William Sturges spent time on one of the ships that was a part of the expanding 'fur trade' of the time. As a crew member, he encountered the Haida tribe of American Indians in the Kaiganee body of water, which is the Indian name for a body of water between Queen Charlotte in Canada and the Prince of Charles Islands in Alaska. The Haidi Indians were thought to be some of the best carvers and canoe-builders of all the tribes of Americans, but as one's standing in the tribe depended on the possession of valuable goods, the Haidi engaged in plenty of trading with the Europeans. This is how Sturges encounters them, as the Indians soon became sharp competition for the colonists.
When Sturges encounters several Indians, one of them (called Altatsee) only comes aboard the colonists' ship 'as a hostage', which perhaps is sign of the distrust between these two rival cultures. However, seeing as 'Mr Bumstead went to see [Altatsee's] Village of Tatance' whilst Altatsee was on board, this could be seen as diplomatic; leave one person from each side in the other's company, so that no harm could come to one without the other suffering a similar fate. This would prevent hostility, at least to a degree, and keep the trading culture of the Haidi Indians alive.
Sturges then makes a visit to Tatance as he '[had] a great curiosity to see the Village and the manner in which the natives of the Coast [lived]', and he describes how, upon his arrival, 'their astonishment at the sight of a white person was extreme', which highlights what a fresh, new experience it must have been for the American Indians altogether, let alone the relatively remote Haidi tribe in the north. This astonishment continues when Sturges is led into Altatsee's house, where '[he] beheld about forty people', and 'labour stood suspended, and they looked at me with about as much astonishment as Hamlet when he first saw his father's Ghost'. Not only does this little mention of Hamlet suggest that Sturges is reasonably educated, being knowledgeable about Shakespearean plays and the like, but it also further demonstrates how 'the white man' was practically an alien to the American Indians, and it was likely the colonists felt the same about the Indians.
What Sturges likely found odd was how the Indians 'always treated all white people as brothers who treated them well'. This overwhelming kindness, which eventually became the downfall of the American Indians as a people, would have operated in direct contrast to the presumed idea of the American Indians which the colonists were taught, which was that they were 'savages'. Despite this, Sturges still took to 'sleeping with my cutlass on, and my pistol by my side', as if he were cautious or even paranoid that something bad could still happen to him.
http://www.hallman.org/indian/sturgis.html
http://www.stateofalaskaguide.com/natives.htm
http://discoveringourstory.wisdomoftheelders.org/history-of-the-haida-tribe
Tuesday 31 January 2017
Demas Barnes - From th Atlantic to the Pacific, Overland
Demas Barnes was responsible for writing a series of letter on his travels to the West and back in 1865. Barnes was from New York and in the pharmaceutical industry. He decided to travel from New York City to San Francisco and back, documenting his journey in these letters. After he returned, Barnes became a politician and was elected to serve as the Representative of New York's 2nd district in Congress.
Barnes travelled by overland stage the entire duration of his journey and travelled via places such as Chicago and Denver. Barnes wrote a number of letters from his stop in Denver in late June 1865. These detailed his thoughts on the journey so far as well as his ideas of what he believed lay ahead. In his first letter from Denver, Barnes explains how the journey is not what people would expect stating that the long journey was lonely and difficult. He explains that many of his friends from home were envious of his journey but he suggests that if they were there they would not be happy. He explains that the views of journeying to the west were mythical and vastly different to the reality. He explains that wagons were cramped and sod huts were not pleasant to sleep in. In later letters from Denver, Barnes goes on to explain that they are stationed in Denver for longer than expected because coaches ahead of him had been attacked by Native Tribes. This suggests that this was a common event that took place across the Rockies. A further negative he goes on to explain is the weather. He describes one particular event in which the weather changed drastically in a short period of time. He states that the weather fell by 30 degrees in around 10 minutes and a very harsh storm passed through. He claimed that this happened a number of time on his journey and the coach had to make impromptu stops to wait out the storm. Overall, Barnes presents a very negative but realistic view of the overland journey to the west. He tries to disprove traditional views of the people of the east by presenting those ideas a mythical and idealistic.
