Analysis of WWI Poster

1. I know that propaganda is the advertising of sometimes false information to sway an audience one way or another. There is usually a viewpoint or target of people in the propaganda distributed to people.
2. Propaganda is defined by dictionary.com as "information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc."
3/4. The picture to the left is only in red, white, and blue, which makes it seem patriotic. The people in the picture are seen huddled together while gazing at Lady Liberty, to signify the patriotism and try and make the reader recall "your first thrill of American Liberty." The capitalization in the propaganda also draws your eye to one specific spot on the page. It seems as if all people are standing still and your eyes automatically see the magnificent statue because of the way the clouds are painted in the background of the advertisement.

The picture to the right is shown in only red and black, your eyes simultaneously drawn to the bleeding red cross in the middle of the propaganda. The caption below and underneath aren't even necessary because you can see on the face of the person that they are in pain and distress, and they need help. The person is cleverly clothed in a black and white American flag that seems to just sprout up from the ground, again showing patriotism. 

The picture to the left exemplifies a woman holding onto her two children, the author using the visuals of mother and child to sway the audience and readers. The bright red letters at the bottom in bold and capitalized draw the readers eyes to the bottom of the page and then back up again to the obviously impoverished mother and child living amongst the trash and omnious garbage. 

5. The artist obviously intends for the person to be swayed to buy a loan because of the connotation with Lady Liberty and the image it places in your mind about your first experience of 'American Liberty.' In the second picture, it's a very compelling slogan and red cross sort of helping out the poor and less fortunate kind of deal, but it's extremely clever and the color used in the propaganda is the most swaying point of the advertisement, the creator obviously knew what he was doing. The creator wanted the reader to feel sorry for the person clothed in the American flag, and s/he does a great job of doing so. In the third picture, people are supposed to be swayed by the mother and child figures, and the author does a great job of identifying the horrible situation that they seem to be in, which is lacking cleanliness and very low income, the author is telling people to get out of their horrible situations and contract with the government because they are reliable and show pictures of liberty and suffering Americans. 

6. In the first and second picture, everyone is the ideal target; explained in previous answers. In the third picture, mothers and families are the target; explained in previous answers. 

7. I am more or less comfortable with the government spending our money to create these signs because they have a focused campaign and advertisements are seen everywhere, everyday, so even if I was uncomfortable with the tax dollars going to the propaganda, it would continue to happen regardless of my opinion. 

8. The government was trying to keep the spirits high in WWI and trying to motivate people who weren't physically involved in the war to still help with the war in any way that they could. 

Multiple Choice Question Writing Key

1.       1. Immigration was a major factor in Progressivism in the United States, so which two cultures    immigrated to the U.S. with the highest percentage in the 1900s?

a.       Austro-Hungarian and Northwestern European

b.      Italian and Austro-Hungarian

c.       Russian and Baltic States and Italian

d.      German and Austro-Hungarian

e.      Italian and Canadian

2.     2.   How old was Roosevelt when he assumed presidency?

a.       Fifty-four

b.      Forty-three

c.       Sixty-two

d.      Forty-two

e.      Sixty-six

3.     3.   What was one of Roosevelt’s first targets after the election?

a.       The “Square Deal”

b.      The Hepburn Railroad Regulation Act of 1906

c.       The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887

d.      “ICC”

e.      Pure Food and Drug Act

Book Thesis on Progressive Era

Defining the Progressive Era in one thesis/sentence for a "book" of Progressive topics
Thesis:
The Progressive Era was focused on the bettering of people, whether in life, security, social problems, or overall wellness, the public and government worked together to improve the conditions of America during the Progressive Era and humans living during the time period.

Multiple Choice Question Writing

1.      Immigration was a major factor in Progressivism in the United States, so which two cultures      immigrated to the U.S. with the highest percentage in the 1900s?

a.       Austro-Hungarian and Northwestern European

b.      Italian and Austro-Hungarian

c.       Russian and Baltic States and Italian

d.      German and Austro-Hungarian

e.      Italian and Canadian

2.       How old was Roosevelt when he assumed presidency?

a.       Fifty-four

b.      Forty-three

c.       Sixty-two

d.      Forty-two

e.      Sixty-six

3.       What was one of Roosevelt’s first targets after the election?

a.       The “Square Deal”

b.      The Hepburn Railroad Regulation Act of 1906

c.       The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887

d.      “ICC”

e.      Pure Food and Drug Act

Living Essays about Progressivism

Working with Raquel, Faiza, and Abby. We combined the topics of Prohibition, Soft Drinks, and Mother Jones to create an introduction and a conclusion about the Progressive Era.

Introduction:

During the Progressive Era, the public cared about the well being of the society. The public wanted to move forward in different areas such as health and personal safety to improve the human body. Most of their views included ideas of prohibition, protests, and finding a replacement for hard liquor.

Conclusion:

Prohibition, protests, and a replacement for hard liquor were ideas that the public focused on during the Progressive Era, often calling for government action, so that they could better the health and security of what goes into, and happens to people.Prohibition forced people to drink healthier drinks and have a healthier lifestyle, which led to boom in healthier people. Soft drinks and Coca-Cola especially helped improve the innovations toward marketing, advertising, and the entertainment of Americans, and Americans made major advancements during this time. Mary Jones was known as a mother to children and “boys” she led in strikes, she devoted her life to the health and safety of everyone she led on independent strikes.Overall, these ideas for a better society had a positive effect and improved the human mind and body during the Progressive Era.

