Most Significant Groups in US History

[Robbie U.]

beckyg said:

#3
the movement did not discriminate against anyone

Weren't a number of female abolitionists routinely left out of abolitionist meetings, prompting the Seneca Falls convention and woman's suffrage campaign?

[joy]

cwilliam24477 said:

louie: "Buddy I understand our ground is valuable because of all the natural deposits and so forth, what type of enviormental effect has miners had on our ecosystem?"

They're awful...gold miners have dumped cyanide (extremely toxic) into rivers, polluting the water not only for wildlife that lives in and around the river downstream of the mine, but also for the human populations that depend on the river for food, water, recreation, etc. ENVIRONMENTALISTS work to keep this water clean, and to so protect the lives of the animals and humans that depend on the ecosystems shamelessly exploited by big business

Caitlin
We are looking for the top ten groups that have influenced America. I would think that influencial would be both good and bad things that each group has done. Some could argue that Hitler was influencial, because without him, the world would probably have been a better place. In the same way, sort of, gold miners have ruined the ecosystem, so they kinda are influencial (in a bad way).

JOY

[James T.]

robbieu said:

James,

Did the dixiecrats actually do anything? It looks like all they did was take a bunch of democrats to the republican party.

The Dixiecrats existed only during the 1948 elections and vanished as soon as they appeared. It is not what the group did, but their lasting impact on party politics is what is important. All they really did was take democrats to the republican party, but therein lies their importance. I explained the rest in my other 2 informational posts.

[Robbie U.]

jamest said:

robbieu said:

James,

Did the dixiecrats actually do anything? It looks like all they did was take a bunch of democrats to the republican party.

The Dixiecrats existed only during the 1948 elections and vanished as soon as they appeared. It is not what the group did, but their lasting impact on party politics is what is important. All they really did was take democrats to the republican party, but therein lies their importance. I explained the rest in my other 2 informational posts.

Ok then, thanks

[James T.]

SUMMARITIVE POST -All of your posts done in one day James?!?
You know how I do.

Criteria for selecting the most influential groups
- Influence on the fields of culture, politics, society (the group's respective field), brownie points for groups that affect mulitple areas of American society.
- Did the group inspire others to follow in its footsteps. Did others build on this group's achievements?
- Did this group introduce new ideas or did it build on others? Original ideas trump all.
- Did the group have any members who achieved greatness and were notable for any other work.
- Are we still affected by this group's legacy today? (sorry shakers but someone would've invented the sofa if you didn't.

[Robbie U.]

Civil Rights Leaders have been constant thoughout time, with many faces to attach to the cause throughout many parts of American history. The most significant event brought about by these Civil Rights leaders was the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's and 1960's. It included great achievements for the Civil Rights cause which included the decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the 1963 march on Washington, The 1965 Selma demonstrations, the Montgomery bus boycott, the 1963 Birmingham demonstrations, the far-reaching effects of the “I Have A Dream” speech, and more. With the passing of the Civil Rights Act and accepted equality by a number of people on many levels, and gradual acceptance by others, it is undeniable that Civil Rights leaders immensely changed the world they lived in at their time.

Additionally, their work and influence still exists today. If Civil Rights leaders had disappeared immediately after the Civil Right movement, which they did not, they still actively improve America today, their work would still be felt. Any person in an ethnic minority who is reading this right now has been affected by them. Any person reading that has been affected. Black people can now live with, marry, hang out with, attend school with, and interact on all levels with white people as if they themselves were white people. Despite a few misguided bigots scattered throughout the south no one judges someone by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. Martin Luther King has gotten his dream, it is a terrible tragedy he is not able to enjoy it, but he got it none the less. Black children learning with white children, having fun and living life.

Civil Rights leaders took this country, as great as it was, and made it greater. They made a more American America.

[dylanj]

Info Post # 3
The Imperialists not only helped the United States expand its size to a global level. Imperialism also gave America advantages, in many other areas, such as economics. By controlling territories around the world, America was able to make the entire world safe for American businesses. An example is them taking advantage of the sugar fields in Cuba or the luscious lands of Hawaii, for various produce needs.

[Tali Cayemitte]

To Beth

It is blatantly clear the amount of influence that the United States Supreme Court Justices hold over the development of America. The Supreme Court is the highest court within the United States courts system and the powers allotted to the judicial branch of the government are vast.
However, I wonder how one judges which cases are more significant than others. In one of your posts , you stated that the most significant case was Marbury v. Madison. I was wondering how you arrived at this conclusion and whether or not there was a certain criteria you used to evaluate each case in developing your opinion.

