13
Mar, 2025
grayscale photography of train tank

U.S. Industrial Revolution

8G History Week 18 Assignment

In this weeks assignment, I will not only be covering the Industrial Revolution, but also briefly highlighting John D. Rockefeller, an entrepreneur I learned about this week.

The Industrial Revolution was a period in history when many new technological discoveries emerged, and factories became much more widespread. It started in Britain, and spread throughout Europe, and it reached the United States in the late 1700s.

The Industrial Revolution brought lots of benefits, as food and clothing were now mass-produced, so the standard of living went up, and resources were much cheaper. But there were problems too. The artisan workers had good business before the Industrial Revolution, but now they had to compete with the major factories, which sometimes put them out of business.

Here are some of the major inventions during the Industrial Revolution.

  • Steam Engine
  • Mechanical Loom
  • Cotton Gin
  • Telegraph
  • Telephone!
  • Steamboat
  • Railway

As you can see, there were lots of inventions during the Industrial Revolution, and it has changed the way we live in America today.

John D. Rockefeller

John Davison Rockefeller was born on July 8, 1839, in New York. He was a businessman and philanthropist. He dropped out of high school to start a business that sold grain and hay, but he realized that he could make lots of money in oil. So he started an oil refinery business, and had so much success, that he and a few other businessman decided to start a company called Standard Oil. Some people didn’t like this business, because they thought it was too much like a monopoly. So they went complaining to the government, and they declared that Rockefeller’s business violated the Sherman Antitrust Law, so he was forced to split the business.

Rockefeller was also a major philanthropist. He helped found the University of Chicago, Rockefeller University, the Rockefeller foundation, and many more.

John D. Rockefeller wasn’t a perfect man. He did have faults like all of us do, but I consider him to be a good role model in business. He showed generosity with his money, and respect toward his competitors.

References:

The Red Cross and Tuskegee Institute

8G History Week 17 Assignment

For this week’s writing assignment, I will be covering two separate topics, the Red Cross and Tuskegee Institute.

The Red Cross

The Red Cross is an international charity that serves in many ways, including first aid, nurse training, and blood banks, among others. The Red Cross started as an organization that served on the battlefield during wars.

Henri Dunant was one of the people involved in the founding of the Red Cross. He was a humanitarian, and he realized that there was a need for an international organization that would help bring relief and aid to suffering people in wartime. This started the International Relief for the Wounded, which later led to the Red Cross. This organization only existed in Europe, but that was about to change.

Clara Barton was a American Civil War nurse, devoting her time and money to the war effort, which led to the nickname Angel of the Battlefield. When she was on a trip to Switzerland, she heard about the Red Cross, and was inspired to bring it to the U.S. She founded the American Red Cross in 1881.

One thing that I didn’t know about the Red Cross is that it is called the Red Crescent in Muslim countries, because that’s their symbol of religion.

Tuskegee Institute

Tuskegee Institute, also called Tuskegee University, is a university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded by Booker T. Washington in 1881. He wanted a university that would train African Americans to become teachers, because there were no other colleges that did. It also provided farming and business skills.

Tuskegee institute has shifted over the years, and it is now more like a typical college, offering many degrees. It still serves mostly African Americans, and is very famous for its engineering and science classes. George Washington Carver, the man who was credited with discovering more than 300 uses for the peanut, attended Tuskegee Institute!

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Red-Cross-and-Red-Crescent

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Tuskegee-University

28
Feb, 2025

The Plains Wars

8G History Week 16 Assignment

The Plains Wars were a series of wars during the 1850s through the 1870s. They were fought over the land in the Great Plains. There were many battles and wars included in the Plains wars, but I will be highlighting the beginning and the reasons for the war.

The first conflict broke out over a disagreement about a killed cow! It was fought between part of the Lakota and 30 U.S. military men led by John L. Grattan. He demanded that the Lakota hand over the suspected culprit. The Lakota responded by killing Grattan and all of his men with him! This was the conflict that sparked the start of the war. The Cheyenne and Comanche tribes rallied around the Lakota.

The secession of states and the start of the Civil war drew attention away from the conflict in the plains, but the war was still going strong. The wars finally ended in the late 1870s.

The main reason why the Plains Wars started was because both sides wanted the land.

