American Experience Research Paper

America’s Hardship

Even a quick look at newspaper headlines today reveals the state of America and the sentiments of her people. Titles such as “Severe Hardships, Dashed Hopes” and “Facing Hardship, Jobless Go Without” are bolded on the front pages of the New York Times and Washington Post, highlighting the troubling and worrisome conditions in which Americans are currently living. This seems to be a modern theme of this time period, but distressing events and challenging adversities are not new to Americans; in fact, Americans have endured hardships throughout their history back to the 16th Century. The reality is that America and her people have always faced privations.

 In discussing the impact of these adversities on America, people disagree about whether America has benefited or been harmed from these experiences. While some conclude that the nation has been irreversibly harmed by them, others remain convinced that all of America’s most prominent accomplishments have their genesis in her darkest tragedies, such as the Civil War and the 9/11 Attacks in New York City. Regardless of the degree to which America has been altered, most can agree that some of these hardships have affected Americans and that they have offered opportunities to learn from the challenges, transform from the lessons, and emerge as a stronger, more unified nation.

From her birth, America was divided. Due to their different political and religious beliefs, the American colonies were very disconnected from each other and rarely cooperated or worked together to find collective solutions to common problems.  In fact, the conflict between the colonies was so pronounced that, despite the common threat to their existence posed by attacks from the French, Spanish, and Native Americans, they refused to unite to defend themselves, resulting in heavy casualties and property losses. [Kennedy] Great Britain capitalized on this disunity to assert its power over the colonies and to continue to refuse them direct government representation.  In 1774, in a show of absolute power, the British Parliament passed the Intolerable Acts, a series of laws designed to punish the colonists for resisting paying taxes levied by the British Parliament, reaffirm British rule over the colonies, and crush colonial resistance to British rule. [Kennedy] However, these laws were so punitive that, instead of intimidating the colonists, brought them together and made them feel not fully represented in Parliament.

Although many of the Intolerable Acts were aimed at punishing Massachusetts, many colonists around America viewed them as threats to their own liberties and rights. [Kennedy]  This perceived threat galvanized the colonists to put aside their differences and unite to fight for their independence from Great Britain.  Using a cartoon entitled, “Join, or Die,” created by Benjamin Franklin which showed a snake cut into eight pieces, with each labeled with the initial of a colony, the colonial Patriots exhorted colonial unity against the British. [Franklin] This image was particularly effective given the superstition at the time that a snake that had been cut up would come back to life if the pieces were put together before sunset. [Franklin] Moreover, the call against British rule was also being urged by respected colonists. Patrick Henry, in March 1775, appealed to his fellow colonists to arm in self-defense against the British by stating, "I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death." [Henry] Henry’s argument that he had only two options available to him - liberty or death – passionately shows how oppressive life was in the colonies under British rule and how desperate Henry was to stop it.

Colonial resistance to the Intolerable Acts led to the American Revolution and ultimately America’s independence from Great Britain. Although America did win the war, some historians are convinced that by breaking away from British rule, the colonists incurred a big loss by giving up the military and economic protections the British Empire offered. [Kennedy] Moreover, the break led to a split of loyalties between family members, neighbors, and friends. However, the sacrifices that were made in America’s fight for independence were worthwhile because the colonists gained respect from other European Empires for defeating the British. Furthermore, the colonists were united and formed a united nation, bound together by the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.

Over the course of a few centuries, America has remained united as a nation, but was separated socially. Men and women lived under the same government, paid the same taxes, and worked together. However, unlike the men, “women could neither fight nor vote; they were not sustained even by those of their own sex; and, while they incurred no physical risk, they imperiled their reputation and subjected themselves to mental and spiritual crucifixion.” (Anthony) When America was writing her Constitution in 1776, she did not “guarantee women the same rights as men” (Ireland). Women were again forgotten when the 14^th Amendment passed in 1868, allowing equal rights to former slaves, and the 15^th Amendment in 1870, furthering the voting rights of men.  

