what do you think is the most influential event in US history? be serious. its for an essay.?

Question

help please? :]

Answer 1

THE CIVIL WAR,AND THE FREEDOM OF THE SLAVES

Answer 2

Greetings! There are many influential events or parts of history that you could choose. Any one of the answers here are good.

Some others to be considered:

Summer of 1787: During this one summer, many of the most famous forefathers met, talked, argued, stumped and stamped out what we know as the US constitution. This was an experiment in government that never before was used. Even with faults, it is considered world wide as one of the greatest models of national government.

War of 1812 - It was a stalemate, but it was bad enough for the rest of the world to realize that the US is here to stay and no foreign military power will successfully conquer the US...not at least without DRAMATIC bloodshed.

Publishing of "Uncle Tom's Cabin", 1850: The publication of a sensationalized story of slavery was a huge catalyst that fanned the flames which ultimately became our Civil War.

Taking over the building of the Panama Canal - 1900: The creation of this canal dramatically cut short the distance of shipping and also helped define our military response throughout the world. It also taught us how to contain typhoid and Yellow fever.

Many people would argue that Roe v. Wade could be considered a pivital point for women's rights. Say what you will about abortion, but one way or another, it changed the legal rights for women forever.

Speaking of the Supreme Court, you may want to argue that Gore v. US in 2000 is a strong point. Many people argue that it was the Supreme Court that decided that W would be our President. I'm not taking sides on either Supreme court issue, but you can in your essay. I might also add, again without taking sides that this solitary issue could very possibly torn the US asunder. Many nations have imploded over this kind of issue (often times, it took less than this), yet here we are today, still largely intact nationally. This is another argument that could be attributed to the creation of the constitution.

Watergate 1972: Watergate was a small enough scandal, but it was jumped on and covered up by President NIxon. No, it very likely wasn't the first time a President was involved in cover-up, but it was the first time a President was caught in the act. This, more than anything else, has devestated the trust in the executive branch.

There are many, many isssues you can choose. Your very best essay will come from what motivates YOU to point out the very best in our country. Explain what you want to find. Pick any of these that you find, research it and find four or five points that argue your position. Explain what you did find
conclude in your own words how it motivates you to make that decision. Good luck to you.

Answer 3

This event is more of a decision with many sure fire events you can relate to as the most monumental event/decision in US history for use in an essay. It is the decision by the United States to quit being an isolationist power dominating the North American continent (possibly the southern one as well) and instead intervening in the affairs of Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East. Through its decision to abandon the founding fathers principals of no alliances which can lead to wars Americans have no real need to fight, we became embroiled, and to this day remain so, in wars all over the globe with commitments to nations we cannot or should not fulfill.

You can use the decision to intervene in World War 1 and Woodrow Wilson's idea of spreading democracy and self determination to people as a starter. The moment we commited to that, we gave up our ability to remain outside the direct criticism for what was happening overseas. The American population did not want to go into that war the same way it did not want to go into the second. Alliance took us there, ideological stubborness kept us there, and enemies were created where they would not have been. Most wars after that are simply a continuation of a bad policy gone wrong. There are over 3 dozen conflicts the U.S has been in just the last century because of this idea to intervene for ideoligical rather than survival reasons.

You could even branch off onto how this decision lead and continues to lead American jobs to be moved overseas and why greed and corporate business have such influence in political and foreign policy decisions now. Our China policy, Middle East policy, NATO policy, our trade policies, and immigration policies are all interlinked with this decision to look outward instead of inward.

America had an entire hemisphere to work with, the decision to meddle with what was left with the old one Americans left to begin with was the most influential one can think of.

Answer 4

If one ignores the obvious fact that Thomas Jefferson and the rest of the Founding Fathers had a lasting impact on our country, I think the most influential event in our history was the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the assassinations that followed his, including the murder of his brother, Robert.

Believe it or not, before that happened, people trusted our government. Kennedy may have had several faults, but dishonesty with the public was not one of them. When he failed at the Bay of Pigs, he accepted responsibility. And he had the courage to come face to face with the Russians over the Cuban Missile crisis, yet resisted those who urged him to lob bombs at the Soviets. He had compassion for the poor, inspired youth, and ran the country well. Besides, with his beautiful wife and many relatives, it was like having our own royal family.

When he was killed on the streets of Dallas, it hit the country hard. I remember walking down a street, noting the big, black headlines screaming of his death, and there was not a dry eye there. People were walking along, crying.

Oswald's death followed, the mysterious Jack Ruby shooting him, mob-style, in a crowded police station. Then came the Warren Commission, obviously useless, and the various conflicting stories.

I think it became clear to all of us at this point that dark and dreadful forces were alive and well in our country. When Martin Luther King was killed, this belief was cemented as hard fact. Then, when Bobby was shot by another "lone gunman," all hope of trust in government was lost.

To this day, I believe a conspiracy was behind these deaths. Right or wrong, our country has never been the same since. We have never really trusted our leaders or our legislators. There is a cynicism and suspicion that things aren't as they seem to be, that we are helpless in the hands of forces greater than ourselves.

This is my choice as the most influential event in our history, a dark and shadowy time that none of us who lived through it will ever forget.

Answer 5

Let's forget all the wars for once: It would be the opening of the West and the Lewis and Clark expedition.

The Lewis and Clark expedition opened the Western Frontier for all the eyes of the politicians and the people. It let them know what a great and beautiful country lay out for them in the Western areas.
It opened the Spanish lands the French and the Mexicans. If not for the Western expansion and what lay before them, America may have been much smaller then it is now.

Answer 6

The Civil War easily. Established that the central government would hold supreme power in the United States. Changed the U.S. from a loose federal republic into a more centralized nation-state. Without that centralization, it would have been unlikely that much of what we've accomplished since then (winning World War Two, Building the atomic bomb, becoming the world's economic powerhouse, winning the Cold War) could have been accomplished.

Answer 7

The Emancipation Proclamation.
January 1, 1863.

President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The proclamation declared "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."

Answer 8

At this moment, I would have to say, The pilgrims coming from England to Plymouth Island/Plymouth Rock because with that occurence, we wouldn't have the holiday known as Thanksgiving, nor would we have ever had the colonies, which became the USA.

Answer 9

Internationally - The use of atomic weapons on Japan during WWII. It made us the baddest dudes on the planet.
Domestically - The revolutionary war along with the Declaration of Independence.

Answer 10

December 07, 1941.
Had the Japs not bombed Pearl Harbor,
the world might have lost the war to Hitler.

Answer 11

Many influential events - but one I can think of offhand is
Reagan telling Gorbechev "Tear that wall down"