3. Imagine you were born in 1830. Throughout your life, you witness one momentous change after another. By the first decade of t
he twentieth century, the world around you has been transformed thoroughly. Now comes an important event in your life. It may not make it into the history books or the newspapers, but it’s all your family members can talk about…the birth of your first great granddaughter in 1914! You’ve lived through a lot of changes, and you begin to wonder about how the world might be transformed during her lifetime. After all, your granddaughter might well live until the year 2000! You sit down to write a letter to your newborn granddaughter—something she can read in the years and decades ahead. Reflecting on the types of changes that have taken place in your lifetime, you decide to write about what you think will happen in the century ahead. Your letter will address possible changes in the four categories you looked at in the previous activity: political/military, cultural, science/technology, and social/economic. In addition, you’ll want to write about these key points: (a) Ways in which life might improve in the future. (b) Good things from the previous century that might be lost as times change. (c) How your granddaughter should view change, what she should resist and what she should embrace. Hurry pls
In your letter, you could use the following ideas:
Political/military category should reflect on the ideas of Manifest Destiny which were a huge thing in the 19th century. As the coastlines got connected, the idea turned into spreading democracy and equality across the world so you could reflect on how in the future democracy might become a normal way of governing every state in the world, which is something your granddaughter might live to see
Culturally you could talk about how your granddaughter could be the one who continues to build the American identity. Before the 19th century, most of American art was heavily inspired by European art. It was only in the 19th century that truly American stories started developing and an American cultural identity in paintings and literature and architecture.
Technologically and scientifically you could tell her about how the US were the first to build a usable submarine and ships made out of steel during the 19th century and how industrialization happened and how you hope that your granddaughter's generation might continue making the US one of the greatest and most advanced countries in the world
Socially an economically you could talk about the civil war and slavery and reconstruction that you've experienced, and how your granddaughter's generation would be wise to think of progressive ways to help everyone and learn from historical mistakes of the people so as to not repeat them and how she should fight against attempts to disenfranchise people.
