Syria

So it occurs to me that I knew absolutely nothing about Syria and the unrest that's going on there until now. That's kind of a problem. I mean, I watch the news and stuff, but I can't say that I have ever really paid attention to what's going on in the world. But I think it's important, so I guess this was a good assignment, though I hate to admit it. I'm still a wee bit unsure about what's going on in Syria, but I'll do my best to verbalize my understanding thus far. There's was a lot of unrest, and that has turned into violent protest. What's kind of fascinating to me is how this started. There was a group of teenagers who put up anti-government graffiti, and they were apparently tortured, and that is what began the outrage. There must have been unrest before, as there was unrest in Syria's past, because it is just crazy that something like graffiti started all of this violence. Okay, so it's more like "something like torture" started all of this violence. But I'm sure acts of torture have happened before. My point is that this was something that was just waiting to happen. What I gather about the United State's opinions and involvement is that it's glad that this happened, that people are rising up against the Syrian government and wanting to change it. There was speculation that the U.S. would supply the protesters with weapons, but I don't think that's going to happen. But that wouldn't be toooo shocking, given that it seems as though the United States will do anything to get rid of dictators and dictatorships and tyranny and tyrants and whatever else. Yeah, that was really specific, but it is clear that the U.S. is morally opposed to anything that is not a democracy. And I think the U.S. should stay out of everyone's business. But I do think that if the people of Syria are looking for change, then they should be able to get change, though it is a shame that there has to be so much violence. I just wonder: What's going to happen next? I don't really have other questions; I kind of don't know what to ask. But I do know that this is probably going to be in the news for a long time to come.

Iran

So to be honest, I wasn't exactly looking forward to this blogging activity because I really don't enjoy reading through articles, and all of these topics seemed quite miserable. However, I must say I'm glad that I'm being forced to take the time and learn about current events because it's something I don't pay much attention to, but these are things that are really important to know. Anyway, what I have gathered about Iran is that they have a nuclear program going, but that's kind of uncertain. Iran is very secretive and will only allow visits to certain power plants, so that is definitely suspicious. The country is working to produce nuclear fuel, and reports say that they are very close. The question is: What are they going to use that nuclear fuel for? Iran claims that it is just for energy and use within the country, but other countries believe that it plans to use the fuel for a nuclear bomb. It is hard to believe that Iran is making nuclear fuel for civilian use when Iran makes it clear that it wants to wipe Israel off of the face of the earth. There's all of this tension between Iran and Israel, and Israel has threatened attacks on Iran in order to wipe out its nuclear plants. Israel sees Iran as a huge threat, but reports have said that Iran isn't close to making a nuclear bomb, though I guess that's really hard to gauge, given that Iran is only giving outsiders limited access. There is also word that Iran is ready to talk to and negociate with other countries, though people speculate that Iran is just trying to buy time. A lot of countries have showed their dispproval for what Iran is doing and have broken ties with it. Many countries are coming together to try to cut off Iran's monetary resources, which is apparently slowing Iran's progress. So that's what I've gathered through my reading and browsing and watching. I probably didn't summarize the happenings in the most logical order, and I probably left some things out, but I think I've pretty much covered it. I don't really know what to think about the whole situation because there seems to be a lot of uncertainty involved, so it's hard to judge what is going on. I think that negotiations definitely need to happen, or at least some sort of dialogue about what's happening in Iran. I just believe that the worst thing that the United States (or any other country) can do is make an enemy for themselves, and that's pretty much already happened. The truth of the matter is that this wouldn't be an issue if countries hadn't made enemies with Iran. I mean, other countries have nuclear programs, but we're not concerned because we're confident that they won't use that technology to blow up other countries. And I don't think that Israel went out and made Iran an enemy because Israel seems to have a lot of enemies simply because they want the land, don't like Jews, or whatever else may be the reason. So I guess in that sense, there was really nothing Israel could do, but I do think that it should not make the first attack on Iran. I don't really know what I'm saying, but I just think that countries in general need to make a better effort to get along. All that's left to do is wait, and hopefully there will be talk between Iran and other countries to figure out what they're doing. What is Iran really doing? And what are its intentions? Those are really the only questions I have, and once those are answered, then I think I will have a much stronger opinion on the matter. (Not that my opinions are ever not strong)

"Actually, Prohibition Was a Success"

Best article ever! It completely saved my paper. Most people think that Prohibition was a failure because it made organized crime more prominent and created a black market for alcohol. But as the article said, organized crime existed before, during, and after the years of Prohibition, and it did not make it increase, just made it more in the public's eye. Prohibition actually did what it set out to do, reducing alcohol consumption by 30 to 50 percent, which I think is incredible, and that is something I never knew. Honestly, I always thought that the most sure way of increasing the use of a certain substance was to make that substance illegal. It just feels like telling someone they can't do something only makes them want to do it more, and it pretty much guarantees that they will do it. But there are actually a lot of law-abiding individuals who would never risk the potential punishment. I'm one of those people, so I am not sure why I am so surprised that there were that many. I guess it has to do with what's published. Nobody cares about the people who through life abiding by all the rules and being perfect citizens all the time; people want to hear about those who break the law, so I that's probably why the portrayal of the years of Prohibition is different than the actual numbers would suggest. All very fascinating.

