American Technology Impact

After the War of 1812, America initially sank into a time of economic regression and the public began to lose faith in the government. The United States was in debt, British products flooded the ports, and many citizens became more concerned of their own welfare compared to the country’s. However, through years of improvement and hard work, the United States began to prove itself once again to the foreign countries. Beginning in the 1800’s, the technological developments began to greatly transformed the United States. At first, many people considered America to be a weak and undeveloped state, however, throughout the years, America slowly began to prove to the other countries that it is becoming a strong and independent state. In the end, America became an industrialized country, domestic trade became popular, and the transportation system in the country was

Improvements in agriculture, transportation, and communication between 1790 and 1860 were the stepping stones for a greater America. From the cotton gin, to the steamboat, to the telegraph, new innovations were appearing all over. America had finally begun to spread its wings and fly.

From the time when the first English colonies were established in North America until now, there has been some form of armed fighting force in place to protect the interests of the United States and its colonial progenitors. During the roughly four centuries in which this fighting force has existed, it has undergone numerous changes of varying degrees of significance. Technological advances have changed the nature of both defensive and offensive warfare, political advances have changed the nature of the relationship between the civilian population and its protectors, and geostrategic shifts have changed the role of the United States military with respect to the rest of the world. The most lasting and meaningful changes have occurred

Technology and music have always been interlinked. As technology improves ways of recording and distributing music improves. Over history we have gone from scratchy records to clear and portable MP3s. New and innovative technology have helped to shape America’s culture as a nation.

The famous painting, American Progress, is a visual representation of the disregard of traditional societies by advanced societies. The painting shows an angel stringing power lines through a bright, exaggerated area of the painting going from right to left. Following the angel are other American technological advancements such as trains and carriages, that the land previously did not have while occupied by native Americans. This side of the painting is clearly the focus and depicts the event as very positive. But towards the far left of the painting, it shifts to a much darker view. The left side shows Native Americans, along with animals and other things native to the land being driven away. The ideas of technological impact depicted in this

Michael S. Teitelbaum argues in his report, “ The Myth of the Science and Engineering Shortage” that while it may be true that there is an increase in STEM jobs in the US, the fact is for the majority of STEM jobs the wages have been stagnant or declining, indicating that there is no demand for STEM graduates. Teitelbaum continues by stating that it is very simple to claim there is a shortage in STEM by hand-picking specialized fields in STEM that may currently have a shortage due to location and specific years, as a result of changing technology, But to state that all STEM related occupations are experiencing a shortage because a few specialized fields are experiencing a shortage is dangerous as it paints a false a narrative of reality to pursuers’ of STEM degrees. In addition when comparing the unemployment rate of occupations such as registered nurses, physicians, dentists, and lawyers to occupations in STEM, that proponents of STEM have valiantly claimed are experiencing a massive shortage, the unemployment for STEM occupations is staggering. With recent graduates suffering the most with unemployment rates in engineering and computer science above seven percent, as well as an unemployment rate hovering slightly below twelve percent for graduates in information systems ( Teitelbaum). Teitelbaum states that while it may be true that the US is consistently scoring in the middle in international assessments, they are still producing a third of all high-performing students in science and fourteen percent of high-performing students in math. In addition, he states he is not against the push for science and math, as he believes all high school students should be adept in both, but that there is “a big disconnect between this broad educational imperative and

American citizens today are so obsessed with being the future that they forget to live in the present. Wendell Berry, a writer that appreciates simplicity, asserts that Modern America has put education, the economy, and technology over religion, family bonding, happiness, and health. He disapprove the use of electronics because he feels that it does not significantly outclass the usage of a pen and a paper. While electronics did make life simplistic, Berry is correct in disapprove technology in that it alters one’s priorities, causes us to lose our abilities to concentrate, and causes citizens to miss out on the real world around them because it makes humans unable to fully live their life independently.

The United States has utilized innovations and technological advancements to solidify its position as a global superpower. One of the greatest accomplishments the United States can claim is to have put a man on the moon in 1969. In describing the impact of the moon landing, historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. notes, “The one thing for which this century will be remembered 500 years from now was: This was the century when we began the exploration of space” (Launius, 2006). In the 47 years since the moon landing, no other nation has been able to land on the moon marking this as a lasting legacy to American perseverance in the exploration of space. The completion of the Panama Canal in 1914 also showcased American resolve and engineering superiority. Providing maritime access between the Atlantic and the Pacific, the Canal stands today as one of seven wonders of the modern world.

There is no question that certain inventions have had a humongous impact on shaping our society today. They make our day-to-day lives uncomplicated and much more efficient. Inventions have completely changed our lifestyles, to the point where some people can't even imagine living without a telephone. With so many inventions in the world it's hard to choose which ones have had the most influence on us. But I believe the telephone, camera, and the airplane had the most impact on American life and industrialization.

The innovation of technology in America industrialization was just as big as building cities, due the mass amount of people immigrating in to America’s coasts. America had to find ways to house these people and make sure they had jobs.

The growth and maturity that the United States has undergone over the last few centuries has affected the mentality of the people and government, going from being simple minded to being more open minded. As the nation grew from a small, new country to a global superpower, many of its aspects changed, while some remained the same. These aspects range from the manner in which presidents have been elected to the changes within the technology that Americans use on a daily basis. Over time, America’s position on technology, people and beliefs has been molded and shaped to accommodate the time period which the country is in.

Since the rise of the digital age, technology has revolutionized transportation, education, and communication all around the globe. Third world countries now have the ability to treat diseases and educate their students using the internet. Technology allows us to better use our food, knowledge, and transportation. But not all of this development increases our ability to grow. In the colonial times of America, before technology became so prevalent, people knew the value of hard work and determination. Even when situations provided difficult outcomes, the settlers knew that they had to work in order to survive. Nowadays, we can cook food in a microwave, receive information instantly, and travel halfway across the globe in a few hours. If people from the twenty-first century switched places with the early American settlers, very few of today’s technological giants would survive.

The most apparent issue that employment faces today is the creation of new technology that crushes the need for many jobs but it may also result in an increase of job stability and future employment. As new technology is produced, it often demands an increase in skilled laborers for that firm or sector which eliminates many professions for the unskilled laborers(Handel 3). To elaborate it is explained that, “While technological advancement over the long run does not lead to unemployment problems, but rather is the engine for higher standards of living with either more or less employment at the discretion of individuals, short-run problems may certainly arise from technological advancement if there are imperfections in labor and product

The world today has many gifts than the late 1900s. We have new technologies and resources. People are finding ways to go to Mars, inventing self-driving cars, and things to keep us safe during natural disasters. These are many gifts America has given my generation, such as technology, culture, and education.

A STEM education is a necessity in the United States because the country is lacking knowledgeable people in such fields. However, one is better equipped for multiple job and career positions with the addition of a liberal arts education. It is nearly impossible to transition to different careers with only vocational training. In 2003, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development studied math and science literacy among fifteen year olds. The United States was ranked number twenty-four in math literacy (Drew 27). They are behind countries such as Finland, Slovak Republic, and Hungary. Likewise, the United States was ranked number nineteen in science literacy (Drew 27). It is obvious that the country is behind. STEM education needs to be reformed at the secondary and post-secondary levels of schooling. Katrina Trinko, a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors, agrees that more emphasis should be placed on STEM education; however, this emphasis should not be at the sacrifice of a good liberal arts education. She writes, “Even technology wizards can become more innovative with a solid background in liberal arts” (Trinko 6). A liberal arts education is beneficial to people in all career fields.