American History: 1877-Present @amh2020-0005 - Tumblr Blog

Patrick Macauley Tumblr Post #2: Incas, Aztecs, and Conquistadors

How come the Europeans came to the New World, instead of the other way around?

1. The people of the New World were not as developed for traveling as the Europeans. In addition to that, their culture did not stress as much the acquisition of new territories. The settlers from Europe were looking for gold and a route to India.

What were the challenges/rewards of exploring new lands?

2. The main challenges that Europeans faced with exploring these new lands were the indigenous people. The language barrier was wide enough that they required multiple translators in order to understand and communicate with the natives.

What factors made it more or less challenging for Europeans settlement?

3. The cultural differences between the explorers and the natives made settlement of the New World both easier and more difficult. When Hernan Cortes encountered the Aztecs in Mexico, they believed he was a god. The horses the Spanish explorers rode and the armor they wore made them appear to be shining figures of great prominence. Cortes and his men used this to their advantage, gaining access to the Aztec leader, Montezuma II, who they took hostage. This ultimately led to the downfall of the Aztec Empire.

A similar series of events occurred when Francisco Pizarro discovered the Inca Empire. The Incas thought him and his men were returning gods and took them to their emperor, Atahualpa. Unlike Montezuma, Atahualpa thought of himself as a god or even greater. He saw the foreigners as a threat to his rule, so he made a show of power, hoping to scare them. The emperor marched to meet the conquistadors with 7,000 of his men, unarmed, in lines of formation. Pizarro and his men slaughtered every one of them with superior weaponry and captured Atahualpa. Pizarro then demanded a "room of gold" before killing the Inca emperor. Neither of these conquests would have been as successful if the native people had not believed the conquistadors were gods.

- Patrick Macauley

#PM

Patrick Macauley Post #1: Learning Our History

Most students have a love/hate relationship when it comes to American History. Briefly describe your experience with history classes in the past and what your expectations are for the course. Are there any topics in particular you wish to learn about? What has and hasn't worked for you in the past?

I have always had an interest in history, more so than with some other subjects. My family has a particular fondness towards the subject on my mother's side. My grandparents have learned more about history than I am likely to ever know. This has given me very positive feelings about the subject. My interest also comes from a long time fascination with machines and gadgets. The story of these inventions and their inventors are important to the growth and prosperity this nation has experienced. Where would we be without the feud between Edison and Tesla? Without the wars which inspired so much creation, while causing so much destruction?

I believe everyone has an innate thirst for knowledge, which depending on how it is nurtured can either shrink or grow. There are many systems these days that cause a student's curiosity to lessen over time. High school tends to work as more of a systematic dispersal of information rather than engaging the students in lessons which promote interest and effort. Forcing a class to memorize a list of dates, locations, and people doesn't show the necessary and relevant connections for the long term storage of that data. People don't go to the library to read lists of the most important dates and locations in Harry Potter's life. They want to be immersed in a story. Our history on this planet is an incredibly interesting and important story, but it won't matter unless the person telling the story cares enough to make us believe that. That is the key to teaching history.

- Patrick Macauley

#PM

#9 Bonus Point - Joseph Lacattiva

9. What were the circumstances that led to the decline in relations between the U.S. and USSR following World War II? How did these issues manifest themselves throughout the second half of the twentieth century? How did disillusion from the Vietnam War and social divisions within American society lead to the development of the counterculture movement? How did the movement define itself?

The United States government initially became hostile towards the Soviet leaders because they took Russia out of World War I and the United States did not agree with their communistic ways. In previous years, the United States provided the Soviet Union with a famine relief program in the early 1920's and even American businessmen held friendly ties. The United States and the Soviet Union did not establish diplomatic relations until 1933.

The United States and Soviet Union were distant from each other over the course of the next three decades filled with superpower conflict and the nuclear and missile arms race. In the early 1970s the Soviet Union sought for increased economic cooperation and demilitarization with the West. The Soviet Union's position on human rights and its invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 produced new tensions between the two countries. The tensions between these two countries continued to exist until the democratic changes of 1989-1991 led to the collapse of the Communist System and provided an opportunity for a new friendship between the United States and Russia, as well as other new nations of the former Soviet Union.

