The early 19^th century topic that I chose to pick was the birth of boxing. Something new that I learned and may be new to other people is that boxing actually came from ancient times mainly in Greece. However, it was quite different because in those times boxing was even more of a violent sport than it is today. While this may be hard to believe, boxing during those times was till death. A winner was not crowned until the other person had been killed, compared to today where you can just knock somebody out. Also, in the ancient times, boxers used strapped leather forearms and studded medal shards for their hands. This caused even more pain to the opponent when hit, which is why it was so much more violent back then.

Boxing continued like this and soon changed to just “bare knuckle” fighting where there was no gloves but also there was nothing else attached to the fighters arms and hands. Around 1743 gloves are finally incorporated into the sport in Europe (where at the time it was most popular)Rules are also finally set down by John Broughton (champion from 1734-1758); such as, three minute rounds, one minute rest break in between rounds, and a ten second recovery period if knocked down. Europe was the country who most widely held boxing and was most popular. It was not actually that well known, much less a sport until around the 1880’s when it was brought over to the United States. During this time period many men saw boxing as a way to judge ones masculinity. The more you could fight, and the more you could take hits and win matches, then the more of a man you were. Possibly the most interesting fact of boxing before the emergence in the 20^th century was that there were no judges. Newspapers actually decided the winner by votes, and certain “scoring” beliefs. Not until 1888 when the sport became officially organized were there any judges.

                                                Traditional Boxing Arena

While boxing was most popular for the enjoyment of the working class, and most whites participated in the sport, there was also a very big ethnic diversity to it. Jews during this time period were actually considered a “race” and added diversity to boxing. Jews also thrived through Anti-Semitism, which is quite an accomplishment when you have a lot of people that pretty much hate you. African Americans and Latino’s also are very well known (and still are today) for having some of the best fighters. Their category was known as “African-American Boxing and it was strictly just Latino’s and blacks. The reason that these two ethnic groups did not have a chance to become so much better known was because many of them were slaves, and they were being used by their master to win bets. However, many slaves participated in boxing because in certain matches against specific match ups they were given freedom if they won. Tom Molineaux was the first example of this when he knocked out a rival from an adjoining plantation.

Boxing really began to emerge and become popular in the middle class from around 1900-1910. The main reason for this was that only people with more money could attend the matches and then also contribute to another exciting feature; which was betting. Betting allowed the fans to have more input and feel as if they could get something out of it. While this was exciting, it also causes many flaws in the system. Soon middle class members started to hold their own private matches mostly in underground locations where it was not easy to be caught. The small matches were mainly fought by the lower class and ethnic races which provided them an opportunity to show how strong and courageous they could be. Betting also corrupted the sport though because it involved money, and sometimes a very large amount of money. Because of this, people would try to cheat the system and give some fighters an advantage. People corrupted the scoring system and tried bribing judges before matches so that they could then gain larger amounts of money. To help solve this problem and not have as much corruption the Walker Law was passed in 1920. This law provided an athletic commission to fully oversee the sport and make sure everything was happening as it should.

Old Boxing Poster

Two of the more well known boxers around the birth of boxing in the US (the 1880’s) were Jack Johnson and John L. Sullivan. Jack Johnson was the first African American heavy weight boxing champion of the world. From a young age he was very ambitious in the sport and in 1897 he turned to pro boxing as a career. During the time that he turned pro a man named Tommy Burns had been the heavyweight champion of the world for many years. Jackson pursued Burns everywhere and finally had a chance to fight him in Canada. The main reason the Burns agreed to this match was because it had a $30,000 prize. Johnson ended up defeating Burns and won the prize of money which at the time a very large amount of money. He was world champion from 1908-1915 and finally lost his title in Havana Cuba to Jess Willard. John L. Sullivan was also a very successful boxer. He was known as the “Boston Strong Boy” and was recognized as the first heavyweight champion of the world in 1882 all the way to 1892. He was the first athlete to ever earn over one million dollars. Both of these men were inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.

Jack Johnson 

Sources:

Pro Boxing

Art of Manliness

Team USA

Live Strong

Live Strong-2

Faces of America: Being Cuban-American

While watching "Faces of America" I learned many new things: I never had thought about going back in my family tree and seeing what possible connections I could have with family members of the past. Through this video though, it opened my eyes to the many possibilities that I could have with family members who were either famous, or did something special. I thought it was really cool how many of the people who were interviewed and were of a different ethnicity and had family members who were a part of something or did something special, that they weren't even aware of it.

I think that being "a nation of immigrants" means to have different people, from different places, of different cultures all together in one nation. I don't think that America would be who it is today if it wasn't for the various different sorts of people and races there are. Having people from different cultures, adds something new and different. You get to learn something new from whatever culture or race it may be, you can learn about traditions, different kinds of food, and much more. I think having a nation of immigrants is very important because when you have somebody come from another country who didn't have much, the United States is full of opportunities and they are eager to work.

