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Woodrow wilson significant contributions
The transformation of American society
Woodrow wilson significant contributions
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Only Yesterday by Frederick Lewis Allen (1933) In the beginning of chapter one of only yesterday by Frederick Lewis Allen, he starts his story off by giving the viewers a description of how the United States has been transformed from 1919 to the 1930s. Mr. & Mrs. Smith are the characters illustrated in the story, who's live in being portrayed as a couple in 1919. Women were modest during this time in history. The typical women would have long stockings, long hair and usually wore a dress. Preparing and take care of chores around the house, while the men who's role were to be the leaders of the household. The newspapers that were popular and most accurate during this time were the New York Tribune and the Chicago Tribune. Sports were considered to be interesting to men back then as they are today. Baseball and Boxing were the main two. Golf and Tennis were coming along, but wasn't as popular yet. The cost of living, food, vehicles and other accessories in life were going up tremendously, this would become known as the period of inflation. Everybody were looking out for themselves and trying to make a profit wherever they could. They roads for transportation were not that great either during the early 1900's. Chapter two takes place on November 11th, 1918. The president of the United States, who was Woodrow Wilson would sent a message to fellow Americans relieving them by saying "The war is over". This would be the beginning of the new era, although life would still be centered around the war. The opportunity for people to make money was more obvious. With the soldiers being back from war and parades and everything in celebration, it would soon be over with much of the population looking for work. Strikes, Lay-offs would cause controversy. It was considered to be as evil as the red scare intended to be. Questions were being asked and people wanted answers after the war. Wilson had a lot of power and determined a lot of peoples lives. Henry Cabot Lodge an Intellectual leader of the Republicans who had a seat in the senate had power as well and stated that they were equal with the president in making treaties. Lodge opposed Wilson is most events that they both participated in. Wilson would later veto the senate and get reelected as president of the united states.
Rauchway created more of a story with factual information making it more engaging to the reader. I felt the arguments that Rauchway provided were fairly accurate creating a balance of both sides of the story. With being engaged in the novel, it helped me understand a time in history that I never understood before. I was able to understand more of Roosevelt’s direction of his presidency as he helped America become hopeful of the future. After the assassination many citizens were devastated, but it came to their realization that it was a wakeup call for the political system. Rauchway makes it clear in the novel of how Roosevelt faced one of America’s toughest times, but through that time helped American grow stronger as a nation. What I like about Rauchway writings is that he organizes the storyline and it is detailed in every chapter explaining the smallest parts of the story. For example, he mentions the time of the hour, the emotions of the characters, Czolgosz life history, etc. He does not miss any facts, which is very helpful to know background information when just learning about a
The book begins with an in-depth explanation of what happened in the latter stages of the Civil War. Major battles like Sayler’s Creek, High Bridge and Richmond are described through detailed language. For instance, at High Bridge, “Each man wages his own individual battle with a ferocity only a life-and-death situation can bring. Bullets pierce eyes. Screams and curses fill the air. The grassy plain runs blood red.” (page 61). All of these iconic Civil War battles led up to the Confederate surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse and the inescapable rebuilding of a new nation Abraham Lincoln had to deal with. Next, John Wilkes Booth is introduced and his pro-Confederate motives are made clear. His conspiracy to kill the president is described and his co-conspirators like Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt who also attempted to kill Secretary of State Seward a...
The 1920’s is a period that defines the United States. Conflict and opposing values were increasingly prevalent in the American society. The country was torn between new political practices, views on the role of women, religion, social and artistic trends, science and more traditional beliefs. These were ideologies that were surfacing during the 1920’s. Much tension between the 'new America' and the 'old America' was caused by a number of wars and outbreaks (Lyndon).
After the election of 1920 America would return to its isolationism roots and watch as the nations of Europe headed down a path for another world war. As Americans watched Communism rise in Russia they questioned for the first time the patronage of their fellow Americans. Economic and social reforms that started up during the war were set to a status-quo mentality. The actions set forward from the Treaty of Versailles and stance the U.S. Congress took on the League of Nations would eventually lead the world in the worst depression ever and ultimately to a second world war in a mere twenty years.
