US History Reflections

This year has been an interesting and fun year. I have learned a lot about US history and I have found that it interests me more than I expected. Ending the year by watching 13 Days was a good way to end the year. It can be a frustrating movie because the situation was so intense that the US had to decide to keep away from a nuclear war but to stop the threat of one. JFK defined "a new language" of war. A language that was more political than putting troops on the ground. The Cuban missile crisis was a success not only because we avoided a nuclear war, but discovered a new way of talking to more dominant countries.

Letter to the Future: Rough Draft

Dear intellects of 2216,

     Currently in 2016 the word climate has been very controversial. Few people see it as a word that means weather but several immediately think that it means global warming or climate change. The head master of our school briefly talked to us about how there is a major epidemic soon to happen. Sea levels are on the rise because ice caps are starting to melt and certain countries will soon be under water. Currently this problem is happening and it is in our own United States of America. Our head master, Mr. Rainey, read somewhere that the state of Louisiana is losing a football field of land a year. He also says that in the region of India and China will be under water when sea levels rise two hundred years. I knew that there can be severe effects of climate change but I was more interested in how it plays into history. About a week before starting this project I was taking a practice ACT and read about the Little Ice Age and its effects in Europe. I was instantly hooked and didn't know that climate actually has an impact on history.
     I started looking for other studies or climate related incidences that have changed the way people think and act. I found an article on the online Smithsonian Magazine(1) called "How Climate Change May Have Shaped Human Evolution". My first though was that this is kind of on the science side but I decided to read it anyways. Brian Handwerk, the author, found out that three million years ago Africa's climate dried out and it turned into mainly grasslands. He and many others suspects that this was the cause for humans to evolve from being climbers to walkers. Other studies have shown that brain size of humans have increased each time there was a major change in the climate. The first member of the human race commonly known as "Lucy" used simple tools to hunt and gather. As the climate went under drastic changes the second generations of the human race evolved to developing more complex tool like a double bladed axe. A researcher named Maslin believes that hominins' brains may have expanded when the lakes varied. He says that the hominins had to think about where and how there next meal would be provided.
     After reading this short article I was amazed. I knew that humans had evolved and have been told that it was due to Darwinism, but this gave me a whole other explanation that fascinated me. I wanted to find more articles like this but with the opinions of historians. I kept looking and looking but ended up finding very little that was actually helpful to me. I decided that I would go back to the Little Ice Age. This was something that some people were familiar with and that historians did look into this period of climate change.
     The Little Ice Age occurred in the early fourteenth century all the way to the mid-nineteenth century. It followed after a medieval warming period (900-1300). Encyclopedia Britannica(2) told me that there were droughts, increased perception, and extreme moisture swings. Northern Europe had long winters and  short and wet summers while Southern Europe experienced droughts and season-long periods of heavy rainfall. The clod temperatures led to crop failures and famines while the North Atlantic Fisheries declined as the ocean temperatures fell. This information was a little better but there was no mention of historians point of views.
     My search continued on and I found just what I was looking for. History.com(3) had an article of the Little Ice Age and its consequences. It started of talking about the great famines because of the cold weather and how it killed most crops. Some historians believed that the Black Death outbreak was linked to food shortages and the weakened immune systems due to starvation. The Manchu Conquest happened because peasants rose up when they were unable to pay taxes. The list goes on to witch hunts, the Thirty Years War, the Rise of the Potato, French Revolution, creation of "Frankenstein", invention of the bicycle and the midwestern population expansion. All of these were talked about in the article but still there were few opinions from historians.
     My teacher found this article about historians and climate and sent it to me from the American Historical Association(4). Historians don't really talk about the climate because most of them feel like it is a scientific topic, but most scientists have found cyclic patterns of warming and cooling periods. Today we have most of the information needed to help prevent or prepare for the major catastrophe that is about to happen but the information is in small pieces. Historians and scientists don't collaborate often and that is what is part of the cause for the word climate to be a controversial topic. Sam White the author of "Historians and Climate Change" says that historians need to be more resourceful. Historians like documents they can read an analyze but there are very few documents written on the effects of the climate. There are several studies but as I said before historians and scientists don't normally work together. White says that one way historians could be more resourceful is to obviously collaborate with scientists but to also talk to people who specialize in a certain climate. Like for example agrarians rely heavily on the climate and when it shifts they either wait or have to adapt. White also claims that climate reconstruction benefit from written observations by historians and geographers. He says "the climate is always changing and there is no point in waiting for it to end before writing its history". He makes a good point by saying that the only way to learn about climate change is to start studying what we know.
     Overall right now there is enough information but the thing that holds us back is the lack of collaboration.



