WWI Big Questions

1. The U.S. got involved in WWI because of the international commitments and obligations that the country was taking on more. The U.S. had allies that were in the war who were becoming exhausted and felt the need to get involved. There were also other factors such as trade with European countries being blocked off and the heavy immigrant population in America at the time that felt like it was their duty to protect their home country. The U.S. was involved in the Spanish-American war, and under 3 active presidents, the country was dealing with a lot of international affairs. For these reasons, it was not surprising that the U.S. felt like they were prepared for this war, ultimately joining in 1917. It helped prepare them to participate in modern warfare overseas because it wasn't going to cost them very much. Also economically, the war was a great source of the industrial boom, which led to prosperity in the future years.

2. There were certain factors up for debate once the U.S. got involved with the war. Financing the war was a big question because they had just gotten out of another war earlier, resulting in a large expense. An ever tougher task was organizing the economy to meet the war needs. The question that was being debated heavily were whether America should make military and economic preparations for war.

3. During the war, the government utilized one major device. It first worked on ways to solicit loans from the American citizens by selling "liberty bonds." Liberty bonds were basically loans that would help fund the war effort. The U.S. entered the war near the end of it and as a result suffered much less casualties than the other countries. They became engaged in only the last successful offensives, however, suffered high casualties in specific battles where U.S. soldiers were active.


4. Overall, the war helped create a great economic boom for the U.S. Following the war was the Roaring 20's which was ultimately created from the economic drive produced during the war. Employment also increased rapidly and migration into the states was also a huge increase. Industrial production and manufacturing activity soared and expanded all across the nation. Most importantly, because many white men were away at war, a lot of new job opportunities opened up for everyone else, mainly women. Over a million more women were working in a wide range of industrial jobs because of the war. This led to the creation of the Women's Bureau, an agency dedicated to protectig the interests of women in the workforce.  

WWI Propaganda Continued

After reading the document on propaganda, I believe that the poster set I reviewed did accomplish the goal of the government during the time frame. The document talks about how the government's main goal was to persuade the people through the use of powerful, personal illustrations to communicate a message. The poster set I looked out focussed on the subscription of liberty bonds. In each of those posters: vibrant colors, powerful words, and emotional illustrations were placed to inspire and catch the audience's attention.

From this propaganda poster, it speaks on a personal level with the audience. I believe the author purposefully does this to reach a comfortable tone with the speaker. The author highlights the word  "You" to distinguish it from the rest of the poster, to help clearly communicate to the person that they are being addressed. The question mark also is noticed at the center of the poster. This offers the person to really decide and contemplate their decision moving forward.

This next Propaganda poster is one that is recruiting or targeted towards people who are interested in joining the Navy. I personally don't find this one very powerful since there is no persuasion in it. All that is listed is the main idea and then the date for when the recruiting week is. It is more of an awareness advertisement than it is a propaganda poster. The color choice is ineffective and the context is broad, along with the lack of illustration in the poster. 

This next propaganda poster is iconic. The viewer is drawn immediately to Uncle Sam with the patriotic symbolism seen by the U.S.A. flag and the colors. This poster is also another recruitment poster and appears very inspiring through the poise all the shadowed men in the background display. The throwing of hats indicates celebration which is motivating to anyone joining the war so that everyone can celebrate together. Uncle Sam is pointing up, but is referring to the words on the poster, "Register." This shows how registering for the war will allow one to call themselves patriotic. The poster makes you feel as if it is your duty to do this. 

This last propaganda poster is once again another call for war attempt to the people. This one is specifically geared towards people to enlist in the Navy. Pictured is civilians watching the boys in blue line up and get ready to get onto a ship. It looks as if one of the blue men is holding out his hand in an effort to signal the others watching them to come join him. It offers as a welcoming gesture, which is very persuasive in propaganda. The American Flag is once again shown, but on the side with the navy, to symbolize their patriotism and effort. 

All of these propaganda posters I chose were related to the recruitment process and persuasion of the war. I found this set of posters much less powerful than the ones previously examined for the reasons that these contained more words and less illustration. 

WWI Poster Analysis

1. Propaganda in my terms is the art of persuasion. It is a tool used in a visual form and very little script to communicate either a pro or con of a concept/idea.

2. Propaganda: Ideas or statements that are often false or exaggerated and that are spread in order to help a cause, a political leader, a government, etc.

3. I used Set 6 of the images from the list.

4.

