Length: 759 words (2.8 pages)
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During the period from 1865 to 1929, I think that the most important person, event and technology were Abraham Lincoln, The Civil War, and the airplane.
     Abraham Lincoln, the person I felt most important, was an incredible man. Not only for his charisma, and character, but for his actions and what he believed in.
     He was a man from the North, who was for the abolishment of slavery. He was a Republican. Although good to the North, the Southerners declares him as the greatest evil of the century. President Lincoln won the election with 180 electoral votes and 1,865,583 of the popular votes. Winning the South by a hundred electoral votes and thousands of popular votes in 1860.
     When Confederates broke off with the United States, the civil war became a fight to keep as a union. Lincoln declared himself as commander in chief, forced his troops to emancipate slaves, as well as protect them.
     Lincoln grew up poor, taught himself all that he knew, his belief of all men being created equal is what set's him apart from so many other people. During this time he was revolutionary in changing the lives of slaves and the mind of a white man.
     He signed the 13th Amendment, freeing all slaves. He also gave one of the most inspirational speeches of his time at Gettysburg. And along with his words, the country held together.
     I feel that President Abraham Lincoln kept this country together, without his leadership, our country would not be one solid nation, rather broken into separate ruled states. Although being assassinated on April 15, 1865, to me he is still the most important man in American history.
     The events that I thought were very important ties up with President Lincoln, the Civil War.
     The Civil War is what eventually kept the states together. It is said to be the war with the most loss of life on American soil.
     This war started on April 12, 1861 at Fort Sumter and ended on June 8, 1863 at Fort Hudson on the border of Mississippi and Louisiana. Although it is said, the last battle was at Gettysburg.
     The reason I feel the Civil War was so important to United States history and all the eras are because it was one thing that kept us all under one democratized government. Without the war, we would be just another jumbled, out of government and troubled country.
     The most important technological development I think would have to be the airplane.
     The airplane was invented by Orville and Wilbur Wright. Their first plane was a biplane with a 40-foot wingspan and a four-cylinder internal combustion engine connected to a propellor. The first flight that was successful took place in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903. The entire flight covered 120 feet and lasted a whole 12 seconds.
     Although not quite that important at the moment, the airplane was soon adopted by the government to for uses such as the air mail service in 1920. Commercial use of the plane was very important also during the 1920s. During this time people began traveling by air in single and triple motor engine planes which could carry six to 10 people.
     Since the time of these six passengers' airplanes, jets have been created to exceed the speed of sound. Our military is built upon such planes with this great technology. The Air Transportation Industry has become one of America's biggest commercial industries. That is why I believe that the creation of the airplane was so important to these eras and the history of the United States of America.
     The airplane became famous with flights such as Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. On May 2, 1927, he became the first man to travel across the Atlantic and land in Paris, France. Another famous pilot and flight was Amelia Earhart's solo flight across the Atlantic. She became the first woman to do so, and also in 15 hours, a record time.
     The airplane was also an important part of World War I. It became used as a spy invention, which led to air battles. As the planes became stronger and faster, they were used to drop bombs.
     Out of all these eras, with all of their own significant creations, peoples and events, I believe that these three were the most important. Whether you would choose differently or not, these make the most sense to me. These three points are what I can say, make up most of America today; both tomorrow and yesterday.