5 Lessons We Can Learn From American History

1. Good for You doesn't always mean Good for Everyone.
When Americans started moving west due to the Manifest Destiny, not only were they gaining more territory, but they were also spreading their political and economic views.  While this allowed for more opportunities with American life (i.e. more diverse crop production, smaller farms, increase in industry) it caused tension buildup between Americans and the natives. 



There were several conflicts between the settlers and Native Americans with the primary issue being land.  The settlers just assumed that they could take and do whatever with the land that they wanted, causing many natives to be driven out of their homes.  The Americans were benefiting from taking more land, so good for them.  However, they were expecting the Native Americans to assimilate into their culture, which of course was not fair to the natives. 





2. Be Strategic.
If there was ever a conflict in history that included fighting, there were three key things we would need in order to become victorious: a cause, willingness, and resources.  This relates to fighting today as well because without having those key elements there is virtually no way to win.  For example, in WW1 America entered the war because when the conflict over in Europe had become a stalemate the US believed that they could help lead the allied powers to victory (cause).  The willingness was covered by the people in America, with propaganda and wanting to stop the war and to help their allies.  Lastly, the resources came from war bonds, conservation of food, and industries shifting to create more war metals.  In the end, America and their allies were able to win the war.



On the opposite side, in the Vietnam War we lost the willingness of the people, so we only had two out of the three sides of the triangle.  This caused the war to vicious turn and the US, unfortunately, lost another country to communism.





3. Keep moving Forward.
Immigrants from Europe saw America as the promised land.  The "new" immigrants did not have a special set of skills so they were usually given the worse jobs and they also lived in tenements.  Even so, they kept their head high and worked hard, allowing them to become apart of something bigger. 



There were many captains of industries too.  One major one was Andrew Carnegie who went from rags to riches.  He was able to form the US Steel Company.  He kept money in his company by using horizontal and vertical integration. Also, by using the Bessemer process he was able to save money. 





4. Women aren't Weak.
During times of war, women's roles changed drastically.  Instead of being a cute little housewife, they would become workers and fighters.  They would work tirelessly in industries to supply the guns and tanks for the war.  They would provide medical aid to troops fighting.  They would donate their own goods to help the war cause.  On top of all that, they were still able to take care of the children.  Women are able to handle so much more than previously thought, so don't underestimate them. 





5. Fun doesn't always equal Corrupt.
However back in the roaring 20's that's exactly what it meant.  There was a huge social and cultural change in society including new styles of dancing, music, and art, improvements in technology, and a higher standard of living for some Americans.  This era began with a celebration because WW1 had just ended.  The 18th Amendment had passed yet most people drank alcohol anyway. There were speakeasies that the police were in on (cops had to have their fun!) and there was a higher rate of organized crime such as bootlegging.




Works Cited
http://www.conservapedia.com/American_frontier
https://www.poynter.org/news/today-media-history-news-reports-described-end-vietnam-war
http://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/the-narragansett
https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/world-war-1-the-treaty-of-versailles-and-the-great-depression-d6597128-4676-47c8-be11-3180006685c6
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/47hwADd4wIw/maxresdefault.jpg
https://s-i.huffpost.com/gen/3955902/images/n-REFUGEES-628x314.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Andrew_Carnegie%2C_three-quarter_length_portrait%2C_seated%2C_facing_slightly_left%2C_1913.jpg/1200px-Andrew_Carnegie%2C_three-quarter_length_portrait%2C_seated%2C_facing_slightly_left%2C_1913.jpg
http://callisto.ggsrv.com/imgsrv/FastFetch/UBER2/ahwt_01_img0040

Weaponry of the Past and Present

There was a lot of tension in Europe in the late 1930's due to war. The United States tried to stay peaceful with the countries because we had no motive to enter the war.  That changed on December 7th, 1941when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, giving us a huge motive to enter the war.  December 8th, 1941 FDR declared war on Japan, creating an alliance with Britain, France, and surprisingly the Soviet Union. 

Weaponry was at its peak during World War 2 due to the high technological advances.  America was able to pull themselves out of the Great Depression very quickly due to the mass production of weapons that they supplied to the allied forces.  The United States produced anything and everything from small arms to war tanks.  

One major advance in weaponry is the atomic bomb.  America dropped this nuclear weapon on Hiroshima and Nagasaki not only to end the war but also to test out the effects of this type of bomb.  After it was used, other countries were made aware of the possibilities of the weapons and they began building up their weapons.  Thus began the arms race.

The arms race was a mass production of nuclear weapons from late 1940's to mid-1950's. It included the US and USSR, as well as a few other countries.  After the Cold War ended, the tensions between American and the USSR decreased and a good amount of nuclear weapons were reduced.