Barnes travelled by overland stage the entire duration of his journey and travelled via places such as Chicago and Denver. Barnes wrote a number of letters from his stop in Denver in late June 1865. These detailed his thoughts on the journey so far as well as his ideas of what he believed lay ahead. In his first letter from Denver, Barnes explains how the journey is not what people would expect stating that the long journey was lonely and difficult. He explains that many of his friends from home were envious of his journey but he suggests that if they were there they would not be happy. He explains that the views of journeying to the west were mythical and vastly different to the reality. He explains that wagons were cramped and sod huts were not pleasant to sleep in. In later letters from Denver, Barnes goes on to explain that they are stationed in Denver for longer than expected because coaches ahead of him had been attacked by Native Tribes. This suggests that this was a common event that took place across the Rockies. A further negative he goes on to explain is the weather. He describes one particular event in which the weather changed drastically in a short period of time. He states that the weather fell by 30 degrees in around 10 minutes and a very harsh storm passed through. He claimed that this happened a number of time on his journey and the coach had to make impromptu stops to wait out the storm. Overall, Barnes presents a very negative but realistic view of the overland journey to the west. He tries to disprove traditional views of the people of the east by presenting those ideas a mythical and idealistic.
The Gold Rush Diary Of George Bonniwell
This is the diary of George Bonniwell, who documented his travels from Milwaukee to California in 1850.
He writes daily about his travels, usually about the weather, how many miles they travelled on that day and of anything that occurs on that day, such as the selling of a horse or writing a letter to his wife.
In his diary entries he likes to discuss the physical landscapes of the towns he travels or stops in. He describes Beloit as "a beautiful place" as well as a place for good business. He describes many towns they pass through, usually referring to the amount of churches in the town, probably as this shows how many are settled in the town.
Boniwell discusses the various types of landscape on his travels, some being of woodland and of flat land and identifying which lands were the best to settle on. He is curious about the Native American graveyards he travels through.
There is a lot of mention of illness, mostly dysentery, and the giving out of medicine on their travels, which is highlighting the lack of hygiene and illness that occurs quickly and kept reoccurring. However, they managed to overcome illness and continue their travels.
Bonniwell concludes overall, due to the failure of building a dam, which either broke or had many leaks, and diseases and injuries and the lack of food, for which was common for many of the travellers at this time, that the journey had been a failure.
Source
Thomas James’ Journal ‘Three Years Among the Indians and Mexicans’.
Thomas
James’ Journal ‘Three Years Among the Indians and Mexicans’ (1809).
What is particularly striking about James’ movement Westward was the difference in landscape and setting. The prairie’s natural landscape compromised of “thick grass” where “game” of Buffalo and Elk was available in huge quantities. It really emphasised the agricultural prospects of the West and it is therefore understandable why the colonies wanted to move Westwards. James also reveals the reality of the West being full of different Indian Tribes. The variation of Mohaws, Sioux, and others, present how different the cultures can be within Indian tribes.
James also gave a further insight into the
unpredictable nature of the Native Americans. From the beginning, James’
language of ‘lined with hundreds; they fired into the water before the forward
barge’ suggested that the Indians posed as a dangerous threat to the new
arrivals who had moved West. However, once landing, their defensive attitudes became
more hospitable towards James and his company. They were taken to the Indians’
council house, provided them with a feast, and accommodated them for two days.
Another aspect that James’ journal reveals
about settling into the American West, was the attitudes they had towards the
Native American Indians. Repeatedly referred to as “savages” James took a very
critical approach to the Indian tribes. He also referred to their hospitality
and their food as that of the level of “dogs”. It suggests that both the
industrial advancements and social etiquette they were accustomed to in their
colonies was seen as far superior to that of the Indians.
