But while the Iran-Contra affair generated comparisons to the Watergate scandal, investigators were never able to agree that Reagan knew about the operation.
Gives us uncertainty about Reagan’s involvement, showing how the Iran-Contra scandal raised questions about presidential accountability and oversight.
Reagan’s greatest setback in the Middle East came in 1982, when he dispatched Marines to the Lebanese city of Beirut to serve as a peacekeeping force. In October 1983, a suicide bomber killed 241 Marines stationed in Beirut.
Shows the dangers and human cost of U.S. military involvement abroad, showing that even peacekeeping missions can result in devastating casualties and political consequences.
While New Deal Keynesian economics had focused on stimulating consumer demand, the Reagan administration’s supply-side economics claimed lower personal and corporate tax rates would encourage greater private investment and production.
Shows Reagan’s belief that cutting taxes for individuals and businesses would increase investment, production, job creation, and overall economic growth.
Climate change, more than any other environmental concern, has dominated the attention of Americans in recent years (and has in many cases pushed pollution off the table, which is unfortunate). Although the idea that the planet’s climate has been adversely affected by human activity is very controversial in the media, politics, and popular culture, it is almost universally accepted by scientists.
Shows that scientists largely agree climate change is real, even though many politicians and members of the public continue to doubt or argue against it.
Our world is not inevitable.
This tells us that historical choices shape our future possibilities.
What would become the longest war in American history began with the launching of air and missile strikes in October 2001 against targets across Afghanistan. U.S. Special Forces joined with fighters in the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance.
This makes us understand the length and cost of the Afghanistan war following the 9/11 attacks.
At 10:28, the North Tower collapsed. In less than two hours, nearly three thousand Americans had been killed.
This shows the unprecedented scale and shock of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
If the Woodstock music festival of August 1969 captured the idealism of the sixties youth culture, the Altamont concert the following December revealed its dark side.
Concerts reflected youth culture’s optimism and creativity, but also its violence, chaos, and social unrest.
Neil Armstrong’s “Giant leap for mankind” fulfilled the promise of the late John F. Kennedy, who had declared in 1961 that the United States would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.
The moon landing showed U.S. technological achievement and victory in the space race against the USSR.
Johnson had already managed passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957 and 1960 as Senate Majority Leader.
Johnson’s long experience, political skill, and knowledge of Congress allowed him to pass major legislation effectively.
Fifty million Americans watching a star-studded courtroom drama about Nazi atrocities instead watched uniformed Americans behaving like German storm troopers, following orders to brutalize their fellow Americans.
Televised violence shocked viewers, showing peaceful protesters being attacked, highlighting racial injustice in the United States.
“They ain’t gonna go to school with my kids,” Milam said.
Many whites resisted integration to maintain racial hierarchy and prevent social mixing in schools.
the war and the Double V campaign for victory against fascism abroad and racism at home led to rising expectations for many African Americans.
African Americans demanded more equality, challenging segregation and inspiring activism during the 1950s.
The system included nearly 47,000 miles of highway, and the project was designed to be self-liquidating, so that the cost of building highways did not contribute to the national debt.
Unlike railroads, highways were built for cars, funded by the government, and didn’t increase the national debt.
Without paved roads to run on, there would have been far fewer cars and trucks built and sold in America, and their impact on society and the environment would have been much different.
Better transportation, like highways, allowed more cars, boosting jobs, spending, and overall American wealth.
The European Recovery Program or “Marshall Plan” pumped money into Western Europe.
Marshall Plan rebuilt economies: NATO provided military security—Marshall Plan stabilized Europe more effectively long term.
The issues that drove the conflict between the two superpowers strongly suggest the point was power rather than ideology.
Beyond ideology, both nations wanted global influence and control over strategic regions and resources.
The Soviet Union was among the fifty charter UN member-states and was given one of five seats alongside the “Four Policemen” (the United States, Britain, France, and China) on the Security Council.
Unlike the League, the UN included major powers with permanent Security Council seats and veto power.
There could be no cooperation between the United States and the Soviet Union, Kennan wrote. Instead, the Soviets had to be “contained.”
Kennan believed the USSR’s expansion threatened peace, so the U.S. needed to stop its influence.
By the end of the 1930s, Roosevelt and his Democratic Congresses had transformed American government and realigned politics.
Roosevelt’s direct communication helped Americans trust him and support New Deal programs and reforms.
many New Deal programs were built on the assumption that men would be the breadwinners and women mothers, homemakers, and consumers.
Programs assumed men earned money and women stayed home, limiting women’s access to economic benefits.
