The Second Gulf War

The Second Gulf War was a war against Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. The invasion of Iraq by US forces was seen as wrong and having no precedent by many people and foreign nations. President Bush declared in 2003 that the nation of Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Fearing the use of chemical warfare and dirty bombs by the Iraqis, the United States prepared for war. United States military forces began the invasion of Iraq. Extensive airstrikes paved the way for tank advances through the desert. American troops closed the noose on Saddam and the capital of Baghdad. Eventually, American forces took Baghdad, but Saddam was nowhere to be found. An extensive search of the country led to no weapons of mass destruction.
The entire basis of the war was proved to be false. Looking back in investigation, reports by the CIA that the Iraqis had weapons of mass destruction were deemed to be false reports. Foreign nations accused the United States of war mongering on the basis of needing more oil and resources. The US invasion of Iraq led to vacuum of power. This vacuum led to the creation of Islamic militant groups that received great support. Civilians who were bombed and shot at by US forces were sympathetic with causes of these militant groups.
All in all, the Second Gulf War was a great mistake by the Bush Administration. Hundreds of thousands of lives were lost for no reason. Billions of dollars wasted and a country thrown into chaos for seemingly nothing. The single objective of the war was failed. No weapons of mass destruction led many to question why the United States invaded Iraq. The greediness of US policy makers to achieve resources in Iraq led to the deaths of thousands and the destruction of a country, creating long lasting problems we have to face today.
Sources: http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/dont-start-second-gulf-war

History of American Currency

Recently the U.S Treasury Department announced that they would be taking Andrew Jackson off of the front of the $20 dollar bill, and replacing him with Harriet Tubman. Tubman will be making history as the first women on American paper currency, with Sacagawea being on the the $1 coin. 

Paper currency in the United States was born in 1690, in the form of colonial notes. They were first issued int he Massachusetts Bay Colony to fund British military expeditions. In 1775, the Continental Congress issued paper currency that, much like the Continental Congress, was highly ineffective. The phrase "not worth a continental", was coined since the Continental currency quickly lost value due to a lack of solid backing and a rise in counterfeiting. In 1776, the same year as the Battle of Yorktown, the first $2 note was issued, a note that would eventually have Thomas Jefferson on it. The first $10 notes were issues in 1861, featuring President Lincoln's portrait. In 1865, the United States Secret Service is created to actually combat counterfeiters, not fighting spies and protecting the president as many of us know them for today. Four years later, the centralization of printing of federal notes happens, and our currency is no longer produced by private companies and instead by the federal government. In 1889, the names that can be seen right under the portraits of historical figures were added, and a decade later the Jackson is put on the firth federal $10 bill. In 1957, the phrase "In God We Trust" was added to all of our currency. The early 21st century was the age of redesigned American currency, with the addition of Jackson onto the $20 bill, Hamilton on the $10 bill, and Lincoln on the $5 dollar bill. And now, in the next couple of years Tubman will be among the elite group of history makers that are allowed to grace the foundation of our professional lives. 

Sources: https://uscurrency.gov/history-american-currency

Japanese Refusal to Surrender

Japanese troops during World War 2 were told to never surrender. The military effect on the war was disastrous for the United States. With Japanese soldiers fighting to the death, thousands of more troops, supplies, and weapons were needed to be spent in order to take islands. Small Japanese holdouts in caves and in the jungles created many problems for US soldiers. These soldiers refused to surrender and instead tried to inflict as much damage as possible. The use of suicide fighters became increasingly prevalent throughout the war. Japanese "kamikaze" aircraft became incredibly successful, creating huge damage on naval ships. The suicide planes were able to save fuel, bombs, and pilot lives. Facing a pilot deficit, the Japanese air force started to stage suicide attacks. One successful pilot could take out a single ship. There was no need for highly trained pilots now that the pilots were suiciding. Fuel was only needed for a one way trip and the planes didn't have to gear up with bombs and bullets. During the battle of Iwo Jima, Japanese troops suicide d on American tanks, hoping to blow them up with themselves. Japanese forces held up in reinforced caves trying to inflict as much damage as possible on the American forces. The Japanese when facing no chance of winning, decided to commit suicide rather than be captured. The Japanese leadership claimed the US mistreated Japanese prisoners to the point of death. They claimed suicide was the only honorable way to die.
This wave of suicidal troops and refusal to surrender can be seen as a social way of life in Japan. Japanese soldiers were motivated to do what they did in order to honor their family and country. Before going on suicide missions, kamikaze pilots were honored by their generals and given a ceremonial send off as heroes of their country. The refusal to surrender is a Japanese social trend seen throughout the war. To surrender is to bring shame to your family, and many Japanese soldiers would rather end their lives than bring shame. Japanese "fight to the last man" strategy was devastating against the United States, creating hundreds of thousands more casualties and prolonging the war in the Pacific.

