The American People Face a New Century

Juan Bocanegra

Chapter 42

Economic RevolutionsAt the start of 20th century, U.S Steel Corporation led america’s industrial revolution and General Motors mass production of automobiles signaled the shift to a mass consumer economy. After WWII, IBM symbolized the “information age”, and the growth of the internet foretold a communication revolution. Late 1990s, new commercial ventures expanded the market for entrepreneurs making the internet a place to purchase, entertain, and learn. Revolution in communication caused the death and outsourcing of certain jobs. The new high-tech economy still faced the same risk of scandal, error, and business cycles as the old economy did. Scientific research propelled the economy and scientific knowledge raised new moral dilemmas and political arguments. The Human Genome Project stood as a revolution in biological engineering as the project established the DNA sequencing of human genes. Evolution in biomedical engineering was arousing concern of religious groups, and for the people to understand these new technologies.

Affluence and InequalityEarly 1990s, Americans lived in higher standards than two-thirds of the world, despite the median household income had declined. Few other countries had higher average per capita incomes because in america, the rich got richer while the poor got poorer. Welfare Reform Bill of 1996, which forced people to find work if physically possible, had weakened financially suffering families even more. Multiple factors led to the widening of income gaps. High cost for secondary education and underfunding to schools in impoverished areas revealed inequality in education opportunities.

Scientists and EngineersScience was breaking through the worlds political boundaries. Americas national security state during WWII and the Cold War required scientific investments, which led to Big Science and Big technology. The US began to spend billions of dollars in scientific research and development. These investments improved the quality of life and american corporations ignited a revolution in communications and information technology. Advances occurred in medical science, increasing the life expectancy from 47 in 1900 to 77 in 2000. Science institutions began to recruit more women, minorities, and foreigners. The US scientific dominance over the world is weakening.

The Feminist RevolutionWomen were affected the most by the economic changes in the late twentieth century. At the open of the twentieth century, twenty percent of all workers were women and the number continued to grow at a steady rate. 1950s, a dramatic increase of women in the workforce, and by the 1990s, nearly half of all workers were women, including mothers. By 2004 american women worked more than the women of almost all but two industrialized countries. In the 1960s, all-male strongholds opened their doors to women. Despite these gains, women continued to earn lower wager and work in low-prestige jobs. Discrimination and a focus on children caused gender segregation in the workforce and for women to vote more for democratic candidates than men. Revolution in the women’s status role led to a change in the lives of men, as more men assumed traditional female roles. Family Leave Bill in 1993, mandated job protection for working men and women who need time off for family related reasons.

New Families and OldTraditional families suffered heavy blows in modern america and by the 1990s, about half of the marriages ended in divorce. Every fourth child in america grew up in a house that lacked two parents. Single parenthood eclipsed race and ethnicity as the telling predictor of poverty in america. Television were used as “parental substitutes”, and by age sixteen, estimates showed children watching more hours of TV than the hours spent in classrooms. Children in households led by a single parent, stepparent, grandparent, or even gay or lesbian parents, felt acceptance unimaginable a generation earlier. Teen pregnancy declining after the mid 1990s. The traditional american family was not disappearing, just changing into different forms.

The Aging of AmericaAmericans began to live longer, 1950 census revealed women made up majority of population. Medical advances such as the development of antibodies and vaccines lengthened and strengthened lives. The aging of the population led to an increase of government spending on health care and less spending on education. The Social Security myth was that you get reimbursed for contributions to the system made during your working life, but the fact was payments from current workers to the system was for benefits for current retirees. The rising of health care costs at a faster rate of elders receiving retirement benefits intensified existing problems. As the baby boomers approach retirement age, “unfunded liability” might rise above seven trillion dollars, which threatened to bankrupt the republic if changes are not made. Social Security and Medicare reforms were rarely mentioned by politicians because of the electoral power older americans possessed. Efforts to reshape the Social Security system remained dormant during the later Bush years, even as analysts predicted the payments would threatened to absorb half of the working population’s income by 2040.

The New ImmigrationFrom the 1980s to the 21st century, immigrants came in numbers nearly one million a year. Asia and Latin America more immigrants than Europe, and settled not only in ethnically similar cities, but in sprawling suburbs. Some immigrants came with skills and degrees, but most had fewer skills and less education. The southwest felt the impact of immigration the most, as Mexican migrants heavily settled in this area. Previous groups had spread throughout the land and was forced to change and learn english, but it is possible for Mexican Americans to develop a true bicultural zone in the southwest. The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 attempted to control illegal entry by penalizing employers of undocumented aliens and granted amnesty to those already here. Critics claimed immigrants robbed citizens of jobs and that they dumped themselves on the welfare rolls, but studies showed that immigrants took the jobs americans hated and payed more federal taxes than welfare payments received. Young immigrants and their offspring helped face the challenges of an aging population. Debates over immigration were complicated by illegal immigrants. The anti-immigrant attitude of republican politicians drove away the Latino votes it had when they embraced conservative positions on social policies in the 2004 presidential election.

