Final Blog Post

I enjoyed my time in this class during the semester. This was my second history course taken at Baruch College. My first history class did not go as in-depth on certain time periods as much as this class has. I had no idea how the United States economic system functioned right after the United States gained their independence. Learning about how people gained power during this time period was fascinating to me. I also learned more about capitalism in this class. I learned how the concept of capitalism was used throughout history. Slavery can be viewed as a form of capitalism due to the amount of products made by slaves. These products would make the slave owners extremely wealthy.

Another thing I enjoyed about this class was the readings. These readings gave me a better understanding on what was going on during certain time periods. The chapter “Reflation and Relief” by Eric Rauchway went into great depth on the new deal. I did know that the new deal helped get the United States out of the Great Depression, but I didn’t know how. This chapter goes into great detail about the banks and all the programs that were made to help citizens get jobs. I also enjoyed reading Richard White’s “Railroaded: Creative Destruction”. I enjoyed this reading because it talks about the negative effects that innovations can have. The creation of railroads were great for transportation, however it lead to several negatives such as the overhunting of animals. I found this reading interesting because major innovations are mainly talked about in a positive way. This reading talked about the negative effects the railroads have had.

In conclusion I learned a lot during this semester. This course talked about time periods I was interested in such as The American Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. Learning about how economics and business has changed throughout history was interesting. The readings for this course were also enjoyable. They provided more in-depth analysis on what was going on during a specific time period.