The New Deal from a Woman's Standpoint

During the 1930's, the New Deal did not help nor hurt women.

What Women Gained Through the New Deal:

A bill was organized by Frances Perkins that was designed for women called the "Social Security Act of 1935" which essentially acted as an "Aid to Dependent Children" program. This was beneficial to women because they gained a state-level mother's pensions.

New Deal Limitations:

Women's rights were very limited because of the fact that the women had very limited views as to what they should aim for. In the 1900s, women supported their husbands as they should but they also grew very dependent and tended to follow their husband's opinions regardless if they were the right decision or not. So women fought for their equality but received only symbolic gains during the New Deal.

Reconstruction: A Success or Failure?

As we all know, the essential idea of Reconstruction was to bring the nation back together and to transform the south. Eventually it did bring the nation back together and it transformed the south to a certain extent. The south was transformed in that there were rights given to African Americans, such as emancipation and the right to vote, through the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. However I said the south was transformed "to a certain extent" because the rights given to the African Americans harped on and strengthened a reoccurring issue. Racism. As a result of the added amendments, anti-African American groups formed, such as the KKK and the White League. I'm still confused whether to consider Reconstruction as a success or failure. It had its positive aspects and negative aspects.

Andrew Jackson: King Andrew or Champion of the Common Man?

Considering Andrew Jackson's good intentions, such as improving society and expanding the country, he was a champion of the common man. Some people may argue that he is "King Andrew" because he was very hot tempered but he had good intentions to improve the country nonetheless, so that stereotype is false. Andrew Jackson was a great man, a protector of individual liberty and a supporter of democracy, which is very valuable in America. Jackson was known as the "citizen-president" and he was on the same level with the common man. He was a man who gave most everyone opportunities. For example Peggy Eaton had an affair and none of the cabinet wives accepted her into their social group. However, Jackson had sympathy for Eaton and convinced the wives to accept her. That incident in itself shows what a generous and "champion of the common man" Andrew Jackson was.

Jefferson Era

The Jefferson Era was not consistent with the visions of Thomas Jefferson because his vision was a society of independent farmers, free from the city mobs of Europe. However, cities inevitably grew and America steadily became more diverse. Jefferson's intention to conserve sturdy, independent farms made up a large part of his vision which was not met. The other part of Jefferson's vision was to maintain an American cultural life, fleeting localism and simplicity, which was encouraged by Federalists. This bureaucratic power was not sustained long after the Federalists came up with it in the 1790s. Soon after, the Americans grew accustom to these changes and differences, resulting in a society which they had once resisted. That's not to say Jefferson was unsuccessful with his presidency but judging by what occured in the Jefferson Era, it was not consistent with his visions.

How Radical Was the American Revolution?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, being radical is "of, relating to, or constituting a political group associated with views, practices and policies of extreme change". With that said, I believe the American Revolution was very radical because we were going against everything; from the taxes imposed by Great Britain to the multiple acts from our mother country. We wanted the British out of America so we could be an independent nation at last. Most of America wasn't satisfied with the fact the Great Britain had taken over the country so we reacted in a way that was considered "extreme" or radical to achieve a state of independence.

Should We Celebrate Columbus Day?

The definition of a "hero" according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary is: "one that shows great courage" and "a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities". A hero sets off and does something heroic (hence the name, "hero"). If this is the case, Columbus is certainly not a hero. Columbus set off intending to discover a new trade route to Asia but instead, he unintentionally found the New World (key word: unintentionally). Wow. He is celebrated today for a mistake that just so happen to be a good one. Does that mean we should take a day off to celebrate those students who fail in school for their mistakes? No. Then where is the logic behind celebrating Columbus day? That's not to say that people are ungrateful for his discovery. I realize there are benefits of finding the New World and I realize that Columbus opened up new opportunity for people's future. However, people have to take into consideration that Columbus didn't initially set out to discover the New World. Columbus is not the hero that everyone makes him out to be (No offence, Christopher Columbus!).