Module 6, Progressive Reform

After reading Gender and Urban Political Reform: The City Club and the Women’s City Club of Chicago in the Progressive Era by Maureen Flanagan, I came to the conclusion that the author feels as though women’s groups were leaders in progressive reform. In the article, Flanagan touches on how the men’s group and the women’s group “took opposing positions on several current municipal issues in a way that reveals profound differences in their conceptions of city government and for the general welfare of the people.”1 The main difference presented between the two groups seems to be how the men were more focused on the business aspect, where the women were more interested in what was for the people and city, a very progressive thought.1

The Crucible of Class: Cleveland Politics and the Origins of Municipal Reform in the Progressive Era by Shelton Stromquist paints a slightly different picture of the dominating force in progressive reform at the turn of the century. Stromquist feels as though the true progressives were the organized labor and working class. Stromquist described the strikes and “episodes of conflict”2 as a way to give a “temporary spin and direction to municipal progressivism by calling forth responses from other organized interests.”2 I feel as though the strongest point that Stromquist made in his essay was how the conflicts between the differing classes and their opinions is what gave the issues the energy to reform. The solutions that arose out of conflict were the beginnings of progressive action during this time in history.

I don’t think there was just one key group that helped shape progressive reform. I think it was a combination of all parties, working at once, although not necessarily together, that developed reformation over a long period of time. So, by saying that, I would have to agree with both Flanagan and Stromquist. I feel as though this is a logical conclusion due to the idea that shape does not always take form from one instigator. Many factors can go into and be a part, large or small, of any type of different event. Progressive reform was not shaped solely by women, just as it was not shaped solely by the working class. Reform came from the combined effort of multiple factors, which all created one shape. The Grand Canyon was formed by rain, ice, wind, volcanism, continental drift, and even the orbit of the earth… not just by the Colorado River.

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1.     Flanagan, Maureen A; "Gender and Urban Political Reform: The City Club and the Woman's City Club of Chicago in the Progressive Era," The American Historical Review 95, no. 4 (October 1990): Page 1036, 1038

2.      Stromquist, Shelton; "The Crucible of Class: Cleveland Politics and the Origins of Municipal Reform in the Progressive Era," Journal of Urban History 23, no. 2 (1997): Page 194

American Political Cartoons

In Cartoon D, titled The True Issue or "That's What's the Matter, one will see 1864 Democratic Presidential Candidate George McClellan acting as an intermediary between Union President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Analyzing the image alone, one can see that the map of the United States, on which Lincoln and Davis both have a grip, is beginning to tear down the middle. The cartoon is showing that without Candidate McClellan, the United States will inevitably tear apart and the Union will separate. Because of that, it leads me to believe this is a pro-Democrat cartoon in support of McClellan for President. Also, each character in the cartoon is saying something. Lincoln is saying, “No Peace Without Abolition,” while Davis is saying, “No Peace Without Separation.” When comparing those two statements, and taking into account the pro-democratic nature of the cartoon, the author is saying that with Lincoln in office the war will continue and the Union could be lost. Democratic Candidate Davis, on the other hand, is saying, “Union Must Be Preserved at All Hazards.” That saying was taken from his letter accepting the Democratic Presidential Nomination. In the speech, McClellan spoke strongly about reestablishing the Union, but did not have any mention of the abolition of slavery and was willing to let any Confederate state who wished to rejoin the Union do so with no consequence(sonsofthesouth.net).

This cartoon is significant because it gives an alternate view of a way to end the Civil War. Although the Electoral College was heavily in Lincolns favor, McClellan did win 45% of the popular vote. At the time, the outcome of the war was not certain, so the idea of voting McClellan into the presidency to put an end to the war seemed like a viable option. It could be argued the only thing that won the election for Lincoln was when General Sherman took Atlanta in September. This victory gave the Union hope that a military victory was possible and wouldn’t have to negotiate with the Confederacy(ushistory.org). So, in conclusion, this political cartoon was able to gain McClellan votes and show the Union population that there was an alternative to a war that had already been overly costly. 

French Revolution and the Declaration of 1789

I would agree and say that the rights, or “goods or values,” of humanity are very real, and further say they are a natural right, mostly given by the fact we are self aware. I suppose it could be argued that being self aware is God given, but that’d be a bit too long of a blog topic. I feel as though the idea of rights is an ever-changing body of moral opinion and social control. I suppose it is very similar to the idea of, “with more freedom comes more responsibility.” Morally it seems as though everyone should have equal opportunity and equal “rights,” but it must also be restricted to ensure no one impairs the rights of others. Although brief to leave room for the real topic of the blog, that should somewhat summarize my idea of ever-changing rights.

