raldrich25 – Historical Thinking

Pearl Harbor in Color

December 6, 2016raldrich25

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In light of tomorrow being the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, I chose to do my historical event on the documentary “Pearl Harbor in Color”. December 7, 1941 the Japanese hit Pearl Harbor with an aerial assault that many Americans claim to be unprovoked and a total surprise. The United States Pacific fleet was stationed at Pearl Harbor which was thought to be impenetrable to naval forces due to its narrow entry and heavy military and aerial support nearby. The Japanese were able to park their fleet about 220 miles away from Pearl and early the morning of the 7th sent 183 fighters in the first wave. The Navy was totally surprised and unprepared when the first wave hit. Many sailors commented they thought their fighters were training or that the B17’s schedule to fly in that day were arriving. The 2nd wave of fighters numbered 268 and succeeded in sinking the battleship Arizona along with 1177 men were it still remains today in the harbor. The Oklahoma was hit with 10 torpedos and capsized in the harbor trapping and killing 429 men who were caught in the hull. The Japanese had apparently been planning the attack for over a year according to evidence. They struck on a Sunday which was the one day their were no surveillance planes in the air and weather and the mountains made it so radar did not detect the fighters approaching. In the end 2388 Americans were killed and 1178 wounded. The Japanese only lost 29 planes in the attack. It was considered a total victory for the Japanese.

As a future historian, I have learned that contrary to what I was always told about Pearl Harbor was not entirely the truth. The Japanese had been put under intense pressure due to tariffs placed on them in regards to fuel. The US had essentially cut off their resources previous to the attack causing desperation. Many historians have been documented as saying they believe FDR knew about the attack and allowed it to happen in order to galvanize the American public in support of entering WWII. This continues to be a topic of debate among historians. In the aftermath racism towards Asian Americans reached dangerous levels. Japanese living in Hawaii following the attacks were immediately being threatened by servicemen and the embassy was raided. We all know shortly after the Japanese were gathered into internment camps as a result of this attack. The Arizona memorial is available to visitors to this day were the ship still lay below as a watery grave to over 1100 men.

Natural or Unnatural?

November 8, 2016raldrich25

Knowles writes about the fact that dust storms and low precipitation where always something that existed along the Great Plains. He argues that a lack of population is a major factor as why there was not a lot of information regarding the dust storms that apparently occurred with regularity in this region. Ramsescastillo03 talks about Worster’s theory that the dust bowl was a manmade disaster but the numbers from data tells that dust storms existed prior to this event and with the effect of major drought would have occurred again regardless of man’s impact. http://Dust Bowl: Natural or Man Made? That said, Knowles does seem to concede despite data showing dust storms and drought would have occurred naturally that man’s contribution from over plowing made the situation possibly much worse than it would have been. The text also makes an interesting point that media during this time uses this event to benefit the promotion of the new deal program as well as others. I tend to lean toward the idea that Capitalism played a large role in the dust bowl from our previous readings. The earth in the Great Plains was abused for the purpose of profit and in the aid of war effort. Had people taken closer consideration to the obvious environment around them rather than the idea of producing as much as possible as fast as possible things would have been far less catastrophic throughout the Great Plains. Knowles also has data that some of the other historians writing about the dust bowl did not have access to at the time they wrote their arguments. As I stated earlier there just wasn’t a lot of information about the conditions along the Great Plains and an explanation relating back to Capitalism was given. In the promotion of bringing settlers to this area, talking about drought and dust storms would have been counter productive.

Capitalism Creates Disaster

November 1, 2016raldrich25

In Biel’s “Unknown and Unsung”, the idea that Capitalism and its impact on race, gender and class hierarchy are directly responsible for disaster including the sinking of the Titanic. In the case of social hierarchy, the Titanic was built for the wealthy to indulge in a wide array of elaborate social activities. Things like golf greens, large parlors, and oversized rooms to mimic the comfort of home made it impossible for the ship to have room for enough lifeboats to extract everyone in case of emergency. We have seen similar situations like in the Chicago Fire where making money took precedent over the overall safety of the people involved. Gender in the sinking of the Titanic is looked upon by those supporting women’s suffrage as typical patriarchy in the Capitalist society. Men making decisions to honor the code of women and children first. Suffragist argue where was this on land. Women and children where given little thought and rarely considered first by these same men when it came to business. Jessica42 talks about Gender history and how it begins to shed light on the impact of women socially and politically. herotodus h net ch 6 This is a perfect example of this type of historical thinking coming to light. Race is either completely overlooked in the traditional heroic stories of first cabin white gentlemen sacrificing themselves for women and children or in the case of African Americans it is rejoiced in song and stories that they were smart enough to escape disaster created by the greed of the wealthy.