"Chronology of Prohibition"

This is a newspaper article that was written during the time of Prohibition.  It was pretty much the dea lbreaker for me in determining that the Temperance Movement was actually successful.  I just think it says a lot that the majority of the country chose to live in areas where it was illegal to sell alcohol.  The movement and can educate the public all it wants, but that does not necessarily mean that the public will necessary choose a temperance lifestyle, what I guess I would call it. And this by no means suggests that all of these people chose to abstain from alcohol, but they certainly did recognize its negative effects, and they chose to live in areas where drinking was likely reduced, among likeminded individuals.

Other Sources of Information

"Early Temperance Society"
New York Times
October 28, 1900
http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document?set=search&lastset=&rendition=x-article-image&start=1&inmylist=&urn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-article-image%3B102620858&pagemapurn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-pagemap%3B102620858&pageimageurn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-pcpage-image%3B102620858&mylisturn=urn:proquest:US;PQDOC;HNP;PQD;HNP;PROD;x-pagemap;102620858&pdfurn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-article-image%3B102620858&abstracturn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-abstract%3B102620858&returnpage=document&doframe=1

"The Woman's Christian Temperance Union in the Pacific Northwest: The Battle for Cultural Control"
http://www.jstor.org/stable/40491692?seq=3&Search=yes&searchText=Temperance&searchText=Movement&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DTemperance%2BMovement%26acc%3Doff%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=14&ttl=16048&returnArticleService=showFullText&resultsServiceName=null

"Chronology of Prohibition"
New York Times
January 11, 1920
http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document?set=search&start=1&rendition=x-article-image&inmylist=false&urn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-article-image%3B102737112&mylisturn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-citation%3B102737112

"Hear Talks on Alcohol"
Chicago Daily Tribune
March 2, 1900
http://hn.bigchalk.com/hnweb/hn/do/document?set=search&start=1&rendition=x-article-image&inmylist=false&urn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-article-image%3B421838021&mylisturn=urn%3Aproquest%3AUS%3BPQDOC%3BHNP%3BPQD%3BHNP%3BPROD%3Bx-citation%3B421838021


"Report of the Executive Committee of the American Temperance Union, [16th], 1852"
http://www.jstor.org/stable/60100174?seq=4&Search=yes&searchText=Temperance&searchText=Movement&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DTemperance%2BMovement%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=2&ttl=15340&returnArticleService=showFullText&resultsServiceName=null

Prohibiton
http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/275752?terms=prohibition

Eighteenth Amendment
http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/254212?terms=prohibition

"Actually, Prohibition Was a Success"
http://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/16/opinion/actually-prohibition-was-a-success.html

My Research Question

I am studying the Temperance Movement because I want to find out how the movement influenced soceity's view of women, in order to understand how society's view of women has changed over time, and whether it was a positive or a negative change.

So my research question is: Did the Temperance Movement have a positive or a negative effect on society's view of women?

Questions I still have about the Temperance Movement

I must say, I have learned a lot so far about the Temperance Movement and the main group that comprised the movement (the WCTU), as well a key individual within the movement (Frances Willard). I still feel like there is so much more to learn and know about the movement, such as the other key individuals, or different organizations that took part in the movement. But I guess the main thing that I feel like I am still missing is how the movement applies to the overall topic of women. Clearly it applies to women because women were at the forefront of the movement, but there should be something more like, How did the Temperance Movement influence society in how it views the role of women? How is it related to other movements of the time? What did other people think of the movement? How were women perceived differently because of this movement? Oh, so much left unanswered...

