1913 Armory Show

       Urbanization directly led the 1913 Armory Show as it was completely funded by wealthy private donors who wanted better amenities in their cities and the craze that it attracted was only possible due to the large urban center that it was held in. The Armory Show attracted so much attention in great part because of press coverage, another example of how intense urbanization made the show possible. This was the first art event in the United States that allowed citizens to see the Cubism and Futurism that European artists had begun to create. Such pieces were often looked down upon because of their contemporary style, often times comparing it to something the whole public was used to, industry. The United States was so unaccustomed to this type of art, but ultimately, thanks to the Armory Show, the entire Western World broadened their spectrum of what art has the potential to be. 

         Without wealthy donors the 1913 Armory Show wouldn’t have even been considered, much less actually happened. These primarily white wealthy men, who made their money from the Industrial Revolution, were looking for more amenities in their town. Since they couldn’t find any, they then decided to make one of their own. The 1913 Armory Show had absolutely no public funding, with donors having to pay for not only all of the art present at the exhibit, but also for the behemoth of an armory that the event was held in (Armory Show). These men, so focused on making their town a more livable place for the most wealthy, actually provided one of the first steps toward creating the “largest change in public thinking about art since the Renaissance”(NPR).

        The art on display in the 1913 Armory Show came from a broad number of sources. However, without question, the art that drew the most attention was that of European artists who were focused on cubism and futurism. The most talked about of these paintings was “Nude Descending a Staircase” which was painted by Marcel Duchamp, a European artist. This is not to say that the Duchamp’s piece was the only one on display nor is it meant to say that this piece attracted all good press, it is simply to say that it attracted the most press. This piece was, for lack of a better word, mistreated by a press and by a public that had absolutely no knowledge of the incredible strides that this man and ones like him had been making towards furthering the progression of art (JStor).

        The press had an absolute field day with not only Duchamp’s piece but with the entire European collection on display. They commented on Duchamp’s piece saying that it was better described as “Rude Descending a Staircase (Rush Hour at the Subway)” (Hyperallergenic Photos)

This comic and ones like it helped in a manner of different ways. While they did discredit some of the most incredible works of art in that time period (The Evening Word), they helped to provide more publicity for the show, in a manner that was only possible because of the large urban center in which this press was broadcasting to. (Hyperallergenic photo)




Based on this solitary fact, it is clear to see that without the incredible amount of press coverage throughout the month long display of art that has come to be called the 1913 Armory Show, the United States would have most likely lost their chance to begin to progress as a society focused around the finer points of contemporary culture.
(HyperAllergenic Photo)



          Upon looking deeper into most of the criticism that came from Duchamp’s piece and ones like it, it is clear to see just how embedded industry is in the culture of the United States during that time period. Almost everything that “Nude Descending a Staircase was compared to involved industry, from the rush of people having to take the subway being exemplified by it to the influx of bills provided by the amount of goods available to buy, it’s obvious that industry was a major part of the average American’s life in this time period (Washington Times). This is just another example of how the 1913 Armory Show happening is in large part due to the rapid urbanization caused by Industrialization being such a huge part of day to day life.

        The 1913 Armory Show is more important to American history than most people of today’s time realize. It is one of the key examples of how the wealthy of the time period used their power to help better progress their city into a more habitable place for everyone, as well as providing the first steps towards a completely new form of art. Thanks to the 1913 Armory Show, America was not left behind in this constantly evolving and ever progressing world.




(Hyperallergenic Photo)



Source List:


NPR Change in Public Thinking Article

Armory Show Explanation of the Show as a Whole

Washington Times Industrial Criticism is Common

Hyperallergenic (All Photos)

Evening World Cubism Ridiculed Article

JStor Art Institute of Chicago people making fun had no knowledge Article

Migration

In class today, I learned that North America was among one of the last regions colonized. Also, I did some more research about how the agricultural revolution occurred all over the globe at around the same time even though civilizations didn't have much contact with each other. The most interesting fact, in my opinion, is that we are beginning to have the ability to not only live longer than all of our ancestors, but actually defeat aging all together. We are learning the technology needed to prolong our aging indefinitely.

