Truman- Roosevelt

From George Washington to George W. Bush, there has been forty-two presidents in the United States of America. Presidents with similar and contrasting personalities and political positions have led the United States of America throughout the good and the bad situations encountered. During the twentieth century, the U.S.A. experience some of the harshest time in its history. From World War I and the Great Depression to World War II and the Vietnam War, there were many presidents who struggled to keep America on its "feet". Some were successful such as FDR, while some were not very successful, Hebert Hoover. Right at the beginning of the twentieth century, Theodore Roosevelt became president. He served from 1901 to the year 1909. Later on the century, Harry S. Truman became president, serving from 1945 to 1953. Roosevelt, before becoming president was a governor from New York, while Truman was a senator. Both former presidents served in some kind of military service. Roosevelt became a hero by leading the Rough Riders during the Spanish- American War, in the other hand, Truman fought World War I. Both Theodore Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman had the opportunity of becoming presidents after the death of the presidents while they were serving as the vice-president. As presidents, Roosevelt and Truman were successful. Both presidents were willing to act upon the concerns of the society as well as the economy.
Roosevelt and Truman were both aware of America's need for improvement at the beginning of their presidency. During Roosevelt's term, the regulation of industry was a big concern, while at the time of Truman's term the United States had to struggle to get back to the economic status it was in before U.S. got involved in World War II. In response, Roosevelt and Truman created the Square Deal and the Fair deal respectively. Both were excellent deals that satisfied the needs for the economy and the social fabric. Roosevelt acted upon trusts. Additionally he regulated the railroad industry. He passed the Hepburn Act in 1906 which set maximum railroad rates. Roosevelt also contributed in the creation of the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act which ultimately benefited the society. Correspondingly, in Truman's Fair Deal, helping society was the main goal. Truman tried to establish various acts concerning civil rights, education, health care and housing. Unfortunately, congress did not agree with many of Truman's ideas, except for the concern of housing which led to the creation of the Housing Act of 1949.
During their presidency, Truman and Roosevelt had to face increments of labor unions and their various strikes. Both presidents tried to solved these strikes in a similar way. In the Anthracite Coal Strike of 1902 and in the National Railway Strike of 1946 both presidents made some kind of threat to solve the problem. Unfortunately, the agreements in both cases ended up having a negative effect in the economy.
In foreign politics, both presidents took different actions for different purposes. Roosevelt was largely involved with Latin America. He created the Roosevelt Corollary which allowed the U.S. to intervene in Latin American affairs to solve various problems such as corrupt governments. He was also however involved in other continents. Roosevelt helped to negotiate an end to the Russo- Japanese War. Truman was also heavily involved in international affairs. The most significant moment being his decision of dropping the atomic bombs in Japan in order to make Japan surrender, and maybe to also show the rest of the world how powerful the U.S. can be. He was involved in the Korean War, among others.
Both Roosevelt and Truman were mostly successful during their presidencies. They were able to take control of the country during difficult situations that had been started by the previous president of their time. Both made attempts to satisfy the needs of society and the economy. Although they were not successful in accomplishing everything they desired, they did brought more attention to the issues they tried to address.

Atomic Justification.

As a result of the harsh conditions Germany was left in after World War I, many extremist organizations aroused, one being the National Socialist German Workers Party, or the Nazis. The Nazis were led by Adolph Hitler; Hitler was willing to conquer many territories. Britain and France satisfied Hitler's demand for territories at the Munich Conference, were Germany was allowed to control Sudetenland, in former Czechoslovakia. Through this agreement, Britain and France hoped for Hitler's territorial ambitions to come to an end. Unfortunately they made a mistake. Germany continued its path until the finally conquered Poland, thus starting WWII in Europe. Further on other nations such as Japan and Italy were fighting along with Germany against the rest of the world. Particularly, United States' relations with Japan deteriorated greatly. Trade with Japanese was cut off , resulting in Japanese madness. Europe's Axis powers were defeated first, and the remaining Japanese nation was left, it corresponded the U.S. to take care of the Japanese, after all they were attacked by the Japanese in the Pearl Harbor incident. An so they did in 1945, in a very harsh but necessary, and justified way. The U.S. resorted to using the powerful atomic bombs which fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The U.S. was justified in dropping the bombs because if they never did so, the number of casualties could have been even bigger if trying to invade Japan. In addition, the Japanese may have never surrendered. Plus the costly and savage battles at Okinawa and Iwo Jima were motives to drop the bomb which would result in less casualties.
Truman decide to use the atomic bombs on Japan because if he decided to go along with the already planed Operation Downfall which purpose was to invade Japan, the number of casualties could have been larger on both the Japanese and American side. In case of invasion attempt, the Japanese were willing to use women and children to fight. Additionally, Japan battled by using total war, meaning that ever single available resource was used against the enemy. This also meant that many civilians from around the world were in greater danger since the war would have last longer.
Japan's fighters fought with great honor and pride, this made the battle for the allies even harder. Japanese culture taught its people to never surrender no matter what. The Japanese were willing to fight till the very end, so a formal agreement with Japanese leaders to end battle was hardly possible. The pride of the Japanese can be seen in many action. One was the kamikaze pilots or suicide pilots that did not want to die without making any damage to the enemy. In addition, many Japanese leaders committed suicide rather than to be captured and prosecuted and most likely executed. The dropping of the bombs was necessary to make the Japanese surrender.
The U.S. did not want the same thing for the many Americans who lost their lives due to the fierce battles of Okinawa and Iwo Jima. The bombs were necessary to lessen the casualties. Having to battle at Japan was very dangerous due to the battle methods of the Japanese. The bombs were necessary to save millions of lives that could been lost at battle even bigger than Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
The United States made a justified decision in dropping the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They did it in order to save the rest of humanity threatened by the strong minded Japanese fighters. This was the only way to force the Japanese to surrender, since when the allies offered a conditional surrender the Japanese objected the offer. The bombs were successful in making the Japanese surrender. More importantly it ended World War II.