Sources:
http://www.over-land.com/diaries.html
https://user.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/html/james/jamesint.html
Sources:
http://www.over-land.com/diaries.html
https://user.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/html/james/jamesint.html
ALVIN A. COFFEY (Week 2)
ALVIN A. COFFEY
He was a black pioneer who played an eventful role in the ox-team journey over 100 years ago. He wrote a diary in his own words explaining the event.
It started out with Alvin traveling. He explains how he was on a train with many other people. They would stop off in different settlements and pick up more men. They crossed the Missouri river and one of the men had Cholera, he continued to say how much pain the other traveler was in and Dr. Bassett did all he could but he later died. Along with him, Alvin states how more people got the sickness and started dying. "We got news every day that people were dying by the hundreds..." he states. They carried on moving out in order to get out of the area which had the Cholera.
They had stopped off in many more settlements and before reaching Black Rock, they needed to pass through a dessert. They crossed the dessert at 4'ocklock in the evening. Before getting there, the cattle had perished and even an ox had died, he explains how everything was left in the wagon about 15 miles from Black Rock. Before they had reached Sacramento Valley, he explains how bad the weather conditions were and how bad feeding was. They left a lot of food in the desert so there was not much for them to eat. One of the Ox that was with them gave way about 100 yards from a spring. He was in a lot of pain so Alvin decided that it was best to put the Ox down so it wasn't bawling due to the fact that wolves were eating it alive. Nobody went with him. He explained how he took a double-barrelled shotgun and shot the Ox.
When they got to Sacramento Valley, he explained how people had been divided up into different wagons. Some went to the Vally to get provisions and water and explained how he went a different way. He went to redding Springs, those who were kept on ended up starting dry-digging mining. They dug and dug till the first of November. The nights were rough as it constantly rained and snowed. They had a tent but he noted how bad it was due to the fact that it did not keep him dry. There was eight to twelve in one camp. They cut down trees to make a cabin and within the following weeks, they had somewhere to rest that was dry.
--
We are able to gather from sections that he moved to Missouri with the family of his owner, Dr. Besset. He was a slave in the party going to California. Coffey thought this venture was a golden opportunity to make himself enough money to buy his own freedom. By his time in 1854, he was able to save and acquire seven thousand dollars to make the purchase of his freedom and personal liberty in his entire household.
He was a black pioneer who played an eventful role in the ox-team journey over 100 years ago. He wrote a diary in his own words explaining the event.
It started out with Alvin traveling. He explains how he was on a train with many other people. They would stop off in different settlements and pick up more men. They crossed the Missouri river and one of the men had Cholera, he continued to say how much pain the other traveler was in and Dr. Bassett did all he could but he later died. Along with him, Alvin states how more people got the sickness and started dying. "We got news every day that people were dying by the hundreds..." he states. They carried on moving out in order to get out of the area which had the Cholera.
They had stopped off in many more settlements and before reaching Black Rock, they needed to pass through a dessert. They crossed the dessert at 4'ocklock in the evening. Before getting there, the cattle had perished and even an ox had died, he explains how everything was left in the wagon about 15 miles from Black Rock. Before they had reached Sacramento Valley, he explains how bad the weather conditions were and how bad feeding was. They left a lot of food in the desert so there was not much for them to eat. One of the Ox that was with them gave way about 100 yards from a spring. He was in a lot of pain so Alvin decided that it was best to put the Ox down so it wasn't bawling due to the fact that wolves were eating it alive. Nobody went with him. He explained how he took a double-barrelled shotgun and shot the Ox.
When they got to Sacramento Valley, he explained how people had been divided up into different wagons. Some went to the Vally to get provisions and water and explained how he went a different way. He went to redding Springs, those who were kept on ended up starting dry-digging mining. They dug and dug till the first of November. The nights were rough as it constantly rained and snowed. They had a tent but he noted how bad it was due to the fact that it did not keep him dry. There was eight to twelve in one camp. They cut down trees to make a cabin and within the following weeks, they had somewhere to rest that was dry.
