First Semester Summary Activity

            On the first day of History class, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I can truly say that I have learned a lot about the history of the United States in this first semester.

            One thing I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the history of the United States was the way that the economy was perfectly set up in the late 19^th century to allow some people to become very wealthy. During this time, 6 of the top 10 wealthiest people of all time were alive and living in the United States, most of which were industrialists.

            I was unpleasantly surprised to learn the way that some people in history have made it seem as if they are genuinely good people, when that could not be further from the truth. One such person is James Oglethorpe, the founder of Georgia. Oglethorpe wanted to ban slavery because, as he said, “If we allow slaves, we act against the very principles by which we associated together, which was to relieve the distressed.” However, the real reason he wanted to ban slavery was that he was actually so racist that he didn’t even want to be around African Americans. Another example is Andrew Carnegie, whose name can now be seen all around the country on libraries. He also had the perfect “self-made” image that made him seem as if he was just an immigrant who worked his way up in the world. In reality, he was just like any other business tycoon, ruthless, greedy, and selfish.

            I will likely be able to remember and discuss some of the things I learned about in my research on the West in 10 years. I researched the religious freedom of Native Americans and found that they had been wronged by the U.S. government. Essentially, the government had infringed on their rights and made it illegal for them to practice some of their age old traditions, such as using peyote during religious ceremonies. I will be able to remember this because this is something that still happens today. Most recently, people believed that the government was plotting to take away U.S. citizen’s weapons, and this frightened people, but also made them angry because it was infringing on their rights.

            One thing Americans of the past struggled with and that we continue to struggle with today is racism. Since America was founded, racism has always been a problem. This is a country built upon slavery, so it can only be expected that racism will cause a problem. Then there is the removal of Indians from their home land into reservations simply because they are Indian. Now, with the Ferguson riot and the Trayvon Martin case racism is once again a topic of conversation in American society.

            If I had to name the late 19^th century in America I would probable name it the “Rebirth.” We were a country just coming off of a devastating Civil War and we desperately needed to get back on track. Then, the birth of the city came and with that came factories, more jobs, more diversity, and more money in the U.S.