History of the U.S. since 1865

2518 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: A history of guns in america essay

History of the U.S. since 1865 There have been many firearms throughout the history of the United States, but some have played a critical role in the shaping of our great nation. Some firearms have even given Americans the advantage they needed to win decisive battles throughout the history of the United States. This paper looks at four particular weapons that gave Americans the advantage they needed to stand victorious in history’s most engaging battles. Colt Single Action Army Until 1873, most firearms used in the United States were single shot firearms. These firearms needed to be reloaded after every time they were fired. In many instances these guns were sold in pairs. This was due to the fact that if you had two guns and two holsters, how many single shot handguns were carried, you would have two shots before having to reload both guns (Kyle 767). These guns however had reliability issues due to gunpowder being susceptible to moisture. Guns such as the flintlock style pistol or the cap-lock style pistol are what were primarily used before the introduction of the cartridge style pistol. “The Gun that Won the West” is a motto given to the Colt Single Action Army due to its popularity throughout the history of the United States and its importance of America’s expansion into the West. The Colt Single Action Army was a gun known by many names, also known as the Model P, Colt .45, M1873, SAA, and my personal favorite, the Peacemaker. Just by the amount of nicknames the gun has you can tell it was a very popular and important gun. The gun had many important roles in United States history besides it only being a gun used in the expansion to the West (Kyle 761). This newer style firearm had a revolving cylinder that allow... ... middle of paper ... ...irearms played a large role in American history. In many cases, history may have went very differently if it wasn’t for the creation of these important weapons. The new technology within these firearms seemed to be introduced at just the right time to give the defenders of this great nation the advantage they needed to defend our liberties. If there was one saying that comes to mind when thinking about these weapons it seems to be “the faster the better”. I say this because throughout history it proved important that the faster you could reload or the faster you could charge your weapon the more time users had to focus on what was really important, battlefield tactics and the enemy. From black powder firearms to cartridge style firearms, guns have always played an important role in United States history, and they will continue to do so for hundreds of years to come.

Show More
Related

  • American history from 1815 to 1840

    1053 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout American history, politics changed with the times, forming and growing as new situations and environments took place. However, the most drastic differences occurred between 1815 and 1840. During this time, the North and South develop different economic systems, which created political differences between the regions. Between 1815 and 1840, the number of eligible voters drastically increased as politicians utilized a wider variety of campaigning methods in order to appeal to as many voters as possible, all essentially caused by economic growth. Politics grow to include universal white male suffrage, a strong national government, and nationalism versus sectionalism. Economic Growth (American System, Industrial Revolution, Sectional Economies, Internal Improvements & Inventions) caused the political party changes.

    Read More

  • AP US History: 1800s

    992 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the early 1800s, two parties were developed having different perspectives on government and the Constitution. The Democratic Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, were always characterized by following the strict construction of the constitution. The Federalists, led by Alexander Hamilton, were characterized by following the broad construction of the constitution. The presidencies of Jefferson and Madison proved this characterization to be somewhat accurate. Although the Democratic Republicans and the Federalists did support their own ideas and views, they also did many things that contradicted them.

    Read More

  • American Changes between 1825-1850

    397 Words  | 1 Pages

    In early America between the years of 1825-1850, America was rapidly changing and reforming the way people lived. Societal problems and major discrepancies that had previously been overlooked began to rapidly gain awareness. The main idea of the reforms in the United States at this time was the relatively new sense of Democracy. Reform sought to maximize these benefits in light of Democracy and for this reason came up with many changes in which greater good can be found through freedom, justice, and equality of all people.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: Gun Control Violates the Second Amendment

    1568 Words  | 4 Pages

    history with a right to bear arms. Finally one can see the conflict of views

    Read More

  • American History, 1865-1900

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    The years after the civil war left one half of America, the north, satisfied and the other half, the south, mostly dissatisfied. Therefore the last third of the nineteenth century, 1865-1900, was a time period in which America was mending, repairing, improving, reshaping, and reconstructing its society, economy, culture, and policies. Basically it was changing everything it stood for. This continual change can be seen in the following events that took place during this time. These events are both causes and effects of why America is what it is today. These are some examples: the reconstruction of the south, the great movement towards the west, the agricultural revolution, the rise of industrialism, the completion of the transcontinental railroad, and America's growth to gaining world power. All of these are reasons and events that characterize America as being an ever-changing nation.

    Read More

  • We Must Work to Prevent Mass School Shootings

    1409 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ring, Ray. “Guns R Us.” High Country News (Paonia, Co) Vol. 39, No. 14 Aug. 6 2007:10-17. Sirs Issues Researcher. Web. 6 Oct. 2015.

