Field Trip Reflection (2.8)

The National Museum for Peace and Justice 

I found the trip to be very informative and reflective. I found the Freedom Riders interesting and being at the location that the riots happened and imaging that is might be like was powerful. The lynching memorial was also very powerful and being able to see all of those columns and think that those were just the ones recorded and that there were so many more was difficult to process.

In the Legacy museum, I found it interesting how there were parts of it that are more current, specifically talking about the inmates and how "black" people can be more prone to being falsely accused. It was interesting to listen and read about how white supremacy is much less prominent now but that there is still racial bias and how I have witnessed some of that though some of the things I see on the news with things like the "Black Lives Matter" movement.

Mid-Semester 2 Reflection (2.7)

A section of the Highline

1. 
   So far this semester I learned that immigration had a major impact on industrialization and what makes today's history. It was interesting to see some of the parallels with today's history like how some native-born Americans had a fear that the immigrants would take their jobs. Even today some people still have that fear. One of my peers did their immigration research on "How Immigrants Improve the Economy?" and the truth was that many come to America and end up working low wage jobs just to make a living for their families and a better future. In the 19th century, many immigrants worked in factories with low-wage labor. I did research on the naturalization process today, and just like in the late 19th and early20th century if an immigrant is educated and has a job in America, the chances of finding success are higher and an immigrant.  
2.  There were many interesting topics I learned about by reading my peer's blog posts on immigration, but the one topic that stood out to me the most was the topic of "What happens to Separated Immigrant Families." Today we hear so much on the news on the topic of immigration, and at the time, I was hearing lost of information on the separation of families and what President Trump was doing on this topic. I found that I agreed on many of the points she touched on such as, how "sometimes we need to step back and think of these situations as humans and not politicians or law enforcers." This topic is so relevant, and I feel like the least I can do is know what is happening. 
3. Urban living in the 19th -century was difficult in the aspects of how overcrowded and unsafe it was. Through learning about the 19th century and progressivisms, I was able to conclude that almost everything is part of a domino effect. When one thing went wrong, that would lead to the improvement of a condition. For example in my topic of immigration was all about counteracting the negative effects of industrialization, urbanization, and immigration. When there was a large influx of immigrants which lead to crowded tenements, there was a need for "beauty" in a city and a better quality of living. Adapting to urban living itself was probably difficult for many people with large cities with many diverse people and places.
4. The Highline was very much aligned with the idea of progressivism. The final idea for the Highline benefited everyone in the city and was a place where people were able to have a new perspective. From the reason for the raised railroad to what the high line is today, the idea was very progressive. The idea to have a raised railroad prevented people from getting killed or hurt on the streets and then when it was no longer used, it became what many people saw as an "eyesore." Then people who believed in utilizing the railroad in a way that would benefit more than just people who could tear it down were the ones who made the city a better place. The high line is very much in line with my immigration topic of the "City Beautiful Movement." Parks, architecture, and art within cities promoted a beautiful aesthetic and community involvement. Just like progressivism, the Highline has promoted a more efficient workplace for all the businesses along it, such as the Artists in West Chelsea. Building the Highline needed the involvement of many groups of people, such as volunteers, cooperation with the businesses, architects, and gardeners. Unlike progressivism, the Highline construction relied on donations and was able to create two billion private investments, the Highline had nothing to do with the government and was not pushed by it. 

Philanthropy in American History & Major Donors Today (2.6)

Andrew Carnegie 

1. Merriam Webster defines philanthropy as goodwill to fellow members of the human race especially: active effort to promote human welfare." Philanthropy is associated with giving money to help "the greater whole" of society. Charity is defined as "generosity and helpfulness especially toward the needy or suffering." Charity and philanthropy have many commonalities, but a difference between them is that philanthropist mainly donates to institutions while charitable donations are more so for individuals. Institutions are not always in major need of the money, but by receiving money, they can make improvements. Charity, on the other hand, can help individuals versus large institutions.
2. According to an article from America's library of Congress, "Andrew Carnegie wanted to become a philanthropist after he retired from his job at the age of 66." After retiring, Carnegie's "new occupation" became philanthropy. "He founded the Carnegie Institution to fund scientific research and established a pension fund for teachers with a $10 million donation." He gave money to towns and cities which lead to the construction of more than 2,000 public libraries. Carnegie established the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and funded the building of the Hague Palace of Peace." His love for reading and education along with world peace led him to fund the organizations that he did.
3. The Carnegie Foundation website pointed out that they are involved with many educational programs and systems from Denver to Maryland to Arizona. Each of these systems is part of "iLEAD" which helps improve "leadership education and development." The website clearly notes states that, "The current work of the Foundation is focused on using the tools and tenets of improvement science to network Improvements Communities to accelerate how the field learns. 
1. Branches of Carnegie Foundation 
1. Council for Ethics in International Affairs 
2. Dunfermline Trust 
3. Endowment for International Peace 
4. Carnegie Foundation 
5. the advancement of teaching 
6. Carnegie Hall
7. Institution for science
8. Library of Pittsburgh 
9. Mellon University 
10. Museum of Pittsburgh
11. Trust for the Universities of Scotland
12. UK Trust 
13. Hero Fund Commission (US)
14. Hero Fund (Belgium)
15. Belonningsfund for Heltemod (Denmark)
16. Foundation Carnegie (France)
17. The Fondazione Carnegie Per Gli Atti De Eroismo (Italy)
18. Stichting Carnegie Heldenfonds (The Netherlands)
19. Heltefond for Norge (Norway)
20. Carnegiestiftelsen (Sweden)
21. Rescuers Foundation (Switzerland)
22. Hero Fund Trust (UK)
4. According to Forbes, "America's Top 10 Givers (of 2017) were; Warren Buffett, Bill and Melinda Gates, Michael Bloomberg, Walton Family, George Soros, Marck Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, Gordon and Betty Moore, James and Marilyn Simons, Hansjoerg Wyss, and Dustin Moskovitz and Cari Tuna. 
1. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has a $50.7 billion endowment, as of 2017, and has given $46 billion since it was established. The foundation supports, "Global health, international development, and US education." In 2017 it gave money to support polio causes, vaccine delivery, and agriculture development. 
5. If I were a philanthropist I would invest in education especially for girls in developing countries, as well as helping third world counties with basic needs such as clean drinking water. 

Imagine yourself as a philanthropist. What types of work would you invest in, and why?

Sources 

Merriam-Webster

America's Story from America's Library (The Library of Congress): Andrew Carnegie, Philanthropist 

Carnegie Corporation of New York: Other Carnegie Organizations
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching 
Forbes: America's Top 50 Givers