Kolko, Gabriel. The Triumph of Conservatism: A Reinterpretation of American History, 1900-1916. Chicago: Quadrangle Books, 1967. Print.…
At times, history appears to be just like a deliberately curated set of truths, figures, and events that when taken together advance a particular philosophy or perspective. Along these lines, Americans concentrate only on individuals, places, and events that maintain the thought of American exceptionalism. Wars and the success of men dominate the lives of ladies, and Europeans are given priority. The quote by W.E.B. DuBois underscores the intrinsic falseness in imminent history, given that in some capacity there will dependably be editorializing. Howard Zinn likewise reassembles American history in a way that subverts the worldview that had been taught identified with the matchless quality of private enterprise and the white-washing of key defining moments. A People's History of the United…
Thomas A. Bailey’s, The Ordeal of Reconstruction (1966), presents a view that would claim the that the actions of the Northern ‘carpetbaggers’ and ‘scalawags’ were both “selfish and idealistic” in regards to the Republican government in the Southern states. Meanwhile, Bailey paints a sad picture of the once enslaved and uneducated Negroes of the Republican government, a role that he attributed as “pathetic and tragic.”…
Linda Kerber described the predicaments of the Federalists, a political party whose members feared that popular democracy might spin out of control. Although they both fostered economic development, the Federalists were aware that an urban grassroots would result. The believers of the Federalist Party believed that Jefferson’s approach to politics was naïve. The early stages of industrialization and urban growth were providing the ingredients of a working class; already existing was an unpredictable class of permanently poor who might well be available for mob action. The God or the religious beliefs of the Federalists often appeared to behave like a fourth branch of Government. They believed that religious obligation would reinforce moral obligation and would make popular government orderly and stable. On the other hand the Jeffersonian supporters felt they should break down the barrier of habitual morality (religion), with the interruption of education, habit and superstitions they were confident they would have a more positive vice.…
Summary: I am an English politician, spokesman, and journalist of radical discontent. I am pro-Americanism and pro-separation from England. I firmly believe and support religious tolerance, freedom of the press, and Parliamentary reform. I inspire American Whigs and other colonists with my attacks on King George III and the British government and by defending the liberties of Englishmen. Some call me the champion of the powerless against the privileged. Once the American colonists declared their independence, my support for them decreased and I slowly became a more conservative politician.…
America’s national identity was complex during the 1800’s; nationalism was a powerful force, but a sectional force nonetheless. 19th century America was, what historian Robert Wiebe called “a society of island communities”.[i] The remarkable transformations that characterized the 19th century both unified and divided the Republic in its early years. Political upheaval, economic transformation, technological advances and social and religious reform led to both desired and unexpected changes. There was no single unifying force that brought the nation together. Instead, there existed a number of beliefs and movements that all Americans supported to some degree.…
References: Brinkley, A. (2012). American History (14th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.…
As one would read Cowie’s book, it is made evident that the white working-class hunted for a new direction. Liberals did not deliver a strong or effective economic policy or a persuasive idea for the future in a world of limited boundaries. However, the New Right succeeded in persuading a great number of Americans that those boundaries did not exist in the first place as its leaders “offered a restoration of the glory days by bolstering morale on the basis of patriotism, God, race, patriarchy, and nostalgia for community” (p. 16).…
History has evolved over the last two centuries. In the introduction to Interpretations of American History edited by Francis G. Couvares, et al., he states that the transition of the way history was interpreted has only “linked the past more strongly to the present” (Couvares 1). Before, historians –mostly white male- used to report only about “male” topics but since then, different issues have transformed the way history used to be. Over the last 400 years, the four different stages that have reshaped the writing of American history have been the providential, the rationalist, the nationalist, and the professional.…
In 2008 we saw a reemergence of an everyday person taking center stage in a presidential race when John McCain, the republican nominee, introduced “Joe the Plumber.” Although he was a fictional character, he stood for the average, everyday working class person, much like how George Robert Twelves Hewes was portrayed as an everyday person making a difference in the world during the 19th century. George Robert Twelves Hewes was present at the Boston massacre and three years later at the dumping of the tea into the Boston harbor. At the time of the event it was played down and nearly blocked out of many colonists’ minds all together. In fact, the term “Tea Party” does not arise until the 1830s.2 “The ‘discovery’ of George Robert Twelves Hewes, who until 1834 was an unknown historical figure in either print or oral culture, save, of course to his family and the circles around him.”3 It can be said that Hewes helped to bring light to how revolutionary and significant the dumping of the…
From the mid 1940s to the early 2000s, the conservative movement was at its apex in United States history. The Rise of Conservatism in America, 1945-2000: A Brief History with Documents by Ronald Story and Bruce Laurie contains documents all pertaining to the conservative movement. Out of the collection of the various documents in The Rise of Conservatism, five stand out to be the most important in detailing what the conservative moment was and what the basic beliefs and goals were. The documents are as follows: From The Conservative Mind by Russell Kirk, From the Conscience of a Conservative by Barry Goldwater, William F. Buckley Jr. publisher’s statement on his founding the National Review, Richard Nixon’s Labor Day Radio Address, and Ronald Reagan’s nomination acceptance speech.…
Professor McClay believes that Americans should be in the uniqueness of our mission. He is adamant that there should be a steady interplay between founding ideals and current realities by fostering an interlocking relationship with the Founding Fathers through academics and paternal/governmental influence. He claims that our social cohesiveness depends on the preservation and dissemination of American myths and legends. For example, the myth of “Manifest Destiny” justifying American expansion into territory held by Mexico and expansion into Cuba and the Philippines in the 1890s (McKenna & Feingold 2011, 3). This helps further rationalize the countries’ advancement of values of universalism, idealism, and zealous crusading by endorse the notion that, “God is on our side!” asserts McClay (McKenna & Feingold 2011). Lastly, McClay does acknowledge that in nurturing mythic reality as a sustaining feature of American democracy and cultural hegemony, we must does not disregard the “strange moral complexities” of the past because it provides a basis for learning from previous mistakes (McKenna & Feingold 2011, 12).…
“So, Ender, do you know why you are here?” Ender had thought for a second and answered, “No, and no knowledge of why I am confined in this chair.” The scientists have once again scribbled on their notes and conversed. Ender had took this time to strain his mind into remembering how and why he had got into the white room. Suddenly beeping sounds come from the far end of the room. Soon after followed excruciating pain that pounded Ender’s brain. Ender groaned, trying to hold in the pain. “Get him a shot of anesthesia right now!” yelled Simmons. Swiftly as if they were expecting this to happen, a female scientist immediately followed the man’s order. Before Ender could even reply, he went to sleep.…
Young, Alfred F. The Shoemaker and the Tea Party: Memory and the American Revolution. Boston: Beacon Press, 1999. Print.…
Kim Scott is not the only person that feels reluctant to participate in the history wars. Many scholars agree that the conservative voices (labelled as white blindfold school of history) are not worth of being met on an equal level, as their argumentations often lack proof and consistency. Yet, a great number of scholars concern themselves with the question how people like Keith Windshuttle can still hold on to their argument and in addition find a audience willing to believe him. What Klaus Neumann suggests in But is it History? is that their arguments are based on fear, namely the fear to loose the security history has provided for the nation. (Cf. Neumann 2008 29) According to him the main concern of the white blindfold school of history…