American Imperialism

1) Place a political cartoon about Imperialism, either American or European, on your blog and interpret it.

Interpretation: This image depicts the American flag raveling around Earth, it represents the fact that America has it's hands in everything and is trying to conquer or "imperialize"  other areas to it's own benefit.  These areas are usually weaker in terms of government, military, and economy.

2) List the reasons why the United States decided to become an Imperialistic country in the last part of the 1800s.

The U.S. decided to become an Imperialistic country for a number of reasons

• Natural Resources
• Resources such as petroleum or sugar were what the U.S. wanted
• New Markets
• With new resources came the desire to sell them, the U.S. needed more markets to sell their goods
• Competition/Nationalism
• The U.S. was an extremely competitive country, they wanted to prove that they have what it takes to conquer new areas and take pride in their accomplishments.  If Great Britain had an impressive navy, then so so did the U.S.
• Humanitarian/Religion
• The U.S. wanted to spread Christianity to those who were "non-believers" and those who were considered "savages"
• The U.S. also wanted to spread it's law to other countries as well as it's medicine
• Military
• The U.S. wanted new technology for their military
• The U.S. also wanted to expand their bases to other countries to increase their military presence

Industrialization, Urbanization, Immigration & Flagler

Copy 3 of the pictures at the bottom of the page, paste them into your blog and caption them.

    a. Make the captions relative to what we are talking about in class and make them exciting.

    b. Keep in mind the Gilded Age, Progressive Era, Industrialization, Immigration, and Urbanization.

Industrialization in the Making

The Catalyst of Florida

The Birth of the Gilded Age

Extra Credit - The KKK

    The KKK (Ku Klux Klan) was founded by a group of former confederate soldiers upon the end of the Civil War, it was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee in 1866.  The origin behind the KKK's title is of Greek origin, where "Ku Klux" means "kylos" which translates into "circle."  The clan became notorious for the alias of "Invisible Empire of the South", most likely because the majority of the clan's operations occurredat night and because of their attire.  The clan's operations primarily consisted of violent and intimidating acts towards African-Americans in an effort to realize their vision, that is, white supremacy.  Lynching, burning, and hanging were several of the KKK's methods of violence, they wanted the results of the Reconstruction to deteriorate, preventing any African-Americans from voting or having any political power.
    
    The clan's members were from all social rankings such as: Doctors, lawyers, and even law enforcement.  If the law enforcement were not involved in clan activities, then they did not intervene with clan activities.  After the membership for the clan declined, a film titled The Birth of a Nation depicted white supremacy and racial discrimination towards blacks.  As a result, the KKK was reborn, back with a hatred directed not only towards African-Americans, but to Romans, Jews, and even foreigners.  The KKK also took part in the Civil Rights Movement, bombing a church and killing three innocent children while they were in service.  By the late 1900's, the KKK was fairly minimal once again, the membership was estimated from 6,000 to 10,000 during the 1990's.

   In brief, the KKK is an extreme group of radical, violent people, committng  just about any crime to broadcast their message.  That is, white supremacy and the destruction of African-American's right to vote and hold office.  The KKK has endured destruction and rebirth, even today, the KKK exists in much smaller groups of neo-nazis and other radicals. 

References:

    Ku Klux Klan. (2013). The History Channel website. Retrieved 2:14, February 15, 2013, from http://www.history.com/topics/ku-klux-klan.



The Rise of Labor Unions

1) Research Labor Unions in the last part of the the 19th Century (1800's).
The first labor union formed was known as the "National Trades Union", formed by workers from all fields, it was, however, disbanded as a result of the depression of 1837.  Another labor union of the 1800's was known as "The Knights of Labor", which was form in 1869 by skilled garment cutters.  The membership of this organization peaked at the millions, they were relatively successful and were known for bringing "democracy" to the workplace

2) Write a brief history of Labor unions.
Labor unions were organizations formed to enforce the worker's rights as a worker.  Ranging from the desire for less work hours, to higher wages, these unions became the catalyst of America.  Some organizations date back all the way to the early 19th Century, namely, the "National Trades Union", which consisted of workers from all crafts but was disbanded in 1837 due to the conditions of the depression

3) Post and interpret a political cartoon about labor unions during this time period.

Interpretation: The man in the tree is the boss of a large organization specializng in grinding, the water represents the overwhelming amount of organized labor unionos formed in an effort to combat their boss's work conditions.  The boss appears to be terrified by this rebellion and is asking for help; the tree represents the little amount of area that the boss has left to "flee to"

 Works Cited: \

http://www.bookrags.com/essay-2005/6/28/165925/023/

 http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/friedman.unions.us

http://depts.washington.edu/labhist/laborpress/images/SeattleUnionRecord1912-1914/large/09-13-1913%20Cartoon_large.jpg



Manifest Destiny

Interpretation: This painting represents the belief of  "Manifest Destiny" as a whole, the angel holding what appears to be the Bible symbolizes the "expansion" of Christianity.  Since the angel is accompanying the travelers, then it is safe to assume that the travelers want "Manifest Destiny" to expand too, the angel is simply the travelers' belief, the fact that the angel is so large may also indicate the "strength" in this belief

Civil War Reconstrction - Part 1

 1. After reading the Bill, what plans do you see laid out for the former slaves?
A distribution of land under the condition of rent and time (three years), supplies such as clothing, food, and fuel will also be distributed to the slaves

2. What do you think could have been added to the bill to garner broader support? What could have been changed or taken away?
Perhaps the bill makers could have extended the time alloted to the slaves to joyously own the land, maybe they could have even lowered the annual rent for for the land, or even deter of it completely.  Rasing the amount of land (in terms of acres) would encourage more support as well

3. Aside from their opposition to the abolition of slavery, what problems do you think the members of Southern States had with the Bill? Can you think of anything that would have appeased them?

Well the Southern States probably did not like the idea of supplies and necessities being given to the slaves.  The land appointed to the slaves may have also been frowned upon by the South as well as the distribution of food, clothing, education, and means of communication for the family members. They did afterall want to oppress the slaves and break their spirit.  A way to apease the Southern States would be to not supply the slaves with any food, clothing, etc. The dissaproval of land distribution and education would also appease the Southern States.  All in all, the South did not like the Freedman's Bureau in the slightest

Civil War Reconstruction - Part 2

1. What is her attitude toward white Southerners and their treatment by the federal government?
She feels that they are violent

2. What do you think accounts for her views?
The fact that the white men usually drove by with firearms, those unarmed were furnishing firearms

3. Would people with different views agree with her conclusions about "peace" in the South? Why or why not?

No, because, her views are true, and those with different views would see her truth as a lie, namely the white men

Political Cartoon (2/4/2013)

Interpretation: This political cartoon portrays that even after the war, the north and south are still not on definite terms.  Meaning that they are still in disagreement with some issues and are not yet unified as one.