Review Blog

On The Brink Of The Civil War

Analyze the ways in which controversy over the extension of slavery into western territories contributed to the coming of he Civil War. Confine your answer to the period 1845-1861

  The Civil War was one of the defining events in American history, and the antebellum years of the 1840s and 1850s were filled with turmoil and occasional bloodshed. The expansion of slavery into newly-acquired western territories exacerbated the already delicate political situation, increasing the sectional tensions between the North and South. The South viewed slavery as essential to their traditional way of life, but many in the North were staunchly opposed to its spread. Several key events from 1845-1861 threw these regional differences to the forefront of national politics, eventually leading to the seemingly inevitable American Civil War. 

Political Cartoons

The image above depicts a talk between Carter and Fidel Castro, former dictator of the country of Cuba. It shows the obvious evil done by Castro yet Carter is still surprised by his action. The picture was published by cox and forkum.

This political cartoon is picture of President Jimmy Carter telling 3 dictators to embrace in a group hug. All three dictators, which include Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin who led the country of Germany, are pictured as sullen and grimacing; they are clearly unwilling to acknowledge each other. President Carter is pictured as oblivious to the obvious tension of the three men. This was drawn in order to picture the naivete of Carter, just as he was when he brought together the President of Egypt and the President of Israel into an agreement where neither would fight the other. This was drawn by cartoonist Jerry Herbert.



  The political cartoon above depicts a translation of the Middle East talks that President Carter. The mechanic comments on the obvious stall of the car, which is missing basically all of the parts to make it run, yet assures the owner that eventually it will. Like the talks, it would obviously take time, yet it would take too much time to do the things they want. It is making fun of the talks and the absurdity of them. This was drawn by cartoonist Jerry Herbert.

The Yippies / The Golf of Tonkin Resolution

THE YIPPIES

The founders of the Yippies were Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, Paul Krassner, and Dick Gregory. The Yippies were know as "revolutionary clowns" due to the fact that they used public pranks in order to bring attention to their problems. They were formed because they desired for radical change in the American political machinery. In 1968, the Yippies agreed to hold a convention called the "Festival of Life". The leader of the Yippies met up with other leader from counterculture groups in order to make their cause well known. The convention took place at a park outside of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The Yippies believed that street violence was the way to go; it would bring more awareness to the community. The Democratic National Convention of 1968 was considered a protest activity that was planned by the Yippies. The purpose of the activities that they took part in was to send a message to the Americans; they wanted to show them that they had no control over the political process.They wrote articles and made speeches in order to make the announcement that they were going to present themselves in Chicago. The people against the Yippies threatened them; they said that they were going to the National Guard and dump LSD in the water. However, that did not stop the Yippies from proceeding. 

The Yippies were also a part of the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam. This organization included groups that were against the idea of the participation of Americans in the Vietnam War. In comparison to the Yippies, this organization believed in civil disobedience; therefore, they were both for the same cause. The MOBE invited other groups, such as the Yippies, in order to put an end to the involvement of the Americans. Their method of attempting to end the Vietnam War was to protest; their goal was to have a massive amount of people to look powerful and stand outside the International Amphitheatre. 

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (August 7, 1964) gave broad congressional approval for expansion of the Vietnam War. During the spring of 1964, military planners had developed a detailed design for major attacks on the North, but at that time President Lyndon B. Johnson and his advisers feared that the public would not support an expansion of the war. By summer, however, rebel forces had established control over nearly half of South Vietnam, and Senator Barry Goldwater, the Republican nominee for president, was criticizing the Johnson administration for not pursuing the war more aggressively.

On August 2, shortly after a clandestine raid on the North Vietnamese coast by South Vietnamese gunboats, the U.S. destroyer Maddox (conducting electronic espionage nearby) was fired on by North Vietnamese torpedo boats. Two days later, in the same area, the Maddox and another destroyer reported that they were again under attack. Although these reports now appear to have been mistaken, Johnson proceeded quickly to authorize retaliatory air strikes against North Vietnam. The next day he gathered congressional leaders and, without divulging the circumstances that might have helped provoke the torpedo attack, accused the North Vietnamese of “open aggression on the high seas.” He then submitted to the Senate a resolution that authorized him to take “all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression.” The resolution was quickly approved by Congress; only Senators Wayne Morse of Oregon and Ernest Gruening of Alaska voted against it. Later, when more information about the Tonkin incident became available, many concluded that Johnson and his advisers had misled Congress into supporting the expansion of the war.

Six years later, amid mounting criticism of President Richard M. Nixon’s Cambodian incursion, the resolution was terminated (December 31, 1970). But in fact, the war had been sustained by Congress’s continued military appropriations, not by the Tonkin Resolution. Nevertheless, Johnson had frequently cited the resolution as evidence of congressional support, and to critics of the war it had become a symbol of the escalation they opposed.

