Henry fords parents moved from Ireland at the time when there was a shortage of potatoes. They moved to the USA where they started their lives and since they were poor, they had no slaves to help in the farm. They had to do all the farm chores and as a result, Henrymissed school. He was a kid who was enthralledwith machines and was termed as a born mechanic. He is the first man to make a car that run on gasoline. With his obsession in machinery and technology, he found a job in a manufacturing company, and later founded a firm named Ford. His vision and innovation brought about the best in his workforce.

The combination he made with FrederickTaylor was a revolution in the automobile industry as the two combined ideas in management and in machinery. Taylor’s ideas in management, such as the idea of replacing human beings with machines, specialization, and a piecework system of pay where the volume produced and not the time taken was used as a method of determining pay were implemented. Moreover, the Taylor’s book “The Principles of Management” suggested that for work to be efficiently done, synchronization between the different parts of production must be perfect. A method where different parts were produced then put together to make a finished product was implemented. This method saw the volume of production in Henry’s company shot up. In addition, Henry’s vision of producing light, high quality, inexpensive cars meant that the volumes of sales ascended gradually as the days went by.

Henry made his dream of producing a car each second a dream and the economies of high scale production was passed on to the consumers therefore the sales increased. The company improved bit by bit over the years through these methods and Ford is now one of the largest companies in the world.

b.Like many other industrialists, Ford opposed government intervention to ease the ravages of the Great Depression. In their view, what were the causes of and solutions to the economic downturn?

The government’s method of easing the depression was through the reduction of wages. Moreover, the government proposed that new establishments be initiated to quell the crisis. They called it start a new world in Russia” Henry was not a new fan of this philosophy and suggested that the beginning of the recession was because the government violated nature and the introduction of communist economy actually dampened the country’s economy. Henry’s company maintained the pay structure and even doubled it as the years went by. His actions demonstrated that his methods were the perfect answer to depression. The labor system was the problem in the country. His company employed over thirty two thousand workers and instead of complying with the other companies, Ford defined its own path that would later see it through to success.

2.Eleanor Roosevelt (Chapter 5)

a.As a governor’s wife and First Lady, Roosevelt was known as a “new woman”. With regard to her personal life, politics, gender and race, how did she demonstrate ambivalence about being a “new woman”?

Eleanor’s life was filled with many difficulties starting with the death of her mother and brother at a young age. Eleanor was put in light as the new woman of her age.However, this notion was true as mentioned with regard to her actions. Although she was the first woman to get involved in politics, it took her several years. Women in her society were seen as biological objects as was the case of Eleanor giving birth to several kids before her husband went into politics. Despite her education, Eleanor believed that politics were meant for men. As for the rest of the women in the society, voting was a right only given to men. Eleanor tried to be an independent woman, however, in spite of the fact that there was a great distance between them, the decisions that her husband, Franklin Roosevelt, made affected her. It was not until later years that women’s suffrage was recognized and hence her efforts in politics ere realized. In the event of her husband’s infidelity, Eleanor decided to stay as “a happily married woman” for the sake of her husband’s political career and her kids. These ideas are contrary to the definition of a new woman and Eleanor did not act according to them. Her fights against racial discrimination depicted a woman of the future because her politics went beyond color and such forms of discrimination.

b.Eleanor Roosevelt’s popularity as First Lady grew steadily. Discuss the unusual relationship between Eleanor and Franklin with regard to the presidency during depression and war.

During the war, Eleanor went into social work working with the Red Cross while her husband joined the army to fight in the war. They were separated most of their marriage and this led to the infidelity of her husband with his secretary Lucy Mercer. The revelation of the infidelity broke her heart, but her decision not to get divorced would prove the right decision in their family’s political life.Her fame came because of the representation of her husband due to his illness. She had to campaign in his stead supporting him all the way, although she was hurting due to the infidelity. The story about her husband’s infidelity would soon be forgotten, as the family became a unit again. Eleanor acted as a representative of her husband when he was elected as governor. This path took them to political superiority with her husband becoming the president whilst her becoming the longest serving first lady.

3.Martin Luther King Jr. (Chapter 6)

a.Two schools of thought on achieving advancement of black people dominated late-19th and early 20th century America. Compare and contrast the philosophies and practices of Booker T Washington and William EB Du Bois.

