for conspiracy, obstruction, abuse of power, and unconstitutional defiance of Congress and voted to impeach him in July of 1974. On 9 August 1974 Nixon, reading the writing on the wall, resigned. Succeeding Nixon was President Gerald Ford who's greatest political remembrance is the fact that he pardoned Nixon for his actions and could never seem to agree with Congress on any bill. It is revealed through the readings that he rejected some 50+ bills proposed during his presidency including ones to expand health care and education. The favor was returned by congress when his bills were rejected. His presidency is best remembered as a stalemate of not much getting done. Similar to Ford, President Jimmy Carter achieved little to nothing until Ronald Reagan of the 80s who successfully increased defensive spending, issued tax reform in cutting higher taxes, and reduced American Spending, borrowing and debt. Succeeding Reagan was George H.W. Bush, who issued the Americans with Disabilities Act that required all public building become accessible to all of those with disabilities. More importantly, Bush excited Operation Desert Storm which was a military maneuver in which American troops bushed Saddam Hussein and his soldiers out of Kuwait successfully and speedily. This reassured Americans for future bouts with foreign powers that solidified Bush's presidency. The final president before hitting the new Millennium was Bill Clinton who was elected in 1992. With new technology and innovation, America saw prosperous times in which Clinton took the chance to capitalize. He passed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which increased trade worldwide, further stimulating the American economy. 

Culture
The country was changing and changing rapidly; this perfectly illustrated by the changes in women of our American society. During the 70's women had only earned half the money that me made in the workforce but come 1994, the magic number was 77: women were now making 77% percent of what men made. Although this statistic has not raised in the last 20 years, it illustrates a large leap in the culture of this country. By the ate 1990's approximately 8 million women were private business and homeowners as well as the main bread-winners in their families household. 

Inside the Meltdown (Feb. 17, 2009)[PBS]
This documentary investigates the 2008 "meltdown" and gives the behind-the-scenes stories of the Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers business collapses that kicked off the present day economic crisis, followed by efforts to support insurance giant AIG and a 700 billion dollar bailout. Inside the Meltdown especially focuses upon the sudden, catastrophic dilemma thrust upon Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, whose fear of the concept that bailing out a failing business will only promote and encourage more failure on their part forced them to give way to the larger, possibly economy-destroying threat of a resounding ripple effect stemming from the collapse of giants.

Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial (Nov. 13, 2007)[PBS]

The film focuses on the battle between which should be taught and what is correct; Darwin's Theory of Evolution vs. the ice of Intelligent Design. In a town in Pennsylvania, a six-week trial went on to battle what should be taught to the youth, basically religion vs science. I was personally taught as a catholic school boy to believe in the religious aspect of human growth and how we came about. However as I have grown into adulthood, it has presented to me an issue which is more correct, personal belief of what has been shoved down my trout, that being the theory of evolution. 

Works Cited

"American Experience: TV's Most-watched History Series." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.

"Inside the Meltdown." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 05 May 2014.

Schaller, Michael. American Horizons: U.S. History in a Global Context. New York:

Oxford UP, 2013. Print.

"Watch Now: NOVA | Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial | PBS Video." PBS

Video. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 May 2014

 

Blog #4- 50's and Beyond

After the conclusion of World War II, America entered a historic period full of new ideas and progression. This era can be often referred to as a second progressive era due to the climb out from the Great Depression and the effects of World War II. Although trials and tribulations occurred, this new and improved America continued to strive for prosperity.

One man would jumpstart a time period referred to in the reading as the "Dynamic 50's". Upon his great feats and accomplishments as not only a military general but as the esteemed general who led the historic invasion on Normandy Beach during the operation known as "D-Day", in 1952 America elected Dwight D. Eisenhower as the country's 34th president. As the lead-man for the North Atlantic Trade Organization, it was easy to see that he was just more than just military brains, but also a foreign policy intelligence. His election was the first presidential election to be widely presented on the television, allowing the constituency to literally watch history being made. Politically, his biggest topic of interest was ridding the Korean area of China's Communist evils and dangers. Upon election, the reading discusses how he traveled to Korea in order to make good on his promises. Upon arriving, he met with with leaders and speedily resolved the issue of nuclear war against China. In July of 1953, not even a full year after his inauguration, Eisenhower and others successfully initiated a ceasefire in Korea, which established the 38th Parallel. This was an imaginary line that would divide North and South Korea into two separate and fully functioning countries. Also, during 1953, Eisenhower was left to deal with the remaining threat of the "Red Scare" and the Cold War which were all in result of Russian advancements in nuclear warfare and the fear that Russian informants were among everyday citizens in America. Under the Eisenhower Administration, the Red Scare was taken extremely seriously and dealt with in a similar manner. Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin led a full blown manhunt for communist informants which led to the destruction of hundreds of American families and destroyed the very institution of American rights given to us by the Constitution. Although many people were not guilty of treason, this large scale prosecution lay on Eisenhower's record as possibly the largest blemish of his presidential career. Nonetheless, Eisenhower continued to lead many drives for American salvation and prosperity from an economic and cultural standpoint. More Americans began to own televisions and cars while the statistic of women that attempted college or university sky-rocketed exponentially. Eisenhower initiated an Interstate and Defense Highway act that facilitated and stimulated growth in the public works programs previously established. Suburban infrastructure was increased, allowing for further sustainability of industries. Apart for advancements that generated money, Eisenhower also aided in the widespread movement for civil rights. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture reports that in 1957, Eisenhower called for Military troops to aid nine African-American students as they attempted to integrate an all-white school after the verdict of Brown v. Board of Ed ruled that segregation in schools be eliminated. This event is referred to in history as the "Little Rock 9". In summary it is not to say that Eisenhower is solely responsible for all good that occurred in the 50's, however he is undoubtably the figure-head for the good that did occur in this era.