Dorothea Lange's Photography

 This particular photo by Dorothea Lange is called, "Toward Los Angeles". It was taken in March of the year 1937. The men exhibited in the photo are only two of the millions of immigrants that moved from either across the border or from the American Midwest in order to find labor jobs in California. During the Great Depression was the highest peak of displaced farmers who sought work and moved out to the west coast. Wages were decreasing and the number of laid off farm workers was increasing; all in all, it was a bad time to be a farmer. The problem of the time when this picture was taken was the inequality and disparity that the farm laborers were forced to endure while on the job. The government was not doing anything effective to give aid to the farm workers, especially those who were Mexican or Mexican American; white government officials were even claiming that these specific immigrants made up half of the unemployed in California while white trade unions blamed them for the loss of available for white men. 

      A solution to this problem was the protest of this horrible mistreatment, which many groups did do. However, there were laws created (vagrancy laws) which gave officials the right to arrest and even give the workers to other farm owners to "pay off their debt"; eventually they were repealed in 1941 as they wee found unconstitutional. The creation of individual farm workers unions was the only solution to the problem until the convergence of two major unions which bore the United Farm Workers of America, most commonly associated with the great Cesar Chavez. Up to this day, the struggle to bring these workers all the rights they deserve is still being fought, although there have been successes.Dorothea 

President Carter

We have all heard about great presidents like George Washington or Abraham Lincoln; but have you heard about Jimmy Carter?He was born in Southern town of Plains, Georgia. You were Southern, liberal, soft spoken, and an evangelical Baptist, meaning that he was not only very religious but believed in a literal interpretation of the bible. He grew up on a farm, a peanut farm and would own a peanut farm all of his life. He attended the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, graduating top in his class with a degree in nuclear engineering. He served six years in the United States Navy as an officer aboard a nuclear powered submarine before returning to Georgia to run for congress. He became the youngest congressman in the history of Georgia. He eventually ran for president in the 1977 elections, and won; he was seen as trustworthy.

      As president at the time, Carter was left with many obstacles to overcome, mainly from the last presidency; he was left with an un-trusting nation due to the scandalous actions of former President Nixon. Although President Johnson also attempted to help the nation before Nixon as well, he merely accomplished creating ideas but not putting them into action.Carter also took care of the energy crisis, an aggressive Soviet Union, Iran, and many other things. He pardoned over 10,000 people who refused to join the army for the Vietnam war, simply because they were exercising their rights; this was one of many humanitarian actions he did in order to begin to gain back the trust of the American people. He also helped in the Camp David Peace Accords, where President Aware Al Sedate of Egypt and President Meantime Begin of Israel signed a peace accord, and both countries would no longer fight. He also created the Delta Force, which was a team equipped and trained to respond to crises quickly and professionally.

France in World War 1

World War 1 was a violent and bloody war that Europe was mainly involved in. In the beginning of the war, France was allied with the United Kingdom and Russia. The main reason why the war was started was because there were conflicts between the European powers. World War 1 began on July 28, 1914 when Austria-Hungary declared the war on Serbia. The conflict between the two countries soon spread to others such as France, Russia, Great Britain, and Germany due to the fact that they were involved in peace treaties with other nations.

During the war, France was allied against the Central Powers. Two days after Germany had declared war against Russia, they decided to declare war with France. Since both France and Russia were allies, Germany decided to perform a two-front war. Later that day, France decided to declare a war against Germany; they sent their troops to Alsace and Lorraine. On August 3, the German troops went to the neutral side of Belgium  in order to invade France.

After the war, France had to rebuild their society because the Germans had destroyed most of their country. France attempted to reconstruct themselves just in case Germany thought about attacking them again. The Battle of Verdun was what caused a lot of tensions between both France and Britain. France had lost a lot of their men in the war, thus reducing the population of males. Due to this issue, there was a shortage of labor workers; the results of World War 1 for France was not that great.

Progressive Characters

     

Theodore Roosevelt

          Theodore Roosevelt was born in New York City; he was sick throughout most of his childhood, which did not allow him to do certain things. Once he got older, however, he was able to participate in any activities he wanted to take part in due to the fact that he gained strength over the years. During the time he attended Harvard, he learned the idea that a life of service was a virtuous life.

           When Theodore Roosevelt was President of the United States, he created the Food and Drug Administration which made sure that food in general were healthy. The Square Deal also helped the poor and needy people. He then added the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, which said that the United States would get involved if the European countries attempted to invade Central and South America. Roosevelt formed the Progressive Party in order to get elected once more and make some more changes.

          Roosevelt attempted to make change within the lower class society in order to give them more opportunities. He was the president that stuck by the side of the working class. He threatened the owners of the companies if they were to hurt the working class. He introduced a sense of duty within the Americans to offer help the other countries.

Woodrow Wilson

        Woodrow Wilson was a big fan of reading in his younger days before he became the president. He attended and graduated from Princeton, receiving a Ph.D.He then became the university president. Before his accomplishment in becoming the university president, he was once a university teacher. He also created the idea of Moral Internationalism while he was involved in his academics.

