Fighting The Flying Circus, By Captain Eddie Rickenbacker

America, up until its discovery by Christopher Columbus, was once just a piece of land that Native Americans long inhabited. Then British settlers came along and took ownership of the land from the indians. From that moment on, America was destined to change. Several factors that contributed to the change in American culture started with the transition of slave labor in farms to the industrial revolution, which allowed increase in mass production of factories, machines, etc. Other factors included the United States’ partnership with other countries during several wars took part in shaping the country and its political structure today. The following three documents: Captain Eddie Rickenbacker’s Fighting the Flying Circus, President Harry Truman’s

Rickenbacker was an American ace, who wrote a memoir about his experiences; particularly with Rumpler number 16. Rickenbacker’s intended audience for his memoir is to explain to the common people look into his day to day duties of an American ace flying in United States’ pursuit squadrons in France. “Up to this time I had downed five German aeroplanes, every one of them behind their own lines.”1 The reader can view this statement that in relation America was not at all okay with Germany due to World War One and how dedicated Rickenbacker was to protect his country. This statement also explains that his profession dealt with only being able to fight from the designated United States

Truman. The first diary excerpt presented is dated July 16, 1945, which happens to be a little over three months after former President Franklin D. Roosevelt died and Hitler committed suicide. Around this time in history, World War Two was still going on, because of the the several topics discussed below in Truman’s diary. “Russians have kidnapped the able-bodied...They have also looted every house left standing and have sent the loot to Russia. But Hitler did the same thing to them.” 4In other words, since Hitler’s suicide eventually meant the surrendering of German forces, now Russia has become just as bad as Germany. The reader can imply that Truman was not on board with the way Russia is becoming, “I fear that machines are ahead of morals by some centuries...I hope not. But we are only termites on a planet.”5 Truman compares the acts of Germany and Russia in World War Two, to termites; termites that are destroying the planet physically and