This first propaganda poster communicates its real purpose through words clearly. It is asking the people to buy more liberty bonds. A liberty bond is like a war loan that was sold to support the allied cause during WWI. It was considered a symbol of patriotic duty of the citizens to the United States and provide those going to the war with some financial support.  This picture really speaks to the emotional side of the people because it features a mother holding her baby very close to her arms. There are pots and bowls surrounding her, and judging from her clothing, she looks like a housewife who works mainly inside, while her husband is off outside fighting for the country. By painting this scene, the illustrator is able to show how in need this family is of money, much like the rest of the mothers with husbands at war. The author of this poster also poses a question, but then subsequently offers a solution to that question to help the audience formulate their answer by subscribing to a liberty bond. 

This next propaganda poster is again related to those who are able to donate money to the cause of the war. In the picture, a lady dressed in an American Flag can be seen as an attempt to show her patriotism. The script explains how people are sacrificing their lives in the war, so the least the people could do is to donate money to help aid in the war. The lady is standing over water, staring at the audience, pointing to something vast in the distance. I believe this communicates the great lengths to which the soldiers committed and sacrificed themselves to go fight far away in battle overseas. The red cross behind the lady represents the what the red cross symbol is today, which is portraying the aid/help needed to support this war.  

This last propaganda poster is about the liberty bonds once again. It pictures a dead soldier in the center, meaning he is of highest importance to the audience. In the small text underneath the picture, it appeals to the emotional side of the audience by telling a story about the boy who made the sacrifice for his country. It also explains how he will be protected along with the other boys because their liberty bonds were paid for in full. This is important and also a propaganda technique because by telling the audience a story, they will want to help any other boys they can by purchasing or subscribing to the liberty bonds. 

5. From the emotional images that the author evokes in the audience, I believe they wanted the people to be able to sympathize with the families of the people at war. The author wanted to be able to create a connection of emotions between the two types of people involved in the war: those that were fighting in it and those who were donating money to support it. 

6. Since these set of propaganda posters were dealing with the support of the war and asking for people to buy liberty bonds, I believe the author was trying to appeal to those who were not already involved in the war but had money to give and support the cause. 

7. I would not be very comfortable with the idea of the government using tax dollars to make propaganda in the attempt to persuade me. I would not like this idea because I would feel a sense of violation and an unnecessary use of money on the government's part. 

8. I think that the federal government felt that they needed to do this probably because they did not have the support they needed to proceed in the war. By creating persuasive propaganda, they would attract more of the citizens and hopefully rally their support into the war, which would ultimately help benefit the country. Also, most people did not really know whether the U.S.A should enter the war since the geography suggested it was relatively far away from the main region of war, and it was also late in the battle. However, in order to gain the confidence of the people, propaganda was essential to moving along. 

3/27/17 Homework: Debate over Philippines/Concept of US Imperialism Written Response

        I do not agree with the annexation of the Philippines, but I am somewhat conflicted on where I stand on this topic. For reasons as stated in the textbook, "Controlling a large and densely populated territory thousands of miles away seemed different, and to many more Americans more ominous." (557 McGraw-Hill) I don't think it was necessary or convenient to try and control land that is so far away from the mainland. Even though the textbook explains that giving up that land to anyone else would only be irresponsible or discreditable, the initial move in on it seems extra to me. I believe similarly with the anti-imperialists league in that it is "immoral, and a repudiation of America's commitment to human freedom." To me as far as US Imperialism, I think the expansion up until the pacific border was logical, but then to move into the Philippines causes major debate over that choice. The textbook explains how the Philippines were unfit to self-govern themselves.  This seems to justify the reason for America taking control to me. Overall, I think the U.S. made a decision they seemed was in their best interest at the time. 

Progressivism

I think that we have a great deal of control over the future. I believe that every decision we make, big or small, will ultimately play a factor in how the future is shaped for years to come. I don't believe that anything is already predetermined. Speaking on national terms, I believe that choosing a certain candidate for president(voting) is a way in which we have control over what we want. It is up to the citizens to choose the government who will then proceed to do work and shape the world around us. However, to a certain extent, a part of me says that there is only so much we can do to try and shape our future. For example, being born into a family with less opportunity or a less chance to become successful makes it kind of hard to have control and work for the outcome one wishes for. From a source I approached that argued the same opinion I shared, the article argues how it is not up to fate to shape our future, but up to a person's will or desire to cause that change. It shares how there are no limits in doing anything and the amount of discipline a person requires to follow through on their aspirations for the future. In summary, after reading the blog post, I believe that we, as people, have a great deal of control over shaping the world and our future, as long as we have the will and desire to put in the work and do so.