The Vietnam War and the divide between supporters and opponents of the war, were arguably the most important factors contributing to the counterculture movement. The counterculture movement began with the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy and ended with the termination of United States combat military involvement in the communist insurgencies of Southeast Asia and the end of the draft in 1973. The counterculture movement was eventually ended when President Richard Nixon resigned in August of 1974.

The counterculture movement was defined by the emergence of new cultural forms, new music styles/genres, the rise of hippie, bohemian, and other lifestyles, and the extended support of creativity. As television became a source of entertainment and information, the youth became "disillusioned" and their behaviors became socially different.

Joseph Lacattiva

#AMH 2020-0005 #JosephLacattiva JDL

Question 9

The end of World War 2 has come so that means the secret problems between the United States and the USSR have come to an end. If only that were true, and the USSR thought that during the war the US and Britain were working against them. Even though the three countries had an alliance the USSR had the most damage during the war and didn’t take that very well. Keep this in mind when it came time to decide how post-war Europe should look the US and USSR also didn’t agree. In the end the US and Britain got Western Europe with the USSR getting control of Central and Eastern Europe. Both the countries underlining issues were coming to light, many say they’re getting ready for another war. There a few events or speeches that happen, like the Long Telegram from Moscow which the US used against the USSR during the Cold War. The term for the iron curtain was also used during this time to help show the divide between eastern side of the curtain which was control by the USSR and how other side developed their own economic and military alliances. The berlin wall was also put into place dividing which divide the capital since Germany was already divided. During the 20th century there was the space race between the two countries seeing how would be the first great power to successful have a mission into space. The fear of an atomic or hydrogen bomb being dropped on either county. While the Cold War was going on there more issues the US had to deal such as racial segregation a war lost in Vietnam. With these issues many college students start protest and a movement to reject the social norms of their parents’ generation. The thought it was time for a change and they used their rights of freedom of speech and assembly to show how they felt. The 20th century was time of conflict and tried to fix mistaken of the past so there maybe a better future.

-Misha Edwards

#mle

Tumblr make up test question #8 post

8. What were the turning points in the European and Pacific theaters of World War II? Address any of the topics covered in class or in the readings to prove how they influenced the outcome of the war. Explain how the introduction of "total war" made World War II the most devastating conflict in human history.

There were several major turning points in World War Two. The first major turning point that we discussed in class was Operation Barbarossa. Operation Barbarossa was when Hitler went back on his word with Stalin on their alliance and invaded Russia. If Hitler had not gone back on his word with Stalin, the war could have ended very differently. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 is another major turning point. Up to that point, the United States had been reluctant to go into war, even passing Neutrality Acts. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was one of the main events that brought the United States into the war; it caused an uproar of a sense of Nationalism. The battle of Britain was also a key battle during the war. Before this battle, Hitler had pretty much conquered any territory he wanted with little protest. Even though 70-80% of London was completely destroyed, ultimately Hitler was not able to expand into Britain. The Battle of Midway was a key battle between the United States and Japan. Only by sheer force of volume did the United States get Japan to retreat; This was the farthest Japan was able to get during the war, the rest of the war they spent retreating closer to their mainland. The Battle of Stalingrad is considered to be one of the bloodiest battles in history; it was between Germany and Russia. Ultimately 1.5-2 million people died and the Nazis were eventually overwhelmed. The biggest turning point in the war in my opinion was the Invasion of Normandy, also known as D-Day which was organized by General Dwight D. Eisenhower. U.S troops stormed the beaches of Normandy and overtook it. To me this was the beginning of the end of the war. Lastly, the United States bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6, 1945 and August 9, 1945 was the big blow to the Japanese. Over 100,000 people were killed from them and the effects are still seen today from the radiation of the bombs.

The definition of Total War is unrestricted warfare in terms of weapons used, objectives pursued and no regard for collateral damage. Because of Total War, the countries involved in World War Two’s efforts were totally on trying to win the war. In the United States’ case, the women back home took charge in manning the factories and production of supplies. Some targets during the war were not even military targets, such as factories and civilian cities but because of Total War they were still targeted. Nothing was off limits in an effort to win the war, which is why WW2 is considered the most devastating conflict in human history.