Footnotes
(1)"Smithsonian magazine and Smithsonian.com place a Smithsonian lens on the world, looking at the topics and subject matters researched, studied and exhibited by the Smithsonian Institution -- science, history, art, popular culture and innovation -- and chronicling them every day for our diverse readership."
(2)"we provide timely, relevant, and trustworthy information and instructional products for homes, schools, universities, libraries, and workplaces around the world"

(3)The History Channel is a basic American cable TV channel that originally broadcasted documentaries and historical fiction series. The network receives frequent criticism from scientists, historians, and skeptics for broadcasting pseudo-documentaries such as "Ancient Aliens" or "UFO Hunters"

(4)"The American Historical Association (AHA) is the largest professional organization in the United States devoted to the study and promotion of history and historical thinking. Only the AHA brings together historians from all specializations and professions, embracing their breadth, variety, and ever-changing activity."

(5) Mr. Rainey is the head of Randolph School which is one of the most prestigious private schools in the south. He is a very educated man and can talk about anything.

Climate History

An article on A Students Guide to Global Climate Change claims that the levels of carbon dioxide and warm temperatures have gone through a cyclical pattern. There are periods where the temps and carbon dioxide levels have risen and then gone down to rising again. I kept reading and saw that humans have obviously been affected by this cycle but it did not specify how we were affected. This got me thinking about how were humans affected by the hot/cold cycle.

I then saw an article on the online smithsonian magazine and noticed an interesting trend between the climate and human evolution. Researchers have linked the first first evolution of humans and the second evolution to times when the climate was going under drastic changes. The first evolution was when the Homo genus first appeared with small brains and the construction of simple tools. The second evolution was when there was another drastic change in the climate and the Homo erectus made their appearance. They had bigger brains and were capable of making double headed axes and more complex tools than the Homo genus.

All of my research so far has been overlapping with the science side of the climate but I am more interested into what historians see in terms of the word climate. It turned out that I was not the only one that thought "so what?" about climate change. Washington University in Saint Louis offers to students linking natural history to human history. This article is a good place for me to start and I am looking forward to see what I can find on the internet about historians and climate.

Climate Questions

I would like to research the topic of history, anthropology, and sociology of the climate. I think that it is fascination that climate has a pretty big role in the way that history was made and how it shaped certain countries today.

Climate

Climate

Climate Change
Global Warming
National Security
Ozone
Environment

Climate Change, Global Warming, and National Security have been recently talked about in recent news regarding the climate. The ozone and the environment are directly related to climate.

How does climate relate to history?

Readings About 1930s

Read about the Great Depression (Links to an external site.).  According to this article, what was wrong with President Hoover's response?  Why did people blame themselves when things went wrong, and how valid or invalid was this response?

Read about Black Sunday (Links to an external site.). How would you have felt if you'd been there on that day? What kinds of fears, concerns, or questions would be going through your mind during, and after, the event described?

Read about The Drought (Links to an external site.).  What areas were affected by it?  What caused it.  The author ends this article with a pithy quote.  Do you agree or disagree with this historian's perspective? Why or why not?

Read about Mass Exodus from the Plains (Links to an external site.).  Were does the migration of people out of the Dust Bowl rank in terms of other migrations in US History?  What made life hard for people once they arrived in California?

