Most Significant Groups in US History

[James T.]

Political parties have been the medium for the American People to have their voices heard in our democratic society since their loose beginnings with the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Parties. Today American politics are dominated by the Democrat and Republican parties. But how did these parties attain their current identities? Political parties throughout history have changed their platforms, gained and lost bases of support due to the social climate. Dixiecrats, a splinter faction of the 1948 Democratic party is most responsible for today's America. With the addition of civil rights to the Democrat platform in 1948, the enormously racist Dixiecrats were created. When the party dissolved, the Dixiecrats switched to Republicans, as the Democrats grew more liberal. This is when the south became associated with conservative Republicans, and the north became associated with liberal Democrats. Without the Dixiecrats, American political parties would be unrecognizable today.

[nneka]

andrea said:

nneka said:

How can one deny the significance of a people who have so greatly contributed to American culture and hold great responsibility for heavily impacting the American people? Our American writers of literature have captured through various writings America's journey of self awareness as it struggled to identify itself through out history. This group has for centuries provided the American people with pieces of literature in which essentially documents the major milestones in American history and expresses our diversity and independence. American writers of literature from Benjamin Franklin, W.E.B. Dubois, to John Steinbeck have done everything from expose, criticize, inform and ultimately improve what we now call America.
Most importantly these people have prevented this nation's achievements and failures form ever being forgotten and constantly valued. Now I ask you, how important or significant is anyone in history if they are not remembered? To aid future generations in remembering Americas past our writers of literature have long been the ears and eyes of our American people, documenting every major event to the tiniest detail. So please do not deny America's writers of literature their rightful praise and recognition for their great contributions in preserving American history, for they truly are the most significant group of people within our history.

Clearly authors and writers have had an enormous impact on the American public in the past. Who are some of the most prominent writers today? As new types of media such as television come to replace the old, how much longer will writers be able to hold sway over public opinion?

According to the New York Times Book Review 2006 some of the best selling authors are Nora Roberts (romance novels), John Grisham (murder mysteries), Jared Diamond (nonfiction science), and Malcolm Gladwell (drug rehabilitation and crime).
In regards to how much longer writers will be able to hold sway over public opinion as new types of media come into play I would have to say that writers will forever maintain and hold influence on the public's opinion on controversial issues the only problem is that they may never again hold as strong an impact on the American public as they had once before.

[nneka]

andrea said:

This is addressed to both Nneka and Matt Faust:
Both of your groups are writers. How do authors of literature compare to journalists in terms of immediate affect on the public? There were, it seems, times when both newspapers and books published articles/stories exposing corruption, scandal, and other negative aspects of our country and government. How are your groups different from each other and which do you honestly think had a more lasting impact?

Both authors of literature and journalist evaluate and distribute information towards the interest of the general public but unfortunately due to numerous technological advancements journalism has proven to be the quickest in impacting the public; through various medias such as radio, television and internet.
Although similar they differ in quality and motives, where journalism seems to have a set goal to distribute only the facts, although there are numerous circumstances in which the truth has been lost in lies, literature focuses more on opinions and emotions.
I honestly believe that they both had a strong impact on history but as technology continues to develop I believe journalisms impact will only grow stronger as literatures impact weakens.

[nneka]

lily said:

nneka said:

How can one deny the significance of a people who have so greatly contributed to American culture and hold great responsibility for heavily impacting the American people? Our American writers of literature have captured through various writings America's journey of self awareness as it struggled to identify itself through out history. This group has for centuries provided the American people with pieces of literature in which essentially documents the major milestones in American history and expresses our diversity and independence. American writers of literature from Benjamin Franklin, W.E.B. Dubois, to John Steinbeck have done everything from expose, criticize, inform and ultimately improve what we now call America.
Most importantly these people have prevented this nation's achievements and failures form ever being forgotten and constantly valued. Now I ask you, how important or significant is anyone in history if they are not remembered? To aid future generations in remembering Americas past our writers of literature have long been the ears and eyes of our American people, documenting every major event to the tiniest detail. So please do not deny America's writers of literature their rightful praise and recognition for their great contributions in preserving American history, for they truly are the most significant group of people within our history.

although i agree with you so far nnek, do you mind expanding a little on how writers influenced america other than documentation? what were some influential works of fiction? and can you give an example of a direct influence a specific writer or piece had on society?

