Chapter
42 Outline
I. Economic
Revolutions
1.
As heavy industry waned, the
information age kicked into high gear.
2.
Microsoft Corp. and the internet
brought about the communications revolution.
3.
Entrepreneurs led the way to making the
Internet a 21st century mall, library, and shopping center.
4.
Speed and efficiency of new
communications tools threatened to wipe out other jobs.
5.
White-collar jobs in financial services
and high tech engineering were being outsourced to other countries like Ireland
and India.
6.
Employees could thus help keep the
company’s global circuits working 24 hrs. a day.
7.
Many discovered that the new high tech
economy was also prone to boom or bust, just like the old economy.
8.
In the Spring of 2000, the stock market
began its biggest slide since WWII.
9.
By 2003, the market had lost $6
trillion in value.
10. American’s
pension plans shrank to 1/3 or more. Recent retirees scrambled to get jobs and
offset their pension losses which were tied to the stock market.
11. This
showed that Americans were still scarcely immune to risk, error, scandal, and
the ups-and-downs of the business cycle.
12. Scientific
research propelled the economy.
v
Researchers unlocked the secrets of
molecular genetics (1950s).
v
They developed new strains of high
yielding, pest/weather resistant crops.
v
They sought to cure hereditary
diseases.
v
The movement started to fix genetic
mutations.
v
The "Human Genome Project"
established the DNA sequence of the 30 thousand human genes, helping create
radical new medical therapies.
v
Breakthroughs in cloning animals raised
questions about the legitimacy of cloning technology in human reproduction.
v
Stem Cell Research, where zygotes or
fertilized human eggs, offered possible cures for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
v
The Bush administration, and many religious
groups, believed that this research was killing people in the form of a human
fetus.
v
Bush said a fetus is still a human
life, despite its small size, and experimenting and destroying it is therefore
wrong. For this reason, he limited government funding for stem cell research.
II. Affluence and
Inequality
1.
U.S. standard of living was high
compared to the rest of human kind
2.
Median household income in 2002 =
$42,400
3.
Americans, however, weren’t the world’s
wealthiest people
4.
Rich still got richer while the poor
got poorer
5.
The richest 20% in 2001 raked in nearly
half the nation’s income while the poorest 20% got a mere 4%
6.
The Welfare Reform Bill (1996)
restric5ted access to social services and required able-bodied welfare
recipients to find work.
7.
This further weakened the financial
footing of many impoverished families.
8.
Widening inequality could be measured
in different ways as well
9.
Chief executives roughly earned 245
times as much as the average worker
10. In
2004, over 40 million people had no medical insurance ,34 million (12% of
population) were impoverished ,causes of the widening income gap, the tax and
fiscal policies of the Reagan and both Bush presidencies, intensifying global
economic competition
shrinkage
of high-paying manufacturing jobs for semiskilled/unskilled workers, the
decline of unions, the economic rewards to those of higher education, the
growth of part time and temporary work, the increase of low-skilled immigrants,
the tendency of educated, working men and woman marriages, creating households
w/ high incomes
11. Educational
opportunities also had a way of perpetuating inequality under funding of many
schools in poor urban areas
III. The Feminist
Revolution
1.
Women were greatly affected by the
great economic changes of the late 20th Century
2.
Over 5 decades, women steadily
increased their presence in the work place
3.
By 1990s, nearly half of all workers
were women
4.
Most surprising was the upsurge of
employment in mothers by 1990s, a majority of women with kids as young as one
were working
5.
Many universities opened their doors to
women (1960s): Yale, Princeton, West Point, The Citadel and Virginia Military
Institute (VMI)
6.
Despite these gains, many feminists
remained frustrated women still got lower wages were concentrated in few
low-prestige, low-paying occupations. For example, in 2002, on 29 % of women
were lawyers or judges and 25% physicians
7.
This is likely due to women would
interrupt their careers to bear and raise kids and even took a less demanding
job to fulfill the traditional family roles
8.