In relation to today's weapons, there are many from WW2 that are still used today. For example,  the hand grenade, machine gun, German MG42 and the colt pistol were all used in WW2 and they are used in wars now. 

Some new weaponry of today includes drones and tasers.  Technological advancements are crucial in order for America to progress in the field of weaponry. Without them, we would not be first in the Military Strength Rating. By having such advancements, we are able to easily avoid war because not many countries would want to waste their time attempting to take over America.  

Overall, there has been major weaponry advancements throughout the years, the biggest being the atomic bomb.

Works cited:

https://www.quora.com/Which-weapons-from-World-War-II-are-still-in-use-today

https://owlcation.com/humanities/Reasons-for-American-Entry-Into-WWII

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/743242924325601281

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_War_II_weapons_of_the_United_States

https://www.pinterest.com/adrian5979/big-ass-guns/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/473511348303259697/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arms_race

https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/debate-over-bomb-annotated-bibliography

http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/9/newsid_3580000/3580143.stm

https://www.globalfirepower.com/countries-listing.asp

Admired Wives

There have been a plethora of first ladies in the past, yet the most outstanding woman is Eleanor Roosevelt.  She was the first of many first ladies to take a bold stance on something she believed in. Eleanor was a civil rights activist and being a first lady allowed her to have a bigger voice than before.


Eleanor Roosevelt changed the way that First Ladies are viewed.  First ladies before her were mainly in the background, the public did not see nor hear much from them.  So, Eleanor was kind of a controversial First Lady because of how she was so outspoken and stood up for what she wanted and believed in.  She was able to form her own staff, hold press conferences, and she even traveled the nation to speak about civil rights.

By being the first First Lady to stand up for a certain subject, she set the bar high for future First Ladies.  For example, Betty Ford is known for being open about what was happening in the government and Hillary Clinton focused on a better healthcare system.





Connecting to today, our First Lady, Melania Trump, focuses on anti-bullying acts, zooming in on cyberbullying.  Melania gives talks around the nation and stands up for the children and teens that are being bullied. 



Overall, Eleanor Roosevelt changed the way that people viewed first ladies.  She was also able to make the general public respect women by demanding the respect.


Works Cited:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Roosevelt
https://www.biography.com/news/first-ladies-and-their-causes-20770127
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2008/03/link_roundup_2.html

We don't Speak about Speakeasies

The roaring twenties.  The 18th amendment was just passed, prohibiting the consumption of alcohol.  However, there were sneaky people that were able to drink in secret places called speakeasies.  In order to keep speakeasies on the down low, establishments would have a "back room" where the person that wanted to be let in would need to know a code or a certain knock.  They even went as far as making speakeasy cards so that they would have a certificate of membership and admission. Once they're let into the hidden room, bootleggers sell them alcohol and it is like a small party with the other people there. 

People in America did not appreciate the 18th amendment, so the speakeasies were their go-to solution. The general public weren't the only people that wanted the amendment to be abolished-police officials were in on the speakeasies too!

Statistics show that for every one bar that closed down, three more would open up in its place.  

There were even secret codewords for alcohol including:

• white mule
• rotgut
• monkey rum
• tarantula juice
• panther sweat
• horse liniment
• coffin varnish

The alcohol had code words because people in society were trying to do something illegal without getting caught. Speakeasies had a tremendous impact on society in the 1920s because it gave them a way to break the 18th amendment.  A speakeasy can relate to modern day secret clubs and even drug deals.  The secret clubs relate because speakeasies were obviously secret places that not many people knew about.  The drug deals relate because in some parts of the country certain drugs are prohibited, and people can get in trouble with the government if they're caught selling or participating in the use of drugs.

Overall, speakeasies were societies way of acting out against the government, fighting for a change so that they can drink without having to hide.

Works Cited

https://listverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/4-women-freedom-speakeasies.jpg

https://9rm52pnjcvdzcxx3-zippykid.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/prohibition-photos.jpg

http://theroaringtwentieshistory.blogspot.com/2010/06/prohibition-and-speakeasies.html

Views of the Wealthy

People have always been driven to do something if they obtain something in return. Usually, they will wish for money in return, due to money having a value.  Whether they get the money through an honest graft or dishonest graft, it will show how deep they're willing to go for it.  In the past, there were several people that earned a lot of money; the poor saw the rich as either robber barons or captions of industry.  Cornelius Vanderbilt, Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and J. P. Morgan are all examples of rich money makers in the 1800s.  Today I'm going to focus on Andrew Carnegie.

Andrew Carnegie used horizontal and verticle integration to buy out all of the competition in his steel-making business.

