Monday, September 12, 2011

Homework 9/12

1. Study for Map Quiz on Wednesday, Sept. 14
2. Answer the following question on the blog. Is American history a history of progress?

16 comments:

  1. I do think American history is a history of progress. The majorty of significant events that have occurred in our country have moved our country forward in some way, despite that movement being slow at times. For example, the Civil War in the 1860's was a terrible time for our country but ultimately abolished slavery and brought our country closer together in the long run. There are many instances like this that make me think that American history is a history of progress.

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  2. I think that American history is a history of progress. The largest amount of progress that is achieved seems to usually come after a major setback, and it is after these setbacks when people usually band together to move the country forward. This is along the lines of what Melanie said, about how the Civil War was a terrible thing, but ultimately abolished slavery. For example, the 9/11 attacks affected the entire country. They jolted people into realizing that the country was more vulnerable than they had thought. In the wake of the attacks, people have worked together to strengthen security throughout the country, and have taken action in retaliation. These are steps that are undoubtably moving the country forward. Whether it is in the right direction is arguable, the country continues to move forward. During the American Revolution, the people came together as well and led a revolution to move the country in a different direction. These are a few events that make me think American history is a history of progress.

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  3. I think American history has indeed progressed. From gaining our independence, to overcoming a civil war, the American people have come together and found ways to improve the American society. America has grown and become a great nation, and that alone would not have been possible without progress. Progress is vital to the development of a nation and based on our country's current status, I believe that America has progress from where it first began hundreds of years ago.

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  4. The history of America is one that is full of progress. The people that helped shape America started out with near to nothing. Through hardships and upsets, they managed to create societies that one day became sufficient with the help of trade with other countries. Along with progress comes setbacks, such as wars in which America lost battles and money. Yet, in almost every war fought, America came out with new tools and rights that added to its progression.

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  5. I believe that American History is a history of progress. Every event that America has gone through eventually helped them move forward and become a stronger country. Sometimes these events will seem to not be helping the country at all. But when America suffers we are able to overcome the tragedies and become a more powerful country. We are able to do this because we come together and fight for what is right. An example of America fighting back when attacked on was after Pearl Harbor. In 1941, the Japanese bombed pearl harbor. At the time the American citizens looked a this like we had become weaker. But we were able to fight back and eventually beat the Japanese in WWII. Events like these in American history are the events that have built on each other and helped this country move forward.

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  6. American History is one full of progress. Throughout all of our nation's past hardships, we have emerged stronger than before. After the terrible attacks on Pearl Harbor, we established international dominance throughout World War II. Another instance of our country bouncing back is after the attacks on 9/11. America improved airport security as well as it's anti-terrorist efforts. In the recent struggles America has faced, it has overcome adversity stronger than before.

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  7. I believe that American history is a history of progress with a few obstacles in the way. There are many successes that have transformed our country, but there have also been setbacks that have caused destruction. For example, the American Revolution was a time of great advancement, but on the other side of the spectrum the Great Depression was a time that showed how our country's economy can depreciate drastically. With many hardships and times of chaos, such as September 11th, America has grown stronger as a nation and continues to defeat challenging setbacks in order to move forward and progress.

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  8. Overall, I believe that American history is a history of progress. After becoming an independent country from Britain, the U.S. was able to establish its own government and society. The Civil War later tore the country in two, though this war ultimately abolished slavery throughout the nation, making the country stronger because more members of the population were united because they were not second-class citizens. In World War II, Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japan, thus dragging them into the war. During and after World War II, the United States began to have a very important role in global affairs, ultimately becoming a world power. One main reason why the United States was able to achieve such a role was because its population was able to unite as one. 9/11 was able to rally an atmosphere of nationalism, and ultimately brought the United States closer together.

    The United States is also a history of progress in terms of human rights. Originally, if you were a woman or a person of non-European descent, you wouldn't have as much rights as a male of European descent. It wasn't until the early 20th century that women were given the same rights as men. Most people who were African-American were brought into the country via slave trade, and were forced to be slaves. These people were bought at markets and forced to work on plantations as slaves. It wasn't until the Civil War that slavery was abolished, but still people who were non-European, especially African-Americans, were not treated equally. During World War II, Americans who were Japanese were forced into internment camps for fears that they could be traitors, just because of their ethnicity. All racial minorities were segregated and discriminated against until the 1960s when they were finally entitled equal rights. Eventually, everyone was entitled to equal rights, which progressed the country forward.
    American History is a history of progress because it unites a diverse mosaic of people to come together for a common goal; it's greatest strides were when the whole population was on board.

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  9. I believe that American history is definitely a history of progress. Although there have been many setbacks, overall we are constantly moving forward and bettering the country. Every war in America has moved us forward and let us progress in a different way. After every disaster in our country we have emerged stronger and allowed ourselves to learn from the experience. For example, although we are still recovering from 9/11, it has already united Americans and made us prouder of our country, allowing Americans to progress even further, together. Overall, American history is one of progress, because every setback has given Americans the opportunity to advance and progress as a nation, an opportunity which was fully taken advantage of every time.

