Most Significant Groups in US History

[YmaniB*]

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.

Besides William Penn, who was an important figure in the Quaker movement?

[Becca M.]

Alright guys, let's settle down. Everyone knows that Bankers are the most important group in American History.
Bankers have been around forever. They are one of those social lubricants that we so desperately need. Imagine your daily life without money. With what would you buy that oh-so-delicious Blimpies sub? How would you get a great pair of Junior sweatpants from Misha? How would your parents pay for this world class education you're recieving? Money makes the world go round, people. Bankers are amazingly important because they control the money. Money makes things happen, and bankers make money happen. We live in a capitolistic society, we have been taught since birth that money will make all of our dreams come true (forget that Beatles song, you can buy anything!). Without bankers, there would be no one to keep the economy under control. In fact, there would be no economy. There would be no stable currency. There would be no loans, which means there would be no houses, no businesses, no schools, nothing. Bankers. The most important group in American History.

[YmaniB*]

mishab said:

The Native Americans are the most significant group of people in U.S. history because they were the "first Americans." Without the Native Americans the Europeans would not have survived because they would have not known how to plant crops and would not have known land. "Without the help of Powhatan’s Indians, who shared food with the Englishmen, showed them how to plant local corn and yams, and introduced them to the ways of the forest, the Jamestown colonists would have perished.” (Page 26 Don’t Know Much About History). Without them there would be not "United States History" because no one would have survived.

I definitely agree with this statement. Also, the first Native American group encountered by Columbus were the Taino. This was interesting because I'd never heard of them before.

[Michel'le F.]

jyoung 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.

How does being known in several states make you the most important, or lasting that long? A majority of the groups on the list have done the same AND made HUGE marks on this country in doing so. So why are the Quakers so special?

Hello sir. Its not that they're known in several states. The lasting contribution is that their CULTURE has been spread to several states thus influencing some of the political decisions that have been made there. For instance, sir, the Quakers were a people who believed in the equal rights of man. Quakers were against slavery and as the Friend movement spread to different states, the different ideas about equal rights between man were also spread.The entire constitution is about the rights of man and such. Quakers were talkin' that same stuff 100 years before the Constitution was even written. They run this!!

[Grace F.]

imyourbestbeth said:

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

Yes Beth, there are actually still a lot of active Temperance Societies, including the Cogswell Society in D.C., the Valon Tuote Society of Virginia, and the American Tract Society in Texas.

[YmaniB*]

sheshearingvoices said:

Alright guys, let's settle down. Everyone knows that Bankers are the most important group in American History.
Bankers have been around forever. They are one of those social lubricants that we so desperately need. Imagine your daily life without money. With what would you buy that oh-so-delicious Blimpies sub? How would you get a great pair of Junior sweatpants from Misha? How would your parents pay for this world class education you're recieving? Money makes the world go round, people. Bankers are amazingly important because they control the money. Money makes things happen, and bankers make money happen. We live in a capitolistic society, we have been taught since birth that money will make all of our dreams come true (forget that Beatles song, you can buy anything!). Without bankers, there would be no one to keep the economy under control. In fact, there would be no economy. There would be no stable currency. There would be no loans, which means there would be no houses, no businesses, no schools, nothing. Bankers. The most important group in American History.

Becca, I must say I'm loving your whole approach to this! lol.
But yes I do agree that Bankers have a significant impact on American society. Where would we be without the GREEN? You should also talk about the impact of the issue over the Firts National Bank. Plus theres this part of Zinn that talks about the different money symbols. You should look it up...I wish Iknew the page..but I dont..SORRY.good luck tho

[Michel'le F.]

manigirl18 said:

dashibbyboy said:

Besides William Penn, who was an important figure in the Quaker movement?

Hello ma'am, there were SEVERAL important Quakers throughout history. Some of the most famous Quakers were Susan B. Anthony, who advocated for women's suffrage among other things, and Thomas Garret, a personal friend of Harriet Tubman who helped run the Underground Railroad. yay quakers for being absolutely awesome

[Jason Y]

Ok, it's nice that Quakers talked about it, but how many Quakers were at the formation/signing of the Constitution? Also, you're repeating yourself. There are many groups that have influenced many areas, or their cultures have spread. my question is what is so special? What about their culture is so important that it is noteworthy that the Quaker culture has spread. What does it add to these places that it has spread to?

[Melissa F.]

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.

I don't see how Nativists could have been so influential "since the start of the country." Nativists only became termed as such in the mid 1800s when the new crop of immigrants started showing up, and none of the laws they campaigned for when they formed the "American Party" ever passed. Besides attempting to limit the amount of new immigration into the country, Nativists haven't had much of an effect on the rest of American history; they haven't influenced the economy, they didn't create any technological advances, they didn't even show up until some 200 hundered years after the first Europeans started colonizing America.

[Jason Y]

Question for Becca just out of curiosity. How much different was the role of bankers during Hamilton's presidency, during the destruction of the National Bank? Were they as important as you claim them to be? or is there possibly a factor that u did not mention that causes this roll for bankers that perhaps was lessened during this time? just wondering :-)

[YmaniB*]

rina said:

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.

Who were important segregationists during the time period? You mentioned "a large number or senators and other elected officials that were well known segregationists"... names please?

[Michel'le F.]

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.

