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Dina Sanif Joel Brunkala English 1A 15 February 2023 When reading the readings assigned to me in Signs of Life I found that the reading "The More Factor" by Laurence Shames and the reading "Millennials Tried to Kill the American Mall, But Gen Z Might Save It" by Jordyn Holman had a lot of similarities. These two readings had very similar takes on how American culture has a lot of impact on consumerism. When reading “The More Factor” by Laurence Shames, Shames believed and argued that Americans have a desire for a lot of growth and expansion. Shames states on page 194 that Americans have a habit of wanting more and America has never-ending opportunities. “America was the place where one never quite came to the end” (Shames 194).
The charge about the old days of the American economy—the nineteenth century, the “Gilded Age,” the era of the “robber barons”—was that it was always beset by a cycle of boom and bust. Whatever nice runs of expansion and opportunity that did come, they always seemed to be coupled with a pretty cataclysmic depression right around the corner. Boom and bust, boom and bust—this was the necessary pattern of the American economy in its primitive state. In the US, in the modern era, all this was smoothed out.
He discussed with Ida M Tarbell, and Upton Sinclair about his frustrations towards the lands resources “So many people of this country blindly believe that our resources are inexhaustible, but they would be incorrect in believing so. ” he would say, “With the growth of technology, the resources The United States needs is far too great and harmful for our Nation.”
The Second Industrial Revolution brought many great things to America such as advances in technology, new businesses, job opportunities, and "new" immigrants. America was truly the "City Upon a Hill." America, although booming after the Second Industrial Revolution, was problematic. The period after the Second Industrial Revolution is called the "Gilded Age" by Mark Twain because America at that time was glittering on the outside but corrupt on the inside.1 Alongside all the advances in the economy, technology, and society there are negative factors coinciding with the progress. The negative factors prove to be detrimental to America's society, politics, and economy.
He talks about a time here where we used to be, a time in which we can get back if this country actually wanted it. The vision of America is that of some place people dream of living, a place where you are in control over your actions and not your government. This country is on a path leading to its own destruction because we are letting it instead of changing its direction. Like Walt Whitman says in I hear America singing "I hear America singing, the varied carols I hear,Those of mechanics, each one singing his as it should be blithe and strong." (Whitman).
One man saw this time and its significance and wrote a thesis that has earned the reputation of one of the most influential papers in American history. His name was Frederick Jackson Turner, and his paper was called “The Significance of the Frontier in American History”. Labeled the “Frontier Thesis”, many can read and see Turner had a well understanding of what makes American culture and individualism what it is, giving him much understanding of what challenges the nation was facing at the time. He saw these unique differences that America had versus other booming civilizations. He knew that with the rapid growth of the U.S. those challenges it faced would be keeping true to the image of the frontier, to continue in the spirit of the U.S. and what it represents.
This essay discusses both the author Wes and the other Wes different outcomes as to how they ended up in the future. This was all mostly based on the choices they made in the past , Not only that but the fact that they both missed out on having their fathers in their lives. This comes to show that whether or not you let something affect you it will also affect your future and who you become. The author Wes turned out to be a very successful man and even got married . As to the other Wes who is in prison for the rest of his life only getting to see his kids once in a while behind bars .
In his speech, he claims, “Any lack of confidence in the economic future...is foolish.” He believed that Americans should stay optimistic and should continue ‘business as usual’. After his speech, Americans began to believe that depressions like this were just part of a country’s business cycle. They thought that periods of rapid growth, like the Roaring 20s, were just naturally followed by sudden periods of depression. People thought that the best thing to do was to do nothing about the depression and the economy would fix itself.
Before the mid-nineteenth century, an ideal American was defined as a yeoman farmer who owned modest farm and worked primarily with family labor, and who was honest, virtuous, hardworking, and independent. The market revolution of the mid-nineteenth century changed this modest definition, and Americans can be many things in life and not just a farmer. The market shifted from slave trading toward an economy based on commerce, manufacturing, and larger scale agricultural endeavors. The change toward this economy was the result of non-stop population growth, new ideas/products invented from industrial revolution, and a needed change after such growth without development during the start of the nineteenth century.
America: Is It What It Use To Be? Abraham lincoln states “ My dream is of an place and time where America will once again be seen as the last best hope on earth.” This implies that America is no longer the hope of the world and has somehow backslide. This is know because Lincoln use the phrase once again with once meaning at one time and again meaning to regain.
The contrasts between the American West and East in the nineteenth century range from a new start to the adventure of the living in the Wild West. The east had become overcrowded and did not allow much opportunity for people of lesser wealth. “In 1893, the historian Frederick Jackson Turner gave a celebrated lecture, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” in which he argued that on the western frontier the distinctive qualities of American culture were forged: individual freedom, political democracy, and economic mobility. The West, he added, acted as a “safety
“The bottom 40% of Americans own almost nothing.” Said the video, Wealth Inequality In America. The lower class are scraping by and are not able to invest in stocks or other consuming items whether it deal with money or time. The video, Wealth Inequality in America also said, “The top 20% of Americans own almost everything.” The wealthy community should contribute more to the lower class, allowing more equality of wealth.
Before the Gilded Age, transportation of any sort was slow, unreliable, and unavailable. However, with the invention of the assembly line and some invention, mass produced automobiles, subterranean trains, elevated trains and basic airplanes were spread out. Therefore, during the late 19th century, transportation was allowing for extreme expanse of trade and economic capability. One of the most prominent methods of transportation even before this time, railways were experiencing a major change during this time. Though it would eventually cause a stock market crash due to the closure of two major rail businesses, the roads themselves saw considerably more traffic due to a major expansion of the system.
The American Dream has undergone a metamorphosis from principles to materialism. " - John E. Nestler,
In the 1800’s, America was the subject of many romantic visions and musings. The British and East Coasters alike saw everything west of Appalachia as a wild wonderland: home to cowboys, adventure, and opportunity. Oscar Wilde, a renowned British author and satirist, voyaged across America to test the truth of these claims. Afterwards, he published his findings and opinions in a piece known as Impressions of America. In the piece, he makes it clear that America did not live up to his expectations, and would disappoint his readers as well.