Final Paper Proposal

October 14, 2016raldrich25

Robert Aldrich

10/14/2016

Corruption and Greed Leave the City by the Bay Vulnerable

In April of 1906, the city of San Francisco was hit by a devastating earthquake that today’s seismologists claim to have been from 7.8 to 8.3 on the Richter scale. The amount of damage that occurred from the quake and the ensuing fire that lasted three days was by today’s standards in the 100’s of billions of dollars. Buildings crumbled due to poor construction, the lack of reinforcements and foundations actually liquefying in districts that had been built over marsh lands. This poses the question to why was the city so unprepared knowing they were in earthquake territory? I’m hoping to provide some of these answers with the topic I have selected, “What role did corruption play in the destruction of San Francisco during the 1906 earthquake and fire?” San Francisco had become a dynamic city in California and the Barbary Coast along with Kearney Street supplied the entertainment for those living there. Booze, gambling and prostitution were big money makers and many of the local elites had their hands in the business of it. The Southern Pacific or what was called the machine controlled most of the decisions put into law or left out. Bribes were a common occurrence in obtaining building licenses and left the companies to do shoddy work because of lack of inspection codes. This poses the question, “What role did corruption play in the aftermath and rebuilding of San Francisco following the 1906 earthquake and fire?” There are some arrest made in the aftermath following investigation and exposure to the corruption that was taking place during the time. Many San Franciscan’s were hoping that the destruction of saloons, prostitution houses, opium dens and the many “dens of iniquity” would clean things up the city following reconstruction. This would not be the case due to many corrupt officials who were heavily invested in these businesses. There are many newspaper articles and court records regarding Abe Ruef who had his hand in municipal government and corruption. Bribes were taken from public utilities controlling water, electricity, etc. in order to create monopolies. There is also evidence of state legislatures and judges receiving kickbacks for passing laws that kept gambling and prostitution from being shut down. Chinatown was also conveniently located next to these areas making the opium dens readily available to those seeking such entertainment. The corruption at the government level in San Francisco had existed from the result of the gold rush and only grew at all levels leading up into the early 20^th century.

Drawing An Audience

October 2, 2016raldrich25

I think Offman attacking the accuracy of Larson’s Isaac’s Storm is not really warranted. While Larson did a lot of research and cited many sources it is clear to most reader’s that he took some liberties with his characters and the details to create an exciting read. The book was based on a true story and included some truths but Larson’s style drew and larger audience not just historians or scholars. Armando35 talks about the city of Galveston being so reliant on Isaac’s ability to read the weather when there was not the technology to do so at the time.http://More than just a storm This was pointed out by the meteorologist Lew Fincher in the article as why he didn’t feel Isaac should be made to be a scapegoat. I personally did not feel that Larson was making Isaac out to be the scapegoat. I felt Larson made it fairly clear that the weather bureau kept his hands tied when it came to declaring a hurricane. I also don’t have a problem with Larson’s interpretation of journals and evidence in the book due to necessity to create drama and an interesting plot for the type of book he was writing. The issue of whether the hurricane was class 4 or 5 is ridiculous in my view, the point is a city was wiped out and thousands of people died. I understand that everything published on certain events is going to receive critique, but I don’t feel that Larson intended to right an exact account of events as much as he wanted to make his reader feel the gravity of the moment.

Disaster on a Personal Level

September 27, 2016raldrich25

In Isaac’s Storm, Erik Larson brings the reader into the disaster in Galveston on a personal level. He captures the thoughts and actions of individuals involved to bring a realism of the events to the reader. I have read about disaster and other horrible events and thought of them as terrible but this story had me almost in tears on several occasions by affecting me on personal level as a father and a husband. Circumstances he writes about were parents can’t hang on to children or find themselves thinking about which to save is heart wrenching. When terry_christi writes about past events not only being examined historically but also from a personal level, I felt that Larson’s style certainly achieved this and then some. Whether or not this style is appreciated on a scholarly level or not, I found the approach intriguing. Many of his sources were limited and required some insight but I believe that will give it the ability to attract a much larger audience. I love history, but many people do not. If this is something that can attract people to our field then I say why not? Larson did a lot of research with old documents, maps and the use of memoirs so the story does incorporate primary sources from the time the event occurred. It is nice to get the perspective from the smaller walks of life involved in a historical event rather than just the facts or numbers related to it.

