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Thoughts and Ruminations on Chapter 1, The Tipping Point, and Six Glasses

Question: what are the driving forces behind the diffusion of products (such as Coca-Cola or the AK-47 assault rifle) on a global scale?

     Over the past century, our planet has become interconnected to the point that certain brands and products can be recognized wherever humans can be found. McDonald's, the most ubiquitous restaurant in the world, can be found in 119 countries worldwide (http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/08/08/countries-without-mcdonald/). Coca-Cola has a  commercial presence in over 200 (http://www.coca-colacompany.com/careers/who-we-are-infographic). The necessary factors to establish this omnipresence are and permeate most cultural barriers numerous, but there a few key forces that tend to foster this cultural diffusion. One such force, as in the case of the revival of Hush Puppies in the 1990s, is the emergence of a global popular culture. When a handful of artists decided that the old-fashioned shoe was the hip thing to be wearing, it sparked resulted in production of the shoe to skyrocket from 3,000 pairs annually to more than 400,000. This was partly the case with Coca-Cola as well, as the soft drink is considered to be a symbol of Western culture. But Coke also had a number of other driving forces behind its global adoption that were not present in the case of Hush Puppies. First of all, Coke is desirable to a much wider consumer base. A sweet beverage has appeal for potentially anyone, whereas Hush Puppies would only appeal to those concerned with U.S. fashion trends. Furthermore, Coke is far cheaper than a pair of stylish shoes, making it affordable to vast number of people and creating demand within a larger sphere. These traits, in addition to the drink's publicity and proliferation during WWII, resulted in Coke's expansion diffusion from the U.S. to nearly every country on Earth. 

Militaries, rebel groups, and other allies of the Soviet Union wanted weapons, so the USSR supplied them with huge quantities of the cheap and easy to manufacture assault rifle. 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/how-did-the-ak-47-become-the-most-abundant-weapon-on-earth-2124407.html

https://www.oxfam.de/system/files/20060623_theak47_200kb.pdf

   Map of AK-47 use and manufacture in Africa and the Middle East

Where the Blame Lies Analysis

       Grant E. Hamilton conforms to the popular practice of using immigrants as scape goats for some of the nation's most pressing issues, claiming that restricting immigration would cause all these problems to disappear. The stereotypes reflected in the cartoon are those primarily of the political ideologies associated with each ethnicity. A strong nativist sentiment is shown in the fear with which these ideologies are regarded. Apart from being accused of introducing insidious political views to Amerrica, the immigrants are portrayed as having nothing to offer. Furthermore, their nationalities seem to be used in a rather derogatory fashion, as if the immigrants are inherently inferior by virtue of being foreign. This attitude has been seen before and since with regard to US sentiment on immigration. The same nativist reaction was seen earlier in the 19th century, as well as more recently with regard to Mexican immigration to the US.  

Frederick Douglas Questions

1. Douglas was treated far better in the city of Baltimore than he was on the plantation. Highly religious masters tended to be harsher. 

2. Because of their early separation from their mothers, slaves did not develop natural familial bonds. According to Douglas, slavery removes any qualities of virtue from the master. 

3. Religious masters would abuse their slaves for extremely minor offenses, claiming that their slaves were possessed by the devil. And yet, these were the men constantly preaching love, acceptance and mercy. 

4. The most shocking aspect of Douglas's accounts is the sheer brutality of conditions for slaves. Northerners unfamiliar with the practice would have been appalled by the overwhelming inhumanity of the practice. 

5. Douglas's tenacity was demonstrated time and time again. His persistence in his campaign shows his unwavering commitment to his cause. 

DBQ Essay

Ryan Otto

Mr. Kilgour

AP US History 

October 13, 2015

DBQ Essay

        As late as 1775, America still comfortably identified itself as part of the British Empire. Even at the Second Continental Congress, where it was decided to form the Continental Army, it was recorded that "We have not raised armies with ambitious designs of separating from Great Britain, and establishing independent states." (Doc. E). This excerpt for the Declaration for the Causes of Taking up Arms illustrates how, despite being more cohesive than at any time prior, America was only partially unified before the revolution. At that point Americans were seeking representation rather than autonomy. Although some, such as Benjamin Franklin with his Join, or Die cartoon in the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1754, had advocated for unification before the Revolution, little concerted effort was made (Doc. A). Nevertheless, certain events before the revolution had granted the colonies some sense of unity. 