Discrimination and a focus on kids also
helped account for the “gender-gap” in elections women still voted for
Democrats more than men. they seemed to be more willing to favor gov’t support
for health and child care, education, and job equality, as well as more
vigilant in protecting abortion rights—thus, Democratic voters.
9.
Mens’ lives changed in the 2000s as
well, some employers gave maternity leave as well as paternity leave in
recognition of shared obligations of the two worker household.
10. More
men shared the traditional female responsibilities; cooking, laundry, and child
care
11. In
1993, congress passed the Family Leave Bill, mandating job protection for
working fathers as well as mothers who needed to take time off from work for
family reasons
IV. New Families and
Old
1.
The nuclear family suffered heavy blows
in modern America by 1990s, one out of every two marriages ended in divorce, 7x
more children were affected by divorce compared to the beginning of the decade,
kids who commuted between parents was common ground
2.
Traditional families weren’t just
falling apart at an alarming rate, but were also increasingly slow to form in
the first place.
3.
The proportion of adults living alone
tripled in the 4 decades after 1950s
4.
In 1990s, 1/3 of women age 25 - 29 had
never married
5.
Every forth child in US was growing up
in a household that lacked two parents
6.
The reason for this
7.
the pauperization of many women and
children (single parent income = HARD)
8.
Single parent hood was the #1 cause for
the reason behind poverty
9.
Child raising, the reason behind a
family, was being pawned off to day-care centers, school, or TV (electronic
babysitter)
10. Viable
families now assumed a variety of different forms
v
Kids in households were raised by a
single parent, stepparent, or grandparent, and even kids with gay parents
encountered a degree of acceptance that would have been unimaginable a century
earlier.
v
Gay marriage and teenage pregnancy was
on a decline after the mid-1900s
11. Families
weren’t evaporating, but were altering into much different forms
V. The Aging of
America
1.
Old age was expected, due to the fact
that Americans were living longer than ever before
v
People born in 2000 could anticipate
living to an average 70 years
Miraculous medical advances lengthened
and strengthened lives
1.
Longer lives = more older people
v
1 American in 8 was over 65 years of
age in 2000
2.
This aging of population raised a slew
of economic, social, and political questions
v
Old people formed a potent electoral
bloc that aggressively lobbied for gov’t favors and achieved real gains for
senior citizens
v
The share of GNP spent on health care
for people over 65 more than doubled
v
The more payments to healthcare, hurt
education, thus making social and economic problems further down the road.
v
The old are getting helped, but the
young are being punished for it
3.
These triumphs for senior citizens
brought fiscal strains, like on Social Security
v
At the beginning of the creation of
Social Security, a small majority depended on it.
v
But by now, it has increased, and now
workers’ Social Security is actually being funded to the senior citizens. WHY?
v
The ratio of active workers to retirees
had dropped so low, that drastic adjustments were necessary
v
Worsened further, when med care for
seniors rose out of their price range
4.
As WW2 baby boomers began to retire the
Unfunded Liability (the difference between what the gov’t promised to pay to
the elderly and the taxes it expected to take in) was about $7 trillion, a
number that might destroy US if new reforms weren’t adopted
v
Pressures mounted:
v
to persuade older Americans to work
longer
v
invest the current Social Security
surplus in equalities and bonds to meet future obligations
v
privatize a portion of the Social
Security to younger people who wanted to invest some of their pay-roll taxes
into individual retirement accounts
VI. The New
Immigration
1.
Newcomers continued to flow into Modern
America
2.
Nearly 1 million per year from 1980s up
to 2000s, contradicting history, Europe provided few compared to Asia/Latin
America
3.
What prompted new immigration to the
US?
4.
New immigrants came for many of the
same reasons as the old, they left countries where population was increasing
rapidly and where agricultural/industrial revolutions were shaking people loose
of old habits of life they came in search of jobs and economic opportunities
5.