#JG25

#JohnGacitua

Heidi Hammel

1. What factors lead to the prohibition of alcohol with the Volstead Act in 1920? How did American’s respond to the prohibition?

There were many factors that led people to believe that the United States prohibiting alcohol was the right thing to do. By the year of 1830 the average American that was over the age of fifteen years old consumed roughly seven gallons of alcohol each year, that is triple what the average of today! Alcohol abuse also became a problem, and so did the impact it had on lives. Many men after drinking would become so drunk that they would erupt in violence, often against their wives and children, this was a big problem during this time especially considering the very little rights that women had and how they were forced to depend on their husbands. After the civil war the many women, wives and mothers lives that had been ruined, began to protest for temperance. This group of women started an organization known as the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. In the late 19th century the WCTU gained great success, local laws began restricting alcohol and anti-alcohol education reached almost every classroom. The anti solon league became very successful when a constitutional amendment would ban the manufacture, sale and transportation of alcohol. Although prohibitionists were very excited about the amendment passing, others were not. Americans began revolting, although there was a law “keeping people from drinking”, the drinking did not stop. Bootleggers began making and selling alcohol illegally, some bars even began selling it. With all the revolting, the amendment and the ban against alcohol did not last very long.

#HHammel

amh2020-0005

The movie Reds was written and directed by Warren Beatty. It’s about John Reed and Louise Bryant, and their lives as socialist writers in the late 1910’s to the 20’s. The movie starts with Louise Bryant in her life in Portland, Oregon with her husband at the time. She meets John Reed at the...

amh2020-0005

Definitely not how the movie ended.

Extra Credit- Reds AMH2020

So if I have to be honest about this movie in this blog post. I had a very hard time understanding it and even a harder time continuing to watch it. Not because it was a bad movie but because it seemed to kinda be all over the place. From what I gathered though this 1981 Film directed by Warren Beatty centers on the life and career of John Reed the journalist and writer who chronicled the Russian Revolution in his book, Ten Days That Shook the World. It is very much a personal narrative film. We also meet Louise Bryant a married journalist who meets Reed in his finals days in Russia. Having met him in Oregon once and moved by his idealism she realizes throughout the interview of one night that writing is her only true escape from social elitist existence she has always maintained. The one human emotion evident throughout the entire movie is Love. The love story between Reed and Bryant is one for the ages. They cheat on each other and then avoid each other while realizing that their love will only unite them time and time again. Apparent by Bryant's fight to get Reed help even though he left without an exit or entrance visa. She continues to try and save him. It is crazy to watch a movie in which we truly see how scared as Americans we were that communism would make it's way into our country. In the end we watch how true love will conquer all as Bryant nurses Reed until his death.

FrdeC

Extra Credit: Reds

Review any two of the following films on Tumblr with a 250 word response on how the film's historical accuracy and how it connects to class.

I chose to review the movie Reds. The movie Reds is still a history lesson after all this time its still significant enough to show in classes. This movie was released in 1981 and is still relevant to day when talking about history. The movie is based on John Reed, a radical American journalist who believes in the communist movement and Louise Bryant, a writer and feminist who follows John Reed and who left her husband for him. John Reed and Louise Bryant become romantically involved and then develop an off and on again relationship but outside of their relationship they are still able to get there work done. This movie is during the Bolshevik Revolution where John Reed becomes somewhat of an advocate for the Communist revolution and Louise Bryant just casually sits back and watches for awhile until she to gets involved. John Reed and Louise Bryant first started their politics in the US but then traveled to Russia for the Communist Revolution. I’m guessing they were mislead because they then tried to start a similar revolution in the US. To make it even more interesting and accurate they used actual people who came in direct contact with John Reed and Louise Bryant about their perspective about the duo. All the real life surviving friends, coworkers, supporters, and associates had so much to say about the two but it almost felt like every body had a different opinion of the two and their relationship. So it seems if they had everybody fooled about their relationship.

