Entry of World War I

The entry of the U.S. into World War I can be regarded as an extension of Progressivism into the realm of foreign policy. When the United States entered World War I it worried some people but raised hopes of others. The war helped reformers finally gain the rights they had been fighting for: national prohibition and woman suffrage. Many believed war would improve the quality of American life and free Europe from its tyranny. Many workers left their jobs when they entered the military leaving job openings for women. Wartime agencies abounded. The companies worked to together, and many believed the war promoted harmony between business and labor. Industrial leaders discovered that wartime agencies contributed to the tripled corporate profits. Mobilization indicated high prices for farmers and a lot of jobs in the war industries. The National War Labor Policies Board granted the eight-hour workday, a living minimum wage, and other things. The war also encouraged the stalled moral crusade to ban alcohol. They persuaded nineteen states to go dry. The war provided Americans with opportunities at home, and it would get them in good with the needed foreign countries to further progress the century. It also promoted an attack on American’s civil liberties. Hyper-patriotism would bring intolerance, repression, and violence. There were only a few reformers who didn’t agree with the war. The Women’s Peace Party and its foreign affiliates persuaded governments to make peace. Another disadvantage to the war was making enemies with its allies or the possibility of losing. America going to war strayed away from its progressive state by violating some of progressive’s main beliefs.

What was the progressive era?

Progressivism was a way of proposing reform or changes in American society. Progressive reformers developed a theory in which they would substitute social Darwinism with reform Darwinism. Progressivism was a general spirit of reform with certain goals in mind. Progressives hoped to make government more responsive to the direct voice of Americans. They believed that through democracy, efficiency, regulation of large corporations and monopolies, and social justice they could achieve their goals to change America. Progressivism was most important from the 1890s to World War I. The kinds of people that formed the core of Progressive reform effects were urban and suburban, and mostly middle class Americans. Women played major roles in Progressive reforms. Jane Addam’s who wished to do things with, not just for the poor, expanded the Hull House offering nurseries and kindergarten for neighborhood children, classes, lectures, musical instruction, and many other things for Chicago’s poor. Along with Jane Addams, Julia Lathrop and others launched campaigns to better neighborhood housing, end child labor, and make laws to protect workers. Lillian Wald and others she convinced left medical school and moved to New York City’s lower east side to live in the neighborhood as nurses, and contribute their citizenship to the lower-class neighborhoods. Producing a new profession for women, social work, women formed the skeleton of the settlement house movement.

Final Exams

You know I know I may bitch alot, but it seems these teachers forget some students, such as myself have five finals this week. The teachers always try to make it as hard as possible. For example, my history teacher gives us a homework assignment over a 226 page book on the same week as our final exams, what a heartless asshole. Then Mrs. Aiken, now you know them were some hard final exam topics, you could have made them a little bit easier, we are having to write the essay in class. I could've seen if it was a take home essay and we had more than two hours to work on it. I guess going to school full time isn't for me, because I have developed ulcers this semester, which is why I stayed sick half of the time. Some people handle stress better than others, while others don't. I am extremely stressed I guess because I am paying for it instead of a parent or HOPE. It makes a big difference when the money comes out of your pocket. I am only taking one class this summer, and four classes in the fall, and then I can apply to be in the nursing program. I hope that I do well enough in all my classes to get into the actual nursing program the first time, but with my previous scores from five years ago because then I didn't care, may hurt me. I am busting my butt to bring my GPA up, and it just seems like the more I try, the harder the professors make it. It's okay though they are just doing their job, nobody is supposed to like their professors I guess. It would be alot easier if you were able to though.

Trip to Palm Beach

This weekend by boyfriend is taking me to Palm Beach, woo hoo! After a stressful semester, this is exactly what I need. The bad thing about this is I have gained fifteen pounds since I started school, and I am not looking foward to wearing a bathing suit. I am going to try to forget my rolls and have fun though. At Palm Beach, it's like a miniture beach. It has the white sand, water slides, and a camping area. I've never beed big on camping, but I think I might like it once I try it again. It's been a long time since I went camping and I was to young to do anything fun. This time we can take a little alcohol and have a good old time. He's going to take his grill, and we're going to spend some quality time without the son this weekend, thank god. Don't get me wrong I love his son, but damn his mama never wants him on weekends. I mean I don't understand why he pays child support and he keeps him EVERY weekend. I guess that's the problems you face in getting involved with someone who already has a child. I love children don't get me wrong, but I hate mothers who have children they don't want and don't take care of. In my opinion, that's why they make abortion clinics. Ooops, I kind of got off track about my trip this weekend, I was venting. Can't you tell this trip is well needed.

