The invention of the wheel by the Sumerians revolutionized the transportation. Wagons could be used to carry heavy loads. The Tigris and Euphrates rivers made transport of goods easy and economical. Riverboats were used to transport goods for trade. Strong currents moved the boats downstream, but because of the current they could travel in one direction only. The boats had to be dismantled after the trip downstream. The Mesopotamians used three types of boats: wooden boats with a triangular sail, the turnip or Guffa boat which was shaped like a tub, made of reeds and covered with skin, and the kalakku which was a raft of timbers supported by inflated animal skins.
The two-party system has been present in America for decades, and it has become one of the most prominent features of our political system. However, it has also undergone significant changes.
During the Antebellum period, the two dominant parties (Republicans and Democrats) were divided over the issue of slavery. The Republican Party was created in the late 1840s and early 1850s, and they held mostly abolitionist views. On the other hand, the Democrats consisted mostly of Southerners and rural Westerners, and they were, for the most part, pro-slavery.
During the Gilded Age, the most pressing issue was that of modernization. The Democratic Party incorporated much of the platform of the Populist Party, which tried to challenge big businesses. However, the Republicans dominated the political system between 1896 and 1932.
It would be very difficult to argue that one person/event can accurately summarize the huge political, social, and economic changes that took place during this era. One must consider that this time period saw the anti-war movement, civil rights movement, environmental movement, and parts of the women's rights movement. No one person or event involved all of these different changes at once.
However, if you were to make this argument you could use the following:
a) Martin Luther King Jr.- His role in the Civil Rights movement and peace movement make him one of the biggest civil rights icons of the 21st century.
b) March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom- This 1963 march included hundreds of thousands of Americans and allowed MLK to give his "I have a dream speech."
They are portrayed as savages, that lost their land to conquering Europeans and that what they tried to do they regret not achieving.
