History Archives

Are We Amusing Ourselves to Death? The Age of TV

What were the early hopes for the invention of the television? How did entertainment value slowly replace trustworthiness? Are we amusing ourselves to death? In his book Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman discusses the impact that television has had on our society. Postman argues that television directly attacks literacy and suggests that we should judge everything based on entertainment value rather than importance. Keep reading to learn why Postman believes that we are amusing ourselves to death.

Thomas Paine: Revolution and Common Sense

How did Thomas Paine influence the American Revolution? What was his argument for separating America from England? Thomas Paine is known for paving the way for the American Revolution by urging the colonies to fight for their independence in his 1776 pamphlet Common Sense. In it, he argued that America could establish a republican form of government that is a model for the rest of the world by separating from England. In this article, we’ll discuss Thomas Paine’s revolution pamphlet Common Sense, and its arguments for liberating America.

Suburban Flight and the Role of the Government

What does suburban flight mean? How did the government encourage white flight to the suburbs? Suburban flight describes the migration phenomenon of predominantly white families from the urban areas in cities to suburban tracts. The government encouraged white flight by promoting the phenomenon as a mechanism to avoid racial tension and excluding African Americans from the financial support offered to the white families that moved out. Read on to learn more about the role of the government in the rise of suburban flight.

How Exclusionary Zoning Perpetuated Racial Inequality

What is exclusionary zoning? How did exclusionary zoning laws turn black neighborhoods into slums? Exclusionary zoning is the use of racial zoning laws to prohibit Blacks from owning homes in white neighborhoods and vice versa. These racial zoning laws were structured to ensure blacks were confined in densely packed zones adjacent to industrial areas or the pollution industry leading to the deterioration of these neighborhoods into slums. Read on to learn more about how exclusionary zoning laws disadvantaged African Americans.

Why Hereditary Monarchies Are Inherently Evil

What’s the problem with hereditary monarchy? How does a monarchical form of government compare to a republic? According to Thomas Paine, monarchical governments are inherently evil, and hereditary monarchies are particularly unjust. Compared to a republican form of government, the monarchical rule is inferior because it is based on the idea of the inherent superiority of some men over others. In this article, we’ll analyze monarchies as a system of government.

The New Deal: Redlining Policies Segregated America

How The New Deal Redlining Segregated America

What was redlining under the New Deal? How did the New Deal’s redlining policies segregate American communities? In the New Deal, redlining was based on a color-coded map for evaluating the value of homes in each neighborhood. The redlining practice contributed to segregation because the vast majority of neighborhoods colored red were African American neighborhoods. Read on to learn more about how the New Deal’s redlining practices entrenched segregation in America.

Thomas Paine: Government Is About Security

The Color of Law Review: Segregation by Law

What is the purpose of government? Do you think nations could live and cooperate effectively without a central rule? According to Thomas Paine, the government’s main purpose is to protect its citizens from the inherent vice in humanity and to provide its citizens with security. Because evil develops in society and among humans, they agree to enter into a contract where they give up some of their freedoms for protection from said evil. In this article, we will analyze Thomas Paine’s ideal government.

Who Was Sam Walton? Values & Founding Wal-Mart

Who was Sam Walton? What were Sam Walton’s defining personality traits? Sam Walton founded “The Walton Five and Dime” in 1970 which eventually turned into Wal-Mart. Walton’s personality was one of the major contributing factors to the growth of Wal-Mart. Continue reading if you want to know who Sam Walton was and how he came to found Wal-Mart.

The History of Medicare in the United States

When did the U.S. Medicare program start? What kinds of coverage does it provide? Medicare is the national U.S. health insurance scheme that covers citizens over the age of 65, young adults with certain disabilities, and people with permanent kidney failure. The history of Medicare dates back to 1965 when, under the leadership of President Lyndon Johnson, it was enacted under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act. Keep reading to learn more about the history of Medicare and how it worked in its infancy.

The Beginning of the Universe: How It All Started

How did the universe begin? And how do we know that the universe had a beginning in the first place? The beginning of the universe has been debated by philosophers and theologians since the beginning of recorded history. But there’s no more need to continue the debates on the subject. We now know that the universe had a beginning. Without further ado, here is a simple explanation of how our universe began.