...When the Civil War ended, the United States began a period of tremendous growth. One of the largest financial contributors to both the Civil War and continued expansion of the railroad was Jay Cooke and Company, which was a large banking company. This period of rapid growth could not be sustained and in 1873 there was a general panic followed by a three year depression. The fall out from this period was a catalyst for people to move further west to attempt to start over. The population of urban America grew from 6 million in 1860 to 42 million in 1910. With this growth came an influx of industry into cities. Politics began impacting many facets of American life. The growth of the country was spiraling into what seemed to be a never ending upward spin. This growth came crashing to a halt in 1929 with the beginning of what was to become known as The Great Depression. The depression ended when the United States entered World War II. The year was 1873. The banking house of Jay Cooke and Company has been financing the construction of the railroad after contributing heavily to the Civil War expenses. Jay Cooke and Company found itself over-extended and declared bankruptcy on September 8, 1873. The United States entered a three year depression and it is estimated that more than 10,000 businesses failed. The problems that led to this day included a declining market and overproduction. The New York Stock Exchange was forced to close its doors for ten days. Railroad construction was halted...
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...kids in America do not look forward to schooling and that could affect their performance. They can try their best but it will never be their absolute best because they aren't enjoying it. Most kids in America have already lost my interest in school. It feels like they’re doing the same thing every day. Learn something, take a test and forget about it a week later. That's how school feels. Most kids drop out of school by the ninth grade and there's a reason. School is long and dull. Sometimes teachers don't even care about you and just gives you packets and pass you on. Most students in America feel this way and something needs to change. America needs changes with more teachers, needs to find a way to fix the school system and needs to reduce school time. We need more teachers in America. In America there is a teacher shortage, and it’s obvious why. Kids go through school sometimes hating their teachers. They hate their teachers because they make them do hard work and make them take test for thirty minutes in silence. Why would a kid grow up hating teachers and want to become one? Some teachers do not agree with the school system and that's why they end up quitting. Some teachers don't agree with making students sit in a class and try to make them learn for a test that could decide their...
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...Republicans. You will only get these votes if you further emphasize your gender and how that will play a role in changing America when you become president. According to polls, you are most likely to obtain votes from many minorities, so continue to support them and the issues that they face (Fox News Poll). African American voter turnout rates are expected to rise above Non-Hispanic Whites in 2016, so you need to ensure the African American vote by continually supporting them and creating more opportunities for them (Trende, Sean). If you continue to support our troops, you may gain the votes of military members as well. Do not change any of your current standpoints, but emphasize claims that you have already made in order to get more votes....
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...References 1) Honey, Maureen, Creating Rosie the Riveter: Class, Gender and Propaganda during World War II, Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1984 2) “World War II and the American Home Front” National Parks Service. Ed. Marilyn Harper. National Parks Service. 15 March 2012. Changing America during World War II America had gone through a vast amount of changes during its short time as a nation. We had seen civil war, global war, industrial advancements, and economic depression. But by the mid 20th century, the United States was emerging as a multi-cultural powerhouse. The US saw an influx of immigrants from Italy, Ireland and Eastern Europe, all coming with hopes of opportunities and a better life. Those that toughed it out saw their chances come to life when World War II began. Although the war began in 1939, the US remained neutral on account of not wanting to participate in another war that could push our nation into debt and despair. FDR revised the Neutrality Acts that Congress passed in 1935 so that we could aid our allies for a profit. Our labor forces began working to supply our overseas comrades in Britain and France. Once the U.S was forced to join the war in 1941 because of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the demand for industrial labor greatly increased so that we could now arm and support our own troops. Production increased on all fronts, from shipbuilding and aircrafts to textiles and medicine. Because of our involvement...