Outside Source Link: http://palmistryforyou.com

Thinking about the Future

1. In an article from BBC News, the page discusses an early 1900's American civil engineer who made predictions about what the world would be like in 2000. Some of the predictions he made about the future 100 years from when he was living were actually right. His name was Elfreth Watkins. Most of his predictions were based on the growing interest in science and technology. Some of the important predictions that Watkins made that actually turned out true was the creation of digital color photography and the Television. From his words, Watkins wrote/predicted about photography, "Photographs will be telegraphed from any distance. If there be a battle in China a hundred years hence, snapshots of its most striking events will be published in the newspapers an hour later.... photographs will reproduce all of nature's colours." And then for his prediction about the television, the way he described it, he wrote, "Man will see around the world. Persons and things of all kinds will be brought within focus of cameras connected electrically with screens at opposite ends of circuits, thousands of miles at a span." When visiting another article on ABC news written by Michael S. James on the predictions about the future, he shows a different aspect of bizarre predictions. Scientists thought that we would have talked with the Martians by now and that their appearance would be of giant dragonflies with 72-foot wingspans. Hopes of travel by personal airships were also wished by the people back then. They predicted that people would be able to commute to their job across town by air or through submarines. Theodore Waters from the New York Herald in the 1900's predicted that cancer would be out of the question and could be cured at first appearance.

2. The list of predictions made by the people sounded more like a wish list to me than a warning. From the hopes of great entertainment systems being created like the television to meeting the Martians sound like ideas people back then wanted to happen.

3. The predictions like the camera and the television turned out to be true, but the most bizarre one I read about was the appearance and meeting of the Martians.  Cancer being cured at first sight is also a little off-track.

4. Trends that I see were all somewhat scientific in their predictions. All the ones I happened to read about were traits or machinery that would be devised to fix an issue, or to create a more developed world. Everyone was more hopeful about their predictions rather than just jumping to the world will end as we see common in today's generation.

5. I see the cure for cancer being within reach. I think the technology being developed to create a better treatment or a better prognosis for it in the future. I have a bizarre feeling that the techno world we are moving towards will be more emphasized. 

The Evolution of Urban Life through Transportation

       From the late 19th century into the early 20th century, the population of America increased sevenfold in just 50 years. Specifically, New York City grew from a population of 1 million people to 3 million people in approximately 40 years. In 1920, a census reported that for the first time more people were living in "urban" areas. Although this sounded unprecedented at a first look, it was actually happening all around the Western world due to industrialization and the factory system. With the immense amount of people moving into such a popular area, cities became crowded and there was very little order. After always being interested in how life develops around society and the dynamic between the two, I decided to concentrate my research on the development of different modes of transportation in cities. Consequently, I further looked at the impact of the development of transportation in the cities, studying how each fed off one another. Narrowing it down even further, I decided to focus on the creation/development of subways, cars and highways, and bridges along with their impact on urban life. 

       




This picture shows how congested the roads were back during the early 1900's. This picture is specifically of Prince Street in New York City.












       Rapid transit is a term often associated with fast public transportation such as subways used in cities. With fast transportation open to the public, other areas or sections of cities can be accessible to people, which raises the potential for growth in these areas. Subways were not only valued for their ability to create more accessible land but they also allowed for significant capital investment, which consequently raised the value of the land due to high demand. Subways were originally created to relieve cities of traffic congestion in the central business district. For example, the Boston subway consisted of a tunnel that went below some of the big streets so that they would be open up above. With this theory, subways became very effectual for speeding up transportation. The New York rapid transit system became the largest and fastest system in the world at the time. Its express systems traveled as fast as 40 mph, which was three times faster than previously used steam-powered elevated railways, and even more, six times faster than electric trolleys. This was very important to all the WWI workers commuting during the time, because not only did it cut travel time immensely, it was also much safer for the environment. A problem, initially, with subways was that they were a major pollution and environmental concern because they were powered by steam locomotives. Soon after, electricity was adopted with the development of a multiple-unit control, causing a major spur of growth in subway construction. This was much more efficient because the locomotives weren’t polluting its surroundings anymore. I also believe that subways were the main factor behind the growth of surrounding sectors of land. After 1905, the growth of the New York boroughs is credited to the subway's existence. As previously noted, because the subway took away the time needed to commute to jobs in downtown Manhattan, the subway propagated growth of residential sections in northern parts of Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn. Without the subway, much of these areas wouldn't have been populated or even developed in half the time that they were. Speeding up to today, there are currently 11 American cities with subways: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay area, and Washington, D.C. As I looked closely at the list of the cities with subways, I noticed that these are some of the most developed and populated cities in the U.S. today, showing how essential this form of transportation is to people.