1. President Hoover called the Great Depression a "'passing incident'" and did nothing to help the individuals. People blamed themselves during the depression because before they believed that success was earned and the trend followed through failure. The depression was a problem that many people could not have seen so they should not have blamed themselves.
2. I would have been terrified to live on Black Sunday. Just hearing about how there was no where to go if you were caught outside and not knowing when the storm is going to end is incredible. Plus sand is really irritating so standing out side for 4 hours being beaten by sand is brutal.
3. The drought started in the eastern states but then it moved west. The drought was caused by the mistreatment of land. Wheat was in high demands during World War I and farmers did not rotate their crops. I agree that it was a regional problem but not necessarily a national problem because there aren't many stories of the east having dust bowls or states like California.
4. Migrants that moved to California were not welcomed by many people making life hard. The Dust bowl exodus was the largest migration in American history.

Speech Reflection

I thought that the speeches went really well, no body had any major stumbles or struggles. Liddy's speech really stood out to me because she sounded really relaxed and comfortable speaking. Even though there was a guideline she still followed it but deviated and put some of her own touches on it. If i had to do this again I would probably practice more and have some one else read over it to catch anything that doesn't make sense.

Radio Technology of 1930

Radios in the 1930s were not small boxes that we are used to today. They were built into a large wooden box that would then be a piece of furniture in homes. The reason why radios were so large was because the first models were made with vacuum tubes on the inside. Large radios typically had large speakers that provided a rich bass, but they also had an antenna drum with several loops of large wires that served as an adjustable antenna. By 1935 22 million Americans had a radio in their home and automobiles were starting to have the built in.

1920s Speech

The 1920s was a decade that saw many changes from personal to corporate levels. The economy saw big boom, education was emphasized, and religion and faith was tested. In all three of these societies new groups either formed or emerged because of all the changes that were developing through this amazing decade. People started to move in and out of the city on a regular basis, educational clubs and organizations were formed, and there was a division among American Protestantism.

            A long period of prosperity and growth began because the aftermath of World War I weakened several European industries. The United States was now the strongest industrial power and they took advantage of this opportunity. The weak European industry was a temporary boost for America but in the long run technology was a very important factor in the economy’s growth. Automobiles made it easier for people to commute from the suburb to the city. This created an increase in the demand for suburban housing causing a boom in the construction industry.

            Education became a very important factor in the American culture of the 1920s. More people were attending schools but also spending more time at school. This led students to develop their own social pattern, hobbies, interests and activities. Now that more students are attending school there was a new generation called the Lost Generation. People in this generation felt alienated from modern society and they were unhappy about American society in peacetime.

            Lastly Nativism was a very important part of America’s new and developing culture during this decade. Nativism helped instigate the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan and they started to target more people than just blacks. Nativism also created a division among American Protestantism into two sides. One side supported modernism and the other believed in traditional values and faith. The supporters of traditional values were soon to be known as fundamentalists. These people opposed scientists like Charles Darwin and his idea of creationism.

            A lot happened in this decade. Automobiles opened up the construction industry, fraternities and sororities were created, and the Ku Klux Klan was reborn. The economy saw a big boom, education was becoming more important, and religious groups were starting to spring up. Often people are hesitant about change but the people of the 1920s were open to anything after the small recession in the early years of the decade.

Mini-book Review 2

John Smith, a Southern Baptist with Some Kick, by ward Pullen is a great book for young audiences. This book is a short glimpse of the life of John Smith. Pullen has a great sense of humor and he hides it really. Most people wouldn't even consider this as a comedy but I think that the use of the slang from the 1920s allows the audience to stay invested. I am looking forward to the next book that this brilliant author will write next.

Mini-book Review

In Nativism and The Klan, by Valeria Cowell, Jason a 12 year old boy encounters several changes during the 1920s. He has what one can call a traumatic experience with the Ku Klux Klan. Jason is a very curious and he walks around town learning about all the changes that are happening. The story is very well written and it takes the reader through a short glimpse of Jason's life. This is a read for audiences interested in the 1920s because there are some slang terms that only the ones that grew up during that time period or studying it would understand.

Pocket Book Reflection

I wrote a short story about a life in the 1920 in a tiny book. Robert William's was the main character and he saw the effects of the economic growth as a teenager. Robert did not have such great grammar so there are a few slang words.

WWI Thesis

During WWI the US law enforcement lost control of the public from criminals attacking police stations to the numerous Oklahoma Race Riots. They were not seen as popular figures as there were many deaths all over the states from multiple causes.

