Colorado Resolution on Native American Genocide:

The definition of genocide, as presented in the document, is the purposeful murder or damage of members of a group or affiliation. It is for this reason that I believe the use of the word "genocide" is accurate for this resolution. There are multiple examples of intentional murder in the document. One example is that many Indians' deaths were intentionally caused by the breaking of treaties between themselves and the U.S. Government, as seen in the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864. Another example is that European immigrants created a myth to separate Native Indians from the idea of humanity, and thus alienate them. This is also an element of genocide. A third example is the forced removal of the vast majority of the Cherokee Nation from their homelands in the middle of winter, forcefully killing those 4,00 who didn't live through the harsh relocation. For all the tragedies to befall the Native American Indians, it is accurate to describe their suffering as genocide as much of it was caused by the American Government and was intentional.   

Gilded Age Résumé: Thorstein Veblen

Thorstein Bunde Veblen

Cato, Wisconsin

Born July 30, 1857

Statement of Qualifications:

I am the greatest American of the Gilded Age because I had a lasting impact on the literary culture of the Gilded Age with my social observations of the leisure class. Within my social and economic commentaries I coined the phrases "conspicuous consumption" and "pecuniary emulation", which are now widely used. I also introduced the idea of evolutionary economics into America with my 1898 essay ‘Why is economics not an evolutionary science?’ which has helped Americans understand how economy behaves.  

Summary:

I have been a leading figure in current social critique and study. While working as an instructor at the University of Chicago I wrote my first book, The Theory of the Leisure Class in 1899. In this novel I observed the modern affluent division of American society. My basis evaluation of how human characteristics such as greed, pride, selfishness, motivate modern society, economy, and business opened American's eyes to what is transpiring within society today. This was one of many enlightening novels that I have published throughout my years spent as a professor. In my essay, 'Why is economics not an evolutionary science?’, written in 1898, I brought the idea of evolutionary economics, with my pre-understanding of biological theory from my schooling, to Modern America in as a more humanistic way of looking at how the economy changes with the whims of the affluent and powerful. I am know for inventing the term “conspicuous consumption” to describe the class or prestige driven consumption seen in today's higher society. 

Professional Experience:

1896-1904: Instructor at University of Chicago

1906-1909: Worked as a associate professor at Standford University

1911-1918: Lectured at the University of Missouri

1918-1919: Worked in the editorial staff of The Dial, a literary and political magazine. During this time I wrote a series of articles, “The Modern Point of View and the New Order”, and later published these articles in book form as The Vested Interests and the State of the Industrial Arts.

Major Accomplishments:

1899: Wrote my first book, The Theory of the Leisure Class, that applied the concept of Darwin's evolutionism to our modern economics. 

1904: Published my second book, The Theory of Business Enterprise, in which I expanded upon the contrast between business, the making of profit, and industry, the making of goods. 

1917: Published An Inquiry into the Nature of Peace and the Terms of Its Perpetuation creating an international following of the ideas purposed in my novel, competitive demands in business stimulate modern war while peace brings an end to the rights of ownership.

References:

Herbert Spencer: Philosopher, evolutionist, and prominent author of numerous sociological novels

William Graham Sumner: One of my graduate professors at Yale University and one of the major founders of the science of sociology in America 

Edward L. Youmans: Scientific publications author and founder of the Popular Science magazine 

Addendum:

The following excerpt from my novel, The Theory of the Leisure Class, 1899, is taken from material that demonstrates the idea of conspicuous consumption in the leisure class:

Unproductive consumption of goods is honourable, primarily as a mark of prowess and a perquisite of human dignity; secondarily it becomes substantially honourable in itself, especially the consumption of the more desirable things. The consumption of choice articles of food, and frequently also of rare articles of adornment, becomes tabu to the women and children; and if there is a base (servile) class of men, the tabu holds also for them. With a further advance in culture this tabu may change into simple custom of a more or less rigorous character; but whatever be the theoretical basis of the distinction which is maintained, whether it be a tabu or a larger conventionality, the features of the conventional scheme of consumption do not change easily. When the quasi-peaceable stage of chattel slavery, the general principle, more or less rigorously applied, is that the base, industrious class should consume only what may be necessary to their subsistence. In the nature of things, luxuries and the comforts of life belong to the leisure class. Under the tabu, certain victuals, and more particularly certain beverages, are strictly reserved for the use of the superior class.

