Week 7 - Women's Suffrage Movement

Women never always had the right to vote in the United States. It took women roughly 144 years of hard work and dedication for the U.S. government to grant them suffrage. Back in 1776, only white men were allowed to vote. Black men were given the right to vote in 1870 due to the Fifteenth Amendment. Women were eventually given the right to vote with the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. However, this result was not as easy to accomplish as it took the efforts of strong women dedicated to the cause for the amendment to be ratified. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a leading figure of the women’s suffrage movement, was one of the first to address the issue of women not being able to vote. In 1869, Susan B. Anthony and Stanton formed the National Women’s Suffrage Society, an organization dedicated to gaining women’s suffrage. To encourage people to move out west, western territories began to offer women the right to vote. The first state to do so was Wyoming in 1869 and when it officially became a state, it continued to allow women to vote. Utah continued the trend of allowing women to vote as they were the next state to follow. Women’s higher level of education and their awareness of other suffrage movements also played a major role in their right to vote. The press also played an important role in women’s suffrage. The press covered important stories about the movement, from violence towards women, influencing citizens to join the fight for women’s suffrage, and helping women empathetically for the struggles they faced in society.
The fight for women’s suffrage in America was a very long process that began as early the country declaring independence back in 1776. The struggle required numerous sacrifices as women had to given the ultimatum between having a family or fighting for their rights. However, this result would not have been possible without westward expansion, the higher education of women and their awareness of other suffrage movements and the involvement of the press in reporting on the movement. Without these three factors, women gaining suffrage would likely have been delayed and gained only years after 1920. If it had been delayed, the advances of women since then may have also been delayed and we may not have seen the great achievements of women in multiple fields.

Image information: Picture called “Suffragists in Greenwich Village,' by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images.”     Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2018/08/27/opinion/how-to-celebrate-a-complicated-win-for-women.amp.html

Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, www.archives.gov/education/lessons/woman-suffrage.

Week 6 Reflection - US Imperialism and WWI

The main goal of US Imperialism in the 19th century was to drive the country’s economy and increase the benefits for the nation's economy. The country's objective consisted of executing policies for expansion as well as grabbing political, economic, and military control of other foreign nations. The main target was to find nations and markets in which they could easily colonize. They sought out numerous opportunities in other countries like the Philippines as these were deemed attractive investments for the country. Americans also established imperialism in the 19th century due to the fact that the American West was shutting down and there was a demand for the opening of new markets. American imperialism operates on the idea that stronger nations are there to seize control of

weaker nations. The weaker nations would in turn help the stronger nations in order to gain wealth that would be passed along to the nation or colonies which they would then take over, a cycle of some sort. During the 19th century, the American government was able to realize the potential of other countries and states which can serve as their 'helper' colonies during their global imperialism. These colonies included Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines. Some significant events that occurred during the period were the advantage of the imperial nations being able to expand foreign commerce and being able to improve the economies of the nations under their colonization. Exports were greater than the imports, contributing to increased wealth across the nations.World War I, often referred to as “The Great War", began in 1914 and ended in 1918. America witnessed much devastation in this time period with nearly 9 million people dying and millions psychologically scarred due to the after effects. World War I was deemed "the first man-made catastrophe of the twentieth century". The causes and effects of the war altered the lives of many individuals who lived in the countries affected. World War I began as a European conflict with growing tensions between the European countries being caused by alliances, imperialism, nationalism, and militarism between nations. Historians believe the immediate cause of the war was because of the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. They believed Archduke Ferdinand's death was the result of a conspiracy. The empire immediately suspected the Serbians of the assassination and sought to punish Serbia, and put Austria-Hungary’s prestige and determination at the center of attention for all European nations to see. After the loss of many lives over a four-year span, the war was finally over. In the aftermath of World War I, new countries were formed, old ones were abolished, and new international organizations were established. Inflation plagued the continent of Europe because of the war costs. The optimistic outlook of previous decades soon were forgotten and a feeling of  discouragement was later adopted after the casualties and the overall brutality of warfare.

Image information: Picture called “Readying Fire,' by Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images.”     Source: https://www.history.com/news/wwi-color-photos#&gid=ci023cb7dd800027dc&pid=wwi_color_getty152594329

Royde-Smith, John Graham, and Dennis E. Showalter. “World War I.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 3 Feb. 2020, www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Imperialism.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 6 Jan. 2020, www.britannica.com/topic/imperialism.