Dark Ages

"The roaring twenties", an era in which many prospered. Take the Harlem renaissance for example, where numerous African American artists flourished. During this period of time the economy grew rapidly thanks to a number of technological inventions. One was Ford's assembly line which made the automobile more affordable than ever. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end; So in 1929, the Roaring Twenties came to an unexpected end when the stock market crashed. The excitement of the 1920's was now over. Ahead came harsh times, some of the worst U.S. economy had. This so called 'Great Depression" altered the American Social fabric in many ways. Those who were poor during the roaring twenties would now suffer even further, and those whose life prospered in the twenties would overcome a dramatic change.
The great depression, besides causing banks to panic, also caused millions of people to be unemployed. Unemployment came from a varied amount of reasons. One was the use of new technology which at times replaced human labor. Machines without a doubt made a better and faster job than humans could do, however this lead to overproduction, followed by under consumption as a result from the unemployed.
Starting with the living conditions, people no longer lived in nice homes, instead they became part of the Hoovervilles. Named after the President of that time, Herbert Hoover, who during his term was unable to get the United States out of the Great Depression, Hoovervilles were shanty towns for the homeless and unemployed as a result of the depression. People who lived here lived under bad conditions. Those not skilled enough had to built their temporary homes out of cardboard and other simple materials. In the other hand, the skilled built their houses out of stone. Even those who had cars suffered, since gasoline was not affordable anymore. Cars had the engines taken out in order to be pulled by horses.
Some in response decided to get together through charities in order to help the unfortunate. The infamous soup- kitchens were created to provide free food for those who needed it the most. Some minorities such as women and African Americans were also affected. Women were not affected in a very bad way, for they were considered the only hope for some families. Even though they were not paid as much as men, their effort to make a difference was well appreciated. African Americans in the other hand suffered even more during the depression. They were the last on the waiting list for jobs as well as the first to be fired. Nevertheless others outside the United States were affected, for example, in Latin America many fascist movements arose due to the effects of the great depression resulting from the many investments the United States had with many Latin American countries.
The great depression affected many in America mostly in a bad way. The depression was not however only a local issue, but rather a global one that affected millions of people, even foreigners in the U.S. were affected, for example, Mexican-Americans who faced illegal deportation in order to yield jobs for white Americans. In the United States, the depression ended an era of mass consumerism that once prospered in the urban areas.

The Roaring Twenties.- A good or a bad thing?