Bibliography:

Francis S., Pierce. "Veblen, Thorstein." Britannica Biographies (2012): 1. History Reference   

   Center. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.

"The Theory Of The Leisure Class, Chap 7." Theory Of Leisure Class, Chap 7 (2009): 1. History Reference Center. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.

"New Attitudes Toward Wealth." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association. Web. 24 Jan. 2016.

Historical Fiction: 2 - the Civil War and Reconstruction

April 6, 1873

          I couldn't believe it when John brought this dusty old journal home after returning from one of his business trips out to the Eastern Seaborg. But he has left again so I find myself sneakily writing an entry. 

          I am so happy that our family was spared during the civil war; living up in the North does have its advantages. However, even after the war I stay worried. As a mother of two I am often visiting our local market for food, and today I overheard the most troubling news. It has been all the rage in Harper's Weekly as seen in Thomas Nast's cartoons, but black suffrage is getting quite a beating from confederate southerners. They fight so hard to keep blacks from voting that in some states southerners have even created a poll tax, forcing people to pay to vote, and a literacy test, allowing only those who pass to vote. These two methods in my eyes are ludicrous attempts of not allowing change in power in the South. They have even established Jim Crow segregation of public facilities like churches and schools to keep blacks from gaining power. 

          Also concerning black suffrage, the Ku Klux Klan is something's I've heard much about. Killing blacks and those radical republicans that protect them, it's horrifying how such murderers can be the talk of early morning shoppers. I'll let you know that my cousin Henry was recently killed by those monsters, and I will never forgive them! Not that they are the only extremist group around, but they are most surely the one that scares me the most. 

          Because republicanism runs in my family's blood, I can say that the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments got me very exited. For the first time there is the possibility of equality among whites and blacks with the abolishment of slavery, and gaining of citizenship and voting rights for blacks in the eyes of the law. I personally believe, as I've recently seen, that equality between whites and blacks on a social level will be hard fought. Only yesterday did a large white woman threaten a black mother of being a muddy poor mark on society and demand that she move South to become a sharecropper. 

          I've heard that the southern sharecroppers are in deep debt to their landowners. They're like slaves, not able to move on, trapped in an endless cycle of work without almost any monetary reward. The numerous factories that are currently popping up in the South would be a much better place to work. 

          I'm sorry, my son Jeremy just came in the front door from school. I have to prepaid dinner, but perhaps I could ask him if he's heard anything new about current politics from his studies today. 

Letter to the Editor:

Dear Editor,

    I was astounded by the actions taken by slave owners in the South. Never before have I been so disgusted by the fact that such barbaric people would be allowed to continue their evil practices by the laws of the United States. 

    Out of the many descriptions written of a slave's punishments, the one concerning a house-slave known as Mary being beaten by her owner Mrs. Hamilton was gruesome enough to make me shed tears for the girl. I am disturbed by the injuries she had sustained from her mistress and can not imagine the pain that she would have to suffer through. I was ashamed to see how privileged white families would treat their slave so brutally. They treated Frederick Douglass worse than you would treat a dog.  It was sad to read the story and see the Auld’s family slowly get meaner and meaner towards the slave, till by the end of it, the mistress who started out the nicest was the meanest of all. Through all of this Frederick Douglass persevered and continued to teach himself and not give up. Frederick’s will to learn and push on was inspirational. I do not think it is morally acceptable to continue to treat and let others treat people in such a horrible fashion. The slave owner could be so kind and loving, and in a word from her husband, became so rude and cruel. Douglass says that “Slavery proved as injurious to her as it did to me. When I went there, she was a pious, warm, and tender-hearted woman. There was no sorrow or suffering for which she had not a tear . . . Slavery soon proved its ability to divest her of these heavenly qualities . . . She finally became even more violent than her husband himself” (Excerpt 10). I found this incredibly powerful, because many of us do not think of the potential harm to everyone involved in this horrible subject, and it connects to many of us on many levels. 

    We can not stand by and watch our fellow man be treated so horribly, it is our duty under the lord to stop this injustice. I am calling upon all abolitionists to join me in the fight to end slavery. If you do nothing you are just as bad as the slaver owners engaging in these unspeakable actions. 

Your Friendly Abolitionist,

     Thomas Anderson.

Historical Fiction: 1 - settlers of the Americas

It is currently May 16, 1655: Brent Donaldson 

          It has been hard to find a book, but I found myself wanting to write about current events regarding my coming to the New World. Sentimental, I know. 

