Writing Assignment A People & A Nation, Volume II: 1865 (Essay Sample)

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A PEOPLE & A NATION, Volume II: 1865
Chapter 20
Chapter 20 highlights the intrigues of war as was experienced during World War 1. Wilson had sought to keep America away from the war. He had protected the interests of America while urging those involved in the fight to respect international laws and respect humanity. However, this did not last long as America was forced to join the battle to protect their interests and their territory. As the War came to an end, many people regarded the end as the new beginning; the United States came out with a mix of the old and the new. The conflict marked the emergence of the United States as a superpower while the Americans took pride out of the fact that they made significant contributions towards restoring peace in the world. On the same note, the war brought up sharp divisions between black Americans and the whites in what was seen as natives versus the immigrants, men dominance versus women empowerment, those who were conservative versus those who wanted progression and the nationalist versus the internationalist. No wonder, having experienced the cruelties of war, most Americans wanted immediate restoration of normalcy in the nation (Norton, Mary Beth, et al. 615).
One of the most significant factor covered in the chapter is that during the war, the national government contributed significantly towards sustenance of people’s lives and the economy while government control was centralized. Although the administration at the time declined several development proposals, the experience acquired from World war 1 provided the basis in which reforms were instituted in the 1930s where the changes were designed to end the Great Depression.
Secondly, the partnership which the government entered with private developers advanced developments agendas in which standardization of products was sought as well as the promotion of effectiveness. The policies promoted corporate ownership while antitrust laws were done away with. The subsequent years saw the development of labor laws and workers welfare.
The war that started in 1914 was a result of several years of aggression and competition between various European nations. As a result, two key alliances had been formed; the German-led coalition which included Hungary and Italy and another alliance which was led by Britain, this faction included France and Russia. Both partnerships were fighting for their interests. However, Britain and Germany were bolder in their advancements; both wanted to become world leaders (Norton, Mary Beth, et al. 600). America regarded Germany as a significant threat to their interests. Moreover, Germans were more into autocracy rather than democracy. The third aspect discussed in the chapter is that despite their fears, America had chosen to be neutral; they had sought to distance themselves from any form of aggression, a decision which was partly informed by the fact that America is made up from a mixture of populations. However, the events which occurred afterwards prompted America to join the war.
The fourth important lesson is that several occurrences provoked the decision by America to join the war. Before 1915, America had chosen to be neutral; The German attack on unarmed vessels aggravated the decisions by America to join the war. Although Germany had agreed to refrain from attacking any ship, they went against their promise. In early 1915, several ships were sunk by the Germans; which included the British liner Lusitania and the Arabic. This two significant incidences irked America to join the war. Therefore, the primary aim was to defend their people, although it was reported that only 3 Americans died during the attack. America also wanted to protect their territories. Hence they had to do something.
The fifth factor was winning the war which was inevitable, while those who were against the war sung “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier,” (Norton, Mary Beth, et al. 596) those who supported encouraged America to prepare by singing the song “I Didn’t Raise My Boy to Be a Coward.” (Norton, Mary Beth, et al. 596). On the other hand, the 1916 defense Act supported increasing the army and the national guard. Moreover, the Selective Service Act required all males between 20 and 30 years to register. This prepared the nation for the looming war while at the same time instilling patriotism among the citizens. Therefore, the sixth point is that America had to prepare well for war; they knew that it needed a lot of resources and sacrifices. Following the recruitment exercise, over 24 million soldiers were registered to take part in the war.
A section of Americans supported war while others were against America going to war. As a result, there were sharp divisions across the nation. “It is not an army that we must shape and train for war,” declared President Wilson, “it is a nation.” (Norton, Mary Beth, et al. 602). America was in the war for only 19 months, but it had a massive effect on the back at home. As a result, America had to dig deeper and expand the economy to meet the demands which arose following the war as well as the needs of the people. Therefore, the government had to move in and support the locals by providing support.
The seventh factor was the Red Scare, Red Summer which formed the line between suppression of dispute and post-war scare. Those who regarded themselves are patriots fought people who were perceived as internal enemies and deprived them of their constitutional rights (Norton, Mary Beth, et al. 608). The war motivated Americans to make extraordinary sacrifices. In this light, several people were driven to adopt healthy habits while encouraging patriotism; people had to make sacrifices to support the troops, some donated foods while others volunteered in to do several projects.
In conclusion chapter 20 brings forth the aspect of unity and patriotism which people showed during the period. A large number of youths came forward to defend their country from aggression while those who could not go to war were engaged in patriotic events at home. Moreover, following the war, the government contributed significantly towards changing the lives of people. In...