Propaganda Posters

So, today we took a test on progressivism (we shall see how that went) and after we were told to start our next homework assignment. We were asked to write a blog post for our answers so here it goes...

To me, the word propaganda reminds me of the Uncle Sam posters used to get men to fight in the wars (especially WWII). The word also brings to mind the government, promotion of political areas, and money because half the time you are being asked to help support one thing or another.

According to the wonderful world wide web, propaganda is information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.

In this poster the first thing my eyes went to was the picture and not the words. More specifically my eyes went to the face. This is because it is a woman. Her cheeks are flushed and she appears to be sleeping. Next my eyes see the outfit she is wearing and finally I can focus on the words. I think the author wanted people to realize that America needs to step up and do more for its people. This poster appears to be aimed at young men because an attractive woman is pictured peacefully resting. 

In this poster the first thing my eyes went to was the word destroy. This is because it is at the top of the poster in big letters. Next, my eyes drift to the monkey savage thing carrying a person. And then my eyes notice the club the beast is carrying that appears to be covered in blood. I think the author of this poster is trying to say that America is letting the other nations walk all over us and we aren't even trying to fight back. This poster is targeting men because no gentleman would ever leave his woman in fear or in a dangerous situation. 

In this poster my eyes went straight to the word "HUN". This is because the word in all capital letters and is in a different color and font than the rest of the words. Then my eyes notice the bloody sword in the background and the person (? honestly don't know what that is...) holding it. In this poster I think the author is trying to tell America that we are too small to rely on the government alone and that we need the help of everyone. This poster targets men because what guy doesn't like a creepy character to battle against? 

I feel that it is unfair to the people who are barely getting by for the government to be spending their tax dollars on promotional posters. However, I also feel that in some cases it is needed in order to help America win the battle. 

I feel like the government thought it was needed to help win the war. I also feel like Americans knew we didn't have many men and supplies were hard to come by for us so they needed all the help they could get. 

Test Prep- Key

the answers to my questions are as follows:

#1 C

#2 D

#3 A

Progressive Era Topics Thesis

Today in class we shared the thesis and conclusion that we created in groups from the previous class period. We then made note of the overview of them on the board and were told to now create another thesis statement that encompassed all of them.

Here is what I came up with......

In the progressive era, people turned to the government at all levels for their protection and wellbeing while the people would accept any extra help the government would provide. As the people tried to move forward and better society, they were also being held back. Because of the government's involvement, the people were given a leg up and were able to take many steps forward while taking just as many back at the same time. However not all movements, both positive and negative, were the result of government intervention or creation, many of the movements are backed by the people themselves.

Test Prep- Progressivism

Our assignment was as follows....

Write 3 good multiple choice questions that could be used to measure someone’s understanding of important facts, ideas, and concepts related to the history of Progressivism in the United States. 

My questions are: 

#1 When thinking about the progressive era all were goals of the progressives except…. 
A) better education
B) increase in women's rights
C) pay people more to work
D) cleaner factories
E) reduce drinking amounts (prohibition) 

#2 While the progressive era was meant to help it actually caused…. 

A) worse factory conditions
B)  more segregation between men and women
C) a worse education system
D)  increase in poverty rates

E) the U.S. to lack in the field of inventions 

#3 All of the following can be considered progressivism except… 

A) the sinking of the titanic
B) the invention of the lightbulb
C) the invention of fast food
D) the invention of ready made clothing
E) the story of Annie Oakley and Buffalo Bill 

Living Essays

Today in history, we met in groups to discuss our latest project. My group included Haley, Patrick, and Evan. Our task was to create a thesis statement, introduction paragraph, and a conclusion as if we were writing a separate essay combining each individual topic.

During the Progressive Era America was able to take many steps forward and just as many backward. Several of these steps were inventions, rules, and many drastic changes. Due to the Progressive Era, Americans were able to see how fast and easy life could be through the creation of the light bulb, radio, fast food, and ready-made clothing while also seeing how these could hold the nation back.


In conclusion, while the Progressive Era had many positive effects, there were also many negative ones. Poverty gaps were expanded, many people lost their lives, wars were more violent than necessary, and the food was extremely bad for them.

Invention of the Lightbulb

So, as I have talked about previously, we are currently studying progressivism. We were recently asked to pick a topic and discuss how it relates to the topic. Our two major questions were... What were you able to discover, learn, and understand about ______ by examining primary source evidence in the newspaper archive? and What did this topic have to do with Progressivism as a movement in late 19th-century/early 20th-century America? For my topic I chop to look I not the development of the lightbulb. Here is what I found.... 