Coca-Cola and How it's Related to Progressivism

        Coca-Cola has been around and will continue to be around until the end of time. When Coca-Cola came to the booming town of Atlanta, Georgia, a new era dawned in America, the era of progressivism. The name, Coca-Cola derives from the word Coke, meaning cocaine, and kola (or cola) meaning the cola nut from which caffeine is extracted ("Coca-Cola, a Drug Drink" Jeffersonian).  According to America's Historical Newspaper, Coca-Cola was a wake up call for Americans, both good and bad. Many uptight journalists and businessmen thought that Coke was a horrible mistake and would corrupt American youth physically and mentally, while others thought the drink was an "agreeable tonic" or "a common cure for headaches and minor ailments" ("An Innocent Beverage" Times-Picayune). Coca-Cola was extremely controversial and served as a point of marketing, advertising, and entertainment that thrived because of the progressive era and it completely changed the game of economics and the year round lifestyles of families living in the 1890s-1920s.

       Marketing geniuses are the main reason Coca-Cola became such a symbol for Americans. Coke was seen as an amenity and was made all the rage because of the use of advertising.  Above, Santa Claus is seen enjoying a Coke by his Christmas tree and working hard under the watchful eye of a resting deer, everybody loved the images of Santa and it became a widely accepted drink because people thought, if Santa can drink Coke, then why can't I? The ads for Coca-Cola only included positives, claiming that it was "healthful," "innocent," and "cheap" ("Soda Water Profit Huge; Cost of Fountain Big" Plain Dealer). Coca-Cola began as a cure for common illnesses, as it was made by a chemist in a lab, and so it was believed that it was a healthy thing to drink. People marketed the drink all year round, using Santa Claus in the winter months, and beach scenes and advertisements in the summer. Cream sodas, Coke floats, and ice cream parlors took up the marketing for the soft drink in the summer and were able to form entire businesses around the drink because of the successful marketing campaigns. Below are some of the clever advertisements that were used to make Coca-Cola popular, not to mention appealing to Americans because it was seen as a medical need, not just as a drink.

        Other scientists, chemists, and pharmacists, however, didn't share the same innocent idea about Coca-Cola, many progressive adults and storeowners thought that Coke would corrupt the brains of the youth, because it was thought to contain amounts of cocaine and caffeine. Both of these allegations were true when tested, but Coca-Cola fought back by removing the cocaine from the drink and saying that the amounts of caffeine in the drink were no more than a normal glass of coffee or tea. The controversy caused because of the scientific research on Coke only made the drink more popular among Americans because it was still seen as new and fresh. Progressivism is shown by the fights that older Americans put up about the drink, because they didn't want a new and possibly impure drink. Journalists claimed that, "caffeine is posion, and should be banned" ("Dr. Kebler ... Declares it Has Poison" State). Plenty of angry businessmen had strenuous tests done concerning the drugs used in the drink because they didn't believe that the drink could make it in their society. Some people wanted to stick to the normal everyday tea and coffee, but without Coca-Cola, there would have never been the invention of Sprite, soda fountains, or a successful rise in marketing. People used gigantic headlines and long, jumbled doctors notes to try and convince others to stay away from Coke, claiming it contained, "opium and cocaine," and "it's influences are more lasting and damaging than whiskey" ("Worst Enemy to the Human Family..." Daily Herald). The progressives tried to completely shun Coca-Cola, but the marketing and advertising of the well-known company in Georgia was well knit and structured, so it did not fail. The progressive era proved to be an obstacle that the Coca-Cola company thrived and overcame, because of the fantastic marketing, the message in the bottle, literally, and the idea of a new drink that could cure all things.

      

Third Quarter Self Evaluation

I'm very worried about my history grade. I'd like to be able to read deeper and articulate better in class, and in the history assigned questions. I feel that if I work hard and study, as well as think carefully before answering questions, I will be able to improve my grade by the end of the third quarter. I'd like to get an A in this class, and I feel as if I've come a long way since the beginning of this year, but I need to continue to work just as hard in the class to get the grade I want. The videos in class, like the Eddie Aikau documentary and the High Line, really help me understand different aspects of the history learning, and the reading questions and pocket books really help me. I feel as if I've learned to analyze a movie with a critical eye and I'd like to continue to watch movies in class. By the end of the third quarter, I'd like to have an A in this class and be able to understand a lot more of what I'm reading, because I sometimes get confused when reading the textbook.

Thinking about Progress

1. I would define progress as the difference between when you started something and when you ended it, progression is defined in the, "figurative sense as, "growth, development, advancement to higher stages"" (Dictionary)
2. The Progressive Era was between the 1890s to 1920s because it was an era of "political reform and widespread social activism" (Wiki)
3.  (US History)
    a. Remove corruption and influence from the government from bosses and political machines
    b. Include more people in the political process, democratic ways
    c. Government must solve social problems so that fairness is enforced in economic matters
    (American History)
    d. Discrimination against women be abolished
    e. Lower crime rates during the Urbanization of America
    f. Establish health and safety codes
4. All of these political reforms seem to share the common idea that humans should be valued as equal and deserve all the same amenities that "higher-class" Americans did prior to the Progressive Era. Most of the goals and reforms are based on the needs of citizens and the want of a more democratic solution to the problems. 
5.  Essential goals worth striving for/ Necessary change
            a. Discrimination against women be abolished
            b. Lower crime rates during the Urbanization of America
            c. Include more people in the political process, democratic ways
     Best Goals – not strictly necessary, but could really improve life
           a. Establish health and safety codes
           b. Remove corruption and influence from the government from bosses and political machines
     Strange Goal
           a. Government must solve social problems so that fairness is enforced in economic matters
     Not a good idea (none)