This is a picture of the Brooklyn Residential area from a view of the Brooklyn Tower. The borough started to grow rapidly after it became connected with Manhattan and there was easy access between the two boroughs.






After looking at the history and impact of subways on urban society, specifically the New York Subway, I then proceeded my research to The New York Subway: Its Construction and Equipment, a book published in 1904 by the Interborough Rapid Transit Company, as a celebration of the opening of the subway. I was presented with a table of contents that consisted of 12 chapters, all pertaining to the importance and construction behind the subway during the time. From the book, it explained the purpose of the creation: "Upon the completion of the road, the city will own the best constructed and best equipped intraurban rapid transit in the world. [...] They have striven, not to equal the best devices, but to improve upon the best devices used in modern electrical railroading, to secure for the traveling public safety, comfort, and speedy transport." In other words, the basis behind the creation of the subway fulfilled all of the peoples' hopes and needs. It truly did shorten travel time and was much safer for the environment and people. However, as far as comfort, I honestly don't know how comfortable it was, we would need to actually ask the people on the subway for their opinion. The book also explains the reason behind the idea of the subway even being brought up: "From 1850 to 1865 the street surface horse railways were sufficient for the requirements of the traveling public. As the city grew rapidly, the congestion spreading northward, to and beyond the Harlem River, the service of surface roads became entirely inadequate." This excerpt from the book further shows how revolutionizing the subway was for its time. Revolutionizing their mode of transportation from horse carriages to electrical-powered underground subways, accommodated to the many people spending time in New York daily.

This picture is of the underground Car: R-10 local New York City Transit. This picture was taken at Van Siclen Avenue by Eric Oszustowicz.

       Even though subways were the center of transportation, cars and the construction of highways followed right behind it. While looking at the early creation of cars, I found that all the American car parts were created and put together through a simple assembly line. This impacted society and mainly the economy, because it allowed for more people to be involved with the economy. Through the creation of many jobs and having many people contribute to the speeding of transportation, the economy thrived. In the beginning, it was a belief that cars were only for the rich because they were the only ones who could afford it. That belief became false soon after cars became popular to the general population. The reason it became so popular was because it allowed for the freedom of people to travel anywhere they wished to whenever they wanted. I believe that this wouldn't have happened without the contribution Henry Ford made to the car industry. He played a large role by creating higher wages for his workers and by making cars more affordable for people to buy. As a result, people were freed from living only in areas of near rail lines or stations, and instead, could branch out and be spaced around a given area. By the time the many of the general population owned cars, this act further rippled into states establishing motor fuel taxes which were used to build and maintain highways. At this point in my research, my interest led me to then look into the construction of highways and its impact on urban life. While searching for documents upon the creation of highways, I came across the actual documentation of the "Good Roads" Act of 1916. The source was formatted from the dictation of a debate occurring on the House floor in 1916, discussing the terms of which the roads would be built along with the financial requirements. From the debate, it was written that the clerk says, "A bill (H. R. 7017) to provide that the United States shall aid the states in the construction of rural post roads, and for other purposes." The debate then goes on record for 12 more pages discussing the amount of money put into this act and where and where not to build. For instance, in a section of the debate, the House discusses how they cannot run the roads through a forester's land. In short, this grand debate over the construction of roads and highways goes to show how much work and time was needed to be put in, in order to benefit the whole of urban society. I believe that through the creation of roads and highways running in different directions, traffic was and people were diverted because there were so many more routes to take to get to one place. People could choose to take different routes or even different types of transportation which was so eminent that it allowed for more work to be done at a much faster rate, thus advancing urban life.

A view of an early highway in Massachusetts as a result of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916.