Frances Willard

Frances Willard was the founder of the national Woman's Christian Temperance Union and was its president until her death. Willard was an educator and later became the dean of women at Northwestern University. She helped to organize the Association for the Advancement of Women, for women who thought that sufferage was too extreme. After leaving Northwestern in 1874, Willard became president of the Chicago Woman's Temperance Union, and later the secretary of the Illinois temperance association. She and other Midwestern temperance leaders joined together in late 1874 to form the national WCTU, and she was chosen recording secretary of it. Willard made temperance her life's work, but she was soon at odds with conservatives, as she wanted to push for women's suffrage. Willard urged the WTCU to promote a variety of reform causes, and separate departments were organized. Frances Willard is one of the most important people of the Temperance Movement.
http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1187225?sid=248176&webSiteCode=SLN_AMHIST&returnToPage=%2fTopics%2fDisplay%2f1187225%3fsid%3d248176&cid=26&oid=256042&useConcept=False&token=813B1E9D2F9B7496900F11FD5BA89A05&casError=False

Woman's Christian Temperance Union

The Woman's Christian Temperance Union, or the WCTU, was formed in 1874, and it became the largest organization for women in the world. Its goal was to form an orderly, Christian society, and it saw alcohol as its primary hindrance. The WCTU saw that alcohol caused a lot of problems in society, so naturally, it wanted to ban it. Women were a huge part of the Temperance Movement as a whole, mainly because they saw the how it had a negative impact on their families and keeping their home safe. Although women were supposed to be homemakers, the WCTU encouraged women to go outside their homes to fight alcohol, thought they did not initially advocate equality or women's rights. The goal of venturing outside the home was for the sole purpose of protecting the home. Later on, the WCTU pushed for national Prohibition, and it was eventually successful with the addition of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution.
http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1187225?sid=253626&cid=26&oid=256042&useConcept=False

"Constitution and Plan of Work for a Local Woman's Christian Temperance Union"

This primary document is a constitution and plan of work for a local Woman's Christian Temperance Union chapter, one from 1874, and another from 1883, illustrating the progress that they had made over the course of nine years. The ultimate goal of the W.C.T.U. was to have alcohol banned, but in the mean time, their goal was to spread the word of temperance, encouraging people to completely abstain from all alcohol or intoxicating substances. The constitution of this chapter of the W.C.T.U. states that its object is "to educate public sentiment up to the level of total abstinence, to train the young, reform and save the inebriate, and hasten the time when the dram-shops shall be banished from the streets by law." The union valued education fo the young, realizing that it was the future of temperance, of abstaining from alcohol. In order to join that particular union, people had to sign a pledge of total abstinence and paying fifty cents a year. Members were to go out and try to get others to pledge as well, even if only for a short amount of time. They were also to spread the word, getting information into newspapers, with the ultimate object of making alcohol illegal.
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=113&sid=43e969da-0f95-44dd-898b-75c57a22f7d6%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=f5h&AN=21213085

Temperance Movement Overview

The Temperance Movement was popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, with the goal of controlling, limiting, or banning the use of alcohol. There were a lot of different groups that made up this movement, each with slightly different goals. Women were mainly at the forefront of the movement, as they tended to be the victims of alcohol and the abuse that went along with it. The movement spread to the majority of the states by the mid-1800s, and it was a powerful force in the creation of the Eighteenth Amendment, the banning of alcohol in the United States. That is when the movement ended, for its ultimate goal was achieved.
http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/Topics/Display/1187225?sid=256042&cid=26&oid=256042&useConcept=False

Race Relations

We all know that descrimination is bad. But how many people know that descrimination is still a problem today, in the 21st Century? Maybe you knew that, and maybe you didn't but the point is that you should, we all should know that descrimination is still a problem. I had to read some articles and American Studies class, and I am now supposed to be writing about my findings and answering some key questions. The real question: Is anybody reading this? Anyway, when racism makes its appearance this day and age, the whole world pretty much knows. This likely has an immense effect on the community in which the incident took place because now people know that there is racism within that community. For example, when a woman posted a "Public Pool: Whites Only" sign in Cincinati, it caused a lot of outrage, and people were offended, even though the woman claimed that it was intended to keep certain hair products used by a certain black from clouding up the pool. Or how I might not look at Panera the same way, now that I know that there was some supposed descrimination in one of its franchises. This is also true with the incident at MSU; I might think that it is a really racist school based on one racist incident. Now, I am by no means suggesting that these incidents are insignificant and sould be ignored, as I think that these incidents are important, and they do have a huge impact. Racism is looked down upon today, and that is most definitely a good thing. Whites are definitely shown in a negative light in these article, and that has an impact. But I think it makes people all the more conscious about what they say and do, which is also a good thing. Lawsuits are often filed against whites who do such outrageous and racist things, such as both the pool incident, as well as the Panera descrimination. But these actions need to happen; people should not be able to get away with such atrocities. Blacks are certainly impacted by this, as they probably feel that they are not safe, even though the Civil Rights movement is long over. I mean, you would think that this is long said and done, but it is not. Blacks are outraged that descrimination still exists, and they take action for what is right. The fight for true equality is not over. I am not convinced that the fight will ever be over, but it is something for which the country (and the world) should continue to strive.