What emotions would I feel if I was reunited with a loved one at the "kissing post."

What emotions would I be feeling? It might be a sudden rush of relief. It seems like there's a chance that  that loved one may not even show, but once they do, it just makes you so relieved to know they made it. I would feel joy for being able to wait that long for them to find me/ to come because I didn't go insane while waiting for however long. I may feel overwhelmed and may even start crying. Falling into whoever's arms and not want them to ever leave me again or separated from me. I wouldn't care if anyone saw how ridiculous we looked, laughing, smiling, and crying; being in a mess of loving tears.

Carnegie "Wealth" Essay

I agree with most of what Carnegie says. I mean it's all a logical thought process, and it's based on what society is about and how everything works. In reality, you need money to survive, and enough to not just get by, but enough to even give away. I think that isn't such a bad idea, but some just have a hard time getting on their feet. Sure they all have their reasons, but that doesn't mean it can't be done. His three steps to success was really useful as well. It makes sense: get educated, earn money, and be a person who doesn't want to live with their money, but give as much of it away as possible. People need to understand that earthly things will not go with us when we die. Nothing does. Do not cling to the possessions in general of this earth. Money is one of the worst to do it with.


“Besides this, it may fairly be said that no man is to be extolled for doing what he cannot

help doing, nor is he to be thanked by the community to which he only leaves wealth at

death. Men who leave vast sums in this way may fairly be thought men who would not

have left it at all, had they been able to take it with them.”

-I did find this quote a little unfair. I do agree giving money away is good, but if you don't give it all away before death is a disgrace, that's bad? When we talked about this in class, a thought came into my head. A thought I live by myself. When a good deed is done, don't brag about it. Sometimes people want to give you a lot of recognition for what you have done and you don't want that. Personally I would simply save money for a certain reason, that is worth the recognition, and not give it away until I die, so people wouldn't bug me about making sure I got noticed. I would hate the attention!

Working Conditions

How do you think working conditions at this time in history will contribute to a massive change in labor? 

Well, I think, with all that was stated, is that the working conditions will get better. The labor itself, I feel will take a huge downhill until the working conditions are fixed. I believe at one point the laborers will be short handed, no pun in-tended, and the pace will be slow with those who are working and are incapable of working to the expected needs. Once things are changed and it's easier and safer to work, the labor itself will be more efficient and better, getting the job done.

Cartoon Blog Post

How did analyzing these cartoons help you understand the relationship between big business and government better?
It took me awhile to actually understand the relationship at all. By the last one I did, I think I got it. Big business does it's best to have a lot power to control what they own. The government doesn't like that and do their best to stop it. Business bosses found ways to get around every law the government had set up. Their relationship was a 'rocky' one and they both did not get along with one another at all. For example. Each cartoon showed anger and both groups in it looking mad at one another.

Why would the position of the government be emphasized in these cartoons? 
The government is so strict and does it's best to keep everything under their control. They are being outsmarted by common business people and workers over and over again.

How do these cartoons help you answer the essential question, "How does a society distribute wealth?"
These cartoons helped me by showing how it is done. With all the trust formed, oil companies, the Big Business leaders, and everything else in the mesh; they work together in a way to help one another. Underneath the skin that's how it works. Government wants control, business people make trust to secretly work together against the government, but get disrupted when the government jumps in. Workers need the money and the bosses need the workers to make money for them.

Railroad Game

1. What was your strategy? Did it work? What would you change about it?
E.R.A's main strategy was to go in a little circle and hit the three eastern regions and then head west. I'm not exactly sure what we would have changed. Maybe just go straight across the country instead loop in a small circle.
2. Why do you think connecting the different economic regions made your railroad more money?
You had a bigger profit because you would be transporting more goods. The more land you covered, in reality, the more people needed you for transportation. There was no other way to get something from Texas to New York in days time.
3.What do you think could improve this game? 
Maybe a better system when someone gets bought out. Once you did and had to join another group, it just got really boring sitting there writing down what you were told instead of actually participating in anything.
4. What were your overall thoughts of the game?
I thought it was really fun! In my group we had a lot of "Oh this is a great idea!" moments that really helped us stick it through the game for so long. We were one of the last groups to be bought out, and I was rather surprised we made it that long.
5. After studying railroads and playing the game, how did this "innovation" change the United States?
It changed the way things were transported from region to region. It was a lot faster and easier to do. It also opened up a lot of job opportunities for people, but it was indeed dangerous for those working on the railroads. It helped connect the United States in a good kind of way.