Some came with skills and even
professional degrees and found their way into middle-class jobs However, most
came with fewer skills/less education, seeking work as janitors, nannies, farm
laborers, lawn cutters, or restraint workers.
6.
The southwest felt immigration the
hardest, since Mexican migrants came heavily from there
7.
By the turn of the century, Latinos
made up nearly 1/3 of the population in California, Arizona, and Texas, and
nearly 40% in New Mexico, Latinos succeeded in making the south west a
bi-cultural region by holding onto to their culture by strength in numbers,
compared to most immigrants whom had to conform. Plus, it did help to have
their ‘mothering country” right next door.
8.
Some “old-stock” Americans feared about
the modern America’s capacity to absorb all these immigrants.
9.
The Immigration Reform and Control Act
(1986) attempted to choke off illegal entry by penalizing employers of the
undocumented aliens and by granting amnesty of those already here.
10. Ant-immigrant
sentiment flared (a lot in CA) in the wake of economic recession in the early
1990s
11. CA
voters approved a ballot initiative that attempted to deny benefits, including education,
to illegal immigrants (later struck down by courts)
12. State
then passed another law in 1998 which put an end to bilingual teaching in state
schools
13. The
fact was, that only 11.5% of foreign-born people accounted for the US
population
14. Evidence,
nonetheless, still showed that US welcomed and needed immigrants
15. Immigrants
took jobs that Americans didn’t want infusion of young immigrants and their
offspring counter-balanced the overwhelming rate of an aging population
VII. Beyond the
Melting Pot
1.
Thanks to their increasing immigration
and high birthrate Latinos were becoming an increasingly important minority, by
2003, the US was home to about 39 million of them ,26 million Chicanos, Mexican
American ,3 million Puerto Ricans ,1 million Cubans
2.
Flexing political powers, Latinos
elected mayors of Miami, Denver, and San Antonio
3.
After many years of struggle, the
United Farm Workers Organizing Committee (UFWOC0, headed by Cesar Chavez,
succeeded in making working conditions better for Chicano “stoop laborers” who
followed the planting cycle of the American West
4.
Latino influence seemed likely to grow
latinos, well organized, became the nation’s largest ethnic minority
5.
Asian Americans also made great
strides. By the 1980s, they were America’s fastest-growing minority and their
numbers reached about 12 million by 2003. Citizens of Asian ancestry were now
counted among the most prosperous. In 2003, the average Asian household was 25%
better off than that of the average white household
6.
Indians, the original Americans,
numbered some 2.4 million in 2000 census. Half had left their reservations to
live in cities. Unemployment and alcoholism had blighted reservation life many
tribes took advantage of their special legal status of independence by opening
up casinos on reservations to the public. However, discrimination and poverty
proved hard to break.
VIII. Cities and
Suburbs
1.
Cities grew less safe, crime was the
great scourge of urban life.
2.
The rate of violent crimes raised to
its peak in the drug infested 80s, but then leveled out in the 90s.
3.
The number of violent crimes
substantially dropped in many areas after 1995. None the less, murders,
robberies and rapes remained common in cities and rural areas and the suburbs
4.
In mid-1990s, a swift and massive
transition took place from cities to suburbs, making jobs “suburbanized.”
5.
The nation’s brief “urban age” lasted
for only a little less than 7 decades and with it, Americans noticed a new form
of isolationism
6.
Some affluent suburban neighborhoods
stayed secluded, by staying locked in “gated communities”
7.
By the first decade of the 21st
century, big suburban rings around cities like NY, Chicago, Houston, and
Washington DC had become more racially and ethically diverse
8.
Suburbs grew faster in the West and
Southwest
9.
Builders of roads, water mains, and
schools could barely keep up with the new towns sprouting up across the
landscapes
10. Newcomers
came from nearby cities and from across the nation, a huge shift of US
population was underway from East to West
11. The
Great Plains hurt from the 60% decline of all counties
12. However,
some cities showed signs of renewal, commercial redevelopment gained ground in
cities like: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco
IX. Minority America
1.
