Critical Thinking 15-2 #5

In the late 19th century, a lot of people decided to move from rural areas and into cities.This affected urban society in various ways. The population in cities increased rapidly. Many of the people who moved to the city had different skills than the people who normally lived there. These things caused some problems in urban areas.
People who moved to the cities from the country were usually farmers. Farming technology had been improved, which helped some farmers, making their work easier. However, it also cost other farmers their jobs. Those who lost their jobs went to urban areas looking for any work they could get.
Many of these farmers were African Americans. They moved north and west to cities hoping to avoid oppression and racial violence. They were not always successful in this, but they were often able to find work. African American workers had different experiences that white workers, so they usually had to compete with immigrants for jobs.
Because of all these people moving into the cities, the population in such areas increased rapidly. Cities with high populations were subject to problems such as crime, overcrowded housing, and unsanitary living conditions. Work became hard to find, and many people became poor because of the competition for it. Reformers moved to end these problems eventually, but at the time, life was difficult in cities.

Critical Thinking 15-2 #4

Sanitation was a large problem in urban areas. Cities had to be kept clean as they grew, or they would be unhealthy to live in. Cities were filled with smoke, sewage, and trash. Poor hygienic conditions were very dangerous for immigrants, who often lived in small, crowded parts of cities. The Settlement House Movement was an attempt to improve living conditions for people in this situation.
Earlier movements that tried to help the poor inspired this movement. The reformers who led the movement decided that help the poor, who lived in unsanitary, crowded buildings called tenements, they would have to build community centers for them. The creation of Settlement houses was the result of the movement.
Settlement Houses gave assistance to the poor people and immigrants who needed it. they were clean buildings that offered education as well as shelter. Some people even stayed in the buildings to learn about what they could do to help resolve urban problems. These settlement houses were a great step forwards for urban sanitation and housing.

Critical Thinking 15-1 #4

The massive influx of immigrants that came in the late 1800's caused many things in the U.S. People from all over the world moved to America, all bring different things with them. These people mixed together over time. The country was sometimes thought of as a "melting pot."
Immigrants brought a lot to the United States. Many cultures were introduced to people who did not know them, and some of these cultures mixed with each other to create new ones. This caused communities to be formed, as well. Such communities changed certain parts of America greatly.
Immigration also increased the country's population. This was good in some ways, because the country and industries grew and immigrants got work. However, this means other people lost work, and some areas were overcrowded. Laws were passed by nativists to slow immigration, but it had already begun to take effect on the country.

Critical Thinking 15-1 #3

There were many groups of people who came to America as immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Of these groups, the ones who were the worst off were those from Asia, particularly the Chinese. These people were treated unfairly and were seen as a threat to American workers.
Asian immigrants had a very difficult time when they arrived at America. First, they would have to stop at Angel Island, where they were questioned harshly and had to wait before they found out if they could stay in the United States. They then had to find a place to live and a job to support themselves. Finding jobs was not usually difficult, because these immigrants often accepted work with little pay.unfortunately, this led to more trouble for them.
American nativists saw the Chinese as a threat. They were afraid that the immigrants would take their jobs because they did not cost as much to hire. Nativists argued that the Chinese should not be allowed into the country. These arguments led eventually to the Chinese Exclusion Act, which stopped the immigration of most chinese people.

Critical Thinking 14-3

The tycoons of the late 19th century were seen by some as "ruthless robber barons," but others saw them as leaders of industry. While they were, in many cases, ruthless, they very effective at what they did. They used clever business strategies to weaken competition and strengthen their own businesses. These people made great contributions to the country's economy.
New and interesting strategies were used by big businesses at the time. These included vertical integration and horizontal integration. With verticle integration, a company would buy all of its suppliers, so that it would have control over everything it needed. Horizontal integration would be when a company buys all the companies that are similar to it, so it would not have any competition. This reflects the attitude of such businesses toward competition.
The tycoons made many important contributions to the economy. They created big businesses, which helped to make a successful market. These businesses also made production widespread and resources accessible. Railroad companies helped settlement and immigration, and companies often gave jobs to those who needed them.
While the leaders of big business were occasionally unfair to people like the farmers in the west, in the end they were very effective. It seems that ruthlessness is sometimes necessary in order to be effective in business. The contributions were certainly worth it though. Using new strategies and technology, big businesses industrialized the country.