        The first significant unifying event in American history was the Great Awakening, a movement which fostered religious conformity throughout the colonies. The Great Awakening was the first "American" event, and so created the first semblance of national identity. This budding idea of Americans (rather than subjects of the Crown) gradually grew, and in the 1770's Hector St. John Crevecoeur defined them as people from all backgrounds who "are melted into a new race of men, whose labour and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world" (Doc. H). While previously America had no unifying faith, the fiery zeal of George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards was enough to create common ground between the colonies. This paved the way for other such unifying events. Though the Revolution was not influenced by religious motives, the Great Awakening was an important step towards coalescence and subsequently independence from the British Empire. 

        Apart from religious fervor, another unifying feeling was that of outrage at Britain's excessive taxation of the colonies. The desire for representation in parliament was ubiquitous in America, and many were in favor of taking action against the Empire. Writing in the February of 1774, Richard Henry Lee asserted that "A very small and corrupt Junto in New York excluded, all N. America is now most firmly United and as firmly resolved to defend their liberties ad infinitum against every power on Earth that may attempt to take them away." (Doc. C). Such indignation had been building since Britain imposed a slew of taxes to pay off the debt it had accumulated in the Seven Year War. In his "Notes for Speech in Parliament," Edmund Burke expressed his frustration with the system: "Govern America as you govern an English town which happens not to be represented in Parliament. Are Gentlemen really serious when they propose this?" (Doc. B). Burke was writing at a time when outrage at the Stamp Act and Sugar Act was still fresh. Though independence had not yet even been considered, the issue of representation was firmly in the minds of Americans. And yet even after independence had been won, not all were convinced the separation from Britain was necessary. In his 1781 history of the Revolution, Peter Oliver condemns the war as an attempt to "gratifye the Pride, Ambition & Resentment, of a few abandoned Demagogues" (Doc. F).  While their fuming over taxes certainly gave them a common goal, not everyone in the colonies was prepared to go against the king. Still, the number of those in favor of taking action was great enough to move America towards independence. 

      These common interests manifested themselves in the form of the Second Continental Congress in July of 1775. The taking up of arms was one of the first tangible results of America's new unity. That they were able to raise an army is an indication of how strong anti-British sentiment was throughout the colonies. But the consolidation of power in the form of the Second Continental Congress was in no way meant to replace the British constitution. Despite their open resistance of the mother country, those assembled viewed themselves as subjects of the Empire (Doc. E). 

     It took the extreme pressure from the British to force the colonies to unite under a form of centralized government. Without such an immediate threat, unification may not have occurred so quickly or to such an extent. Shortly after the newly formed United States had won its independence, American merchant ships were being looted by pirates from the Barbary Sates. While the need for a navy was evident, the idea faced much opposition. There was no threat to American soil, and individual states feared that the formation of a central navy would compromise their prerogatives. Lacking in the urgency faced by the revolutionaries, it took far longer to establish the U.S. navy than the Continental Army. Ultimately, the threat that Britain posed to the people of America leading up to the Revolution resulted in an incomplete but effective unification of the states. 

Linkage Activity

     During the 18th century, there was a heavy flow of both goods and ideas across the Atlantic. From Africa came an almost inexhaustible supply of slave labour which was transported to the Caribbean and the Americas. Raw materials were exported from the Americas to Europe, where they were processed into manufactured goods that were sent to Africa and the colonies. Outside of the Tirangular trade however, the radical ideas of the Enlightenment (or Age of Reason) were reaching America from Europe. This precipitated the Great Awakening and sparked the passions of such intense preachers as George Whitefiled.  

Analysis of York County Records

     By 1648, the difference in attitude towards black labor and white labor was already becoming apparent in York County. Whereas English indentured servants were only expected to work for a specified number of years, Africans were kept for life. From these records, it is clear that Africans were expected to produce a considerably larger amount of tobacco than their European counterparts. This was quite a change from the status quo of three decades prior, when skin color had little effect on the treatment of laborers.