Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

American Self-Making and Self-Help, American Dream - Coggle Diagram

- - - - In America we practice Democracy, where it is the people who rule, supposedly. Thoreau in this quote is stating how just because the majority of the population supports a law, does not mean it is either just or fair. The majority always have the most power due to their numbers. I find this to be an example of perseverance of the human spirit as this quote highlights what the minority has to endure at the hands of the majority. The more time that passes, with the minority constantly being pushed down, all it takes is one person to break their laws, to draw attention to all the cruelty they are facing. John Brown was hung for violating laws that supported slavery and was hung for it, but his trial brought so much attention to the issue that it led to the abolishment of slavery in America forever.
  - - - Let the rich help the poor not by giving them money directly, but providing to society, building libraries, donating to the construction of schools, governmental buildings, etc. Carnegie believed that to be the way for the poor and the wealthy to get along, especially for the kids who were poor. He sort of prescribes communism, giving money to the poor, but indirectly, sharing the wealth with society rather than the masses of individuals.
      - Andrew Carnegie was a very wealthy philanthropist, and here he is imploring to other wealthy people to donate their money for the improvement of the community, like building libraries, etc., instead of helping the poor by giving them little amounts of money directly over many years. I find this quote to be of interest because here he is reasoning that the poor would much rather have millionaire's turn their surplus of wealth into the property of the many. He states that this is what the poor would want, as it is being used for the common good, and therefore better well spent. Carnegie recognizes the gap between those who are wealthy and those who are poor, and do not wish to see them as enemies, he wishes to work with them as a community. To make up for this discrepancy he does what I have stated above, as a way to prevent the rich from eating up the poor. From a "poor" person's perspective, how do you think you would side on what Carnegie proposes? Can both sides be reasoned, and is there a clear right or wrong of the choices, and why do you think Carnegie thought to produce property to give to the many as a good idea? Do you think Carnegie wanted the poor to become rich? (Carnegie was a self-made millionaire)
    - - Jacob Riis was a Danish-American social reformer, and "muckraking" journalist. He is most known for his contribution to urban reform in America during the 20th century. His piece, How the Other Half Lives, highlights the many crises that occurred in housing, education, and poverty in America during the time immigration from Europe was at its highest point. He wrote about the quality of life in these slums, how people lived and worked in the same building, it was disturbing to him to see immigrants and children of immigrants living such poor quality of life while others seemed to have endless sums of money. Riis wanted to expose these conditions to the public, to show them the injustices that were happening right in front of the people of New York.
        
        I find this quote to be very powerful, and I think it calls out the fallacies with Carnegie's quote. Carnegie proposed that the money of the rich would be better spend not giving money directly to families or people who were poor, but to rather give that money to society and that way they will see them as charitable and not greedy by holding on to all of their money. What Carnegie fails to acknowledge, or chooses not to, is the true conditions the poor are living in. Inadequate living conditions, unhygienic, and often the poor were immigrants who could only afford to live and work in the same building. Riis brings a new perspective, exposing their living conditions, disgusted with how people didn't care all because they were poor and immigrants. The rich do not want the poor to succeed, they want the poor to support the rich. To attempt to ensure this, Carnegie proposes to give money to the community, as a way to have the poor be on their side. Those donations would not solve the problem however, he just wanted to keep the poor from thinking they were greedy to make sure that they would not turn into Communists and stayed on their side. This theme still perpetuates in society today with the wealthy pretending to be like "the rest of us", when in reality all they want is more fame and the money that comes with it from the public's support.
- - - - Transcript: Read Full Text of Sen. Marco Rubio's Campaign Launch, 2015, Marco Rubio: "Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
      - Narrative of The Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson,1682, Mary Rowlandson: "I have thought since of the wonderful goodness of God to me in preserving me in the use of my reason and senses in that distressed time"
      - In both of these quotes, Rubio and Rowlandson make a similar statement, that it is God who will bring you towards the goals you seek as long as you believe in Him. The utilization of this quotation in Marco Rubio's presidential campaign speech is very similar to how the Puritans thought. God was always with them, guiding the Puritans, and to them everything was a sign from God, good and bad. Rowlandson was not ever led off the path of God, she felt His presence and believed in him and to her that was reason enough for why she survived her captivity. Now in modern times we are seeing the same thing with what Rubio states in his speech. Stay with God, do not worry if things go awry, because God is with you and he will help you in your path to success.
  - - - Here the founding fathers are claiming that all men are created equal in God's eye and that we all have indiscernible rights granted to us by Him for being alive on this planet. It is a comforting thought to believe in, however, we know this to not be the full truth. During this time if you were not a white male in Great Britain or America, you did not have these rights. The right for freedom and the pursuit of happiness was not possible for those in slavery and women, as they were simply subjects to the men who were in power during this time. This statement is also in contrast to statements made in the Constitution.
        