By the beginning of the nineteen-twenty's , World War One was over. The war had changed the United States in a big way. Despite the fact that the United States did not join the League of Nations or the failure of Woodrow Wilson after the war, the United States arose as a major economic and military power. People wanted more than anything a return to normality concerning politics. Economically after the war, the United States faced a period of prosperity.
The period in which the United States encountered various kinds of cultural, social, and artistic innovations was called " The Roaring Twenties" ( 1920-1929). During this period a big economic boom faced the United States. The people, to extend the economy, made a big impact when consumerism vastly increased due to the many inventions during that period; For example, before this period not many people owned a car, but thanks to Ford's famous assembly line made the process faster, therefore cheaper and more affordable to the public. Additionally, human intellect arose: Albert Einstein's relativity theory. Technology was improved, or invented as well. Unfortunately not everything was pleasing, for the "Roaring twenties" experienced social ,economic, and cultural alterations that affected the lives of Americans.
Disputes over the rural versus urban attitudes were created. Rural areas were guided by tradition, and the cities were looked at by the rural public as corrupted and sinful. What small-town people looked at as a provocative lifestyle, the drinking in the cities was the "thing". Even after Prohibition. Even women in the cities were different. The way they dressed was very different from women in the rural areas. What became know as " Flappers", were women wearing make-up and smoking.
Citizens also grew concerned about communism. In what became known as the "Red Scare", fear swept the country for the feeling that communism could spread after the success of the Russian Revolution in 1917. People also reacted against local radicals , union members, socialist and immigrants. AS a result of increase of nativist sentiment, groups such as the KKK were reestablished to fight against Eastern Europeans, catholics, Jews, unions, and African Americans. Foreigners, such as Sacco and Vanzetti , were victims of nativist fear due to their ethnicity and political views. Not even if the need for cheap labor was big, anxiety about immigrants caused various legislations to be passed in order to minimize immigration impacts to the U.S.
Religion, still in the hearts of the rural citizens, was put a question mark when in the city, ideas based in science about the creation of man were rationalized. In the Scopes Monkey trial, prosecuted by W. J. Bryan tried to settle the dispute of whether the theory of evolution should be taught at schools.
This conflicts were mainly driven by the concern from the citizens on what was adequate and appropriate for the sake nation's status. Unfortunately, all things must come to and end. By the year 1929, those great and not so great times would be over. For the next period would be that involving the Great depression were even those who prospered during the "roaring twenties" would have to go down.

US Neutrality.

During the industrial era, the United States was in much need for raw materials in order to feed its economy. Local resources were not enough, therefore the United States needed to get these materials from other countries. As a result, the United States opted for imperialism; The United States achieved a lot during this era. The United States was not alone in these race for territories. In order to achive the conquering of many foreign territories a vast expansion of the army was needed. The use of these armies was to intimidate other nations, this is also known as militarism. Moreover, imperialims created distrust among the imperialist which ultimately resulted in the creation of secret military alliances.
All this factors, along with the rise of nationalism by those conquered by imperialist, were the creators of Wolrd War one which lasted from 1914 to 1918. As the war broke out with the assassination of heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Francis Ferdinand, the United States declared their neutrality. The United States was in fact neutral, until a number of factors forced the nation to intervene along with the allies.
By 1914, the United States president at the time, Woodrow Wilson, declared the nations neutrality, ( Doc A ) stating that the war was not in the best of interest for the nation. National leaders such as Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan also gave voice to the inclination for American neutrality (Doc D).The United States remainded neutral, until Germany along with its unrestricted submarine warfare in european seas resulted in the lost lives of hundreds of Americans. This action of course upset the United States. As stated by the German embassy, (doc E) any ship sailing in the warzone would be attacked. Since the United States still traded with european nations, this was a big problem for the nation. In response, the United States president declared to cut off all kinds of dipolomatic relationships with Germany unless the unrestricted Warfare stoped.( Doc G) Germany wanted to keep the United States out of conflict therefore they promised not to sink any ships without warning or taking care for the lives of passengers, this was known as the Sussex Pledge.
Deeper United States involvement in war came in 1917 when Germany decided to continue with their Submarine Warfare. The U.S. declared "Armed neutrality" , this meant that U.S. merchant ships would be armed to protect themselves from German U-Boats. Germany realized that this was a small step into bringing the U.S. into war; They also thought that it was too late however for American intervention to have any effect in the outcome of war. Just in case the U.S. became too involved in war, Germany's Arthur Zimmerman sent a telegram to German Ambassador Johann von Bernstoff in Mexico. (Doc H) The telegram was intercepted by the British however. The telegram encouraged Mexico to join Germany's cause in case the U.S. joined war. If Germany won, Mexico would get back the lasn lost to the U.S. during the Mexican-American War. This angered the Americans.
Later on, the United States entered War in order "to make the World safe for democracy." Now the United States was beginig to see Germany as a threat to the world ( Doc I). Fortunately U.S. intervention was very helpful since its help was a big factor to defeating the Germans. After war ended, Wilson and the Allies came up with the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations.
By the begining of the war the U.S. still traded with Britain and even Germany, however, since Germany decided to use Submarine Warfare and take the lifes of people, including Americans, the United States could not keep its neutrality for too long. Due to the fact that Germany was a threat to American lifes as well as the rest of the world, U.S involvement was necessary in order to stop Germany's awful militaristic plans.