Racial and ethic tensions also
exacerbated the problems of American Cities. This was specifically evident in
LA (magnet for minorities).
2.
It was a 1992 case wherein a mostly
white jury exonerated white cops who had been videotaped ferociously beating a
black suspect.
3.
The minority neighborhoods of LA
erupted in anger, after effects of this disruption were; arson and looting laid
waste on every block, many people were killed, many blacks vented their anger
towards the police/judicial system by attacking Asian shopkeepers, in return,
Asians set up patrols to protect themselves ,the chaos still lingers decades
later ,LA riots vividly testified to black skepticism about the US system of
justice ,three years later, in LA, a televised showing of OJ Simpson’s murder
trial fed white disillusionment w/ the state of race relations ,after months of
testimony, it looked like OJ was guilty, but was acquitted due to the fact some
white cops had been shown to harbor racist sentiments
4.
In a a later civil trail, another jury
unanimously found Simpson liable for the “wrongful deaths” of his former wife
and another victim
5.
The Simpson verdicts revealed the huge
gap between white and black America (whites = guilty, blacks = 1st verdict
stands)
6.
Blacks still felt that they were
mistreated, especially in 2000 elections when they accused that they weren’t
allowed to vote in Florida. Said they were still facing the Jim Crow South of
racial indifference
7.
US cities have always held an
astonishing variety of ethnic/racial groups, but by 20th century, minorities
made up the majority, making whites flee to the suburbs. In 2002, 52% of blacks
and only 21% of whites lived in central cities
8.
The most desperate black ghettos were
especially problematic
9.
Blacks who benefited form the 60s Civil
Rights Movement left to the suburbs with whites leaving the poorest of the poor
in the old ghettos.
10. Without
a middle class to help the community, the cities became plagued by unemployment
and drug addiction
11. Single
women headed about 43% of black families in 2002, 3 times more than whites. Many
single, black mothers depended on welfare to feed their kids
12. Social
Scientists made clear that education excels if the child has warm, home
environment.
13. It
seemed clear that many fatherless, impoverished Black kids seemed plagued by
educational handicaps which were difficult to overcome
14. Some
segments of Black communities did prosper after the Civil Rights Movement (50s,
60s), although they still had a long trek ahead until they got equality ,by
2002, 33% of black families had a $50,000 income (= middle class), Blacks also
improved in politics, number of black officials elected had risen to the 9,000
mark ,more than 3 dozen members of congress and mayors of some big cities ,voter
tallies showed that black votes had risen
15. By
the early 21st century, blacks had dramatically advanced into higher education
16. In
2002, 17% of Blacks over 25 had bachelor’s degree. The courts still preserved
affirmative action in the university admissions
X. E Pluribus Plures
1.
Controversial issues of color and
culture also pervaded the realm of ideas in the late 20th
2.
Echoing early 20th Century “cultural
pluralist” like Horace Kallen and Randolph Bourne, many people embraced the
creed of “multiculturalism”
This
stressed the need to preserve and primate, rather than squash racial minorities
3.
In 1970s and 80s, the catchword of
philosophy was ethnic pride. People wanted to still keep their identity and
culture (eg Latinos and Asians). The old idea of a “melting pot” turned into a
colorful “salad bowl”
4.
Nation’s classrooms became the heated
area for debate. Multiculturalists attacked traditional curriculum and
advocated a greater focus on achievements of blacks, Latinos, Asians, Indians. In
defense, critics said that studies on ethnic differences would destroy American
values.
5.
Census Bureau further advocated the
debate when in 2000 it allowed respondents to identify themselves w/ more than
one of the six categories: black ,white ,Latino ,American Indian ,Asian ,Native
Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
XI. The Life of the
Mind
1.