The Loss of a Loved One

Just recently I lost someone very dear to me. My grandmother went into the hospital approximately two and a half weeks ago and never came home. My aunt took her to the hospital because her stomach was real swoll as if she were nine months pregnant, but my aunt said she was probably just impact. She was 85 years old, but got around good for her age and sure didn't look it. However, when she got to the hospital, they couldn't figure out what was wrong with her, so they began to run tests. Three days later, we found out for sure that she had stage 4 Ovarian Cancer and it was spreading fast. She kept in good spirits though, but she didn't have an appetite and starting getting even weaker. I stayed with her just about every night and she told me things she wanted if anything happened to her. I told her I couldn't promise that it would get done, but that I would let everyone know. On Friday, they called the family in and didn't think she would make it through the night. She held on until Sunday when she passed at 2:05 p.m. This was hard for everyone. We had went to my aunt's house and let all the immediate children be with her. I was in the room when my father died, and I didn't think I could handle seeing that again. At my aunt's house, we were all sitting there talking and a bird flew by the door. This was really wierd because it got real dark outside for a few minutes. My aunt started crying and said grandma had just passed, and five minutes later, the phone rang. She had passed. It's really hard losing a loved one, and i know it's a natural experience in life. I try to think positive things like she's in a better place now, but it doesn't always work. A word to the wise, you never know what's gonna happen so make good with your family while they are here, and get a will made out. Now, my cousin who has lived with my granda and taken care of her all his life might be without a place to live, because him and another aunt of mine didn't get along, and the trailor they stayed in belonged to her.

To what extent was television responsible for the success of the civil rights movement?

The television played a major role in providing success for the civil rights movement. With the television airing all of the marches and court hearings nationally, it helped the civil rights movement progress tremendously. The NAACP’s 1954 court case, Brown vs. Board of Education, along with the murder of Emmet Till and the two white men being acquitted of all charges marked the beginning on the Civil Rights Movement aired nationally. Emmet Till was beaten so badly that you couldn’t even recognize him, and reporters showed that on air nationally. The media coverage of the Till case help expanded the membership of civil right’s organizations nation wide. Civil right’s organizations put together mass boycotts and campaigns to end segregation and inequality, and white supremacist acted violently towards them while the blacks remained nonviolent. The fact that all of this was caught on camera and aired all around the world is what helped the civil rights movement succeed. In Montgomery, Alabama the police arrested Rosa Parks for refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man. When organizations heard about this, they organized a bus boycott in which all black Americans refused to ride the bus for almost a year. While the civil rights organizations were in Birmingham, Alabama, they were abused a lot. The television aired the blacks getting beaten by police, bus loads full of blacks getting thrown in jail, police getting dogs on them, and firefighters shooting them with over a hundred pounds of water. The water was so strong it would knock the bark off of trees, and of course it was knocking blacks down in which most of them were children. Martin Luther King Jr. also went to jail here and it received a lot of media attention. In 1963, African American students requested service at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Mississippi in which only whites were allowed. Here the whites threw students on the floor, poured drink, ketchup, and mustard on them. Also, when nine students were allowed to attend Little Rock, Arkansas, Governor Faubus mobilized units of troops to turn them away. He did remove them, and the whites harassed the black children. Eisenhower had to send in federal troops to protect them, however, they could not go with them everywhere. Last, but definitely not least, was the bombing of the church in Alabama that killed four black little girls. All of these incidents were transmitted all around the world helping lead the civil rights movement to success.

What role did WWII play in setting the stage for the civil rights movement?

World War II played a major role in setting the stage for the civil rights movement. The war raised the black’s hopes for freedom. The African Americans had been called to fight in World War II. Many felt that they were helping fight to defend people’s rights in other countries; however, back home they weren’t given their rights. Therefore, with the economic prosperity the war brought, blacks felt that they should have the same rights as the whites who were benefiting from the new jobs the war produced. In 1941, A. Philip Randolph promised that 100,000 African Americans would march in Washington if the president did not do something to eliminate discrimination in defense industries. Therefore, Roosevelt issued Executive Order 8802. It allowed a Committee on Fair Employment Practices to investigate and prevent race discrimination in employment. Randolph called off the march. Over five and a half million blacks migrated north and west in search for jobs and better living conditions. There were unskilled jobs available, but many unions and employers banned blacks from skilled trades. Labor shortages and pressure on the government for fair job opportunities opened assembly line jobs for blacks in defense plants, but still the black families’ income only equaled to about half of the whites. This made blacks angrier and resulted in 242 race riots in 47 cities. The NAACP continued to fight court challenges to segregation, while CORE organized sit-ins against Jim Crow restaurants and theaters. The black soldiers that had fought overseas in the war were being dumped out of army trucks in Mississippi and beaten. Here these men were just fought for America and that was the thanks they received. Along with the economic opportunities offered during and after World War II and the first few African Americans to achieve something of importance such as Jackie Robinson winning Rookie of the Year Award was also the anger the blacks had in them. They had took the discrimination long enough and were just finally ready to enjoy the same prosperities and rights as the whites had gained during and after the war.