Roosevelt, Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.

By the start of the twentieth century, the United States had managed to become a powerful world power, perhaps the most powerful. The ones that benefited the most of bieng a powerful nation were the upper class that came from corporations and and large business that operated with hardly any government intervention. In addition, in most places poverty was still a big issue. One goup of people, the middle class, were willing to make a change in American democracy. The period in which these people took some action was called the progressive era.

Presidents also took some actions to adress the problems of their society. Among these were Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft, and Woodrow Wilson. In order to solve the problems during this era, federal policies and legislation were needed. Each president had its own ideas and proposals to confront the problems. However, Roosevelt was the one that stood out the most at reforming society during the progressive era.

When runnig for president, Taft and Roosevelt were enemies due to the fact that Taft did not carry out Roosevelt Plans after Roosvelt had done his term. One of Taft's achievments is the busting of more trust than Rosevelt. However, unlike Roosevelt, Taft was very weak on progressivism, conservation, and social- welfare. Regarding trusts, Wilson passed the Clayton anti-trust act.

Roosvelt was also a conservationist, this can be seen by the Newlands Act, which opted for the preservation of forest. What made Roosevelt tha best in the progressive era was that he succesfuly acoomplishd many reforms in various "fields

", including the workers and consumers, for example: the creation of the Hepburn Act , which solved the problems with the railroad rates. Another was the Anthracite coal strike in which Roosevelt threatened to sent troops to take over the mine, however, frightened that Roosvelt actually seize the mine, the operator came up with an agreement to have an arbitration commitee in order to settle the dispute. After the strike ended, the result were fulfiling, it provided a ten percent wage increase and a shorter workday.

Even Wilson made a better job than Taft in the social sector. This can be seen in Muller v Oregon, which solved issues concerning women workers. Anyhow, Wilson did not do much concerning foreign reforms. Taft passed his Dollar Diplomacy, which allowed private investors ( wealthy class) to give out loans to Central American countries. More exceptional, Roosevelt got the Panama canal and created the Roosevelt corollary; additionally he was also the mediator to the Russo-Japanese war.

Clearly Roosevelt was the better man when it came to reforming. He was the "Square deal Reformer", meaning that he took actions concerning: Trust busting, consumer protection, and conservation. More importantly he also suceede in these. He was the one that had the most impact in the nation. He also got the most support from people due to his concern for the common man. Taft and Wilson cannot be ignored however, since they also took some actions to fight against the parasites of the nation.

America's way of Imperialism (pride or embarrasment)

Before Civil War, the United States had two sides, the Union and the Confederates, each with different views about slavery. These differences were disputed in the Civil War. Abolition of slavery was one of the results of this war. Subsequently, the United States now had other worries: economic problems, racial equality, etc. Not long after most of the local problems were solved, an urge for yet more territorial expansion emerged. Not only the United States was seeking local expansion but as well as expansion beyond its borders.
Now, was the way the United States became a world power a reason for an American to be proud of its nation or embarrassed of it? The United States had a variety of justifications to go beyond its virtual limits, however these were mostly economic and were also fueled by many theories. Additionally the United States also wanted to become a world power that would influence other nations. As in most political cases, there were those who opposed this policy of imperialism.
Imperialism by the United States had many theories from those who supported it. Among these was Alfred Mahan's which stated that the United States ought to have a large Navy and that in order to achieve this additional natural resources such as coal and more land were needed , therefore acquiring colonies was needed. Another theory was Frederick Jackson's, which declared that territorial expansion was good to improve social, political and ECONOMIC stability. A theory that showed extreme nationalism was Social Darwinism, which declared that the United States was above other nations morally and biologically.
The United States took actions to extend its power to other nations. This was seen when the United States went in a "rescue" mission against Spain in order to "help" Cuba. However the United States had its eyes on the vast amount of sugar cane that Cuba produced, which after helping Cuba to gain its independence from Spain would help boost the American economy. More importantly the United States now had showed its capability of being a world power.
The United States was not satisfied yet, and to strengthen it s naval power, they took on mission to obtain Hawaii. However after trying to obtain, the Queen Liliuokalani refused to give it. Later the United States imposed a tariff which made it a struggle economically to trade. As a result, many people supported the annexation of Hawaii to get rid of the tariff. After overthrowing the Queen, Hawaii became a state now belonging to the United States and serving as an excellent naval base.
The United States had now many more resources needed to boost its economy as well as its military power which was needed in order to help the United States reach the number one spot as the strongest nation. Clearly, the reason for the United States to "help" other nations was to ultimately solved its economic problems as well as to be seen as a reliable nation for many Latin American countries that the United States had "helped".