Succeeding the great Eisenhower and leading the nation for a brief stint was pretty boy John F. Kennedy who with the flash of a smile could instill so much happiness and hope in the country he led. Kennedy's largest defining factor was his interest in foreign policy and involvement. In 1963, he traveled to Berlin in order to ease tensions that resulted in the Great Wall of Berlin, however he was unsuccessful. Kennedy later developed the Peace Corps in order to educate thousands of willing Americans on how to deliver vaccinations and build infrastructure such as schools and homes in less fortunate areas of the world. This was a successful attempt at showing the world how giving of a country America was and what they were willing to do for others. Another big mark in Kennedy's presidency was the Cuban Missile Crisis. The reading describes how the Cuban dictatorship placed missiles aimed at America only 90 miles off the coast of Florida. Kennedy ordered for a blockade that would cut off Cuba and deter anymore nuclear weapons into the country. This also hindered Cuba from receiving necessary resources for survival and ultimately resulted in the agreement that if Cuba removed its weapons, the US would not invade the country. This was the last major event that occurred before Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963. Although Lee Harvey Oswald was apprehended and charged with the murder, it is still in speculation of who ACTUALLY killed Kennedy and why, as discussed in lecture.

We were assigned to watch American Experiences documentary titled "Freedom Writers". It discussed the group of Civil Rights activist who took non-violent measures in order to change this nation and accomplish equal rights for all of the peoples in this nation. There is an alarming statistic in which the state of Mississippi reveals that they arrested and jailed more than 300 Freedom Riders for simply utilizing their right to protest. The film follows the Riders and their strenuous journey in order to achieve Civil Rights. This is especially extraordinary for me being a young Africa American in this country to know that my grandparents and older relatives fought for the rights that I so freely enjoy today in 2014. The courageousness and gaul is outstanding to me and should be well commemorated in history.

Another piece we were required to watch was another piece created by Moyers and Company's piece titled "Jonathan Haidt Explains our Contentious Culture". In this documentary it is extensively discussed our debt and the large issue with it. Just recently after striving through a government shutdown, this country is still faced with a 14 trillion dollar debt which is upon us due to government borrowing and spending funds which we clearly do not have. Moyers and Haidt also touch on the topic of how Americans have the power to end the corruption that controls this country, such as the unfair and unbelievable gap between rich and poor. They also speak about Americans coming together and "rationalizing" this country once more in order to make it more whole and proper functioning, and idea that I greatly agree with.

In conclusion, America had endured much up and down during the 50s-70s. However with the down of Cold War and Red Scare to the ups of Rebuilding and Civil Rights, it is up to the American people to continue to carry these ideals and put them into place in order to lead future America into a place of peace and prosperity as well as growth.

Works Cited

"American Experience: TV's Most-watched History Series." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

American Horizons. 12th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Oxford UP, 2012. Print. 

"Freedom Riders." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

"Jonathan Haidt Explains Our Contentious Culture." BillMoyerscom. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.

"Little Rock Nine." The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. The Central Arkansas Library System, 9 Sept. 2010. Web.

