Mutually Assured Destruction

Mutually Assured Destruction 

              We are growing up in an age where it is not uncommon for us to hear about nuclear weapons, this is era is know as the Atomic Age. This is a very controversial topic that is used in conversation and debates all around the world. People either believe that nuclear weapons are a great source of protection and should be kept close or they believe that there is no need for nuclear weapons and they should be diminished all together.

              The end of WWII was the first time that nuclear weapons were really used. When the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, ending the war, the atomic age began. The U.S. wanted "to keep the new weaporn a monopoly only to be used by them but this soon changed after the secret got out. Four years after the U.S. dropped the atomic bombs the Soviet Union detonated there first nuclear weapons, the United Kingdom followed in 1952, France followed in 1960, and China followed in 1964."(Arms Control Association). After the second world war the United States and the Soviets were not on the best terms and this led into the Cold War, a war in which no fighting occurred, however if one made an attack with nuclear weapons the other would attack back with nuclear weapons. This was the beginning of what is known as mutual assured destruction or MAD. The actual definition from of mutual assured destruction is as follows, “A doctrine of military strategy and national security in which a full-scale use of high-yield weapons of mass construction by two or more opposite sides would cause the complete annihilation of both the attacker and the defender. To achieve mutual assured destruction both states must be self preserving, have large stockpiles of nuclear weapons, and have a secure second strike."(Wikepidea)

             The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 was the thing that got the idea of a full on nuclear war stated. Both the United States and the Soviet Union had the capability to launch a “nuclear- tipped missile from a submarine”, this completed the nuclear triad that was necessary to apply the MAD doctrine. This was the first time in history that we had the power to completely annihilate the human race.  “MAD has been compared to two men standing 10 feet apart, each of them holding a revolver pointed at the other man's head. The revolver is loaded, their fingers are on the trigger, quivering, and they are shouting insults at each other. This vivid metaphor captures the mutual terror that was at the base of our security policy during the Cold War.” I found this eye opening metaphor for a speech given by Secretary of Defense William Perry in Washington on Thursday, January 05, 1995. This speech was given to help calm the people after the Cold War that nuclear war was to be understood but not feared. After the Cold War ended in 1991 the Treaty of the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was brought to the table. This was a treaty whose objective was to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and nuclear technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to reach the goal of nuclear disarmament. This is the only treaty that has the goal to disarm nuclear weapon states, it was enforced in 1970 and on May 11, 1995 was extended indefinitely. 190 parties have joined the treaty and out of these the five major nuclear weapon states have signed.

               Now that the threat of total world annihilation has died down people are starting to wonder if it is smart to allow thousands of nuclear weapons to be stockpiled and ready for action in a mere fifteen minutes. People believe that this is just setting us up for nuclear war instead of being a protective agent against it, that keeping them around is actually harming us instead of helping us. The United States alone has 7,506 nuclear weapons and those aren’t counting the ones that are dismantled or waiting to be dismantled. As an entire world we have a total of 17,105 nuclear weapons, enough to destroy the planet multiple times over. (Fact Sheet Global Nuclrar Weapons Inventions in 2014).To the people that want to get rid of all the nuclear weapons these statics are scare tactics to get people to realize the sizable amount of weapons that we have. To a believer in the positivity of nuclear weapons these statics give them a sense of pride in the vast amounts of weapons that we have created.

              Nuclear weapons sound bad and what they do is bad, however the idea behind them is good. Nuclear weapons were made for protection like every other weapon ever made. The only difference between the two is the intenseness that the nuclear weapon holds. The ability to wipe out an entire city, state, country had never even been discussed until WWII and the almost normality of having it was not imaginable until the Cold War.  Protection is why nuclear weapons are made and why they are till important to have around today. Without them we would not be able to defend ourselves like we can today, everything would be different.

