WWI Big Questions

1. The United States decided to enter WWI due to Germany deciding to allow the unrestricted submarine warfare policy to continue and a telegram intercepted by the British known as, "Zimmerman Telegram." In this telegram, Germany spoke of the idea to have an alliance with Mexico. Also, a German U-boat sunk the British passenger ship off the coast of of Ireland, where 128 Americans were killed and later sunk other American ships.

2. The U.S. had claimed neutrality prior to WWI in hopes to not become a target of action. This was broken as Germany began to try to cut-off the British Isles. As the US had a strong partnership in trade with the Britain, the US began to gain more anger for the Germans and when German mines sunk several US ships with mines, these tensions peaked. The U.S. had been prepared for modern warfare over seas in many aspects. The Army and Marine Corps had the Model 1903 Springfield Rifle that was considered the best rifle in the world at this time. These newly built weapons such as machine guns and long range artillery allowed for troops not to entire open battle ground. In the trenches, flamethrowers and tanks were mobilizedZX to destroy these entrenched positions. Planes and new battle ships were built and deployed that the world had never seen, which allowed newly built diesel engines to be used. These new technologies allowed for the U.S to enter WWI and become a much stronger force.

3. The U.S spent $32 billion which was way over the federal budget, which rarely exceeded $1 billion. This caused many people to question how important U.S involved was in the war. Also, 128 American lives were lost, which started U.S involvement and ended up costing the U.S 60,000 lives. Some Americans believed that we entered the war due to President Wilson being angered that Germans were causing him to appear weak and powerless. This defeated the purpose of wanting "neutrality" for the country.

4. U.S involvement in WWI caused many Americans to become involved in the war whether it be through going into the military or funding it. At home, many women and children began working in order to lend help by producing many needed items that the soldiers had to have for battle. Other men that did not join the war were able to give money to Liberty Loans or others to find the war that was causing the country well over $1 billion. The United States was able to tip the balance of battle for the Allies through many troops and technologies. Although, other countries had been fighting for nearly 4 years when significant numbers of U.S forces joined the war. The life within the trenches was terrible for the soldiers, due to the great physical stresses. Many soldiers began to believed that the war was truly endless. 

5. The U.S experienced political, economic and social change post WWI. The war caused a mass intolerance of certain groups and allowed for the progressive movement to be kickstarted. The views of women changed as they have taken more industrial jobs and tasks. The war provided many people with jobs and these workers began to receive many gains from these jobs. WWI also introduced massive amounts of migration for African Americans from rural south into northern industrial cities to work. Besides social and economical effects, the U.S gained war experiences, which allowed for many tactics and weapons to be redefined and produced in more massive amounts.

WWI Posters Continued

The three poster sets that I reviewed in my previous post have been confirmed to have accomplished the goal of the American government. The goal of propaganda posters during WWI was to be a major tool for the spread of information and to gain support to urge more action. All three of my posters were able to bring up the urge to take action and to support your home country as it enters war. These posters seemed to force a sense of guilt and emotion that would lead the viewer to fulfill the goal of the poster. WWI posters were an amazing idea that allowed the common person to get involved in the war to help their country. Without the country that the viewer is living in, they would have nothing at all.

This poster is the depiction of Abraham Lincoln that is attempting to get people involved with the war by supporting the war through Liberty Bonds. Liberty Bonds were able to be purchased for money to go towards the military fighting in WWI, which allowed anyone from anywhere to lend a helping hand to the soldiers in the middle of war. This money allowed for new materials such and clothing and weapons to be purchased for the military. The artists of this poster chose Abraham Lincoln as the cover due to his famous quotes, but also because of his loving popularity with so many people. This made the viewer feel as if they could lend just a penny and they would be helping their "boys" overseas fighting for justice.

This poster presents Lady Liberty pointing at the viewer (breaking through the 4th wall) just as Uncle Sam did and still does today. This poster is targeting anyone viewing the poster that has money and feels like they need to contribute to the war in some way other than fighting. The word YOU is capitalized and bolded to give the viewer the impression that they themselves must do something to help their country.

This poster presents a war nurse helping citizen and a baby of war. This poster promotes the work on nurses and how more women need to help in order to save more citizens from the terror of war. This poster calls a nurse The Comforter, because they comfort and help those in need during WWI. Without these nurses many citizens would die overseas and not have a chance to get help and make it out of the war.

