The Most Profound Event in American History, Essay Example

What was the most profound event in American history since the end of the Civil War? Why? There is no right nor wrong answer but you must support your choice.

The most profound and lasting event since the end of the Civil War was the entrance of America into World War I. Prior to that, the Nation had been involved with some minor skirmishes abroad, however, with World War I, it became clear that the nation, which was salvaged by the Civil War, would become a Global superpower, and a dominating player in foreign affairs.

In the late 20th Century, economic globalization transformed the United States. What is globalization and how has it affected American demographics, politics, and economics?

Globalization is the effect of spreading commerce and other activities beyond the geographic borders, in this case, the continental (lower 48 of early 20^th century) region of the United States. This began around 1890, and was increased mightily by Presidents Wilson and Harding. Although they were of a different political stripe, both men believed ardently in the notion of American exceptionalism, and the power of the American economic engine. Thus, the United States businessman was encouraged to go abroad, and our presence on the global marketplace has since been an enduring one, affecting every facet of American life, as well as having a profound effect on nearly every country on the planet.

How did President Richard Nixon’s policies reflect the influence of conservatives on the Republican Party?

Nixon’s policies were largely in response to the Johnson and Kennedy Administrations and in many ways, were a delayed answer to the 1958-59 election season. Having lost over a decade earlier, Nixon, having finally gained the White House, began to try and regress some of the upward movements begun by the Democrats. However, due to the escalation and increased involvement in Vietnam, Nixon eventually had no choice but to “ride out” what had been started by Kennedy. In the end, America’s involvement in Southeast Asia proved to tie Nixon’s hands to the point that he was not able to accomplish much else, except to try and provide speedy withdraw, with a “losing” status, from that area.

Both ends of the political spectrum, left and right, changed significantly in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. What were some of those changes and how did they shape contemporary American politics?

Most notably, the changes began by President Kennedy, and then enacted by Johnson, as his Great Society, were indelible landmarks on the American psyche. The heart of the Great Society lay in the Civil Rights Act(s), and at last proclaimed that race should not be an issue when one is seeking to capitalize on his or her civil rights in this country.

The Republicans (or the right, as it were), saw the Great Society and ensuing welfare apparatus as a growth in government and began to do everything that they could do to shrink and make government smaller. Ronald Reagan made some gains in this area in the mid 1980’s, but by the end of that decade, due to an overgrown national defense budget, even the budget minded Republicans had to concede some sort of defeat in that area.

However, the notion of welfare, free healthcare, and other social issues seem to be at the heart of the division between left and right, and were begun in earnest in the 1960’s.