             With the positive to keeping nuclear weapons around also comes the negative." Nuclear weapons have the possibility to lead to nuclear terrorism, this treat is low but the consequences would be dire, we also face new states acquiring nuclear weapons and the collapse of the Non- Proliferation Regime (Joseph Citincione: Scholars Online), an interlocking system of treaty’s that has limited the spread of nuclear weapons."(Dictionary.com). All of these and more could happen if nuclear war begins to strike again. People feel so strongly about the idea of totally diminishing the world’s supply of nuclear weapons that they are willing to go to any length to fight for it, from rallies to protests all the way to websites. I found one website that really suck out to me called GlobalZero.com. It features background information, statistics, media, and places to join and donate to their cause of stopping the use of nuclear weapons. The passion that is embodied through this website is just a small example of the intenseness that this topic has all around the world.

             Mutually assured destruction was a doctrine that helped to give a sense of understanding to the confusion of the Cold War. There has been a fear of total world population wipe out but sense the ending of the Cold War this fear has lessened for some and grown for others. This topic is always going to be very controversial because it can't not be with the intensity that it holds. It literally holds the entirety of the people in the worlds life's in its metaphorical hands. The idea of demising the worlds supply of nuclear weapons is a great idea however this can never happen because of the power that nuclear weapons hold. Every country that already has nuclear weapons could never agree to completely erase nuclear weapons and time goes on more and more countries are beginning to obtain them. Nuclear weapons are used as a protective agent and should be taken seriously and should be kept close. 

Chart of Nuclear Weapons Around the World 







Photo from above Hiroshima After First Atomic Bomb was Dropped








The Atomic Bombs, Little Boy and Fat Man, on Display

Cold War Propaganda

















                                                                               

Stockpile of Nuclear Weapons                               














Sites:
 Wikipedia: Mutually Assured Destruction
I used this site at the very beginning to get a very brief overview on mutual assured destruction and to get a basis of knowledge to help my further research.
Global Zero
This site is a anti nuclear weapons site that I used to find opinions on how people felt about nuclear weapons. This was very helpful because if gave me factual and opinionated evidence onto their believes.
Encyclopedia Britannica: Mutual Assured Destruction
I used this site similar to how I used Wikipedia as in I used it to get basic information and I also used it to get more facts and simple things that helped me actually understand what I was researching.
Arms Control Center
This site was helpful in getting true statistics on the amount of nuclear weapons each country had. It was crazy to learn the actual amount of weapons that we have obtained as a world.
U.S. Department of Defense Speech
This was one of my primary sources that I used and that I got one of my quotes from. It showed me how people were dealing with the things happening around them and how that took control of these situations.
Cold War History
To get a better understanding of the Cold War and what happened throughout it, I used this site to help me do this. I was researching so much on mutual assured destruction and I kept hearing about the Cold War which I did not know much about so I used this site to give me basic knowledge on it.
Joseph Crincione Video
These videos were interviews with a professor asking him about how he feels about different aspects of nuclear war. This helped greatly because it gave opinions as well as facts. It gave me the information on how the bad things that could happen if nuclear war struck.
United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs

I used this site to find another treaty that helped me to back up other things that I have said. It is also

a treaty which allows me to have actual evidence for support. 

Cinderella Man Essay

Cinderella Man Essay 

           Fairy tales are meaningful stories that are meant to give hope and give people joy. In most peoples life's they have heard the saying, "This is real life it isn't a fairy tale". However I think that this statement is incorrect. Knowing the different between imaginary and reality is an important thing that needs to be learned before growing up however they are different not opposites. There is an obvious reason children are much more happier than adults, they have the imagination bug. There minds are filled with anything and everything that they can think up, and as you get older your mind starts to get filled with much more logistical things. The movie, Cinderella Man, shows the amazing rise of underdog boxer Jimmy Braddock. Jimmy brings hope and joy to peoples life's who haven't seen hope and joy for a long time. Like the name suggests the story of Jimmy Braddock is more of a fairly tale but not in the ways you would think. Cinderella Man did an incredible job at telling an emotional and inspirational fairy tale as well as exposing audiences to facts about the Great Depression experienced by the average american.