            In terms of The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, I feel as though this was an incredible step forward. Of course, though, in comparison to the standards of today, the documents and ideals contained a multitude of problems. As stated in the assignment overview, there were problems containing the rights of women, the impoverished, the enslaved, and other factors that collide with contemporary opinion. I, though, would not consider these issues as problems. People, and their subsequent thought, are a complete product of their environment. Obviously, in that environment, both sides of the spectrum will be represented. By that, I mean there will be people on the progressive front of an established environment and the subsequent regressive front. Though, as history has shown, society has been moving in what the overall community views as a progression. At the time of the Declaration of 1789, the steps taken were seen as a huge progressive leap, although in contemporary thought, still thought of as primitive. The same will someday be said of what is happening now with gay marriage and legalization of marijuana. What is seen one day as a huge step in the right(no pun intended) direction is seen later as discriminatory, unfair, and with “problems.” While people read the Declaration of 1789 and while people attempt to analyze the value it contained, one most look at the document in a relative nature to the environment of the time. I am not sure if this blog is what the assignment was looking for, but I feel as though people today have a problem with relativity. Too often do people speak of inhumane practices from hundreds of years ago, unable to wrap their minds around the fact that, hundreds of years ago, those practices were social norms. The Declaration of 1789 is key point in the study of human rights in the modern world, and one that brought huge changes to society around the world, and is continuing to bring changes to society today.

Equiano

      After studying the chart by Carey about the actual birthplace of Equiano, I am tending to believe that he was born in South Carolina. My main reason for holding this belief comes from the fact that the story Equiano told is far more interesting and supports his goals much better than being from South Carolina. A story told by a person who had actually experienced an event is far more moving and one can create a higher amount of empathy from them. I feel as though Equiano, with his goals to abolish the slave trade, would know that he would have to rely on emotion to reach his goals, and he could create more emotion from readers and listeners is they believed the horror stories are events he had actually experienced.  My belief that Equiano was actually born in South Carolina is backed up further by the fact he claimed to be from there before he had any type of motivation to not be from there, such as his goals in the abolitionist movement. Good stories get attention, and it would make sense for Equiano to compile experiences from others to create a story that would best support his cause.
I completely buy what Equiano says in The Interesting Narrative; although I think what is said was compiled from accounts of others he heard throughout his life. He gives reasonably descriptive accounts of his time aboard ships, but I was somewhat surprised there were no names of other captives aboard the ship, perhaps because listing incorrect names could draw up a discrepancy later. Like I said above, Equiano tells a good story, whether it is his or not, though, still remains in question.
In response to the arguments that Equiano was truly born in Africa and his story in completely accurate, I think one must look at the entire picture. It is imperative to look at the end result first, then how the result came to be. In Equiano’s case, the end result was a huge contribution to the abolishment of the slave trade; this huge contribution came in the form of his Narrative. Now, with the end result so incredibly dependent on his Narrative, could Equiano take any chances on his story not being interesting enough to gain attention?
Equiano fabricated a story to achieve a goal. His story was not necessarily a lie, but a compilation to produce the masterpiece that is The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano.

Module 2: This is a day late. I apparently got a bit mixed up over due dates after the outage.

Religion played an incredibly central role in the defining purpose of exploration. There was an undeniable amount of crusading involved in the European exploration of the time. In fact, both the Spanish and Portuguese put much effort in establishing a worldwide Christian empire. For hundreds of years, Christopher Columbus was viewed as a hero for his contributions and accomplishments in bringing civilization and religion to the New World.  Columbus’ contemporaries also viewed him in the same light, describing how Columbus had “added to the assembly of Christians by the remarkable feat of daring of the Genoese Christopher Columbus[1].” In fact, Columbus also shared this same view of himself. He felt as though he had been chosen by God to become the bearer of Christianity to the Americas[2]. This can be clearly seen in his signature, “Xpo FERENS,” which translates to, “Christ-bearing[3]”. It can be seen here, though the opinions of both Christopher Columbus and his contemporaries, that a great deal of importance and religious significance was felt in the arrival of their superior religion to the heathens of the New World.  

One could also argue the importance of religion during the age of exploration came from papal power. Columbus’ journey fell in the middle of a land dispute between the Spanish and Portuguese Crowns. It could be said the Spanish Crown hoped to gain favor from the Papacy by the expansion of the Catholic faith through the building of churches and the conversion of natives[4]. This argument can be supported even further by examining papal bulls from the late 1400’s, showing the effort the Papacy was going to in order to build both clergy and churches in the Spanish colonies of the New World[5].

1. Agostino Giustiniani On Columbus the Evangelist, 1516, in  Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies: A Brief History with Documents, Document 9, Geoffrey Symcox and Blair Sullivan. (Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005), 58.

2. Bartolome de la Casas on Columbus as an Instrument of God's Will, 1527-1563, in Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies: A Brief History with Documents, Document 7, Geoffrey Symcox and Blair Sullivan. (Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005), 57.

3. Christopher Columbus in a Letter to Nicolo Oderigo, March 21, 1502 in Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies: A Brief History with Documents, Document 6, Geoffrey Symcox and Blair Sullivan. (Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005), 56.

4. Alexander VI Papal Bull "Piis Fidelium", Rome, June 25, 1493, in Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies: A Brief History with Documents, Document 24, Geoffrey Symcox and Blair Sullivan. (Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005), 145.

5. Alexander VI Papal Bull "Eximie Devotionis", Rome, November 16, 1501, in Christopher Columbus and the Enterprise of the Indies: A Brief History with Documents, Document 27, Geoffrey Symcox and Blair Sullivan. (Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2005), 153-154.

Introduction

My name is Ben LaMothe. This is my second semester at ASU, but by no means my second semester in college. I have spent the last five or so years jumping around the west coast in attempt to figure out what I wanted to do. I have taken a wide variety of history courses, including all the basic 100 level US and World courses, but also courses on SE Asia, Contemporary America, Jesuit History, and presently a course on the American Revolution.