American History

The 1930s were hard times for the US. The depression was at its peak and finding employment was impossible. The Japanese invaded Manchuria and there were talks about invasions in the US. After the hue and cry over the twentieth amendment had settled, Franklin Delano Roosevelt came in as president and put forward his New Deal. Everybody was worried about the depression and loved the New Deal. I remember how the entire neighborhood would gather around the radio to listen to the Yankees games. But the Dust Bowl farmers got the worst deal of it all. Entire families moved out of Oklahoma into California to escape the dust storms. Deaths of people like John Dillinger and Huey Long kept people on the edge of their seats. America was busy with itself.

Three more decades down the road came the swinging 60s. Pop music came on to the scene and hairstyles and clothes suddenly changed. I remember, everything was about being different and rejecting the traditional values of the system. But nothing caught the attention of the people like the civil rights movements. It was an all out revolution as drugs became a bigger problem than they ever were before. America was so busy in the Vietnam War that with the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and Malcolm X that hardly any attention went to what Mao Zedong was doing in the east or the European colonies. Just like the 30s, America remained independent of what happened anywhere else in the world as it sped through the 60s.

Children, as you grow older, remember, America is not just a country, it is a world. Explore this amazing world and its rich history. It a land where anything is possible and where there is no restrictions. The 30s and the 60s are proof of the fact that America has changed over time, but time has remained irrelevant to America.

The history of Great Britains kinship has always been characterized by repeated incidences of usurpations and injuries. They are most evident during the colonial era of America under the rule of the British. There were repeated incidents of all forms of oppression being perpetrated by the people of Great Britain on the Americans. Despite the fact that the Americans were always quick at petitioning the oppressions they were going through to the government of Britain through the various kings who served at that time, the petitions were always answered through repeated injury. The fact oppression was further worsened by the fact that the character of the Great Britain kings had and have always been marked by a lot of tyranny, they are therefore not suitable at all to rule other people especially if the governed belong to another nation.

These kings did not respect the rule of law and this is made very clear by the fact that they were not keen at assenting to various laws which were very necessary and wholesome for the good of the people being governed. As a result, they used their powers to allow injustice to be done on the Americans who were under them. Besides these kings refusing to assent various laws, they could also forbid their governors in passing such laws especially those of pressing and immediate importance. It was therefore a general principle for these kings to ensure that they ruled people unjustly without a solid legal framework which could help the governed liberate themselves. Furthermore, these kings used intimidations in order to deny the human rights to the people being governed. Even during times when peace prevailed and there was therefore no need for armed forces, the kings could ensure that there was a standing army among the people and did not require the consent of the American representatives to do so.

Great Britain in giving the Americans their independence was guided by the principle of guaranteeing freedom to all the American people. The Americans were therefore allowed to govern themselves in an independent manner without paying any allegiance to the crown of the British. Hence any political link between Great Britain and America should be dissolved completely. The independence principle ought to ensure that the former American colonies obtained full power for levying war, contracting alliances, concluding peace, establishing trade relations and doing all other things and acts which independent states are allowed to do under local and international law. They also based it on the principle of human rights whereby everyone was born free and ought to remain free. People should be governed by their own governments which should derive their governing powers from the people they govern. Therefore, a government should not impose itself or its will on the people being governed since by doing so it will not be representing their will and aspirations. Therefore, if for any reason the people feel that their government is not governing them in a manner that they are likely to benefit they have a right of removing it from power and bringing another one into power to govern them. Since Great Britain was not ruling its people in America as this was foreign soil, it acknowledged the fact that it is the Americans who should rule and govern themselves through people they have chosen for themselves and thus the British had no business at all governing the Americans in their own country.

Industrial Revolution can not be categorized by time. There is no precise moment when the industrial revolution started in the United States. After 1865, the United States economy started expanding. The country experienced the most profound economic revolution of all times. United States was previously a British colony and it was the first time that any industrialization had taken place outside Europe.

In the early 1900s, many immigrants, more than 25 million, entered United States and labor was widely available. (Lampard, E.E.) Urbanization started taking place and many people from the rural areas started to move to the cities in search of jobs or just a better life.

During this era the country experienced many changes, the changes occurred in the agricultural sector, transportation, textile, and the social structure.

Child Labor
At the time of the industrial revolution, the demand for labor was high. There was unskilled labor as people did not have the training and the experience to get the job done. Also, many families were migrating from the rural area and did not have any idea about the industrialized cities. They were just looking for work and a prosperous future.

These families needed to survive in the city and to be able to do this, each and every member of the family had to work, even the children. During this time period, children as young as six years used to work at the factories and industries. These children had to put in long hours and the remuneration they received was minimal.

