Twentieth Century America: Impact on Today’s America
During the twentieth century, there were many major events and movements that influenced the way of Americans today. The events and movements that had the greatest impact would be World War II, the Holocaust, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the increase of women’s rights.
The Second World War, or World War II, was a war entered for the right reasons. The people of the United States of America knew that entering this war would be to help out England and France and to prevent Japan from becoming any more powerful. On December 7,1941 Japan bombed an American naval base called Pearl Harbor. This action caused the United States to declare war on Japan on December 8, 1941 thus entering World War II. Three days after declaring war on Japan, the United States declared war on Germany and Italy.
Since the United States entered the war, they had to prepare for the lasting effects of the war. The United States had to mobilize during World War II in three ways: Military, Economy, and Government. In terms of military, the United States expanded the draft and had many men enter the military. Women during this time where not allowed to join the military in terms of front line combat. The economy of the United States changed drastically upon entering the war. The manufacturers that were producing cars swapped production to produce military vehicles and equipment. The government played a crucial role during World War II as the government allowed for an increase in military spending by increasing taxes.
The way we manufactured goods changed drastically over the course of World War II. The United States began manufacturing goods at such a rapid rate that they continued to improve the power of the weapons that they produced. The United States then began working towards the creation of nuclear bombs.
“As early as 1939, German scientists had discovered how to split uranium atoms, the technology that would ultimately allow for the creation of the atomic bomb. The Enola Gay, a B-29 bomber named after its pilot’s mother, dropped an atomic bomb known as “Little Boy” on Hiroshima at 8:15 a.m. Monday morning, August 6, 1945. A huge mushroom cloud rose above the city (Openstax).”
Between 1945- 1980, both America and Japan invested massive amounts of money in nuclear weapons. They both did this as a way to deter conflict. The threat of another devastating annihilation from an atomic bomb lingered over everyone and everything.
This influenced the way of life of Americans today by creating a nuclear weapon so powerful it can wipe out entire cities. Nuclear weapons now exist in mass quantities over a large quantity of continents. The exponential growth of the destructive power of atomic bombs has been increased over the years, but the deionization of the atom occurred as a direct result of World War II.
During World War II, another event was happening that influenced life in America. The Holocaust was one of the most significant events of the 20th Century due to its extreme nature and effects. The Holocaust was Adolf Hitler’s plan to kill all of the Jews in Europe. This process began early in 1933, with the construction of Dachau, the first of more than forty thousand camps for Jews. These camps succumbed the Jews to forced labor or death. Though, it was not only the Jews that were persecuted. The gypsies, gay and lesbians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and political opponents were also sent to the concentration camps. Hitler wanted what he called the “master race”. In his speeches, writings, and actions Hitler spoke of his idea of racial purity. He believed the race must “remain pure” in order to one day take over the world. For Hitler, the ideal race was one who had blonde hair, blue-eyes, and was tall.
The Holocaust has shown us how easily humans can be made to believe that a certain race, or people of a certain belief, are worth less than others. Throughout the Holocaust, there were a series of steps that were taken to be able to complete all that Hitler did. These steps are now able to be seen in America today in order to prevent a mass genocide, or any genocide for that matter to happen again. The way humans treat other humans has been effected as well.
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During the 1960s, countless Americans rejected traditional gender roles and expectations. In 1964, women and men worked together to prohibit the discrimination in employment on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion and gender. This was named The Civil Rights Act of 1964. Women’s progress in the United States continued to rise over the 20th century. During World War II, men were drafted to fight in front line combat while women worked to take over the jobs of men both in production and in farming. Victory gardens were started by women to supply extra food for the people at war and at home. During this time, women also got the right to vote as voting rights were previously restricted to only men.
“In 1966, the National Organization for Women (NOW) formed and proceeded to set an agenda for the feminist movement. Framed by a statement of purpose written by Friedan, the agenda began by proclaiming NOW’s goal to make possible women’s participation in all aspects of American life and to gain for them all the rights enjoyed by men (Openstax).”
Though NOW started making that statement of equality, it has not become completely true in today’s world. Women still make less money than men. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, “In 2016, female full-time, year-round workers made only 80.5 cents for every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of 20 percent.” This has created a huge impact on America today by continually creating a gap in pay.
Throughout the 20th century, there were many movements and events that impacted the way Americans live life today. The Second World War, the Holocaust, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the increase of women’s rights were just a few of the major events that happened. The Second World War set the tone for nuclear warfare, the Holocaust provided a framework for prevention of future mass genocide, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the increase of women’s rights led the way for equality of all American citizens. Learning and growing from our history is what makes America such a great place to live. The past is what we learn from, not what we repeat.