The Era of Progressive Reform

                Progressivism targeted the massive problems of an urban, industrialized nation. The idea of progressivism was adopted by many American people. Progressivism was an impulse for presidencies to be more serious in their campaigns and on duty as well. Much of the progressive’s reforms began in the cities as opposed to the state or federal levels since they were considered to be the areas in which change was needed the most. Many restrictions and opportunities came before progressivism giving this movement an impulse in order to reach success.

                By the end of the 1800s, many citizens were aware of the massive problems resulting from rapid industrialization. Citizens also came to the realization that private efforts to address issues from the nation were inadequate. Henry George and Edward Bellamy were some of the most influential figures during the movement of progressivism. Both of them were journalists and have mayor influence in mass communication allowing them to transmit their ideas with ease. Socialists, unionists and city government reformed also had many followers however; they were not as influential as the two gentlemen mentioned above. In 1879 Henry George wrote a book to explain why an advanced civilization seemed to increase rather than eliminate poverty. Several writers during this time period wrote how the future would be for America with the harsh working conditions. During this epoch, there were also social welfare programs, which would help ensure a basic standard of living for all Americans “abolishing” poverty by providing them with some goods.

                Florence Kelly became an important figure during this movement as well. She led the way in several areas of progressive reform, including workplace and municipal reform which gave a boost for economy. Due to her efforts, in 1893, a law was passed stating that it was prohibited for a child to work, limiting hours for women, and regulating sweatshop conditions.

                Taft’s presidency was marked by progressive legislation and a rebel movement within his own party. Theodore Roosevelt abandoned the presidency and Taft as well and led the Bull Moose Part. TR did this since he thought the country was going down with Taft being on duty and America needed his leadership again in order to maintain things in order. Roosevelt also trounced Taft by using the New Freedom, he promised to enforce antitrust laws without threatening free economic competition. After this whole controversy between the Bull Moose Party and Taft, Wilson, continued progressivism until an end until World War I approached.

                The journey for woman suffrage took more than seventy years and required great effort and sacrifices from the female gender. The earliest victories for suffrage took place at state level, and mostly in the western states. For example; a journalist in 1912 described “women striding five abreast” up Fifth Avenue in New York City. Such colorful parades became a favorite technique in the 1910s. Techniques such as that were appealing to the individual’s eye and helped people become more sympathized with women voting.

                Progressivism was a fundamental epoch for the United States because the ideologies brought up during that period helped form  today’s government. It helped America have more democracy since it allowed the participation of women in electoral processes. If the progressivism movement never took place, United States wouldn’t be as successful as it is today since not everyone would have the opportunity of freedom of speech.

Chapter 9 Reflection – Becoming a World Power

By: Gabriel Hernandez

                This chapter portrays how the United States became one of the most influential countries around the world. Thanks to the economic and industrial advances that took place in the country throughout history, America has become a worldwide figure of authority. In the period between 1890 through 1913, America had an imperialist point of view since they desired to obtain land abroad. Their unquenchable thirst for land never ceased causing them to intimidate other countries since they posed a threat having a powerful military force.

                Theodore Roosevelt is an exponential figure in this chapter. One of his major accomplishments as a president was the construction of the Panama Canal. He is considered one of the greatest presidents of the United States since he achieved what some could only imagine being the youngest president to ever take control. Thanks to Teddy Roosevelt, countries such as Panama gained independence from their former “colonies”. However, the United States since that epoch has become the “world cop” because of convenience and mere political purposes.

Chapter 8 - Cultural and Social Transformations Essay

By: Gabriel Hernandez

                The nineteenth century was a hard epoch for the North American society. Specially for women and minorities since they were always seen as inferior beings not worthy of the liberties or rights given to the average American man. However, after the Civil War, a twist in society took place. A gateway of opportunities opened for these specific groups of people who received unfair treatment. As usual, there was always this group of individuals that disagreed towards the decision of providing new chances to people since traditional ways wanted to be preserved.

                Americans adopted democracy as their new way of government. However, without having all of their citizens educated, the idea of democracy was not that effective. In order to have a more democratic state, the American society started supporting education by the late 1800s. Education offered job opportunities, economic and social success which favored not only the individual but the nation as well. Besides an educated society, other aspects of society highlighted in the 1800s. entertainment and sports became popular forms of recreation. Among the ramifications of entertainment the saloons, trolleyparks, dance halls and cabarets were the ones enjoyed the most by the people.

                African Americans had a rough time fitting into society since there have always been suppressing them into such institution. However, they have been able to stand up and rise throughout history proving they are equal or even better than many. The Ku Klux Klan began terrorizing the African American community in the late 1800s. It is an organization that still exists in the modern day and an example of groups of people rejecting the African Americans.