Running for reelection and facing rising opposition from both the left and the right, Roosevelt adopted a more radical, aggressive approach to poverty,
Critics felt Roosevelt’s radical programs gave too much federal power, possibly violating the Constitution.
During World War I he oversaw voluntary rationing as the head of the U.S. Food Administration and after the armistice served as the director-general of the American Relief Association in Europe.
Hoover had experience helping people during crises, so Americans thought he could handle the Depression.
Hoover focused on economic growth and prosperity. As secretary of commerce under Harding and Coolidge, he claimed credit for the sustained economic growth seen during the 1920s. Hoover boasted in 1928 that America had never been closer to eliminating poverty.
People liked Hoover because he promised more wealth and a better standard of living.
To deliver on his promises of stability and prosperity, Harding signed legislation to restore a high protective tariff and eliminated the last wartime controls over industry.
People liked Republicans because they promised safety, steady jobs, and strong business support after the war.
The decade so reshaped American life that it is remembered by many names: the New Era, the Jazz Age, the Age of the Flapper, the Prosperity Decade, and, most commonly, the Roaring Twenties.
Life was changing fast with new music, movies, and jobs, so voters wanted things to feel familiar again.
Harding had won a landslide victory by promising a “return to normalcy.”
People liked this idea because they were tired of war and big changes and wanted life to feel calm and normal again.
Missionary women played a central role in cultural reeducation programs that tried to not only instill Protestant religion but also to impose traditional American gender roles and family structures.
This shows that assimilation focused on controlling social structures, but it ignored the deep cultural roots of Native communities, limiting its effectiveness.
Throughout the 1850s, the Dakota of the Minnesota River Valley had grown increasingly frustrated by broken treaty promises and missed annuity payments by the U.S. government.
This shows that unfair treatment and unfulfilled agreements by the U.S. government created economic hardship and anger among the Dakota people.
The party’s leaders found it difficult to shepherd what remained a diverse and loosely organized coalition of reformers toward unified political action.
Internal divisions made it hard for Populists to maintain a consistent national strategy and message.
“Wall Street owns the country,” the Populist leader Mary Elizabeth Lease told dispossessed farmers around 1890. “It is no longer a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, but a government of Wall Street, by Wall Street, and for Wall Street.”
This shows that Populists gained support by tapping into widespread frustration with economic inequality and corporate power, giving farmers and laborers a voice against elites.
Taylor said, firms needed a scientific organization of mass production. He urged all manufacturers to increase efficiency by subdividing tasks. Rather than having thirty mechanics individually making thirty machines, for instance, a manufacturer could assign thirty laborers to perform thirty distinct tasks. The workers would complete their individual tasks more quickly and with greater precision, since their attention would be focused. Such a shift would not only make workers as interchangeable as the parts they were using, it would also dramatically speed up the process of production.
Investors and managers liked Taylorism because it increased productivity, reduced labor costs, and made output more predictable, which meant higher profits.
Skills mattered less and less in an industrialized, mass-producing economy, and their strength as individuals seemed ever smaller and less significant when companies grew in size and power
This indicates that as industries expanded and machines took on more tasks, individual workers’ specialized skills became less crucial, thereby reducing their bargaining power and making jobs easier to replace.
the war and its aftermath catalyzed a widespread increase in federal power at the expense of state and local control.
This shows that the civil war forced the federal government to take on more authority, weakening state power to manage the nation during and after the war.
His Declaration began by quoting the famous American statement that “All men are created equal. They are endowed with their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
Using America's own words to show that Vietnam wanted freedom just like the United States did. He wanted people to see that his country's fight for independence was fair and right.
He took up Kennedy’s stalled 1963 civil rights bill, strengthened it, and navigated it through Congress.
He was a good leader because he knew how to work with Congress to pass important laws. He got things done that others couldn't.
Fifty million Americans watching a star-studded courtroom drama about Nazi atrocities instead watched uniformed Americans behaving like German storm troopers, following orders to brutalize their fellow Americans
People saw peaceful marchers getting beaten on TV. It made them realize how unfairly Black Americans were being treated, and it made many angry and want change.
Rallying against communism, American society urged conformity. “Deviant” behavior became dangerous.
This is important because it shows that fear of communism made everyday life more difficult, limiting personal freedoms and making people follow strict social norms.
“continue to regard the Soviet Union as a rival, not a partner,”
This is important because it shows how both made their conflict show as rivalry, influencing how people viewed them and their policies.
The issues that drove the conflict between the two superpowers strongly suggest the point was power rather than ideology.
This is important because it shows that the Cold War was mainly about gaining power and influence and not just about Ideology, for beliefs, values, and ideas to shape the world.