Many accidents used to take place at the work site because children used to be near, large and heavy machinery. Some children were killed in these accidents. The children who were subjected to the most horrible conditions were those who were orphaned. These orphans were also paid the least and the justification given by the factory owners and managers was that they received food and shelter in return for the work that they do.

The behavior of the other older workers towards the children was also not good. They were treated cruelly and without consideration of their age. The most basic punishment given to the children for being late was a weight being tied around their neck. The children had to walk around the factory with this weight so that they others could learn a lesson.

In the 1900 the Census found out that about two million children were working in mills, farms, factories, and on city streets all over the country. This figure represented 18.3 of children between the ages ten to fifteen. Because of this finding, a National Child Labor Committee was established in 1904. The job of this committee was to protect the children and introduce reforms on child labor.

Looking at the working conditions of children, many people started lobbying against it and suggested that a federal agency be created dedicated solely to this purpose. In 1916 a law was passed, known as the Keating-Owen Child Labor Act of 1916 (39 Stat. 675). This law regulated child labor. The shortcoming of this law was that it did not include the children ho worked in the agricultural sector.

In 1938 when the fair Labor Standards Act was passed, the regulation of child labor was established among other provisions. This law started that 16 was the minimum age for employing any person for a job and if the job was dangerous and hazardous then the minimum age was increased to 18.

Industries
In the 1900s the industries were faring quite well. There were mass producing and their costs were at an all time low. Economies of scale were being experienced by all the industries. United States as an economy was unique because it not only comprised of the big industries but also the numerous small businesses which were operating.

In 1901, the United States Steel Corporation was formed and it was worth 1 billion. Before this any business was not worth more than  1 million. Many large and big businesses started to take over the market with the help of the technological progress. Many of the small businesses, such as farmers, local merchants, and the city dwellers were left at the mercy of the monopolies.

The government did not have enough control over these big businesses as they spread faster than before. These big businesses did not only bring problems but also many benefits. The benefits included a better quality of life, material well being and general prosperity among the people. The economy also fared well and the GDP during this decade doubles. It went from 18.7 billion in 1900 to 35.3 billion in 1910.

The United States emerged as an industrialist nation whose industries could compete with those of Germany and the Great Britain.

Work Force
When the 20th century came up, the United States as a nation was worried about its place in the world. There were differences among the people as to what stance should the country take. The people were sick of working long hours, without proper breaks and working conditions. This initiated the labor movement.

It was in the 1930s when the labor movement gained momentum. There was an abundance of labor as many people would move from the rural area to the cities for jobs at factories. Whenever an employee asked for his rights, the employers would replace him because there were many others willing to take his place.

To protect the rights of the employees, labor unions were formed. The job of the labor union was to represent the employees and to bargain on behalf of the employees and ask for their needs and rights. The labor unions helped organize the needs and wants of the employees. The benefit was that the employer only had to deal with a few workers as the union represented all the workers in one factory.

The employers had to listen to the unions, otherwise they would initiate strike and all the workers would stop working. This would be a problem for the employer as no work would get done. With the help of the union, workers got their due share of power and were able to get some authority over the employers.

The use of machinery also increased in the 1900s. This led to an increase in the production levels of any employee. The industries started moving towards specialization, all the employees hired were assigned a specific task. Specialization helped increase the quality of the product and enabled the workers to do the job quicker, as they got good at what they were doing.

Technological Progress
There was much technological advancement in the 1900s. In the year 1901, the first radio receiver received its radio transmission, successfully. The air conditioner was invented which is now a necessity all over the world.

The biggest invention of the century was the airplane by the Wright brothers. This invention has changed the face of the world. It made transportation from one place to another much quicker. People could now travel the world in lesser time. Products, even those with a shorter lifespan, could be sold in other countries.

Following this invention was the helicopter by Paul Cornu in 1907. There were other inventions which helped make life easier. These were on a lower scale. Most of the inventions were base don science. The people at that time did not consider if others needed that product or not. Some of these inventions have become very popular and are still being used at a larger scale. For example the pop-up toaster, it is still being used by people all over the world.

Technological advancements have also helped businesses. It has cut down the number of workers it takes to do one job. In 1920, for example, 2.1 million Americans earned a living by working for railroads, compared with just over 230,000 today. (Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas) The transportation industry helped employ many workers and with the increase in the transportation methods many businesses found it easier to locate in other parts of the country.

There was much technological advancement which we have grown so accustomed to that we can not imagine life without them. For example, in 1910, only one-fourth of U.S. factories used electrical power.

Issues
With the coming of the 19th century issues such as womens rights and the rights of the African Americans were being voiced.

