Free «Parties Which never Benefited from the Industrial Growth» Essay Sample
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As other parties and individuals were benefiting from the American industrial growth, farmers in the Mid – West and southern America were rather negatively affected by the 1873–78 depression, that it became hard for them to benefit from the industrial growth that followed later.
During the depression of 1870s, the American dollar became too weak as compared to gold. For that matter, despite the fact that farmers had gained enormous success in producing grain and other farm products, it did not materialize into financial gains for the farmers. The increased production rather led to a fall in prices, leading to financial losses because farmers had acquired loans to increase farm production, yet the prices for their produce were not attractive at all. Due to the losses farmers encountered, it is clear that they never benefited from the industrial grow as it was expected.
The others whose benefit from the industrial growth lasted for simply a short time were the freedmen. The industrial growth resulted into ending slavery and granting citizenship to ex – slaves. However this success was too short lived because the gains freedmen had registered were politically rolled back and they became second class citizens. This was done under the Jim Crow system of segregation. For that matter the freedmen did not fully benefit from the industrial growth because this success was too short lived to rejoice about.
Laborers were another party that did not benefit from the American industrial growth. The economic depression of the early 1920s in America left laborers in losses because they lost their jobs due to depression. Like all the other sectors, laborers had to lose out too because there was a general problem in the American economy. It should be remembered that the industrial growth came with use of machinery in production. This implies that either way laborers had to lose out because much of what they were doing was now done by machines.
The Indian removal act which was signed by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830, put the Indians at losing end because it led to loss of land and consequently removed from the states.
In a nut shell, the American industrial growth benefited the European immigrant laborers, who employed their skills and knowledge in the American industries that were flourishing by the. However farmers, freedmen and the Indians had little to celebrate about the American industrial growth because they registered very fear or even no benefits from it.
President McKinley’s Declaration of the Spanish Americans War
Like any other war, the Spanish American war of 1898 was declared by congress after pressure being mounted on President McKinley. During the 1600s, Spain enjoyed the status of the world’s super power. This came with controlling colonies all over the world, but most especially in central and South America, through the Caribbean to Asia.
Such control over its colonies was viewed and interpreted by the Americans as brutality and oppression more especially to the Cubans since America had come up as another dominant world power by the 1890s. The news papers in America which were mainly owned by William Randolph Hearst ruthlessly incited he the American public by exaggerating what was really happening in Havana.
The news papers also went ahead to portray President McKinley as a weak man because he had initially chosen to avoid armed intervention into the Spanish Cuban affairs. This choice was rather used by the media to incite the American public against President McKinley. News papers whipped up popular sentiments for a war against Spain to give the Cubans their independence.
After congress had voted $ 50,000,000 war was declared on Spain on April 21, 1898. However at the evasion of Havana harbor, the American battleship Maine, exploded and sank killing 252 men and crew onboard. This explosion was mainly an accident caused by spontaneous ignition of faulty ammunitions that were onboard. However the media turned the whole story into a conspiracy of the Spanish against Americans.
This prompted further conflict and America registered a lot of success after winning subsequent naval battles in Philippines, the army captured Santiago and Puerto Rico. In the next few months, President Theodore Roosevelt, the successor of President McKinley ended the Spanish–American war, which many looked at as the American show of might. The war ended with just a few casualties registered, yet Spain was in a losing and humiliating position.
In a nut shell, the Spanish American war was majorly as a result of the forces exerted on President McKinley by the America citizens instigated by the American media, in the name of liberating Cubans from the Spanish oppression. However Historians and political analysts have for long concluded that the Spanish – American war was more of the American show of might than the call to liberate Cubans from the Spanish oppression.
The Jewish Immigrants, Their Traditions and Social Networks
Despite the too much poverty that characterized the Germany Jewish people who came to America as immigrants, during the mid 20th century, they managed to maintain their traditions and social networks, main due to the underlying factors.
Remaining dedicated to their religion helped them maintain their religious traditions. This was done amidst fear and feelings of insecurity because some of them thought that the newly developing American country would be hostile to their way of worship. However it was not the case. They took up this opportunity to freely serve their God. To achieve this, they used principle that, they were not to forget their beloved religion and were to commit their war unto the lord and they were going to be successful.
The bond between the young immigrants who were the majority that came to America and the rest of the immigrants helped a big deal to strengthen their ability of maintaining the Jewish traditions and social networks. It should be remembered that parents were usually fully supportive and encouraged their children’s journeys to America. The younger Jewish immigrants that made it to American always cared for their families, as a way of enabling them also to rejoice in the fortune their children had got in America.
The German Jewish immigrants were able to maintain their traditional and social networks because the utilized their skills, abilities and education they had. It should be noted that they German Jewish were outcasts in German. However the new American country which was transforming from an agricultural society into an industrial one, presented an opportunity for the German Jewish immigrants who not only had the education, but also had skill and abilities, which were critically needed in America by them. These skills enabled them start their own business succeeding through their commitment to their families and the whole community at large. This helped their businesses to flourish primarily due to usage of the networks they had in their society. These networks reached out to all the German Jewish immigrants in America to other members of the community and even to those who remained in Europe.
It should be remembered that German Jewish immigrants kept their stores as family businesses. During workdays, they often interacted with members of other religions but focused their business with other Jews and after fie o’clock they did not interact socially with non-Jews. It was very common for these successful Jewish families to cement their business relationships with other successful Jews through the marriage of their children.
Reasons Why Labor Unions and Farmers Alliances Were Unsuccessful
As an economic movement, the Populist Party stood for a very short time and also registered short terms success. When prices for agriculture produce like cotton increased, the alliance which came as a result of farmers’ disappointment had to cease existence. For instance cotton broker who formerly had previously negotiated with individual farmers for ten bales at a time, now needed to strike deals with the Alliance men for 1000 bale sales.
It should further be remembered that the Populist Party had not fielded its own political candidates. It rather preferred to offer its support and worked through established Republican and democratic parties which in most cases were fickle in fronting the agenda of the alliance hence leading to a failure of the labor unions and Farmers Alliances.
The alliance finally failed as an economic movement but it is highly regarded by historians as engendering a “movement culture” among the rural poor. When the alliance finally failed, it prompted an evolution of the Alliance into a political movement to field its own candidates in national elections. In 1889 – 1890, the alliance was reborn as the Populist Party. The Populist Party fielded national candidates in the 1892 election, and they repeated all the demands of the alliance.