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...“Surnames Reflect Changing Face of America” The main claim in the article is that in America the Latin culture is being seen more and Americans are being overwhelmed with the number of Hispanics in the country. Even though a Latin last name is seen, it does not define who the Latin person is as an American. You can still identify with your culture as Latin (Mexican, Spanish, etc.) but they are still Americans. Points to support this I found are in (Rodriguez, 2008 para 2) “We Hispanics have become a people whose presence gets told by such numbers”. Anytime there is a discussion about Hispanics both legal and illegal, what do the news talk about, the numbers of Hispanics in the country, or the number of jobs that are being lost due to Hispanics working. Some are legal and some are illegal, but there is always a number associated to it. In paragraph 6 Rodriguez gives two examples of the surname being shortened to appeal to all people to be accepted in America, not just Latins. He uses the baseball player Alex Rodriguez who is known all over the world. The new media shortened his name to A-Rod. The unspoken assumptions in this article are how Latin people’s presences are told by numbers and not by whom they are or their professions such as doctors, lawyers, members of the church, etc. Americans do not understand the tradition of Spanish surnames and would rather shorten the last name(s) to appeal to those of no Latin descent. The qualifiers I found are in paragraph 2 where Rodriguez...
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...Chapter 1: America, Land of Plenty? The Times Are Changing Even before immigrants came to Ellis Island looking for a new life filled with bountiful opportunities, the United States of America had declared itself the “land of the free, home of the brave, land of plenty,” and was residence to some extremely successful entrepreneurs. Since then, individuals and families such as the Johnson family (Johnson & Johnson), Sam Walton, Jimmy Dean (Jimmy Dean Sausages), Mary Kay Ash (Mary Kay Cosmetics), Martha Stewart, Leslie Wexner (Limited Brands), and Ralph Lauren have built their consumer product empires from the ground up. These individuals exemplified the American dream: that anyone could become successful and wealthy. People throughout the world believed that once they reached America, this dream could be a reality. One caveat, that was before September 11, 2001. On that day, the unspeakable happened. The United States experienced the worst case of terrorism in its history. It was made even more horrific by being televised on every national and international news channel twenty-four hours a day. The images were ingrained in consumers’ brains. It felt like the beginning of the end. American consumers experienced the end of feeling safe, the end of feeling secure, and definitely the end of prosperity. September 11 changed the landscape of the American consumer. Do we have confidence in the economy? Consumer confidence is critical to the wellbeing of an economy. The more...
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...750-800 words long The Revolution in Claude McKay’s America and Bob Dylan’s Time They are a-changing Powerless people suffered pain and distress, lives of the innocents were taken, and bloods were shared, all in the name of selfish leader. However, people have suffered physically and emotionally, but they never lost hope that their country will someday become a better place. Moreover, although, it may be painful, sorrowful, and deadly, people join their faiths and fought for the people’s right. The poem “America” by Claude McKay and the poem “Times they are a-changing” by Bob Dylan are alike in their use of symbolism, imagery, and theme. Both authors use symbolism to communicate sorrow. Claude McKay uses sorrowful symbolism to illustrate problematic issues that arose for people during the American Revolution. However, the character in McKay’s poem never gives up his hope and love for his country. Symbolism is employed in the McKay’s “Sinks into my throat her tiger’s tooth” to describe the oppressive nature of his country. In addition, “Her bigness sweeps my being like a flood” which signifies that, the character’s country treats him as someone who does not exist. In other words, the character’s own home town neither appreciates nor loves him. Likewise, the symbolism in the song “Times they are a-changing” by Bob Dylan also illustrates negative emotions. Dylan also uses painful symbolism to reveal the problematic issues that occurred in his poem as a result of motivating...
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...by contract to serve a master for four to seven years in order to repay the expense of their passages” (pg 52). Then over time the African American indentured servants had their years increased by the court and were told they have to produce more taboca which lead to them serving their whole lives under their masters control and this is when they became slaves. The Virginia legislature defined the slaves as property of their owners. While African Americans had their years of serving their slaves increased the white indentured servants had less years and were able to be free in a year or more. As there were less white indentured servants they began to bring more African Americans to serve as slaves in the 17th century. Slavery in colonial america was different than slavery in Africa because the slaves brought to the colonies would be enslaved for life and had no rights such as voting or being free at all. They were under control of their master and if they were to have children they would automatically be considered slaves as well. While slavery in Africa was only for a certain amount of time you had to serve and then you’d be...
