Most Significant Groups in US History

[Brian T]

The industrialists is the most important group in U.S. history. The changes that industrialists brought about affected how Americans lived their lives each day, and still have lasting effects on how Americans live today. The U.S. started out primarily as an agricultural nation, but thanks to the changes and innovations brought about by industrialists, the U.S. shifted to industry. This shift also led to a difference in the location of the population as workers flocked to cities for jobs in factories. Improved transportation, which included Henry Ford's Model T, made it possible to commute to work; this meant that workers no longer had to live in the city, and those who could afford to commute moved to the outer limits of cities and created suburbs. This improved transportation also allowed businesses to expand as their target market was no longer limited to the surrounding towns. Thanks to the railroad, businesses could send their goods across the country and increase their profits. With lasting impacts such as these, how could anyone deny that the industrialists were the most important group in history?

[Beth M.]

mbrier said:

Beth- (and Buddy)
I understand your argument, but I believe your argument is flawed. The most powerful groups that affect the government are the voters, who are led by their culture to decide who to vote into office. Even if one were to disagree and deny the power of the voters for the power of politicians, the Supreme Court Justices are not the most influential group because their decisions so rarely affect the people of the country. If the cases you listed had not been decided by the Supreme Court, they would have soon been addressed by another part of the government, or maybe the media or an organization would push it through approval in the government, because all of those decisions that you credit to the Supreme Court Justices were pressing or upcoming issues of their times and could not have gone unaddressed.

Margaret-
First of all, I completely disagree with your statement that the Supreme Court's decisions rarely affect the people of the country. It is impossible that no American citizen was affected by Brown v. BOE or Plessy v. Ferguson or Roe v. Wade. These are only some of the cases that have affected the American people. And even if some people aren't directly affected by a decision made by the Supreme Court, they eventually will be because every court in the US has to rule the same way as the Supreme Court in similar cases. In fact, many Supreme Court decisions have been so controversial, like the ones mentioned above, that every American at least knows about them, let alone be affected by them.
I also disagree that the issues addressed by the Supreme Court would eventually be settled by other forms of government or the media. The fact that they were even brought to the Supreme Court means that those cases were not being solved any other way. The Supreme Court must be presented with a case and the justices only pick the ones they think have the most importance. This shows how all of the cases were brought to the Supreme Court as a last resort. For example, abortion was settled by the Supreme Court, but still gets attention from various organizations and the media and has not been settled in that respect. If there was no Supreme Court, basically nothing would ever get done because there would be a lot of back and forth arguing between the government and organizations. Also, no other source could have decided the outcome of Marbury v. Madison because that decision started judicial review which states that the Supreme Court can overrule pretty much any other part of the government.

[Jason Y]

Question about the assignment. I understand that we all have to explain why our group is important but isn't the point to explain why our group is the MOST important? as in...heres why mine is important and heres why its more important than yours? or am I wrong?

[Brian T]

michiesauce said:

Well i'm glad everyone's excited about their group, but it is clear that the QUAKERS are the most significant group in history. They have been able to withstand the test of time, and have existed for more than 300 years. They overcame persecution on two different continents over hudnreds of years, and were still able to withstand the heat. Have you ever heard of Pennsylania? Well yeah, Quakers founded that state. William Penn, a Quaker, "purchased" Pennsylania from Native Americans in 1682, and to this day in 2007, Quaker traditions are still evident in Pennsylvania. The Friends, as they are more commonly known, have extended their beliefs into the other states, and are most commonly found in Indiana, North Carolina, Alaska, Kansas, Iowa, Idaho, Oregon, Ohio and Delware. In addition, Quakers have even been found in Bolivia and Africa. Now that's an influential group of folk.

[Brian T]

o sorry i was supposed to add a question to the end of that.
Michel'le, Jason makes a good point. What exactly have Quakers done that is so special? You mention that their culture and traditions are still evident in Pennsylvania, what are they?

[Margaret B.]

michiesauce said:

Well i'm glad everyone's excited about their group, but it is clear that the QUAKERS are the most significant group in history. They have been able to withstand the test of time, and have existed for more than 300 years. They overcame persecution on two different continents over hudnreds of years, and were still able to withstand the heat. Have you ever heard of Pennsylania? Well yeah, Quakers founded that state. William Penn, a Quaker, "purchased" Pennsylania from Native Americans in 1682, and to this day in 2007, Quaker traditions are still evident in Pennsylvania. The Friends, as they are more commonly known, have extended their beliefs into the other states, and are most commonly found in Indiana, North Carolina, Alaska, Kansas, Iowa, Idaho, Oregon, Ohio and Delware. In addition, Quakers have even been found in Bolivia and Africa. Now that's an influential group of folk.

