...Significant events in the decades after World War II Due date, Preface Americans faced many challenges in their lives; challenges on a variety of fronts shattered the American consensus. In the 50s, African Americans launched a crusade, joined later by other minority groups and women, for a larger share of the American dream. In the 60s, politically active students protested the nation's role abroad, particularly in the corrosive war in Vietnam, and a youth counterculture challenged the status quo of American values. Americans from many walks of life sought to establish a new equilibrium in the United States, the following time synopsis will shed some light on turning points in our American history. * 1940s, Civil Rights, a time for change. Harry Truman supported the civil rights movement. He believed in political equality, though not in social equality, and recognized the growing importance of the black urban vote. When apprised in 1946 of lynching’s and other forms of mob violence still practiced in the South, he appointed a committee on civil rights to investigate discrimination based on race and religion. The report, issued the next year, documented blacks' second-class status in American life. It asserted the need for the federal government to secure the rights guaranteed to all citizens. Truman responded by sending a 10-point civil rights program to Congress. When Southern Democrats, angry about a stronger civil rights stance, left the party in 1948, Truman...
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...this nation by serving this country in spite of the racism they faced. From the Civil War to the present war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the African American soldiers have served and broke down racial barriers in the face of adversity. This is a look at the contribution of service to this country as soldiers from 1865 to present day. During the years of the Civil War, 1861-1865, the African Americans were participating in the war whether they were freemen or slaves. In the southern states many slaves were forced to aid in the war effort by the Confederate army. On the other hand, the Northern states turn away black men at the beginning of the Civil War, but towards the end of the war the Northern army (the union) began accepting Negro soldiers into the army. “For the black soldier in the Union Army, the reason for the war was to free the slaves”, although President Lincolns effort was to save the Union. Emancipation or freedom of the slaves became a major part of the Civil War and it provided additional resources to the Union Army in the way of black soldiers (Simmonds & Carter, 2010). According to Simmonds and Carter (2010), the “Negro Soldiers” fought bravely and won praise in over 200 battles during the Civil War (Para. 4). One of the most recognized or famous black regiment was the fifty-fourth Massachusetts regiment. The fifty-fourth was established in 1863 and was one of the first black units organized in the north. The unit was led by Robert Gould Shaw and the unit...
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...Throughout history slavery has been put in the spotlight. Whether it be positive or negative, slavery was at the forefront of an economy President Abraham Lincoln, in his second inaugural address said this, “One-eighth of the whole population were colored slaves, not distributed generally over the Union, but localized in the sourthern part of it. These slaves constituted a peculiar and powerful interest. All knew that this interest was somehow the cause of the war.” Was the civil war really about the freedom of slavery? Or was there an underlying reason for the Civil War? Before the Civil War began, we see the life of one young African American slave, Celia, a fourteen year old girl. Celia was bought by a man named Robert Newsom who had the mindset to make her his mistress, when he initially bought her. Throughout Celia’s life on the plantation, she was sexually abused, and gave birth to three children. George a slave himself, convinced Celia to confront Newsom about his abuse towards her. Since Celia was in love with George, she agreed. When Newsom came to her cabin intent on having sex with her, she resisted his advances, and has he counted to advance towards her, Celia began striking Newsom across the head until he was done. To help cover up her crime, she burned him in her fireplace, and had Newsom’s grandson to get rid of his ashes. When his daughter’s discovered he was missing they sent a search team to look for him, finally Newsoms neighbor figured out that Celia...
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...of the slave was doomed to extreme 12-15 hour working days and often deplorable living conditions. African American slaves were beaten, whipped and even murdered, but they kept the spirit to survive. History shows that slaves tried to revolt, always to the detriment of the participants. When the slaves saw that revolting would never work, they sought ways to escape. One such way of escape was the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was an organized effort to assist slaves attempting to escape. The Railroad was believed to have been incorporated in 1804. The Railroad was operated in defiance to the Fugitive Slave Laws and white abolitionists assisted the slaves in their cause. By the middle of the 19th century, slavery had become a serious problem in the United States. Anti-slavery sentiment began to grow and abolitionists gained ground on their cause. Anti-slavery societies grew and the battle to end a way of life that the slave holders held for hundreds of years ensued. The civil war was a conflict between the Northern and Southern states and a conflict between continuing slavery and ending it. The country was divided and...
