Identity Politics

Posted on June 20, 2010 by Bogdan

Identity politics happens when members of an explicit subgroup get together in order to affect political or social change. Identity politics is not limited to the major racial or gender divisions, but extends into sexual orientation, ethnicity, citizenship status and other instances where a specific group feels persecuted. Homosexuals could organize political rallies to have stronger hate crime laws created or allow same-sex partners to qualify for marital benefits.

By identifying himself or herself as an African-American or a homosexual or a feminist, a person could focus his or her energy on a specific political cause.  Under the focused umbrella of identity politics, such a compromise would have been much more difficult to achieve. This is why many organized minority political groups have largely abandoned the identity politics model for a more comprehensive approach to common goals. 

Image source: http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/B/3/2/politics-yin-yang-sac0407bc.jpg

Posted in 1960-1968, Cultural History, June 21 assignment, Midterm Exam Review, Political history, Social History | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Identity Politics

Colin Luther Powell

Posted on June 19, 2010 by slemonde

Colin Luther Powell was born in April 5, 1937. He is an American statesman and a retired four-star General in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State (2001–2005), serving under President George W. Bush. He was the first African American appointed to that position. During his military career, Powell also served as National Security Advisor (1987–1989), as Commander of the U.S. Army Forces Command (1989) and as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–1993), holding the latter position during the Gulf War. He was the first, and so far the only, African American to serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Colin Powell was against the idea of invading Iraq. In November 2004, he resigns his position as Secretary of State, and three other Cabinet secretaries resigned as well.

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Enron corporation

Posted on June 19, 2010 by Sofiya

The bankruptcy and the failure of the Enron Corporation in 2001 shook investors and leads to congressional hearings. Congress reacted to the collapse of Enron, WorldCom, and other companies, when it affirmed the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002 (known as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act after its congressional sponsors). Both sponsors seek to reinforce the integrity of the federal security disclosure system and to federalize specific aspects of public corporation law. New financial scandals at other companies like WorldCom and MCI proved that Securities Regulations had severe accounting problems in the public traded companies. Lack of audit independences, financial disclosure, and corporate responsibility; conflicts of interest analyst, accountability corporate and criminal fraud; commission resources and authority; public company board accounting oversight; white-collar crime; corporate and accountability fraud–all these elements of misconduct exposed to Congress passed Sarbanes-Oxley as a regulatory response.

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The Baby Boom (1946-1964)

Posted on June 19, 2010 by rbanik

Young males returning to the United States, Canada, and Australia following tours of duty overseas during World War II began families, which brought about a significant number of new children into the world. This dramatic increase in the number of births from 1946 to 1964 (1947 to 1966 in Canada and 1946-1961 in Australia) is called the Baby Boom.

In the United States, approximately 79 million babies were born during the Baby Boom. Much of this cohort of nineteen years (1946-1964) grew up with Woodstock, the Vietnam War, and John F. Kennedy as president; thus they had major implications on the social and cultural developments during those decades. Baby Boomers are now middle age and entering senior years. In the economy, many are now retiring and leaving the labor force.

(US birth rate (births per 1000 population)    <U.S.BirthRate.1909.2003.png>

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The Cuban Missle Crisis

Posted on June 19, 2010 by Fernando

In 1962, American spy planes discovered Soviets installing nuclear missles in Cuba that could reach the U.S. After intense negotiations, Soviet leaders agreed to withdraw missles from Cuba and the U.S. agreed not to attack Cuba. They also agreed upon a treaty that banned the testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere and space.

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Greensboro Sit-In

Posted on June 19, 2010 by wrosas

The Greensboro Sit-Ins  were an instrumental action in the African-American Civil Rights Movement, leading to increased national sentiment at a crucial period in American history. It all started with four African-American students who decided to sit at a segregated lunch counter in Greenboro,  North Carolina, Woolworth’s Store. This lunch counter only had chairs/stools for whites, while blacks had to stand and eat. They were all aware that they weren’t goin to be served but they sat there anyways demonstrating their courage and determination to fight for their rights. Four days later 300 students were outside Woolworth’s protesting.