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  10. I believe that overall American history is a history of progress. Although there have been setbacks, that should have been expected in a relatively young country. Since the beginning of this country we have gained independence, created a new government, and improved the rights of the citizens of the United States. We now have a african american president something that was unheard of only 60 years ago.

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  11. American history is a history of progress in many ways. Throughout history, America has encountered many setbacks that would undeniably tear apart a weak society. We have been stamped and shot and trodden upon, from the Civil War, to Pearl Harbor, to the attacks on September 11th. Progression is not and will never be a result of merely avoiding problems like war, sickness, and death, it instead occurs when the nation is able to work together and pull through the predicament. Every time a bad event happened to America, something positive came out of it that greatly made up for our loss. If that is not so, then how would we have gotten to the point we are at today? America started a long time ago when the Mayflower came over to America and encountered the Native Americans. Therefore, due to America's resilience and strength coming out of tragedy, combined with our ability to learn from mistakes and become stronger and more cohesive as a nation, it is safe to say that America is indeed progressing. The progression and maturing of America really started a long time ago when the Mayflower landed on North American soil. When that happened, our nation was literally made up of a village or two's worth of people. Comparing where we were then to where we are at the moment, it is impossible not to notice the great positive changes that have been made in society. For example, many of the people on the Mayflower actually died of sickness on the ship before reaching land. That would never happen today; we have much too advanced medicine to even let that happen. Also, today's society is much more technologically savvy and knowledgeable about the world and its features. When America first came to be, not a lot was known about life, so school was extremely primitive, and girls did not even attend! These two specific examples directly show how much America has truly progressed throughout history.

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  12. American history is one that strives for progress. After many major events in its history, the country and its people have come together to stregthen themselves. For example, after the American Revolution, the country's first consitution was actually the Articles of Confederation. Within a few years, however, the government realized this constitution was not effective and wrote a new one, which is still in use today. Also, after the Civil War, the contry went through a period of Reconstruction, a time to unite the country as one, abolish slavery, and attempt to bring equality among all men of the US. Even in later years, women gained equality in an amendment to the Constitution.

    However, American history has tended to repeat itself. The first realization of a potential economic collapse was nearly immediately after the Articles of Confederation was written; the discovery that the government would not be able to make money from the states under this constitution is what sparked the need for a new one. Yet, financial panics were still common during the 1800s. The US has even experienced depression eras, such as the Great Depression and the economic crisis of 2008. Although the US has had its downfalls and repeat offenses, the country has strived and contintues to strive to progress forward into the future as a nation improved by its history.

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  13. For the most part, I believe that America's history is a history of progress. Yes, we have developed A LOT from when we first colonized America. Yes, we have eventually become a stronger nation from the wars that we have taken part in. Yes, we have managed to become an even more unified nation even after the darkest of times. But, I also believe that our history holds us back. Unfortunately, American's form generalizations based on our history. For example, after the tragic acts of terrorism against our country a large portion of Americans have formed a negative generalization about people of Arab decent. More often than not, that generalization proves to be untrue (especially when dealing with Arab-Americans). Although American history is a history of progress, by our own accord, we let it hold us back by perseverating on past events and having a pessimistic view of the future based on our history.

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  14. American history is a history of progress. One might look back on our nation's past and note only the bad things, such as 9/11 or the Great Depression- events that threatened to destroy any progress our country has made. However, I think that American history is a history of progress because if you look at events such as the civil war, it was a time that marked great improvement and progress in our country. Even though it was a fight within our nation, we abolished slavery and brought citizens closer together. During the last election, there was both a woman and an african-american running for president. Barack Obama, our country's first african-american president is a symbol for many that our nation is progressing towards a better future. Even events like 9/11, which seemed to ultimately defeat our nation, made us stronger. We moved forward to become a more powerful nation, and rise up. This proves just how much America's history is a history of progress.

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  15. American history is a history of progress as reflected in the country’s continuing ability to rebound from every hardship it faces with a combination of national pride and unity. These characteristics were displayed after Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, when the United States rose above its collective shock and sorrow by thrusting itself into the middle of World War II. The U.S. emerged from that global conflict victorious, establishing itself as a major force in world affairs from that point forward. Following the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, the citizens of the United States managed to conquer their fears and banded together as one country rallying behind their leaders with a sense of nationalism and belief in liberty. Today national pride continues to unite the American people even now, ten years after the Twin Towers were leveled by anti-American terrorists.

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  16. I think that American history is a history of progress. One example is how the women's rights movement made a positive change for our country. This movement made it possible for women to vote which gave them more rights and more equality. Not all things initailly seemed like progess for our country. The Civil War was devestating and many lives were lost, but the final outcome was the end of slavery, which for the first time gave rights to black people in America. Progress, in my mind, is change to something better than the current status. Our country's history has both positive and negative pieces, but overall these events have shaped our nation into a better country.
    -Meredith

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