       




       Alongside the creation of roads and highways for cars to travel on, another piece of architecture that needed to be created for transportation across the water were bridges. Bridges have been around in many forms for as long as the ancient Romans and Greeks who constructed early, simple forms of it. The bridge I decided to focus on, without shock, was in New York City: the Brooklyn Bridge that connects Brooklyn to Manhattan over the New York City's East River. John Augustus Roebling, who created the bridge, studied the engineering and construction behind it over in Germany. This was such an important creation to urban life because connecting the two boroughs through a bridge allowed for cars to start traveling across both sides. As a result, the two boroughs then became more accessible for people. Bridges had such a great impact that within 24 hours of the opening, over 250,000 people had gone across it. Merging the two areas created a much more functional and flourished area for work. Looking at the impact of the bridge today, thousands of people still use it every day to get across, including myself, who as gone across the bridge multiple times in a day for its full effect. Now over 125 years old, the bridge is fully functional and stable, making it as impactful today as it was back then. 

This is a picture of what the Brooklyn Bridge looked like in the early 1900's. It connects the Brooklyn borough to Manhattan.

This is a picture of the Brooklyn Bridge today. In comparison to the photograph from the early 1900's, the bridge is still intact in the same way it was back then.

      





       Transportation ultimately had a positive impact on urban life by revolutionizing everything around it. Through the creation of new modes of transportation, new residential areas were created, the environment became less polluted, travel became faster, and more work was accomplished by the people. As a result, the economy thrived and many jobs were created. Without transportation especially during World War I, many people wouldn't have been able to commute to their jobs, thus making work and deadlines longer and slower. Everything from the roads to living spaces would have been congested, creating a lot of busy and stressed out people. By creating new/different modes of transportation like the electric-powered underground subway, affordable cars, and architecture like bridges, urban life grew qualitatively and quantitatively. Imagine the thought of thousands of people trying to gather at an amusement park or a football game without the help of transportation. I think it would be impossible to make happen. The transportation revolution changed the previously "leisure" America just as much as it did help innovate the American agriculture and industry. I can't imagine a society surviving back then or even today with the use of only horse carriages and one road routes. It would be chaotic. 

Works Cited

Brancheau, Josh. "The Impact of the Automobile on the 20th Century." The Impact of the 

           Automobile on the 20th Century. AgentSheets Inc., n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2017. 

           <http://l3d.cs.colorado.edu/systems/agentsheets/New-Vista/automobile/.>

 This source helped me learn about the early creation of cars and its impact as far as transportation and its impact on the economy. It also talked about how Henry Ford was very influential to the car industry.

Brinkley, Alan. "Chapter 18." American History: A Survey. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007. N.                   Print.

 The textbook helped me with introduction and background information about urbanization and about my topic in brief. I used it to gain general knowledge about urban life. 

History.com Staff. "Brooklyn Bridge." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 05                    Feb. 2017. 

             <http://www.history.com/topics/brooklyn-bridge>.

This source helped me when I was looking at the impact of bridges on transportation. It helped me learn about the Brooklyn Bridge and its creation and impact. I used this source when talking about bridges.

"The New York Subway: Its Construction and Equipment (1904)." Www.nycsubway.org: The                     New York Subway: Its Construction and Equipment (1904). N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Feb.                   2017.    <https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/The_New_York_Subway:_Its_Construction_and_Equipment_(1904)>.

This primary source helped me when researching about subways and how fast it made transportation. I learned about the evolution behind subways and how innovative they were once electricity was involved.


"1916 Good Roads Act - House Floor Debate on Conference Report." The Eno Center for

          Transportation. ENO- Center for Transportation, n.d. Web. 05 Feb. 2017. 

 <https://www.enotrans.org/etl-material/1916-good-roads-act-house-floor-debate-conference-report/>.

This primary source helped me when researching about highways and the creation of roads. New roads and highways were created to accommodate to the large supply of cars being sold, which caused traffic in the streets.

Shumsky, Neil Larry. "Subways." Americanhistory.abc-clio.com. ABC-CLIO, n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2017.

         <americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/571690?

         terms=transportation+in+urban+cities&sType=quick>.

This source helped me gain an understanding of how subways were integrated into American society and how much they revolutionized transportations. It also explained the importance behind how much time was cut from commuters traveling to work every day.

Timmons, Todd. "City Transportation in America: 19th Century." Daily Life through History. 

         ABC-CLIO, 2017. Web. 5 Feb. 2017. 

         <https://dailylife.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1378437?

         terms=transportation+in+urban+cities&sType=quick>.

This source helped give me a perspective on transportation as a whole. I learned how much we wouldn't be able to do today without the modes of transportation we have today to use. I learned how much safer, easier, faster, and cheaper it was to use public transportation rather than traveling by horse carriages.