Eventually, in 1920, Congress ratified the 19^th Amendment to the Constitution, allowing women to have the right to vote. Although this new found freedom of power in women did increase divorce rates and dysfunctional families, it played a greater role in society. It introduced complete equality among genders as women represent half of the population. Moreover, women could now control their own lives. Before, women were considered ornamental dolls and were supposed to “look to men for protection”, but with the new laws, could own a job with equal pay, expect an unbiased and fair trial, and take action about the treatment of their families (Ireland). As Susan B. Anthony sums up the importance of equality, “To set women back into the limited sphere of fifty years ago would be to arrest the progress of the whole race.” (Anthony)

Furthermore, many laws and programs were originated to help further America’s protection of her citizens. One major problem during the 20^th century was meat safety. Meat packers could get away with putting unsanitary meat and other suspicious foods in the meat products. Also, “suits could not be begun against packers and manufactures of bad meat products, seizures could not be made and there were no course saves to proceed criminally under the Meat Inspection act, which made it uniformly difficult to frame a case.” (“Pure Food Act”) The Meat Inspection Act set a standard for meat process and many people could now eat meat without worrying about any food poisoning or other side effects that may apply. Even though America was able to significantly raise health standards and improve social equality, the Great Depression caused universal suffrage throughout America.

Less than a decade after the 19^th Amendment was passed, America suffered one of the most catastrophic events in her history. Going from a booming economy to a deteriorating one, the Great Depression caused huge inflation as well as high unemployment rates. Most historians agree that the fall of the economy started with the stock market crash and bank failures, as “products stood at the lowest ebb in three decades, and efforts to hold grain for possible better markets seriously reduced debt-paying and buying power, affecting every industry” (“Year of Hardship”). Furthermore, the American economy relied on supply and demand. With the sudden economic inflation, Americans lost faith in their government due to their inefficiency of securing the economy.

Following World War II, America was thrown into a war for global power against the Soviet Union.  Due to the rapid rise of Communism in Europe and Asia, Americans felt it was their duty to protect democracy (Kennedy). “The attitude toward the Communist ranges all the way from the fanatic witch hunters down to the statement made by Mr. Stassen last Monday night when he said flatly that there was no place on any public payroll for a Communist.” (Nathanson) A panic soon ensued in America when Senator Joseph McCarthy issued a proclamation that Soviet spies have infiltrated the U.S. government. “Two teaching assistants, Eugene Bluestein and Jules Chametzky, were accused of being Communists in 1954. A university board of inquiry cleared them of these charges but a cloud of suspicion continued to hover over them.” (Nathanson) This idea of McCarthyism led to people distrusting their neighbors and friends and furthered the segregation of America.

Moreover, the cold war reached its peak when Cuba, an island off of Florida, signed a treaty with the Soviet Union and began obtaining nuclear missiles. This incident became known as the Cuban Missile Crisis and lasted for thirteen days. It ended with President Kennedy and Khrushchev signing a treaty, both removing nuclear missiles from Cuba and Turkey (Weeks). Due to the nuclear bomb threat from Cuba, Americans were to survive an atomic blast (Weeks). The fear of the actual bombing was so great that people would go to school, drive, and live in suits and masks lined with lead to stop the radiation from affecting them as well as have school drills demonstrating what to do during a nuclear explosion.

The American fear of communism overtaking democracy led to emotional and psychological damage of American citizens. People were wrongly accused of being communists and were shunned from society during the Red Scare. Like Eugene Bluestein and Jules Chametzky, many other Americans were wrongly accused and were often prevented enhancing their careers. However, this uncertainty and cold war caused the creation of life support bags and better equipment and technology as it also set a standard for safety drills with nuclear warnings and alarms. More importantly, the Cuban Missile Crisis promoted the power of diplomacy as the Soviet Union and America were able to negotiate without going to war.

After cold war, America was the top nation, globally. On September 11, 2001 (9/11), America was attacked with the bombing in the Twin Towers and Pentagon. “The images of mangled planes, buildings and bodies slowly faded from the news coverage...But the concrete reality - and enormous silence - of that empty sky broke through the façade” (Cameron).  9/11 was so dramatic, unexpected, and real that America was shattered and shocked.  “This is the place where the world seemed to end in a single morning” (Cameron) and the people never knew if there was going to be another attack. America made the world conscious of terrorism as this new fighting style installs fear and uncertainty in its victims, making it psychosocially straining. Due to 9/11, America was able to increase her security and tighter restrictions and laws were enforced.

