The history of the United States provides rich lessons to the modern generation. Learning history helps individuals know and understand how the country has developed into what it is today and the factors that contributed to the positive changes. The civil rights movements of the nineteen fifties and sixties are one of the most notable historical activities whose outcomes still influence the modern days’ life of Americans. They led to the formation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that prohibited discrimination and inequalities, which are vital lessons from the United States’ history that impact daily life today.
Lessons
Prohibition of discrimination by the Civil Rights Act, an ironic outcome of civil rights movements, facilitates effective interaction and delivery of services to all individuals regardless of their racial or ethnic affiliation. Discrimination in the United States contributed to social, economic, and health problems (Corbett et al., 2014). Perpetrators of discrimination considered their victims as lesser beings who deserved to be treated differently. On the other hand, the victims viewed the perpetrations as their enemies and oppressors. The minority groups were deprived of their fundamental rights, such as access to quality education and health, and freedom of association. However, the movements transformed all sectors, including healthcare, where all interact, work together, and provide services without discrimination.
Another lesson from the history of the United States is that alleviating inequalities in access to quality education and health promotes the well-being of all. Health services and education provided to individuals living in the United States differed significantly, with the minority groups such as African Americans being disadvantaged (Corbett et al., 2014). For instance, African Americans attended different schools from the Whites, with the latter’s institutions offering high-quality education. The inequalities adversely impacted minority groups’ daily lives because they could not make informed decisions or access quality health services. However, the civil rights movements’ outcome guaranteed citizens equality in access to quality education and medical services. As a result, I find it easier to interact and explain the importance of living a healthy life and managing health conditions to the patients because they can understand well. Additionally, it is less stressful to get information from educated patients, facilitating effective decision-making about medication.
Advice to the Next Group of Students Taking This Course
My advice to other students who will be taking this course is to be very attentive while learning about the history of the United States. It will help them know this that happened in the past, shaping the country’s current status. For example, civil rights movements pioneered ending social injustices such as discrimination and inequalities in access to quality health and educational resources (Corbett et al., 2014). The class has positively impacted my daily life by allowing me to appreciate all people regardless of their racial or ethnic affiliation because by doing so, we make one another better. Additionally, the history reminds me why it should advocate access to quality education and healthcare services for all individuals since it is their fundamental constitutional right. Therefore, this class will make you effective advocators for patients and disadvantaged populations.
What the Incoming Students Be Aware of Regarding This Class
The incoming students should be aware of is materials they will use, the areas to cover, and the concentration required. Every class has a set of recommended books that students should use. Although there are different materials students can use to learn about the United States’ history, the suggested book to use for this class is “Corbett, S., Janssen, V., Lund, J. M., Pfannestienl, T., Waskiewicz, S., & Vickery, P. (2014). U.S History. Houston, Texas.” Some of the topics that the students will cover are stepping stones to the civil war, progressive era, female movement and minorities, civil rights movement, manifest destiny, and the Mexican war of 1846 (Corbett et al., 2014). The class requires maximum concentration because it is not all about knowing what happened in the past. Instead, the students are supposed to understand and explain how the historical occurrences shaped and impacted the modern lives of Americans.
Useful Strategies
The strategies I used that the students may find useful are arriving at the lecture room, taking notes, connecting ideas, and reading books. Getting to the lecture room earlier helps learners to be settled by the time instructor reaches there. Taking clear and organized notes is vital because it helps students revise what has been taught in class. It is always important to record the topic and the date of a lecture. History is about the chronological account of events; therefore, making connections between occurrences is essential to understanding happenings and their outcomes. Thus, I divide my notes by topics, years, and decades, making it easier to remember and connect the events. Reading different books enhancement what has been provided by the instructor during lectures. I would advise the students to follow these approaches and ensure that they dedicate much of their studying, which will help them earn a grade of A.
Conclusively, learning the history of the United States is essential to understanding how past events contributed to and impacted the modern lives of Americans. Civil rights movements were historical activities that led to the formation of the Civil Rights Act, the ended discrimination and other social injustices in the United States. Therefore, attending history classes is important for all students since it helps them appreciate the effort of past generations to learn the significance of accommodating one another.
Reference
Corbett, S., Janssen, V., Lund, J., Pfannestienl, T., Waskiewicz, S., & Vickery, P. (2014). U.S History. OpenStax.