Most_Significant_Events

Most Significant Events By Cody Schmidt This paper is to show not only what I have learned in the past nine weeks but what I have learned about our past history. Our past is a vital link to our understanding of the future and we as a people can look back on past events as a precedent. Also the point of this paper is to show what I think personally influenced and changed the way our lives work today. When it comes down to it this paper is about my opinion of the facts and how I think our country was changed either for the better or the worse. In this paper I will link certain events that helped form the America we live in today. First, I want to stress how much I think the cold war influenced our country. The cold war ideology that came from the aftermath of WWII changed wartime alliances after the war because of political believes on how to run a country. For instance the countries that were our enemies now become our friends and vice versa. After the war China and Russia became our main focus even though we helped them out in WWII because of their Communist views and ideas of expanding their borders. After we bombed Japan, China was the country that helped us out by letting us use their landing space, refuel and send our men back home. After the war high tension between us and China existed but never escalated as bad as the Russian American silent war. The main way American Cold war policies and practices influenced and even changed internal relations was the overall fighting of communism. After WWII Russia wanted a huge chunk of Germany and the US clearly stated that we would defend any country being attacked by a Communist one. The United States drew a lot of attention worldwide from communist countries turning allied nations against us almost overnight. The United States was now on a communist hunting spree where government employees were being hanged because of inconclusive proof of their involvement with communist. After WWII the United States realized the soviet threat worldwide and began to make a plan that involved technology and manpower. Because the communist threat was so big and so influential the United States even supported the Taliban in order to stop the Russian threat. I believe that the cold war defined our country for the better part of 50 years and I think that the polices learned during this time have and will continue to change how we as a people will deal will outside threats. The American belief is that we are all free and therefore should fight for freedom. Any government that threatens that freedom of others should be dealt with harsh and fast. This has become the basis of how our government thinks and behaves. In the 1950’s the major event I would put into play that helped us as a nation grow was Eisenhower becoming president. During Eisenhower’s eight years as the American president almost everything that can be defined as part of American economy was increased. Our national budget was balanced almost to perfection while on the flip side not increasing taxes. Our nation was becoming very healthy due to the administration that was put into place to protect us from the Russians. He created mass jobs by building an American highway system that not only gave jobs for short term workers but allowed for long term careers. Eisenhower was one of the few presidents who was able to take control of all the political parties and reach a general understanding of how to run the government instead of taking a hardline approach. The universal healthcare we have today was opposed by Eisenhower during his eight years of service because he was against having the government control in so many things in people’s life. I think Eisenhower becoming president had a more profound impact on the way we are today because of the way he ran the government. People coming together to make the best choices ran this country instead of conflicting views that did nothing but allowed others to argue their points. In the 1960s I would have to say John F Kennedy and his view all the way to his assassination played the biggest role of our history during this time. What Kennedy tried to do with the whole New Frontier and what he hoped to accomplish incorporated many different things. The overall goal of what Kennedy was trying to do was to increase the status of Americans through-out the world. He wanted countries to look at America with awe and wonder as he built programs that have never before existed. During his campaign to increase America’s status on a global level, women’s rights, education for our children and civil rights issues were becoming the primary focus between our own borders. Even with all of these things happening Kennedy tried to push on with things such as the space race to give Americans an idea of what they could accomplish. Most people would say that during that time frame the general population was not really doing anything and Kennedy inspired them to work for something. The American population can still feel the effects of Kennedy and the way he made people strive to be better; he wanted a country to be proud of and his determination can be felt today with the new technology and the need of Americans to be better. The big event that I think defined the 1970s would have to be the Vietnam War. Even though the war started in the late 50’s the war did not really get attention until the latter years of the fight. During this long encounter the American population was fed up with war and the cost of war, monetarily and personally. By the end of the Vietnam War the American Government had lost the support of its people. Those who were involved with the whole antiwar pro peace movement were not all together fighting the same cause. The antiwar groups all had their own reasons for protesting however they were all united against the war in Vietnam. Therefor what we got is a lot of people who are being told they have to fight for a cause in which they have no say in. This alone started many protest and this alone started civil rights organizations. This event in our history did not get mainstreamed until the early parts of 1970s but the war and the war ending defined that entire decade. The next decade on the list would be the 1980’s. I feel strongly the one major enfluence t that defined the 1980’s was the presidency of Ronald Reagan. The way Reagan worked was that he converted people to his way of thinking. If you did not think of the solution then you were part of the problem. Reagan used this way of thinking to cut taxes within our major businesses which allowed those companies to sell their goods cheaper. Reagan lowered the unemployment rate which stayed low until recent events. The way he worked was said to make a better present while the future pays for it. Reagan became president at probably the worst time ever in our nation’s history and came out of his term with a positive and successful end. He left his presidency in good standing with the people. When he took office jobs soared through the roof and businesses were buying and selling like never before. Now with the taxes he cut catching up to us we can almost say that he paid for a good present while destroying our future. The recession of today could be linked to some of the policies Reagan had put into place such as social security and taxes. These events played a huge part in how the recession hit us and what we have to live through in today’s world. The 1990’s kicked off with good economic standing and a ton of growth potential. For the first time in our history Americans were getting wealthy and they were expanding their ideas. Women were not housewives but instead were getting into the workforce demanding that they too earn a living. The major event of the 90s that had the most influence would have to be the Gulf war. The gulf war showed the war America’s strength after having a poor show during Vietnam. We told Iraq how things were going to be and in the end they backed off. This showed the world that we were a foreign influence that should not be messed with. Years later after the Gulf War we went back to Iraq to fight terror. That war ended with the hanging of Saddam Hussein. The Gulf War had a big impact on the US going to Iraq years later which in turn plays a big part in why our troops are in Iraq. People may say that the war on terror is the biggest thing that has defined our nation during the past 10 years. I would say that it was the coming together of our people. I am talking about 9-11 and what it did for our country. Terrorist killed hundreds that day but what they did not understand and what they cannot understand is how we came back. The American people may seem weak and materialistic to the outside world but when we come together as one we are the strongest nation on Earth. 9-11 changed everything from the way we think about foreign religions to the way we perceive ourselves. Most people can say that they have no idea what they have done in the past 10 years but even I remember where I was right before school in the 8th grade. I woke up to watching the news of the attacks and stood in front of the TV until I was late for school that day. In conclusion, what we have lived in our past is what shapes our future. There is also truth in the statement that history repeats itself. As we fought against communism during the World Wars, we also fought against communism in 60s in Viet Nam and against the suppression of the people in Iraq. On the surface when compared to people of other countries, Americans could be labeled as lazy. We could be labeled as inept. We could be labeled as uneducated, unfeeling, unsympathetic and narrow minded. None of these adjectives portray the true spirit of the American people. We are the way we are because we dream, because we push the envelope, because we do not stand by and allow injustice to happen to rest of the world. The American people share a desire to learn, grow and create a new and more innovative future. What I see in America’s future is the continued growth in the American people as we advance in our technologies, while maintaining our spirit. The primary issue America is facing now is the influx of people from other countries. This has become a great strain on our economy, our education, and our resources. I see in our near future finding the means to accommodate these people, to learn from the culture they bring, and continuing to build a strong country. Do I feel these people have a negative impact on the American culture' No. America was built on the strength and diversity of its people, and will continue to do so. With diversity comes greater knowledge.