I saw that picture in facebook. You were wearing some glasses with an afro wig and "throwing" a peace sign. lol

Populist!!!

A third party is an additional political party other than the two major parties participating in state and national elections. These third parties usually do not gather as many votes as the major parties do. Despite the fact that the presidential candidates of these parties have little chance of being elected, these parties are really significant since they may promote important concepts to be incorporated into government.
In the presidential election of 1892, the Democrats, Republicans, and infamous Populist were competing for a place in the presidency. Regardless of the failure to reach presidency and the short period of time it lasted, the populist party promoted fine ideas that would help improve government and social life. This party however could not accomplish much of what they desired. Therefore, the populist were not effective enough politically, but their ideas did help the country later on after their disappearance.
The People's Party, as it was also called, opted for inflation through free and unlimited coinage of silver, therefore the strongly opposed the gold standard. This party centered mainly in rural areas and focused on agrarian issues, such as forming a political alliance between poor whites and Blacks. At the time of elections, its candidate James Weaver received a little more than a million votes as well as 22 popular votes. This was a great achievement for such kind of party. The populist had other objectives as well. Among these was government ownership of major industries, replacement of fixed income tax with graduated income tax, and direct election of U.S. senators. Not everything was achieved, however the direct election of senators and graduated income tax would later become a reality.
The party went on a downfall, a downfall whose causes were many. One was the lack of support from the south to the party and their goal to unite Blacks and poor whites. To make it even harder for the Populist, the Jim Crow laws, Literacy tests, and poll taxes made the task of gaining southern support almost impossible. To make things worst, their leader, Thomas Edward Watson became a voracious racist, creating a racial division among the party.
When 1896 came, the Democrats incorporated into their platform much of the Populist's own platform, and incorporated, with some difficulty, William Jennings Bryan as their candidate. This caused Populist to be done as a National political party, however, their platform was later on well absorbed by Republicans and Democrats.
To conclude, the Populist party was not so effective in concern to their goals, however they could gather enough votes to stand out during elections. The party had good motives for the country, but they found themselves with harsh obstacles that prevented them from gaining total support from the citizens. Nevertheless, the party provided important goals to other parties that later realized that the populist's platform could be useful.

Unions

After the civil war, an era of industrialism began. This era was led by a partnership between government and big businesses. During this period of time Railroad systems, electronic devices, and other needs were invented or improved. To build and use the inventions and improvements much labor labor was needed. As a result of the desire for industrial growth from the government and businesses, workers were most of the time not taken into account. In response, the workers organized themselves into unions. These unions aimed to represent the interest of people at work and negotiate with employers for better terms and conditions for their members.
Various Unions were formed, each had different rules for admission, but all with a similar goal to protect and extend the rights of American workers. These unions were successful but not to a full extent. Organization was exceptional, they decided who could enter the union and who could not. However the achievement of their main goal was scarce.
Among the many unions was the National Labor Union (NLU). This was the first union and was formed right after the end of the Civil War. It included workers no matter race,gender, or skill level. Their main concern was not racial or gender equality, but they opted for higher wages and an appropriate amount of working hours. Their concern on working hours was solved, and eight hours of work were given for federal workers. Other unions were: The knights of Labor, whose concern was racial and gender equality as well as for an end to child labor; The American Federation of Labor (AFL), which only admitted skilled workers, thus making it more successful than any of the major labor unions. ; Last but not least, was the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) , which promoted worker solidarity to overthrow the employing class.
These strictly organized Unions also created strikes. These strikes were for the most part unsuccessful and often ended up with terrible consequences. Some strikes included the Railroad strike of 1877, the Homestead Act strike, the Pullman strike and the Haymarket square riot. In response, the government sent troops to maintain control. However in some strikes such as the Haymarket Square Riot in Chicago, the strikers opted for violence which ultimately caused the strikes to end without any kind of accomplishment and more importantly deaths.
The extreme, and fast growth of capitalism and industries in the post war era led to tension between capitalist and their employees. The unions formed as a result, all shared a common goal even though they had different conditions for admission. The unions excelled at organizing themselves, unfortunately, they could not accomplish most of their goals such as an increase in wages and the overthrowing of employers by the working class. Therefore they could not be very successful.

Reconstruction Plans.