          The beginning the movie does a great job at showing life before the stock market crash, from the happiness painted on everyones faces, to the clothes, and even the hairstyles. The 1920s were filled with dancing and music, this opening seen helped to enhance this. When Jimmy comes home to his beautiful wife with the done up hair and intricate dress on, the view begins to see how well off the Braddock's are without ever having to say anything. It then forwards to harder times, showing the belongings sold and the movement of homes. Without a word the viewer can see the emotion change in an instant, creating the same feelings that most felt when the stock market actually crashed. The hardship that was enhanced through color and background choice allowed for the entire picture to be set as to what the Great Depression actually looked like, which in fact was very historically accurate. The small living quarters, the dirtiness of the streets, and even the Hoovervilles that were shown. If these things were left out of the movie there would not have been enough realism in the movie.

          In the middle of the movie the audience sees Jim struggling to get money or even jobs. The scene where Jim goes to the docks and has to beg to get chosen to work was completely accurate, everyone needed jobs in that time people and there were simply not enough to go around. Also the scene where Jim goes to the relief line to get money to help pay the bills and get his children back were accurate as well. The United States were in shambles and the only thing they knew they could do was give out pensions so they did. Without this money many people would have not been able to live, it is also true that Jimmy Braddock gave back money to the relief line once he could. This was not mandatory however he felt that they had helped him and now he could help someone else. Jimmy was not only giving people hope but also giving people a better life.

         Jimmy Braddock was an underdog that people could see themselves in. He wasn't a heroic figure but more of a average citizen advancing in the hardships of the Great Depression. This was exactly what people needed to see, they needed to see that people were dealing with whatever life threw at them. It may not be the punches that Jimmy was dodging but they hurt just as much. The main character in a fairly tale is normally seemed as a princess or a damsel in distress and in a very weird way that is why Jimmy was. By no means was he a princess however he was in distress and unlike most fairy tales he himself found a way out of it. This emotional and inspirational fairy tail that is being told only enhances the exposer to the facts about the Great Depression to the audience. Without the intense bond with the main character the emotionality could never be at the level that it was. The tugs on the heart strings would not be as intense and the water stinging the back of the eyes and the end would cease to exist. The fairy tale not only enhances the facts but also adds context to them. Facts can be read anywhere and can be understood after reading them. However context is what allows to brain to fully comprehend what was just learned. A moment, picture, scene that the mind can put with that true fact allows a much better chance of the memory of that fact.

       
          Cinderella Man is a compelling story that depicts a boxer in his prime that was taken down by the Great Depression and brought back up by willpower and intensity. The historical accuracy throughout allows for the truthfulness of the Great Depression to shine through the emotional tyrant that makes up the movie. I believe that emotion and reality go side by side and that you cannot have reality without emotion and a little bit of imagination. Fairy tales do not equal made up they equal hope. Hope must be had to maintain life, without hope all is lost.

Wikipedia of J Braddock 
YouTube Video of Original Fight
Rotton Tomatos

Day in Birmingham

Field Trip Experience: 16th Street Baptist Church and Civil Rights Institute

       My favorite part of the trip was going to the 16th Street Baptist Church because of the intenseness that the story behind the church holds. Learning about the bombing of the church and the killing of the three little girls in class was sad but nothing compared to actually standing in the place that it happened. I went into the girls bathroom with my friends before the tour started and didn't think anything of it. Coming out of the tour and thinking back it made me so sad. The fact that these three young girls were simply going to the bathroom and spending time together turned into a deathly experience. This field trip opened my eyes to the horrors that African Americans felt in Birmingham, it was so bad that they even nicknamed it Bombingham. While sitting in the park and thinking how children my age were standing right here getting ready to march for their freedom is something I had trouble comprehending. Then staring down the street and envisioning a child being send down it by a water hose while on another corner a group was running from a ravenous dog. The things that these children had to go to and being in the place that it all happened sent chills through me multiple times during the trip.

      The museum was also cool because of the visual affects that were all around everywhere you looked. From the photographs taken to the videos playing to the exhibits. It was also interesting to read personal things from people and how this time affected their lives. The thing that amazed me most from the museum was the artifacts that they had gathered from one of the girls of the church bombing. The exhibit consisted of the shoes she was wearing and a piece of brick that was found in her skull. To see this really gave me a sense of who she was and the terror that she had gone through.

Site of bombing at 16th Street Baptist Church 

Overall I learned I think that actually going to the places that we were learning so much about in class really made a difference on the way I now look at this era. It allowed us to form opinions for ourself not simply read others and go from their perspective.

Children being sprayed with firehose during the Children's March

Questions about World War I

1. World War I began in late June 1914 because of the assignation of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. During this war two groups of allies were formed the Central Powers and the Allied Powers. Germany, Austria-Hungry, and the Ottoman Empire made up the central powers while Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Japan, and later the United States made up the Allied Powers.

2. The United States entered the war on April 6, 1917 because of the sinking of the British passenger liner the Lusitania by a German submarine. This sinking killed 128 Americans, this sent tensions over the edge.

3. On November 11, 1918 at 11:00 a.m. World War I came to an end because of the signing of the armistice between Germany and the allies to ceasefire.

4. The terms of the armistice are as followed:
-All occupied lands in Belgium, Luxembourg, and France–plus Alsace-Lorraine, held since 1870 by Germany–were to be evacuated within fourteen days. 

-The Allies were to occupy land in Germany to the west of the River Rhine and bridgeheads on the river’s east bank up to a depth of thirty kilometers. 

-German forces had to be withdrawn from Austria-Hungary, Romania, and Turkey.

-Germany was to surrender to neutral or Allied ports 10 battleships, 6 battle cruisers, 8 cruisers, and 160 submarines.

-Germany was also to be stripped of heavy armaments, including 5,000 artillery pieces, 25,000 machine guns, and 2,000 airplanes.

-The naval blockade would continue

-5,000 locomotives, 150,000 railway cars, and 5,000 trucks would be confiscated from Germany.

-Germany would be blamed for the war and reparations would be paid for all damage caused.

The United States did not verify the treaty because they did not want to be a part of the league of nation. 

5. In the United States there was 320,710 casualties throughout WWI, including 204,002 injured; 63,195 diseased; out of 4,743,826 that served. 

Sources 
History Chanel: WWI
Americans Library
History Chanel: WWI Ends
The New York Times:WWI Ends
PBS: Great War Casualties

Birth Control Controversy

Birth Control in the late 19th and early 20th century was a very controversial topic. It caught the attention of women and men all around the world. Especially in the United States where in every magazine, newspaper, or street corner talk about the idea of birth control was everywhere. Birth control was such a controversial topic because this was the first time that sex had been thought of as something other than as use of procreation. This bothered some people because of religious beliefs, morals, and lifestyles. However others saw birth control as a great new invention that needed to be spoken about.

When the topic of birth control was first brought up, it was during a time of intense feminism, so this topic fit right in since it pertained to women. The rights of women was a main reason for the fights for contraceptives. Since women were the ones who were going through childbirth and having to take care of the children many people thought it was time for them to be able to have some sort of planing in their pregnancies. Tone a birth control activist said, "They feel it is important for women to gain political and social power by defending their roles as mothers and protectors of virtue." Before birth control for women was brought up everything depended on the men. Contraceptives were only made for men which didn't make much sense to the women because they were not the ones having involuntary pregnancies. Women began to think that no birth control was a disadvantage to their family and to themselves, they wanted to be as involved as the men. This brings back the idea of feminism and the equal rights between men and women.

Margaret Sanger is a name that goes hand in hand with birth control. She was a nurse turned birth control activist in the late 19th century. Margaret Sanger was the "pioneer of the American birth control movement" who argued that women such be free to enjoy the pleasures of sexual activity without any connection to procreation the same as men. Margaret Sanger's mother is thought to be the reasoning for her want to legalize birth control. Her mother died from tuberculous and exhaustion at the relatively young age of 50. She had eleven children that didn't even count her seven miscarriages. Sanger thought that the strain of the pregnancies had caused her mother to be weak and frail. She put her heart and soul in the legalization on women contraceptions and would not stop until her rights had been given. She fought for the repeal of the Comstock Laws, laws that had banned the distribution of contraceptives medications. Her fight consisted of challenging this law by distributing contraceptives and instructional literature to inform people of the rights in which they had. Margaret Sanger continued to live her whole life as a birth control activist and eventually got to see her idea of the birth control pill come to life.

People fought against birth control because of religion and morals. For the longest time sex was only used for procreation not pleasure. It was not a simple activity to be taken lightly, but a serious matter that no one seemed to take seriously anymore. Many people thought that women were put on this earth specifically for procreation and the fact that humans were taking advantage of this greatly aggravated them. Politicians and other important people feared the nation may be headed into a "time of sexual anarchy" that could not be stopped if continued. Some extremists even thought that the birth control pill was a major element in the falling apart of the standards of sexual mortality. In the bible it is said that a women should not lie with a man unless they are wed, so for most religious people unwed sex for pleasure was disrespectful to God.

The only way that activist such as Margaret Sanger could share her thoughts about birth control throughout the United States was through communication, persuasion, and collaboration. Without these three things the legalization of contraceptives could not have been possible. Communication was a big one because without the talking of birth control nothing would have started. The conversational aspect of any situation is key to the success of that situation. Ester Katz the editor of Margaret Sanger's Paper said, "Sanger, initially sought the support of liberal proponents of scientific eugenics in an effort to gather main stream support for birth control." This quote shows how Margaret Sanger used communication and collaboration to achieve her goal of contraceptions for women.

Birth control has come a long way since the topic was first brought up in the late 19th century. There are many different views and opinions on the subject and with this come both the positive and the negative. All it takes is one brave voice such as Margaret Sanger to start a worldwide phenomenon such as birth control. With many different aspects came the legalization of women contraceptives as well as the equality that men and women have now over this subject matter.

Birth Control Protester

Advertisement of America's First Birth Control Clinic

Margaret Sanger: Birth Control Activist

Present Day Birth Control

Margaret Sanger Paper:The Birth Control Review

Sources

1. HRC Margaret Sanger Segment I found this video to be very important to my research because it gave a look into how the people of this time period were dealing with the concept of birth control. It was a great primary source that put me into the time period. 

2. PBS Article on Margaret Sanger This source helped me to figure out why and exactly what Margaret Sanger was fighting for. 

3. Margaret Sanger Public Writing I found this source very important because it allowed me to read actual words of Margaret Sanger and be able to get into her head.This was a great primary source to use to figure out the way that she thought. 

4. Medicinenet History of Birth Control This was a good site to use because it allowed me to view the medical side of the topic instead of just the opinion and people based side. 

5. PBS Primary Source Article from 1966 This article found in a magazine in 1966 helps me to see the other views surrounding birth control, so I see both the positive and negative outlooks on it.

6. Margaret Sanger Bibliography I wanted to learn more about Margaret Sanger's background, how she grew up, family, etc. This bibliography was a great source for that.

7. History of Birth Control- Wikipedia Wikipedia was my first source that I looked out to get a bases understanding of my topic and learn a few things without getting to in depth.

8. American History Textbook

How Do You Analyze a Political Cartoon

When I am trying to analyze a political cartoon the first thing I do is look at the drawings and try and figure out the little hints and add ins used to portray the political situation.

Teachers Guide: Analyzing Political Cartoons
        -observe
        -reflect
        -question
These are the three steps that the guide told me to do when analyzing a political cartoon. I had the observing part correct but missed the refection and question asking section of the analyzation process. Now when I analyze a political cartoon I will not only observe what I see why question the importance and why it was but into the cartoon.

1.

Clifford Berryman Political Cartoon Collection
On first glance of this political cartoon my eyes went straight to the boot crushing the Philippines. Your mind then wanders over to the sign that says, "Notice. The US has requested to withdraw P.D.Q" and the little man next to the boot. After the observance I started to think about the meaning of all of these things and why they were placed into the cartoon. The boot is representing America because of the flag pattern on the pants and its overpowering hold that it has over the island. The small man next to the boot is used to show the Philippians are putting up for their country. This political cartoon causes the viewer to question the intrusion of the Philippians and to show the power that America had over them.

2.    Uncle Sam Political Cartoon WhiteBurden

  When observing this political cartoon the first obvious thing that is seen is Uncle Sam, Americas mascot spanking a Filipino with what looks like straw. The Filipino is drawn as a child being punished and Uncle Sam drawn as the father figure having to do the punishing. After I observed everything in the political cartoon, I then start to think of the importance of the parts of the cartoon. I think that Uncle Sam is spanking a Filipino because he is scolding him for not listening to him and being unfit to run his own country. This political cartoon causes the viewer to question the intenseness of the hold that America has over the Filipino community.








3. American Propaganda and War in the Philippines
This political cartoon is depicting three men one Filipino, one Hawaiian, and one Cuban joining together in celebration over the Independence of America. You can tell this by the American flags that are being waved and the caption of the cartoon itself. This cartoon is important because it shows the coming together of all the countries. The political cartoon makes you question why they didn't come together earlier because of the happiness that is seen on their faces.

1st Semester Essay

1st Semester Essay 

           The United States of America has undergone a mass of transformations since Columbus first set foot on American soil. So far in this year of US history class we’ve learned an ample amount of things from segregation, to reconstruction, to cowboys, to the industrial boom, and so much more. Through all these changes have come new economies, new forms of politics, and countless new societies.

In a way this is what I was most pleased to learn about the United States. I enjoyed studying all the hardships that the United States has surpassed, building up to the country that we live in today. Seeing the great business typhoons emerge and submerge as their legends live on for new generations to admire and learn from, as well as the rise and fall of fads such as the romanticized west. Retaining the knowledge of the allure of the United States and why it was so appealing to others; from the better job opportunities, to the political and religious freedom, to the overall opportunities that we had to offer.  Seeing the quantity of conversions that our country has gone trough as well as the success and failure that occurred to reach our present day position has allowed me to have a steady foothold in our past.

With all the good however came some bad, from our semester only one thing really displeased me about our countries history. The downgrading way that we treated the people that simply didn’t look like us for that reason alone. Stating off with the majorly obvious example of this, slavery. Native Americans were treated terribly because of the color tone in their skin, they were not allowed the chance to succeed in life simply because of this one thing that set them about from the “average” white American citizen. Elaborating on more people that were looked down upon in earlier society were immigrants in the early to late 19^th century. Simply because their native born country was not the United States, equal rights were not received. Lower wages, social isolation, and horrific living conditions were the effects of this patronization. Learning about the unfairness that was cast onto harmless lives was very unpleasing for me to hear about my beloved country.

From this semesters studies in ten years I will be able to talk about in great detail slavery and the impact that it had on me. If you were to stop anyone on the street and ask him or her if they knew what slavery was their answer would be yes. Everyone knows what slavery is, but a lot of people don’t really know the true horrors that come with slavery. Through the historical film study of 12 Years a Slave I was able to see the true feelings that were experienced and pain that was endured for numerous years. To me slavery is one of the most important things that an American citizen should know in great detail about because of the intenseness that it embodies.

If I were to name the time of history of the United States from 1865 to 1920 the name would be the Age of Transformation and Reformation, because of the changes that the United States went through in this time. Varying from social, to political, to economical change all add up to the country in which we call home today.