Im sorry Ayesha, I'm going to have to disagree with you. The Jingoists, in my opinion, are not the MOST SIGNIFICANT GROUP IN HISTORY. It seems as though they havent made any lasting contribution that serves to effect the history, past and present, of America. The most significant group in history, and their contributions, should be evident in present time. That to me shows that whatever effect they had is important enough to effect people all 100s of years later.

[Grace F.]

melissaf said:

Musicians have long since influenced the politics and events of the country. The patriotic lay songs of the American Revolution constituted the first kind of mainstream popular music; fife songs were especially celebrated and were performed on field of battle during the American Revolution, the longest lasting of these fife songs is “Yankee Doodle” which is still well known today. It has long been argued that the American spirit during the American Revolution was the driving force behind our success, and music is the most successful producer of spirit. Also, the social and political ferment of the 1960s inspired artists like Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield to release albums with hard-hitting social commentary, and gospel stars like Mahalia Jackson became important figures in the Civil Rights Movement. Musicians during the Vietnam War also provided a major output for the opposing sentiment throughout the country.

I know this is biased, but whatev! I completely agree with you sis. I for one am completely influenced by music and artists, and to say that they have an impact in everyone's daily lives would be a huge understatement. As unnoticed as it is, musicians have a profound influence on the public and can change the way people view a situation. (i.e. the Dixie Chicks) Musicians are able to make such strong statements about issues that touch every aspect of life.

[Becca M.]

Besides, how do you think we've gotten this far as a society? It hasn't been without help. How did we win the war of independence? With money. Robert Morris was a financier and a merchant during the American Revolution. In 1776, he loaned over $10,000 (I'm not sure of the exact amount that would equal in todays money, but it'd be a whole lot more) of his own money to the new government to finance the depressingly underfunded army. Without that money, Washington and his troops would have frozen or starved before the Battle of Trenton. Thanks to this banker, they got new winter uniforms and enough food to keep them steady and strong, allowing them to beat the pants off the Hessians. Without Robert Morris, Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze would never have gotten to paint this beaute:


Morris wasn't the only banker willing to dip into his pockets for his government. Stephan Girard, a banker and Revolutionary War vet, was the main financier of the War of 1812, giving nearly all of his private assets to the federal government during the end of the war to keep the soldiers fighting. After his death, all of his accumulated wealth was given to the cities of Philadelphia and New Orleans.

And don't think I've forgotten our old friend, Mr. JP Morgan. We all know who he is. Legendary banker, owned every railroad ever and then scribbled a note on a napkin to Andrew Carnegie about creating US Steel in 1901 (the first billion dollar company in the world). During the economic Panic of 1907, the stock market fell sharply and the economy went into a deep recession. Morgan saved the day by gathering a group of bankers and economists to reorganize the flow of money in the nation. By getting secondary sources for credit and by buying up thousands of stocks, Morgan and his associates single-handedly ended the financial crisis.

_{Sorry this is so long, I just sort of started ranting and didn't stop...}

[Grace F.]

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.

Who were some especially influential Jingoists? How did these people personally have an impact, and would other Jingoists be the same without them?

[YmaniB*]

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.

When did this group begin and what was it's downfall? Did they crack under pressure or did they at least strive to hold their names as the times changed?

[jonahsprung]

jyoung said:

Question for Becca just out of curiosity. How much different was the role of bankers during Hamilton's presidency, during the destruction of the National Bank? Were they as important as you claim them to be? or is there possibly a factor that u did not mention that causes this roll for bankers that perhaps was lessened during this time? just wondering :-)

Hamilton was President?!?!
who knew.

[Juliet T.]

This one's a given guys. Congressmen are, without a doubt, the most significant group in US History e-v-e-r. The system of checks and balances between legislative, judicial, and executive, make the United States form of representative government one of the most successful experiments in history. Congress, the legislative branch, is responsible for making the laws of the land. Through the legislation, we hear the voice of the people. It interprets what the citizens of America want according to the Constitution. Congressmen are constantly trying to hear what their constituents have to say. They truly feel the pulse of America.

The United States is not governed by individual people but by laws created by elected representatives to Congress. People can have faults and prejudices, but good laws are not prejudiced or biased. Congress not only influences the nation's course by the laws it passes, but it also impacts on the future of our country.

[Melissa F.]

manigirl18 said:

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.

How did a new emphasis on religion help the country during times of technological advancement? Afterall, aren't science and religion often butting heating against one another?

[Becca M.]

jonahsprung said:

jyoung said:

Question for Becca just out of curiosity. How much different was the role of bankers during Hamilton's presidency, during the destruction of the National Bank? Were they as important as you claim them to be? or is there possibly a factor that u did not mention that causes this roll for bankers that perhaps was lessened during this time? just wondering :-)

Hamilton was President?!?!
who knew.

I was going to say the same thing, Jonah. I'm pretty sure that he was referring to Hamilton's days as the president of the First National Bank. To answer that question I'd have to say that I don't believe that it was really the bankers fault that the National Bank went under, and that it was more the opposition they faced that did the bank in.

Neither Thomas Jefferson nor James Madison really wanted the National Bank. They thought that only the north and the wealthy would profit from them. Lots of americans worried that the bank would be run corruptly and would not help them. Because it was only chartered for 20 years, it expired in 1811. It was replaced by the Second Bank of the United States in 1816, after the war of 1812.