Rationale


 * Rationale**

As with any era in history, there are far too many key events in years 2005-2010 to count. However, it is up to us determine which events are most important and how they connect to one another in the grand scheme of things. I chose the subject matter for my textbook based on its relevance to previous textbook chapters (continuity of relationships and themes in the text), its likelihood of being relevant in the future, and its relevance to my own life. A key theme throughout this time period is change. Technological advancement, the coping with national struggles, and the desire for new political approaches are all prime components of this theme. Based on these criteria, the five subtopics that I felt to be most relevant were Hurricane Katrina, the Election of 2008, Economic Decline in 2008, the War in the Middle East, and domestic trends.

Hurricane Katrina can be considered the first key event in this window of time because of the scale of its destruction and long-term effects. As a nation, we failed with much grief to deal with the disaster as well as we could have. It was not the storm that caused the most turmoil, but the neglect that occurred in the aftermath. The entire nation suffered a severe wake up call as a result. I found myself wondering if we would be able to cope with similar disasters in the future with swiftness and intention. What also became obvious was the neglect of George W. Bush, who was clearly out of touch with the issue. It took the president four entire days before he made a brief visit to the site. Many citizens deduced that the president was either preoccupied with foreign affairs or simply neglectful of his duties. However, it was clear that the era of Bush's popularity had ended, and that he left much to be desired. Thus, its long term influence on the desires of the nation make it relevant enough to make my list.

With that being said, the Election of 2008 was also relevant enough to make my list. For one, presidencies are an integral part in U.S. History and I would deem it to be an essential part of every textbook. Also, the election put the first African-American president in office, which is a huge step in the United States' struggle against prejudices. Whether or not Obama will actually be known as a good president, we can only guess as to the long term effects of such a social achievement. His victory can be largely attributed to the desire for change in our government. His skin color, liberal stance, and youth appealed to this desire; it was only natural that he was the victor.

In 2008 and 2009, the United States endured its longest recession since World War II, making the economy a key topic of discussion. However, my inclusion of this topic was based on more than continuity of textbook subject matter. The mortgage crisis emphasized the failed methods of the banking system while the presidential candidates scrambled to find a solution that would help to win the election. It became clear that whatever the victor's plan was, it would influence the economy and the government's finances for years to come. The public became exhausted by the conservative supply-side economics and war spending of Reagan and both Bushes. Thus, Barack Obama's liberal economic approach was more appealing. In this way, the economic events not only influenced the lives of millions of citizens but the outcome of the presidential election as well.

The war in the Middle East had already been relevant come 2005. Troops were dying in Iraq and Afghanistan and government spending was up the roof. By 2005 and 2006, with the downfall of Saddam Hussein and the reconstruction of the Iraqi government initiated, people began to wonder when the war would end. Bush refused to back out while the general consensus in the United States was that we should pull out. I included this subtopic because the desire to pull out of Iraq influenced the election of Barack Obama, who has introduced Operation: New Dawn in order to pull out of Iraq. These events are as relevant to the past as they are relevant to the future of the nation.

Finally, I included the subtopic of domestic trends. Among them are the changes in popular technology. Humans have always used technologies. The difference today is what people can do with their commonplace technologies. In 2010, a common person has the ability to access an infinite amount of information and communication wirelessly with their fingertips, while in 2005 such a thing simply did not happen. The attitude towards the environment has changed as well; some citizens have changed their lifestyles with the desire to aid our natural environment. Illegal Immigration has been an issue of debate as of late, and it could have longterm effects on the growth of our nation.

In conclusion, I incorporated the topics I found to be most relevant to the past, to the future, and to myself. These topics happened to be Hurricane Katrina, the Election of 2008, Economic Decline in 2008, the War in the Middle East, and domestic trends. There are myriad topics I could have selected for this segment but many of them are too small or isolated when compared to the large ideas and events that I ultimately chose. One topic I could have included was pop culture. I determined however, that pop culture is based mostly on entertainment, which is often a means for a person to occupy or distract oneself when work isn't being done. Essentially, I'm saying that the influence of pop culture is less important than the chain of important events that occurs in the same span of time.