During the early 1920s the Great Depression took place. The Great Depression affected many people's lives. The immigrants caught the worst of it. They had just come from another country and were trying to start their new lives when the depression hit. They had to struggle once more with poverty and desperation in taking care of their families, the main reason they had left their old countries was to escape the same epidemic that was now overtaking ?the land of the free?. Immigrants, such as the Jewish immigrants, had to live in poverty-stricken ghettos without the necessities they needed to live healthy lives. The 1920s was the time of rapid change, it was the time of risque fashion, it was the time of which that if you were rich and had all the latest fashions then you were ?in? but if you did not then you were an outcast.
Frederick Lewis Allen’s book tells in great detail how the average American would have lived in the 1930’s. He covers everything from fashion to politics and everything in between. He opens with a portrait of American life on September 3, 1929, the day before the first major stock market crash. His telling of the events immediately preceding and following this crash, and the ensuing panic describe a scene which was unimaginable before.
With the nation at war, Wilson set aside his domestic agenda to concentrate on a full-scale mobilization of the economy and industry. During the war, industrial production increased by 20 percent, daylight saving time was instituted to save fuel, the government took over the railroad system, and massive airplane and shipbuilding programs were launched. Ame...
...ing legend of the Good War" (Adams, 2). While the war changed the lives of every American, the most notable changes were that in demographics, the labor force, economic prosperity and cultural trends.
American society changed a lot in the interwar period. Many unexpected things happened. There were ten prosperous years followed by ten years of misery. Americans managed to overcome several hurdles such as financial and social and became more modernized. Education became a major part of people's lives and literacy rates increased. New technologies allowed for easier life styles. Women earned many new rights and were closer to equality. All three major changes, mandatory education, new technologies and the women's movement, and their roles in modernizing America are reflected well in the novel Evidence of Things Unseen.
When the war started, women had to take over the jobs of men and they learned to be independent. These women exemplified the beginning of change. Coupled with enfranchisement and the increased popularity of birth control, women experienced a new liberation. When the men returned from the war they found competition from the newly liberated woman who did not want to settle for making a home (Melman 17). This new class of women exercised a freedom that shocked society.
The start of the war era came on the heels of a decade when women had seemingly taken a step backward in social and economic progress. The depression of the 1930's had devastated the American economy. Women, especially married women, had bore the largest share of the burden. To help male workers get back on the job, national leaders called for married women in two-income families to give up their jobs. Several states had passed laws barring women from holding state jobs.
In the 1920's women's roles were soon starting to change. After World War One it was called the "Jazz Age", known for new music and dancing styles. It was also known as the "Golden Twenties" or "Roaring Twenties" and everyone seemed to have money. Both single and married women we earning higher- paying jobs. Women were much more than just staying home with their kids and doing house work. They become independent both financially and literally. Women also earned the right to vote in 1920 after the Nineteenth Amendment was adopted. They worked hard for the same or greater equality as men and while all this was going on they also brought out a new style known as the flapper. All this brought them much much closer to their goal.
After the heavy stresses of WWI, many young soldiers returned home with a need to feel alive again. With the war over and the American economy growing, many US citizens found themselves with money, time, and new ways of expressing themselves. Over one long, prosperous decade, United States grew and changed drastically. The younger generations turned the societal norms of their forefathers on their heads and women began to take large steps away from their stereotyped lifestyle. There were movements in art, music, writing, and politics, as well as an introduction of new cars and machines. With changes in constitutional laws, public ideas, and everyday ideals, the 1920s are considered some of the most pivotal times in the history of the United States.
This was the start of a new age in the history for women. Before the war a woman’s main job was taking care of her household more like a maid, wife and mother. The men thought that women should not have to work and they should be sheltered and protected. Society also did not like the idea of women working and having positions of power in the workforce but all that change...
In the book, Only Yesterday: An informal History of the 1920's, the author Frederick Lewis Allen started the book by introducing a family (the smith's) in the year 1919. Mrs. Allen depicted the normal woman of the times, who dressed modestly (wearing a dress about 6 inches length from the ground), had long hair and basically took care of all of the household maintenance including doing chores around the house and preparing the meals. Whereas Mr. Smith on the other hand was the head of the household and the bread winner. Allen goes on to depict things that were popular among the normal folks during that time period. For example, the Chicago tribune was widely popular as a reputable newspaper. Other things that were popular during this time were certain sports (mainly baseball), the news (peace conference at Paris), and the economy (the stock market). During this time ordinary commodities such as food, transportation and normal goods were becoming more expensive which is the reason for this being the “age of inflation”.