        Wilson's idea of Moral Internationalism was that the United States owed it to themselves and other countries to be involved in foreign affairs due to their power and wealth. It also believed that freedom and democracy should be brought to other places as well. He created the 14 points, which were basically the 14 ideas that wold keep a progressive place plan. He also attempted to pass the Treaty Of Versailles, which was right after World War 1.

         Wilson attempted to make change through the Moral Internationalism and the League of Nations. The Moral Internationalism was intended to encourage the nation become more politically involved in affairs taking place all around the world. That exposed the people to realize other people's realities and problems. The League of Nations was a part of the 14 points, which allowed that people get together from all over the world to fix issues.

Ida Tarbell

         Ida Tarbell was born in Pennsylvania in 1857 to a family of teachers and farmers. She attended high school right after Rockefeller acquired her father's business; she was then able to graduate from Allegheny College. She was actually the first woman to attend and graduate college. After receiving her chemistry degree, she went on and became a teacher in Ohio. 

         After leaving her job, however, she became a writer. She would write investigative journalism pieces. Due to the fact that she wrote a biography on Madame Roland she took a job at McClure's magazine. She then became the main writer and editor after she wrote the 10 part series of Abraham Lincoln. She also wrote a 19 part series on the life and business of oil tycoon Rockefeller in order to expose the corrupt business deals that had cost her father and other farmers their land. 

         Tarbell was a muckraker, meaning she wrote facts which in turn exposed the truth. That is how she had exposed the corruption of the oil company. Her writing led to an investigation of the Standard Oil Company and its disbandment into six different companies, effectively ending Rockefeller's reign.

Robert La Follette "Fighting Bob"

     Robert La Follette was born in Wisconsin in 1855.   John D. Rockefeller was the second oldest of a group of six children to a farming family in upstate New York City; he attended school and after high school went to the Folsom Mercantile College and finished a bookkeeping course. He began to work as an assistant bookkeeper at the Hewitt and Tuttle Firm. After many promotions, Rockefeller formed his own business with a partner, later turning it into an oil refinery business, renaming it Standard Oil.      

      He created the ideas of initiative, which was the ability of citizens to make and pass a law without help of legislature, and referendum, which was the ability to end an elected official's time in office before the next election. He also began The Wisconsin Idea to try to give the government back to the people and give America more of a direct democracy in order to take away power from the corrupt elite (corporations and parties). La Follette also ran and was elected Senator of the state of Wisconsin; he was one of the few that went against Wilson's declaration of war, openly speaking against it in public speeches. 

      La Follette was open to speaking his opinions whether or not they were deemed necessary or even wanted; he was especially prone to making speeches which gained him many enemies; these speeches made him susceptible to being accused of treason. He also felt that both natural born and immigrants alike had a duty to keep on the values that drove the American spirit during the country's revolution days. Everyone had a right to speak their mind.

Eugene V. Debs

     Eugene V. Debs was born in a German family in Terre Haute, Indiana; life as an immigrant was difficult, yet their knowledge was as vast as the family library.  His family opened a general store and later became trusted members of the community; after finishing high school, Debs went to work at the Union Pacific Railway, but left the dangerous job to do union work and became a union activist.     

     After creating the American Railway Union, he ventured far and wide to gain rights for workers, even opening a publishing company to get the voices of the workers and their situation heard. He and the ARU stood behind the Pullman Strike and gave the workers their support, although Debs was jailed for having been involved. The Great Railway Strike was one of his proudest moments, giving all he had into helping the workers earn their rights.     

     Debs was a progressive reformer at heart, from his creation of the ARU to his endorsement of the Women's Suffragist Movement. He even continued his talks and motivation while he was in jail, uplifting the jailers and prisoners alike. He died in his home in Terre Haute after having met President Harding on an invitation to the White House.

John D. Rockefeller

     John D. Rockefeller was the second oldest of a group of six children to a farming family in upstate New York City; he attended school and after high school went to the Folsom Mercantile College and finished a bookkeeping course. He began to work as an assistant bookkeeper at the Hewitt and Tuttle Firm. After many promotions, Rockefeller formed his own business with a partner, later turning it into an oil refinery business, renaming it Standard Oil.      

     Rockefeller was a master at monopoly, meaning he was in control of all the oil in the Ohio region with no competition. He also learned how to control the means of production, completely dominating the oil business and every part of production. Predatory pricing was also a useful method of his; he would lower his prices to less than his competitors, and when he bought them out, the prices skyrocketed with no other place to buy his product as he was the only producer.     

      Rockefeller's business endeavors soon came to an after interference with muckracker Ida Tarbel and her infamous 19 part series of his life and corrupt business. His company was forced to break up into six different companies, effectively ending his reign. He became a philanthropist, and gave his money away to may organizations until his death in 1937.