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Home Comparison Essay Assignment Comparison Essay-Student Posts Works Cited Exemplar Internal Citation Exemplar Civil Society Defined Great Man Continuum

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 * The building blocks of American society come from movements or people that, in their own unique way, shape the eras of history. A society is formed based upon the accomplishments, legacy, impact, and influence of these movements or people. From there, they are defined as great men, event making heroes, eventful heroes, or they are based upon social determinism. This is known as the Great Man Criteria and it is used throughout the decades to classify events that happened in American history. The 1920s and the 1980s are both important decades that included events and people that reformed and reshaped society. In the 1920s the National Negro Baseball League, Jazz music, and the American Civil Liberties Union all reformed society and are classified using the Great Man Criteria. This is the same with the 1980s; which included Hip-Hop music, the creation of CNN, and many different fashion fads. These events and movements exemplify some of the high points of the 1920s and 1980s and they all clearly represent a section of the Great Man Criteria. **


 * The roaring 20s, a time of wealth and prosperity for many people, was also a time for some social movements and some great men. Out of the three topics, each one follows the Great Man criteria and has a specific accomplishment, influence, impact, and legacy. The National Negro Baseball League had many accomplishments in its 10 year reign. According to Mitch Nini’s wiki page “ The league expanded from 8 teams to start, to as many as 24 teams before it’s demise”(Mitch N). From the NNL formed another Negro baseball league called the Eastern Colored League and the two leagues played in four Negro World Series games in their existence. The influence of this baseball league was not very broad- as it only appealed to blacks. The NNL was the “only [sports] entertainment available to blacks”(Mitch N). However, the games attracted black fans from all over the country and gave them the opportunity to watch their favorite teams play. While the NNL only lasted for ten years due to the death of Rube Foster, the creator, the NNL produced the legacy of Jackie Robinson. Jackie Robinson became the first black baseball player in the MLB and “broke the color barrier” which forever changed the sport and how it is played in the present(Mitch N). The NNL also had a large impact in the past. It gave black athletes the opportunity to play the sport they loved without having to pay large amounts of money(Mitch N). **
 * Along with the NNL, Jazz music also sculpted the atmosphere of the 1920s. Jazz music accomplished something that many other genres of music could not; it brought different cultures together. Jazz also opened up jobs for musicians. “ Prohibition and other things created many opportunities for musicians in small cabarets, dance halls and ballrooms”(Arat I). When the musicians took these jobs, jazz music began to travel to different parts of the country. It was playing in dance halls and was incorporated into shows and clubs so a lot of people from around the country were hearing it and it had a very widespread influence on society(Arat I). The legacy of jazz music has carried on throughout the years due to musicians such as Duke Ellington who “brought a sophisticated style to his jazz that was never seen before”(Arat). Today, many people still listen to jazz and it is often played in Broadway shows. **
 * Another movement of the 1920s was the American Civil Liberties Union. During its existence, **
 * the ACLU accomplished many firsts of the 20s. In Max Ribar’s wiki, he states that “the ACLU was one of the first organizations to support radical ideas and defend immigrants during the red scare”(Max R). This organization also advocated the freedom of speech and was “one of the first major assets to the Women’s Rights Movement”(Max R). This organization also “affected all social classes and people as we continued to fight for our civil liberties throughout history”(Max R). The legacy of the ACLU is very long term. Since the organization was created because of social issues, the organization has lasted for a long time considering there are new issues in society everyday. Today, the ACLU has been “working daily in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution and laws of the United States guarantee everyone in this country”(Max R). Each of these movements or events have shaped society in some way and have become an important part in the history of America. **