          Ever sense I was taken from Bristol England as, what my sorry mates called me, a quite worthless individual of no talent whatsoever, I served for five years as a tobacco harvester in the New World. They worked us to death they did. By us I'm referring to myself alongside the other indentured servants on the farm. Me and this other Englander, John Sanders, got along very well, always telling each other to run off into the woods as to get away from the work. A year into our stay John and I made friends with one of the new Africans, Nouko. He added to our banter of escape. 

          It's funny. I distinctly remember one afternoon on that farm more than any other with ol' Nouko and John. We were all out in the fields, plucking tobacco in this dreadful heat, when we see two of our guys streaking off into the woods behind the farm shed followed our owner, Mr. River, trailing behind them with his two bloodhounds barking away. It was the most enjoyable sight I've ever witnessed, seeing Mr. River work for a change, sweating the fat off him as he chased his two prized laborers off between the trees. They were back later that evening, the two runaways. The punishments weren't as serious as I'd thought, for runaways, but the odd thing was that the two were given different punishments. The white guy got a few more years added onto his time at the farm while the African got to stay for life. I told them at least they weren't killed or something, however much that helped. 

          Looking back on it, it was a good thing that we never tried to run from the farm. In the end me, Nouko, and John had paid our debts and went free as the birds from that place. Now, I was surprised that they didn't give us necessities as promised, like clothing and provisions, but I was fine with it. I was soon looking for a place to live, not that it was really a great place to start a family. The stagnant river nearby was quite a dirty thing leading to poor sanitation in the colony, and the food shortages were scary. I actually almost died from the river water once, and got sick from it on many other occasions. After a few years in Jamestown I started a family, which I thought I would most never be able to do. Susan Donaldson is my wife to this day, and is, as I can say, very pretty. We had our first child in the summer of 1647 and our second late in the year of 1652. It's now summer again three years from then, and I am amazed at how fast little boys grow. 

          Ed, now being eight and the eldest, is always asking of the founding of Jamestown and why we are living so far from England. This is mainly why I'm writing this journal. But it's more probable that I'm doing so because Susan won't stop talking about the founding of Jamestown in 1607, and why Captain John Smith is so great a dictator. He is the man who helped us establish good native relations with the Powhatan and practically rescued the whole colony from starvation. However, Susan, when you're reading this, I hope you understand that I truly don't want to hear any more about recent history.  

"Get a PEACE of Georgia, today"

     The Georgia Colony, Savannah, was founded in 1733, by the group of English Trustees including James Oglethorpe. The charter for the colony was issued by King George II, for the purpose of benefiting the poor and protecting the northern colonies from the advance of the Spanish. Like many other colonies, the Georgia Colony had a distinct form of government. The Trustees created laws concerning land restrictions to 500 acres, prohibiting the importation and creation of rum, and refusing black slaves to encourage other English settlers to come. Because this was a later developed colony, the settlers had more knowledge on what to expect when they were founding their colony, resulting in  less famine, strife, and plague. The people of the Georgia Colony were also predominantly Protestant, however, also allowed other religious groups to find refuge within their colony, such as Jews. They traded with the Yamacraws and other tribes of the Creek Confederacy. This ability to peacefully trade was thanks to James Oglethorpe, who headed Native diplomacy, and saw to those who violated fair trade with the Natives. 

https://vimeo.com/140850668 

Resorces: 

http://www.landofthebrave.info/georgia-colony.htm

http://www.sip.armstrong.edu/Indians/Essay.html

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/history-archaeology/georgia-history-overview

Columbus Day: Should it be Claimed as a Holiday?

Columbus day, the federal holiday in the US. celebrates the accomplishment of Christofer Columbus reaching the New World. Opening a new continent to trade with and rule by the Spanish Government. 

This was not necessarily a good thing however. For the native American Indians of the Americas the encroachment of their lands by the arriving foreigners was the first step to being taken over. These native indians were used as slaves, forced to labor for the Spanish. Bringing not only men over from the Old World, the Spanish brought plagues like smallpox and the flu, domesticated animals like the cow, and un-native plants. Back to the Old World they took gold, slaves, and goods. 

As plunderers of highly priced merchandise and destroyers of ancient native peoples, the Spanish did many bad deeds after finding the continent. In this way, Columbus' discovery of America is not a joyful historic moment. However, it is still a historic moment marking the day a great leap was made in globalization. I believe that Columbus day should be a historic holiday because it immensely changed world dynamics bringing new trade, wealth, and power.