The American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865, was a clash between the United States of America ( the union) and the southern slave sates also known as the Confederate States of America. It all began when Abraham Lincoln, a republican who opposed the expansion of slavery, took the victory in the elections of 1860, resulting in some southern states declaring their secession for the Union. The Union saw this as a rebellion, therefore, when Lincoln took office, his goal was to preserve the Union. To do this, a war was necessary. After reaching an amazing number of hostilities, the Union came out victorious. The next step was reconstruction.
The reconstruction was an attempt to resolve the consequences of the civil war. It would need to address how the south would return to the union, the condition of the newly freed blacks, and decide what would happen to the ex-leaders of the confederacy. Lincoln, Johnson, and the Radical Republicans presented plans for reconstruction, among these were similarities and differences on how to confront the matter. However, the Radical Republican's plan presented the best soulution.
Lincoln's plan was based on a quick and painless reincorporation of the south to the Union. He began the ten percent plan, which stated that in order for a state to be readmitted, it needed just ten percent of voters to take a loyalty oath to the United States. He also wanted the south to discard the compact theory and welcome the contract theory. Lincoln's plans for reconstrutcion were very moderate compared to the Radical Republican's plans.
Johnson's plan was somewhat similar to Lincoln's, for he also requested a certain percentage ( fifty percent) of voters to swear loyalty and allegiance to the United States. Johnson also opted for a pardon to ex-confederates which in turn would help keep control of southern State Governments, southern lands and black people. Even though he enforced the acceptance of the thirteenth amendment, like Lincoln's plan, not much was done to enfranchise the south's black population.
Johnson's plan caused him to come into direct confrontation with the Radical Republicans, thus creating a struggle between the executive and legislative branch. In discontent with Johnson actions for reconstruction, the Radical Republicans wanted to destroy Johnson's plans. Unlike Lincoln's plan, the Radicals would guarantee the enfranchising of the blacks into the south, mainly because doing so would provide economic aid to the demolished south and keep the freedmen from job competition in the North. To further enfranchise blacks, they came up with the fourteenth amendment, which defined citizenship rights and had to ratified by states in order to be readmitted.
The similarities and differences between these plans at the end all provided good references to each other to come up with better alternatives for a reconstruction favorable to the United States economically and socially. Clearly, the one that did this the best were the Radical Republicans, since their plan was well thought, and it intergrated the freedman while at the same time helping the country's economy recover.

The Reform Movements.

A reform movement is a kind of civil movement whose goal is to make a progressive change in certain aspects of society. Since the end of the revolutionary war, concerns about the values of the new society emerged. During the period between the end of the war of 1812 ans the antebellum period, a variety of grassroots movements flourished to address the social problems confronting the nation. This period is known as the age of reform.
The grassroots movements in the age of reform were successful in achieving their goals. In these movements citizens tried to confront the maladies that plagued their society. Such movements included included movements concerning women's rights, abolition, public education and prison reform.
The women's rights movement emerged mainly because of the common discontent among slaves and women of not having as much freedom or not freedom at all as men did. Led by Elizabeth Cady Santo and Lucretia Mott, women's rights advocates met at the Seneca Falls Convention were a Declaration of Sentiments was published. This declaration requested for legal equality for women.
Women accomplished some of the freedoms they wanted. They were given the responsibility to be educated women in order to follow the "republican motherhood" "code" which would ultimately help to create and secure a central position in the young minds of the nation. This meant that women would now have a better education provided for them.
Along with the women's rights movement came the abolitionist movement. This movement was probably one of the most controversial movements of the age of reform. Its goal was to end slavery for the abolitionist saw slavery as morally wrong. Some abolitionist leaders are Theodore Weld, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. These leaders contributed to the movement through many creations such as the Underground railroad and newspapers such as The Liberator. However, these movement did not saw its desired effects right away. Instead, the results would come along later on.
A movement for public education emerged as well. Its purpose was to have a more relevant curriculum and easier access to education. School reformers fundamentally expected to improve education so that children would become responsible citizens, sharing common national values. Horace Mann, an advocate for educational reform, made it possible to achieve the goals of the movement by making possible an increase in the money spent on schools, thus introducing the textbooks.
As with the mental health movement, the prison reform movement argued about about practices of humiliation and physical abuse to maintain order and discipline in prisons. Reformers requested for more humane measures such as rehabilitation through order and discipline.
The grassroots movements during the Age of reform saw their goals being accomplished. Women saw more job opportunities, prisons were better organized, abolitionist expressed and spread their ideas, and education was dramatically improved. These movements were also successful in arousing the government to initiate programs and policies to address society's problems.Unfortunately, the North and West were the only socially improved sides, for the south remained industrialized and traditional. Later on, it would take a war to set both sides equal.

U.S vs Mexico.