 * The 1980s was a time for many social changes and new fads. Each of these social changes also follow the Great Man Criteria and have their own unique accomplishments, legacy, impact, and influence on people. Hip-Hop music was a major fad in the 1980s that was very influential and successful. Hip-hop music mixed both black and white cultures together and destroyed stereotypes(Corbin D). Hip-Hop music opened the opportunity for those who wanted to be different and express their own creativity. Hip-Hop had a very big influence on society, as everyone was listening to it. It created this gangster persona that changed language and dress. As stated in Corbin’s wiki, “the clothes became baggy and hip-hop and rap artists wore gold chains”(Corbin D). Hip-Hop music was used in advertisements for cars or shoes in order to improve sales. Since the primary audience was teenagers, hip-hop was used to influence teens to buy certain products. The legacy of hip-hop music has evolved through time to become rap music, which is basically hip-hop music, but with modern day upgrades(Corbin D). Hip-Hop music had a widespread and long run impact on people. “Every teenager in America was listening and dancing to hip-hop music”(Corbin D). The music became bigger than the people who gave it a name. **
 * The creation of CNN was a big leap in television in the 1980s. CNN was “the first cable news network” and was able to broadcast news around the world(Lydia E). The major accomplishment CNN achieved was to broadcast news 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. “CNN became the go-to channel for people seeking world new reports, which led to a lot of viewers”(Lydia E). The influence of this news channel reached out to everyone around the world. “People trusted this new source of information” and began to show more interest about what was going on around the world(Lydia E). The 24-hour news channel had a long lasting impact and legacy. Seeing as we still have this channel today, the legacy has lasted a long time and the impact is so large that “CNN has a political affect. Presidents and prime ministers watch CNN before they talk to each other”(Lydia E). Americans today still watch and appreciate the accessibility to world news whenever needed. **
 * Coco Chanel once said, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” Fashion fads and expressing yourself in the 1980s was a very large movement. The main accomplishment of fashion in the 80s was that everyone was able to express themselves and be their own person. “By the early 80s, there was no single fashion look”(Givi G). Givi states in his wiki that “people began to start being accepting of whatever others would wear as well, letting people have confidence”(Givi G). The influence of fashion was extremely widespread. “Being part of something social was the life force, energy, and reason why people got up in the morning, to go turn on MTV, people were so in tune with what was happening and loved everything, clothing was their way of showing they love something”(Givi G). Fashion was a part of everyone’s lives but it especially influenced young adults. “Movies like The Breakfast Club and Footloose gave teens great ideas on how to dress”(Givi G). Also, a major designer in the 80s that is still very prominent in the fashion world today, Calvin Klein, used teen models to appeal to young adults to buy his products and become their own person. This fashion has had a long lasting legacy as people have grasped onto the fads of the 80s and brought them into modern day society. Even Calvin Klein is still producing clothing that is sold in stores today. Fashion is always evolving and is a big part of American culture and society. The 1980s produced many cultural movements that have affected our society then and now; each of them different and unique in their own way. **


 * Overall, the movements of the 1920s and 1980s were very successful and influential. However, some were more influential than others in each decade. In the 1920s, the most influential movement was the ACLU, then jazz music, then the National Negro Baseball League. **
 * The ACLU is the most influential because is affected all social classes and people and dealt with civil liberties issues brought on by problems in society. Jazz appealed to almost everyone in the 20s, but the legacy and impact on daily life in the present is very minimal and the significance of accomplishment of jazz was not as important as the one of the ACLU. The NNL was the least bit influential in the 1920s because it only appealed to black people and while it may have changed the way baseball is currently played, it is very seldom mentioned in the present times. In the 1980s, the most influential movement was the fashion movement, then the creation of CNN, and then hip-hop music. The fashion movement was by far the largest movement and the most widespread and long term considering 80s fashion and 80s designers are still in today’s society. While CNN is still watched all over the world, there are many other TV channels that have achieved the same goals as CNN. Hip- hop music has almost disappeared from society today and was the least influential because it basically only targeted teens and not adults. Overall, civil society was more influential in the 1920s, while Great Persons were more influential in the 1980s. **


 * Works Cited: **


 * Givi G. “Fashion Fads and Faux Pas.” 2012. Buchholtz/Sidor American Studies Wikispaces. Web. 1 April. 2012. **


 * Lydia E. “CNN and Ted Turner.” 2012. Buchholtz/Sidor American Studies Wikispaces. Web. 1 April. 2012. **


 * Corbin D. “Hip-Hop, Run DMC.” 2012. Buchholtz/Sidor American Studies Wikispaces. Web. 1 April. 2012. **


 * Mitch N. “National Negro Baseball League.” 2012. Buchholtz/Sidor American Studies Wikispaces. Web. 1 April. 2012. **


 * Max R. “American Civil Liberties Union.” 2012. Buchholtz/Sidor American Studies Wikispaces. Web. 1 April. 2012. **


 * Arat I. “Jazz- Duke Ellington.” 2012. Buchholtz/Sidor American Studies Wikispaces. Web. 1 April. 2012. **

RUBRIC

A quality comparison essay will

•Use the __four__ criteria of Great Man Continuum to analyze the significance of three 1920’s topics and three 1980s topics. consistently well analyzed

•Analyze of each of the 6 topics with evidence taken from the 1920s and 1980s wikis, Analysis is focus and supported by well chosen evidence

•Develop a thoughtful and thorough conclusions on all 6 topics, all topics thoughtfully considered

•Rank the three topics for each decade and explain why one topic is more influential than the other two, yes

•Answer the essay question with a clear, well reasoned argument, yes

•Explain why the __second__ choice fell short compared to the __first__ choice but is more just than the __third__ choice, yes

•Organize ideas in extended power paragraphs, consistently done, except for closing paragraph

•Identify the source and establish its credibility with an appositive phrase, done

•Cite evidence with internal citations and in a Works Cited. Click links for exemplars. Sources are correctly cited

