Olive Thomas

Jean-Jacques Rousseau is famously known for saying, “Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains.” When Rousseau says this, he is referring to the continuous cycle of man being fully capable of free will and yet he is born into whatever circumstance he finds himself in, whether that be fortunate or unfortunate. Man is therefore either handcuffed by his limits or given a liberty to reach goals he may have, freely. Rousseau’s observance is applicable to man and his relationship to society…

The development of the two-party system that gradually settled into the partisan politics of modern-day United States was entirely unintended by the Founding Fathers. The primary root of the nation itself, the Constitution, does not mention the need nor want for this political system. Moreover, George Washington, the first president of the United States, directly and clearly mentioned his opposition against this then-hypothetical situation of the system in his Farewell Address. A little…

Westward Expansion It was an American responsibility to expand westward. In 1803 president Thomas Jefferson doubled the size of the United States when he bought the territory of Louisiana from the French for $15 million. According to Jefferson, this was crucial for America’s survival, he believed that independence goes together with owning land. Gaining land was important for America’s existence. It was for the good of the country to expand westward. It was both the people’s and the…

Women are not equal to men. Is this what the founding fathers would have us believe? The year is 1776 and in the Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson wrote, “all men are created equal.” During this time in America women were not afforded the same rights as men. Women could not vote or participate in political activities. Higher education was not available for women, and a married woman had no rights to property. From the signing of the Declaration of Independence, it would be 72 years…

And because of this, there is no definite way to distinguish between each of the perceptions. Many other philosophers have studied this premise, including John Locke and Thomas Hobbes. Thomas Hobbes believes that the biggest key to distinguishing a dream from waking consciousness is the “absurdity”. “An absence of absurdity in waking life”, describes how one may realize a perception is a dream through a perception that is extremely…

In 1893, a historian from Wisconsin, named Frederick Douglass Turner read his essay entitled, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” at the world Columbian exposition in Chicago. This essay redefined history not just as a political narrative, but as the growth of the Western frontier. Turner makes the argument that, “American history is the history of the colonization of the Great West.” (Hollitz, 176). I, like Turner, believe that the expansion of the frontier helped mold…

engineering was first pioneered in the early 19th century, and great progress had been made by the time the 19th century came to a close. Most of the advancements were made by the likes of Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse; who all aided in making electricity what it is today. In 1878 Thomas Edison started out by working on a long lasting incandescent lamp, that overcame the problems that some of the earlier designs by other inventors had. He realised that he would need a lamp…

Ever since 1787, 11 years after America officially became a country and separated from England, America has decided who to elect for president of the United States by the electoral college. Over this past election, more and more Americans showed a discomfort in the system more than ever before. Too a point to where for a day, it was one of the trending topics on Twitter about how voters we’re almost mad at the system. America was almost confused and shocked about how the system can change an…

At the end of the American Revolution in 1776, America broke free of all of its ties to the corrupt government of England, inciting political, social, and economic reform. American leaders explored the radical idea of democracy and the extension of the rights of citizens to distinguish the American government from the British government. American leaders soon realized that a centralized government, much like that of England 's, was inevitable. The democratic ideals, which pushed the American…

Helen Amelia Thomas (1920-2013), was a respected American reporter, political correspondent and author who broke professional and social gender barriers in the field of journalism. In particular she is known for her coverage of ten different Presidential administrations and her role as a premier member of the White House Press Corps for five decades. As a woman reporting at the White House Thomas earned the praise of her colleagues and soon became the first female member of the National Press…