An adaptation of Wilson’s Fourteen Points, the charter established the United Nations. The Soviet Union was among the fifty charter UN member-states and was given one of five seats alongside the “Four Policemen” (the United States, Britain, France, and China) on the Security Council. The Atlantic Charter also began planning for a reorganized global economy.
This is important because it shows that the United Nations was created to improve on the flaws of the League of Nations and to help countries work together better.
“World communism is like a malignant parasite which feeds only on diseased tissue,”
This is important because it shows that Keenan saw the Soviet Union as a threat that needed to be stopped to prevent its growth and influence.
Many women reacted to war preparations by joining military and civilian organizations. Most civilian wartime organizations
Women's work during the war showed they were capable and strong, helping them fight for the right to vote.
Black soldiers found they were often treated better in Europe on their periods of leave than they had been at home.
Better treatment in Europe made African Americans want equal rights back home
America was poised, Lamont concluded, to become the trade and finance center of the world, and the U.S. dollar to replace the British pound sterling as the world’s currency.
This shows that the bankers wanted the war to continue for financial gain but might change their opinions if it started to hurt profits.
The elaborate series of mutual defense treaties made war nearly inevitable.
This shows that the many alliances between countries made it likely that any small fight could lead to a big war, causing World War 1 to happen.
did not stick around long enough to organize; or often even to vote
This makes it harder for them to have political power because people weren't around long enough to make their voices heard.
U.S. imperialism, which focused as much on economic and cultural influence as on military or political power, offered a range of opportunities for white, middle-class women. In addition to working as representatives of American businesses, women could serve as missionaries, teachers, and medical professionals.
Even though it was thought of as a man's roll, woman found a way to make a difference.
Between 1870 and 1920, over twenty-five million immigrants arrived in the United States.
This really shows the scale of immigration and its impact on American society.
The word empire typically conjures images of ancient Rome, Genghis Khan, or the British Empire: powers that depended on military conquest, colonization, occupation, or direct resource exploitation. But empires can take many forms and imperial processes occur in many contexts. One hundred years after the United States won its independence from the British Empire, some began to believe America was becoming (and perhaps should become) an empire of its own.
An empire usually means a powerful nation that controls others. This kind of suggests that people started to see America as an empire.
illimitable
Infinite
contented penned
I'm confused with what this means.
I have heard talk and talk but nothing is done. Good words do not last long unless they amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people.
He is over hearing words he wants actions.
Kansas orator Mary Lease, one of the movement’s most fervent speakers, admonished farmers to “raise less corn and more Hell.” Populist stump speakers crossed the country and blamed the greed of business elites and corrupt party politicians for causing the crisis fueling America’s widening inequality
I find it interesting that they criticized the greed of powerful businesses. This really showed how focused they were on holding powerful figures accountable for their issues.
At its peak, the Farmers’ Alliance claimed 1,500,000 members meeting in 40,000 local sub-alliances. The alliance’s cooperatives spread across the South between 1886 and 1892 and reached more than a million members at their high point.
It's crazy how the alliance grew to over a million members. It really shows how much effort and support were among farmers.
The platform’s preamble, written by Minnesota Populist Ignatius Donnelly, warned that “the fruits of the toil of millions [had been] boldly stolen to build up colossal fortunes for a few.”
This platform helped to ensure the essential services would run in the interests of the people rather than the profits of wealthy investors. This raised need for economic fairness. This also shows growing dissatisfaction with the political system.
Fluctuating global commodity markets caused wide swings in the prices farmers could get for their produce. Many farmers fell ever further into debt, lost their land, and were forced to enter the industrial workforce or, especially in the South, become landless farmworkers.
This gives a little Insight about what famers were facing during this time. By just reading this it sounds like markets were taking off, which then left famers lowering their prices and falling further behind.
In this chapter we will focus on the changing American economy in the period between the end or Reconstruction in 1876 and the First World War, and how people responded to this challenge.
In the first sentence it gives us that this is between the end or reconstruction in 1876 and the First World War, this helps us understand a timeline. It also states that we will be reading about how people responded to the challenge of the changing American economy during this time.
He urged all manufacturers to increase efficiency by subdividing tasks. Rather than having thirty mechanics individually making thirty machines, for instance, a manufacturer could assign thirty laborers to perform thirty distinct tasks. The workers would complete their individual tasks more quickly and with greater precision, since their attention would be focused. Such a shift would not only make workers as interchangeable as the parts they were using, it would also dramatically speed up the process of production
This process of production made everyone have their own task which would get people to be more focused on what they needed to accomplish, this made an incredible difference in speeds of producing products forever.