Chapter 9

                   For this chapter, I enjoyed reading the part that talked about how Westerners craved sociability. After all these talks about the suffering of Natives, political issues, and discrimination, it was refreshing to read about history on a more positive note. I think the description fits the stereotypical portrayal of the olden, western families. Similar to several scenes in movies, the men participated in athletic and competitive activities, while the women focused on sewing bees, carpet tackings, and goose and chicken plucking. It was quite interesting to note the difference between the social activities then and now. On a more depressing subject, Indians still could not get a break from America’s greedy needs! Despite so many revolts and battles, the Indians couldn’t make any progress due to the lack of officially trained armies and weapons. What was most upsetting was the Trail of Tears, during which 8,000 Cherokees died during and after the removal. It got to me emotionally because I feel that they deserved better because despite the color of their skin, they were ultimately, only humans just like everyone else! I realized that history definitely reveals some of the most shameful incidences in America, some of which were related to the treatments of ethnic groups such as African Americans and Native Americans. 

Chapter 7

               One of the topics that I found intriguing in chapter seven was the roles of women; white women in the Republic, to be exact. As a woman myself, I love reading about the advancements that women made in history, and learning about the process of how America viewed women from earlier times until today. Although this section specifically talked about white women, it was still progress compared to the roles they had years before. It was about time women got some independence! During this time, around the 17^th century, women were able to choose their husbands and people are starting to see the importance of marriage as a mutual decision. In addition, these ladies eventually realized that it was a better idea to have fewer kids. This freed them from the burden of having to go through several pregnancies and the difficulty of nursing too many kids. I always wondered how the ladies were able to manage eight or nine little monkeys running around the house. I'm an only child, and yet, my mom complains about how much work she has to do because of me!





Blog #3

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution led me to admire the determination and endurance of the American people. The colonists’ dream of becoming free from Britain’s rule drove them to do go through so many battles and risking handful of lives. I find it amazing how people like George Washington, Marquis Lafayette, and Friedrich Steuben all united together to fight against the British army despite their difference in background and culture. After the United States victory had been declared, the citizens were still unsure of how to run their new states and everyone was afraid that a powerful central government would result in the same madness as Britain’s control. So I wasn’t too surprised that the U.S. was unsuccessful with their establishment of the Confederation. But after some trial and error, some of the most intelligent men were able to draft the Constitution and establish the Declaration of Independence. I find these men to be quite inspirational because of their knowledge and determination. Without them, America would not be like how it is today, giving rights to all people because “all men are created equal” (Declaration of Independence). Because of this phrase, our modern society has made so many advancements, such as having the first colored president or having an optimistic view on gay marriages. Examples like these make me proud to be a citizen of the U.S.!

Common Sense Quotes

               The quotes from the Good Reads website were quite interesting. One of the quotes caught my attention because I have heard it before during my childhood. This quote was produced in the Common Sense, which read “When I was teaching children I began every day writing this on the blackboard: ‘Do to others what you would like them to do to you,’ telling them how much better the world would be if everybody lived by this rule." This phrase was repeated to me during the six years I was in elementary school. My principal from that school called it the “Golden Rule” and told all his students to treat others the way you want to be treated. Since English was not my first language, I could not grasp it at first. But eventually, I found that quote to be true. People want to be treated a certain way, but tend to disregard the feelings of others and only want what is best for them. This can cause some of the most horrific occurrences in history such as the killing of ethnic groups because they were deemed unworthy, the racism and discrimination of several cultures, and bullying, which still exists to this day. I strongly believe that if people would stop and think about how others would feel as a result to the actions we take and treat them in a manner that we want to be treated, then our society would gradually improve.

Blog #2

The first thing I noticed from this week’s reading was that war seems to be the number one answer to every problem that arose in history. I am strongly against war because of the massive amount of deaths that result from it. Apparently, humans find it difficult to resolve dilemmas with kind words and negotiations; they resort to war to force their beliefs on others and satisfy their greed! Although his method proved effective, it was still horrendous to read about all the fighting that took place. Among all the tragedy of war, I have to agree that the establishment of mercantilism in the European country and the Navigation Acts were quite clever ideas! European’s method of becoming self-sufficient by destroying its dependence on foreign countries and selling more good abroad than buying allowed it to thrive greatly.

            The topic of slavery, once again, made it uncomfortable for me to read. It was so depressing to learn about how the slaves were mistreated, how the owners had cruel restrictions on them, and how miniscule amount of food they were given per week. It annoyed me how slave owners disregarded their health and needs and did not even consider the possibility of being a little more lenient on slaves after all the revolts or rebellions that occurred. It shocked me to see how anyone could sit still after seeing how hard the slaves were trying to gain a bit of independence and understanding for their people.

            Regarding colonial politics, I found it amusing how a government was able to last when most of the people didn’t even have a say in political matters. Only males who owned a certain amount of land or property could vote. Women, blacks, and Indians did not have a voice on how the society they lived in should be run. Those living in rural areas couldn’t even vote because elections were randomly called and most did not want to travel a long distance on dangerous roads just to find a voting place. What kind of government could help its people when many of its citizens couldn’t even express their thoughts and opinions?

            Last but not least, the topic of the Enlightenment period has always been interesting to me. I have always found it to be such a relief that people like Sir Isaac Newton or Benjamin Franklin actually embraced the idea of reasoning, science, and logic. A lot of irrational events had taken place in history because people believed in blinding theories, such as the time when so many women were burnt and killed because they were suspected of being witches without any hard evidence. Because of the discovery of science, humans were able to expand their logic and intelligence by experimenting with the world. It’s scary to think how our world would be like without the discovery of the Enlightenment!

Chapter 2 Reflection

The development of the Atlantic World contains some of the most amazing, yet shocking stories. As I was reading, what stood out most to me was how determined some of the explorers were. People such as Bartolomeu Dias, Vasco da Gama, Hernan Cortes, and Christopher Columbus were all intelligent, driven, and brave as they traveled far distances in order to reach new land with promising opportunities. Back in the days, there was not any map that displayed a correct outline of the world. These travelers made several mistakes in their navigation and most ended up in a place far from their planned destination. I can’t imagine myself being in their positions and set out on a journey with only a vague map, a compass, and my own knowledge. I would not know how long the trip would be, whether I would make it back alive, and who or what I might encounter. The thought of blindly plunging into a massive ocean terrifies me, even as I am only in my room reading these stories from a textbook.

            Another topic that bothered me was the number of deaths that took place during this time period. Many innocent lives were lost because of the greed that European travelers harbored. Millions of natives were killed because of war, slavery, and mainly diseases. I find it absolutely infuriating to read about how these natives were killed and how their homes and families had been destroyed because the Europeans wanted to fulfill their needs of God, gold, and glory. However, Indians were not the only group that suffered. African Americans soon played a prominent role in this nightmare. They were considered properties and used for slavery. They had to go through such dehumanizing situations such as stripping down naked to be inspected and sold.

Despite how interesting history may be, I am annoyed at the amount of stories in history that had been covered up and the various sugar-coated tales that were told to children in school. As a child, I was taught in elementary school that Christopher Columbus was an amazing leader that greatly contributed to the finding of America. According to some of my teachers, we never would have been here today without his discoveries in 1492. Although that is true, the real story is that Columbus was America’s first slave trader who ignited the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. He enslaved native people and issued grants for the labor of Indians and their land. During this time, Indians were forced to search for gold and supply food for the Spanish. I understand the human characteristic of greed for wealth and glory, but I will never be able to understand how such horrifying actions were done by humans to other humans.