Steven M. Gillon's Ten Days That Unexpectedly Changed America

In Ten Days That Unexpectedly Changed America, Steven M. Gillon is called on to define the impact ten days in history had on America. Each day was chosen for a variety of reasons, and each, no matter how obscure, helps define the course one of the world’s greatest countries took. Gillon had no control over the days chosen but his thesis, his equation for change, and the way the days reinforce his thesis, all create an excellent learning experience that seem like he chose each day personally.
Gillon’s thesis is intriguing in the way it prepares the reader for the days he analyzes. He calls the days ‘undervalued’, an obvious reference to the obscurity many of them fallen into, and refers to America as a ‘democratic experiment’. Both of these begin our understanding of how he sees these days and their impact: America as the fledgling fumblings of the newly free and the days in question as the unsung models on which the country was built. He then mentions the diversity of the national experience and references the ‘American Creed’, both things Americans are quite proud of. The American Creed is something that is reflected in the policies and political decisions of America. It is the belief in freedom

and equality for all men under the law that al that call themselves American are called on to uphold. The diversity Gillon speaks of in America’s national experience was born from this Creed. America welcomed all comers to it’s shores in the belief that they all deserved a fair opportunity. With his thesis prompting the reader in the direction of these thoughts, Gillon perfectly prepares them to understand why each day was chosen.
Another element of Gillon’s thesis that merits discussion is his equation “Change= Ideals vs. Reality”. When anyone starts out with the intention to make a significant and permanent change, there is a balance to be more between what can reasonably be done with the support you have – reality – and what you are striving to do – ideal. If one does so carefully, wars can be started or ended with a word; if one is careless, they achieve nothing. Every day Gillon analyzes shows the delicate nature of leadership and the sometimes catastrophic results of having no foresight.
The days Gillon explores all represent the points of his thesis in some way. The first day detailed, May 26, 1637, was the day of the massacre at Mystic. Old rivalry and the Puritan belief that any native people not open to conversion was a savage prompted the burning of a Pequot fort and a war between the English colonies of the area and the native peoples that became known as the Pequot war. This war, among many other disputes with the native peoples, defined early American relations with the Native Americans for centuries. It also perfectly represents the darker side of the American Creed – the morals America was founded on came from a bloody past where no such morals were observed. The Pequot War and the massacre at Mystic both also adhere to his assessment as the days as undervalued. The Scopes trail represents these same features of Gillon’s thesis. July 21, 1925, marks the day Darwin’s Evolutionary Theory and the Creation Story battled for their right to be taught in schools. Following a Tennessee legislation against the teaching of evolution on public schools, those who believed religion had no place in the science classroom started a trail on false pretenses to bring the public eye to the problem. Today, evolution and religion coexist in science classrooms because of this trail, little known though it may be.
January 24, 1848, the day James Marshall found gold in a valley in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, is not a day anyone is likely to known off the top of their head, but what it began is very well known. The Gold Rush and the influx of eager fortune seekers of all nationalities to the once sparsely populated Western coast is a rich time in American history and perfectly defines a rarely discussed aspect of the American Creed and culture – greed. All comers were welcomed so long as they worked, and worked hard, for their living. The treatment of these immigrants was cruel and sometimes out right brutal, a fact frequently overlooked by the history books. The population growth in California in 1848 and 1849 is unprecedented and the resulting diversity of peoples, cultures, and languages fits with Gillon’s thesis.
July 16, 1939, represents the only undiscussed point of his thesis – America as a ‘democratic experiment’.

This is the day Albert Einstein signed the letter that prompted the U.S.’s exploration into nuclear weaponry. Frankly put, he messed up. That letter led to the laughter of civilians at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. America is an experimental country - the first wholly democratic country – and it backfires sometimes. The Creed is warped to fit a definition of a moment and the wrong course of action is pursued. Einstein didn’t sign that latter with the intention of giving the world heartache and terror. He signed it to preserves the peace and it was hopelessly misconstrued. The only peace he can make with that decision is that it is one of those undervalued days in

history.
The way Gillon’s thesis applies to each of the days and the days themselves makes this book an excellent learning tool. Every new page is full of fascinating facts and the tone – light and curious without taking away from the severity of some of the events – keeps the reader awake to discover the impact of each day. Though the tone may seem flippant and some of the passages feel like bricks, it is a very good book.