American Christian History

            Reversion to the gold standard theory in pre-war America caused significant damage to the economy, and is commonly considered one of the greatest reasons for the depression in the 30s. Economists Sandeep Mazumder and John Wood reference Barry Eichengreen’s book, Golden Fetters , which argues that the reversion to the gold standard following World War I greatly impacted policies that were direct causes for the Great Depression. [1] By definition, the Gold Standard is a system in which many countries fix the value of their currencies to a specific amount of gold. According to the World Gold Council, “The classical Gold Standard existed from the 1870s to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. In the first part of the 19 th century, once the turbulence caused by the Napoleonic Wars had subsided, money consisted of either specie (gold, silver or copper coins) or of specie-backed bank issue notes.” [2] The Gold Standa...

Photo of Walt Disney Located on Biography.com Walter Elias Disney became a household name in the early 1900s, and his legacy spans multiple generations. Disney's illustrious career would create new markets and begin a trademark with substantial capital behind it. Disney's journey was not easy, and it began with substantial financial risk that resulted in many failures in the early years of his career. In 1923 he moved to California to join his older brother, Roy, and opened the first Disney studio producing  Alice  animated shorts and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. He would soon develop the early character, Mortimer the Mouse, who would soon be renamed Mickey. In 1928, Walt developed the first sound cartoon,  Steamboat Willie . This cartoon launched Disney into a new category of innovation and developed new standards for merchandising. Amid the great depression, Disney would soon develop  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs  in 1937, using many of the frameworks establish...

             In postbellum America, the domestic sugar industry underwent a plethora of changes emerging globally as foreign markets began competing with domestic sugar producers. The development of the beet sugar industry in Europe turned the domestic American sugar production on its head. According to one study, cane sugar accounted for ninety-five percent of the world supply of sugar in 1840 but was dwarfed in 1889 by beet sugar, which accounted for two-thirds of the world’s sugar production. [1] Additionally, as beet sugar was gaining traction in Europe and Congress’ establishment of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prompted the Florida Everglades to become the prime location for their interests in sugar to be explored further. Although the changing global sugar market greatly effected all domestic sugar producers, Florida and Louisiana’s sugar production was effected greatly by their differing origins and preexisting market prac...

 In 1910, Maria del Socorro Gallego was born in Imuris, Sonora Mexico. Maria was the first of nine children who would survive to adulthood. As the firstborn daughter, she was tasked with taking care of her siblings while her parents were away. Despite this, she had a great love for school and grew up fiercely independent. Although she never went to college, she opened an ice cream parlor in Imuris around the age of eighteen and soon met the love of her life. Ernesto Elias came into her life and together started a great love story.      Ernesto was from a generationally wealthy family, and married against the wishes of his father. Maria did not come from money, and Ernesto's father, Gesualdo Elias, did not support the union because of this. Maria and Ernesto had two children together, but only one would live past infancy. Emma, my grandmother, was born in 1940 (immigration accidentally put 1941 when they came to America). Through the interventions of his father, Ernes...

George Washington Bethune's annual sermon, "The Relation of the Sunday-school System to our Christian Patriotism", given on behalf of the American Sunday-School Union and delivered in Philadelphia on May 16th, 1847, opens with an excerpt from Ecclesiastes. "Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king." [1] Here, Bethune argues that the child is innately wise compared to that of the king who has been regressed by age and his own obstinance, thus it is better to be educated in principles befitting a strong foundation than fall to haughty pride. Bethune’s sermon relies heavily on bible verse and staunch Christian principle as he argues in favor of faith and trust in the divine. According to the gospel of Mark, as referenced in Bethune’s sermon, the task of Christians is to bear witness to the truth, which is understood as being eternal life with God. The second task, Bethune argues, is the task of training children. Returning to that initial quo...