There are two different ways to look at his actions.  You can either see Carnegie as a robber baron or as a captain of industry.  For me, I see him as a captain of industry.  He knew how to go into a business and take control, making a large amount of profit as he went. I do believe that Andrew Carnegie knew how to use their resources to their advantage.  On the flip side, other people might see Carnegie as a robber baron.  By focusing in on his monopolistic ways, such as taking advantage of immigrants, paying very low wages, and using young children to work in dangerous factories so that his work could be completed, the people may see Carnegie as "robbers" for misusing people for their own need. 

But then we can look further into Andrew Carnegie created something called "The Gospel of Wealth".  Carnegie believed that God had made him rich so that he could be responsible and give it to the poor.  He built schools and libraries and art centers; really anything that would help the public.  

So, to me, he is a captain of industry.  Doing good with his money, helping the public.  

Yet many people still weren't happy with his decision; they thought that he gave away his money "too late".  Overall, the rich can never make the poor completely happy due to the fact that they couldn't see past the huge gap in their wages.

Today, businesses aren't allowed to create monopolies.  However, there are a few companies that seem to hold a very high power compared to other businesses.  For example, Reed Hastings.

Reed Hastings is an entrepreneur that founded Netflix.

Hastings has a net worth of 2.3 billion dollars!  By creating Netflix he caused businesses, such as blockbuster, to get shut down due to there being not enough profits for their company.  Also, Reed Hastings used the internet to his advantage by making Netflix so accessible to the general public.  Since businesses aren't allowed to be monopolies, he has to make sure that his company does not get overly large and take over the whole movie and tv show industry.  Hastings is definitely a captain of industry because he was able to take a small idea and make it grow to where millions of people use Netflix regularly.
People seem to see wealthy people as idols.  People wish they could be just like fellows such as Reed Hastings because of the luxurious life they live.  That seems to be the same that it was in the old days as well.  However, the difference now is that there are laws that rule against child labor and regulations that keep workers safe.  People seem to be at ease now that workers are safer than before, so they don't get upset with the wealthy too often.


Citations:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._P._Morgan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_D._Rockefeller
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andrew-Carnegie
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Cornelius-Vanderbilt-1794-1877
https://techcrunch.com/topic/person/reed-hastings/

Past to Present

Does the past affect the present?

People all around the world seem to never pay attention when historical subjects are being presented. They say "That doesn't affect me, it happened so long ago!" or even "No need for me to listen or even learn about this since it's in the past.".  These people believe that the past does not affect their present, however, the past does affect the present.  The past does affect the present and what makes that true is karma, past wars shaping how we live, and the technologies available to us.

Karma plays a significant role in the past affecting the present.  This is seen through the thought that if you have a good past then you'll have a good present.  For instance, if you study weeks in advance for a test that you take tomorrow, then your present self should thank your past self because of how well prepared you were.  Also, this is seen through the way that you behave.  If as a child you were a brat who never listened to their parents and kept pestering everyone around them, then you will probably act that same way today in the present.  This also goes with the way that people act towards you; if during your childhood people always made fun of you and teased you, then in the present you probably won't have the best outlook of yourself.  On the flip side, if you were nice to everyone as a child and had a lot of good friends and stayed positive, then in present day you are probably living a good, healthy life.

The past also affects the present by former wars affecting the way countries are.  If the Native American wars didn't happen then we'd probably be sharing this land with a lot of Natives.  If the civil war never happened then slavery might never have been abolished. There can be so many "if this war didn't happen then this would be different" but since those wars did happen, it has obviously affected the present.  The technologies that are used during the war that was used in the past are still being used today because they had shown how effective they were in the past.  For example, poisonous gas and propaganda were used back during the first world war, and they are still being used today.

Past technologies provide present technologies their structure of support.  Without Benjamin Franklin inventing the light bulb in the past then electricity might not be a thing in the present day.  The camera was first invented in 1816 by Nicéphore Niépce. The past cameras had to have the pictures developed or even printed immediately (with no do-overs).  However, because of the growth of technology, cameras are able to be a high-tech resource present day. 

The past has affected the present in multiple ways, a few ways being through karma, how past wars shaped countries, and the technologies available to us.   People need to understand that it's important to learn history so that they won't repeat the same mistakes that our ancestors did.  It's like that saying, history repeats itself.  Even the wisest person is not considered wise without being knowledgable about history.  So, the next time that someone says to you "I don't need history", lay down the facts for them.  

Citations:

The Guardian, Süddeutsche Zeitung, El Paîs, La Stampa, Gazeta Wyborcza and Le Monde. “First world war: 15 legacies still with us today.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 15 Jan. 2014, www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/15/firstworldwar. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.

“History of the camera.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Sept. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_camera. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.

“Vintage Cameras, Movies And TV Programs.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/deborahjennings/vintage-cameras-movies-and-tv-programs/. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.

“War Propoganda.” Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=war propoganda&rs=typed. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.

Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=what goes around comes around&rs=typed. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.