Staying the Course Amidst Disaster

September 20, 2016raldrich25

The accounts of the Chicago fire in Smith’s “Faith and Doubt” are based on religious explanation and social differences in the purpose of continuing the growth of an economic giant. The feelings that God was somehow punishing those who lived in the city because they had strayed from hard work and morals that were applied to build the city initially. The aftermath is now God has given them the chance to reach their potential through the aid of fellow Christians(investors) to build this mecca of prosperity. The people need to put aside their evils, drinking, gambling, etc. and come together to rebuild the city into the hub of industry between the East and West. When rhruska writes about the fire temporarily bringing down the tall walls of class separation it made me think of some of the accounts by upper class Chicagoans after the fire. I think the forced interaction with lower class and prisoners from the jails made them consider how important class separation in their grand scheme of things was. Stories of thievery and violence being handled by vigilantes that were untrue were part of a device used to keep the middle class as a buffer in controlling those of the lower class. Also the stories of the Sands that women were being raped or left to dive in the river committing suicide at the thought of its possibility. This also was jargin used to keep those of middle and upper class to remember to maintain a sense of order in the city at all costs. The underlying purpose of course is control to build capital off their labor and the middle class to police it.

Chicago: The Hub bringing the West to the East

September 13, 2016raldrich25

Chicago initially struggles to become the mecca it aspires to be until the circumstances of seasonal business can be overcome. The idea of using the canal and water ways as the biggest form of transport met its difficulties especially in the winter. Also another major issue was bringing the food produced by farmers into the city because of the road conditions. As ploopy1 states, the city could not become what it is without the influence of the country. This proves to be true when the railroad is first put unto investors and getting little backing. Many of these farmers end up putting up money to get it started because it will make it easier and faster to get more of their product to the city for sale. This small little strip of track begins to change everything and will turn Chicago into the central hub for sending product from the west to the East for consumption. This not only becomes a faster source of creating capital but it also does things like creating time zones so that schedules can be kept for passengers and preventing accidents. It also creates a system were the railroad would rather lower prices and lose some money than hold and not make anything it all in what is today still the capitalist system. The establishment of the railroad also creates a more competitive market. The railroad spans all over the west leading directly back to Chicago enabling the Illinois railroad to have a monopoly on that side but on the East it is a direct route with other lines competing in the same area. This is what makes it the hub to the East in receiving goods from the west. Chicago connects agriculture with Industry making it all tie together from an idea that formed on the hope of making it easier for local farms to get goods to the city.

The city doesn’t exist without the country

September 12, 2016raldrich25

I found Cronon’s idea that you can’t only view the creation of the industrial city as the only unnatural thing with the expansion of capitalism. The city would not have gone up if it were not for the manipulation of the resources in the surrounding more rural areas. The expansion of the market economy especially could not exist without the product from the farms whether it be produce, wheat, cattle, etc.. It all ties in together to make the big city a possibility. While she remembers despising the smoke stakes from the factories as her family drew near Chicago not until later did she consider that the country contributes to that problem as much as the city. The land that her family and others farm to make a profit was used for individual survival rather than something to make profit from. I think slee72897 had an interesting quote regarding historiography that I though really captured the thinking of the author, “historiography helps to challenge historians to look at things from different angles”. I think Cronon later realize that the city is not the only thing that changed but that the country she loved some much was just as responsible for change when she took a different or deeper look into it. I found the idea that the city began back as early as the Indians signed away their land to be an interesting point.(Cronon, 25) This event marks the point when they no longer used the land for themselves but to turn a profit off what the land had to offer. I also feel it is important to point out that the rise of these big cities tends to be related to some type of port or large body of water as a vital part of the equation. Transportation, trade, etc. were instrumental in the rise of industrialism as well.

The Gilded Age: Taking the Good with the Bad

August 30, 2016raldrich25

As we can see from our readings the Gilded age was a period of expansion and industrialization. The so-called robber barons made their fortune through corruption and cheap labor under deplorable conditions. Long hours, child labor and dangerous conditions existed in the factories. Cities became overpopulated causing disease and poverty to rise exponentially. While the situation was something all of us today would consider crimes against humanity, I think we have to consider the good that came from this insanity to produce as much as possible. As Calhoun stated, “While not denying the greed and self indulgence of the so-called robber barons, modern scholars emphasize their achievements in criss-crossing the nation with railroads, building factories and transforming the nation’s economy into a national, integrated, industrialized one.”(Calhoun, 3) Also, during this period we see laborers through riots and demonstration begin to fight for better working conditions and fair wages through the formation of unions. We also see anti-trust act formed in 1890 in order to control the monopolies as to stop from wiping out all the smaller players in their particular field. We begin to see reformers start to better their cities with fresh water and sewage systems, parks, lighted streets public transportation, construction codes and libraries.(Calhoun, 3) As we move through the later stages of the Gilded age continued strikes in agriculture, railroads and factories pave the way to a fair work day, a fair wage and safety on the job for future Americans. As we have read this was not a time that most would want to have lived in if they were not wealthy but it should be recognized as a time of sacrifice that gave us a chance for the opportunities that exist in the modern era today.

Historical Thinking – Fall 2016

Author: raldrich25