- Valencya Reddish

- #VReddish

#VReddish

Extra Credit- Schindler's List AMH-2020 I chose this picture to represent this movie because as I was watching it, I never truly understood how a person you don't know can stand-out drastically and stir many emotions ranging from love, hope and utter sadness. Until I saw this little girl and throughout the entire movie I hoped for her and never lost that hope to see her survive but the moment we see her outcome, the tears finally flowed. The power of this one little girl truly moved me and drove home the loss of lives we watched. All killed by hate driven by a charismatic leader on a country that was left broken and trying to revitalize itself from destruction. The holocaust and how Jewish people were treated is the most horrible blemish and mark on human history. At the same time though this movie teaches us that even in the darkest of moments we face the human spirit to love and support each other will always supersede hatred and suffering. This is evident not only in the list Oskar Schindler created of more than 1,100 Jews he saved but also in the spirit seen by our Jewish brothers and sisters when caught in the bleakest of moments. This movie teaches us that Survival is an instinct that will kick in no matter how much we want to stop suffering. As far as how it relates to class and it's discussions is not only in being able to put a face to the stories of concentration camps but it transports us to a time that even though unknown to all of us opened our eyes to how we as a human race cannot sit back and allow these things to happen again. This movie truly moved me and made me proud to be an American because with our involvement in the War, we were able to put a stop to such a horrible moment! FrdeC

Last blog post

My understanding of American History was not changed during the course of this semester, though that doesn’t mean I didn’t learn anything. In high school I was in International Baccalaureate program and it gave me an unbiased/un-state-scripted version of American history as I received in this class. This class gave me more insight to not only the untold injustices of America, but also internationally. It gave me a feeling of why it is important to learn history and why it should be taught to everyone. If history is not taught, how can we learn from our mistakes?

I would like to of looked more into things in this class that aren’t traditionally in classrooms. I’m torn between wanting to learn more about the Trail of Tears and the Japanese internment camps. These hold the same significance as the Armenian Genocides that were never answered for. I would have loved to learn more about the actual conditions of these two things. What the people really experienced and how they dealt with it. I would love to learn about how they were fed and real testimonies. Though, that would probably much harder for the Trail of Tears than the Japanese Internment camps. I feel as if examining the mindset of the people to let that happen would be something that should be looked into more. I feel as if the general public is never told about the injustices of the American government. I feel learning these things is fundamental to understanding and predicting the bad decisions of the future. People need to know and recognize injustice so it can be avoided in the future.

Peter Passaro

PFP

#Peter Passaro #PFP

I have taken American History classes all throughout my schooling, and seemed to be learning the same things over and over again. Sophomore year in high school I took my first AP American History class. We learned a lot of information, however even though I had almost double the amount of time in my high school class, we didn’t go into nearly as much detail as Professor Morton did in half the time. I was familiar with the overall events throughout American History, but had no idea that there were so many small details and battles that factored into the wars. I really enjoyed learning about all of the little facts that make the material so much more interesting. I think one of the most interesting and random facts that I learned was that the trench coat was first made in trench warfare. If I could explore one topic in greater depth, it would be the more recent decades, such as the 70s, 80s, 90,s and 2000s. I think it would be interesting to learn about those time periods because those years are not taught as much as the 1700s and so on. I have never been a huge fan of American History and the classes I’ve taken on the history, but I actually enjoyed this class. It was fascinating to learn more than just what the date was and who fought in a certain war. I would recommend taking this course with Professor Morton to anyone who is interested in taking an American History class. I learned so much from this course, and can’t believe that it is already over.

Lindsay Haddock

#LMH

Post 15 - Joseph Lacattiva

As the semester is coming to a close, I've come to the conclusion that taking AMH2020 was a great decision. I've taken quite a few other history courses including AMH2010 and I feel like I've learned the most and have been the most interested in the subjects covered within this course compared to all the others. Taking AMH2020 with professor Morton was a refreshing experience because he has a little bit of a different perspective on many historical events. Generally history classes are very different, learn about the subjects and write a paper on them. Professor Morton breaks up these historical events and has students submit Tumblr posts in response, which is a interesting compared to traditional methods. Professor Morton makes understanding these historical events and figures simpler by incorporating short video clips on the subjects at hand. I definitely felt the way Professor Morton taught this course made it easier to understand history. I think one of the most interesting topics we covered was within the Industrial period. The big four industrialists, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, Carnegie, and J.P. Morgan were extremely interesting to learn about because they laid the foundation for the United States.