Michel'le-
I completely agree with you about the importance of Quakers in American History. To me at least, they represent that part of our culture that asks us to speak in an indoor voice and respect one another. Even if they are not as influential as other religious groups, like the Mormons, they should be remembered as advocates of respect and being a good person (helpful, caring, friendly, considerate, etc.), much like the Mormons have been since the Second Great Awakening.

[Amaka O.]

Brian-
What about the businesses that were greedy and using techniques such as vertical and horizontal integration, ran many smaller businesses out of the market, therefore bringing the national economy to their mercy because of how much they owned and controlled?

[Beth M.]

dashibbyboy said:

The industrialists is the most important group in U.S. history. The changes that industrialists brought about affected how Americans lived their lives each day, and still have lasting effects on how Americans live today. The U.S. started out primarily as an agricultural nation, but thanks to the changes and innovations brought about by industrialists, the U.S. shifted to industry. This shift also led to a difference in the location of the population as workers flocked to cities for jobs in factories. Improved transportation, which included Henry Ford's Model T, made it possible to commute to work; this meant that workers no longer had to live in the city, and those who could afford to commute moved to the outer limits of cities and created suburbs. This improved transportation also allowed businesses to expand as their target market was no longer limited to the surrounding towns. Thanks to the railroad, businesses could send their goods across the country and increase their profits. With lasting impacts such as these, how could anyone deny that the industrialists were the most important group in history?

I agree with Brian that the industrialists are a very significant group in US history. If it wasn't for people like Ford, Gould, Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan, Vanderbilt, etc., America today would be totally different. These people enhanced the American economy and gave America the boost it needed to become a world super-power.

[Emma B]

lickitylax210 said:

Without the Nativists that were active throughout America's history, this country could have turned out very differently. Nativists advocate for no immigrants in the country. Their justification being that immigrants take jobs from Americans, use up the welfare, seperate themselves from the rest of the people, and basically pollute the American culture and society. They may not be the nicest group in America, but they certainly were the most signifigant and influential ones. They formed very famous groups such as The Order of the Star Spangled Banner, also known as the "Know Nothings". They also got influential legislature passed such as the Alien and Sedition Acts, and the Chinese Exclusion Acts. Nativists have been influencing the American way since the start of the country.

Nicole, I understand how the Nativists have influenced our country, but how does that make them the most significant? Basically, how have their decisions and liegislatures made America a better country?

[Jason Y]

Brian, we all know about the economic effects of the Industrialists. that was the point of the time period; the boost in the economy. but in my opinion, the most important group has to have an effect on more aspects of the U.S. than just the economy. What other aspects did the industrialists influence other than the obvious, economy?

[Rina C.]

lbrett90 said:

Segregationists made an astounding impact on the United States. Although in retrospect these people seem bigoted and cruel, emotions aside, they drasically changed our country. With their support, Jim Crow Laws were in effect in the South for around 60 years. The majority of America's voting population during the Civil Rights period agreed with segregationists, proven by the large number of senators and other elected officials that were well known segregationists. Segregationists were definitely relatively successful in their efforts to slow down and even cease integration. Several bills and acts were not put into place because of opposition by segregationists. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) also upheld segregationist policies by declaring that “separate but equal” is acceptable. Segregationists truly defined their time period for almost 80 years, and deserve to be recognized for the impact they made.

Are there still segregationalists today? I don't know if you've researched anyhting about people like that today, but that might be interesting to learn about, since our school in particular is known for its diversity.

[samr]

michiesauce said:

Well i'm glad everyone's excited about their group, but it is clear that the QUAKERS are the most significant group in history. They have been able to withstand the test of time, and have existed for more than 300 years. They overcame persecution on two different continents over hudnreds of years, and were still able to withstand the heat. Have you ever heard of Pennsylania? Well yeah, Quakers founded that state. William Penn, a Quaker, "purchased" Pennsylania from Native Americans in 1682, and to this day in 2007, Quaker traditions are still evident in Pennsylvania. The Friends, as they are more commonly known, have extended their beliefs into the other states, and are most commonly found in Indiana, North Carolina, Alaska, Kansas, Iowa, Idaho, Oregon, Ohio and Delware. In addition, Quakers have even been found in Bolivia and Africa. Now that's an influential group of folk.

yeah, but why are they really important? How have they affected history other than creating only one of 13 colonies?

[samr]

Question: Since I put different aspects/support of information into my post, does that still count as one or does it count as more than 1 post

[Jason Y]

Probably only as one. Take the extra information and put it into a second info post. at least thats what the rules robinson posted suggests...

