A Peoples History of the US - Assignment Example

HISTORY In terms of why the leaders of the American Revolution didn’t extend their spirit of equality to the abolition of slavery and giving women the right to vote, it is easy from a perspective of hindsight to question these aspects, from a society in which these are not revolutionary concepts.  It is important to look at the background of this issue as having to do with the history of the US and the ways in which racism and anti-female structures, the mass media and government have often gone hand in hand. Early application of American law in the slave states have been authorized and should enforce the laws on the most extreme forms of racism, is not limited only to the implementation of slavery. The right of all Southern blacks alleged to be slaves and free blacks white not one of the rights and symbols related to freedom. After setting background, it is important to look directly at the issue of statistical manipulation and race in the statistics of organizations and entities 2. In comparing and contrasting the Federalists and Republicans, especially their views on democracy, government power, the economy, and foreign affairs, a clear line needs to be drawn between Hamilton and Jefferson. While the slow building of Hamiltonian Federalism and Jeffersonian Republicanism was too gradual and inevitable to really be called a crisis, the eventual clash of the two forces was, in that it split the country into two distinct halves: the industrialized northeast and the agrarian south (Zinn, 2005). In the south, a form of aristocracy was growing up more around an agrarian economy of bartering than an industrial economy of liquid capital. The president was pressed by Thomas Jefferson, a representative of the blue-blooded south; and Alexander Hamilton, a man of humble beginnings who had made a name for himself through his genius and financial acumen, and represented the new sort of Federalism that was based on centralization of economic structures. 3. It is difficult to tell with hindsight from the present how I would have voted during Hamilton’s time on the National Bank, tariffs, funding, and assumption. I think that given my social class now and pressing it on back then, I probably would have been a factory worker who moved from a farm to a city at this point. Industrialization impacted American social and economic life by putting forth a new sort of work. On farms, people mostly could spend time making their own products or trading with neighbors. They plowed fields, planted seeds, harvested, and enjoyed the fruits of their labor literally. But industrialization changed this picture, not only by encouraging movement from farms to urban factories, but also by putting forth something that changed the very nature of work, which observers called the division of labor (Zinn, 2005). The significance of the division of labor has often been thought of in terms of pure theory; a theory that replicates and expands itself by drawing from past sources. It is complicated, in any case, with my political conception of today. 4. It is true that there are disparate opinions on John Marshall, with the class text lauding his achievements and some contemporary journalists pointing out his faults and his tendencies towards oppression. In terms of what I think personally, there tends to be more validity and credibility in a history textbook than in a newspaper article. Journalism has its place, but it is not subject to the same kind of stringent fact checking that a history textbook has to be, in order to be taught in schools. Therefore, I would be more likely to believe the class text. 5. As a states’ rightist and nationalist, Jackson represented both sides of this coin. In a time when aristocratic breeding was considered something to be respected, rather than laughed to scorn as it is today, Jackson was proud to be a self-made man who didn’t have to stick to some outdated code of aristocracy. This background informed his states rights philosophy. He insisted that the presidency should be open to everyone, and used his position in the bully pulpit to advance the careers of many fellow populists who were outside of the Washington establishment; thus, as a nationalist, he represented a narrow parameter (Zinn, 2005). Before Jackson, the use of the presidential veto had been limited; Jackson introduced it as an effective political weapon. In a way, Jackson was the first outsider candidate, and became the first outsider president (although by the end of his second term, he was in fact the insider). 6. A great president is someone who leads by example as a visionary, instead of just responding to the times in a reactionary way. I don’t think Jackson was a great president, because he did not buck his times in any way. Jackson saw that the political scene was changing, and changed with it. As he was the representative of a southern state, it is sometimes confusing to see why Jackson gradually switched his political stance from one of Federalism to one of democratic populism. It is inherently possible, however, that Jackson, whose ancestors had seen active duty against the British, would not have been too eager to embrace the more Anglophile leanings of the new sort of Federalism, although he had remained a Federalist for some time before establishing a populist presidency (Zinn, 2005). 7. Calhoun’s doctrine involved themes of free trade and protectionism. When most people think of the U.S., they think of a positive free-market economy rather than a prohibitive tariff state. This common assumption is not always valid; in many instances, the flow of imported goods is limited so as to support exports and anti dumping tariffs are charged. The arguments that support this national policy are fueled by considerations that strive to protect domestic producers. Proponents of free-trade argue that these policies create barriers that limit the free flow of goods internationally, and thus increase consumer costs. Internationally, anti dumping initiative tends to engender more of the same in other countries who are also motivated to protect their own national interests. Virginia and Kentucky declared the Alien and Sedition Acts to be unconstitutional in these resolutions. Calhoun put forth his own views in order to further his political career from intrinsic motivations. 8. The Northeast became industrialized first. There were slaves early during colonial times in the Northeast, but they were not common during the US times. There was supposed to be a compromise that would make a slave count as a fraction of a human being. This was yet another law designed to restrict the freedoms of African-Americans to vote, ratified to keep African-American voters from gaining a majority in the South. In Article II, Section 9 of the Constitution, the slave-trade is mentioned, and allowances are made for its continuance (Zinn, 2005). Again, many historians posit that this was another concession made by northern states to the agrarian south, where slavery was more of a vital issue and the landscape was for the most part pre-industrial. 9. People from Ireland and Italy during this time were more likely fleeing poverty, whereas people from Germany were more disparate in reasons and were seen to have more income to bring in. In the 19th century White Anglo Saxon Protestant (WASP) students tended to do better than both Italian-American and Irish-American students in school, or students in low socio economic areas, regarding getting a good education. This isn’t a strength of the Italian American group as much as it is the Asian American group, today. Those interested must also address the problem of poor teaching methods being the status quo in these low socio-economic areas, which formulates the essential question of how one can improve teaching quality in these areas. 10. #1 Temperance #2 Education #3 Women’s rights—This was the most important or worthwhile movement, because it actually accomplished the most. Temperance had short term gains, but Prohibition revealed it to be a disaster. Education was improved, but American students still lag behind international standards. Abolitionism had its gains, and human rights brought many conditions to light. But women’s rights really took off in America, and changed the status of women. Still, much remains for women to do, in terms of what was finally going to be equality. Congress passed laws like Title VII to prevent discrimination based on race, gender, or religious reasons (Zinn, 2005). But underneath the surface, the state continued to act as the patriarchy. Patriarchy is used to define the control and social control mechanisms of the state in terms of gender, stating that males are in a position of power and women in one of sublimation. Patriarchy can be applied to the role of the state in women’s issues to explain inequities in the system. #4 Abolitionism #5 Human rights REFERENCE Zinn, H (2005). A People’s History of the US. New York: Pantheon. Read More