American History

    The defeat of the British Army during the American Revolution opened many possibilities for the newly-founded republic. The colonial powers were busy contesting for power in Asia and Africa  a condition which expanded US influence in both Canada and Latin America. The door to the central Mississippi region was partially opened the French sold its possessions in the region to the United States to finance its wars in Europe. Spanish possessions (todays New Mexico, Texas, California,...

In the 1890s, America was beginning to industrialize more than it ever had before. But as the process of production began to speed up, American business feared that its supply of raw materials would not meet production demands. Furthermore, America was facing a depression and businessmen began to believe that current markets had reached their full potential. Therefore, American businessmen needed new markets in which to sell their products. Yet, because colonies tended to purchase goods from their...

Reformers during the progressive era often tried to combat social ills with governmental intervention. Different groups tried to enlist governmental help in different ways. Photographer and journalist Jacob Riis, for instance, highlighted the plight of the poor by taking pictures of their living quarters and the squalor in which they lived. His pictures shocked those who were better off and attracted the notice of government officials. Riis held to the belief that poverty was a consequence of corrupt...

The last six decades have seen tremendous political, economic and social changes in the United States of America than ever before. The beginning of the twenty first century came with new changes in the world both politically and socially. By the middle of the century, the world had already experienced two serious world wars and this was instrumental in changing the state of the world. Every other decade has seen events that shaped and affected public opinion. The 1950s were marked by unprecedented...

Every war fought in the world has unresolved issues left behind. The civil war of 1860s in America was fought over conflicting ideas of freedom. It still has a lingering effect on todays American society. The deaths of over 630,000 Americans helped shape the world we live in today (Encyclopedia Britannica). It impacted American politics, culture, economics and social values. The civil war presented the federal government with more power in Washington D.C. The war powers of American president increased...

Slave resistance in America came in various forms. There were groups who opted to use peaceful ways in proclaiming in resistance however, since it was proven to be ineffective in fighting for their cause, some groups have opted to use violent means. Yet it should be noted that all of these were rooted from the poor living conditions and the harsh treatment that slaves had to endure because of enslavement. Their miserable state even led them to believe that losing their lives will be a better choice...

Legal changes, such as the end of slavery by the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution, the 14th Amendment declaring all Americans equal and the 15th Amendment on the right to vote did not automatically result in the desired change. As Kennedy said, people remained slaves to poverty and injustice. They were still victimized by racist discrimination. Neither did equal treatment or equal opportunity automatically happen. Nor did the right to vote me mean that blacks were allowed to vote. In the American...

    David McCulloughs (2005) book entitled 1776 takes a look at how great this year was in the annals of American history. Not only did this year signify the birth of a new nation, but it also witnessed the struggles that this nation went through in order to survive.1. How important was the leadership sold of George Washington in keeping the colonial war effort alive during 1776    George Washington, who would later on become the first President of the United States,...

    In Abraham Lincolns Second American Revolution, a set of seven essays explores and discusses the transformational nature of the American Civil War and Lincolns leadership throughout that revolutionary struggle.  This book is much more than a descriptive analysis of the American Civil War quite the contrary, this book examines in an extraordinarily nuanced manner a number of features associated with Lincoln and this struggle.  It sets forth a variety of theories used...

Julia Alvarezs novel How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents reveals a story of four sisters immigrating to the US with their parents, a story of a family caught between their old world and their new world.  They grapple with decisions on how to blend their patriarchal, traditional values with their more independent and rebellious American surroundings.  Regardless of the choices that they make, there is a struggle. When they choose to retain elements of their Dominican culture, their...

Petrarchs literary work, The Ascent of Mount Ventoux, details his journey of reaching the highest peak of the region that for so long had occupied his thoughts.  However, as the narration progresses, one realizes that the authors need to be on a higher plane in order to have a better view of his surroundings is, in actuality, a symbolism of a deeper need of men to reach a higher plateau of spiritual consciousness in order to view his corporeal and spiritual weaknesses that are innate in his...

According to Daley, violence is so widespread in the United States fundamentally because the American society was built on diversity and discord. She argues that the country was settled in an impromptu manner by dissimilar groups of people and the arrival of organized crime by way of the Sicilians into such a loosely organized country in which citizens had the constitutional right to bear arms, is the central reason for the countrys current problems. I do not think this analysis is convincing for...

Exercise 1A1 By Schlesinger opening with a scene from 1933, chronologically the termination point of the book, the reader has a very clear idea as to the contents of the book. At the same time the readers curiosity is awakened. He wants to know the reasons and the authors perspective of The Great Depression. So the reader is led into rest of the pages very effectively.A2 Schlesinger chose to place that sentence third rather than first because the first two sentences give support to the topic sentence....

Basic and fundamental are the rights declared in the Constitution that the state itself, acting through the body politic puts a limit to its supposed limitless powers. The constitution does not grant these powers nor convey the same to the people, however, the constitutional provisions act as limitations on the part of the government and its officials as against the defenseless citizens for unwarranted abuses on their rights. Among the rights protected by it is the freedom of religion including...

In her book The Devil in the Shape of a Woman, author Carol Karlsen compellingly focuses her attention on the social and economic underpinnings of witchcraft in 17th century New England, and also brings into the forefront the role of gender within the Puritan society. The books central idea is pointed towards the position of accused witches, most of whom were females. As opposed to the religious perspective of analyzing the reasons behind the accusation and conviction of these so-called witches,...