[joy]

One last pitch for my group: the Confederates. Just to summarize everything, influence is impact, regardless of if it was good or just plain evil. That said, the Confederates owned slaves and so did people in the North. Slaves were crucial to the economy in the South that was dependent on the crops grown on plantations, rice, cotton, etc. The “freedom” of black slaves is what brought about the Civil War. Without the Confederacy, the Civil War, and the eventual emancipation of slaves would not have occurred.

JOY

[nneka]

makdoom said:

Jingoists are the most significant group in United States history because if they were not around, the United States would not be a world power today. Jingoists, which were a group that came around the 1890's and wanted the United States to make the world recongnize it's power with military force. They were the group that advocated the country to get involved into war at the end of the 19th centry. They pushed for the war on Spain to free Cuba, and get involved with the Philippines and Puerto Rico. We only started doing things on a world scale bases due to their efforts of pushing U.S. out of an isolationist state.

If Jingoists were simply a group who advocated violence, beliveing this was the only way to prove America's power, than i doubt this makes them significant. It seems as if they hold responisiblity for America's aggressive and violent behaviors, as America got involved in issues with Spain, the Philippines ect., killing off thousands of innocent lives during war.

[Robbie U.]

Summary:

This simulation stunk. While it seemed a good idea in theory, it did not work in practice. The week of HSPAs has reduced work in many classes, allowing students to catch up with the work they are lagging behind with. Combinations of the play, fencing championships, start of new sports, the previously mentioned work, and other things significantly narrowed the time students, especially myself, could get online and partake in this simulation. Students, there are many, who could only scrounge the time together in the end (Thank God for the extension, else many would not have made it) could not enjoy the simulation and had to read pages of stuff, blurring all together and making it less enjoyable and informational.

There were some good posts I was able to enjoy in my small amount of time and through these I've drafted the things needed , for me, to determine whether or not a group was one of the most significant in American history. To be such a group must,

1.) Have influenced the country in a positive way. Whilst negative impacts are still impacts and thus significant contributions, I belive that society fixes, more or less, these problems and thus the impact is erased.

2.) Have significantly impacted their time in a number of different fields, ex. political, social, economic, etc. The more fields, the better.

3.) Have lasted for a significant amount of time. Groups are looked upon more favorably if they are still around today.

4.) Have affected todays times in one way or another. The more visible the impact, the more significant the group.

5.) Have significant members and leaders who directed the actions of the group.

[nneka]

The numerous posts prove that yes, it is true, each group impacted America in one way or another but it also brings to our attention that a majority of these groups, although they impacted society at one point in time, didn't hold a long lasting influence; and therefore we are forced to question whether or not the length of influence holds significance in answering this long debated question.
Well in regards to how I shall choose my groups it will be essential for my top 10 to:
1) still hold influence today regardless of how its been maintained
2) they must have held an important impact on the improvement and development of America
3) their influence can not be restricted to a certain group of people but towards the improvement of all Americans
4) their influence must have been a positive one where their focus was towards bettering America as a whole
*the most important requirement for these groups to qualify as one of the top 10 significant groups in U.S. history would be that they played a substantial role in the advancement of this country and with out their influences America wouldn't be known for what it is today.

[Kathryn S]

Info Post #3:
Transformation of the labor unions:

Late 1800’s and the early 1900’s brought to America drastic changes in the workplace with the advancement of technology and industrialization and the mechanization boom. These developments created changes in the workplaces that improved conditions but created new problems. Ex: electricity and light bulbs: longer hours. New machines need smaller hands for operation; children became the laborer of choice. Condts. out of control and hazardous. Ex: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.

However, because many businesses were unsure of how to deal with the new found power of the lower class, workers were at risk of being black listed or made to sign yellow-dog contracts. For the first time, these organizations became productive representations of the workers. In earlier years, when workers had joined together without leadership to express their needs, the groups disintegrated almost immediately after their demonstrations.

[joy]

nneka said:

makdoom said:

Jingoists are the most significant group in United States history because if they were not around, the United States would not be a world power today. Jingoists, which were a group that came around the 1890's and wanted the United States to make the world recongnize it's power with military force. They were the group that advocated the country to get involved into war at the end of the 19th centry. They pushed for the war on Spain to free Cuba, and get involved with the Philippines and Puerto Rico. We only started doing things on a world scale bases due to their efforts of pushing U.S. out of an isolationist state.