Al Capone Infamous Mobster

Tulsa Race Riots

WWI Poster Analysis

1. Propaganda is a way to advertise political topics or any topic really. It is a way to inform the public about what is happening currently without boring the audience. Propaganda is an interesting way of educating the public.

2. Propaganda- Ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and that are spread to help a cause, political leader, or government, etc.

3. Propaganda Images

Image 1: There is a man that appears to be standing in front of a window with a flag outside. At the top of the image is the word "ENLIST". Under the flag there is a group of soldiers marching and in army uniform. At the bottom of the image it asks "Which side of the window are you?". The background of the window is yellow which is the first thing you look to first. This is because there is is a large contrast between the blue and the yellow. After looking out the window the next thing your eye is drawn to is the text in the image. The one that stands out the most is the word "ENLIST". This is meant to convince any young boy at first sight to enlist in the army to fight for World War I.

Image 2: In this image the most prominent thing to notice is the dominant color green. There is a man who appears to be working with some type of tool. There is not a lot in this image because the point is basically said in the title "Rivets and Bayonets Drive Them Home". This image is supposed to influence the general population to wither join the army or to work in factories to help the US in the war.

Image 3: In this image the basket with yarn in it is the first thing most people see. The next thing the eye catches is the "American Red Cross". This image is fairly simple for people to understand it is the American Red Cross asking civilians to help soldiers in the war by doing something simple and knitting socks. Although the word socks is spelled "sox" I'm pretty sure this has to do with a scandal during this period of time.

7. The US government can use some money to create propaganda cause some people do not keep up to date with current events, but there needs to be a point where no more money can be used anymore. It's ok if the money is used to inform the general population or specific groups that the government needs but they should not continuously be using tax dollars to keep generating propaganda for as along as the war lasts.

8. During WWI I think the US got itself into more than what it was taking for and by the time we were in the war there was no turning back. In a way it was good that we stepped in but also bad. We need a lot of soldiers and general people to help supply the ones in the fields. Also there was a high demand for nurses because soldiers were fall down left and right the medic camps were swamped. Propaganda during WWI was more advertising in my view than trying to persuade others for a specific cause. Anyone who got involved in the war either at home or in the field basically took on a new job. All of the propaganda served more as a "job advertisement" than anything else.

Overarching Living Essay Thesis

During the progressive era there were many reforms that were made but not all of them worked as well as planned. New innovations brought fears and anxiety to people who turned out they had a reason to worry. Though these new fears became a problem they also helped society better educate themselves on new threats or modern issues. There is a plus side to all the reforms though, many of the reforms led people to change their views on a variety of issues. People had started to believe in being healthy but also they had new expectations for the role of government.

Progressivism Homework Questions Key

1. d.
2. e.
3. c.

Progressivism Homework Questions

1. Progressivism had created all of the following except

            a. a remarkable period

            b. political innovation

            c. social innovation

            d. great problems

            e. a-c

     2. According to the authors of the book progressivism is defined as

  

          a. there were several impulses of progressivism

          b. there are many definitions of progressivism

          c. scholars have their own view on progressivism

          d. the meaning of progressivism has changed over time

          e. today scholars do not agree on what it means

     3. All of the following are impulses of progressivism except

         a. antimonopoly

         b. a belief in the importance of social cohesion

         c. the rise of Muckrakers

         d. deep faith in knowledge

         e. all of the above

Living Essays Progressivism

Working with Ward and Skyler we were tasked to link all of our individual research topics to progressivism.

The focus of progressivism throughout the early 20^th century was about protecting the well being of communities around the world and the citizens of those communities. This is evident in movements such as shutting down schools and public places to protect people from disease during the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918, changing food laws to protect people’s health, and people educating themselves through the press about bombing precautions in London to prepare for possible attacks in America.


In conclusion, the primary directive of the progressive movement throughout the early 20^thcentury was focused around protecting the well being of people in American communities. They tackled this with a wide range of reforms and raising awareness to the general public. There were reports of the lack of London’s safety in American newspapers that raised awareness of what to do during a possible attack. Along with awareness campaigns, they shut down public places to protect people from disease during an epidemic of influenza, and changed laws about regulating contents of food to protect the health of the public. 

