3.2.1 Summary

 3 THINGS I LEARNED

1. The working conditions were horrible. People were constantly dirty and they had to work terribly long hours. Even small children had to slave over factory machines, often time causing them physical problems later in life.
2. I did not know what communism actually was, though I had heard of it many times. Now I know that communism is the system where everything is equal and there is no such thing as private property.
3. Capitalism is the system in which businesses are owned privately and the government should not regulate them. America is a capitalist society.

2 THINGS I FOUND INTERESTING

1. I thought it was interesting that Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto was never really acknowledged by anyone early on. Years after though it started to become more and more popular. Now it is considered one of the most important pieces ever written.
2. Workers would demand higher pay and better working conditions and if they did not get what they wanted, they would strike. When skilled workers would do this, the owners would often have to give in because it was hard for them to find someone to replace them.

1 QUESTION I STILL HAVE

1. If the working conditions were so bad for children, they hated to work, and it was physically painful for them, why would they just not work?

Current Invention: Cellular Phone

In April of 1973, the first cell phone was finally complete. Doctor Martin Cooper had created the first portable handset and he was also the first person to make a call on a portbale cell phone. Ever since then, people have constantly been upgrading cell phones. Every year many new cell phones are put out on the market. Martin Cooper changed the world with his invention. According to the CTIA-Wireless Association, in 2007, 82% of Americans use a cell phone. The number has since gone up. That is huge! Now almost everybody you see has a cell phone. We can now do almost anything on our cell phones: text message, surf the internet, listen to music, play games, and talk to people. The cell phone has greatly evolved since its invention in 1973. We all owe Dr. Martin Cooper a lot of thanks, seeing how our cell phones are widely considered one of the most important things to have with you every day.

Ism Today: Communism

Communism is an economic system in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party. In a communist society, no private property exists and all goods are shared equally. Today, there are few communist countries, North Korea being one.

Reform: Laissez Faire

Laissez Faire was the idea that government should not interfere with or regulate industries and bussinesses. Economic philosophers in favor of laissez faire argued that government regulations interfere with the production of wealth, rather than help it grow. They believed that wealth would come if the government would allow free trade. Laissez faire means "let people do as they please."

I do not totally agree with this system. I believe the government should regulate trade to a certain extent, but just to keep the country safe. If we let the "people do as they please," there would be absolute chaos. Governments need to have a say in what goes on, but should not interfere so much that the people and businesses do not prosper.

Invention: Incandescent Lightbulb

In 1879, Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb. How did he do it? He used lower current electricity, a small carbonized filament, and a vacum inside a globe. Many people tried to do this before, but nobody was as successful. Edison creation was the first that had been considered even remotely practical for home use. To go along with the incandescent light, Edison invented an electric lighting system that contained elemements that were necessary to use incandescent light bulb. After over a year of hard work, he was able to create an incandescent lamp with carbonized sewing thread inside that burned for thirteen and a half hours. The invention of the incandescent light bulb moved the world forward. Not only was it an uprising source of light in the late 19th century, but we still use the light bulbs today.



Invention: Telephone

Two inventors in the 1870s, Alexander Graham Bell and Elisha Gray were both independently designing what would later be known as the telephone. Both men rushed their designs to the patent office the same day, just hours apart. Alexander Graham Bell got there first and his telephone was the one to be patented. His design resulted from trying to improve the telegraph. Bell's success with the telephone came about on March 10, 1876 when he spoke through the instrument to his assistant in the next room, Thomas A. Watson.

Bell first famously said, "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you," over this device, proving that it actually worked. The telephone changed the world because it was the first way to use a harmonic approach to transmitting multiple messages at a time. We are still using the telephone today, showing how important the invention was and still is.

Invention: Telegraph

In 1835, Samuel F. B. Morse proved that signals could be transmitted by wire. He used pulses of current to deflect an electromagnet. This moved a marker which wrote codes on paper. This became known as the Morse Code, named after Samuel. In 1836, he changed the written codes to dots and dashes. A few years later, it started to be used for trains on railroads so that two trains would not be sent out at the same time heading towards each other. The telegraph changed the world because it was the first way to send messages without having to be directly in front of the receiver.