        "Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons." Article 1, Section 2 of The Constitution, 1787
        
        Here the writers of the constitution are almost acting as God, deciding what rights should be granted to who. This directly contradicts what the declaration of independence states, that we are all created equal in God's eye. But since we are not God does that not mean we are still not all equal? Why do certain people get to decide how much of a person we are based on our skin color or sex? I am perplexed by this concept of the writers of these documents stating very contrasting statements, it makes me wonder if their intentions were truly to be free of control so we could be truly free, or to want freedom from Great Britain so they could control the people of America.
        
        Article one, section two of the Constitution of the United States declared that any person who was not free would be counted as three-fifths of a free individual for the purposes of determining congressional representation. The "Three-Fifths Clause" thus increased the political power of slaveholding states. It did not, however, make any attempt to ensure that the interests of slaves would be represented in the government.
- - - - In this letter to her husband, Abigail Adams reminds John Adams and the other members of Congress to not forget about the woman in America when fighting for independence from Great Britain. I find this quote to be very powerful in the message she is attempting to convey. For the entirety of the history of America, women were very much seen as unimportant parts of society, simply there to serve men and aid them in their pursuits for power. Never seen as forces of power or people who could lead. She felt comfortable enough to come to her husband to profess her feelings towards the fight for independence. They are separating from a tyrant (a man/king) to put other men in power, which she worries could lead to more injustice and violation of rights for women, people of color, etc.
    - - Edgar Allen Poe is arguably the greatest poet in American history. This is the last poem he wrote in 1849, dying later that same year. Many of his pieces were about young women who had sadly passed away. Before writing this poem Poe's wife passed away, and may be representative of Poe's mourning. I think this quote displays how powerful love is, and how much a bond with another person can inspire works such as these. The love he had for his wife was pure and real, and his work is integrated in the history of America.
    - - In this quote the reader learns what Friedan's true belief is on women being forced to stay at home. During this time in American history, it was generally the status quo for the mother to stay home and raise the kids while the father was at work. Friedan explains the tasks mothers were assigned to do, clean the house, make food for everyone, plan events, etc., and expresses how this is no life a person should be forced or expected to live due to their sex. This quote is important because I feel it leads to a lot of very important questions about what women truly want and need in order to feel fulfilled in life. Friedan takes a stand against this type of living for women, that living a life essentially leads to not many grand personal achievements, especially not career wise either if the mother is not working. Women should be able to decide for themselves if they would like to work, if that would make them happy. The other argument is how many women would enjoy living that kind of life and actually disagree with Friedan's opinion. Many women opposed the women's rights movement stating that women had more than equal rights already. Here is where I would like to include questions concerning the differing opinions of women during this era in American history. Women are not monoliths, we are our own persons and I believe women should have the right to decide the kind of life they want to live.
  - - - Gilman was an author, sociologist, economist, and social reformer. During the 1880's we see America begin to progress into more segregated gender norms. Men were seen as strong and were encouraged to workout, play sports, have jobs that involved a lot of labor, while also being encouraged to pursue education. Women were deemed as weaker, in body and mind, and society focused more on their bodies and attractiveness, because at the time that is all they thought women were good for. Along with this age of physical perfection, came the scrutiny of those who did not fall into that category, and those who seemed unmotivated, or weak were diagnosed with a made up illness called Neurasthenia. Gilman suffered from depression and was diagnosed with this "disease", a cure for rest. She theorized how due to the growing economic change of the counry, the gender differences grew as well.
      - In Gilman's story he husband is a doctor who is treating her because she is sick. He constantly refers to her as a child, and does not take her very seriously. He is stern and practical. In this excerpt Gilman is explaining how men do not listen to women, how they are dismissive and demeaning. Women are seen only as what they are physically, and Gilman needed real help. She believes that what is sick is putting women’s worth in their physical attractiveness only. Here we see America once again leaving behind another group of people and treating them with distain, simply due to gender. It highlights a regression of American ideals.
    - - Roosevelt is concerned about American boys because they will be American men and he wants them to be strong, masculine, and grow up with assertive masculine ideals. Roosevelt was an avid hunter and preservationist and was responsible for the creation of the National Parks Service. He supports boys being involved in sports and activities that will shape his body and mind. Overall Roosevelt wanted the American Man to be well rounded, to not spend too much time playing sports and not too little time learning and vice versa. This ideal became popular across the nation, college sports took off, and ultimately believed it was the highest showmanship of masculinity. Men were encouraged to be strong and assertive, and more and more men rose to roles of power and wealth. This increased the divide between men and women even more, and as America advanced, women were being forgotten.
- - - - Although we live in a country that is very advanced and socially reformed, that does not mean America had to overcome its own obstacles to be a success. After gaining freedom from Britain there was another war to be had amongst ourselves, reflecting on the unjust barriers we had set up for others. It would be ironic to consider America to be the land of the free, while also having slaves, and unequal rights for all people. Without this fight for justice, America would not be as successful as it is today.
  - - - In this excerpt from Douglass's work, he describes his own enlightenment from the world that was constructed for him. He describes how he was unable to go back once he realized the true reason for his enslavement was ignorance. Slaves were constantly beat into submission, never taught how to think for themselves, and were scared to leave the plantations for that. I am unaware of how many slaves enjoyed slavery or thought it was a good thing, but based on this quote, Douglass makes it seem as though plenty were fed that notion. Due to Douglass never falling for the trap set by enslavers to keep him at bay, he knew that they were scared to lose their power, and every day he worked towards his dream of freedom. Douglass was born into slavery, became educated, and earned his freedom.
  - - - Henry Ford was an American Industrialist and businessman. In 1903 he created the Ford Motor Company and contributed to the institution of the assembly line technique for mass production. Ford owned a newspaper company called the Independent where he consistently ran anti-Jewish papers on the front cover. He, like many other white people during this time, blamed whatever misfortune they had on those they deemed to be inferior to them. He, and many others thought there was a huge network of Jews who were controlling everything in America, and cast them down in a negative light so that they may not receive any work or pay. Immigrants faced many set backs due to their race and religion during these times, and in order for men like Ford to stay at the top, he did whatever he deemed necessary to keep them below him.
    - - Washington was born into slavery and gained his freedom at the end of the civil war. He has very strong beliefs and opinions, which are often disputed by his biggest critic, W. E. B. De Bois. Washington believed in making the most out of any situation one could find themselves in. He also believed African Americans should work in the South rather than the North, and attempt to work together with the white man to achieve social change. Looking to each other for economic advancement of the country.
        