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...on March 5, 1770 with the Boston Massacre when a troop of British soldiers opened fired on a group of protesters. Then later in 1773 the Coercive Acts were put into place allowing British troops to stay in and occupy houses American were already living in. These Acts also came with the closing of the Port of Boston and allowing British soldiers to be tried for crimes back home in Britain. This was an outrage to the Americans, the colonies had to come together to deiced what they were going to do get rid of the British. They eventually knew that they needed to take the British to war so they could finally separate from them. ! On April 19, 1775 the war began in Concord and Lexington where the British tried to sneak up on the Americans and disarm them and capture leaders Sam Adams and John Hancock in the morning hours of the day. From a series of horseback riders like Paul Revere, the word was able to be spread that the British were on there way. After a series of defeats like Bunker Hill, Long Island, and New York. The American battled back in Valley Forge, Saratoga, and Yorktown where they cornered Cornwallis and his troops and made his surrender. In 1783 the Treaty of Paris was signed to give America its Freedom from Britain. ! Following the American Revolution the Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation in 1777. It had no authority in interstate disputes and only could request taxes and troops from individual states. A few year later came the...
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...to reunite Confederate states with the Union. The Civil War, in the words of President Abraham Lincoln, brought to America "a new birth of freedom." President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."By the war's end it was already clear that Reconstruction would bring far-reaching changes in Southern society and a redefinition of the place of blacks in American life. This is important because the expansive wording, the Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways. It applied only to states that had seceded from the Union, leaving slavery untouched in the loyal Border States. It also expressly exempted parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Northern control. Most important, the freedom it promised depended upon Union military victory. Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not end slavery in the nation, it captured the hearts and imagination of millions of Americans and fundamentally transformed the character of the war. After January 1, 1863, every advance of federal troops expanded the domain of freedom. Moreover, the Proclamation announced the acceptance of black men into the Union Army and Navy, enabling the liberated to become liberators. By the end of the war, almost 200,000 black soldiers and sailors had fought for the Union and...
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...of his nation, became involved in a bloody battle that upset the nation who in turn voiced their hostility which further sparked a call for improvements in civil rights. President Lyndon B. Johnson entered office after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Although Johnson was viewed as no match to Kennedy, his energy surprised all. Upon his entrance to the White House, Johnson planned to complete Kennedy’s unfinished programs and introduce many of his own ideologies. Many of his programs were in direct effect of the Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, however, he greatly...
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...the indication is strong that we are attacking nonetheless. Hope this will bring the war to a quick end, and I may see you again. After the rebs opened fire on Fort Sumter to begin the war, the Union might be encouraged by early victories in western Virginia, and by the war fever spreading through the North, the superiors ordered to mount an offensive that would hit quickly and decisively at the enemy, hope to bring the war to a mercifully quick end. The defeat of Fort Sumter caused more states to join the Confederacy. Fort Sumter is an...
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...The (un)Official United States History Cram Packet This is not intended as a substitute for regular study ……. But it is a powerful tool for review. 1494: Treaty of Tordesillas – divides world between Portugal and Spain 1497: John Cabot lands in North America. 1513: Ponce de Leon claims Florida for Spain. 1524: Verrazano explores North American Coast. 1539-1542: Hernando de Soto explores the Mississippi River Valley. 1540-1542: Coronado explores what will be the Southwestern United States. 1565: Spanish found the city of St. Augustine in Florida. 1579: Sir Francis Drake explores the coast of California. 1584 – 1587: Roanoke – the lost colony 1607: British establish Jamestown Colony – bad land, malaria, rich men, no gold - Headright System – land for population – people spread out 1608: French establish colony at Quebec. 1609: United Provinces establish claims in North America. 1614: Tobacco cultivation introduced in Virginia. – by Rolfe 1619: First African slaves brought to British America. 15. Virginia begins representative assembly – House of Burgesses 1620: Plymouth Colony is founded. - Mayflower Compact signed – agreed rule by majority • 1624 – New York founded by Dutch 1629: Mass. Bay founded – “City Upon a Hill” - Gov. Winthrop - Bi-cameral legislature, schools 1630: The Puritan Migration 1632: Maryland – for profit – proprietorship 1634 – Roger Williams banished from Mass. Bay Colony 1635:...
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...States placed its military operations under the flag of the United Nations (UN). Africa's first post-cold war conflict, the corrupt regime of Muhammed Siad Barre prompted the necessity for intervention in Somalia. In power from 1969 to 1991, Barre created a patron-client relationship with the nation's clan-based society. That system required continuous outside assistance, and by 1987, some 57% of Somalia's gross national product was generated by international aid. Although he lacked legitimacy outside his clan, Somali general Mohamed Farah Aidid overthrew Barre, which led to the collapse of the state, continuous clan-based civil war, and famine. That situation provoked the deployment of the first UN Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM I) in April 1992. Yet the force proved insufficient to control the "technicals" (a euphemism for mercenaries who remained loyal to their clans) hired by in-country humanitarian organizations. Under those circumstances, between November 1991 and March 1992, some 30,000–50,000 Somalis died of starvation. The U.S.-led Unified Task Force (UNITAF) broke that cycle in December 1992, when the UN Security Council authorized a deployment to Somalia of U.S. troops, which had been offered by the outgoing president George Bush. UNOSOM would work with a unified command (37,000 troops from more than 20 nations, including, at its peak, 29,000 U.S. troops) and continue with its original mandate after the withdrawal of the unified command. UNITAF, code-named Operation...
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...Name: Institution: Date: 1. Horatio Greenough was the first American sculptor who had the passion of art who made the sculpture ‘Rescue’. The Rescue is a sculpture that was erected at the right of the Capitol steps. It signified the struggle for supremacy and achievement of culture, civilization and Christianity between the Indian and white man. The sculpture was brought down some time later to create room for the extension of the building. The rescue sculpture was removed in 1958, and it was never seen again. At a later time, the sculpture was crashed down by a tractor when being transported and the only piece that remained was the dog which is used for study purposes. The statue was rated as the most embarrassing statue hence it brought about controversies, it discouraged greenough’s interest in art. 2 (b). The 19 federally recognized native American tribes in southern California are; the Barona band of mission Indians, campo kumeyaay nation, inaja-cosmit band of Indians, jamul Indian, la jolla of luiseno Indians, la posta band of mission Indians, los coyotes, Manzanita band, pala band of cupeno Indians, pauma band of mission Indians, Mesa Grande band, Viejas band, Sycuan band, Santa Isabel band, san Pasqual band, Rincon band, Pala band, mesa Grande band The Chemehuevi Tribe is one of the Native American tribe in the southern California which is federally recognized. The Chemehuevi is an Indian majored term that means ‘those who play with fish’’. In the mid 18th century...
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...Civil rights Movement Truman Harry Truman is not a name usually associated with America's Civil Rights movement if only because the main 'points' happened after his presidency - Montgomery, Little Rock, Birmingham, the careers of Martin Luther Kingand Stokely Carmichael. However, some very important civil rights issues were covered in his presidency. Truman’s ancestors had owned slaves. His first recollection of African Americans was a household servants within his family - and he did not come from a prosperous family. While he was dating his future wife Bess, she claimed that he told her that he felt that one person was as good as any other as long as they were not black. He also criticised the Chinese in America, the Jews - to whom he referred to as "Kikes" and the Italians in America who he called "wops". Hence, Truman’s background produced what one would have expected and the young Truman would have had the same views as most other youths in Independence. When he got involved in politics at an early age, he did what any aspiring politician did in the South, he paid $10 to join the KKK. Public office changed Truman. Why? Did he feel that America could not claim to be the democratic capital of the world while African Americans were treated thus? Or were his motives political? The African American population was big enough to have some political clout. Was he out to fish for their votes with his adoption of the civil rights cause? Truman and civil rights legislation: Before...