Around the same time, women started graduating from college and wanted to voice their opinions. Female delegates were sent to the Worlds Anti-Slavery Convention in London were not allowed to participate in 1840. The women at that time decided to have a womens rights convention when they came back to the United States. This was not possible till the 1848. In the same year, a law was passed in the state of New York that the property held by women before their marriage would stay under their name even after marriage.

Another issue was about the voting rights. Only men were allowed according to the 14th Amendment. Women were not given the right to vote till the case of Minor v. Happersett, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a womens right to vote and other political rights were in the jurisdiction of the state. Thus, individually states started granting women the right to vote. By the year 1900, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and Idaho had granted women the right to vote. When the 19th Amendment came out, women were given full suffrage in each state.

The other major issue of the era was that of the African Americans. The Blacks were physically separated from the Whites. They were not allowed to live in the same neighborhood also there was segregation in public places such as restaurants, theaters and cafes. The segregation was not limited to public places and living areas. It also included the military where the Blacks were put in separate battalions.

In the Air Force, training of Black Fighter pilots was carried out at a separate base located at Tuskegee, Alabama. When all of this discrimination got too much for the Black people to handle they threatened to march on Washington. To avoid this fiasco, President Roosevelt passed the Executive Order 8002. This order stated that there would be no discrimination in the employment of workers, in the Government and the defense industries, on the basis of race, color, national origin or creed.

Discrimination was not only against the Black people but also people from China and Japan. The Japanese people were asked to move to the West Coast because the government though that they might be spies. The Executive Order 9066 was signed by President Roosevelt in 1948, requiring the Japanese to move. Families lost their lives and their earnings. After the war was over, these people were not even provided with proper accommodation and had to live in one room apartments.
This error was not fixed until 1988, when President Reagan officially apologized to the families and awarded them 20,000 as a repayment of the discriminatory actions that were taken against them.

1. The English empire relied upon alliances with native people in order to function in the manner its promoters intended, but warfare with Indians caused that empire to lurch from crisis to crisis and, ultimately, to collapse entirely at the end of the colonial era. Agree or disagree. Explain why.
It is true, warfare with the Indians made the British colony to lurch from crisis to crisis no matter how they decided to liaise with the local communities. Colonization started after King James heard rumors from the Spanish that virgin island was full of gold and silver deposits. This made him to send his people to look for these treasures. The first expedition to the island consisted of farmers and gentlemen. The gentlemen ruled over the farmers who build fortress and figured out ways of cultivating the new land. These people were however, warned by their captain to be watchful of the natives. Indian scouts were watching the British from the shadows of the trees in the forest. They reported their findings to Powhatans and their leaders. The invasion of the British made the Indian chiefs so angry that they decided the British had to be removed from the island.

In addition to the Indian menace, the colonists did not know how to cultivate the new land. Starvation, death and cannibalism were other problems that faced the colonists. Though they tried to establish cordial relationships with the native communities in the foreign land so as to ensure their survival, the hardships they experienced were so great for them to bear. This is very well outlined when Captain John Smith befriended an Indian girl who taught him the local language while he taught her English. Smith knew that befriending the chiefs daughter would finally lead the colonists to the chief, where they would find help. He had great desire to practice trade with the local people, because the colonists were in dire need of food and other basic necessities. The first encounter the colonists had with the Indians led to their killing by the Indian warriors. This developed to great massacres for the colonists by the Indians. Strive with the Indians developed to be a dark and bloody affair. The colonists tried to make peace with the Indian, but it was all in vain.

Though the English colonists were the strongest force in the world at the time, they depended on the farmers, state militia, as well as merchants who volunteered for duty only at very critical times when the war was very close to their homes. The British colonists had formed alliance with members of the Iroquois confederacy. They provided the Iroquois with firearms and other weapons in order to strengthen their alliance.

The British colonists tried as much as possible not to go to war with the French because this could culminate to a war with the Spanish. Thus, the colonists avoided emergence of two war fronts which could have been very difficult for them to manage. They also tried as much as possible not to wage war against any local tribe as they saw this as a way of weakening their control. Britain tried to avert any war that emerged, but the constant nag of the Native Americans, particularly the Indians, was too much for them. As stated by Clarence, the colonists even formulated a plan for commercially and politically controlling the Indians. A scheme for managing all Indians affairs was developed thereby dividing the Indian territories for easier control. The Indians however, strongly resisted the British rule as they operated from the forests where it was very difficult for the British to get them. The Indians, who were by then very powerful, realized that they could no longer depend on the European allies to fight the British. They decided to conduct their resistance against the British alone without the help of any European nation. They felt that they were independent people who could fight for their sovereignty by use of force and weapons. The British on the other hand maintained that they were the rulers of the Indians. These conflicts eventually led to the emergence of the bloodiest war between the Native Americans and the British settlers in the 17th century.