Week 5 - The Progressive Era

The Progressive Era was a time period based on nationwide social activism and political reform across the country. The Progressive Era was a time period between the years 1900-1920 and it marked a time in American history in which society was bursting with enthusiasm to improve life in the industrial age by making political and social changes through government action that ultimately led to a higher quality of life for American citizens. Progressives were known for their beliefs in limiting the power of big business, strengthening the power of the states, and were advocators against corruption and social injustice. These progressive reformers as well as the Federal Government successfully managed to improve the quality of life and establish a precedent for a move active government.

The Progressive period is known for its successful efforts in having unforgettable impact on American economy and society by the changes at the social, economical, and political levels. The reformers of this movement belonged to a diversified group from labor and religious leaders, journalists, politicians, and teachers and the goals of these individuals were to protect people, solve problems of urbanization and industrialization, and concentrate on social welfare of American people. The Progressivism movement definitely had an everlasting impact on America changing American values and lifestyles.

Image information: Picture called “The Progressive Era.”     Source: http://www.americanyawp.com/text/20-the-progressive-era/

Chapters, All. THE AMERICAN YAWP, 7 June 2013, www.americanyawp.com/text/20-the-progressive-era/.

Week 4 Reflection: Native Americans and the West

Since the beginning of the 18th century, White Americans have tried to strip the Native Americans of their culture and forced numerous the Natives into assimilating into their Caucasian culture, they lost their rights and their land due to unfair policies and laws that affected the lifestyle of the Natives. There used to be an abundance of Native American tribes spread throughout North America and due to laws such as the Indian Removal Act of 1830, these tribes are scattered worldwide and are camouflaged along with other cultures. The lives of Native Americans were heavily affected due to the inception of relocation programs, boarding schools, and social class structures which were ways to identify which tribe an individual is from. Indian removal in the 19th century, was a strategic plan  devised by the United States government--primarily President Andrew Jackson, to force Natives Americans to migrate from their homelands in the eastern United States to west of the Mississippi River. Most Natives were moved to modern-day Oklahoma. In 1838, President Martin Van Buren ordered General Winfield Scott and his soldiers to move the Cherokees out of their homeland. Scott and his army forced the Cherokees to move while their homes were raided for their personal belongings. The Indians then had to march more than one thousand miles to a newly-christened Indian Territory across the Mississippi. Native Americans have endured tons of hardship throughout the 18th and 19th centuries and they have normally have had all of these issues happen to them as a result of their ethnicity. Whites during this time did not consider the Native American ways of life as ethical. Natives were given barren land which couldn't help them survive with the way they lived their lifestyle. They lived on reservations where most Natives struggled below poverty levels. The urban relocation programs were created to move Natives to the cities for possible job opportunities.

Image information: Picture called “Trail of Tears,' by Max D. Standley.”     Source: https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/archive/trail-of-tears-from-a-middle-school-student-s-perspective-ZP5k4MZvvEel4ld-j1QQFA

“History & Culture.” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, 2019,

www.nps.gov/trte/learn/historyculture/index.htm.

Week 3 Reflection: Industrial Capitalism

Industrial capitalism is considered both social and economic where industry and resources are owned by certain individuals for revenue. America watched the growth of this type of capitalism back in the late 19th century through the early 20th century. During this time, property was privately owned and protected by the judicial law of a specific state. The rise of Industrial Capitalism in many parts of the world were results of control over production and consumers as United States officials believed that Americans were using the resources incorrectly. The scramble to acquire in America was the root cause of industrial Capitalism. Certain people believed that Industrial capitalism was unfair and an inefficient distribution of wealth between the states was creating imperialism and other issues such as social and cultural alienation, unemployment, and economic instability. After Industrial Capitalism, the world has seen another form of capitalism almost similar as the former. This was deemed financial capitalism. This affected Americans in a multitude of ways, especially African-Americans, who were viewed as outsiders were not allowed to settle in the North and could not own property. Capitalism put a focus on concentrating resources to only whites during this time period. Labor strikes happened a lot during this period. Unsatisfied workers, who were upset with work conditions or their pay grades, would go on strikes to force their employers to change their policies. Two labor strikes during the Industrial Capitalism period were the Homestead and Pullman Strikes. The Homestead Strike took place Homestead, Pennsylvania and the workers went on strike because Andrew Carnegie refused to increase workers' pay. The strike ended in favor of the owner, however. The Pullman Strike occurred because of the way George Pullman, founder of the Pullman Palace Car Company, treated his workers. Lots of conflict between employers and employees were the sources of these strikes.

Image information: Picture called “Carnegie Steel Works during the 'Battle of Homestead,' July 1892”. Source: http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/strikes.html

The Development of the Industrial United States (1870-1900), americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/timeline/pres_era/3_657.html.