Patillo Higgins

What is something that I could learn from Patillo Higgins life? Something that really caught my attention about his life was the fact that he may have given up on school, but he didn't give up on education. He continued to study; geology to be exact. He also discovered something he had never seen before, and went in to the study of oil. He knew back home there was somewhere oil could be found. He studied the land in back home and did end up finding a place where oil could be brought up. Not many people believed him, even after they went down 300ft. Still he knew how far and where exactly it was. He kept saying 1000ft. No one listened. That brings up the next thing I learned, to not give up on something you believe in. If you no it's the truth, and have some much proof of it, don't give up on what you believe in. After Higgins was told over and over again there was no oil, 10 years later, BAM! A gusher was shooting oil right out. He never gave up, and that's encouragement right there.

How Native Americans had their Culture Taken Away

Two Sides of the Story

How can two groups present such a different image of the same relationship? Well, it begins with how one group, the Native Americans for example, look at themselves. They don’t want to make themselves look bad, but also from their way of culture let alone actually live up to that. Native Americans were more civilized then the White men that came it seems. Now to the White men, they didn’t care for the Native Americans much, most had the ideal thought of just getting land, and that’s al they wanted. That is exactly what happened too. Their are two views because each one comes from both sides of the story. Different opinions create an interesting story.

These view points are caused from the way people encounter one another, and what they hear. If you never met a Native American and are only told stories about them, you only hear half of it. When new White men come in, they already of the idea that the Native Americans are savages and non-human beings. Now, since only the wrong minded White men came into the all the tribes, all they saw was what the White men wanted. The Native Americans experienced the bad side of White men. From all that is recorded, there a few recordings of White men being good to the Native Americans. It almost seemed as if the Native Americans were tricked by kindness and were killed with reality.

To me, it seemed like the Native Americans side was more accepted as truth. Even though the truth got them no where, it was the right thing. Truth is the exact reality of it all. It seems as if the White men were afraid, scared, and hated the Native Americans, when all they wanted was to be left alone. White men took away their way of living and it went so far overboard. The Native Americans accounts of White men is pretty much what is shown in their actions done to the Native Americans. Sadly, one group was a bunch of lying deceivers and the other group was committed citizens. One did whatever it took to get what they wanted, the other stood up for what they have lived for until death.

Gold Rush Post

1.What is it about the potential for wealth that causes people to make drastic life changes?

When people are wealthy, the majority, assume that life is great! So having the option to get really wealthy is instantly a great idea. They will do anything to get what they want, and even if it means giving up what you have now before the journey even begins.

2. What opportunities could be presented to you that would cause you to pick up and move across the country?

The chance to live certain dreams I have, or maybe even it's a calling I get and I just need to go no matter what it is. It's like dropping everything because you are called to an area. I think the biggest one would be the opportunity for me would be the chance to make an impact on many people by something I can do. If it benefits them and it's a lot of people, why not?

3. What are your own opinions about taking risks in life?

Like we discussed in class, risk may equal failure, which is ok! I've seen failure and lived a lot of it already in my life, but is that stopping me? I may be scared to do certain things I tried once before again, but that fear can be forgotten. It's like a lesson learned. You obviously didn't do something right so fix it and make it a success. Where will you get if you don't try? No where. Is that a life you would want to live, going no where?

What do you think the opportunities were that caused change?

Some are....

New land to grow croups on. Iowa for instance has amazing soil, so farmers are raising profit in that way of change.  Gold and silver being found was a huge deal and caused a lot of ruckus. This caused people to get wealthier, become leaders in business to maintain those mining plants, and also started up railroads along the way.  Railroads were created later on for transportation of people, goods, and many other things.  From the those railroad opportunities people gained more jobs. Most of the change caused many people to have the opportunity to become wealthy, have a job, better business, better homeland for families to grow, ect...