Topics+in+Social+History

=__Topics in Social History __= By Matthew Knaus

Introduction:
====Social History is a wide study of the experiences and behavior of common and original people throughout History. Major interest and popularity in the study of topics in Social History occurred in the late 1900’s when a shift from Old Social History to New Social History transpired. Old Social History focused mainly on the history of very important and successful men versus the study of the ordinary man. Old Social History also consisted of the study of politics and economics. During the late 1900’s a new version of Social History arose and this History focused more on social progress and the social platforms that our societies were built upon.====

1. Study of Urbanization
====This study examined how great cities came to be so populated with influence of the types of people who lived there. Much of this studying emphasized poverty in cities as well as social mobility and the ability for people in cities to become successful and propel themselves upwards in the spectrum of American Society. Also extremely important in this study of Urbanization was ethnic influences in large American cities. A major theme of Urbanization was that all types of people played roles in making the cities they lived in unique and different due to their different heritage and social behavior. Immigration played a major role in this particular topic due to the extreme rise in populations due to immigration, where in between 1800 and 1850 hundreds of thousands of immigrants entered the United States crowding cities across America. With these immigrants came new religions and practices also emphasized and assessed in the study of Social History concerning Urbanization.====

2. Study of Ethnic History
====An important topic in American History the study of Ethnic history covers the social History of primarily the Native Americans and African Americans in United States History. This study of these unique and extremely cultural groups follows the journey of the groups as they were played important roles in the progress and expansion of America.====

This division focuses solely on African Americans, and is a major factor why Black History Month Exists
Important Period of Social History: Indian Removal Act : President Jackson, sympathizes with hand hungry southerners and wanted Native Land, and so in 1830 the Indian Removal Ac was signed which forced the resettlement of thousands of Native Americans into unexplored and untamed land in the western frontier.

[[image:Native_American_Chiefs_1865.jpg width="454" height="364"]][[image:IndianRemoval.gif width="428" height="350"]]
3. Study of Women’s History ==== The study of Women’s history does not only focus on the prominent figures of the feminist movements in American History but also the lives of ordinary Women in history and their social behavior and status in their communities and how their abilities and rights grew and changed with our progressive American Society. Popularity arose with Women’s history when it was pointed out that social History primarily focused on the lives and behaviors of ordinary men versus that of women. ====



4. Social History of Workers, Unions and general Labor Industrialization and Labor turned a few colonies into one of the greatest nations the world has ever seen. Various movements and periods of heightened industrial output allowed the United States to become a self sufficient and industrialized country. This study of history focuses on the people behind the factories and the hard work that transformed the nation we live in today. The unions and workers are examined in their different groups including race, location and periods of history.



5. The study of the Growth of Education in America
====Much of the old Social History concerning education in America focused on important reformers and the success of leading institutions in their efforts to expand education. However in the study of New Social history concerning Education the study is more focused on the students and their different backgrounds and the ability for children to expand their opportunities in life more exactly the social mobility of different children from different educational backgrounds.====



=**__Important Questions involving Social History__**=

Why wasn't there more of an uproar regarding the treatment of Native Americans up to 1865?

The first colonists and many explorers in the Caribbean exercised harsh and cruel treatments for years and years including severe punishment and sometimes even the mass killing of entire tribes of Natives. This treatment set the bar for the treatment of the Natives for years to come and the colonists and later American people would not let the savage and outdated Natives deter them from their goals, aspirations and destiny. During the 1800's an idea of manifest destiny developed and the American people thought it their destiny to explore new lands in the West where they could thrive and start new lives and unfold a new chapter in American History. They believed this destiny to be secured and protected by God and that their actions were necessary to carry out God's will and start new lives on the Frontier.

In the Seneca Fall Declaration, Stanton aks for a number of rights -- to what extent was she successful up to 1877? Why didn't women make more progress in terms of their rights after Seneca Falls?

At the Seneca Falls Convention Elizabeth Cady Stanton stated 18 grievances and and 11 resolutions in the Declaration of Sentiments. Over the two days of the convention the resolutions were debated and read among the attendees of the affair. Many of the resolutions were met with anger and hate from many of the Quaker men who declined to vote for the resolutions. Although much hate aroused towards the Declaration, in some senses the Declaration proved to be successful because of the attention it brought to the issue of women's rights and with the support of powerful and influential men such as Frederick Douglass with more organization and supporters over time Women's rights would become an important issue in American Politics. Unfortunately after Seneca Falls very little progress was made in Women's Rights due to the unfortunate Civil War which tabled the issue of women's rights and more specifically their right to vote. It was not until the early 1900's that more progress was made for women.

What was the effect of the Second Great Awakening?

After the Revolutionary War from around 1790 to about 1840 a period of history ensued characterized by profound and extensive reexamination of religion and spiritual study in the US. The effects of the Awakening generally revolved around religious expansion and discovery, and during this period many new Americans devoted themselves to new Religions such as Calvinism, Evangelism, Baptism, Methodism. This religious freedom was warranted by the new thoughts of Free-Will and free thinking. This optimistic thinking improved many American lives guiding many Americans and mediating their lives. The Second Great Awakening had positive effects on morale of the new American nation where people where free to practice the religion they choose. Free religion offered women and African Americans to become more integrated in their communities through common worship.

Bibliography:

Blok, Aad. "Cambridge Journals Online - International Review of Social History."//Cambridge Journals Online - International Review of Social History//. Nternationaal Instituut Voor Sociale Geschiedenis, The Netherlands, 1937. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

Achenbaum, Andrew. "Journal of Social History." //Oxford Journals//. Oxford Publishing Company, 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

"American Social History Project · Center for Media and Learning." //American Social History Project · Center for Media and Learning//. American Social History Productions, Inc., 2014. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

Peter Borsay, 'New approaches to social history : myth, memory and place: Monmouth and Bath 1750–1900', Journal of Social History (Spring 2006), 867–89

"Social History." //- Themes//. The Institute of Historical Research, 2008. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

Miles Fairburn, Social History : Problems, Strategies and Methods (Basingstoke, 1999)

Rynder, Constance B. "Seneca Falls Convention." //History Net: Where History Comes Alive//. American History Magazine, 1999. Web. 13 Jan. 2014

Ushistory.org. "Religious Transformation and the Second Great Awakening."//Ushistory.org//. Independence Hall Association, 2008. Web. 13 Jan. 2014.