This poster depicts a soldier standing tall marching into war. This tells the viewer that the army is not stopping until they reach victory. This also inspires the army and the viewers of this poster to maybe encourage them to join the army. It gains confidence for the army and makes everyone believe that they will win the war. 

WWI Poster Response

Images: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-7jsJa5YaWremFlUFk1OVpDWUU/view

1. I believe that propaganda is an advertisement that promotes a certain idea or object.

2. Propaganda- the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person. (www.webster.com/dictionary/propaganda)

a. This poster displays a woman wrapped up in patriotic clothing asleep in a chair, while the words "WAKE UP, AMERICA!" are displayed at the top of the poster. This poster was intended to make Americans realize that they are asleep to what s going on in WWI and that they need to wake up and start helping their country. This poster calls every man, woman, and child to arms to try and help their home land. My eye is first drawn to the patriotic clothing that the woman is wearing, which helps for the viewer to realize that they wouldn't be anything without the country that clothes them and gives them a save place to live. This poster attempts to make the viewer feel a sense of guilt that they aren't doing their part in helping the country that has given them so much. 

     b. This poster displays a gorilla wearing a German soldiers helmet, a Pickelhaube, while carrying a bat in one hand that represents culture, and an America woman in the other. This depiction of the German soldier shows that Americans view them as animals that will take their women and beat them down with their culture. This idea is taken from the idea of Godzilla and how it terrorized all that saw him and they must fight back in order to survive. This inspires Americans to join the fight to save their country and not let German culture beat them down. This poster first draw my eye to the German hat that the Gorilla is wearing and the savage fact that the gorilla is making. This poster shows that if Americans do not enlist in the army then America and its allies will be stepped on and beaten down.

     c. This poster displays a German soldier with hands and sword covered in blood. This poster urges Americans to buy Liberty Bonds in order to fund the military for supplies. Without a source of funding, the Army will not have a greater chance to succeed. This poster puts a fear of death into the hearts of Americans who don't join the war, but want to contribute something to help. It makes the viewer feel a need to contribute in a way other than fighting. The artist of this poster created this with the idea of forcing the fear of death of others into the hearts of the viewer in order for them to contribute to the fight by purchasing Liberty Bonds.

7. I am comfortable with the idea of the federal government creating propaganda to attempt to convince the public. Without these posters, some people may not contribute or even think about the ideas. With these posters, many people will contribute much more than they ever thought they might, due to the feeling and inspiration that this propaganda gives them.

8. The government felt the need for propaganda during WWI, because they knew that some people would not join the fight if they weren't convinced and some would not contribute at all. These posters urged people to contribute something whether it be bonds or their lives in the war. These posters were also a way for the government to reach the public without them feeling attacked or forced.

Reflection Civil Rights Research

Before researching 16th Street Baptists Church and the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, I only had a broad idea of racism in the city of Birmingham during this time period. I did not know the specific details of what actually occurred and how the African American population was viewed. I did not understand the views of public officials during this time period and how they only cared for the well-being of the white population. These officials hated the African American population and believed them to be a problem in the communities. During peaceful protests, these officials would order the protesters to be taken straight to prison and even ordered them to be sprayed with very powerful water hoses. They even used dogs to scare and even attack the protesters. I also did not know the action that was taken by the children during this time period that helped to turn the tides and force actual action to be taken to help end racism in the city of Birmingham. These children held peaceful protests and even allowed themselves to be taken to prison. These efforts were fueled with passion and brought thousands of children to gather at the 16th Street Baptist Church to form their protest. Without the efforts of these children, they would still have experienced harsh treatment for the rest of their lives.

Progressive Response

I believe that we have almost complete control over our future as an individual and as a country. What is done in the present, completely affects the future. If we try our best to make the present as good as it can be, then the future will most likely consist of the same good. If we create a bad present for ourselves then the future will more than likely be the same. As an individual and a country, each action that we do in the present plays a significant role in the future. For example, normal individuals of the country and individuals of the government, elect a president, this changes the next 4 to 8 years of the future for everyone in the country. I believe that we as a whole control our own destiny by what we do in the present and what we have done in the past.