    Read More

  • US History

    1462 Words  | 3 Pages

    Turner set up an evolutionary model (he had studied evolution with a leading geologist), using the time dimension of American history, and the geographical space of the land that became the United States. The first settlers who arrived on the east coast in the 17th century acted and thought like Europeans. They encountered a new environmental challenge that was quite different from what they had known. The most important difference was vast amounts of unused high quality farmland (some of which was used by a few thousand Indians for hunting grounds.) They adapted to the new environment in certain ways — the sum of all the adaptations over the years would make them Americans.

    Read More

  • US History

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1828 Andrew Jackson was elected as President, as a favorite among the United States many view him as the Hero of New Orleans. He is to many the epitome of a gentleman and that he embodies the ideals of many Americans. He views himself as the President of all the people and likes the idea of having those who worked for the government to depend on him. Jackson however, was ignorant to many of the fields that would have been beneficial to him and the United States had he not been so unwilling to accept advice from experts. His lack of knowledge of the banking system was evident; however, he had Nicholas Biddle to thank for keeping the system afloat. Biddle brilliantly maintained the Bank of the United States which in turn ensured that many financial institutions were able to maintain their efficiency. Despite Jackson's efforts to destroy the bank because of the monopoly it allowed, this short-lived veto was reversed. Biddle's efficient means of running the bank ensured a stable economy for the United States.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: America Does NOT Need Gun Control

    1038 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over the years some of the reasons to own guns have changed. As Americans moved west fulfilling Manifest Destiny, making new towns along the way which were far away from any established law. These people made laws through the barrel of a gun. Of course crime still happened, but not nearly as often, when the townspeople simply hunted down and shot the criminal. Eventually, police forces arose in the Midwest, and fewer people carried guns with them on the street but they were still there, visible or not.

    Read More

  • Survey of American History

    2078 Words  | 5 Pages

    Over the course of American history many radical movements have forever changed the historical landscape of the United States of America. Since the beginning of American history, radical movements have played an important role in bringing about change in U.S. society and the U.S. relationship with other countries. They have also experienced major failures and defeats. Major concrete achievements and failures of radical movements have been present in changing the mainstream of the society since the end of WWI. Radical movements such as, labor/socialism, women’s rights, civil rights and peace have played a significant role in the development of U.S. politics and society and forever changed the past, present and future of the United States of America. The Labor/Socialism movement, supported mainly by the lower classes was a prominent radical idea that manifested itself into American society around the conclusion of WWI. “The very fact that the Soviet Union, the revolutionary successor to Imperial Russia, was the first country to establish a Communist political and economic state was a major threat to the United States” (Brown 4). Influenced by the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the Socialist movement gained momentum from oppressed workers and thus managed to successfully run hundreds of candidates around the nation for several decades. “The Socialist Movement was painstakingly organized by scores of former Populists, militant miners and blacklisted railroad workers, who were assisted by a remarkable cadre of professional agitators and educators” (Zinn 340). Socialism became extremely popular especially due to its endorsement by writers like Mark Twain, W.E.B. Dubois and Upton Sinclair as well its representation by Eugene Debs. With ...

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: American Have the Right To Bear Arms

    1502 Words  | 4 Pages

    Our country was founded on the basis of guns. The wars were won with guns and the people were protected by guns. Guns were so important that they were placed in the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution:

    Read More

  • Kenneth Chase Firearms Analysis

    591 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some errors that could arise from this type of source include biases and limited points of views that lead to misinformation. However, using secondary sources does not detract from Chase’s ability to construct a general theory about firearms development, because a general theory does not require absolute accuracy. Chase also uses many paintings to show military formations in past societies and what weapons they possessed. The conclusions he makes are rational and the inclusion of the paintings provides visually engaging primary sources that further justify Chase’s thesis. Using more primary sources would strengthen the credibility of his descriptions of firearms development in the world, but his construction of a rational theory based on known facts is enough to give this work acceptable credibility.

    Read More

  • Changes in America Between 1920 and 1960

    1408 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the years between 1920 and 1960, America saw change in many aspects of life. The United States was a part of two major wars and a crash of the banking system that crippled the economy greater than ever seen in this country’s history. Also the country had new insecurities to tackle such as immigration and poor treatment of workers. These events led to the change of America lives socially, economically, and politically. The people of America changed their ideas of what the country’s place in the world should be. The issues challenging America led the country to change from isolation to war, depression to prosperity, and social change. The threats to American way of life, foreign and domestic, were the changing forces to the country in the twenties to the sixties.

    Read More

  • The Machine Gun

    1364 Words  | 3 Pages

    These kinds of weapons were impractical for military use, but attracted many people to the arms race for weapons that could sweep the battlefield. “They had limitations in practice, among them slow re...

    Read More

  • American History: 1800s and Up

    1257 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many people see history as a set of facts, or as a collection of stories. The reality, however, is that history is a fluid timeline. Each act of an individual or a group has an effect on others. Each moment in history is a building block that, good or bad, contributes to the stability of the next. This can be seen clearly in American history, as there have been several developments since the 1800’s that have played major roles on the growth of the nation.

    Read More

More about History of the U.S. since 1865

Open Document