Blog #3-Crawling Out of the Depression

After the Great Crash in 1929, the most esteemed and lucrative country in the World fell into a terrible era know as the Great Depression. This was a time of mass despair as well as literal depression while Americans lived day to day with considerably less than the bare essentials necessary for survival. Prior to this depression, America went through an amazing period of Prosperity. In the PBS documentary The Crash of 1929, this prosperity is illustrated by individuals who lived through this time as well as expert historians of this era. During the decade leading up to the Depression, Americans enjoyed more leisure time, jobs, and most importantly an unimaginable increase in income and spending money. People enjoys such new luxuries as movies, washers and dryers, air conditioners, and even deodorants. "What Will They Think Of Next?" became a slogan for the decade. It is also discussed in the film that during this era was the only time that virtually all Americans took interest in the stock market. Stocks were rising constantly which persuaded Americans into investing more money which in turn made them more. One historian describes the stock market in this era as "an arena of unbounded opportunity…you couldn't go wrong buying stock in American companies". Sure enough, this very outlet of success would be sole reason for the country's decline. On Tuesday, August 29th, 1929 millions of people attempted to sell all of their stocks and pull their money in fear of losing the large investments which made them the fortunes they had. Millionaire "bull of the bulls" William Durant even attempted on his own to save the stock market, filling the market with millions of his own just to stop the plummeting. Inevitably, the crash could not be stopped and had an extremely significant affect on America. It would shape the next few decades of the country both economically and politically.

In class we discussed the ecomonic decay that was the Great Depression. Normal Americans of innumerable proportions lost their jobs and in turn Americans became homeless and helpless. Just three years after the crash, University of Washington historians report nearly 30 million Americans ceased to have any source of income. At that point in time, more than half of the entire country lay jobless and insecure.  The norm of American life was living under the poverty line, in disarray and despair. From this point on, a serious of events occurred which led to the gradual climb out of the black hole which was the Great Depression. Journalist Robert Higgs of The Freeman claims "World War II got us out of the Depression". I definitely agree with that statement, however i do not believe it is the sole savior for Americans. The reversal of the Great Depression starts in 1932, several years before America even gets involved in the World War, with the election of Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The reading in our textbook American Horizons specifically outlines how Roosevelt issued legislations and mandates in order to stimulate the American Economy. Although viewed negatively by some as a "socialist communist invading the White House", FDR mades moves in Washington that were for the best of the economy and stimulated exponential growth over the next 2 decades, and still remain present in today's society. We discussed in class the most major of these legislations passed by Roosevelt, being the New Deal of 1933, upon Roosevelt's election. The New Deal was in order from 1933 all the way through 1945, when the war officially ended upon Japan's surrender. In this New Deal, we discussed programs such as the Social Security Act as well as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, both of these acts which were enacted to ensure the safety of American money as well as a net to catch those Americans who committed their lives to working etc. Both of those programs still exist today operating the same (if not more fine-tuned) as they were supposed to in the 30's. Along with insuring money, Roosevelt also created programs which in turn created jobs for the millions of unemployed Americans. PBS's documentary titled The CCC covers one of Roosevelt's most important organizations which took nearly 2.5 million Americans and gave them jobs maintaining and restoring national parks, lands, forests etc. stimulating job growth in the nation. Along with the CCC, we discussed in class how the Civil Works Administration gave millions of men and women to build roads, bridges, and parks for low wages. I would like to take the time to comment that not only did this create millions of jobs and wages for hopeful Americans, but it also increased and progressed the American infrastructure in our largest industrial cities. 

Secondly responsible for the progression out of The Great Depression was World War II, which America entered in 1939 and solely ended in 1945. There was much pride in America during this time, as well as money to be made on the home front. American's were left with the responsibility to not only fight in the war, but also create weaponry and necessary utensils for the war. Creating tanks and guns was a lucrative business which created even more jobs for unemployed Americans, simply pumping more money into the economy. Besides the job creation, morale and hope was increased and built during this time period. Americans felt powerful and stronger now than ever. This is illustrated through the large use of propaganda which we discussed in lecture. A prime scene of this propaganda is exemplified through the 1940's cartoon know as Superman. In the 1942 episode "Japoteurs" (shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor),  Japanese terrorists hijack and attempt to steal an American bombing plane who's purpose was to be used on the Japanese during the war. It is left to our countries hero, Superman, to take the plane back and serve justice which he does. Whether it's Superman's American Flag-like super suit or his defeat of Japanese terrorists in a television show, the American hope and pride was exemplified everywhere during this time period. This represents the cultural effects that World War II played in American society. 

Succeeding the 2nd World War, a new epidemic of worry arose. Americans feared an all out nuclear war with the feared Soviet Union. This period of tension was known as the cold war which affected the demographic of the country. As discussed in class, the Cold War was a time of worry and fear that the country would be bombarded by nukes at anytime. My grandmother recalls of a time during the late 40's when she was an 8 year old elementary school girl, "It was not uncommon for my teacher my teacher to have my classmates and I do a drill that we never properly understood. We practiced time and time again getting under our tables and desks on hands and knees cuddled into the position in which we covered the backs our heads with our hands and stayed there, bend over. When I asked my mother why I had to be trained to do so she simply replied 'It was necessary to know how to duck and cover'". "Duck and Cover" became a beg epidemic during this time period, illustrated by the video which was assigned to be watched. The video was created by the Federal Defense Administration in order to ensure that Americans knew what to do in the event of a nuclear bombing. Never mind the fact that your hands will not protect your body from disintegrating in the wake of an atom bomb, American government found this tactic helpful for informing the public of the imminent danger that was the Cold War. Demographically, Soviet Americans became a liability in the nation, being alienated and feared was common. In the case of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were two innocent Americans accused of spying on America's "Manhattan Project" and reporting findings to the Soviet Union. This perfectly exemplifies the corrupt and unjustly wrong attitudes of Americans during this time period, representing another historical event which reshapes and colossally effects American society. 

