Category Archives: 1880-1890

Chinese Exclusion Act

Photocredit: University of California at Berkeley

This political cartoon from the late 1800s depicts the seething animosity towards Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s.  White immigrants and white Americans alike joined in accusations of the Chinese for stealing jobs and lowering wages.  They rallied to drive the Chinese out of their neighborhoods and forced them into concentrated slums all over the country and called it “Chinatown”.  This cartoon depicts a Chinese person with sub-human characteristics, as with many cartoons during that era.  It was a systematic attempt to dehumanize the Chinese population as to make whites feel more superior.  My film will highlights the discrimination and struggles of Chinese immigrants during that period.

Posted in 1865-1877, 1880-1890, 1890-1900, 1900-1916, 1916-1920, 1920-1932, 1932-1940, Cultural History, Final Exam Component, Social History | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Chinese Exclusion Act

Congressmen Dickstein – American fascism fighter.

400 rabbis column marching in Washington to draw attention to the plight of Holocaust victims in 1943. The video of the marching rabbis will be mixed with the footage of documentary chronicles of the children in concentrate camps like Auschwitz. The melodies of Jewish lullaby will play on a background. Beautiful and calm melody will only increase and emphasize the horror of the tragedy that was happening all over the Europe. Rabbis approaching the steps of the U.S. Capitol and meeting with Senator William Warren Barbour. The voice of the main hero – Congressmen Dickstein on a background saying: « Senator William Warren Barbour was one of a handful of politicians who proposed legislation that would have allowed as many as 100,000 victims of the Holocaust to emigrate temporarrily to the United States, but unfortunately he died six weeks later after introdusing the bill and it wasn’t passed. I introdused the parallel bill in the House of Representatives, which also failed to pass. During the Holocaust, fewer than 30,000 Jews a year reached the Unted States, and some were turned away due to immigration policies. The US didn’t change its immigration policies until 1948. Because of that so many many people died, that could be saved ……»

Posted in 1880-1890, 1890-1900, 1900-1916, 1916-1920, 1920-1932, 1932-1940, 1941-1945, 1945-1953, Final Exam Component | Comments Off on Congressmen Dickstein – American fascism fighter.

Evolution of Freedom [1865-1945]

The Evolution of Freedom begins in 1787

One of the iconic songs based of the Woodstock concerts was “Freedom” by Richie Havens. This video highlights a freedom revolution that occurs in 1969 but is based off a culmination of events before it. My documentary shows how freedom was subjective to the American populations and had different meaning evolve for it throughout the years. Foner does make a mention of this as the chapters progress, or in our case as we looked back at history. The documentary will begin and end with this song.

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Statue of Liberty

This is an image of statute of liberty. It was a gift given to the United States by France in 1886 to represent friendship between two countries established during the American Revolution. This image would be portrayed early in my movie. In the background during the Gilded Age, this statute would serve as a symbol of hope for immigrants. Many immigrants would look up to this statute to not only admire America but also find hope of freedom.

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Santa Fe railway in 1885

Sanra Fe railway was completed in 1885. As this map shown, it connected most states on the continent. what I want to express is that, the  railroad constuction opened a national market for businesses during the  Second Industrial Revolution. In other words, it formed the foundation of  our mature economy.

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The Symbol of Freedom and Friendship

The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World

To the sculptor form is everything and is nothing. It is nothing without the spirit – with the idea it is everything.

– Victor Hugo, May 13, 1885

The Statue of Liberty, standing in New York Harbor, is the most symbolic sculpture in United States. Since the inauguration on October 28th 1886, it is the first thing sea-borne visitors, immigrants, and returning Americans see upon entering New York Harbor and has been known as a beacon of freedom to much of the world.

The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World is the symbol of ideals of human liberty and friendship to the whole world. It was a gift, in 1884, by the people of France to represent the friendship between United States and France established during American Revolution. The statue is situated in Liberty Island in New York harbor, and French sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi designed the statue. The Statue of Liberty was declared a national monument by Presidential proclamation on October 15, 1924 and it earned UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1984.

The image is taken from the “Statue of Liberty” article of Wikipedia posted on November 13, 2007. This image is originated by William Warby on Flickr captured from the Circle Line ferry, Manhattan, New York.

Posted in 1880-1890, Cultural History, June 7 assignment | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment