Blog #11

Chapter 17 (pp.827-861)

In the beginning of this era people went from using mainly wood to produce heat, as well as water, wind and muscle power for energy to using coal and steam power.  This happened as the population exploded and there was what was termed an “emerging energy crisis”.  These are fossil fuels along with oil and natural gas are nonrenewable energy sources.  It is amazing that over 250 years ago they were dealing with the same problems relating to energy sources that we face today. As time moved forward and the equipment which was invented such as the power loom, steam engine, cotton gin and spinning jenny made it possible for things to be produced at a much faster rate than thought imaginable. The textile industry zoomed ahead at an unbelievable pace, followed by iron and steel, railroads and steamships and later chemicals, electricity and more machinery. Britain was basically the first to push through with all of these new methods and ways of doing things. Initially it appeared they would become and stay the wealthiest and ahead by far, in front of all other countries, when it came to production.  However, as time went on and other countries, such as the United States, made their way into the marketplace of taking part in the industrial revolution, quite the opposite was true of Britain. I find this very interesting and compare it to today’s society with anything new that comes on the market. Whether it be the new cell phone, a television with new technology, or computers, to mention a few items, if you are the first to own one, that does not necessarily mean you got the best deal around. I am sure that everyone has been in the situation, where at some point of time you have purchased something, only to have the price drop after six months or so to a much more affordable amount, with even some of the problems erased that are possible with a new item on the market. To me what happened in Britain is similar.Britain forged forward at a fast pace to be in the lead with regards to this revolution, being the first to try and invent new ways and new machinery to make production and manufacturing quicker. What they failed to realize at the time was the fact that yes, they were using things before anyone else, but at the same time they were doing things that others could make slight improvements on with even better results, perhaps even faster production.  So in the end, even though Britain was “the first” in many things having to do with the Industrial Revolution, they did not stay “in the front” as a leader later on in years. Fossil fuel, energy crisis, new inventions, unfair working conditions, labor unions, people on strike, unsanitary conditions, competitiveness to be first at something; political parties, one religion vs. another religion, all of these things and many more are things that have repeated themselves in history all the way to today.

Blog #10

Chapter 16 (798-811); Documents (812-825)

European countries and the Americas – looking to end slavery (except for the Southern states of the United States).  Why does West Africa still want slavery?  Because of how much the slaves are worth on the trade market and they supplied thousands. There was a huge decrease in slaves traded which meant the amount of money received for them went way down as well.  West and East Africa, both used these slaves themselves to work the export crops that the rest of the world wanted. Seems as if some of the blame that current people put on others for things that happened in past history, should be looked at carefully…did some of their own ancestors want and use slaves?  What a great time when people actually came to the realization that all people had natural rights to be treated fairly and equally. However, some people did not include women or slaves in these discussions.  One outcome due to this was the women’s movement. Women wanted to be considered equal to men when it came to almost everything. This obviously caused a huge uproar, since this was a time when not even all men were considered equal.  I really had no idea that the women’s movement was so prevalent way back in time. The slogan “you've come a long way baby” referred to back at this point in history to the present day. These movements made large progressive steps forward with setbacks along the way.  Slavery as it was known back then in history has evolved into human and child trafficking.  Women’s rights organizations are still fighting for equal pay for women who earn less than a man for the same job.  Again, history repeats itself over and over.

Blog #9

SND Handout

 

The backgrounds and childhoods of the two founders of the Sisters of Notre Dame, Julie Billart and Francoise Blin de Bourdon, could not have been more opposite.  However, from the time that each of them was young, they shared the desire to try and make life “more fair” for everyone, regardless of their social status or wealth.  Francoise, over the years, could not believe how poorly people were treated just because they were not aristocrats, even when it came to something as basic as food. She also was annoyed with the idea that women either had to be groomed to be a good wife, or go into seclusion as a nun, equating this to:  a virgin had to be a nun; and not out with the “public”- single for a lifetime, tempting men.   Julie, even though she was far down the social ladder, still felt fortunate that she was able to at least get the catechism part of education, and was eager to share with peasant children in her village.  Amazingly Julie was able to continue doing so, even after she was bedridden and partially paralyzed.  Throughout the years, some very strange things went on with the Church and politics.  The French wanted to be able to fill positions in their churches by having their own elections instead of the Rome having the authority to appoint and fill those positions.  Priests were supposed to “take an oath” and prove their loyalty and those who would not were “hunted down” as enemies of the State.  What kind of people, thinking they are religious people, would do this type of thing?  Julie had to go into hiding for a period of time that coincided with Francoise being in prison.  They became friends after the beginning, when Francoise was repulsed by Julie’s physical disabilities. They both realized they held the same respect for all people, regardless of their status of being rich or poor.  Both felt that every individual was entitled to the same things in life and wanted to do everything in their power to try and serve people and help them to achieve the very best things that were available to them.  This just reminds me of another example of how people from different backgrounds, races, genders, and different “social statuses” can have the same spirituality, emotions and feelings with regards to life in general.  Many have the same outlook when it comes to how people should be treated, regardless of what social status they have or how much money they have.  I believe this has to do with the inner person and their beliefs that everyone should be treated fairly, that one person is not better than another because of any type of “status” they have.