Bridges, Subways, Elevators, Skyscrapers, and Electrification in the Early 19th Century

World Changing Innovations of the Early 19th Century

Brad Layton

Before any innovations began in the 19th century, every city needed to develop a strong electrical system to begin these new technologies and modernize what already existed. The electrification of cities changed the daily lives of many and allowed for many cities to expand and house more people. Cities consisted of AC systems and DC systems that allowed the city to run electricity. AC systems supplied larger areas and DC systems supplied smaller areas, but for a smaller cost. These electrical systems allowed for three electric lighting systems to begin to be installed throughout cities. These systems were the base for an expanding social life that wasn’t slowly down,  “Constructing systems was a social process and an important aspect of technological change, since electrical manufactures and customers had to work closely together to identify critical problems, the solution of which was necessary for operating and expanding systems.” These electricity systems allowed for all ideas of innovation to become more possible and quicker to achieve. This allowed for streetcars, elevated and commuter rail, subways, buses, ferries, and elevators to all become a common reality during the early 19th century.

Early Los Angeles Subway

In the early 19th century, more advanced sources of mass transit were beginning to become more common, such as streetcars, elevated and commuter rail, subways, buses, ferries, and elevators. These all started as small connected passages, but soon progressed into a wide network throughout the entire country. These sources of transportation changed the urban scene completely in the early 19th century. The daily routine of everyone was made quicker and more efficient by these sources and allowed for them to commute all throughout the city. Streetcars, subways, and buses allowed for quicker sources of transportation and were found all throughout the city, “The many streetcar lines that radiated from central business districts across the United States increased accessibility to and from downtown. The shapes, spectacles, and symbols of what is still associated today with “downtown”—business skyscrapers and other tall buildings as well as large theaters, department stores, hotels, and other palaces of consumption—emerged with the arrival of horsecars, but they reached a new scale with electric streetcars.” Along with everyday life, Ferry boats and steamships changed the industrial world forever. These boats allowed for the transportation of many goods across large bodies of water and also helped to expand urban settlement. Although these sources of mass transit changed many lives, by the end of 1920, mass transit was starting to hit a decline as automobile ownership became dominant. As personal automobiles became more common, it allowed for mass transit to become cheaper and more people could use it in their daily lives. From mass transit to the first personal automobile, the early 19th century shaped the daily lives of everyone living in these cities.

Early Street car

Before bridges, the only way to travel over land that could not be crossed by automobile was by boat or had to be traveled around, which uses more time and money. One of the earliest bridges was the golden gate bridge, that linked the northern part of the city of San Francisco to Marin County, California. Before this bridge, the only way to get across this body of water was by ferry. This bridge has a  4,200 foot long suspension span, which made it the largest bridge suspension bridge. Since its opening in 1937, it has allowed almost 2 billion automobiles to cross it. During the beginning stages of building, many saw the construction as impossible due to its size and the fact that it was being built at the beginning of the Great Depression, “Some members of the engineering community said it was technically impossible to build the bridge, and it was not easy to raise funding for the project at the beginning of the Great Depression (a $35 million bond issue to finance construction of the bridge was passed in California in 1930).” The Golden Gate Bridge was the largest and one of the most important innovations of the 19th century. This bridge allowed for more larger cities to see the advancement that this it made in transportation and make them want to build one themselves. This bridge became the influence for the building of New York City’s Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which opened in 1964. The innovation and advances of bridges in the 19th century have influenced how people travel today and are still modern marvels to the eyes of many.

