Research Paper Thesis

Matilda Banker-Johnson

Period F

3.30.08

Watergate, a greatly publicized and well-known political scandal in the 1970s, negatively affected the public's trust in their government, particularly because of the discovery of the cover up, the Saturday Night Massacre, the Watergate tapes, and President Ford pardoning Nixon without explanation.

Cape Cod Times Article

Today there are many ways to receive news and information. We can learn what is going on around the world concerning political, environmental, social, health, and sports’ issues. As a young person it is most important that my generation understands today’s events in order to be prepared for the future. While it is becoming less common among my peers to read the newspaper, it is still my primary source for information, particularly about the happenings within my community.
When I read the newspaper, it is almost always a Massachusetts-based paper, and one of three, depending on where I am, and what time it is. The newspaper I read the most is the Cape Cod Times. It is delivered to my home every morning, and if I have time to look at it before school, I do, if not, I read it after I finish my homework. On Tuesday evenings, I glance through The Falmouth Enterprise, my town’s local paper. Often The Enterprise has interesting and important local articles. On Friday evenings I work at a restaurant, and if it is not busy, my coworkers and I will read the community newspapers and discuss the different articles. We read both The Enterprise and the Cape Cod Times. On Saturday or Sunday mornings my dad and I will get up early, around six-thirty or seven, and go for a walk, and then go to one of the nearby coffee shops. While we sip our hot chocolates, we both read the newspaper. One of us will read The Boston Globe, while the other reads the Cape Cod Times. When each is done, we’ll switch papers. While the Cape Cod Times is the best paper to know what is going on in the Cape Cod Community, and New England communities, The Globe is great for learning about more global issues.
While many of my peers prefer the Internet, I love reading the newspaper. I’m a bit of a traditionalist, and sitting down to a cup of tea or hot chocolate and eating a bagel while reading the newspaper is an ideal morning for me. It’s just more comforting to hold the paper in my hands, and smell the ink. It’s relaxing to read not only news articles, but also my horoscope, and the comics, or to do the crossword, and solve the Sudoku. I know it’s becoming old-fashioned in a high-tech world, but it’s still important to me to be aware of global and community events by way of something other than a screen or monitor.
Of course, I am a part of Generation-Y, so it would be off-base to say that I do not like or use prominent technological advances. I listen to 106.1 WCOD radio in the morning for the weather and music. I check my Yahoo! Mail™ email everyday, which also gives me news Yahoo! News™ updates. I do parts of my homework on the computer, and I listen to my iPod almost constantly, with different podcasts such as NPR: Health and Science, Princeton University Lecture Series, and Merriam-Webster’s “Word of the Day.” However, it’s the newspaper that keeps me grounded and connected to my community and to my family.

# 4 paragraph

After the Spanish-American War, the U.S. Quickly gained control of the Pacific Ocean. American Imperialists saw the control of the Pacific as a gateway to China, which had since become known as the “sick man of Asia” because many European countries had put settlements there, and spheres of influence. These spheres of influence were areas where each country claimed special rights and economic privileges, and adding to problems with war, they weakened China greatly. America was afraid that these spheres of influence would completely carve out China into colonies, and nothing would be left to the U.S. traders, so the Secretary of State at the time, John Hays, issued the Open Door notes, which were policy statements, protecting American interests in China. They stated that Americans believed that the growth of the U.S. economy depended on exports, felt the U.S. had a right to intervene abroad to keep foreign markets open, and that they feared the closing of an area to American products, citizens or ideas, saying that to was important to U.S. survival. Meanwhile, in China, a secret group of rebels called the Boxers, pledged to rid their country of the “foreign devils.” During Boxer Rebellion, the Boxers killed thousands of missionaries and foreigners (because that was who mainly occupied the Chinese cities), but when the Europeans and Americans fought back (the U.S. bring about 2,500 soldiers to China), the rebellion was over in two months, and thousands of Chinese people died in the fighting. These events and policies showed the military and economical influence that was emanating from America, because of the settlement, trading, and the ability to help put down a rebellion in China.

Group 1 Thesis and Blog

Thesis:
The United States was successful in extending military and economic control worldwide immediatley follwing the Spanish-American War because of deals made in the Treaty of Paris, in which the U.S. gained military bases in Cuba and Guam, and bought and controlled land for crops, like sugar, in the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Cuba. This control in the Pacific Ocean led to control in foreign affairs, and business and trading in China.

Paragraph:
After the Spanish-American War, Spain forfeited Puerto Rico to the U.S. in the Treaty of Paris. During and after the Spanish-American War, Puerto Rico was occupied by the U.S. military, until Congress decided to set up a civil government, showing that the U.S. had a protective and powerful military. In 1900, Congress passed the Foraker Act, to end military rule and begin civil government. The Foraker Act gave the U.S. president the power to appoint the governer and upper house of government in Puerto Rico. This showed economic influence because it allowed the U.S. to have more trading oppurtunities because the U.S. could select the important people, who shared the same interests, for important offices. The Puerto Ricans were allowed to vote for the lower house members, and in 1917, Congress granted Puerto Ricans U.S. citizenship. The U.S. economy grew, and and control in the world for the U.S. grew because of the growing number of the U.S. citizens.

The Spanish-American War

1. What were the consequences of the war for Spain and the United States?

The consequences of the war were that Spain lost control of Cuba, Guam, and Puerto Rico to the United States. The United States also bought the Philippines from Spain for $20 million. The United States by then had an empire.

2. Why did the Treaty of Paris cause such debate among Americans?

The Treaty of Paris caused so much debate between Americans because of imperialism, although it was masked by the question of whether we had the right to annex the Philippines. Some people questioned annexing the Philippines because of the Deceleration of Independence, saying that it violated a new territories right to self government. Others worried about Filipinos taking American jobs as immigrants, and settling race issues in the States before taking on social issues in other places

Jane Addams

1.What kind of programs do you think helped immigrants the most?
The kinds of programs that I thought helped immigrants the most were probably the centers for the immigrants’ children and the classes that taught English and job skills. I believe that the kindergarten was beneficial because then the immigrants could learn English and job skills without worrying about their children, and their children were learning English and skills in kindergarten. The English and Job Skills courses were also very beneficial to immigrants because they gave them the edge over other, unskilled, non-English speaking immigrants when it came to jobs.

2.On what basis do you think Addams qualified for the Nobel Peace Prize?
I think Addams qualified for the Nobel Peace prize because she was pro-peace, a major women’s rights and opportunities advocate, she created the first juvenile court system, and convinced Illinois to require factories to have safety inspections.

Trade Unions

#5. Hypothesizing: If the government had supported unions instead of management in the late 19th century, how might the lives of workers been different?
If the government had supported unions instead of management in the late 19th century, the lives of the workers might have been different. They probably would have been better paid, with better hours and actual compensations. Instead they worked for over 12 hours a day with no sick days, vacations, unemployment compensation, or reimbursement for injuries suffered at work. If the government had favored the unions, their strikes might have been more effective.

#7. Why did workers form unions in the late 19th century?
Workers formed unions in the late 19th century because they wanted to consolidate forces to get better conditions, and higher wages.

#8. What factors limited the success of unions?
The factors that limited the success of unions were the power of the major companies, the government, and violence during strikes. The companies would forbid union meetings, fired union members, and forced new employees to sign contracts saying they wouldn’t join unions. The government would interfere with federal troops and break up strikes. If someone reported that a strike, picket line, boycott, etc. was interfering with interstate commerce, the government would break it up. Violent strikes turned the public against the labor movement.