After all of the discussions in class, readings, and videos which I processed during the past few weeks, I have learned of the large reshaping of American society that occurred from the 1920's to the 1960's. The Great Depression, 2nd World War, and The Cold War greatly influenced and enacted change in America that still remains today. 

Works Cited

Americam Horizons. 12th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.

Folsom, Burton. "Which Strategy Really Ended the Great Depression?" The Freeman :         Foundation for Economic Education. Foundation for Economic Education, 24 Aug. 2011. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.

Linder, Doug. "Rosenbergs Trial: An Account of the Trial." Famous Trials. UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY (UMKC) SCHOOL OF LAW, n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.

Superman-Japoteurs. Perf. Superman. Superman. Famous Studios, n.d. Web.

The Crash of 1929. By Ronald Blumner. PBS, 1929. PBS.org.

Blog #1: Reconstruction

Reconstruction in America refers to the time period in the United States post Civil-War. It is the era in which the nation called for drastic change, hence the  name "Reconstruction". Discussed in class, there were 5 major categories that described and illustrated the effects of Reconstruction; Politics, Economics, Culture, Geography, and Demography. Both the North and the South experienced different results in each category and I will discuss the differences below.

Politically, Reconstruction brought about great change in the North. However in my opinion, nothing changed in the South. That portion of the country remained just as racially tyrannical and pro-white as it had been before the end of slavery. The Election of 1877 signifies this perfectly. In 1877,  republican President Rutherford B. Hayes was elected to the presidential seat after a "back room deal" (discussed in lecture) was made between the Republicans and Democrats. Republicans agreed to allow the South to continue their "traditions" if the Republicans could just have the presidency. Once agreed upon, Hayes was elected, the troops that Andrew Johnson had placed in the South were pulled out, and slavery was continued under a new name, sharecropping and Jim Crow Laws. As a proud African American, this quite frankly pisses me off to know that the people I am supposed to trust with my liberties and freedoms would allow such hyaenas crimes to occur under the law of the United States government. Nevertheless, this is a professional blog and I will speak only facts. 

Economically, the North and South were dramatically different. The readings in American Horizon exemplify the discrepancies between the two regionsStarting with the north, the economy was simply booming. Cities such as New York and Chicago were becoming centers of business, trade, and commerce. This is a time in the North known as Industrialization. The way of earning money was shifted from farming and agriculture to factories and buildings. More people migrated and immigrated from various parts of the world to join the North on their skyrocket upwards. However, the south continued their farming ways of life with the good old help of their black workers. Sharecropping became the new way to enslave African Americans around the laws of the Emancipation Proclamation put in place by Andrew Lincoln. Some African Americans could not live off the wages of sharecropping which put them in even deeper debt, so they decided to take there chances at their own farming and business in the South. Most of these cases ended in failure, however it was better than being enslaved. This being the case, the south did not excel in the way that the north did; the south needed labor of which was in very short supply. 

Culture in the north illustrated a very drastic change in the history if that region of the country. Susan Lewis's Talking History Interview titled "Albany Businesswomen" is a perfect indicator of this culture shock occurring in the north. Women began taking on a more major role that that of just a housewife who took care of the children. There are multiple cases of successful, business-growing women in the Albany area. For example, Julia Ridgeway was a plumbing entrepreneur in the mid 1800's who was described to have had "exceptional drive and vision". She was a widow who started the company NYS Plumbing Establishment, hiring men to do the manual labor while she ran the company. In the year 1865, it was measured that she accumulated some of the most money of all proprietors in Albany with a whopping revenue of $10,000. She began investing in real estate and even extended her company nationwide. This was something unprecedented by an American woman, or any woman in the world for that matter. Another woman, a piano seller by the name of Jacobina Teets was said at one point to be "doing just as well as any other piano seller. The moral of Lewis's study was to just further illustrate the fact that culture in America was changing.

Schaller, Michael. American Horizons: U.S. History in a Global Context. Vol. 2. New York: Oxford UP, 2013. Print.

Susan, Lewis. Talking History: Albany’s Businesswomen. 

Albany.edu. 3 April http://www.albany.edu/talkinghistory/arch2003jan-june.html