--
We are able to gather from sections that he moved to Missouri with the family of his owner, Dr. Besset. He was a slave in the party going to California. Coffey thought this venture was a golden opportunity to make himself enough money to buy his own freedom. By his time in 1854, he was able to save and acquire seven thousand dollars to make the purchase of his freedom and personal liberty in his entire household.
Monday 30 January 2017
Robert Campbell's Letter - Rocky Mountains, July 12, 1836
A photo I took of Lake Kamloops,Canada. It is situated South of the Canadian Rockies.
This is a letter from Robert Campbell to his brother, describing his experience in the Rocky Mountains. Campbell was originally a farmer from Scotland, but he was hired by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1830 to help with establishing a farm in would become known as the province of Manitoba ('friendly' Manitoba) in Canada. He then proceeded in helping the Eastern colonies expand further westward. The information surrounding Robert Campbell is questionable however, as I have found contradicting documents about Campbell which give different dates and different accounts of his life. It may be that there were simply multiple 'Robert Campbells' active in this period. However, the fact that both Campbells had the same job in North America and both travelled to the same areas, suggests there may be some discrepancy around Mr Campbell's life.
In the letter, Campbell writes to his brother about his experiences in the Rocky Mountains. He starts the letter by describing the 'Sioux Indians'. The manner in which he describes these natives is not typical of how many Europeans did in this period. Campbell describes the Sioux's civilisation, acknowledging that they have separate "tribes, having individual chiefs". He doesn't write as if he thinks he's superior to the natives, he is mainly informative. Campbell is genuinely fascinated by the Sioux people, for example he states that he was "forcibly struck with the remarkable similarity which some of their traditions respecting creation". Since he was part of a team intent on expanding the colonies' territory in Western North America, it is arguable that he wrote this in order to inform people on the strengths and weaknesses of their potential enemies. After all, the 'Sioux Indians' were not likely to relinquish their land without a struggle and with their "immense numbers", it would have been unwise to enter a conflict with them without knowing everything there was to know about them. However, the fact that this was all written in a letter to Campbell's brother, indicating he intended merely to inform and reassure his sibling of his safety and the events he had experienced.
Campbell frequently mentions the Sioux's relationship with animals in his letter. He links them to their spirituality and their use to the natives, "he then made a fox out of clay". This again reinforces a deeply embedded respect that Campbell had for the natives. His attitude isn't to patronise the Sioux by reprimanding them for what they believe in and enforcing his and the 'East's' religion on them. In this sense it can be established that Campbell was not a missionary and also not a conqueror. It appears that Robert Campbell was a respectful man, who wanted to learn from these 'new people' and educate himself in their customs, so he could adapt to his new surroundings and survive, just as the 'Sioux Indians' had done since their move from Asia around 30,000 years ago.
However, this attitude towards the Sioux people did not last. By the 1860s, the USA and the Sioux were constantly at war over land and even after a treaty had been signed, which allowed the Sioux to keep some of their land, the USA kept fighting them, due to rumours of gold being located within their land.
This suggests that Campbell's curious attitude towards the Sioux (and American Indians in general), was a rarity. Perhaps this is why Campbell wrote this in a personal letter to his brother, so his employers at the Hudson's Bay Company didn't discover his pacifistic nature.
References:
https://user.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/html/camltr05.html
http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/campbell_robert_1808_94_12E.html
http://indians.org/articles/sioux-indians.html
Civil Rights Movement (Week 1)
The above photo shows a Civil Rights March which was done in action for the rights of African-Americans.
The first Civil Right March/Movement was from Selma to Montgomery, 1865. These were three separate protests which transpired to demonstrate the desire that African-American citizens had the right to vote which was in defiance of the segregational repression that was happening at the time. This helped contribute to the passage that year of the Voting Rights Act.
When studying the photo carefully, we could argue what the 'American Dream' was for some people. We can see that depending on your race/skin color, the 'American Dream' is not always what it seems.