Golden Gate Bridge

The building of the New York City subway was a proposition by wealthy businessmen who weren’t viewed very well by the public. This build was designed and supervised by the Chief Engineer, William Barclay Parsons. Parsons knew that almost everyone in that community would want to help construct one of the world’s most important innovations, "In after years every man connected with the construction of the New York Subway will be proud to say that he was on this work.” Although everyone wanted to have a hand in such a large construction, it was the result of two failed attempts that made it possible. The building of New York City's first subway came after two unsuccessful attempts to get capitalists interested in the project. Although this would become apart of New York City’s vast public mass transit, the city was too afraid to fund the project completely, due to the risk of failure. The subway build could not break ground yet until it a source of money was funded. This source finally came from a man named John B. McDonald at his donation of 35 million dollars. Once the money was funded and a man named August Belmont was at the command, on March 24, 1900, construction began. After 3 years and 7 months of building, on October 27, 1904,  the “Subway age” of New York had finally begun. This 35 mile system, that ended up costing more than 75 million dollars, was finally open for public use. This broadened the lives of many people living in the north and south parts of New York City, giving them a much easier and faster way to travel across the city. Along with a whole new life, this subway kickstarted more projects throughout the city as well. The Independent Newspaper published on October 20, 1904, states, “The new $5,000,000 Trinity Building, in course of construction. The tenants of this building will not come to the surface of the street to go to and from business, but will walk through a large underground arcade lined with stores and kiosks. Here a man can buy his evening newspapers, tickets to theaters, flowers and candy for home or girl, and hundreds of other necessities or luxuries.” The subway created a whole new underground life that transformed the daily routine of every single person living in these communities. This massive project made the people of New York proud and it brought to them and the rest of the nation the idea that a “New World” had begun.

New York City's First Subway

As the destruction of New York’s first skyscraper, the Flatiron Building, that astonished so many, The Sun Newspaper, explains the end of the most iconic building in New York. The new building to take the old skyscrapers places is for the  Pan-American States Association to occupy. This building was set to be 50 feet higher than the Woolworth tower, which at that time was the highest building in the world. Twenty-six years earlier, the city was full of excitement for their first high-rise building constructed of a steel frame. Although the city was thrilled twenty-six years ago, they were not as excited to hear about the new Pan-American building. The people of New York took pride in the old tower that stood there before. The city believes that the old tower is too old and can’t compete with the more modern towers, “It came as an experiment, gained success in spite of general ridicule and finally formed a beginning for all high buildings of recent times. Now it has outlived its usefulness. It cannot compete with the giants of its own family and, like all ancestors, it is to be laid away in its grave.” These massive buildings from Chicago to New York changed the world. These buildings brought a new and astounding view of the city surrounding them, while also bringing more jobs and more space for people to work within the city. Along with these advantages, these massive buildings is the symbolism that it brings to a city and country. These buildings attracted many visitors that are captivated by the  size in these buildings. Skyscrapers symbolized the technological advances of the “New World” as technology progressed, it was shown through how high and massive these buildings started to become. The city believed that their buildings must progress as technology progressed and as the demand for more work space became greater, these buildings had no option, but to become larger. As skyscrapers became larger, they were also equipped with the electric lighting and electric elevators. These electric elevators were able to move large amounts of people and goods from floor to floor more quickly than ever before. These technological advances helped the cities to progress towards more success than ever before.

New York City's First Skyscraper

The Innovations of bridges, subways, elevators, skyscrapers, and the overall electrification of cities in the early 19th century shaped the United States of America forever. These innovations still have a lasting touch on modern day and have laid the ground work for the next century. As these innovations changed many lives in the 19th century, they still are apart of millions of every-day lives today. These ideas have allowed us to grow our population and allow companies to achieve more success than ever imaginable. Without these innovations, we would not be able to expand our country and we would not be nearly as successful. 

Work Cited 

Independentt, The. "New York's New Underground World (1904)." New York's New Underground World (1904). NYC Subway, Web. 02 Feb. 2017. <http://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/New_York's_New_Underground_World_(1904)>.

"The Sun. (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, January 04, 1914, THIRD SECTION, Image 21." News about Chronicling America RSS. Benj. H. Day, Web. 02 Feb. 2017. <http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030272/1914-01-04/ed-1/seq-21/#date1=1894&index=18&rows=20&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&words=Chicago+SKYSCRAPER+skyscraper+skyscrapers+Steel+steel&proxdistance=5&date2=1922&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasete>.

"Infrastructure: Mass Transit in 19th- and 20th-Century Urban America." Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History. 27 Mar. 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2017. <http://americanhistory.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-28>.

"Construction Begins on Golden Gate Bridge." History.com. History Web, Web. 04 Feb. 2017. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/construction-begins-on-golden-gate-bridge>.

Corrick, James A. The Industrial Revolution. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 1998. Print.

Todd, Edmund N. “A Tale of Three Cities: Electrification and the Structure of Choice in the Ruhr, 1886-1900.” Social Studies of Science, vol. 17, no. 3, 1987, pp. 387–412. www.jstor.org/stable/285130.