Current Events 1

There are many interesting things currently happening in China. Several of these events have to do with the country’s foreign policies and deals with other countries. Recently, China had joined the APEC summit in Australia, where it would try to make economic deals with western Australia. It has also said that it would declare its annual defense spending to the UN.
The Asia-Pacific-Economic-Cooperation met in Australia hoping to arrange economic deals between countries. China’s President Hu Jintao joined them in his first visit to Australia. He said we wanted to make “win-win” economic deals with APEC at the summit. He also noticed that Western Australia was rich in resources, and decided that it would be a good idea to strengthen relationships between Australia and China.
China has also announced that it would declare its basic annual defense spending and arms sales to the UN. However, it is not known exactly what information will be declared. China is still likely to keep most defense matters secret. Some people are concerned by the secrecy of such information.

14-2 Critical Thinking

The government seemed to support railroad companies in whatever ways it could. It gave land and made loans to the companies. Railroads were being encouraged to use the land and money so that they could grow. The loans and land grants were good investments, because the growth of the railroads meant the growth of the country.
Railroads were a large part of industry at the time, mostly because of westward expansion. Tracks were laid in the western frontier, effectively linking the sections of the United States together. This simplified trade and transportation across the country, helping the economy. Railroads became particularly important to farmers who needed to transport their goods to sell them.
In addition to laying track, the companies would sell some of their left over land. It was sometimes sold to settlers, and sometimes to other companies. Some of the railroad companies would send agents to Europe to see if anyone would be interested in buying the land. The government did not exactly care if the land went to settlers, immigrants or companies; as long as it was sold the country and its economy would grow.
The government was eager to promote the growth of railroads because it wanted to promote westward expansion. The railroads were important to the frontier so the government gave them a lot of power over it. In the end, everyone got something out of the deals. The government succeeded in settling the west, the railroad companies became immensely successful and wealthy, and settlers and immigrants got land the the frontier.

14-1 Critical Thinking

Great progress was made towards industrialization in the United States during the late 1800's. Resources were being used in new, more effective ways, while new inventions changed the lives of people at both home and work. The most important development at the time may have been the discovery of how to successfully use electricity as power. Electrical power made many things possible then, and new uses are still found for it today.
Countless inventions have been created based on the idea of using electricity as power. One of the first of these was the light bulb, which was perfected by Thomas Edison, and patented in 1880. This invention used electricity to power a new source of light. The telephone was a similarly incredible invention, making communication over long distances much easier.
Electrical power and the machines that used it made a huge impact in homes and at the workplace. Electricity was made available to to anyone, and caused the creations of machines that would save time and make peoples' lives easier. Light bulbs saved time by making it possible to work at night, and telephones were often used for business. Typewriters and printing presses made writing fast and convenient. Women were given jobs that involved using electronic machines.
Electrical power was an incredible development in the 19th century, and it is still constantly used today. Many of the inventions atthat time have been further improved upon over time, and now a large part of society completely relies on the power of electricity.

13-3 Critical Thinking

The Populist party was formed to support the people, particularly farmer alliances. It did not last long. It was a third party that was competing with the Republican party, and it did not have many well known supporters. Populism did not stand much of a chance in this situation.
Populists were undecided on a political strategy. Joining another, more popular party would increase their chances of winning the election, but it might risk the loss of their political identity. Populism became a third party, because while many Democrats agreed with the Populists, some hated the man who would be the vice -president and the idea of losing their own identity as a party.
There was not enough support for Populist leader William Jennings Bryan to win the election. He had no well known people spreading his beliefs as the Republican candidate did. Also, "gold bug" Democrats nominated a different candidate because of their fear of inflation, which would make their money less valuable. Most people in cities shared this fear, and so they voted against him.
Because of its third party status and lack of support, the Populist party failed. The movement was short lived, as it did not win the election. Republican candidate McKinley was elected president, and his opponents' party collapsed.

13-2 Critical Thinking

The government was very successful in its efforts to promote settlement in the Great Plains. Railroads, land, and immigration were some of the many reasons for settlers to move west. There were a few problems, but the population on the plains greatly increased before the end of the 19th century.
Railroad companies received millions of acres of land from the government for laying track in the frontier. The railroads that were made connected the east to the west, making trade and transportation between the two areas much easier. The companies also sold their land, often to immigrants from Europe. These immigrants and people who were interested in making use of the railroads were encouraged to move into the Great Plains.
The government also supported settlement by passing the Homestead Act. This gave 160 acres of free land to any citizen who was the head of a family. The Homestead Act was successful. It caused a massive land rush that some consider a very important part of American history. Unfortunately, some people used the land for their own gain, taking resources and fencing off some areas, and not all the land was equally fertile. Not much of the land was actually given to its intended owners.
These issues were eventually resolved, and in 1890 the frontier was closed. It was no longer necessary; settlers had taken 19 million acres of land. The government had been incredibly successful. The country expanded and the west was populated.