Despite the mind-sapping chatter of the
“boob tube,” Americans in the early 21st century read more, listened to more
music, and were better educated than ever before; Colleges awarded some 2.5
million degrees in 2004, 1 in 4 25-34 year old age group was a 4 year college
graduate
2.
This spurt of educated people raised
the economy
3.
What Americans read said much about the
state of US society. Some American authors, concerning the west. Larry McMurtry
the small town West and recollected about the end of the cattle drive era in
Lonesome Dove (1985). Raymond Carver wrote powerful stories about the working
class in the Pacific Northwest
4.
Annie Dillard, Ivan Doig, and Jim
Harrison re-created the frontier in the same region as Carver
5.
David Guterson wrote a moving tale of
interracial anxiety and affection in the WWII era in Pacific Northwest in Snow
Falling on Cedars (1994)
6.
Wallace Stagner produced many works
that transcended their original themes like, Angle of Repose (1971), Crossing
to Safety (1987), Norman MacLean wrote two unforgettable events about his
childhood in Montana, A River Runs Through It (1976) and Young Men and Fire
(1992). African American Authors August Wilson retold the history of the blacks
in 20th century w/ emphasis on the psychic cost of the northward migration
7.
George Wolf explored sobering questions
of black identity in his Jelly’s Last Jam (the life story of jazzman “Jelly
Roll” Morton)
8.
Alice Walker gave fictional voice to
the experiences of black women in her hugely popular The Color Purple
9.
Toni Morrison wrote a bewitching
portrait of maternal affection in Beloved. Edward P. Jones inventively rendered
the life of a slave-owning black family in his Pulitzer Prize-wining The Known
World, Indians got recognition, too. N. Scott Momaday won a Pulitzer Prize for
his portrayal of Indian life in House Made of Dawn, James Welch wrote movingly
about his Blackfoot ancestors in Fools Crow.
10. Asian
American authors flourished as well
11. Among
them was playwright David Hwang, novelist Amy Tan, and essayist Maxine Hong
Kingston
12. Gish
Jen in Mona in the Promise Land guided her readers into the poignant comedy of
suburban family relationships that wasn’t uncommon to 2nd-generation Asian
Americans
13. Jhumpa
Lahiris’ Interpreter of Maladies, explored the sometimes painful relationship
between immigrant Indian parents and their American-born kids
14. Latino
writers included; Sandra Cisneros drew hoer own life as a Mexican American kid
to evoke Latino life in the working-class Chicago in The House on Mango Street
XII. The American Prospect
1.
American spirit pulsed with vitality in
the early 21st century, but bug problems continued, Women still fell short of
1st class citizenship, US society also wanted to find ways to adapt back to the
traditional family, but w/ the new realities of women’s work outside the home
2.
Full equality was till an elusive dream
for some races, powerful foreign competitors threatened the US economic status,
the alarmingly unequal distribution of wealth and income threatened to turn
America into a society of haves and have-nots, mocking the very ideals of
democracy
3.
Environmental worries clouded the
countries future, Coal-fired electrical energy plants produced acid rain and
helped greenhouse effect, unsolved problem of radioactive waste disposal
stopped the making of nuclear power plants, the planet was being drained of oil
and oil spills showed the danger behind oil exploration/transportation
4.
The public looks towards alternative
fuel sources in the 21st Century: Solar powers and wind mills, methane fuel ,electric
“hybrid” cars ,the pursuit of an affordable hydrogen fuel cell ,energy
conservation remained another crucial, but elusive strategy
5.
The task of cleansing the earth of
abundant pollutants was one urgent mission confronting the US people
6.
Another was seeking ways to resolve
ethnic and cultural conflicts once erupted around the world’s end of the Cold
War
7.
All at the same time more doors were
opening for the US people, opportunities in outer space and inner-city streets ,artist’s
easel and the musician’s concert hall ,at the inventor’s bench and the
scientist’s laboratory ,the unending quest for social justice, individual
fulfillment, international peace