The American Dream presents different views for both Cullen and Adam. Cullen shows that there is no single view, which could allow some people to view the 'American Dream' as an act of religious freedom. This would be the idea that God gave the land and we must respect his wishes and give back. This also could lead on to racial equality and so on. This may not be seen as a single dream for just one individual but something that is taken in by everyone as a collective dream. In addition to this, Adam states that it is a dream much wider than something that is materialistic. Those who believe it is the 'Have a big house with a white picket fence with 2 kids (one boy and one girl) with a dog', is everything that Adam is saying it could not be. It's more than wealth but instead a social order for every man and woman who is able to achieve the best they can.
Now, going back to the picture above and the first thing that was mentioned by Cullen, the religious factor, how is it that African-Americans were treated so badly?
14 Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness, no one will see the Lord. - Hebrews 12:14
If this is what God says in the bible, could we say that the American Dream was not actually something people strived for but instead, a misconception due to the fact that civilization was build upon land they were not familiar with?
Cullen and Adam both happen to make very valid points in regards to what they think the American Dream is, but it is argued that the American Dream is nothing but a dream in which one is able to believe which allows them to create a reality suited to their views and ideologies.
Going back on topic of Civil Rights, in 2009, the U.S. Congress authorized a national initiative by passing the Civil Rights History Project Act of 2009. This can be seen as an American Dream (in this case for African-Americans) as they, at first did not have a right and now it is mentioned as a very heavy point within history.
Sources:
https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/about-this-collection/
http://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-Civil-Rights-Bill-of-1866/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selma_to_Montgomery_marches (I know I used Wikki, please don't kill me)
http://www.biblestudytools.com/hebrews/12-14.html
Tuesday 24 January 2017
Charleston, S.C.
Charleston, shown at this time between 1900 and 1915, portrays what can be the 'American Dream' as said by Cullen and Adams.
Charleston significantly grew during the mid-eighteenth century to a wealthy city, which shows Adams view that america was "the land of promise", as this city started as group of colonist from England and then grew to what it is today. This is showing the use of the land available and the possibility of building a new place from nothing, which supports Adams' view that the american dream is for materialistic purposes, such as economic and commercial success, rather than Cullen's view, which is that the American dream is dependent on the person and their views, such as religious freedom or due to the declaration of independence.
Place of opportunity. Slaves/freedom. Show of expansion.
Place of opportunity. Slaves/freedom. Show of expansion.
sources:
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yM96DK4ELZkC&pg=PA3&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false
https://www.loc.gov/resource/det.4a10449/
https://www.loc.gov/resource/det.4a10449/
Newspapers in New York City
This video of children vying to deliver newspapers in New York City demonstrates a survival instinct at work. As children likely had no other wages in this time period, not to mention their parents probably wouldn't have earned much either, delivering newspapers around the city would have helped them to live what they would likely have called 'the good life'.
On the one hand, this could be seen as many people working together; if only one person tried to deliver hundreds, if not thousands of newspapers across all of New York City, it would take them far too long. However, with dozens of children scrambling to collect newspapers to dish out to the public, it makes their job easier. This ties in with Adams stating that the original colonists of America had 'no chance to get ahead unless others came also, by birth or immigration', being proof that Americans working together can achieve great things, even if it's only delivering the newspapers on time.
However, this scrambling could also be seen in a negative light, as it could be implied that, like in the Old World, it's a fight to survive in New York. This seems particularly evident when two of the children in the film start fighting, as if whoever is slower out of the two won't get to deliver newspapers and will thus go hungry tonight. This is almost reminiscent of how the original colonists, particularly in the less-fortunate New England colonies like Plymouth and Weymouth, would likely have fought over basic essentials.