2. Basing your essay upon a thorough examination of all the assigned readings, describe the core beliefs and fundamental values of those Americans who resisted British imperial policy beginning in the 1760s. How did these beliefs inform the colonists responses to British Imperial policy

British resistance in the early 1760 mostly came from the leaders in the provinces. These leaders were the initial makers of law regarding every thing. They made laws concerning the salaries of the officials debated high policies and dealt with all issues concerning taxes. These leaders regarded their administration as equal to the British parliament. According to them, the parliament was threatening their power as well as dignity. Though the provincial administration used to make local laws, not even one of the British policies could be changed by their laws. Their laws could also not alter the primary terms of the lives of Americans. Resistance movements started emerging in the 1760s due to the British rules they considered harsh. These movements were made up of ordinary people, their grievances and a very well organized provincial leadership. According to History World, the American revolutionaries believed that they were more superior to the British. The belief of being superior was the major factor that initiated resistance against the British dominance. A realization came to all the English speaking communities in America that their goals and interests were different from those of the colonists. Rebels of British governance maintained that their main aim was to protect their motherland from any invader. They also believed that it was their duty to protect the rights of Americans as well as the rights of their country. Members of the native leadership complained that the British colonists were mistreating them and had also taken their land by force. Native Americans realized that the peace they had lived with till the appearance of the British colonists was under threat. They decided that the only thing that could help them out of the British rule was fighting the colonists as a group and also individually.

The quartering act, the sugar act and the parliaments proclamation of 1763 made the natives realize that their rights were being threatened. Kelly states that they believed the rights they had been guaranteed by the earlier constitutions were being overlooked by the British. They decided that the sustenance of the frontier stability as well as peace with the other tribes required the restriction of settlement of the British west of Appalachians. This made it necessary for the British troops to be present in order to protect the British officials as well as gentlemen. British forces had considered settlement in the western regions as a reward for their hard won battles. The imposition of the Sugar Act, which required tax to be paid for all sugar imports, as well as other Acts though constitutional, greatly affected the lives of the colonists as well as the natives.

The Stamp Act which required that everything being carried out for purposes of transaction be taxed raised a big uproar among the natives. They saw this Act as an infringement of the rights that had been developed in the original colonial charters. These charters clearly stated that the parliament did not have the right to impose taxes on them without consent and fair representation. The ordinary people as well as the provincial leaders stated that they would not continue paying taxes if they were not going to be represented in parliament. They termed taxes without representation as tyranny. Without representation, these people believed that they had no say in the process of setting up taxes as well as using them. They felt that they were being taxed and nothing was coming out of these taxes to benefit them, as all taxes were being sent direct to Britain. Americans realized that without their involvement in the implementation of taxes, all their rights had been destroyed. They believed that the taxes were supposed to be used to benefit their motherland and not a nation miles away.

According to Hickman, Americans believed that if they organized themselves in masses, they could force the British parliament to overhaul its decisions. Effigies of the stamp act distributors were burned and buildings which they believed belonged to Stamp tax officials were burned. It was ordered that ground forces of the resistance be provided in every town. Americans believed that mass action would alter their plight. The natives also revolted against the British because they believed that they were independent people who did not require a foreign rule. Americans wanted to do things by themselves without being governed by anybody especially the British who were miles away from their land.  Native Americans also realized that they could do without the British colonists as well as help from the Great Britain. They started manufacturing their own glass, timber, paper and paint and therefore they could no longer depend on highly taxed products from the colonists.

Washburn states that the French-Indian greatly affected the British plans to rule over the whole nation. Warriors from the local communities joined in the war in an attempt to drive away the British from their country. The British, after the end of the seven year French-Indian war made a decision to rule the whole nation, a decision which was greatly opposed by the Native Americans. The British colonists wanted to use the kings name throughout the colonies. The war made Britain to enter into a very big debt. In order to repay its debts huge taxes were imposed to the colonialists as well as the Native Americans. Each and every person was unhappy with this decision. The French-Indian war greatly affected the relationship between the colonists and their mother nations. Conflict also developed between the British and other colonists.

There were certain events that acted as the main symbols of the Americans resistance which included the Boston Tea Party, the Boston massacre, and the revolutionary outbreak of the Lexington- Concord. These movements played a very important role in strengthening the resistance of the Americans against the British. Native Americans started holding meetings to discuss the ways through which they could deliver themselves from the hands of the British. They choose representatives whom they believed could effectively deal with their problems. Peaceful as well as violent protests were the order of the day. The British colonists responded to these violent by imposing harsher rules which led to a war break out in Massachusetts. When the colonists realized that the Great Britain was not protecting their rights, they saw independence as the only option to safeguard their autonomy as well as self government.