The Silent Spring

In the midst of the of the 1950's and the 1960's the amount of pesticides used increased incredibly. The use of pesticides was popularized after World War Two because of of their ability to kill insects such as lice, that caused malaria, and typhus.  The pesticide that was popularized was called DDT, which saved the lives of thousands of soldiers during World War Two. Later the pesticide was used to treat  crops as well as yards and neighborhoods. The government endorsed the product, claiming that it was completely safe, and exaggerating the problems of insects, in order to increase the use of pesticides that were forty times more poisonous that DDT. Despite the dangers, people continued to use the pesticides because they believed that large corporations would not try to harm them. However, despite this, the use of pesticides caused severe environmental damage, killing off wildlife, causing fish to explode, and the death of children after playing with the pesticides. Rachel Carson, a marine biologist noticed these changes.  She had already written best selling books such as, Under the Sea Wind, The Sea Around Us, which wrote about the interconnections of all living creatures.  In her book The Silent Spring, she wrote about the consequences of the government deciding to live in "a world without insects". She stated that the amount of Parathion, a pesticide, on the planet could destroy the world 5 to 10 times over She believed that people had the right to live in non toxic environments and criticized men for forgetting the true meaning of the planet.  She received a lot of criticism, with many people stating that a marine biologist was not capable of speaking intelligently on pesticides, some even stated that Carson was a Communist or a "hysterical" women, another way of saying that because of her sex, she was not knowledgeable scientist.  
Below: Rachel Carson
https://www.nrdc.org/stories/story-silent-spring
                        

Star Wars

Ronald Reagan's surge of new conservatism led to an increased focus in the US military and a growth of the defense budget. Reagan wanted to eliminate the threat of a nuclear attack through a high tech space based defense system. This ambitious plan was dubbed Star Wars. Reagan's star wars called for an array of defense satellites in space capable of tracking nuclear weapons in flight and intercepting them, eliminating their payload and rendering the missile useless. This controversial plan only elevated tensions in and outside the United States. Star Wars called for a huge budget, and many scientists weren't certain that this kind of defense system was even possible. Even in today's world, many people are sure that Star Wars is technologically impossible to build. Besides being hard to build, Star Wars would cost the United States billions of dollars.
The USSR became wary of Star Wars and the possibility of upsetting decades of Mutually Assured Destruction. This fragile balance of nuclear annihilation had so far led the United States and USSR to not launch missiles at each other. The USSR feared that with no threat of nuclear retaliation, Ronald Reagan would launch missiles and destroy the USSR. This possible upsetting of MAD proved to be a large mistake for Reagan. USSR and US tensions grew to new levels with the conservative Reagan heading the US government. With no threat of mutually assured destruction, the fragile balance of nuclear power in the world was disturbed.

Zoot Suit Riot

1940's Zoot Suits were high-waisted wool trousers and baggy suit coats that were worn born out of jazz culture and worn by many of Los Angeles' youth. More than just fashion, the zoot suits were seen as an act of defiance and breaking traditional norms of clothing. This form of clothing was popular amongst Mexican American youth known as pachuchos. It also created a reputation of these youth as thugs and juvenile delinquents.

Before the riot, racial tensions were already beginning to rise. As the war begun, many white men in Los angeles left to fight in segregated units. Immigrants and refugees from the Mexican Revolution often replaced white men in the workforce. There were also over 50,000 servicemen in L.A. at the time because the west coast was seen as vulnerable to attack by the Japanese following Pearl Harbor.

The Riots were not necessarily about fashion choices, but rather due to fragile state of race relations. Full- scale riots took place in 1943 and were often very violent. After conflict between Zoot-suiters and white soldiers, the soldiers attacked anyone clad in a Zoot suit and stripped them of their suits. The mob grew as civilians and more servicemen joined, targeting Latinos in public spaces. Animosity was not just reserved for Latinos either. Blacks and Filipinos, even those not wearing Zoot suits were targeted. Local media portrayed this event as a militant and criminal response of immigrant groups. Furthermore, the Los Angeles City Council issued a ban on Zoot suits on June 9th. Similar incidents of racial riots took place across the nation, including cities such as Philadelphia, Chicago, and Detroit. The Zoot Suit riot mirrored racial tensions that arose throughout the 40s as a result of immigrant and minority migrations

Sources:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/zoot/eng_peopleevents/e_riots.html

Battle of the Bulge

The Battle of the Bulge was the last effort of an almost defeated German military. Running low on supplies, troops, and gasoline, the Wehrmacht had to make a final push. As the Americans and British advanced from France and the Russian onslaught continued from the East, the Germans found themselves being squeezed farther and farther into Germany. As US and British forces entered Belgium and the border of Germany, they encountered some of the heaviest fighting in the war. Desperate German divisions pushed back with unseen ferocity. Panzers and German infantry columns pushed hard into the Ardegne forest, pushing through the Belgium border. The German panzers had little fuel left. The Panzers needed fuel in order to run, and they had to reach crucial Belgium cities to capture fuel and refuel the war machine. This all out push was almost successful. In the Ardegne forest US paratroopers defended the town of Bastion from advancing German tank divisions. The Americans lines fluctuated but never broke. The Germans advanced under fog cover hoping to reach their destination as quickly as possible. The American line held long enough for cloud cover to burn off. As the skies cleared in came the American bomber and tank hunting planes. The superior American air force ended the offensive, rendering German tanks unusable. With the German army losing hundreds of thousands of soldiers and German tanks running out of gas, the Germans were forced to retreat back to the Siegfried line. This incredibly blooding close quarters fighting in dense forest in Belgium was the bloodiest battle fought by the United States in the entire war. This one last ditch effort by Hitler eventually led to the defeat of the struggling German Army.