        Washington wanted African American's to stay in the South, where they were constantly subject to abuse from Jim Crow Laws, and especially abuse from the white citizens. He did not want them spending time fighting segregation, instead he wanted them to make do with what they had. In my opinion this kind of thinking is very backwards and actually very unproductive. How can anyone expect a group of people to stay in a region where they are actively hated by racists. Again, this goes against what the Declaration of Independence stood for, and Thoreau, that if there is unjust treatment being put unto you, you have the right to fight back. How can fighting for equal rights and treatment sound like a waste of time to anyone?
- - - - We are a nation of immigrants. Many of the most famous people in American history were immigrants from other countries, who came to America seeking a better life in order to achieve their dreams. It is what this nation was founded on, yet at times I wonder if the majority of America truly believed that. It may be bold to say but I cannot name a time in American history were one specific group was fighting against another. Although we "welcomed" immigrants, that does not mean that they were treated as such. Many come here seeking a better life only to be mistreated due to their nationality or race or religion. At the same time the same people that treat them so horribly may enjoy the food, music, or culture of that particular ethnicity. I feel like I can say now more than ever immigrants are more welcome by the public, but I cannot say the same for the government which regulates immigration. America should be a country that provides opportunities to all those that comes here, inspired to achieve their dreams like so many others that came before.
- - - - It is important to note here how much has changed in terms of what success truly is in America. For James he states that it is not money that which people gain wealth from in America, but the land he hold, how we take care of ourselves and the people around us. We can therefore contrast that belief to what people in present society see as success. In my opinion there is a huge emphasis on acquiring wealth, and that is what measures your success in this country. We deter from making friends, because friends in whatever field you are in could mean competition, someone getting in the way of getting what you want. The reality of it is that (not all) but most people dislike it when their peers are wealthier than them; they have more money, a bigger house, and nicer more expensive car. To those who are driven by money and being the richest amongst their peers, they truly have no friends.
- - - - As American business increased, along with industrialization, fast production became more mainstream. I think due to this constant pressure to work very tiring jobs is what led people to indulging themselves in alcohol and parties, which are fun in moderation, however, could be masks to hide the true, pent up feelings of the workers. It was also very important for America to be number one, so ensuring that we had an active workforce to produce lots of profit displayed the power of America as well.
  - - - During the 1950's there was a general trend to return to "normalcy". After the wake of WWII, many people were frightened of Russians, and due to not wanting to be suspected as a Russian spy, lived lives that went with the status quo. McCarthyism came to life and essentially urged that the government should be watching and investigating people at all times to ensure they are not criminals. Which is a huge invasion of personal and private property, and illegal. Many people feared being seen as "non conformative", which meant that you were being disruptive, and therefore people would think you were a Communist. It is pretty sad to think about how easily we are to mistrust each other, while we trust that the government really has our best interests at heart.