Reaction Essay

The two packets that I read were absolutely awful, not meaning boring or bad, but in disgusting. I cannot imagine going through what they had to go through each and everyday that they were in the trenches. There were so many gross things like the rats, sanitary conditions, lice, and the mud.
The most terrible thing would have to be the rats. The rats would not only munch on a dead person, but also on a wounded person. The would walk around the men at night and steal their food in their sleep. Not only would the eat "real" food, but they'd eat the eyes and livers of dead people. These rats, which weren't your everyday household-size rats, had a big population and were just disgusting.
Another thing that I found awful were the sanitary conditions. There were many sick people and many diseases around. There was garbage and human wastes all around the trenches--there were supposed to be latrine pots, but those weren't used and weren't effective in helping the sanitary conditions. There were also dead bodies spewed all over the place...not to mention the rats.
Lice was also a common, daily thing. It was everywhere. The men would try and get rid of them by cleaning themselves and their clothing, by putting fingernails on the seams of their clothes, anything to get rid of them. Nothing helped. Even if they put their clothes in a "Foden Disinfector" it would get rid of the lice, but not the eggs; within minutes they'd be crawling with more lice.
Mud was also a daily encounter in the lives of the men. Some people would actually drown in it. Some would make it through very slowly, like going 1200 yards in three hours slow, and some would get trapped in it.
The shells that had gas in them were also terrible; some contained chlorine gas and some contained mustard gas, the worse of the two. If someone got sick from the gas, it would take them a month or more to die. One way that they tried to protect themselves was to put a cotton pad over their mouth and nose...that was covered with urine. Gross...how very, very gross.
There were so many terrible things that they encountered while living in the trenches, and many of the things that were in the packets, I didn't know before. All I know is that the trenches were terrible places to be!

Varying Viewpoints: Why did America Become a World Power?

One reason for America's venture into imperialism would have to be for power. The United States wanted to show other countries of the world that they were also a superpower in the world.
Another reason why America went into imperialism would be for protection. They'd be able to have military posts around the world and off the coast of the United States. They'd be able to fight in battles/wars without having to fight right near the mainland. That would keep the country and the people safe.
Yet another reason why they ventured into imperialism would have to be because of business and trading. By 1920, the United States was importing and exporting millions of dollars worth of goods. To keep this money flow coming in, they had to expand.
Power, protection, and business were just three reasons why the United States went the imperialistic route.

Varying Viewpoints: Was the West Really "Won?"

I agree with the New Western historians concerning who has a better argument about Turner's thesis. I agree with the statement that says the West was conquered, not just tamed. The whites that tried to expand out west conquered the Indians. They forced them onto reservations and tried to get them all to go along with white customs and values. They also tried to teach them English. The may have thought that they only "tamed" them, but really, they conquered them. I also agree with them when they said that the west is a unique part of the country.
(I'm not quite sure if those two points really had to do with the thesis presented by Turner, but they were two things that were talked about in the varying viewpoints section.)

Martin Luther King Jr. Article Response

Martin Luther King Jr. has been a universally-known figure since his "I Have a Dream" speech in the 1960s.
In the article, one of the professors that was interviewed mentioned that nobody ever knew what his dream was, and I disagree with that. I believe that his whole speech and dream was having racial equality within the United States, and probably everywhere in the world. He wanted his children to grow up in a "racist-free" environment and for everyone to just get along. I believe that that's what his dream really was. I believe that he just wanted peace and equality for everyone. I also don't agree with the comment made by Hilary Clinton, where she said that his dream wasn't recognized until the Civil Rights Act was signed by Lyndon B. Johnson.
This article was interesting, but I didn't agree completely with all of it.

Was Reconstruction a "Splendid Failure?"

I agree with Eric Foner, author of the yes article, that said Reconstruction was a "splendid failure." During this time, blacks were given their first opportunities in experiencing free life. during Reconstruction, education was huge for the newly freed blacks. with help from the Freedmen's Bureau, some 200,000 blacks were educated, ranging in age from children to grandparents. Not only were they given education opportunities, but also future voting opportunities and jobs opportunities.
Reconstruction not only aimed to help the newly emancipated blacks, but also the South in general. The South was given the opportunity for the North to help them get back on their feet, both economically and socially. Whether they used that help was up to them.
Although the whole Reconstruction idea didn't work out completely, it was a good first attempt to help change the South.

Varying Viewpoints: What Were the Consequences of the Civil War?

No, I don't agree with the historians that believe the importance of the Civil War has been exaggerated.
The Civil War was a very important turning point in our history after those rocky years leading up to the war. After the war, the issue of slavery was figured out and was forcibly removed from the states where it was previously allowed. Also within that same issue, African-Americans were allowed certain rights that now made them actual citizens of the United States. Also after the war, the Union and Confederacy were "forced" to reconcile with each other...which ultimately led to a UNITED United States.
After the war, there was also an expansion of federal power. It protected rights, encouraged the development of the National Banking System, enforced laws, expanded industry, and new legal and government institutions were formed. Even though the institution of the twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth amendments expanded the federal power, the expansion of federal power turned out to be a good thing. (The previous amendments had limited the governmental power.)
The importance of the Civil War has not been exaggerated.

Was the Mexican War an Exercise in American Imperialism?

With this question, I was torn between both the "yes" and the "no" articles. Both of the articles had their strong points, but if I absolutely had to choose one, it would have to be the "yes" article. The yes article, written by Ramon Eduardo Ruiz, really gave more information on how the Mexican War was, in fact, an exercise of American imperialism. (Imperialism meaning the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies. {reference dictionary.com})
In the article, it mentioned how the United States' economic and strategic interests were at risk, along with democracy, if they didn't keep control of Oregon, Texas, and California. If they hadn't got those states, they wouldn't have been able to have more land for freedom and they would have to worry about another country having those states/territories and not being able to have the democracy that they wanted to have. Also, they wanted to keep the Europeans, mainly the British, from trying to stake their claim to the new territories, especially Oregon.
With Mexico, the Mexicans still believed that Texas was just a province in revolt and that it was still theirs. In order to make sure that Texas would be annexed, the United States did have to use their imperialism, and if it meant using warfare, so be it.
The Mexican War was an exercise of American Imperialism, not only because of wanting to acquire new states, but also because of expanding freedom and democracy.