If Jingoists were simply a group who advocated violence, beliveing this was the only way to prove America's power, than i doubt this makes them significant. It seems as if they hold responisiblity for America's aggressive and violent behaviors, as America got involved in issues with Spain, the Philippines ect., killing off thousands of innocent lives during war.

Nneka
I think that is what makes Jingoists significant. Without them, America wouldn't be aggresive and a power hungry nation.
Personally, I am ranking groups by influence rather than if I think their actions were morally just. I guess it depends on how one defines significance.

JOY

JOY

[joy]

LAST POST This is so exciting

I, like Robbie, thought this simulation came at the wrong time. I think this has been the busiest week I've EVER had. Reading through almost fifty pages, was what I didn’t like so much. Organization is what we needed; maybe we could have broken groups into separate categories. However, this simulation wasn't that bad. I learned about a lot of things. How often do you get to learn about the Jingoists?

This is how I plan to determine my list of the most influencial groups in American history:
- Everyone is wondering whether length of existence affects influence. For me it does not. The group, regardless on whether they were around for one year and disappeared or if they are still around today, had to influence all aspects of America. This would be politics, economics, society, almost everything
- group impacts America today, whether this was positively or negatively (ie. Gold Miners and pollution)
- if this group never existed, American history would be drastically different from how it is now.

[Melissa F.]

jamest said:

To Mellissa

With a group as nebulous as yours, can you name a musician as most influential in U.S. History?

I seriously laughed out loud when i read your question... um, lets see... Bob Dylan's a good one. Dylan's early works incorporated politics, social commentary, philosophy and literary influences, defying existing pop music conventions and appealing widely to the counterculture of his time. Much of his most notable work dates from the 1960s when he became an informal documentarian and figurehead of American unrest. He has been a major figure in popular and political music for five decades! Bob Dylan was very prominent in the Civil Rights Movement, singing at rallies like the March on Washington. Also, his album, The Times They Are a-Changin', reflected his more politicized and cynical side as it addressed subjects such as the murder of civil rights worker Medgar Evers and the despair of faming and mining communities.

How's that for ya? .... but of course there have been a huge amount of important musicians throughout U.S. history and it would sort of be wrong to just name one as the most influential, since there are so many different types of musicians and so many different issues that they take on.

[Rina C.]

To Beth,
Who were some really bad supreme court justices?

[Rina C.]

samr said:

Third info post.
This is in addition to my second post (how the Gold rush was important). The expansion of the western frontier was brought about by miners, as previously mentioned. Everyone agrees that railroads are important, but don't forget that the railroads were developed because they needed a link to the west to get to the miners and the towns created for them. They also needed to get stuff back and get it shipped to market out east as well. What I am saying is that miners were influential in that they brought about railroads. Take a look at the follwing quote, and look at the dates. This is the same time period as the California Gold Rush. "Strengthened by other proposals such as those of Hartwell Carver in 1849 and of Edwin F. Johnson in 1853, such leading statesmen as John C. Calhoun, Stephen A. Douglas, and Jefferson Davis declared their support for linking the country by rails." Apparently these politicians believed that they needed a link out west. There was nothing out there but gold mining at that time.

I have to disagree with you that miners brought about railroads. There were many different reasons that railroads came to be. Maybe mining was a very minor reason, but it certainly was not the main reason why railroads were built.

[Rina C.]

Last info post:
Rialroad workers are one of the most influential groups in American History because they still exist today. There are still Transcontinental Railroads, and other railroads that many people use today. Railroad workers are still fighting for better working conditions and better wages. Railroad workers were those who built the railroads, and now they work in the trains and fix the railroads. Railroads and their workers still exist today.

[meghanav]

Info Post #3
As a group Utopians lived more comfortably than an average isolated working man because they were able to divide up the work.
Utopian communities were also beneficial to those living near them. People liked to trade with them because they always had excellent products and people weren't afraid to deal with Utopians becasue they were honest.
(How Utopians were established) A group of people woul pool their money together as they didn't believe in private property and they would purchase a piece of land on which they would all live together.
(Decline of Utopians) In the second half of the nineteenth century the population rose as well as the price of land. This made it harder for Utopian communities to exist.