Posted in 1953-1960, Cultural History, June 16 assignment, Midterm Exam Review, Political history, Social History | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Greensboro Sit-In

BIRMINGHAM

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Yana

The Birmingham campaign was a strategic movement organized by the  (SCLC) to bring attention to the unequal treatment black Americans endured in Birmingham, Alabama, the most segregated city in the US in 1963

Organizers, led by Martin Luther King used non-violent direct action tactics to defy laws they considered unfair. King led a massive protest in Birmingham that caught the attention of the entire world, providing what he called a coalition of conscience. After the campaign ran low on adult volunteers, high school, college, and elementary students were trained by SCLC coordinator James Bevel to participate, resulting in hundreds of arrests and an instant intensification of national media attention on the campaign. The campaign used a variety of nonviolent methods of confrontation, including sit-ins at libraries and lunch counters, kneel-ins by black visitors at white churches, and a march to the county building to mark the beginning of a voter-registration drive.To dissuade demonstrators and control the protests the Birmingham Police Department, led by Eugine Connor, used high-pressure water jets and police dogs on children and bystanders. King was among 50 Birmingham residents ranging in age from 15 to 81 years who were arrested on April 12, 1963. It was King’s 13th arrest.

While imprisoned for having taken part in a nonviolent protest, Dr. King wrote the now famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail”

Posted in 1960-1968, June 21 assignment, Midterm Exam Review | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Iran-Contra Affair

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Thomas

The Iran-Contra Affair was a political scandal revealed in 1986 which related to events that took place earlier in Reagan’s administration. Hezbollah, a political group in Lebanon, had taken numerous Americans hostage. In an effort to increase US-Iranian relations, the US would indirectly sell weapons through Israel to Iran and in turn, Iran would do everything in its power to convince Hezbollah to release the hostages. The plan essentially became an arms-for-hostage affair.

In 1984, Congress banned American aid to the Contras of Nicaragua who were trying to overthrow the communist Sandinista government. Colonel Oliver North along with other high ranking military personnel, devised a plan in which some of the profits from the weapons sale to Iran would be diverted to aiding the Contras. It was widely known that Reagan was a supporter of the Contra cause, but there has never been any proof which shows Reagan authorized the diversion of profits from the weapons sales to the Contras.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8XWZcL7ZyY

Posted in 1969-1988, June 21 assignment, Midterm Exam Review, Political history | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Dwight Eisenhower

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Qi

He was the 34th President of the United States from 1953-1961. He kept the containment policy in the Cold War and ended the Korean War in 1953. In 1954, his administration announced “massive retaliation” toward Soviet Union, that United States would fought back if US had recieved any attack from Soviet. He also decided to build Interstate Highway System to protect national security from attacking. His “Eisenhower Doctrine” provided aid and sent troops to the Mideast in order to prevent the spread of communism. Space Race started with Soviet after it launched the Sputnik satellite in 1957.

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McCarthyism

Posted on June 17, 2010 by Jing

The extreme opposition to communism shown by U.S. Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and his supporters in the 1940s and 1950s. It’s the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, esp. of pro-Communist activity, in many instances unsupported by proof or based on slight, doubtful, or irrelevant evidence. It’s also the practice of making unfair allegations or using unfair investigative techniques, esp. in order to restrict dissent or political criticism.

The examples include the speeches, investigations, and hearings of Senator McCarthy himself; the Hollywood blacklist, associated with hearings conducted by the House Committee on Un-American Activities; and the various anti-communist activities of the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover. McCarthyism was a widespread social and cultural phenomenon that affected all levels of society and was the source of a great deal of debate and conflict in the U.S. (“Wikipedia”)

The image is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism

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