Cullen talks about the 'social cement...loosening' at the turn of the century, however I think the same could be applied to the turn of the 20th century, what with rising social unrest and mass industrialisation. This also relates to Adams talking about how, no matter how '[industrialist]...the settlers were, in many respects, success in State building could come only by cooperation'. This means that people had to put aside their self-interests in favour of the collective good, if a new life was to be carved out, and that can be seen here with the children working together to not only get the job done but also improve their collective lot in life.
https://www.loc.gov/item/00694376/
file:///C:/Users/Callum%20Edwards/Downloads/jim%20cullen.pdf
file:///C:/Users/Callum%20Edwards/Downloads/AM1212-James_Truslow_Adams-The_epic_of_America-Chapter_of_The_epic_of_America-pp214-221.pdf
On the one hand, this could be seen as many people working together; if only one person tried to deliver hundreds, if not thousands of newspapers across all of New York City, it would take them far too long. However, with dozens of children scrambling to collect newspapers to dish out to the public, it makes their job easier. This ties in with Adams stating that the original colonists of America had 'no chance to get ahead unless others came also, by birth or immigration', being proof that Americans working together can achieve great things, even if it's only delivering the newspapers on time.
However, this scrambling could also be seen in a negative light, as it could be implied that, like in the Old World, it's a fight to survive in New York. This seems particularly evident when two of the children in the film start fighting, as if whoever is slower out of the two won't get to deliver newspapers and will thus go hungry tonight. This is almost reminiscent of how the original colonists, particularly in the less-fortunate New England colonies like Plymouth and Weymouth, would likely have fought over basic essentials.
Cullen talks about the 'social cement...loosening' at the turn of the century, however I think the same could be applied to the turn of the 20th century, what with rising social unrest and mass industrialisation. This also relates to Adams talking about how, no matter how '[industrialist]...the settlers were, in many respects, success in State building could come only by cooperation'. This means that people had to put aside their self-interests in favour of the collective good, if a new life was to be carved out, and that can be seen here with the children working together to not only get the job done but also improve their collective lot in life.
https://www.loc.gov/item/00694376/
file:///C:/Users/Callum%20Edwards/Downloads/jim%20cullen.pdf
file:///C:/Users/Callum%20Edwards/Downloads/AM1212-James_Truslow_Adams-The_epic_of_America-Chapter_of_The_epic_of_America-pp214-221.pdf
Bowman's Folly on Folly Creek.
Bowman's Folly on Folly Creek, Accomack vic., Accomack County, Virginia.
The image reveals the historic house of
Bowman’s Folly on Folly Creek, Accomack County, Virginia. In context, the house
was built by Edmund Bowman, Justice of Accomack. The house was later inherited
by the Cropper family when Bowman’s daughter married, and has remained within the
Cropper family ever since.
This source presents an ideal of what could be
considered a stereotypical traditional view of the ‘American Dream’. It depicts
a grand white house with white pillars, a porch, and its own land. It is an
idealistic view of a home that many Americans may have previously, or to this
present day, aspired to. For instance, this has been reflected in the on-screen
adaptation of ‘The Notebook’ where Noah aims to afford and restore the
traditional, American house that he envisioned for himself and Allie. Overall,
it reinforces the fundamental concepts of hard work over a long duration of
time to achieve the dream.
When looking closely at the concept of the
American dream, both Cullen’s and Adams present slightly different views. Cullen’s
suggests, there is no singular view or idea of the ‘American Dream’. For some,
it holds connotations of religious freedom, the declaration of independence,
economic prosperity, racial equality, and more. Therefore, Cullen’s may infer
from this source that it is someone’s American dream, but not a universal
dream. Similarly, Adams suggests the dream is wider that a materialistic motive.
It is not the connotations of wealth or grandeur that underpin the ‘American
Dream’, but instead, it is the “dream of
social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the
fullest stature of which they are innately capable”. While this picture may be
an example of an ‘American Dream’, Adams would argue that the concept has a
wider meaning.
However, this utopian image also establishes
an unrealistic dream for many Americans. As Cullen suggests, a major problem
surrounding the ‘American Dream’ is the resolution. If, for whatever
circumstances, a person does not achieve their ‘American Dream’, it is often
unclear as to why that is. Even people of the highest social ranks are not guaranteed
to achieve the dream. This has been shown in American film and literature. For
example, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ and Tennessee Williams’ ‘A
Streetcar Named Desire’. Both show characters in different circumstances that will
never achieve their personal ‘American dream’.
Sources:
file:///C:/Users/gbenn/Downloads/AM1212-James_Truslow_Adams-The_epic_of_America-Chapter_of_The_epic_of_America-pp214-221.pdf
https://www.loc.gov/item/csas200904051/
https://winchester.instructure.com/courses/2521/files/280564/download?wrap=1
Adams and the American Dream
 |
| https://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/S?ammem/psbib:@field(SUBJ+@od1(Clothing+and+dress++fraternal+organization)) Nebraska State Historical Society |
This is an image taken in Ansley, Nebraska. It is an image of Modern Woodmen of America, a fraternal organisation founded in the 1883. As a fraternal benefit society, Modern Woodmen of America is an organisation that was established in order to provide mutual aid, one of the most common being insurance. This image shows the membership of this group from a small area and as members they work together in society providing each other with benefits and aid. It illustrates Adams' ideas on the American Dream. Adams argues that the American Dream is not about money and material possessions, rather it is about functioning well in a society and fulfilling your potential. The men in the image are an example of how small communities can function and work in harmony in order to achieve their potential. My becoming members of the Modern Woodmen of America, these men provide each other with mutual benefits such as insurance, real estate, bookkeeping classes and practicing law. This allowed them to improve their lives and function well as a community as a whole by working together. The organisation still exists today with a focus on the insurance side of things. It has over 750,000 members that predominantly come from Midwestern states. Many insurance companies, banks and mutual finance groups can trace their heritage back to this organisations that were established in order to offer benefits and aid to its members in order to allow communities to flourish. They are an evolved version of these groups and offer services to customers in order to allow communities today to live up to their potential.
Photo of a building on fire in Washington DC, 1920
https://www.loc.gov/item/npc2007002626/
This is a photograph, taken in 1920, of firemen attempting to put out a fire outside a building in Washington D.C. Firstly, this highlights the point that Adams made that if a single man attempted to build a house, the chances are that something (Adams suggested an 'Indian') would cause it to be destroyed and consequently society would not progress. However, if a group of people started building and working together, they'd have the manpower to ward off any danger to their civilisation and be able to develop in harmony. This image shows that indeed American people have worked together to build cities and enhance their quality of life. It also shows the kind of threat that could be posed towards American society in the form of fire. Supporting Adams' theory though, American society had developed sufficiently that they had firefighters ready to help those in need and try to put out the fire. American people have built a society that functions by putting people in different roles and when they are called upon, they are expected to perform and do their duty.
This image also depicts the 'American Dream'. Cullen explains that there is "no one American Dream" and this is supported in the photo. The 'American Dream' isn't the concept that everyone should be extremely wealthy just because they are American. It is more personal than that. The fact that there is a functioning society to go and be a part of, is arguably more of what the 'American Dream' is, and this is supported in the photograph. The firefighters are a key role in society, saving the lives of those inside the building (I am assuming there are people inside). I would argue that the people inside the building are living the 'American Dream'. The buildings look residential, so it is assumed that whoever is inside lives there, suggesting they have an occupation and some sort of income. Moreover, they live in the United States where they have the luxury of fire departments, even in the 1920s, which can be argued is part of the 'American Dream'. The fact that their property would have been damaged is a hindrance, as it is unclear how much of their property would have survived. But ultimately they lived in a fully functioning American society that was very prosperous in the early and mid 1920s due to the money the USA attained from the First World War.
References:
https://www.loc.gov/item/npc2007002626/
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=yM96DK4ELZkC&pg=PA3&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false
file:///C:/Users/Rob%20Brown/Downloads/AM1212-James_Truslow_Adams-The_epic_of_America-Chapter_of_The_epic_of_America-pp214-221.pdf
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)