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...Essay One: What is an American? Gregory Coryell American Literature I Dr. Joseph Walker January 19, 2011 What is an American? America has always been based on the precept that it was formed as a melting pot. This term means that different religions, cultures, traditions and countries were blended together to create the “New America.” Europeans from various areas have fled their countries for many reasons and settled on American soil, “the land of the free.” Religious persecution, war, famine, and the hope for economic prosperity have enticed individuals to pull up their tent poles in their native lands and move to a bold new world, known as America. This new world, America would be a starting point and a birth of a new civilization and a new breed of people who all share one common goal. What does it actually mean to be an American? There are many definitions that have existed and that have helped us understand and shape our interpretation of this term. This paper will compare and contrast two separate views of what the new American is and what it means to be called an American citizen. In William Bradford’s, “Of Plymouth Plantation,” he accounts for his journey to the new world by describing the intent of his voyage, his first impression of his surroundings, and the things and people he encounters. Our text verifies Bradford’s hopeful spirit and passion for his beliefs when Bradford uses the term, “Pilgrims” to describe the “community of believers who...
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...simple in today’s modern world, with two-day shipping from Asia to America very much possible. But before Christopher Columbus made the voyage over 500 years ago, that idea was not even considered. It wasn’t until after Columbus returned from the Caribbean islands, which he believed to be India, did others realize it was possible to sail across the Atlantic Ocean. A hundred years after Columbus’s findings, numerous explorers had successfully sailed across the Atlantic Ocean into America and also around the tip of Africa. This led to the Columbian exchange, the Great Convergence, and the beginning of the Atlantic World System. The origin of the Atlantic System was Columbus discovering the eastern Caribbean. Following this discovery, the Treaty of Tordesillas was agreed to between Spain and Portugal, giving Portugal territory east of the Atlantic and Spain territory west of it. The Atlantic System became very different compared to previous systems of trade and cultural exchange. In earlier interactions, the Europeans and Africans were able to interact without one side becoming more powerful than the other. Many traditions and cultures became shared, and trade thrived. However, the Europeans were able to conquer the natives of the Caribbean and much of South America. While Spain began overtaking America, Portugal took control of Brazil (470). The Atlantic System was devastating to the natives in the Americas. The Europeans brought disease that killed many, and the efforts of...
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...contributes to bringing in an estimated revenue of around $6.9 billion dollars annually. Most people spend the day watching horror movies, visiting important attractions, theme parks, and having snacks at Halloween theme restaurants. I interviewed an American citizen who has quite a lot of information concerning other countries and his country’s Halloween parties. His name is Trevor A. Jonathan, and he was born in the year 1976 in California, United States of America. He joined Harvard University in the year 2002 and undertook a Bachelor of Arts in Development Studies where he graduated in the year 2005 and joined the United Nation’s travel team. He has participated in a few countries’ Halloween’s holiday such as Russia, South Africa, Brazil, and China during his travel assignments around the world. a) What do you know about Halloween? Halloween was introduced to America in the year 1840 by Irish immigrants who had experienced it in their countries before. The immigrants were the ones to bring the festival to America. The Irish people serve the Mexicans and American people by choosing them with people and helping them with networking in the use of the usage of Halloween. The Halloween’s media is...