[Zoe B.]

dashibbyboy said:

michiesauce said:

Well i'm glad everyone's excited about their group, but it is clear that the QUAKERS are the most significant group in history. They have been able to withstand the test of time, and have existed for more than 300 years. They overcame persecution on two different continents over hudnreds of years, and were still able to withstand the heat. Have you ever heard of Pennsylania? Well yeah, Quakers founded that state. William Penn, a Quaker, "purchased" Pennsylania from Native Americans in 1682, and to this day in 2007, Quaker traditions are still evident in Pennsylvania. The Friends, as they are more commonly known, have extended their beliefs into the other states, and are most commonly found in Indiana, North Carolina, Alaska, Kansas, Iowa, Idaho, Oregon, Ohio and Delware. In addition, Quakers have even been found in Bolivia and Africa. Now that's an influential group of folk.

Sorry, Michel'le, but I'm going to have to disagree with you on this one. Unless you can prove otherwise, I don't see how the Quakers have truly influenced America as a whole. Sure, I've heard about them and their ways of life, but this hasn't actually had any effect on me. Just because they have members in various places doesn't mean that they are significant- if you ask me, to be significant, you must have influenced people outside of your group. (European explorers, for example, influenced pretty much everyone and everything from their era on!)

P.S. OMG I'm already completely overwhelmed....

[Grace F.]

In defense of temperance societies:

Being significant throughout history does not mean that their influence was necessarily positive. Being the most significant group means that they have had the most influence on society, good or bad. The Mob, as a result of temperance societies, was extremely influential in law enforcement, organized crime, just day to day life, and eventually entertainment. Also, just because the Mob formed from temperance societies does not mean that good did not come from them. These societies have taught, and are still teaching us to take things in moderation. Although prohibition (not Temperance!) was ultimately defeated, that does not mean that temperance and prohibition movements were not significant in history.

[YmaniB*]

The REvivalists are DEFINITELY the MOST imPORTANT group in history..
HERES WHY...
The Revivalists set a standard for Americans both religiously and socially. We all know about the First and Second Great Awakenings, but what some of of us fail to realize what impact they really had. These different movements called revivals allowed there to be not only one way of worship. They allowed the both the Methodists and the Baptists along with other religions to open up to the world. In the Revivalists state of mind, God was God no matter how you worshipped. The technique was to regain the Love of God that was lost during the INdustrial Revolution and during different times of technological advance.

[Beth M.]

Grace-
Sorry to ask again, but do you know if there are any Temperance societies around today?

[Grace F.]

samr said:

American miners are actually important. We are sitting on billions and billions of tons of natural resources. For example, today we have 268 billion tons of coal alone. We also have gold, oil, copper, etc. These are the things that make America a rich superpower today. Without miners, we'd be a poor country because we couldn't get the stuff out of the ground.
The American mining industry creates thousands and thousands of jobs. With these jobs come unions. The United Mine Worker's Association (UMWA) was the group responsible for creating the 8-hour work day in America, which created better working conditions throughout America in the early 20th century.
Also, if there were no miners in America, you would all be freezing right now without coal and oil, even if you had a fire going.

OK, I understand that miners created a huge amount of revenue, but so did many other industries. How is mining more influential than tobacco or cotton?

[Melissa F.]

michiesauce said:

Well i'm glad everyone's excited about their group, but it is clear that the QUAKERS are the most significant group in history. They have been able to withstand the test of time, and have existed for more than 300 years. They overcame persecution on two different continents over hudnreds of years, and were still able to withstand the heat. Have you ever heard of Pennsylania? Well yeah, Quakers founded that state. William Penn, a Quaker, "purchased" Pennsylania from Native Americans in 1682, and to this day in 2007, Quaker traditions are still evident in Pennsylvania. The Friends, as they are more commonly known, have extended their beliefs into the other states, and are most commonly found in Indiana, North Carolina, Alaska, Kansas, Iowa, Idaho, Oregon, Ohio and Delware. In addition, Quakers have even been found in Bolivia and Africa. Now that's an influential group of folk.

Finally, someone's standing up for the Quakers! Believe it or not but all of my mom's side of the family were Quakers so I know what I'm talking about. Quakers have influenced a lot of history, although they frequently miss being recognized because they tend to be so passive. Quakers have set up numerous organizations dedicated to helping maintain order and communication within society, such as the American Friends Service Committee and Evangelical Friends International. They were also very involved in the fight for the abolishment of slavery. Their nonviolent tendencies also helped spread sentiments of opposition to the war in Vietnam. So while, Quakers have tended to stay in the background, they have still had quite and impact on the country.