Chapter 21: Progressive Era

       The progressive era is an era that came with a lot of change. While I was reading this chapter, I couldn’t help to think that this all happened in the 1900’s, which if we think about wasn’t to long ago. It’s strange to think that while the US was taking a huge step towards a new beginning, other countries were still stuck in their old ways. The US had to go through a few wars before they could be united and even then there are a lot of disagreement between the political parties. It was saddening to read about the number of deaths in factories before the government actually stepped in to help. I understand that the government wasn’t really involved in these factories but they should have at least had someone who would come and inspect it. The only good thing that came out of all these horrible acts it the laws that we have now. I realize that it took several decades for equality to finally hit home and we still face discrimination today, but I couldn’t imagine myself living back in the 1900’s. When I really think about the changes that has happened between the 1900’s to the present day, the only thing that they have in common is the fact that someone is always brave enough to step outside the societal norm. 

Catholic Social Teaching

        Reading about the Catholic Social Teaching honestly made me think about all the work I am doing right now and where it will lead me in life. It’s weird to think about how the Sisters of Notre Dame work for their money, but instead of the money going to them it goes towards the sisterhood. I wonder if they ever tally up who has worked more than others, because if they didn’t it really wouldn’t follow the Catholic Social Teachings. Reading about work ethics and the right for people to work and how much they make, makes me realize that although I do have to work to pay rent, make car payments, buy food, and etc. I shouldn’t let work dictate my life because while I am working there are other people who are living their lives. I wish I could have the option to just not work and focus on school, my loved ones, and to focus on what I feel passionate about, but I can’t because work is always in the way. While the Catholic Social Teachings is making me think about how work is taking over my life, it doesn’t talk down about the people who do work. The CST mentions that work isn’t always a bad thing; sometimes working allows people to mature and grow up. When the CST was talking about how work does allow people to challenge themselves, the quote “give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, but teach a man how to fish and he could eat for a lifetime” popped up in my head because that is basically what the CST is saying. Don’t overwork yourself, but don’t also live to work because then life will just pass you by and before you know it your life will be over. 

Chapter 17: The Transformation of the Trans-Mississippi West

       Reading about the transformation of the West made me rethink about all that I learned about the West as a child. I remember reading the series Little House on the Prairie as a child and all I can remember about their settlement to the west was that it was difficult at first but they eventually made it as a family. Reading this chapter on the west actually portrays a different story. Those who traveled to the west to become rich eventually realized that they were not just going to get rich without putting in work. At one point in the reading the authors wrote that family’s often put in “sixty-eight hours of backbreaking work a week”. It must have been difficult for these families to adjust to working so hard after leaving their homes.

            Another thing that was heartbreaking to read about in this chapter was the section about the treatment of the Spanish Speaking Americas. It must have been hard for them to adjust after the Mexican-American War, but it must have been harder for them to realize that they no longer fit in anywhere. These Spanish-Speaking Americans knew that they didn’t belong in Mexico because Mexico was defeated and had their lands taken away, they also didn’t belong in the U.S because they didn’t fit into the Anglo-American dreams. It was sad reading about how these Mexican American men were forced to take low-waging jobs. Some of these men must have had respectable jobs while they were in Mexico, but after the war they were probably left with nothing. 

The Civil War

       The Civil War was a war that finally brought equality. Reading about it reminded me of how people’s different belief can bring a whole world of tragedy. It makes me think about the war that we have going on, because of the difference in belief Al-Quadia decided to attack us on September 11. The same goes for the North and the South during the Civil War, the North believed in freedom and equality for all men, meaning the slaves should be treated as equals, but the South saw the slaves as property. The South saw the slaves, as a sign of wealth so therefore there was no reason for them to stay in the South if they could be free in the North. The only thing that was mind boggling to me as I was reading this chapter was the fact that women were of great help to their men. Without these women, there probably would have been no medical advances, and there total number of deaths may have been even higher. Its weird to think that even though the women fought so hard to save the lives of these men, who after the war would just go on treating them like they were nothing but trophy wives. It must have been hard for these women to go from working during the war to having to answer to their husbands again. 

CHapter 13: Immigration

This chapter brought up some very interesting points on immigration that I have never thought about. At one point in the reading the authors wrote about how he Irish and German immigrants quickly got involved with politics. They mention that the immigrants were the reason why some union movements came about. I guess it would make sense for the immigrants to want better treatment since they migrated to the United States looking for freedom and equality. I also thought that it was smart of the Democratic Party to change their political reach towards the immigrants because when they decided to support immigration, the immigrants voted for Democrats.

Another interesting thing about this chapter was Brittan’s and the U.S talk over Oregon. I would think that since the U.S denied the first treaty Britain would fight with the U.S just to show them that they can’t walk over them. By letting U.S take over Oregon, Britain is showing that the U.S does have the upper hand over them. I guess it turned out good for both parts because Britain didn’t have to enter in another war and possibly lose an ally, and U.S gets to expand their territory.

Federalist No. 10

         The Federalist No. 10 was an article that was hard to understand, I had to reread it a few times to finally understand what Madison was trying to say. Madison is trying to say that there is no way to get rid of factions because people are prone to have their views and opinions. Getting rid of factions would be quite difficult because there are only two options. The first option is to destroy the liberties that we have created to give people equality, or to give people the same views and opinions; meaning people were only to have one belief. In the article Madison said that both these options would be impossible because people fought for their liberty so they wouldn’t give it up willingly and because they can’t just force people to have the same belief as one another.

            After understanding the article, it gave me a clue as to what is going on in our government. As of right now the government is shut down, meaning those who are working for our government is out of work. I didn’t really understand what the shutdown of the government meant until a friend told me to try and go on the NASA website. When I went on the website the following note popped up, “Due to the lapse in federal government funding, this website is not available.
We sincerely regret this inconvenience”(http://notice.usa.gov/). It’s crazy to think that because of the difference in opinions between the Democrats and the Republicans, the government is shut down. This proves that the factions that Madison was talking about are true. The reason why there will never be an end to factions is because people are too opinionated. Both the Republicans and the Democrats can sit and argue for days and nothing will be resolved. It’s frustrated to see our government shut down because they still get paid whether or not the government is up or down, but the citizens who work for the government have to sit at home with no pay. I hope the Republicans and Democrats can come up with a resolution soon because I hate to think about all the citizens who are suffering right now.