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...Williams describes how a major event has shaped America in each chapter of In the American Grain. In each event, Williams refers to the “New World” but never clearly states what the New World is. Williams gives the readers an opportunity to stir up their imagination and decide the meaning of the New World on their own. With the knowledge received from previous chapters, it is safe to argue that the “American Grain” is the seed planted by early settlers that created the characteristics of the New World. Williams points out similar occurrences during different parts of history that originated in the “grain”. These reoccurrences are initiating from one simple word, fear. Although in most chapters Williams uses the specific words “New World”, in the chapter “Jacataqua” he only references to it by describing events that influenced what the New World developed into. “Jacataqua” is the most obvious description of the American character, which is driven by fear, leaving the “New World” to be a symbol of America’s terror. Williams quotes another source “The United States… has given more of material help to Europe and to the world in the last ten years in time of need, than have all other nations of the world put together in the entire history” (Williams 174). But Williams argues that even though America is seeking to be helpful, it is still the wealth that is the priority, and wealth is the product of fear. Because of this fear, America can be “tricked or tripped...with hatred… by those...
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...The American Dream 1. Give an outline of how the American Dream is interpreted. Arnold Schwarzenegger writes that with hard work and determination he managed to make his dream come through in America. He says, that he understands the immigrants yearning for freedom and opportunity, but that to get those and to get success you have to work hard and give something back to America. He thinks, that one of the most important things to do to be able to fit in and blend in to the American culture is to learn the language. Not out of duty, but to be able to be a part of the everyday life in America and get the best out the cultural life of America. The second thing, he thinks, is important to get a good life in America is to participate in the democracy and to be involved in how America ended out to be, as it is today. The last thing, that he considers important, is to give something back to the America who has been welcoming you. It doesn’t have to be much; just something that helps people or something that makes a difference, small or big, in other people’s lives. Arnold Schwarzenegger believes, that your dreams can come true in America and that everything can be achieved, but not without hard work. Anya Kamenetz claims that the “old” American Dream is wounded. She is of the belief that the young Americans need a new and edited American dream, where the assumption of the dreams aren’t money and material things but a dream based on a social safety net, more time for the Americans...
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...The New World known today as America is a product of the meeting of two worlds, two different social, political and economic environments. America remained hidden for thousands of years and unknown to European explorers. Its discovery consisted of a clash of cultures, languages, traditions and history. Although they bear a similarity as they were both initially sponsored by monarchs in search of the Northwest Passage, the differences between the Spanish (1492 – 1548) and English (1584-1648) explorations are very clear. During the XV century the first marine expeditions that allowed having a better understanding of the world, were made. The major European explorers that were part of the Spanish and English explorations were Christopher Columbus, John Cabot, Nunez Balboa, Ferdinand Magellan, Juan Ponce De Leon, Hernan Cortes, Francisco Pizarro, Hernando De Soto, Francisco Coronado, and Sir Francis Drake. An important similarity on the explorations was that they were in search of the Northwest Passage , a route that the Far East could be achieved (India) from Europe traveling to the west. Other similarities included are the first voyages were made by Italian explorers and sponsored by monarchs. Christopher Columbus and John Cabot were from Italy. Columbus’ voyages were approved by Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile of Spain. John Cabot received approval by Henry VII of England. These are the similarities, but now we will see how clear the differences were. ...
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...Occupy Wall Street Movement Holly Hyder Professor Zimmerman Business Ethics July 28, 2013 Occupy Wall Street Movement In the fall of 2011 there began a movement in America. This movement would forever be known as Occupy Wall Street. Taking over Liberty Square in the Manhattan Financial District in New York, a group of Americans began a nonviolent protest over the economic state in America. One of the stances that Occupy Wall Street held was that 99% of American’s economic well-being was controlled by the top 1% of Americans. This economic truth would no longer be accepted by this group of Americans. This group also called for solidarity inside of the 99% of Americans defining this in a set of principles. These principles involved a direct and transparent engagement of participatory democracy, exercising responsibility on collective and individual levels, empowerment of each other against all oppression, redefining how labor is valued, the sanctity of individual privacy, that education is human right, and that all knowledge, technologies, and culture be open to free access, creation, modification, and distribution (Stone, 2011)). Together in this movements solidarity they came together in New York to speak out about the injustices that they have suffered at the hands of corporations. These facts were that homes had been placed in foreclosure without the original mortgages, bonuses have been given to executives after corporations have received bail outs from taxpayers, the...
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