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Abolishment of Slavery
This law got rid of slavery, but not discrimination. The former slave owners could pay their former slaves, but no longer imprison them. The law did get rid of slaves, but no law can change a person’s view on another, so racism still flourished. -
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Ten Things That Shaped American History
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The Invention of the Movie Theater
These movie houses let people view moving pictures for a low price, which has gone up a lot over the years. The movie theater has inspired drive-ins, a very important part of the 1950’s, and created the need for home video. WIthout movie theaters, there would not be 8mm, 16mm, VHS Tapes, BetaMax, DVDs, Laserdiscs, or Blu Rays. -
Prohibition
This was the banning of alcoholic beverages in the United States. It caused “undercover intoxication” because we would not let the government take away something that they had no right to remove. Alcohol was finally considered legal after it was realized that nobody was obeying the new law. -
Vietnam Protests
This event showed that Americans were willing to fight for what they believed for, and were willing to exercise their right to a peaceful protest...and peaceful it was. They were able to bring a peaceful vibe into a time of depression. People were being drafted for a pointless war, and others were willing to speak out about it. -
The Punk Revolution (Sex Pistols formed)
The Punk Revolution was a very crucial part of American history. When the teenagers began hearing this music, they began to dress freely. By this I mean piercings, tattoos, dying hair, spiking hair and so on. This event led Americans to be able to express themselves without being judged, or at least they felt like they fit in. -
The Computer Era (The Commodore PET was released)
This computer revolutionized the world. It was only an 8-bit computer, but it started the path for others to follow. Since, Apple and Microsoft have gone on to create state of the art computing mechanisms. Without the release of this product, electronic banking, and computer operated missile control would not be possible. -
The Sony Cassette Walkman
This extraordinary portable music player was a huge success and made the sales of cassette tapes go up. When compact discs came out in 1983, the need came for the Discman. Without the original cassette walkman, there would be no MP3 players, or iPods. It was crucial to the music industry to have a way to make their products portable. -
The Who in Cincinnati, OH
A ton of fans were standing outside the Riverfront Coliseum in the bitter cold. They were waiting for the festival to begin and they could hear the Who performing through the walls. They rushed the doors assuming that they were missing the concert, although it was just the soundcheck, and ended up trampling and killing many fans. Cincinnati then a 25 year ban on festival seating. -
The Day We Lost The Twins
It was the day the Earth stood still. We had been attacked by terrorists who had hijacked airplanes and flew them into the Twin Towers in New York. Many people were killed, and it showed that we need to be more careful with our airport security. It has strengthened our airport security a lot. -
Hurricane Katrina
This horrific event showed that the country as a whole could join together and really show what term “united” means. People sacrificed their money and food, in an effort to help others who became less fortunate. It showed that we can help others in our country, and not just people we have destroyed in Iraq. We bombed them and then sent food, unlike the treatment of Louisiana in 2005.