Philanthropy

I learned that philanthropy is more long term and big picture than charity. I would like to spend my money on the pursuit of human longevity. Also, I learned that philanthropy doesn't necessarily make you a good person, as it may mean that you just wish for there to be more high societal activities for you to attend. 

Thinking About Success

1. Luck

2. Opportunity

3. Hard Work

4. Skill

I think that luck is the most important factor for success because without having good luck you are certain to fail. Opportunity is second for the same reason as luck, you don't really deserve it but without having good opportunities there is no way you can succeed. Hard work is the third most important factor to success because even if you have skill, if you don't work hard at all you can't be successful. Skill is the least important factor because in the reality of the world you can be the most successful person in the world without possessing any notable skill.

ClassWork

Today I actually learned a lot about how fashion happens globally. It turns out that most retailers get their information about what styles are going to trend through websites which are about 20,000 american dollars to subscribe to. Using this websites, companies can decide what to make and put into stores. Some companies do this with two large shipments throughout the year, while others do 2 shipments a week, creating a much more current inventory. I am still curious about how the websites get the trends so right. I think that it might be one of those things where the more people that believe it the more true it is. The more companies believe that these trend websites are right, the more those same companies make stuff depending on what they say, and the more people buy things from their stores because they believe that it is trendy because it is everywhere.

ClassWork

1. The link to the History archive is.

2. The activity we have been tasked with doing today is using a history textbook from the 19th century in order to more clearly understand how the educated whites of the time wanted the students of the time to view their Native American counterparts. The use of the word savage, which is to say fierce, ferocious, and untamed; and savagery, which is to say a barbaric state or condition is very present in this textbook, helping to strengthen the ever present idea that somehow since Native Americans behave differently they should be treated as lesser and don't deserve to have rights.

3. If I was an American student from the 19th century tasked with reading this portion of text for homework there is absolutely no doubt I would perceive Native Americans to be a barbaric race that got what they deserved. I know how horrible that sounds but without any other backing except for what I was reading, they only appear to be an aggressive bunch of barbarians who practically forced the whites to fight with them. 

Journal Entry

Jan. 3, 1892:

        Indians are everywhere in this side of the states. Honestly, it's a little rude that all of those Easterners let us Westerners handle all of the foreign folk. I'm ready to watch them fight though; maybe we will get lucky and they won't all come back. I just bought some new gloves for Lucinda that I am certain she will find to be extravagant. So happy that I finally got over that nasty cold thanks to J.C. Ayer. All in all, things are looking up here in the West. I complain about being with foreign people but in reality I guess we are all foreign to this land... seriously though, get rid of some of our Indians.

Newspaper

I found that the Indians were being trained as soldiers. It's kind of funny because they treat the Indian soldier like a new animal who is only six months old.

I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them. - Andy Bernard

"Our use of social media for news is selective and intentional so that we usually tend to remain interested only in things we are already interested in. On the other hand, professional news outlets like newspapers expose readers to information on a broad range of topics, which helps me to see what other people are interested in or think is important."

Homework

3. Newspaper - a publication issued at regular and usually close erect intervals, especially daily or weekly, and commonly containing news, comment, features,and advertising

4. They came into penile existence throughout European villages in the 17th century

5. Publik Occurrences, both Foreign anal and Domestic was the first newspaper of the US

6. The leading stories today was banning smoking in the city. Also a service dog butt was there.

7. The New York Times is the newspaper of record lube. Also the LA Times.

8. I think that the use of newspapers isn't much different from our use of social media today. I do, however, believe that newspapers provide a more in depth analysis of the news around us. Nowadays we just like to hear our news in 140 characters or less. Newspapers provide much more information for the readers about the topic at hand, but I don't really think that it is ultimately necessary to have that much information about everything. I think that 140 characters is enough to get the broad meaning of the news which is usually enough for the subject.

9.

got that photo from google images

Q1 Reflections

         Over the course of the first quarter I have learned a plethora of new ideas about studying history. I have learned to empathize with others regardless of my personal beliefs. I have been very strong with my blog posts as a whole I believe and my research has been on point. I also think that my in class discussions have not only benefitted me but also the other students of this class as well. I believed that the reading was somewhat busy work and I think that I probably need to be more open to seeing the value of not only opening the text book but truly understanding the things said.