Beyond the Melting PotBy 2006, the United States housed 44 million Latinos, with contributions from immigration and high birth rates. Now possessing political muscles, Latinos elected mayors of some major cities. Cesar Chavez headed the United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC), which succeeded in improving the working conditions of laborers, mostly Chicano, who worked the cycle of planting and harvesting across the west. In 2003, Latinos became the largest ethnic minority, outnumbering African Americans. By the 1980s, Asian Americans were America's fastest growing minority and their population reached 12 million by 2002. Once feared and hated, citizens of Asian ancestry were now counted among the most prosperous americans. The census in 2000 revealed 2.4 million Indians in america. Despite taking advantage of their status as independent nations, native americans still faced the difficulties of discrimination and poverty.

Cities and SuburbsCrime was the great surge of urban life, as rate of crimes reached a high in the 1980s. The US imprisoned a larger fraction of its citizen, as murders, robberies, and rapes were common. Americas “urban age” was brief since the migration from cities to suburbs was quick and massive. By the first decade of the twenty-first century, suburban areas were becoming more ethnically and racially diverse. Suburbs grew fastest in the West and Southwest. The Great Plains faced sharpest population decline. Cities remained divided by wealth and race.

The LatinosToday Hispanic culture has spread through all 50 states. The Latino population in the US, mostly Mexicans, is increasing. Immigration halted during the great depression, but resumed after WWII. Most came to work in the fields and settled heavily in the southwest. Living close to the border, many mexican immigrants felt dishonor to apply for US citizenship. as the US grows through the 21st century, it is facing an increasing latino population, accent, and political power.

Minority AmericaRacial and ethnic tension worsen the problems of american cities. Los Angeles attracted minorities, especially immigrants from Asia and Latin America. Police brutality and the outcome of the OJ Simpson trial testified black skepticism about the american justice system. 2000 presidential election in Florida revealed that blacks were still experiencing a Jim Crowish south. By the late twentieth century, minorities made up the majority population in cities. Some black communities prospered from civil rights gains and by 2006, 43 percent of all black families had incomes that qualified for middle class. Successful black politicians had moved into the political mainstream by appealing to varieties of voters. By early twenty-first century, blacks dramatically advanced into higher education. The Supreme Court case involving the University of Michigan affirmed that racial diversity on college campuses was a way to secure a more equitable society.

E Pluribus PluresIssues of color and culture filled ideas of the late twentieth century. The new mantra stressed the need to preserve and promote ethnic and racial cultures in the US. The Census Bureau in 2000 allowed respondents to identify with more than one of six racial categories. Nearly seven million americans identified themselves as biracial or multiracial, signifying a revolution in attitudes towards race. By early twenty-first century, many americans were proclaiming their mixed heritage as a sense of pride.

The Life of the MindAmericans in the early 21st century read more, listened to more music, and were better educated. The increase in educated people lifted the economy while creating consumers of high cultures. Authors from ethnic groups rose in american literature. Toni Morrison first black women to win the Nobel Prize for literature. Women writers and themes rose to the fictional forefront as the feminist movement continued. New York the art capital after WWII. Modern artist Jackson Pollock pioneered abstract expressionism in the 1950s and 1960s, which threw realistic representation out the window. Film flourished as the influences of younger filmmakers sprouted throughout the country. Architecture benefited from building boom of post war era. “Post modernists” rejected the functionalism that had dominated architecture for much of the century.

The New MediaThe internet had transformed daily life for most americans as the world wide web spread like wildfire through homes, schools and offices. The “dot-com” explosion drove the tremendous economic boom of the late 1990s as the internet reshaped the traditional corporate world. The internet had the power to spread information among more americans. Young people were attracted to social media site to make connections with other people and millions of people around the world started a media revolution with “blogs”. Computers and the internet caused major adjustments in modern american social, economic, and cultural life.

The American ProspectProblems continued as the american spirit was filled with energy. Women still not first-class economic citizens. Full equality remained a dream for colored americans. Job opportunities in different regions grew and shrunk as outsourcing jobs were becoming common and domestic corporations collapsed. The environmental effects of used old fuel increased the public plea for alternative fuel sources. The United states, born from revolution in a conservative world, was now a conservative nation in a world of revolution as americans kept the banner of democracy. Americans wanted to spread democracy and improve other countries, but to do so, america would have to improve itself.

Themes● Social: American families began to produce better educated citizens. Migration

from cities to suburbs, as well as immigrants from Asia and Latin America, develop multicultural regions in the US.

● Political: Minority groups began to use political strength in elections as well as breaking racial political barriers. 9/11 increased the american spirit to spread democracy to other countries.

● Economic: The development and efficient use of the internet stimulated the american economy and changed the global market dramatically.