Thomas A. Edison was a well known inventor during this time. He is most commonly known for inventing the lightbulb. But, did you know he might not have been the first one with the idea? Yeah I know... Shocking. The man who is very rarely acknowledged for playing a part in providing light to the world is Joseph W. Swan. Swan actually petitioned for a patent on April 12,1880. It is said that he originally had the idea around March 1 of that same year. A few months later he was given the patent on October 19, 1880. A year later Edison filed for a patent on May 27, 1881. Edison claims to have come up with the idea during August of 1879 and made progress toward perfecting the idea during the months of October and November of that same year. He claims to have been planning to file for the patent however he just hadn't gotten around to it yet. Luckily, Edison knew the importance of keeping a record of his work and progress so he is able to claim a big part in the development of the electric lightbulb. This being said, there was never enough information on either side to say who did and who didn't have the idea first. 

So, what does that mean about how the lightbulb came to be? Well, simple as this... In the head 1882 on September 4 and 8 p.m. Thomas Edison flipped the switch that lit up New York like never before. The electric light became known as a "philosophical toy" and can be counted as an addition to the progress of discovery to the physical comforts of life. Edison's electric lightbulb was called one of the greatest single advances in the department of artificial light. 

Prior to this, there is actually evidence that Edison's light had been impacting the world elsewhere. Welcome aboard the S.S. Columbia, a shop considered by most to be the finest steamship in the world. Picture this; you have just boarded upon one of the biggest ships you've ever seen. The walls are shining with a coat of fresh paint. The wood under your feet sparkles without a scratch on its newly finished surface. The elevator to your room runs faster and smoother then ever before. Now, look up. There's a circular object in the ceiling emitting a bright, white light. You've just been told each room has its own set of electric lights that you can control and that you will no longer have to only eat by candle light in the dining room. To save the electricity aboard the ship, each passenger and steward can control all the lights of the ships rooms (individual and some public) and there is a special team of mechanical engineers to turn on the lights in the dining room. To you, as well as many others, this is probably nothing new however for Edison's time, it was a whole new world. 

As time went on, a divide began to form between the upper and lower classes. While at first, the lightbulb benefitted all walks of life, the cost to keep up with the times became too much for most to afford. When electric light became popular, there was a brief period of time that the light disappeared and this was counted as a great loss to all who experienced it. Sadly, the number of people who were actually able to have lights in their homes grew shorter and shorter. This invention important to the progressive era because the purpose of this movement was to close the gab between the social classes and move the nation forward as a whole. Because of the lightbulb it actually put the country further from its goal. This is because more money means more privileges. However it also helped move the nation closer to its goal because by inventing the electric light and lightbulb there was now a new level of excitement and actual progress being made. The light now allowed more work to be done in a day as well as open doors for new advances for the people of this time. 

Joseph W. Swan 

Thomas A. Edison 

the original lightbulb 

In order to find my primary sources for completing my research, I used this website.


The newspapers I used in the process of completing my research are...

• "The Electric Light at Last"
• New York Herald - New York, New York, December 21, 1879

• "Edison Turns on His Light"
• Cincinnati Daily Gazette - Ohio, Cincinnati, September 05, 1882

• Electric Lights a Hit with the Wealthy
• Worcester Daily Spy - Massachusetts, Worcester, February 27, 1883 

• Electric Lights Aboard the S.S. Columbia
• New York Herald - New York, New York, April 28, 1880 

• "Swan Declared to Be the Original Inventor of an Electric Light Carbon"
• New York Herald - New York, New York, July 12, 1892

How I Feel Second Semester Is Going So Far......

So far I feel that this semester has definitely challenged me as a learner. We are doing a lot more reading based analysis and have already had a test. I didn't feel that I did too well on the test however I was wrong. It is just hard because we have been on a project based history course since the eighth grade and all of a sudden we are taking tests. No one has really taught us how to study or take a history test so it all feels like a shot in the dark. Now I am struggling with the new homework setup. Even though they took forever, I honestly liked the reading questions where we made the answers better than the multiple choice ones. I really enjoyed the Eddie Aikau video because it made his story come to life and we learned what made it so trustworthy and convincing... It was also helpful because I am an auditory and visual leaner so it helped solidify the information. My favorite thing so far was the political cartoons. I liked to see how different people saw the situations taking place and how many interpretations could be made off the same cartoon. It was also cool getting to research what people thought life would be like today and how reality differed from those ideas. I do feel that this course will continue to be one that I have to really work for but I am already better off then when school started in August.