If I were given the chance to explore one topic in American history in greater depth, it would be the Holocaust. I think the Holocaust is an extremely touchy but interesting subject. Many people learn about the Holocaust and what it was, but not many of the events in detail that occurred throughout the time period.

All in all, I felt this course was extremely helpful in learning about and understanding U.S. history and gave me a better overview of the all the events that shaped the United States into the great country it is today.

Joseph Lacattiva

#JosephLacattiva JDL #AMH 2020-0005

Final Post 15

Throughout the span of this course I have both learned new and vastly intriguing information about U.S. History as well as broadened my knowledge of topics and events I thought I knew. I have learned about the clashes and conflicts that have occurred during the course of later American History along with the victories and progress of the American people who helped shape the United States into the great nation it is today. The era I most enjoyed learning about was definitely the 1930’s because of the Great Depression/Dust Bowl and the American artists who chronicled the plight and general struggle for survival during this time, such as John Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie. I was also enthralled by the history of the bank robbers, gangsters, and discontent of the time. John Dillinger and other romanticized outlaws have always fascinated me. The hostile relationship of Melvin Purvis and J. Edgar Hoover was also a very interesting aspect of this period. Learning more about Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency secured his spot as my favorite president, from his reassuring fire-side chats, to redefining the role of president with his remarkable passing of fifteen bills in the first hundred days of his term in office, Roosevelt was a man of action and his leadership was critical to the progress of the U.S. as a whole. The only topic I wish I learned more about was the rise of modern medicine with the discovery of Penicillin by Sir Alexander Fleming and the anticontagionism movement that took place in the United States following the mass migration from rural farms to urban communities.

#Keaton Shepard #KS #US History

Extra Credit Post~Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan

For my second extra credit post, I watched the movie Saving Private Ryan, which reenacts the Battle of Normandy, or D-Day. This well-known historic battle takes place during the times of World War II, on the five beaches of France’s Normandy region. The movie focuses primarily on a group of about 8 or 9 American soldiers who have stormed the beach of Normandy via amphibious attack. Once they made it past the Axis Powers whom had control of the area of the time, they were set on a mission to retrieve a soldier by the name of Private Ryan, for hi three other brothers were killed in action.

Now, this movie was concentrated on a small group of men, whom were part of a much larger picture of the beginning of the end of the Second World War in Europe. We talked much about the major battles that took place during World War II, but this movie really elaborated on how huge this victory was for the Allied forces.

The movie was very hard to watch due to the extreme violence and brutality of the war. However, I realize this does not even touch base as to what it is really like or was really like. I liked how the actors portrayed their loyalty and love for each other as if they were blood related, s most of them only had their fellow soldiers left. As Private Ryan said in the movie, he was not going to leave with the group that came to retrieve him because his three brothers were dead, he was going to stay and fight with the only brothers that he had left.

Over all I enjoyed watching this movie, it was accurate I believe in the way the harshness and brutality went. As well as the historical accurateness of how the Battle of Normandy happened. It was a good asset to add when learning about the times of World War II.

Madison Roessler

#MadiLRoesslerr

Post 15

Meghan Knotts

(couldn't copy and paste so I screen shotted)

#MeghanKnotts

week 15 post

Over the course of the semester, I learned a lot more than I thought I would before starting the class. The most important thing that really stuck with me was that history is always changing. No matter how much evidence we have of the past, the way we look at the past can be distorted in many ways. Also, new evidence is always changing the opinions of the general public. I was also more interested in the lectures than I thought I would be. What made it more interesting was that the professor decided not to talk so much about all of the boring subjects we had already heard a hundred times in high school. Instead, we delved into some of the facts that many teachers neglect. For example, we discussed the trial and execution of the Lincoln assassination conspirators, which was a controversial investigation that led to the first woman in American history to be executed. Up until that point, I had just thought that John Wilkes Booth had been alone in his crime. Similarly, I was unaware of the brutal treatment that immigrants had to endure in the United States for hundreds of years. I understood that it was harder for them to make a life here, but seeing all of the racist cartoons and depictions of minorities was very eye opening. I also enjoyed how the professor was willing to talk about all of America's less honorable moments, like the bombing of Dresden in World War II and the growing American Exceptionalism that has led this country for the past few centuries. Talking about those events really gives us a broad sense of what it means to be American.

- Zachary Bower

#zsbower

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