Thursday, April 10, 2014
Monday, April 7, 2014
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
This spring break, to study for the ap exam, I went to your tab on the apush website labeled AP Review. From there, I studied the first 2 chapters labeled mercantilism to Constitutional period.Č
Here is my eveidence.
Evaluation: I felt as I didn't do nearly enough because my ap review was on the last 2 days of spring break so I didn't really attain a lot of knowledge however it was a good start
Evaluation: I felt as I didn't do nearly enough because my ap review was on the last 2 days of spring break so I didn't really attain a lot of knowledge however it was a good start
My SMART goal of the day was to buy a princeton review book for apush however, they had run out therefore I ordered one and will have one in about 3 days.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Unit 5 essay rewrite Impacts on Big Businesses DBQ Essay Re-Write
Katahira-Ables, Yuto
March 11, 2014
APUSH period 2
Impacts on Big Businesses DBQ Essay Re-Write
Growing corporations had immense influence and control over the economy and government in the post- Civil War United States. However, the influence that grew with the corporations could be easily interpreted as negative. Economically, big businesses created a widening gap between the rich and poor, and lowered the working conditions and wages for the working class. Politically, big businesses controlled the federal government, and business tycoons manipulated the influences of Americans through corrupt deeds. In determining whether big businesses had negative impacts, one must assess the extent to which people responded. In response, labor unions were formed, a new party emerged, and philanthropists felt obligated to help the “less fortunate”.
With the arrival of new businesses came the arrival of new working conditions. First, the invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison impacted the way workers worked as it allowed corporations to lengthen work hours. Corporations also introduced the invention of the assembly line which made machines do all the skilled work and workers only had to operate the machines. The assembly line deprived the skills of men as they were no longer needed. Businesses could then employ many workers which enabled them to pay low wages as well as fire workers without much justification. Most of the employed were unskilled workers such as immigrants of whom could be payed with much lower wages than Americans.
Moreover, workers were so angered by the new working conditions, which consisted of the idea of Taylorism where workers were to perform one task at one machine, that the working class created labor unions as a response. Leaders arose such as Samuel Gompers and created the American Federation Labor (AFL) where skilled workers could unite and protest against the corporations. They protested against work hours, wages, and the decreasing use of skilled labor. Other labor unions included the Knights of Labor where they welcomed women as well as men, saying Americans as a whole have been affected by the corporations and not just skilled men. This unifying group of workers were all fighting against a common cause to fight corporations, and in return, sparked major attention with wealthy philanthropists.
The emergence of new labor unions made the gap between the rich and poor more noticeable, which was suggested by the way philanthropists reacted to the agonies of the working class. Andrew Carnegie, a wealthy man due to his success in steel production, felt obligated to help the less fortunate because it wasn't their fault they were stuck in poverty. His ideas stemmed from the ideology of Social Darwinism which states that people are born with more abilities than others that help them thrive in society-- a phenomenon called natural selection where survivals are of the fittest. The idea of Social Darwinism resonated with others like Rockefeller that made him and others donate to the poor through building libraries, schools, and parks.
Economically, it is self evident that there were negative impacts; however, big businesses also had negative impacts on politics. This was evident through the passage of the Dingley Tariff which rose the tariff to an all time high in order to protect big businesses. This put many farmers in debt because they needed the tariff to be low in order to sell their crops in markets; therefore it didn’t help at all when market prices began to lower too. In response, the farmers created the subtreasury plan which was a plan where farmers store their commodities in government until the market prices rose. However it was deemed ineffective as the government did not approve of the plan.
Moreover, the government then announced that gold would be worth 16 times more than silver and through the Currency Act, made the paper money based on gold. Now farmers needed silver to be the basis of the paper money because it was abundant and it would cause inflation to rise which would get the farmers out of their debt. This was evident through their slogan, “Free Silver”. When the Crime of 73’ only enforced the basis for gold, farmers got furious and in response created organizations. The most widely spread organization was the Farmer’s Alliance, an organization that focused on local problems where they formed cooperatives and other marketing mechanisms. Thier main goal was to free farmers from the hated “furnishing merchants” who kept so many farmers in debt. The Farmer’s Alliance eventually escalated to into the birth of a third party, the Populist Party. The Populist Party was a party of the American farmers that wanted the authority of the government (the people) expanded. They also added many political leaders in the House and Senate; therefore, it is easy to say that they had an immense influence in America.
In conclusion, big businesses had a negative impact on American economy and politics and this can be supported by the responses such as the forming of labor unions, the emergence of political parties, and the charity donations of philanthropists.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Era of Good Feelings DBQ Essay
Katahira-Ables, Yuto
Mr. Ready
Ap US History, period 2
11 November 2013
“Era of Good Feelings” DBQ Essay
The Era of Good Feelings was a historic label out upon America after the War of 1812 during Monroe’s presidency. The accuracy of this label is spot on because even though sectionalism was present, the nationalistic actions and views prevailed as it provided economic, political, and social stability to America to form unity among the states. This era was a huge step forward in the country and it represented a period of progress in which the Americans united.
The issue of transportation emerged after the War of 1812 and, with it, the emergence of the manufacturers. Leaders like John Randolph feared disunion and the imbalance of people in America as the manufacturers grew wealthy and the farmers grew poorer. However, the ideas of such people like John C. Calhoun started to emerge as well. Calhoun, fearing sectionalism in America, introduced the “perfect” system of roads and canals that ultimately would help unify the nation. His ideas were approved because of all the unexplored land to the west, and it would unify the west to the east. These nationalistic views of Calhoun dignified the era of good feelings because this turnpike era would eventually lead to the canal era.
The Supreme Court decisions proposed by John Marshal was another example of economic stability in America. The decision in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) stated that Congress had the power to incorporate a bank and that independent states did not. The authority of the federal government was strictly enforced by John Marshall to prevent sectionalism in America- states becoming independent and sovereign. In the Gibbons v. Ogden case, John Marshall again recognized the authority of the federal government over the states in terms of commerce in transportation. John Marshall’s efforts put in an end to sectionalism and helped spread nationalism to recognize the states under one simple category, the United States of America.
Slavery served to be an issue in America, as Jefferson described it “like a firebell in the night”. Problems emerged from among the north and south regarding whether Missouri should be issued as a free or slave state. The issue was solved with the Missouri Compromise which was sectionalist in nature; however, the north and south were content and even satisfied with the compromise which became progress in their relationship. Therefore, it helped to unify the country as a whole and provided social stability, hence the name the “era of good feelings”. Moreover, it significantly separated the north and south.
The War of 1812 was a war that wasn’t intended to be fought. However, victories at battles such as the Battle of New Orleans where Andrew Jackson emerged victories provided nationalism and patriotism among Americans. Festivals like the Fourth of July prove patriotism was now present in America. This added social stability and was a significant event of good feelings.
John Quincy Adams, secretary of state, was a Federalist. It was odd to see a Federalist, John Q. Adams, and a Republican, James Monroe, to be in the same office. However, Monroe was destined to end the disputes between the Federalists and the Republicans so he assigned Adams to be secretary of state; Adams became a Republican soon after. Monroe’s plan succeeded and he issued the label that this is the “Era of Good Feelings”. Monroe ended sectionalism in America when he won the presidential election of 1820 231 electoral votes to 1 which ended the Federalist party and brought upon a one - party system. This political stability under one party unified America which was purely nationalism.
In conclusion, the “era of good feelings” was an accurate historic label because it unified America with economic stability, the authority of the federal government over the states, social stability, patriotism among the states and the issue of slavery, and political stability, the disappearance of the Federalist party.
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