                In the 1800s, there was said to be “equality” for women. However, this was a faux statement since it was not happening in its totality. Economic and political inequalities were influential factors for the mistreating of women. The female gender has had a bumpy road throughout history as well as the African Americans in order to reach their rights.

                The Civil War contributed to mayor social changes in America. In the long run, they all concluded positively, however, the downside is what happened in order to have good results. Both women and the African American society have been of great contribution towards society since some of the most brilliant minds of the world fall into those groups. The pathway to reach the zenith of success was tough to some people during the nineteenth century, however it was all worth it in the end since radical changes in society were made.

Origins of the Civil War

Origins of the Civil War

By: Gabriel Hernandez

            It all started way back in America in the 1600s with mere economic purposes. The United States was at the zenith of tobacco production with indentured servants working on plantations. With the years passing by, there was an approximate of 4000 African Americans working miserably in tobacco plantations in the 1700s. Unfortunately, future events for the African American people didn’t get any better, instead they got worse. For the following long years to come, the black community suffered and worked having blood and sweat running down from their back.

            The North West Black Codes gave a small spar of hope for slaves. This document stated slavery to be technically illegal. However, in the Northern area of the Ohio River, African Americans were still under the authority of White Americans. So, the NWBC didn’t show any kind of change due to the people who kept their slaves. Nevertheless, the Congress endeavored for a solution in 1820 with the Missouri Compromise. This was an agreement made by the Congress itself dividing Missouri into two states; one being against slavery and the other in favor. By 1830, the slave holder added up 36 percent of the white population. The anti slavery advocates founded the country of Liberia in Africa. They proposed people who suffered from slavery or that were prompt to suffer under the veil of it to move to the new lands of Liberia. However, this caused a major controversy since some people said they still believed they could have an opportunity in America when in reality, they didn’t, they were just building dreams based on naïve hopes. The same year as the NWBC, the three-fifths compromise was created. It said that all enslaved people would be counted nevertheless; the total would be multiplied by three fifths.

            African Americans made a major contribution to the South since they were the architects of its strong economic progress during that epoch. At this point in history, the North’s economy depended on the Southern capability to manufacture their goods. The South based its economy on products such as; cotton and tobacco. By 1860, African Americans made up half of the population of South Carolina and Mississippi. 

            In 1820, there was an open resistance led by Denmark Vesey followed by African Americans in South Carolina. There is evidence of slaves fighting back in the South. A few years later, the resistance to abolition came to the mind of the American people in 1836. With the series of events that occurred in the abolition iconic characters from American history are introduced such as Harriet Tubman with the Underground Railroad. The gag rule came right behind this and states that all anti slavery petition would be automatically stable for the next 18 years to come.

            The final events previous to the civil war were probably the most crucial for such event. The inability of politicians to resolve the question of whether or not slavery should be allowed in their territories raised major disputes among the people. The fighting for remainance of the South in the US and the North becoming more populous and urban than the South created tension between both territories. In 1860, things became worse due to the industrialization of the North having 110,000 factories. Finally and probably most influential Kansas-Nebraska Act. This document proclaimed that people should decide if slavery is to be allowed or not however, it proved that there would be no peaceful reaction toward any decision taken.

            The slavery days in the United States were part of their dark chapters from their history throughout the years. For the disgrace of the slaves, many gloomy events had to occur in order for slavery to come to its end. Slavery should have never existed in first place since in the end, people are the same. They are humans such as everyone else and should be respected and treated as such as well. 

Sectional Divisions Arise

Sectional Divisions Arise

By: Gabriel Hernandez

                There has been a division between North and South in the United States since its origins. The northern part was centralized in farming and the South was were the slavery took place. Farmers in the Old Northwest encouraged both the growth of cities and an increasingly convoluted system for supplying them with goods from the farm. On the other hand, the Northeast has workshops and factories that made goods.

                Basically, the United States was divided into sections that were divided between the South and the North. The north was more advanced than the south since it had more economic development however, they needed each other in order to make the country more prosper.

Changing households and new markets

Changing Households and New Markets

By: Gabriel Hernandez

                In the 1800s, the United States had a different concept of what was work. People were now starting to work not only to maintain their property also to gain some money in order for them to be able to maintain their families as well. Banks were the institutions that were beginning to become popular during this epoch. There was a huge circulation of money therefore; an institution was needed in order for keeping control over the situation.

                With all this circulation of money, the American people used money both in the ways of cash and credit in order to get their needs. This was called the Market Revolution. Inspired by this man all around the United States started to make businesses. The term or career of entrepreneurship has its origins during this time period since many innovative things were made.

                Thanks to the Market Revolution, United States had a more clear and centralized view of how the economy works. People were able to comprehend how the process of cash and credit work giving the United States an opportunity to strengthen its banks and economy.