Two very influential and well known, both in class rooms and around the country, works of fiction are Upton Sinclair's 1906 novel The Jungle and Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1851 novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Both of these novels greatly impacted and influenced society during there releases.
The Jungle exposed poor working conditions, child and women exploitation, and corruption. The public was so taken back and outraged by the truths of the meat industry that the Federal government passed the Meat Inspection Act and the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, later leading to the Food and Drug Administration.
Uncle Tom's cabin which focused on the topic of slavery affected the world and their opinion on slavery. The book aided in the 1850's abolitionists cause as 300,000 copies were sold in the U.S. The books impact was so great that as the American Civil War began Lincoln is said to have said to Stowe "So this is the little lady who made this big war."

[James T.]

mbrier said:

. . . the Supreme Court Justices are not the most influential group because their decisions so rarely affect the people of the country.

The Supreme Court absolutely affects the people of the U.S. One can name cases important to civil rights alone, Plessy v. Ferguson Brown v. Board of Ed. To say that their decisions do not affect the people of the U.S. is irresponsible. They are the only branch that isn't completely permeated by the political and social climates.

[joy]

James T.-
Do you have any names of people that one could identify as being a dixiecrat?
Thanks
JOY

[James T.]

yadaeryting said:

Brian W,
Muckrakers are not important for "laying down the groundwork of modern protest". When has protesting resulted in anything positive in American history? When I think of protests I think of the national government shutting them down by extreme force. Protesting is over rated and usually results in no positive change regardless of what the protestors may feel.

Protesting is one of the only ways for the American people to speak out. Union rallies, civil rights marches, suffragists; all protested to have their opinions heard. You tell me that the entirely peacefull million man march achieved nothing.

[James T.]

joy said:

James T.-
Do you have any names of people that one could identify as being a dixiecrat?
Thanks
JOY

Why yes I do. Strom Thurmond, the most prominent Dixiecrat, set a record for oldest and longest serving senator in U.S. history serving for forty-one years and relinquishing his senate seat at age ninety three. But thats only a fun fact. Thurmond was the presidential candidate for the dixiecrat party and was RAAAACIST. He drafted “Southern Manifesto” in 1956 against the Supreme Court school desegregation ruling. I've also heard through the grapevine that current senator from West Va Robert Byrd was a former Dixiecrat and Grand Kleagle KKK member.

[nneka]

-Cruz
To what extent did Imigrants discard their heritage to fully become "Americanized" and adapt to a new, American, culture? Which group of Immigrants would you say gave up the most to make the full transition as American's?

[Amaka O.]

HERE IT GOES, MY SUMMARY!!!

The Iroquois confederacy was very influential to the developement of American History and should be carefully considered as a top ten material. Everyone did such a gret job on their posts and made great arguments about their group making my decision more difficult.

My Criteria includes:

- Groups that made a change in America that is still in place today whether it is a good impact or a bad one.

- Groups that did something in history that could not have been accomplished without them

- Groups that had a direct affect on events that inlfuenced or changed history

- Groups that had more of an impact in theri filed as well as other fields

- Groups that influenced others to make a lasting impact on American History.

I have not decided what my top ten will be but I have a few ideas of which groups I am considering. Good luck with your decisions.

[James T.]

To Evan,

I agree that the Framers of the Constitution were immensely important to the history of the United states because they also first introduced the idea of equality for all men, yes men not women, which would take steps towards tolerance for all races.

[James T.]

chia24 said:

The most significant group in US history is the Iroquois Confederacy. While trading fur with the French in the 1600s for guns and other weapons, they were double crossed by the French who traded with their enemies, the Huron. In turn, the Iroquois Confederacy attacked French villages and prevented the french from southward expansion from Canada. The Europeans were still not settled and with all the disease and harsh weather conditions, the southward expansion of the French would pose more of a problem to the Europeans and would halt settlement or change it.

Number one, the French are Europeans two.
Number two, the French do continue to expand southward and are not halted by the Iroquois, they would eventually have territory as far south as LOUISIANA.

[James T.]

INFORMATIONAL POST #2

really late in the game here i know. But put this in your pipe and smoke it.