Progressivism Connection

In the archive of America's Historical Newspapers I found quite a few articles on aerial warfare in World War I. Aerial warfare was a fairly new topic and idea that most people saw unreachable. For example the French army was not expected to drop bombs. I believe this was seen because most of major players thought that the French were not seen as innovators or aggressive fighters. The British have always been a large player and the U.S. was going through a time to show that they are a major leader. In the article titled Planes Turned into Weapons, December 30, 1917 in the Plain dealer from Cleveland, Ohio the modifications to surveillance planes are changing the names. I started to notice that there being called machines like bombing machines for bombers and reconnaissance machines for intelligence. This is around the time period of progressivism which was kinda obvious to me. Turning planes into weapons was a new idea that very few people had thought of and no one could have been more successful that the U.S.. I found it interesting that since Britain for a long time has always been at the top of the world power board they were constantly being raided. There was no specific indications that the United States had influenced other countries to use planes in battles but I suspect that this was part of the progressive movement. The articles were talking about how Londoners would drive around without headlights just to avoid raids. Londoners were also happy when they saw a flyby when they suspected a raid. I think that if it weren't for the U.S. in bringing in the idea of using planes as a weapon the World Wars would have been very different.

Bombers, Scouts and Battleplanes Are War's Present-Day Development of the Aeroplane, December 30, 1917 Plain Dealer

Two Aeroplane Attacks Made on Coast Near City of London,  January 24, 1916 Albuquerque Journal

British Seaplanes Launched From Naval Vessels Bomb Airship Sheds, July 21, 1918 Augusta Chronicle

Airplanes a Factor in Every Operation of Modern Battles, December 23, 1917 Philadelphia Inquirer

More Dangerous than Bombs, November 19, 1914 Macon Telegraph

Zeppelin Raids Warsaw but is Brought Down, September 27, 1914 Montgomery Advertiser

Third Quarter Reflection

This quarter I have enjoyed talking and learning about imperialism. I have always been interested in American Politics and the chapter of imperialism was the start to American politics. Analyzing a documentary was probably one of my most difficult challenges this year. I get distracted easily by what the documentary is trying to tell me and get interested about other things, but analyzing a film requires me to constantly ask myself "what is the purpose of this scene?". I'm looking forward to hopefully talk more about politics and learn how government officials have an impact on specific groups of people in America.

Progress

Dictionary.com defined progress as the development of an individual or society in a direction considered superior or more beneficial than the previous level. I would consider progress as a change of a previous state that aids or raises the expectation of an individual or society.

The progressive era was mostly associated with the early twentieth century. This was a time where progressives were trying to expand large business and hold them more responsible through various regulations. Also progressives worked hard to try to clean up corrupt cities and let people have better living that were previously in slums.

Achievements of the Progressive Era
1. Ban on Alcohol
2. Regulation of Child Labor and Sweatshops
3. Scientifically Managing Natural Resources
4. Americanize Immigrants or Restrict Immigration
5. Regulate Business
6. Address Health Hazards
7. Eliminate Corruption in Government
8. Expand High Schools

Above is just a few achievements and goals of the progressives during this time period. All of the ideas that the progressives had most commonly had the theme of eliminating corruption and ensure a better standard of living. The essential goals were the regulate child labor, address health hazards, and to eliminate government corruption. These goals needed to be achieved so that there was fairness in society and it gave people a better and more enjoyable life. After the essential goals are managing natural resources, regulate businesses, and expanding high schools. These are not top priority but if they are addressed then the standard of living for everyone will be significantly improved. Lastly the ban on alcohol and dealing with immigrants are two issues that can be looked at but are not at the most important issue. These two goals may affect a few people but not a large number so they should held till the end.

100 year predictions

There were many predictions about year 2000 that actually became true like television, flying machines such as UAVs, mobile phones, and color photography. There are also somethings that will be far from coming true like weather machines and ship railways, but ideas like space travel are still at reach and are still changing. Traveling to Mars is still a real possibility but we have already reached to moon. Most of the predictions that came true were based off of ideas or technology that was already present that might aid humans. The ones that didn't come true were combinations of technology that ended up be redundant.