As time has passed, people from both, the United States and Mexico have developed a great rivalry. This rivalry is fueled by nationalism. In this modern era, whenever the United States faces Mexico in some sort of challenge, a victory over the rival is more than just another victory. It is a victory that provides pride of one's nation.
The start of this rivalry flourished after the Mexican-American War. In going to war against Mexico, President of the United States, James Polk was taking into account the best interest of the United States, for his ultimate purpose was territorial expansion.
The Mexican- American War was one of the biggest conflicts sustained by the idea of "Manifest Destiny"- The belief that America had the God- given right to expand its territories. When President Polk took office in 1845, the idea of "manifest destiny" had taken over the mentality of most Americans, and so it did in the mind of President James Polk.
He demonstrated to be a follower of this idea through his work to settle the Oregon border affair and through his desire for the acquisition of California. In addition he also admitted Texas into the union a decade later after they had gained their independence from Mexico.
President Polk, not satisfied with the annexation of Texas, wanted to acquire the California - New Mexico region as well. Since past attempts to obtain this territory through negotiations with Mexico had failed, Polk needed another way put his hand on the tempting territory. He opted for a more violent and later controversial way, war.
Polk sent troops to the disputed area near Nueces river and the Rio Grande. He proceeded to do this despite the fact that many Americans believed the area belonged to the Mexicans. Polk's opportunity to declare war came when Mexican forces, according to him, had crossed over the border to attack Americans. - This was never proved.
This excuse- based war brought a victory to the Americans after they had gone all the way to Mexico's capital to defeat Mexico. Polk, in such a controversial manner, had accomplished his ambitions for territorial expansion. Under the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the Mexican - American war was terminated. The treaty stated that Mexico recognized the American claims to the are north of the Rio Grande. Mexico also ceded California and New Mexico to the United States for $15 million.
Even though Polk was not satisfied with the terms of the treaty because he thought America deserved even more territory, in his first term as president, Polk achieved his ultimate goal and attributed to Washington's reference to America as a " Rising Empire."
Ultimately, Polk made a huge impact for United States history, for the American territory dramatically, if not unbelievably, increased since the American Revolution. This acquirement of land would boost America's economy, since it created an infinite number of jobs.

Mr. Jefferson.

Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States. He served two terms, from 1801 to 1809. He was also the principal author of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He helped to promote the ideas of Republicanism, since he was the leader of the Democratic- Republican party. His presidency could be seen as satisfactory in domestic affairs policies and actions which took part mostly on his first term; Though during his second term, he had difficulty dealing with foreign affairs policies and actions.
Throughout his first term, surprisingly, Jefferson maintained the federalist domestic and foreign policies such as the Bank of the United States and Hamilton's debt repayment plan. He also wanted to remain apart from international alliances and maintain the nations neutrality. In addition, internal taxes were reduced, military budget was cut and government size was reduced.
His most important accomplishment involving foreign affairs, was the decision he made concerning the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, which he conducted despite not having authorization by constitutional amendment. The opportunity came when Napoleon was in a big need for money to defend his territory, and he offered to sell the Louisiana territory to the United States, who paid only $15 million. Regretting this offer would have changed the history of the United States from what it is now, since the size of the U.S. almost doubled in size after the acquisition of this land.
This vast amount of territory needed to be explored; Jefferson organized an expedition led by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. This individuals helped gather information of this "new" land. This was a helpful move by Jefferson to start a westward expansion.
After his re-election in 1804, Jefferson was faced with foreign affairs, in which he did not have a pleasant experience. In North Africa, a coastal nation known as Barbary States were seizing international ships and holding their crews for ransom. United States ships were susceptible to be attacked, as a result, the United States pay the pirates to protect their ships; It wasn't until the United States defeated the pirates in 1805, that the damages stopped.
To make things worst, relations with France and Britain also worsened. The conflict between the French and British intensified, which resulted in irregularity in of the American shipping. The British tried to stop trade between the U.S. and France by adopting various tactics such as capturing of American ships and forcing the sailors into the British navy. Jefferson, instead of opting for war against one or both nations, decided to punish the British and French through a series of acts. The most significant was the Embargo Act of 1809, which attempted to force respect for U.S. neutrality by ending all foreign trade. Unfortunately, for Jefferson, the act was a total failure since it hurt more than it helped the United States.
Jefferson's presidency was weak most likely because he was the president of a young, developing nation of which he was only the third president. This means that he did not have much to learn from the experiences of the only two previous presidents, George Washington and John Adams. However, we can also say that his presidency was an admirable one, since he did make a risky move defying the constitution: the purchase of the Louisiana territory, which came out to be a great success. He can also be recognized as one of the founding fathers of America for his big contributions that helped developed this country.