Without the move from Dem to Republican by Dixiecrat leader Strom Thurmond, many would not have been inspired to follow. This leaves a large group of Dems who are opposed to civil rights, and while the Republicans are not as liberal as Democrats, there would be no party that is largely sympathetic to Black Americans, leaving a large minority out in the political cold.

[Caitlin W.]

"I agree with Vicky that journalist definitely played a huge role before the 1900's. But also, their effect was also very big as the 20th century progressed. In "Good Night and Good Luck", we witnessed the influence of television on the struggle in the United States over the issue of communism. How big a role did newspapers play during this time period and what are some other controversial issues in the 20th century where Journalists greatly influenced the public opinion?"

dylan, I know I'm way behind but Spanish-American war much (Cuba)?...Iraq war, Valerie Plame affair. The press is much more involved than you think it is, and the newspapers particularly so. for the first half of the century, Hearst and Pultitzer controlled EVERYTHING

[Caitlin W.]

"Can we have a vote on whether or not Becca is allowed to say "social lubricants"?" (p19) not allowed

[Robbie U.]

America is a nation of many different peoples, groups, organizations, parties, and breweries. Many significant to the advancement and growth of the nation, some just the opposite, and a couple of them do nothing. However, few have been able to affect the nation in immense quantities, and none have been able to do so to the extent of Civil Rights Leaders.

This group of people has made America a more American America. Many people black, white, christian, jewish, and more have attempted to give minorities an equal playing field with white people, to make them equals on the social, political, and legal playing field. Many have failed, but Civil Rights leaders did eventually succeed. Martin Luther King Jr, and other leaders of the Civil Rights Movement of the '50's and '60's had such an impact on the country that JFK passed the Civil Right act of 1964, making it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, or national origin in public accommodations, including restaurants, motels, hotels, and theaters, as well as in employment.

[Caitlin W.]

"not to mention that Upton Sinclair single handedly shaped the entire state of California...kinda cool" (p22)

not to sound like an idiot jason...but how?

and ales green.........why you hatin' on the quaker oatmeal dude? (p22)

[James T.]

cwilliam24477 said:

Ok-informational post #2: Environmentalists dictate the economy.

Currently, American manufacturing is hitting huge lows, because of its inability to keep up with global environmental standards. American cars (the most prominent example) can no longer be sold in Japan, Korea, and Germany (not to mention many others countries) because they do not meet the "clean emissions" standards of these nations. Ford and GM have watched sales drop precipitously as the global market closes. Yet, they refuse to acknowledge the importance of environmentalists and so, refuse to correct their designs. As American manufacturing loses its international market, it loses its ability to export and generate revenue through trade. The national debt will soar higher.

Furthermore, the American economy is almost entirely dependent on oil. Environmental groups have been warning of the effects of such a dependence, but the average consumer has not heeded the message. Already, our need for oil has involved us in two official wars (the Persian Gulf Wars). As oil supplies are depleted, the demand will only grow higher (should we refuse to switch to alternative fuels), plunging this nations into more frequent, more expensive wars. Foreign policy would become a quagmire.

Can you really attribute the failure of the American auto industry to the success of environmentalists in educating the masses about the dangers of pollution? Would it not be fair to argue that foreign cars are merely superior? American cars aren't popular overseas, and they aren't popular here either, in a nation dominated by squirrel killing SUV's. (with so many trucks do we really care about the environment?)

[Caitlin W.]

Taylor...I definitely agree with you that Fundamentalists are much more powerful than we think they are...particularly today. However, can you give some examples of how that translated to the political/social/economic arena? Obviously the Scopes trial, but that just led to the splintering of the Fundamentalists (Christian Fundamentalists that is). Also, there are different kinds of Fundamentalists (Religious and otherwise, not to mention all the different sects). Are you discussing Protestant Christian Fundamentalists (e.g. Evangelicals)?

[Caitlin W.]

"I never said that vice presidents had to be effective presidents. All they have to do, and this is what all of them do, is provide stability. Yes, there have been very powerful Cabinets in US history, including FDR's and Lincoln's. While they may run the show after a president's death, the vice president is still the one providing the stability. How? Merely by being there. Sure, there are Cabinet members that could have been better presidents. However, if there was no vice president, do you think that one Cabinet member would rise above the others and become the next president without any opposition? There would be power struggles without a vice president, and therefore, there would be no stability."

good point...stability is crucial. Still...you think they could have gotten their act together and DONE SOMETHING