Research Review

In my review of my classmates' research I learned about the Black Sox Scandal, the development of architecture, and the importance of electricity in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries.

Baseball in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

Before the late 19th Century, people in America spent so much time working that there was not much time for them to spend time doing leisurely activities. But in the late 19th Century, people started working less, so people had to find things to do in their spare time.
 
http://iaanhughes.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/elysian-fields-baseball-game.jpg
"Among the responses to the search for public forms of leisure was the rise of organized spectator sports, and especially baseball" (Brinkley 507). Baseball was a way for Americans to enjoy themselves and be healthy and have fun doing it. "A game much like base ball known as "rounders" and derived from cricket, had enjoyed limited popularity in Great Britain in the early nineteenth century."

However, they are reports of people playing a form of baseball as early as the expedition of Lewis and Clark. "Revolutionary War soldiers played ball at Valley Forge. Slave children played in the South, sometimes using a tree limb for a bat and a walnut wrapped in rags for a ball. On their way from crossing the continent, Meriweather Lewis and William Clark tried to teach the Nez Percé Indians to play the “game of base””(Ward and Burns 3). 


When people talk about who actually invented the game of baseball, there is much confusion and misunderstanding. Most people think that Abner Doubleday invented it, but that is not accurate. "Abner Doubleday supposedly "invented" baseball. (Doubleday, in fact, had little to do with the creation of baseball and actually cared little for sports. Arthur Cartwright, a member of a New York City baseball club in the 1840s, defined many of the rules and features of the game as we know today") (Brinkley 507). 


http://www.spokanelittleleague.org/coaches/TheDoubledayMyth_files/image003.jpg

 http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8345206dd69e201156fca3031970c-120wi

At the end of Civil War, the interest in baseball had increased greatly. There were more than 200 amateur teams, semiprofessional teams, or clubs. A large number of these teams agreed to join a national association. The first salaried team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings. "Other cities soon fielded professional teams, and in 1876, at the urging of Albert Spalding, they banded together in the National League." The American league was also formed and in 1903 the two leagues played in the first World Series. The Boston Red Sox from the American League beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, who were from the National League. 

 http://sonsofsamhorn.net/wiki/images/thumb/8/89/1903_world_series_poster.jpg/180px-1903_world_series_poster.jpg

"By then, baseball had become an important business and a great national preoccupation (at least among men), attracting paying crowds in the thousands. Today, there are millions of fans worldwide and there are currently 30 teams in the MLB, which the highest level of play in America. 

Overall, I had an enjoyable experience doing this research topic. I discovered many new things about baseball that I previously did not know, like the fact that Abner Doubleday was not the creator of baseball. Baseball was also a great way for Americans to spend their free time. Baseball was also a boost for the economy because so many people came and paid to watch games. 

http://www.askdeb.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/mlb.gif

http://fromtheleft.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/logo-mlb-big.jpg

Baseball in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries

So far in my research, I have found that people have been playing the game of baseball since the Revolutionary War at Pigeon Forge. Some early names for baseball included

Old cat
Goal ball
Town ball
Barn ball
String ball
Stick ball
Soak ball

Halloween in America

Every year on October 31, most American families celebrate Halloween. Parents decorate the house with spooky decorations while kids dress up in costumes and go trick-or-treating. Since Halloween is so popular in America, many people spend a lot of money to celebrate it. According to marketingcharts.com, "The average person will spend $72.31 on Halloween decorations, costumes and candy in 2011, up 9% from $66.28 last year, according to data released in October 2011 by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and BIGresearch. Results of NRF’s 2011 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Surveys indicate total Halloween spending is expected to reach $6.86 billion, a healthy 18% increase from $5.8 billion in 2010." 

http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/halloween-spending-rises-19773/

Question 7

Who did middle-class Americans tend to blame when disputes between labor and employers became bitter and violent?

Middle-class Americans tended to blame the workers when disputes between labor and employers became bitter and violent.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=blame&hl=en&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=667&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=JYNQhoud-zEEqM:&imgrefurl=http://cardonationsforkids.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/educating-children-in-america-whos-to-blame/&docid=eqHRVJrmujyKLM&imgurl=http://cardonationsforkids.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/parents-vs-teachers.jpg&w=400&h=359&ei=-HOfTojeAqnb0QG_mpn7BA&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=168&sig=100748005178760892835&page=1&tbnh=132&tbnw=147&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0&tx=80&ty=92

Nation of Immigrants

Between 1865 and 1915, 25 million people came from. different countries to live in the United States. Most of the immigrants came from Britain, Germany, and Ireland. The United States came to be known as the "Nation of Immigrants" because of the large number of people coming from different countries.

The people that came to America from other countries must have been very determined to create a new life for themselves and to be successful. I believe that the values and beliefs of the people that migrated here several years ago still have a significant impact on the way we live today.

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=ellis+island&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&sa=N&biw=1366&bih=667&tbm=isch&tbnid=DbJ7bNO5yCRsQM:&imgrefurl=http://www.visitingdc.com/new-york/ellis-island-picture.asp&docid=0FBVTExrXS-VWM&imgurl=http://www.visitingdc.com/images/ellis-island-picture.jpg&w=625&h=366&ei=AY6XTpqjLpCDtge9kMXiAw&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=414&sig=100748005178760892835&page=1&tbnh=116&tbnw=198&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0&tx=48&ty=57

Faces of America

The show Faces of America features 12 Americans, all of whom are celebrities, that learn about their family's past. Elizabeth Alexander, Mario Batali, Stephen Colbert, Louise Erdich, Malcolm Gladwell, Eva Longoria, Yo-Yo Ma, Mike Nichols, Queen Noor of Jordan, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Meryl Streep, and Kristi Yamaguchi all learn about their families from Professor Henry Louis Gates. 

After watching this series, a person can take many good things away from it. After watching this, a person's interest in learning about their past could increase. A person could also become interested in learning about other people's pasts. 

Andrew Carnegie

Over the course of Andrew Carnegie's life, he made donations to various charities. However, before 1901, these donations were quite insignificant. Then in 1902, Carnegie created a fund for teachers and donated 10 million dollars to it. This fund was called the Carnegie Institution. Since Carnegie loved to read, he donated money to several cities and towns to create more than 2,000 public libraries. Andrew also gave 125 million to the Carnegie Corporation which aided colleges and schools. Carnegie also believed in world peace, so to aid this cause, he established the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. By 1911, Carnegie had given away 90 percent of his fortune. 

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/carnegie/aa_carnegie_phil_1.html

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/carnegie/aa_carnegie_phil_2.html

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/carnegie/aa_carnegie_phil_3.html