DuBoise and Washington were two great leaders of the black people in America in the twentieth century. Their philosophies were contrary to one another and completely differed. While Washington’s methods were indirect and involved the blacks strengthening themselves and uniting before any revolt, William urged a straightforward and direct method that involved starting a revolution immediately. Booker (1856-1915) urged a philosophy of racial solidarity, accommodation, and self-help. He urged and preached to the black people to bear discrimination while they take their time to improve themselves materially by working hard. He believed that through education, farming, and artistry blacks would be freed. Moreover, thrift, and enterprise the black people would earn the respect of the white majority and consequently be accepted as equal to the whites.

On the other hand, Du Bois (1868-1963) a towering political thinker, scholar and an intellectual said that none of Booker’s ideas would work. He said that these values would lead to increase in the oppression of the black people. He advocated a civil rights agenda and a political action. He suggested that a war should be taken to the white majority to show them that the black people had power and that their rights could not be trampled. Du bois methods can be termed as a radical leader. His methods divided the African-Americans into two groups the radicals and the conservationists. He pushed for the formation of a group of educated blacks to push for the rights of the black people.

Although their methods were different, their intentions and passion of the two were the same. They wished for the emancipation of the black man and dreamed that one day that dream would come into being.

1. Legal decisions and nonviolent resistance proved successful during the 1950s in promoting black civil rights. Identify and discuss some of the watershed events of that decade.

The decade saw the formation of the Civil Rights Movement in 1955 that served to fight for the rights of the black people. The movement planned nonviolent boycotts such as the protest marches done in 1965 in Alabama, “sit-in” done in 1960 in North Carolina by the Greensboro movement, and the “Montgomery Bus Boycott” in 1955-1956 in Alabama. These events served to pressure the government to notice the black people and their plight. All these events were nonviolent and were successful during the years the King was the leader of the movement.

1. By the 1960s, younger African Americans who believed his methods outmoded challenged King’s nonviolent resistance. Why did these militant individuals reject King? Does King’s philosophy still have merit in the early 21st century?

In the fight against racism, the black extremists looked upon King’s methods as a show of weakness. The white extremists saw hi as an enemy who was trying to unite them with an inferior race. The white waged war on the black people every time they got a chance. This situation fuelled further the hatred of the black extremists on King terming him as a betrayer of the black people. The militants, most of which were young people suggested that the vice should be met with violence. In more that one-way, their philosophy was similar to Du Bois. The arrogance of the white extremists and their violence is the main reason for the defection of these militants from the “non violence” policy used by the reverend. The extremists termed the efforts by the reverend as a form of oppression used by the white people to blind the black people so that they may not start a revolt in protest for their right.

Kings philosophy is applicable in our world. Having seen the severity of the effects of war in recent years, King’s philosophy should be applied in every situation where there is a difference to avoid any possibility of a war.

4. Elvis Presley (Chapter 8)

1. What influences combined to create the Elvis Presley sound?

At the time Elvis was coming to the fore with his music, America had just come out of the World War II. The cold war between nations was at its end. His music came at a time when the youth in the country had lacked direction and many of them were involved in drug abuse. The post war America, the idle youth. Elvis Presley patriotism and the cold war served as an influence to the creation of Elvis’sound. The country was also going through a transition in racism and elves’ music acted as a uniting factor in the country that had just come out of war. Elvis had chance acting in the Hollywood, and his experiences in acting also influenced his music. At this time, America was at war in Vietnam. The politicians who were against this move used bands to voice their disagreements. President Nixon called onto Presley to help in dissuading the youth from such music, therefore, his music was in line with the message that was to be relayed. Politics and the youth were the main influence of the way Presley’s music sounded.

1. What void did Elvis Presley’s music fill in the post-World War II America?

Elvis’ music acted as a good influence to the youth and the unity of America as a nation. The broadcasting of Presley’s music on television brought out many social issues in the country that were spoken of in hushed tones in the past. Elvis’ music acted as a bridge between the black and white people in the community.Whilst the government and the political system were dealing with political and international affairs, music acted as a control in the society, advising on the evils and the good of the society.

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