Robert E. Lee and Ulysess S. Grant

8G History Week 14 Assignment

For this assignment, I will highlight the life of two separate generals, one from the Union and one from the Confederacy.

Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee was born on January 19, 1807, in Virginia. His parents were popular and fairly wealthy. But Lee’s father moved away to the Caribbean and was never seen again. Lee went to the U.S. Military Academy when he was 18. He was a role model to some of the other students, and he graduated to later become a Second Lieutenant in the Engineer Corps.

However, Lee wouldn’t actually fight in any battles until the 1840s. He married the great-granddaughter of George Washington, Mary Anna Randoph Custis.

Lee had confusing ideas about slavery. He said that slavery was “a greater evil to the white than to the black race, & while my feelings are strongly interested in behalf of the latter, my sympathies are more strong for the former.” He thought that God should decide what to do with slavery.

Lee was promoted to Colonel on March 16, 1861. At that time, the Confederate States of America were already formed. He was offered a spot in the U.S. army, but he said no. He was against secession, but he wanted to stay loyal to his home state of Virginia. When he joined the Confederacy, he was promoted to General.

Lee was very successful overall in his career, with many famous victories including the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Fredericksburg, and the Battle of Chancellorsville. His greatest defeat was the Battle of Gettysburg. (davidjamesgarber.com/blog/2025/02/civil-war-battles/)

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was born on April 27, 1822. His father was a tanner, but Grant didn’t like the work, so his father got him a spot in the U.S. Military Academy. Grant wasn’t happy about that, but he didn’t have much choice. He graduated in 1843 in the middle of his class, becoming a second lieutenant. He was never very interested in what the Academy was teaching, and he enjoyed doing the art courses and reading. Grant served in the Mexican-American war, under General Zachary Taylor. He was promoted to first lieutenant.

After the Mexican-American war, he married Julia Boggs Dent. Grant helped in the Civil War by training more troops. He continued to rise through the ranks, finally being promoted to General. Some of his greatest victories were the battle of Chattanooga, and the Battle of Fort Donelson.

References:

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ulysses-S-Grant

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-E-Lee

Civil war battles

8G History Week 14 Assignment

In this week’s assignment, I will cover 2 of the biggest battles in the American Civil War.

First Battle of Bull Run

The First Battle of Bull Run was the first major battle in the civil war. It was fought on July 12, 1861, near Manassas, Virginia. The battle got its name because it was fought by a stream called Bull Run. Irvin McDowell was put in charge of a section of the Union army located in northeastern Virginia. General P.G.T. Beauregard commanded a part of the Confederate army that was camped nearby.

The battle started with McDowell marching his army right past the Confederates. Beauregard didn’t expect them to attack, but got their army ready anyway. At 6:00 A.M. both sides started firing. McDowell’s men forced the Confederates to retreat to Henry House Hill. The Union army made multiple attempts to attack, but they failed. The battle resulted in almost 5,000 casualties and a Confederate victory.

The Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg was fought from July 1-3, 1863, around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Union forces were commanded by General George G. Meade, while the Confederates were led by Robert E. Lee.

The battle started when Lee marched his troops from Northern Virginia to Pennsylvania. His goal was to completely destroy the entire Union forces there. They met the Union troops, who were camped out in Gettysburg. Both sides clashed with each other near the Potomac river.

On the second day, the Confederates moved to the offensive side, with multiple attacks to the Union’s right flank. Lee’s men were looking very strong, and he expected to win that day. But he was wrong! His men tried diversionary tactics, but Meade’s men held out against their attacks. One of the Major Generals under Lee disobeyed his orders and his whole division was wiped out by the Union line.

The third day was brutal for the Confederates. Lee knew he had no shot at a coordinated attack, so he gave orders to General Longstreet to attack with about 140 cannons towards the main Union line. Meanwhile, there was another attack happening. A section of the Confederates, led by General Pickett and General Longstreet was marching toward the Union army. This was a bad idea! The army was under attack by the union the whole way, which was about 1 mile. Half of the men involved in the charge were killed, wounded or captured. This was called Pickett’s charge, and it was a disastrous moment for the Confederates.

After Pickett’s charge, the whole battle fell apart. This was a major turning point for the Union, and it filled them with courage to face the rest of the war.