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...Assignment 1 How was the south changed? The chief accomplishment of the new south was the expansion of textile production, as the number of cotton mills grew from 161 to 400. There was also an increase in the lumber industry, coal production, and tobacco growth. Although, the majority of southern farmers were not flourishing, which caused sharecropping and tendancy to increase between blacks and whites. The bourbons perfected a political alliance with northern conservatives and economic alliance with northern capitalists. They also reduced state expenditures and public debt. Attitudes about race became more strongly felt and the prospect of an electoral alliance between poor whites and blacks that could threaten the power structure became a possibility, so the southern states came up with various ways to disenfranchise blacks. Also, “Jim Crow” laws were enacted to mandate public separation of the races. Legalized segregation reinforced the notions of white racial superiority and African-American inferiority, creating an atmosphere that encouraged violence, and during the 1890s lynching’s of blacks rose significantly. Define the New West. After 1865, the federal government encouraged western settlement and economic exploitation. The transcontinental railroads opened the western half of the nation to economic development and created an interconnected national market. Needing rapid communication, companies built telegraph lines along the railroad as the track was laid. Completion...
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...Events leading up to the Civil War University of Phoenix There were many factors that led to the Civil War in 1861. Most people would say that slavery is the leading cause and the only reason for the Civil War. It was one of the reasons, but not the only reason. There were five leading causes that led to the Civil War and they were: economic and social differences, state versus federal rights, slavery, the Abolition Movement and the election of Lincoln as President. Economic and Social Differences The invention of Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin in 1793 led to many differences between the North and the South. Cotton became a very profitable crop for both and the time to process it had been greatly reduced by the machine. In the South, more plantations began to produce cotton, which increased the need for slaves. The North on the other hand was based more on industry than agriculture and was purchasing the raw cotton and turning it into finished goods. The ever evolving northern society encompassed people of different races and cultures working together. The southern states continued to hold onto their social pecking order. (americanhistory.about.com, 2011) States versus Federal rights Southern states were in favor of state’s rights over federal rights; northern states were in favor of a federal government. States rights would enable the states themselves to decide if a federal law was constitutional or not and whether or not that they were willing to accept it. When they were...
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...African American Studies Final Question Answers M5Q1 NOTES: 1. Which of the following best describes Henry David Thoreau's response to Brown's raid? |1.|Thoreau praises Brown and seeks to defend his memory against those who viewed him as a murderer or insane man| |2.|Thoreau is horrified by the violent methods Brown used, arguing that violence will turn many Americans who oppose the extension of slavery against the abolitionists| |3.|Thoreau argues that Brown should not be put to death as this would cause sectional strife and lead to a civil war| |4.|Thoreau is one of many abolitionists who plea for Brown's life to be saved| 3 points Question 2 1. Which of the following best summarizes the letters John Brown wrote to his family while in prison? |1.|Brown is very hopeful that his wife and remaining children will come visit him| |2.|Brown calls upon his sons to continue his work. Although he speaks in very vague terms, it is clear that he hopes they will launch another slave uprising so that his death will not be in vain| |3.|Brown is upset at the fact that some of his children are ashamed to be sons and daughters of the man who planed the raid at Harper's Ferry| |4.|Brown does not write any letters to his family members while in prison, a fact John Earle makes plain in his introduction| |5.|Brown is upbeat and speaks in mostly religious terms about how there is no need to grieve for their father| Question 3 1. Which of the following is TRUE regarding John...
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