Blog #8

Chapter 16 (pp.781-797)

Everyone seemed to be struggling for independence including North America, Africa, Europe, Latin America, the French and the English. Dynasties and empires that had governed countries for hundreds of years seemed to collapse because of clashes between ideals and major political problems. Atlantic revolutions seemed to have in common that ideas based on European Enlightenment with regards to human action improving political and social arrangements. This brought many concerns to the “current chain of command” and disrupted the ways of living as they most knew them to be.  They wanted the authority to govern them to come from the people, not God (Church) as had been the case.  I think it was summed up well by John Locke:  “social contract between “ruler and the ruled” should last only as long as it serves the people well” Seems to me that is why we have elections here in the United States today. Again, I speak of history repeating itself.  The Atlantic revolutions brought change but from then to now, how much change, really? An example given in the book was in 1989, Chinese students leaving their own country to go to Paris and celebrate the French revolution as well as just four short years ago, the uprisings in the Middle East were compared to the French revolution. During the American revolution, they did not want to change their liberties, they just wanted to be able to have Americans in charge of being the rulers instead of Britain. It is said that the United States was considered the “hope and model of human race”. There was much discontent throughout with people wanting their independence, wanting to rule their own land and colonies or settlements. Most of the colony of Haiti was made up of slaves, with a small amount of plantation owners and poor whites, along with free of color people making up the rest of the colony. Rich white landowners did not think all whites were equal for citizenship. This really upset the poor white people. However the poor white people, as well as the rich white people, both groups fought the fact that “free people of color” stated that the rights of man meant all free people regardless of race. So what was wrong with this picture, the poor whites were initially being discriminated against by the rich white people. But the next time around, the poor white people were being just as discriminatory, if not more so, to the people of color. Later Haiti defined all of their people as black and legally equal regardless of color but discriminated against whites by not allowing them citizenship. So this type of discrimination was committed by both white and black and every color in between. A vicious circle still goes round and round today, with many people taking it back to the days of their ancestors.  Things will never change until people let go of the past, can study it for what it was, but do not take it as a personal attack today.

Blog #6

Chapter 15 (pp. 740-752) + Document 15.2, Condorcet (pp. 756-57)

The Scientific Revolution changed the way many thought about religion.  The way people viewed the universe, earth itself and human beings changed with ideas presented by intellectual scientists.  This seemed to panic some of the churches as it went against some of their teachings, while at the same time made way for cultural transformations as well.  During the time so much new information was discovered, especially with regards to the medical field, astronomy and math.  The church and the word corrupt never seem like they should be used together, however I find it quite disturbing that churches actually tried to shut people up and make them retract their findings because it did not agree with everything the church as teaching or preaching.  How sad that these churches lost the basics of the church being spiritual and that religion and science would compliment each other and survive together peacefully. Enlightenment was supposed to be progress but it sounds as if the church went backwards instead of forward with their thinking.  It is interesting that Marx and Darwin thought the opposite of Enlightenment, that struggle and conflict was progress moving forward.  I am sure that over long periods of time, similar thoughts such as the quote from the Ninth Epoch “The progress of philosophy destroyed within the general mass of people the prejudices that have afflicted and corrupted the human race for so long a time” have been repeated just as surely as history tells us that prejudices keep showing back up. 

Blog #5

Chapter 15 (pp. 719-739)

Many cultural transformations with regards to religion happened during the modern era.  This combined with the fact that modern science, at one point became thought of as a new religion.  These cultural transformations connected people near and far.  Asian, African and Native Americans figured out how Christianity was going to be accepted or rejected by each new cultural environment.  They approached and decided on individual places, how they would deal with and use parts or all of their teachings and rules/laws of their religion to try and convert people.  Many of the countries were more accepting of new ideas in religion when they were allowed to follow one, two or several of their rituals from their current religion along with practicing some new things.  As time went on, this fusing of church laws between two religions, appeared to happen with several different religions and several different countries.  People would try to instill some of their present religion and mix it together with items from a new religion.  I believe this made people feel better, as they were not totally turning their backs on the “old” religion, but just adding “new” things from another religion.  Within Christianity itself there were different opinions on things between Western/Central Europe and the Eastern Orthodox.  Interesting to see they were trying to convert people to Christianity and there were matters that different parts of Europe could not even agree on.  It makes sense that with Martin Luther he wrote demands for religious reform that led to the Protestant reformation. They wanted to take away authority of the highest rankings of the church and making everyone more equal; almost everyone, since women really were treated about the same by Protestants and Catholics. This reminded me that our new Pope in the Roman Catholic Church is finally making large attempts to “modernize” some of the thoughts and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church and how it reacts to certain things.  I believe he is making the Catholic Church a more accepting, tolerant religion, and this is how it should be, for the Catholic Church to follow its’ own rules when it comes to not being judgmental and accepting.