         I have always considered myself to be open to the study of history because of the quote, " those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it."-George Santayana. Also, history as a whole is very interesting to me because I love to see the patterns that civilizations throughout time have gone through over and over again. I hope to grow as a student of United States History by continuing to learn the fine points of the time periods being studied. I want to know specific details as opposed to the more broad ideas that I know from taking AP World History last year.

         Some things that I now know that I didn't know before is just how helpful movies can be to the study of history. They allow you to truly see the world from that time period. I have also began to truly understand how people felt about slavery, that not every white man that owned slaves was some absolutely horrible individual. I hope to learn more about the fighting throughout the Revolutionary and Civil War because I find learning about battles to be something very interesting.

A Few Fast Facts For You

1.  There are 566 recognized Indian tribes, but there might be more unrecognized ones
2. Almost 30% of Indians live below the poverty line
3. Over 8,000 Indians served in WWI
4. 3/4 of the people on Indian Reservations aren't Indians
5. Native American babies are over 50% more likely to die than white babies
6. Native Americans are more likely to be overweight
7. Dakota is an Indian word that means allies
8. Barbecue is an Indian word that means framework of sticks
9. Avocado is an Indian word that means testicle
10. Indians probably came to America 20,000 years ago on the land bridge
11. Indians helped Lewis and Clark explore America
12. Some Indians thought that corn was actually a female goddess.
13. Indians are almost 3 times as likely to die of diabetes
14. Indians got horses from the Spaniards and quickly began to use them
15. The first treaty with Indians was in 1787
16. More Native Americans serve in the military per capita than any other race
17. Navajo has the greatest population of Indians in the United States.
18. An Indian tribe constructed 700 miles of irrigation during Roman times.
19. Log Cabins were a derivative from an Indian cabin
20. Smallpox brought a population of Indians from 1,600 to just 130

Why Movies Should be Used to Teach

I am a firm believer in the use of numerous mediums to learn a subject. Watching a movie is no exception to this. History is not solely confined to the medium of a unwieldy paper book filled with hundreds of pages that the students will more than likely forget a matter of days after reading. Not only this, but with the medium of a movie you can experience history in a whole new way being able to see it as if you were actually there, rather than just reading about it in a textbook, a point which both the movie Glory and 12 Years a Slave do brilliantly. It is not only possible but even more likely that students will better be able to explore real events, circumstances, and attitudes just by watching movies.

12 Years a Slave is an excellent example of a movie that can speak volumes about a time period. Just as History Professor Emma McFarmon stated, “I have never seen a film represent slavery so accurately. “ (Atlantic). This just goes to show that even historians of the highest level can truly see the value that movies hold towards teaching history. 12 Years a Slave tells a story that was all too common during slavery. Through the movie, you can really visual how African Americans were treated during this time period. It puts a graphic image in your head that I believe would not easily be thought of only by reading. It provides a reality to the things we have always heard but never been able to comprehend about slavery. This is not to say that it paints all white men out to be evil slave driving devil figures, as the man who rescues Soloman after being a slave for so long is in fact a white male. In fact, in the book 12 Years a Slave, Soloman even goes so far as to say, “There was never a more kind, noble, candid, Christian man than William Ford.”(Atlantic) stating family clearly that not all white males were some evil creatures during that time period, another showing of a movie being able to break preconceptions that have been ingrained in us through years of textbook teaching.

Glory is another excellent movie about the Civil War in which an all black regiment is the one focused on. This is another instance of the general public getting a chance to see the world through a whole different set of lens’, really experiencing life during that time period. This is not to say that there are no historical inaccuracies in the movie Glory, but with an amount of research most would deem minuscule, you can find those inaccuracies and still learn a plethora of facts about the time period from the movie (Ashland). Just as Mr. Bernstein said so profoundly, the movie Glory is trying to tell a “…truth truer than the literal truth”. I believe that that is the beauty of film as a medium for learning. It is okay if there are some historical inaccuracies with the plot, as I believe that as a student of history it is not my job to know in which direction Fort Sumter was attacked, rather I believe that as a student of history I must be an expert on relations throughout history, focusing on how people behaved and why they behaved that way rather than small facts that ultimately remain unimportant for the general population.