Life in the new Nation

Life in the New Nation

By: Gabriel Hernandez

                One of the major events in United States history is the settlement of the Americans in the Appalachian region. During this epoch, the United States went through a rapid economic development due to inventions that would change the way some businesses work. The new inventions such as the cotton gin and new ways of transportation like the train gave a radical change to the economy giving it a boost that made the American people become more united as a country.

                In the 1770s, the United States experienced a copious growth in the population. During this time period the United States experienced the biggest increase of population since more than 40 percent of it was formed overall. In the beginning of 1770, Americans from both African and European descent moved to the Appalachians surrounding areas being Ohio, Mississippi, Tennessee and Cumberland river valleys. A few years passed and some states formed in these areas which are; Cincinnati, Saint Louis, Memphis, and Chicago.

                The 1700s and 1800s were very important time periods for the United States. They were of mayor importance since revolutionary economical and industrial advances were made back then. Also, some of the most important states like Chicago were formed during that period due to the migration of some Americans to the Appalachians area. Most of the economical advances made in this period helped the United States be a prosper country and advance throughout history.

Chapter 5 Reflection on Section 1 – The Election of 1800: A Turning Point In History

                With the election of 1800, American leaders successfully gave power without and bloodshed. In those times, there was only one political party, it was the Republican Parties. Nowadays there are two popular political parties in the United States which are; the Republican Party and Democratic Party. In order to avoid convolution, modern historians call the Republican Party the Jeffersonian Republicans. These political groups formed what today is known as the first American party system. It was surprising that the Constitution survived through the election of 1800. Many of the representatives were even saying they were willing to go through a civil war instead of going along with the constitution. Some representatives considered this a despicable document from Jefferson. There was a time in which they were at the brink of civil war. This happened because the governors from Pennsylvania and Virginia were intending to send troops if the Federalists acted against the decisions of the people. Just think about it, if a civil war could have taken place back then in that epoch, would the United States be the same? Honestly, I think this is one of the greatest accomplishments of the United States history. Why? Well, simply because it was the first ever give away of power without the necessity of wars or violent disputes.

 

The Revolutionary Era

By: Gabriel Hernandez

                Before being an independent country, United States over went through a whole series of events that lead to the Revolution. They were plenty of events and hard times for the British colonists; they felt they were not being treated like free men and women. Instead, they had this feeling of them being treated like slaves. This sentiment of lack of freedom accompanied by anger led the people to speak up and start the Revolution.

                One of the main reasons, if not the only main reason for the Revolution were the taxes. Great Britain’s government was in great debt due to the French and Indian War, also known as the 7 year war. High amounts of money were spent in warfare and Great Britain had no money to pay for it. Therefore, it was decided to “charge” the colonies with their debt. Evidently, the colonists didn’t agree with this and started to protest, disenfranchise, and even boycott all things related to the British crown.

                Getting more in depth with the French and Indian War, the British and French waged war in order to gain control over eastern North America. Great Britain resulted to be the victor of this battle with its colonies by the side. Even though they succeeded, they were some negative effects of the battle. For instance, the arrogance of many royal officers insulted leaders such as George Washington. Other thing that angered the colonists was how the British viewed them. Under British eyes, the colonists were nothing more than inferior beings and they felt the right to be treated equally or at least better. The fact that the Englishmen were taxing them due to their economic depression worsened things even more.

                The British Parliament passed a law called the Sugar Act in the early 1764. Its purpose was to raise funds provided by the colonies by a change in the tax on molasses. The act signaled an end to Britain’s salutary neglect of its colonies. George Grenville intended this law partially to defend and support the American colonies. It required that all legal documents should have an attached paper stamp. The stamp just showed that a required fee had been paid. The colonists refused to buy the stamps therefore, the Parliament backed down.

                By 1770, growing numbers of Americans were convinced that British politicians were robbing their money through taxation. Protest groups such as the “Sons of Liberty” complained that the British were taxing them in order to take away their property and somehow enslave them. After the Stamp Act, more British actions followed. British troops occupied Boston in the late 1760s to aid a soldier and fire into an angry mob. Five colonists were killed as a result which included an African American and four other colonists. Later on, the British government announced that it was going to sell millions of pounds of tea at discounted rates directly to the American public. The colonists rejected this and didn’t allow any cargo ships into the harbor. The Boston Tea party came as a result from this since the colonists threw into the ocean the cargoes of several ships.

                In response to the Tea Party, the Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts. The acts were the following; the Port Bill, it closes Boston’s port until payment is made for the destroyed tea. The Massachusetts Government Act imposes a new form of government on the colony. The Quartering Act forced colonists to quarter British soldiers in private homes. Finally, the Administration of Justice Act giving royal officials in Massachusetts the right to trial in a court outside the colony. In order to enforce these acts, four thousand troops are sent into Boston.

