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Emil Kyek
Professor Lark
HIST 153: Contemporary America – US History
August 11, 2022

M14: Portfolio Reflection

T
his class’s lessons have taught me a lot about the importance of history, how

studying and learning from our ancestors can potentially help us shape our own

future, and how studying the past can help provide definition to our current

perspective on the world. We have also gained a better understanding of the value of history. The

United States of America and its activities during the 20th century have been topics of discussion

throughout this whole class. As a result of this, we have gained knowledge about a wide range of

factors that can have an impact on a person's decision to behave responsibly and can help decide

the responsibilities or skills they bring to the table for society.

Manny people ask the same question :

“People live in the present. They plan for and worry about the future. History, however, is the

study of the past. Given all the demands that press in from living in the present and

anticipating what is yet to come, why bother with what has been?”

(Stearns, Why study history? (1998): AHA 1998)

When you are a STEM major like me you constantly think “why am I taking this class?”

whenever you have to take a sociology class, whether it is history, religion, or psychology, but I

guess we have to learn from previous mistakes to not commit them again but maybe not all

mistakes apply to us individually.

Before I learned about the content of this class I totally agreed with what this teacher said:
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Emil Kyek
Professor Lark
HIST 153: Contemporary America – US History
August 11, 2022

“Not until students can connect their everyday lives to events of the past will they be able to

learn from them.” - (Gosfield, “I Hated Highschool History! Confessions of a Middle School

History Teacher 2013)

This is totally true, what’s the point of learning something if you cannot apply it to your own

life? Regardless of this the fact that history is important even to this day an be proven true in any

area of our lives, one example is how the church can use historical statistics to predict future

trends as seen below:

“Each of the papal resignations over the last thousand years has set the stage for major

changes, for good or for ill, in the history of the Catholic Church. What changes will mark the

Catholic church of tomorrow?” (Perry, How history can help us predict the next pope 2013)

The previous was said after Pope Benedict Resigned from the pope position.

I, as an historian of the 20th century United States, have learned from the history of our

ancestors and can now apply this knowledge to my own role in contributing to and acting

responsibly for the betterment of society.

One common theme/criteria topic that I think significantly influenced an individual from 20th

century America to act responsibly and contribute towards society was technology.

Nobody can get away from the undeniable importance that technology plays in our day-to-day

lives. Every one of us is so profoundly reliant on modern technology that we are essentially

incapable of achieving anything without its assistance.

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Emil Kyek
Professor Lark
HIST 153: Contemporary America – US History
August 11, 2022

Technology is essential because its applications may be found in every facet of modern life.

When you think about your daily routine and make a list of all the technological devices you use

in just one day, you will understand how vital technology is when you use your mobile phone,

watch television, operate a vehicle, use a computer, or operate any electrical machine.

In point of fact, our reliance on technology is steadily growing with each passing day, whether it

be for the sake of communication or transportation or the pursuit of any knowledge or even

amusement.

As a result of the revolution in space technology, humans have also successfully landed on the

moon. Not only can technology assist with the here and now, but it may also bring the future into

clearer focus. As a result, the significance of technology in our life cannot be overstated.

If I had to choose 3 specific examples of individuals who were influenced by technological

changes I would say that firstly F. D. Roosevelt with The New Deal, specifically with the

National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 (NIRA) which boosted the economy which lead to

future technological advancements which played a big role in future wars sadly. Secondly

President John F. Kennedy and his involvement in Vietnam, the Vietnam war was a whole

different type of war, there were no fighter jets or big carrier units, this was the Helicopter war

which forced a lot of technological development for weaponry systems so that these technologies

could win the war but first of all be mounted into a helicopter, that was light enough to be fast

and safe for different types of missions. Thirdly I would choose Barack Obama to have some a
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Emil Kyek
Professor Lark
HIST 153: Contemporary America – US History
August 11, 2022

familiar face from the present. Obamas use of espionage technology such as satellites,

communication technologies plus military advancements allowed the elimination of Osama Bin

Laden aiding the United States in fighting the War on Terror.

Understanding the history of our American ancestors in the context of technology has influenced

my sense of responsibility and contributing role towards the betterment of society. I would say

this is especially true because of my choice of major, its for knowing what we have done wrong

that we can save lives as engineers.

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Emil Kyek
Professor Lark
HIST 153: Contemporary America – US History
August 11, 2022

Cited Work:

Stearns, P. N. (1998). Why study history? (1998): AHA. Why Study History? (1998) | AHA.
Retrieved August 11, 2022, from
https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/historical-
archives/why-study-history-(1998)

Gosfield, M. (2013). “I Hated Highschool History! Confessions of a Middle School History

Teacher. Retrieved August 11, 2022, from
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/http://www.giftededucationcommu
nicator.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Interdisciplinary-Studies-Social-Studies.pdf

Perry, D. M. (2013, March 12). How history can help us predict the next pope. The Atlantic.
Retrieved August 11, 2022, from
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/03/how-history-can-help-us-
predict-the-next-pope/273945/

School Craft College HIST E-Text book Retrieved August 11, 2022, from
https://bbaddins.schoolcraft.edu/addins/hist153v2/etext/ch1-importance.html