If only…

Booking under: Nicole

After months of discussions on the history of the United States, we have finally reached the last chapter of A Little History of the United States. In 309 pages, James West Davidson brought us back to 500 years ago and guided us to envision the historical occurrences and colonial figures vividly.

Freedom and equality are always two resounding American values that ingrain in people’s heart. And they are really not just applicable to Americans but to anybody in a civilized and lawful society. The government ought to hold themselves accountable and responsible to balance and protect freedom and equality in any vibrant democracies.

Reflecting on recent happenings in Hong Kong, I cannot turn a blind eye on the injustices that contradict our core values but to reluctantly hijack this post to express upon my patchy knowledge. Of course, there are always some references back to American history too….

To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try. – Rosa Parks

A Connected Country, or not?

Booking under: Nicole

With global network of devices, data, and technology advancing at a break-neck speed, human beings are never more connected now than before. Connected devices have facilitated data transmission and knowledge sharing, ensuring the right person receives the right information at the right time (if used righteously). It shifts the way economy, business, and the society operate. And politics is no exception.

Before technology changed the world at a rapid pace, several remarkable historical figures made their ways to increase America’s connection to the world positively. Christopher Columbus’s voyages have brought two halves of the world together. The 19th amendment was passed to connect American women to legal voting right. The list goes on…

…. until the most destructive and tragic attack happened in American history.

Swings

Booking under: Keith

As we read before, President Lyndon B. Johnson oversaw an avalanche of change in America during the 60s. He signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and his “Great Society” to improve the standard of living in a country that had long been divided by inequality and prejudice.

And yet, while he brought on and went through waves of change, President Johnson himself was not immune to them. A skirmish involving an Eastern nation saw to the end of his presidency in 1968. What followed was over two decades of political change and a swinging of power from the Democrats to the Republicans and back again.

The Swinging Sixties

Booking under: Keith

If 1950s America was defined by the Civil Rights Movement, the 1960s would be defined as an avalanche of social change. As debates and protests for the rights of African Americans continued, so did a range of other cultural movements begin.

Let’s take a look at some of the changes that swept through the nation during the 60s:

You or you or you

Booking under: Nicole

President Kennedy would have thought he could take a break and chillax after resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis….

Clearly too early.

What followed was the unsolved business that the end of Civil War failed to close the loop. Although the 13th amendment was passed to abolished slavery, racial inequality still vastly impacted the blacks who lived under inferiority. In old slave states like Oklahoma and Alabama, laws were passed to favor segregation such that there were separate schools, hospitals, and even drinking fountains between black and white. Segregation has officially divided the already-divided American society…

The End of the World?

Booking under: Nicole

The United States and the Soviet Union/Russia relation has always been an interesting one in the history. While these two great powers developed economic and trade ties and were one of the major allies against the Axis powers during Cold War, the Cuban missile crisis has led a thaw in the U.S.-Soviet relation and the world was on the verge of an all-out nuclear war….

Let’s zoom in.

The Cold War

Booking under: Keith

The Second World War ended with the defeat of the Axis powers at the ends of the Allies. Although the world has not seen an armed conflict as devastating as WW2 since 1945, the reshaped status quo of the world led to a new form of international hostility.

Today, we look at the post-WW2 world where America became an undisputed super power and the country that threatened its standing as the world’s most powerful nation. Today, we’ll look at the Cold War.

An even greater war

Booking under: Keith

From 1914 to 1918, the world endured a war to end all wars. After the First World War, the world seemed to have learnt its lesson and the nations banded together for peace. The League of Nations was established, and there was hope that the world would exist in harmony.

All of that came to an end on Sep 1st, 1939, when the Germany launched an invasion of Poland. Today, we look at another war the United States found itself involved in – The Second World War.

Done Deal

Booking under: Nicole

While Americans joyfully celebrate Thanksgiving day on the fourth thursday of November, they certainly wouldn’t want to travel back to the Black Thursday in 1929. The Great Crash started when the stock market collapsed and its aftermath was considered as the most destructive and phenomenal in U.S. history.

When the news broke out, people were horrified that their hard-earned savings would turn into sheer paper trash overnight. And unfortunately they were right. Banks lost a lot of ordinary people’s money in the stock market and closed one after another. During this crisis, Uncle Sam had to step in and President Hoover enacted a series of tax measures in an attempt to alleviate the economic burden. Were they effective? The fact that he was voted out of the office in 1932 probably spoke enough.

Now what? Hoover’s replacement…..

The Masses

Booking under: Nicole

In 1920, the 19th amendment was passed to grant American women the lawful and equal right to vote, commonly known as women’s suffrage. This enacted measure was definitely a victorious milestone after a lengthy and hard-fought battle to pursue gender equality. Indeed, women at that time recognized themselves with a new identity and character as more independent and receptive to new ideas, vastly different from what they were traditionally perceived as domestic caretaker.

Instead of staying home, women took white-collar and blue-collar jobs (accounts for the majority) especially in factories. As electric services spread, factories advanced with electric sewing machines. 1920s was when America experienced a rapid development of newness ranging culture, music, motion picture, and ways of living that formed the New Era, an era of affluence and liberation.