The attack on 9/11 prompted the U.S. Government to take drastic measures of spying on the public, going against the first amendment of the Constitution.  Also known as the Patriot Act, it gave the government “the ability to watch over the public and trace any weird transaction and suspect it to be criminal abuse” (“USA Patriot Act”). Due to this, Americans are scared because the government might suspect them for crime and what the government might do to those people suspected of the crime. Americans are always being watched and because they are being monitored, they are always careful what they say and do. Most notably, the Patriot Act furthered segregation against Muslims and Middle Easterners. The Patriot Act was designed to keep a watchful eye on all Americans, especially the immigrants, because the government does not want to repeat what happened on 9/11. Through this thinking, people are very suspicious of their surroundings and this will eventually create divisions and discrimination.

Hardship is seen everywhere in America and throughout her life. Dating back to her infancy, colonists were able to unite and fight for their independence; eventually declaring a Bill of Rights and creating a Constitution. Overtime, America was able to overcome her trials and mistakes by ratifying the 19^th Amendment and passing the Meat Inspection Act. She enhanced her citizens’ life style with health programs, like Social Security, and was able to utilize diplomacy to stop a nuclear war. Lastly, America conquered her short comings by creating tighter security and brought awareness to terrorism.  Though her hardships were detrimental, America’s ability to respond and adapt from them had made her who she is today.
Works Cited

Anthony, Susan B. “Women’s Half-Century of Evolution.” The North American Review Dec. 1902: 800-810. JSTOR. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://jstor.org/stable/25150960>.

Blackwell, Alice Stone. “Objections Answered .” American History. ABC-CLIO, 1915. Web. 10 Mar. 2012. <http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com>.

Cameron, Scott. “When the Distant Tragedy of Sept. 11 Became Personal.” Blog of the Nation. NPR, 4 Sept. 2011. Web. 24 Mar. 2012. <http://www.npr.org>.

Franklin, Benjamin. “Join or Die!” Cartoon. Archiving Early America. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. <http://www.earlyamerica.com>.

Henry, Patrick. “Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death.” American History. ABC-CLIO, 23 Mar. 1775. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. <http://abc-clio.com>.

Ireland, Patricia. “Women’s Less Than Full Equality Under the U.S. Constitution.” now. N.p., 21 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 May 2012. <http://www.now.org/issues/economic/cea/ireland.html>.

Kennedy, David M, Lizabeth Cohen, and Thomas A Baily. The Amerian Pageant. 14th ed. 2006. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.

Loader, Jayne, Kevin Rafferty, and Pierce Rafferty. The Atomic Cafe. Jayne Loader and Kevin Rafferty and Pierce Rafferty. Libra Films and Journeyman Pictures, 1982. Top Documentary Films. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://topdocumentaryfilms.com>.

Nathanson, Iric. “The Oppenheimer Affair: Red Scare in Minnesota.” Minnesota History. By Iric Nathanson. 172-186. JSTOR. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2007. Web. 10 Mar. 2012. <http://www.jstor.org>.

“Pure Food Act is Applied to Meats: Government Wipes out the Execption Roosevelt Granted to the Packers.” New York Times 18 June 1913: 11. ProQuest Newspapers. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://proquest.com>.

United States. Death Warrant. Salem: Wm Stoughton, 1692. American History. Web. 18 Mar. 2012. <http://abc-clio.com>.

“USA PATRIOT Act.” FinCEN. Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and United States Dept of the Treasury, n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2012. <http://www.fincen.gov>.

Weeks, Linton. “Living In The Atomic Age: Remember These Images?” The Picture Show. NPR, 17 Mar. 2011. Web. 17 Mar. 2012. <http://www.npr.org>.

Whipps, Heather. “How the Roaring Twenties Changed the World.” livescience. N.p., 25 Aug. 2008. Web. 17 May 2012. <http://www.livescience.com/5078-roaring-twenties-changed-world.html>.

“The White House Statement By the President.” jfklibrary. jfklibrary, n.d. Web. 25 Mar. 2012. <http://jfklibrary.org>.

“A Year of Hardship, Seen in Retrospect: Experiences of Our Interior Communities.” New York Times 31 Dec. 1931: 23. ProQuest Historical Newspapers. Web. 16 Mar. 2012. <http://proquest.com>.