Weapons of World War One

World war one was a brutal war, with over 38 million casualties, about 17 millions of those were deaths. But how was this massive number of deaths reached? It was reached worth the technological advancements in weapons. From things like barbed wire to poisonous gas, all those technological advancements led to one of the bloodiest wars in history.

In 1873 Joseph Glidden patented barbed wire in the United states. Although he was not the first one to invent it, he improved the design of it. Barbe wire was originally used as a way to fence areas and mark one's property, it had a great impact on the American west. In World War One, Barbe wire had a much deadlier effect. It was placed on areas which were being defended, like trenches, and used to entangle people up in it, making them a much easier target.

One of the biggest killers of Worl War one was the machine gun. Machine guns were capable of firing from 400 to 600 rounds per minute. The modern machine gun was invented by the American Hiram Maxim in 1884. During the war, the British used the Vickers machine gun while the Germans used the  Maschinengewehr. The machine guns in WWI were still fairly primitive as they were very heavy, around 60 pounds, often jammed up and required a system of constantly being cooled because they would heat up very fast. They required a crew of about 4 to 6 men to operate it; some to fire it, others to feed it bullets and others to cool it down. Because of those reasons machine guns were used for defense and not for offense.


The deadliest weapon in all of World War one was Artillery. Artillery accounts for 75% of casualties during WWI. Artillery shells were mostly used for sieges, as both armies were fortified inside trenches. Artillery had the advantage of taking a curved path as opposed to a straight one, Meaning it could go over any cover that the enemy had. Artillery had to take into account factors such as wind and temperature but it could be very precise by using mathematical calculations. Artillery shells weighed around 300 pounds and could fire about 25 miles in the air.



World War one is the first instance of poisonous gas being used in war. The Germans were the first to use Poison gas, chlorine gas to be exact. They launched gas canisters filled with gas and let the wind carry the gas cloud toward the enemy. Later in the war, gas would be launched from mortars, making it more precise. Chlorine gas would attack the eyes and the lungs. Mustard gas burned any exposed skin, membrane or tissue and took longer to disperse than other gasses and would even burn through clothing. In order to counter the gas, many countries developed masks to protect against the effects of the gas. But gas was an unreliable weapon. It depended on the wind to carry it to the enemy, but if the current of the wind changed, it would go back at the person that launched it. As deadly as gas sounds it only accounted for very few of the deaths in WWI, only about half a million deaths.


Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/technology/machine-gun
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/joseph-glidden-applies-for-a-patent-on-his-barbed-wire-design
http://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/artillery
http://encyclopedia.1914-1918-online.net/article/weapons

American Intervention in Latin America

The United States has intervened many time in Latin American Affairs, many times in which they were not welcomed. Many Latin American countries still have ill will toward the United states because of instances in which the United States has intervened in their affairs These are a few of them:

Cuba:

Following the Spanish-American War, Cuba was granted its freedom but, it wasn't really freedom. Cuba could not negotiate with any other country but the U.S. Cuba could only lease land to the U.S(mostly for naval ports) and the U.S could interfere in Cuban Affairs.

Mexico:

In the middle of the Mexican Revolution, nine American soldiers were detained at the port of Tampico. It was a misunderstanding and the soldiers were shortly released. President Woodrow Wilson demanded and apology and a 21 gun salute but the Mexican president at the time Victorian Huerta refused. Wilson already didn't like Huerta. He thought that he was a tyrant and a murderer who could not maintain order and democracy. President Woodrow Wilson then ordered the port of Veracruz to be seized in order to stop a german shipment of weapons; Both Huerta and his rivals were outraged. The people of Veracruz, who were not soldiers,just everyday people, fought back. About 200 Mexican citizens were killed and the U.S finally pulled out its troops once Hurta was overthrown. Wilson also ordered troops into Mexico in order to capture one of the revolution's Heros, Pancho Villa. Villa had raided Columbus, New Mexico and troops were sent out after him. The U.S would clash with both revolutionary forces and with the Mexican Army. Eventually, the U.S troops would be forced to leave, they never captured villa.

Haiti:
In order to protect American interests in Haiti, On 1915 President Woodrow Wilson ordered American troops to occupy Haiti. The United states was afraid of European interests in Haiti, specifically German and French, reducing American Influence in Haiti. The United States then transferred the Haitian Finacial reserves over the U.S, would administer the country and hold veto power over all of Haiti's governmental decisions. Haiti would be occupied for 19 years, Until 1934. The United States troops would treat "rebels" very harshly, Some examples are them kicking a head around like a soccer ball and pinning a man's body to a door and leaving it to rot. Over 15,000 Haitians were killed in those 19 years and the Us would still exert much influence in Haiti in the following years.

Dominican Republic:
The Dominican Republic was in a state of turmoil in 1916. In order to defend American Interests and claim a debt that was owed the U.S by the Dominican Republic, the United Sates Occupied the Dominican Republic. The U.S controlled custom houses in order to regain the 30 million dollar debt they were owed. Then A civil war broke out between the Dominicans Republic's president Juan Isidro Jimenez and his rival Desiderio Arias; The U.S Sent more troops to occupy the nation. President Jimenez resigned from his post rather than submit to the occupiers. Arias opposed the United States and there was a resistance to the United Sates. Arias Eventually surrendered and left the country. The united States then Imposed a Military government on the Dominican Republic. The occupation was very unpopular in the Dominica Republic but the U.S wouls Occupy it for 8 years. The U.S faced opposition from groups like the guerrilla fighters called the Gavilleros and also the common citizens refusing to cooperate. In 1924, under President Harding, the troops were pulled out of the Dominica Republic, but an import tax would be imposed in order to pay off the nation's debt to the U.S

National Parks

Americas National Parks are one of the things that make the United States Great. Many of us have been to at least one National Park, if not more, but without Theodore Roosevelt, the national park system would not be what it is today. During his term, the number of national parks doubled. He created Crater Lake, Wind Cave, Sully's Hill, Mesa Verde and Platt. He created the first federal bird reserve, and he would go on to create 50 more. Roosevelt created the United States Forest Service to administer and protect public lands and wildlife, probably the 150 million acres he turned into national forests. Perhaps his greatest contribution that still affects us this day is Antiquities Act of 1906. That gave Roosevelt and the presidents after him the power to declare places such as historical sites and places of scientific interests into National Monuments. With the Antiquities Act, Roosevelt did not need congressional approval to create national monuments and created 19 nations monuments. Some examples are Muir Woods, the Grand Canyon and Mount Olympus. Roosevelt impacted our national park system so much that he is one of the faces on Mount Rushmore.

Why does the American form of government work?

The American form of government works because of balance.
   According to the federalist essay no. 10, there needs to be a certain number of representative. It can't be too many or else it will be confusing and they will be too interested in their own local issues. Also, there can't be too little representatives because the power will be in the hands of a small number of people and thy will focus on the national issues more. That the federalist no. 10 states, "...great and aggregate interests being referred to the national, the local and particular to the State legislatures". Also, there needs to be a balance because there are too many factions in the government. The federalist no 10 states that because there are many people in the republic , "...it will be more difficult for unworthy candidates to practice with success the vicious arts by which elections are too often carried" because the people will pick the best, fairest and most qualified candidates.
   The federalist essay no. 51 states that there needs to be a balance of powers between the branches of the government. The different branches have to be separate and ,"...as little connected with each other as the nature of their common functions". That way, one branch does not influence another branch in any way. Also, there has to be a balance between the federal and national government. The people give authority to both state and federal government creating a ,"...double security arises to the rights of the people". The state and federal government keep each other in check, hence protecting the people from each branch and from a tyrannical rule.