Even movies have some mistakes, this is just a fact as everything can never be perfect. Hollywood has a very big problem of making the savior of every race relation movie during the 1800s a white male, as seen in both 12 Years a Slave and Glory through the Canadian carpenter and the leader of the regiment respectively.(Atlantic) What’s just as well Hollywood makes slavery out to be some sort of obstacle that can be overcome, which is much more prevalent in movies like Django Unchained. This, however, does not appear in 12 Years a Slave and in fact, the one time that they attempt to rebel against their captors in the movie, one man dies. Slavery is not some obstacle, it is “a systemic evil that leaves those in its grasp with no good choices.”(Atlantic).

With all of this said, I do believe that a way of learning history that is perhaps even better than solely reading from a textbook is through the medium of film. It allows the student to actively see elements of a time period that he may either overlook or misinterpret through reading. It also allows for a deeper understanding of what people were going through, putting a face to pain that today is unimaginable. While minor facts may be left out of a movie solely for the purpose that it must be around two hours long, this is not to say that the movie is any less of a resource for the teaching community as a whole. It is only to say that there might be some light research on the topic. Movies just allow an understanding that is otherwise more often that not unachievable. Once you have this understanding, you look at the time period and at all of history in a completely new way.

An Example of a pain that can't easily be thought of solely from a text book. From Google Images



Sources:

Link 1 12 years a slave awards

Link 2 Glory Box office and Critics

Link 3 Atlantic 12 years Historical accuracy

Link 4 Glory Ashland University

Link 5 Atlantic Purpose of 12 Years

Link 6 Atlantic White Savior

Direct Quote Set Up Ow Owwww

People who question the historical accuracy of the movie Glory should be pointed to this film critic's research

"I found one of the letters of Col. Robert Gould Shaw online, which generally verifies the burning of the town which was shown in the film." Film Critic

Reflection:

I learned that the process of paraphrasing is very strenuous but is also very useful for effective writing. Direct quoting can help you to back up a point really well and paraphrasing can help when you think someone had said something really well and you want to say something similar to help strengthen your own paper.

What Mrs. Lawson Wanted me to Learn:

Only use a quote when it adds power and style to my writing

Always make it clear, from context, that I understand the full meaning of the quote

Whether I quote or paraphrase, always be transparent about the source and how I'm using it

If I use another author's exact words or phrases, to any extent, I have to use quotation marks and give credit

If I use another author's presentation of facts or ideas, but put their ideas in my own words, I better have a good reason for doing that, and I must give credit

Hyperlinking is so easy, there is no excuse for not being transparent about my sources

I understand these things.

Paraphrase a Quote

"The assault on Battery Wagner was attacked on the wrong side in the movie, and it also suggests that over ½ of the regiment was lost during the assault. However, official records state that they had 272 casualties, which is closer to 40%. Lastly, the way in which they whipped and flagged the black soldiers is historically inaccurate because the practice of flogging had been outlawed before the civil war..."Glory Stuff



This is my paraphrase: In the movie Glory the military base Battery Wagner was attacked on an incorrect side and most of the people (more than 50%) died during the battle. The actual battle records say that there was 272 soldiers that died during the battle, which would only be 40% of the soldiers in the regiment. Finally, the whipping of the character that was played by Denzel Washington is grossly untrue because the act of whipping soldiers is something that was no longer lawful by that time period.

Sympathy Vs. Empathy

I learned that empathy involves stepping into someone's shoes to truly understand how they feel. It involves an active intellectual attempt to understand what is happening to someone. This differs from sympathy because empathy doesn't require any emotional response and sympathy is only an emotional response. Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone, feeling pity for them, even though you don't really relate to their situation. An example of empathy without experiencing is understanding the pain people went through during the holocaust even though you've never been treated that poorly. You just have to use your mind to comprehend and put yourself in their shoes. You can also empathize with a sociopath, like many criminal investigators do, to understand why they behave like they do. Empathy is key in studying history because it helps you understand what preconceptions made people behave the ways they did in certain situations. Without empathy it is very difficult to understand certain historical actions you are studying. 

Empathy