One of the major themes from week 6 focused on highlighting how the United States was experiencing rapid changes in every major avenue in the decades after the Civil War. These transformations demonstrated how the country was adjusting following a devastating war that had fractured the country politically, economically and ideologically while also highlighting how the United States was becoming a more influential international leader. Chapter 18 of the American Yawp describes how the United States was adjusting to major changes, between "[e]conomic advances, technological innovation, social and cultural evolution, demographic transformations: the United States was a nation transformed. Industry boosted productivity, railroads connected the
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The rise of the industrial age resulted in an ever-increasing number of Americans being attracted to cities in the Post-Civil War era, "[s]oon the United States had more large cities than any country in the world. The 1920 U.S. census revealed that, for the first time, a majority of Americans lived in urban areas. Much of that urban growth came from the millions of immigrants pouring into the nation" (The American Yawp). However, despite the growing economy and expanding population conflicts were unavoidable, most notably in the South were resentment to loss of power, influence and wealth resulted in a quest for many white people to reclaim their power and resist the new progressive ways. Many people in the south were hostile to the Reconstruction era and as a result white people "lashed out, not only in organized terrorist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan, but in political corruption, economic exploitation, and violent intimidation. White Southerners took back control of state and local governments and used their reclaimed power to disenfranchise African Americans and pass 'Jim Crow'" (The American Yawp). The textbook readings from this week do an excellent job in providing a well-rounded and detailed account of how people reacted to changes. By pointing out the division and hostile attitudes in the South the authors are providing an accurate background with limited bias. By emphasizing the division and tensions that occurred in the post-Civil War era the textbook is showing that while the war may have ended it did not resolve all the issues and proved that people do not respond well to some types of change. The resentment and resistance from southern whites demonstrates that when major change happens there will always be opposition by those
The rise of the industrial age resulted in an ever-increasing number of Americans being attracted to cities in the Post-Civil War era, "[s]oon the United States had more large cities than any country in the world. The 1920 U.S. census revealed that, for the first time, a majority of Americans lived in urban areas. Much of that urban growth came from the millions of immigrants pouring into the nation" (The American Yawp). However, despite the growing economy and expanding population conflicts were unavoidable, most notably in the South were resentment to loss of power, influence and wealth resulted in a quest for many white people to reclaim their power and resist the new progressive ways. Many people in the south were hostile to the Reconstruction era and as a result white people "lashed out, not only in organized terrorist organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan, but in political corruption, economic exploitation, and violent intimidation. White Southerners took back control of state and local governments and used their reclaimed power to disenfranchise African Americans and pass 'Jim Crow'" (The American Yawp). The textbook readings from this week do an excellent job in providing a well-rounded and detailed account of how people reacted to changes. By pointing out the division and hostile attitudes in the South the authors are providing an accurate background with limited bias. By emphasizing the division and tensions that occurred in the post-Civil War era the textbook is showing that while the war may have ended it did not resolve all the issues and proved that people do not respond well to some types of change. The resentment and resistance from southern whites demonstrates that when major change happens there will always be opposition by those