The 20th Century Was Not the American Century Essay

The argument by Henry Luce that the twentieth Century was the American Century is not justified by the United States’ history between 1900 and 1940. America experienced numerous conflicts, including discrimination against black Americans, The Great Depression, and World War I between 1900 and 1940. America witnessed disease influenza outbreaks, wars, and injustices against African Americans between 1900 and 1940; therefore, the 20^th Century cannot be regarded as America’s best Century.

Following segregation rules imposed in the 19^th Century, the early 1900s experienced a rise in social movements advocating for the rights of black Americans. Black Americans were not included in many aspects of progressive ideas of freedom (Lawrence 239). The black population was excluded from skilled jobs, and many were left poor. Segregation led to a schooling system where blacks were separated from whites.

The schools for the black population experienced little development and low-quality education, which also affected the black population’s ability to get high-skilled jobs with a better income. Many social movements campaigning against discriminatory segregation policies faced political opposition and violence. Still, there was no political goodwill among the ruling white elites to develop policies in favor of the social progression of the black population in America. The Blacks who rose against white supremacy were victims of lynching and violence, and the law enforces little effort against the violence towards the blacks.

The majority in Congress voted in favor of the war against Germany on April 6, 1971. The congress vote led to America joining World War I. The approximate number of U.S. deaths in the war was 117,000. Some 320,000 U.S. population were left wounded and sick in the war. Furthermore, many World War I veterans developed post-traumatic stress disorder after the war. The United States also experienced an influenza outbreak in the spring of 1918. This outbreak was first seen in Kansas and then mutated and spread to every training camp in the country. The second influenza outbreak killed more soldiers than those who died in the war.

Despite the economic expansion of America post World War I, the national resources were not distributed evenly to the country’s population. Between 1922 and 1922, the wages of Americans rose. However, the corporate profits doubled the income rise and further concentrated the economy. This economic concentration led to a wealth gap in which the income of a few wealthy persons in the country surpassed that of many poor people. Industrialization caused companies to employ only a few workers since machines did most of the labor that humans previously did. Therefore, the country experienced a rise in unemployment due to industrialization.

Mechanization of agriculture was detrimental to American farmers who relied on high European demand. Using fertilizers and pesticides increased the farm outputs even as the demand stagnated. A general drop in food prices due to flooded markets led to a decline in American farmers. Other industries, such as the mining industries, also suffered because the world markets were experiencing overproduction (Hirschman 600).

The Great Depression took place a decade later after world war I. The U.S. economy suffered greatly as a result of the Great Depression. This downturn in the U.S. economy led to a rise in unemployment rates. Many people in the country were left homeless and with high debts as many banks fell. The stock market crash during The Great Depression left many with huge amounts of debt due to high credit spending. The local industries suffered, and many people were left unemployed. Although the deflation experienced during the great depression favored consumers, it devastatingly affected homeowners, farmers, and businesspeople. Many of the homeowners lost their assets.

In conclusion, there are many reasons for America’s 20^th not being successful. These arguments are supported mainly by wars and discrimination against Blacks. The success of America’s 20^th Century should be measured by technological innovations and war victories and by democracy, freedom, and social justice toward all races. America gained global dominance in the 20^th Century at the cost of many deaths of her citizens in both World Wars. However, it is important to note that the period witnessed milestone technological advances in human history and a surge in social reformers.

Works Cited

Hirschman, Charles. “Immigration and the American Century.” Demography, vol. 42, no. 4, 2005, pp. 595–620. Web.

Lawrence, Mark Atwood. “Andrew J. Bacevich (Ed.), The Short American Century: A Postmortem (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2012, $25.95). Pp. 239. Journal of American Studies, vol. 47, no. 1, 2013, pp. 293–94. Web.