10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America Summary

Introduction: The unique contents of 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America are due to the fact that the dates included are not one’s whose impact are generally viewed as profound. The overall message of the book is what it means to be an American. These are some of the dates that make the country what it is today and define the American experience. Some of the events describe political changes in the country, such as the Murder at Mystic. Some describe economic changes, like the Gold Rush and some describe social changes, like when Elvis appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. All of the reforms that came about due to the events described in the book were inspired by the conflicting, subjective arguments about freedom, equality and reality. They also help to illustrate that the idea of American identity is not stagnant or permanent, but constantly changing and evolving. The book also discusses how many of these dates were not intentional, meaning the event did not occur …show more content…
The abstract idea of the “American Creed” was the motivator for all of the events described, but the result of these actions were very rarely the intent. However, it is important to recognize that these events did not changed the overall tension that has always existed in America. All of these events have some sort of connection to issues that have and likely will always exist for American society. In essence, none the events truly answered questions. They may have provided solutions for issues, but did not change the scope of questions, like how much power the government should have or if race relations will ever be completely resolved. Even in modern times, these questions still exist. The form of them has changed because clearly current Americans face different issues, but they are still motivated by the same tensions that existed a hundred years