In the future I believe that there will be more automated transportation. The fact that most accidents on the ground are caused by human errors I believe that this trend will be a leading cause to convert to automated transportation. Robotic technology will be more pervasive and most likely in homes for everyone. 

I believe the control of the future has to start with individuals. If individuals bring up or out issues that are "flaws" or need correction then the future will be shaped to so in two paths. One, the issue will be resolved or two, the issue will be ignored and it won't matter and the future will go on bring out the flaw and over use it.

How do you Analyze a Political Cartoon?

According to a political cartoon analysis guide, political cartoons tend to have some type of irony and exaggeration so that it is easier for the audience to grasp what the message of the cartoon is. Some items are labeled in the cartoon so that it gives the reader some basic guidelines and the topic for the cartoon. I found out that cartoonists like to use analogies to help readers understand complex ideas by showing them a simple and more familiar one. Cartoonists also use simple objects, or symbols, to represent more complex ideas.

The best way to understand political cartoons if to first look at the picture and read and words that are in the cartoon. Once you have an understanding of the topic and the guidelines of the cartoon you can start to look for the irony in the cartoon. This can be done by looking at the symbols used and some of the objects that help show the irony or exaggerate some parts of the image. Most importantly keep in mind that the cartoon isn't meant to require a lot of thinking if you are looking at the whole picture and see the things that are funny most of the time you understand the message.

US and Caribbean Political Cartoon

In the cartoon to the right the man with the gold club represents the United States of America. This cartoon resembles the period of time when the United States began colonizing the Caribbean islands like Cuba and Puerto Rico. The artist drew the man walking in the Caribbean because the US was practically in control of any island that it colonized. The US had set Cuba up for American economic domination and the sugar economy in Puerto Rico quickly became under the control of the United States. The line of navy ships behind the gentleman represents the ties that each of those countries had to the US.

Philippine War Cartoon

                                                                             In the cartoon to the left Uncle Sam is standing in front of Puerto Rico and Cuba. Both countries are depicted as to be happy and praising Uncle Sam who represents the United States. The Philippines who is looking at Uncle Sam is scared for what is about to happen but Cuba and Puerto Rico is portrayed as everything will be fine and that the Philippines will be happy once they are colonized.

Emilio Aguinaldo Elimination

The cartoon to the right depicts the United States of America, shown as Uncle Sam, trying to capture Emilio Aguinaldo from the Philippines. The US felt that Emilio the legitimate leader of the Philippines was a "thorn in their side", which is why he is shown as the bee. There is an irony of the sign at the bottom of the cartoon. The US was trying to strip Spain form its colonies so they took the Philippines and then remained on the island being hypocritical of the sign.

Potential Documentary

Topic: Elihu Root

Focus: Elihu rise to create international peace

Angle: Elihu Root's background of being a lawyer allowed him to successfully create peace between countries nationally, but when called upon to be a political figure, he was wary to stay away from office so that his judgement would not be clouded by doing what the people want.

Elihu Root

Eddie Aikau Documentary Analysis

The film Hawaiian, The Legend of Eddie Aikau was named this way because Eddie Aikau became a person to look up to in the Hawaiian culture. Eddie Aikau, being a true Hawaiian, worked hard to protect the identity of the whole Hawaiian culture, from surfing to proving how their ancestors found Hawaii. The sport of surfing was beginning to fade in to the image that Californians and Australians were the best surfers. People did not believe that the Polynesians actually found Hawaii, most believe that they stumbled on it upon luck. The ESPN's filmmakers assumed that the audience watching this film would be into surfing so they used his surfing career to hook the audience. If PBS or the History channel were to make a documentary about Eddie it would leave out his exciting surfing career and may very easily lose their audience.

Phrenology

We looked at a bust with parts of the the head colored and were asked to figure out what it was. I noticed a name L.N. Fowler and researched it. It brought me to a website with a biography of Lorenzo Niles Fowler. I then learned about phrenology and how it became popular and how it died out. The provenance of this replica was made by Authentic Models in Oregon. Provenance is the origin of something or the earliest history. Though this is a replica and considered as a secondary source for phrenology it could be a primary sourced if you were to find what types of products Authentic Models make.