History from 1865 to 2000
The history of America after the civil war cannot be compared to the present times. Major changes have taken place including industrialization, urbanization, citizens equal rights and the major world wars have served to shape America as is known today. While there many major events that have had impact on this country since the abolition of slavery and slave trade, few can be said to have had brought about great changes. Such events include the reconstruction period, first and second world wars, massive industrialization, the Civil Rights movement and the great depression (Browne and Cottrell, 268). While these are just some of the changes that lead to the America of 2000, there are nevertheless the major ones.
The Reconstruction period took place after Civil War and lasted for about 1865-1876.This was a time when the nation underwent great upheavals and there was while attempts were made for the reorganization and integration of the southern states that had joined the great Union. Moreover, the freed slaves from the entire south were now incorporated with in a system which had at one time controlled almost all aspects of their lives. The slaves had to look for a way in which they could easily integrate into a society where there was great bias against them. This period had little agreement on political or social issues especially on matters involving the right to vote or how the south would be rebuilt after the destruction and departure of slaves (Browne and Cottrell, 268). However, there was the passing of the 14th Amendment that ensured some degree of the blacks’ civil rights. In 1870, the 15th Amendment was changed to offer the African American their voting ight. However, the intentions of Reconstruction were to be realized about a century later facilitated by Civil Rights Movement. A Civil Rights Act was passed in 1875 but was declared unconstitutional in 1883. In the year 1890, the Battle of Wounded Knee broke out which resulted to massacre of about 200 American children and women –natives – by the American troops. The states passed laws in 1899 which were aimed at disenfranchising the black community (Kazin, Rebecca & Adam, 168).
The period following reconstruction saw rapid Industrialization across the nation’s major cities encouraged by railroads, and consequently there was a surge in population. It was a period of economic prosperity with Americans becoming urbanized, though poor-rich gap was quite large. This era was to be interrupted by the World War I that brought major changes to America. It served as a breaking point for two different Americas. This war changed how Americans perceived themselves as the nation was developing a distinct culture and at the same time achieving world power status. The 1914-1918 War to End All Wars made America to never remain the same again. It joined the war in 1917 after the Lusitania which was carrying American passengers and other commercial vessels were sunk by the Germans (Kazin, Rebecca & Adam, 169). The period following the Reconstruction period and the war, the people’s dreams had been shuttered and were therefore referred to as the Lost Generation. After the Great War, manufacturing begun as the nation attempted to recover. Early 1920s saw increased economic growth, a time in which new cultures emerged such as jazz on the music scene (Browne and Cottrell, 268). These good times did not last as the stock market collapsed in 1929 culminating in the Great Depression of the 1930. The United States was hardest hit just the rest of the world economies that went down. Massive poverty and unemployment ensued as the people resulted to subsistence living. Franklin Roosevelt, the then president came up with measures meant to help in recovery and poverty reduction. The World War II was the most significant event in the modern America. The country was set on the stage as a military giant and a big economy. It helped the recovery after the Great Depression, thus creating more employment opportunities and for once, the American workers experienced real increase in their income (Kersten and Kriste, 51). There was a boom in technology, more change for women and African American and the postwar diplomacy contours took shape as a result of matters dividing the Soviet Union and the Western Allies. The 1947 saw increased tension between the Soviet Union and the United States. The period after the war was marked by the emergence of Civil Rights movement enhanced by various racists and violent acts against the African Americans more so in South (Kazin, Rebecca & Adam, 169). Individuals such as Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. emerged as advocates for these people’s rights. Legislations and other events such as the 1953 Supreme Court declaration of segregation being unlawful changed the manner in which black people voted, went to school and visited other places like restaurant. The movement’s charismatic leader – Martin Luther King was granted the Nobel Peace Prize and Civil Rights Act was also enacted in 1964, though real racial equality was yet to be realized. The 1960s decade was a period of technological advances more so the space technology. The USSR had sent the first satellite to the orbit in 1957 , which drove the Americans join the Space Race which culminated with launching of 1969’s Apollo 11 and Neil Armstrong being the first human to land on moon. By the end of this decade, the nation was in turmoil as the older generation regarded the younger generation’s ways as promiscuous and never understood how to embrace the black population. Family and religion as they knew it was disintegrating (Langeland & Huseby 1).
The 1970s decade saw a big decline in the level of poverty but the economy was a bit slow, with high inflation and rising unemployment. The Vietnam War and space race had cost so much. The war was ended U.S involvement in the war in 1973. Jimmy Carter, the last president of the decade had to deal with these issues but did a good job in promoting civil rights and ensured appointment of women, African American to public offices. The 1980s experienced the Reagan Revolution which emphasized on American pride, family and traditional values (Langeland & Huseby 1). President Ronald Reagan ensured a decrease in unemployment, government expenditures and taxes. George Bush Senior the decade’s last president continued with his predecessor’s policies of law and order. The 1990s was an electronic age where World Wide Web was made available to be used by the general public and thus a revolution on communication. The fall of Soviet Union also left America as the sole superpower which saw it play vital part in various international conflicts such as in Somalia and Iraq. The end of the decade saw the Supreme Court gives election victory to George W. Bush which had been disputed (Langeland & Huseby 1).
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References
Kazin, Michael, Rebecca Edwards, and Adam Rothman. The Concise Princeton Encyclopedia of American Political History. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press, 2011. Print.167-170
Browne, Blaine T, and Robert C. Cottrell. Lives and Times: Individuals and Issues in American History. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2010. Print.267-268
Kersten, Andrew E, and Kriste Lindenmeyer. Politics and Progress: American Society and the State Since 1865. Westport (Conn.: Praeger, 2001. Print.51-52
Langeland Ase, Huseby Eli. American History after 1945.2016.1. Available at. http://ndla.no/en/node/99175
