Brianna's US History Blog

I would define progress as the ability to improve upon the ideas or notions that currently exist. Progress is relative to the person and the subject that is in question. Only one involved can understand and determine progress. The Progressive Era article published on Kahn Academy cites that the "Progressive movement arose as a response to negative effects of industrialization. The Progressive Era took place from 1890 to 1920. According to an article published by The George Washington University , the Era, more commonly described as "Progressivism" started as a "social movement and grew into a political movement." Their goals were to "expose the evils of corporate greed, combat the fear of immigrants, and urge citizens to ponder what democracy meant." Many of them wanted to "regulate business practices, address health hazards, and improve working conditions" as stated by  Digital History . In addition, they pushed for the public to have dire...

In an article titled, "What May Happen in the Next Hundred Years," John Elfreth Watkins predicted what the 21st century would be like. According to BBC News , 10 predictions that Watkins got right were digital color photography, the increase in the average height of Americans, mobile phones, pre-packaged foods, a decrease in population growth, greenhouses, television, the use of large automobiles, and express trains. Predictions such as the elimination of C, X, and Q in our everyday alphabet, the hope that people will walk 10 miles everyday, there will be no automobiles in the city, and the eradication of mosquitoes and flies were all ones that Watkins made for the 21st century but did not come true. An article on Open Culture wrote that Sir Francis Bacon predicted technological and social advancements in the future. Watkins compiled 28 predictions, most of which were absurd. For example, predictions like "peas the size of beets," "black, blur, and green roses...

On the National Women's History Museum , Allison Lange, author of National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage quoted Jane Addams, "I do not believe that women are better than men. We have not wrecked railroads, nor corrupted legislature, nor done many unholy things that men have done; but then we must remember that we have not had the chance." This quote is very thought provoking, and provides the reader with a sense of who the author is, and what they believe in before even reading their article. Lange writes that there have been many national suffragist organization since 1869, but there were also anti-suffragist organizations beginning in 1911. She points out that there were people, men and women, who were against suffrage for women. She writes that many anti-suffragists were opposed to the idea of voting for women because they were domestic, they took care of the children and the home, they simply did not have the time to stay informed with politics. They argued wo...

 This political cartoon illustrates American imperialism. The cards are representative of the American colonies acquired at the time. The cards are not just number cards, they are the highest ones in the deck, the most prestigious illustrating the impact/influence of these colonies and how America carefully chose them, aligning them in sequential order. The deck gives the viewer the impression that these colonies are at our disposal, to use at anytime we feel necessary, and that imperialism is merely just a game for the United States, it is a way to assert their dominance and prevent themselves from being taken over by other dominant powers in the world. The first thing that the viewer sees when they look at this political cartoon of American imperialism is the giant eagle with its over exaggerated wingspan. The eagle is a symbol for the United States and the abnormally large wings illustrate America's omnipresence. Their ability to have colonies all around the world. The...

Funeral for JFK President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 during his presidential campaign through Texas for re-election. JFKlibrary.org wrote that they were to depart on a "two-day, five-city tour of Texas." JFK and Mrs. Kennedy were riding through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas with Governor John Connally and Nellie, his wife when "gunfire suddenly reverberated in the plaza." Both the governor and the president were shot, the governor in the chest while the president took two bullets to his neck and head. President Kennedy was buried at Arlington Cemetery on November 25, 1963 where Mrs. Kennedy, and his brothers, Robert and Edward "lit an eternal flame." Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the assassination of President Kennedy and the shooting of Governor Connally, and would later be shot at point blank range by a local night club owner the day of his transferral from the police station to the county jail. People today are still...