                After the series of events that colonists went through the British, it came the idea for a war for independence. This meant the creation of a new society committed to such powerful ideas as equality and democracy. There were two main documents that spread democratic ideas among men and women from the colonies. “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine and the “Declaration of Independence” by Thomas Jefferson. Common Sense was democratic in both style and substance, it was a direct assault on the whole idea of government by kings and aristocrats. The Declaration of Independence declared that the colonies were cutting ties with their parent country. Both of these documents raised a spirit of democracy among everyone and encouraged people to be part of the Revolution.

                It took the Americans eight years to reach their freedom. The British were not pleased of the idea of letting go their colonies at least without a fight especially if those colonies were prosperous. The Americans had some disadvantages from their side. They had no navy, no army, and over all they had no real government. They were divided by state or regions. Other mayor disadvantages for the Americans were the so called Tories. These individuals preferred to remain loyal to King George, even if they disagreed with the policies of his officials. Tories were usually merchants or well established people with connections with the British government.

                The Americans were not the only ones with problems; the British had their own too. One of their mayor disadvantages was the distance. They were fighting against an enemy that was thousands of miles away across the ocean. It was not an easy battle for the British troops since they had to be in constant movement.

                Many American people were pleased with the highly democratic state and national governments created during the American Revolution. However, there were some individuals that there was too much social disorder in the new nation. These group of people were looking for a stronger national government therefore, they were in the pursuit of a strong leader.

                The road towards independence was not easy for the Americans. However, through hard work and perseverance many things were accomplished. Thanks to the founding fathers of democracy, the United States has been the country with more years of having democratic principles with their type of government.

A Nation's Beginning

Before the settlers, the Natives had a culture of their own. They had their own set of beliefs and throughout time, it expanded with the arrival of the settlers. This process of expantion ocurred due to the blending of their culture and the settlers’. Trade existed way before the arrival of these individuals to foreign lands. Trading of foods and goods between people living in nearby lands took place before colonization.

                The Natives adapted rapidly to any environment they were in. They adapted quickly because no matter what was in their way, they had a kinship network. Nowadays is more known as a clan. A kinship network is were every single person being blood related or by marriage, is taken into account as part of the family.

                Native Americans had a very particular way of seeing the land. According to them, the land belonged to no one and could not belong to someone either. They had this belief of people being able to share the land in certain way with authorization of others. This particular way of viewing land caused the Native Americans to have violent disagreements with Europeans. They clashed because they didn’t shared the same views of land use.

                One of the mayor impacts the Europeans had with the Natives was the transmission of certain diseases. These diseases were fatal to them because they had absolutely no immunity towards them. Smallpox and measles were among the diseases that were transmitted to the Native Americans. The Europeans were clueless about being the ones causing the decline in the Native American population. Instead, they believed that it was a sign from God meaning that they were meant to conquer their lands. Conquering those lands was of much importance to the Europeans for three reasons. They needed the land, for trading, and to Christianize the Native Americans.

                Europeans in order to work more efficiently turned to West Africa looking for slaves. Both of these countries had low interaction. Every now and then they traded African godos in Exchange for gold until they realized that they could take advantage of trading the West Africans themselves. Slavery was seen as an opportunity of jobs to the West Africans. The term of slavery was nothing new to the Africans because it already existed in their country before the Europeans tok part of the slave trade. The only difference was that in Africa, slavery was because of lineage and to the Europeans it was because African people were seen as inferior.

                After the clash among the Europeans, Africans and Americans, the Spanish were on the top of the list for invading the Americas. The conquistadores abolished much of the culture they found in the Americas. They invaded those lands for glory, God, and wealth. However, all they really cared was the wealth. They didn’t destroyed completely the Native American culture, instead they used the encomienda system. This system made the Natives work for the Spanish in farms, ranches, or mines in order for them to blend with their societies.

                The Spanish had numerous colonies by the 1550s. The colonies are areas settled by immigrants who continue to be the subjects of their parent country. People in the colonies were representatives of their country in other lands.

                The Native Americans were usually disorganized in matters of showing resistance towards the conquerors. However, in New Mexico the Pueblo people revolted against the Spanish and expelled them in the Revolt of 1680.

                The English speaking people formed a body of colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America by the late 1600s and early 1700s. These colonies played an important role because of two reasons, they were suppliers of foods and goods and they were avid buyers of English goods. These acivities fitted perfectly with a new European theory called mercantilism which supposedly made a nation’s wealth and power increase.

                The economy and the politics of the colonists served the interests of Great Britain very well.  The British realized that the most salutary, or beneficial, policy was to neglect their colonies. Thus, later historians would call British colonial policy the salutary neglect during the early 1700s.

                There were many controversies between many countries in the epoch of colonization. In the end the side who had more power won but, there were a variety of resistances involved from each side so in the end, every one won. They all won because after a long period of fighting and clashes, they all went to separate ways and thanks to that, the world is what it is nowadays. 

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