My mom and dad and most of my family was born in Cuba, except for some of my cousins who were born here in the United States like me. My mom came when she was only a couple months old so she doesn't remember much, but my dad came when he was nine years old so he remembers Cuba very vividly; my mom came in the year of 1962 and my dad in 1967. Both of their families fled to the US because of communism in Cuba which is still going on today, but not as strong. I feel very aware of my ancestors because although I was born in Florida and not Cuba, I've heard everything it took for my mom and my dad's family to make it here in the United States. I know that my grandfather had to work various jobs when they first arrived here just to make a living for my mom's family, and with speaking very little English it was not easy. I know that it was no different for my dad's family except for that my mom had three brothers, and my dad was an only child. But not only do I feel connected from hearing stories and about what it took to be successful here, but it also comes out a lot on how my mom and dad have raised my brothers and me. Since they didn't get anything easy when they first arrived here and had to work for everything they had it has been the same for us. They have taught us good work ethic, but I find it valuable because I know in the long run it will help me through college and even further. I fully enjoy being Cuban-American and love the culture of Latin Americans especially when we are together with all of our cousins, uncles, aunts, and the rest of our family. I am proud to be called a Cuban-American

Henry Ford

I picked Henry Ford as my person from the late 19th century who was an American Industrialist. He was born on July 30, 1863 and actually grew up on a farm. When he was younger he did many odd jobs on the farm and this is where a lot of his high worth ethic came from. Many industrialists from the 19th century were born with a lot of fortune and wealth but Henry Ford is one of those people who actually worked hard and didn't start off with as much as other people. While working on the farm, he liked to experiment and play with things, particularly inventing and building. As he grew up he continued down this path and was employed as a part time employee at Westinghouse Engine Company. He was successful there and was equipped with even more skills and constructed the first horseless carriage in 1896. He then sold it, to make a new model and soon incorporated Ford Motor Company in 1903. At Ford Motor's he was able to build and construct the first car that would become possibly the most popular car of all time; the Model T. When he first built this car it was sold at a very high price of $950. Which we might say is cheap now, but for that time era many people could not afford that. The idea that Henry Ford came up with completely revolutionized the industrial era because of its mass production techniques and is known as the "moving assembly line". The moving assembly line was basically different people at different stations that had their own responsibilities to put the first part or the next part on. This was a huge impact because it cut down time, cost, and the need for highly skilled workers. Henry Ford was then able to sell the Model T from the price of $950 down to $280; this was a significant impact because now it was in the price range of many more people. He also was able to cut the production time of the chassis down from 728 minutes, to 93 minutes. The moving assembly line also allowed him to double the wages of employees which separated him from other major companies and made other people want to work for him. While the moving assembly line is probably the most impact he had on the industry during the 19th century, his Model T changed society just as much. The Model T was so affordable that by 1918 half of the cars in the US were Model T's. It also made a huge convenience to everybody because it allowed them to travel anywhere they wanted to (of course with the price of gas) and they could see new places. The Model T also created the idea of the highway system, which if you think about it has a huge impact on even today's society. Through all this success Henry Ford was then able to open up the Rouge plant in Dearborn Michigan in the late 1910's, early 1920's. The plant produced all elements needed for automobile's and thus was a huge success as well. Henry Ford (now known as the company Ford Motors) was a very successful man who created a very successful business that is still one of the top car manufacturing companies in the world today.


About.com- Henry Ford
The Life of Henry Ford

Siege of Wounded Knee 1973

Through my week of research I picked the topic of the siege of Wounded Knee in 1973. Wounded Knee was an originally symbolic location because it was where the massacre of 1890 happened. At the time in 1890, Indian Sioux were a part of the “Ghost dance movement”. This is where Indians believed that their gods would create a new world and destroy all non-Indians. The whites at the time felt uncomfortable by this because some believed that maybe the gods would bring bad fortune upon them. Sitting Bull was the famous Sioux chief who was in charge during all of this. The whites decided to move in and stop the ghost dancing and to arrest Sitting Bull along with all the other Indians there. However, while in the process of stopping this and arresting Sitting Bull they actually killed him. This caused the tension to raise even higher and the Indians to become upset. The “battle” started off by someone who fired a shot (however it’s unknown as to whether it was a white or an Indian) Over 150 Indians died, half of which were women and children; the whites lost very few men.  Many people refer to the this event as a battle but it was actually a massacre of Indians which is why it’s more commonly known as “The Massacre at Wounded Knee”

Bearing the Dead at Wounded Knee (1890)

The massacre in 1890 is known for marking the end of fighting between whites and Indians, but there was one last major event. In 1973 a group of young whites murdered a Sioux member named Yellow Thunder. The young men who were involved in the incident were sentenced to prison, so this was looked at as a small victory for some Sioux Indians but others were very upset. Dick Wilson (Sioux tribal chairman) involved himself with the young whites of this event which put him at a high stake. The Indians formed a group called the American Indian Movement (also known as AIM) and they were basically out to get him. Because of this he retreated into tribal headquarters at Pine Ridge, where he was under the protection of federal Marshals. There was high security at the headquarters and the Indians wouldn’t be able to get in so instead they formed a 200 car caravan to occupy the symbolic location of Wounded Knee. There they protested and camped out in memory of Yellow Thunder and soon Wilson had to do something about it; he begins to round about U.S. Marshals, Chief Deputies, and officers to all head down to Wounded Knee. In interviews with Sioux members that survived this event they all talked about how many of them knew they were going to die that night. The Indians were all equipped with high power weapons such as Ak-47’s and shotguns which a member had gotten from a Vietnam veteran. So even though many knew their death was going to come, they were all very well prepared. Wilson along with the help of many officers set up roadblocks and such things within miles of the location to assure victory and no escape. The first day of the actual siege at Wounded Knee began on February 27, 1973. For 71 days and nights the Indians held the historical location and exchanged shots with the marshals. Finally on May 8, 1973 the AIM surrendered, and Wilson was assured safety. This has been the last tragic event in Wounded Knee and hopefully there won’t be any more to come. After the siege for a few years there was many backfires in different events between the AIM and the federal government but there has been no recent encounters that I read about.

Victory For U.S. Marshals at Wounded Knee (1973)

Hopefully there will be no more “battles” or massacres between Indians and whites as all it leads to is people dead. All it leaves behind is another story about a tragic event that happened either because of a group of persons beliefs, or young people doing stupid things. While I hope that no more events like these occur, it was very interesting reading about the siege at Wounded Knee.

Click here to watch video with Interviews from Wounded Knee 1973

History Channel
Nolan Chart
U.S. Marshals Service