R.I.P. - AOC.

Clearly, the Articles of Confederation were an inadequate form of government,as it developed foreign and domestic problems or weaknesses. The Articles of Confederation represent the first constitutional agreement between the thirteen American colonies . Under the Articles of Confederation, the central government was weak, and most of the power stood with the states.

In foreign matters, under the AOC, Congress could make decisions, however it required the approval of the states. Additionally, they had to request troops from the states in spite of not having a chief executive or state department to conduct foreign affairs. Mainly, the AOC had a great impact on economy concerning foreign relations; In most part, this was due to the irregular monetary system. Furthermore, the central government could not regulate international trade.

Domestically, the AOC was also a great failure. It gave no power to congress to tax or regulate trade among the states. In addition, it permitted the states to take individual actions. Congress could also pass laws, but could not force states to obey them. In addition, the currency was not a standard one, for each new state had money different from other states; As a result of congress' incapability to tax states, the paying of debts of the Revolutionary war became a major issue. Because the AOC let the states decide on their taxes, Massachusetts implied high taxes on their citizens, its consequence being Shay's rebellion which led to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and served as a major factor for the creation of the Federal government.

Regardless of the AOC's successful Northwest Ordinance, which created the Northwest territory, the Articles of Confederation were a weak and ineffective form of constitutional government. The AOC, however, provided an experience that would help develop a better government later on. This new government would be based on the United States Constitution of 1788.

Radicals, moderates, or conservatives? 2

The first and second continental congresses were shaped by different opinions from different parties.Each faction provided convincing arguments for their positions. However, the one that was most persuasive and effective in achieving its goals were the radicals, due to their belief that the relationship between England and the colonies had come to an end and there was no return; They also believed in freedom for the people.
"When in the course of human events, it becomes neccessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with one another"- Thomas Jefferson. This quote is the first line of the famed Declaration of Independence, but it also helps describe one of the beliefs of the radicals. They though parliament did not have any authority to tax the colonist.
In contrast with the moderates and conservatives, the radicals believed that America needed to liberate itself from England. In fact, the failure of the conservative Galloway Plan, which would bring back the status of the colonies and England as it was before the French And Indian War, opened the doors for the radicals to take control of actions.
Radicals were clearly the most succesful out of the three parties. This was due to the unity and the convincing arguments they had. An example of this unity would be the Boston Tea Party as well as the Minute Man, who were armed residents from Massachussets that wera ready to respond to a moments notice.
The ultimate goals of the radicals, to be free from England and freedom for the people, would be favored by later events such as the successful American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence.

Radical,moderates, or conservatives?

The first and second continental congress were shaped by different opinions from three parties. Each faction providedconvincing arguments for their positions. However, the one that was most persuasive and effective in achieving its goals were the radicals due to their beliefs about separation from England and rights of the colonist such as liberty.
"When in the course of human events it becomes neccesary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another" - Thomas Jefferson; This quote is the first line of the famed Declaration of Independence, but it also helps describe one of the beliefs of the radicals that would eventually come to pass. In contrast with the moderates and the conservatives, the radicals believed that America needed to liberate itself from England and the many actions they tooked, including the Boston tea party, the declaration of rights and grievances and eventually the war leading to their succes.
A big help for the radicals, was the support they got for from the people, for example: they promised freedom to slaves if they helped. The radicals were the most succesfulbecause of their belief in liberty, the support from the citizens and their want to be free from Engand.

Essay.

English colonies in the New World were different from one another in terms of government, population and origin.
Colonies such as Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Maryland, were started for religious freedom. The Duke of Baltimore established the colony of Maryland after he had reccently converted to Catholism and wanted to establish a colony for the English colonist who were mistreated by the Anglican church. In Rhode Islan, Roger Williams established what is belived to be the first Baptist Church in America, in addition, he made Rhode Island more liberal than any other English settlements; He sheltered abused Quakers although he strongly disagreed with their views.
Other Colonies such as Massachusets Bay, were started for economic reasons, as well as New Netherland which was established as the base for the Dutch and French fur trade. Another reason why colonies were established was to serve as penal colonies, like Georgia.
Massachusetts and other mid- atlantic colonies tended to have a higher population due to the freedoms which made the number of immigratns increase. Furthermore, the unhealthy conditions of the south helped the north have a higher population.
As time passed in the colonies, economic, class, recial and political divisions would come to existance. Each of these would become especific to certain colonies and set these apart even further.


Happy "birthay" to ur daughter MB!

AP U.S History

I chose to take AP U.S history because I wanted to have at least one AP class in my curriculum for college and because I get a college credit for taking this class.