Thursday, March 25, 2010

How Radical Was the New Deal?

I agree with Carl Degler's judgment and views of the New Deal during the Great Depression. He thought that the New Deal was "a revolutionary response to a revolutionary situation." I think that this best reflects how Roosevelt handled the situation at hand. He never found a means short of war to help the nation recover, he simply utilized the stubborn economic crisis to enact sweeping reforms. This in my opinion is how radical the New Deal was. It may have had some socialistic policies, but i mostly think that Roosevelt was just trying to make some reforms to the country and it was the perfect time to do so. He tried to stop the economy crisis, he wasn't that successful but he did help to make our nation a better place in the long run. He had no intentions of making the U.S a socialistic country, he just tried as best as he could to reform problems, please the people, make jobs etc. So in my opinion the New Deal wasn't that radical, it was the right thing to do in a time of crisis

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Reaction Essay (WWI)

World War 1 was filled with deceptions, disease, battle, bad conditions, and death. The trench warfare was horrible for both sides of the field. So many different aspects came in to play whether it be gas or insects. The war was filled with such disaster it is almost impossible to describe, you have to experience it. An example of this is being stuck in trench's with water up to your armpits, so exhausted of moving in the mud that some people even drowned in it. There were so many problems and only two possible solutions.

Some of the problems of this war was that there was little to no movement, it was nonstop trench warfare stuck trying to push each other back or destroy them. There was a lot of disease spreading around the trench's like wild fire such as trenchfoot. The battles were very deadly with the nonstop firing of shells, use of gas, and other deadly tactics to stop the other enemy. There were so many bad conditions lying within this war such as lice. The death amount was tremendous for both sides, bodies would be stacked up all around both lines trench's. These are all aspects of the very deadly "war to end all wars."

In conclusion, World War 1 was very disastrous in multiple different areas. The death amounts on both sides proves just how bad the fighting and disease really was. It's surprising that some people ended the war and lived through all of it. All of the factors such as disease, battles, and bad conditions all contributed to the ugliness. It could be debatebly the worst war of all time.

Diary Entree #3

Diary Entree

Dear Mom and Dad,

It’s February 19th 1917, 6:41 PM, on the Western Front. The winter out here is absolutely horrible! It’s a constant struggle to get enough clothes just so one’s blood doesn’t freeze in their veins. Winter out here lasts from October to April, it is practically never ending. Rain, snow, and sleet alternate from day to day. We try to provide heat in the dugouts to try to warm up. It gets so steamy in there that some people have been reported to have died from asphyxiation. Now they are trying to send us all of this special clothing to warm us up. These fur undercoats were just issued to us. They help a little bit but the cold is still almost unbearable. Two of my friends have died from nephritis which affects the kidneys. This cold is what causes that horrible disease. There has been so many cases already, I’m scared that I might be the next one to get it.
These winters almost never stop, and the cold is the worst thing I have ever endured. It makes these war conditions even worse. It is below freezing day after day. I don’t know if I can take it anymore. I’m sure I’ll die any day now. All of my friends are dieing around me, and a lot of the deaths are associated with the cold. These conditions are horrible. I can’t wait for summer time to come around. You have no idea how much pain we go through day after day. I hope I get to see you two soon. I’ll write to you again soon.

Sincerely,

Aaron Thompson

Diary Entree #2

Diary Entree

Dear Friends & Family,
It’s September 1st 1914, 8:54 PM, on the Western Front. So far today, it hasn’t stopped raining. It has been raining nonstop for the past 5 days. This rain is basically our new enemy, especially since we’re almost at sea level. I had to stand ankle deep in mud all day today. I am so exhausted, each step is a major effort for all of us out here. I hear that towards the front they have to stand for days on end up to their waists or even their armpits in freezing water. A couple of men have already died of exhaustion. Some have been so tired that they drowned in the mud. My friend in our trench was so badly wounded that he ended up drowning in the mud yesterday. The weather conditions out here are horrible.
I don’t know if I can stand it any longer. I’m so exhausted and have no more strength. I do not know how much longer I will be alive, it seems like I could die any minute. The mud makes it almost impossible to move. So whenever we are getting shelled it is extremely hard to get out of the way. I heard from an officer that the rain isn’t going to stop anytime soon. That will make this mud even worse. I’m also freezing out here, the rain is almost unbearable. Our great coats suck up the water and can get up to 34 pounds! Also I have to carry about 60 pounds of equipment. This rain and mud is so unpleasant it makes the war even worse than it already is. I love all of you and miss you! I just hope we can end this absolutely dreadful war.
From,
Joey Swanson

Diary Entree #1

Diary Entree

Dear Taylor,
It’s April 30th 1917, 2:39 AM, on the Western Front. You couldn’t believe how bad things are out here. The sanitation is the absolute worst! The rubbish, urine, excreta, corpses, and unwashed men in the trenches produces every type of pestilence and disease imaginable. People are dropping like flies all around me. So many soldiers die every day just because of the poor sanitation we have in these trenches. The sanitary facilities are crude at the best of times. The giant latrines are disgusting and make it smell horrible. We made our own latrines and we have to go out and dump them out in the open. All of this poor sanitations led to the rats. They are everywhere! We have to start taking care of ourselves better. It is almost impossible to do this though with all of the battles and our conditions. I haven’t showered in about 3 weeks! The same goes for everyone in our trench.
The smell is the worst thing ever. I don’t even know how all of us can put up with it. I am bound to get a disease any day now because of this bad sanitation. I wish there was someway we could improve it. I also wish I could brush my teeth. I can’t stand the feeling in my mouth. I haven’t been able to brush for about two weeks. They have to start sending us to the sanitary facility more often. This place is a complete dump. I’m surprised that all of us have not died yet. Disease is spreading so fast it is unbelievable. I’ll probably receive one any day now. I’ll have to send you another letter soon.
Yours truly,
Peter Anderson

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

J.P. Morgan, Robber Baron or Captain of Industry?

The industrialist, J.P. Morgan, of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century is best characterized as a captain of industry. He would be best characterized as this because he helped save to government from financial collapse and he made money in the process. President Cleveland needed gold to back the U.S. currency and so Morgan gave him gold in exchange for bonds that he later cashed in for a big profit. He had a great education and in1871 he became a partner in a New York City firm that later took his name. This company soon became one of the most powerful banking houses in the country. He could make failing companies into very profitable companies, so he was very hard working in business. In 1893 Morgan helped financial panic and helped the railroad industry recover. He merged railroad companies and became a stockholder in everyone of them, he did the same thing with steel companies and made a fortune in both. He helped the government again in 1907 because his bank took government deposits. Morgan was a philanthropist. He collected fine art and donated many valuable works to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Therefore, i believe that J.P. Morgan would best be described as a captain of industry.




Sunday, January 3, 2010

New Years Resolution

For the new year i want to try and keep the grades that i have been receiving. I got on the A honor roll last quarter and i really want to keep up the good work. I got a couple of B's including this class and i hope to get those up to an A if possible. I want to try my hardest and push myself to get those up to an A on my report card. I did good last year and i want to keep that momentum this following quarter. So in conclusion I would like to get at least a B, and if possible try my hardest to get that A for this coming report card.