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Dear Amaura,

1.       There were several events in history that made humanity better.  There were so many acts passed in history to make things better for African Americans.  First, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was enacted on July 2, 1964, is a landmark civil rights and US labor law that outlaws discrimination based on color, race, sex, religion or national origin.  As you can tell, this act is beneficial not only for African Americans but all people of color.  The second act I would like to discuss is the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  Former President Lyndon B. Johnson signed this law to overcome legal barriers at the state and local levels that prevented African Americans from exercising their right to vote which was guaranteed under the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

2.       In my opinion, Jim Crow laws made humanity worse.  Jim Crow law, enforced racial segregation in the South between the end of Reconstruction in 1877 and the beginning of the civil rights movement in the 1950s.  Jim Crow laws allowed segregation between Blacks and Whites.  African Americans were denied basic economic, social, and civil rights. This made humanity worse.

3.       In some ways, we have progressed as humans but in some ways we have gone backwards.

4.       I think one of the positive aspects of history since 1945 would be the invention of technology.  Technology has advanced so much since my lifetime and I am constantly in awe as things progress in the 21st century.

5.       I would recommend Shelia and Tommie Rush.

6.       In the future, I think we will continue to progress.  While there is still a lot to change, I am looking forward to seeing what the next generation of students (such as yourself) what you all have to offer and how you will shape and impact the world.

I hope this helps.

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Dear Mrs. Rush,

My name is Amaura and I am a sixth grader at Pike Road Elementary School. In school, I am working on an assignment about the bad and good of Humanity, and I would like it if you could take a moment to answer the following questions:

What events in history have made humanity better?

What events in history have humanity worse?

Would you say as humans we have progressed or gone backwards?

What are positive and negative aspects of history since 1945?

Are there any other experts you know that would be willing to talk to me?

In the future, do you think we will continue to progress or digress?

Thank you for your time.

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Hi my name is Edalee i am a six grader from pike road eliminatory school i am doing  an assessment  and on that assessment i have to contact an expert  so i saw in a page that you are an expert so i was wondering if you could answer some questions for me please .

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Hey my name is Malik Blocton and I live in Pike Road Alabama and I LOVE the University of Alabama ROLL TIDE! The reason why I contacted you is because I am doing an assignment that requires me to connect with an expert,and I was hoping you could help. We are researching the positive and negative changes that have occurred in our world since 1945 and determining if humanity has progressed or regressed. It would be a great help if you could answer the following questions:

Peterson, Erik | May 3 (7 days ago) |  |
to me

Dear Malik,

Thank you so much for writing. That sounds like an interesting project. Could you tell me more about it? I also would love to answer your questions if you could send those to me.

I have questions too!

Do you go to Pike Road Middle School? What grade are you in? What do you like and dislike about history? Do you have favorite moments in history or favorite people? Why is history the most important subject (it is, by the way)?

Best wishes,

Dr. Peterson

--

Erik L. Peterson / Assistant Professor of the History of Science

Department of History / 202 ten Hoor Hall, Box 870212 / The University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA / +1 205.348.1854

Distinguished Teaching Fellow, University of Alabama, College of Arts & Sciences, 2017-2020 / Author of The Life Organic: the Theoretical Biology Club and the Roots of Epigenetics [http://tinyurl.com/hkqxx5j] / Co-host of “Speaking of Race” [http://speakingofrace.ua.edu]

From: Malik Blocton <malikblocton68@gmail.com>
Date: Thursday, May 3, 2018 at 12:05 PM
To: "Peterson, Erik" <elpeterson@ua.edu>
Subject: History Project Expert Help Needed

Malik Blocton <malikblocton68@gmail.com> | May 4 (6 days ago) |  |
to Erik

Dr. Peterson,
I attend Pike Road Elementary and am in community 6. (6th grade). I like that history has a lot of stories and has changed how life is today. I dislike how much reading there is but my teacher has us do a lot of research on our own so we can explore topics we enjoy more. My favorite moment was the Boston Tea Party because it was cool how they threw that in Britain's face and my favorite person is George Washington because he was a good first President. I also like Martin Luther King, Jr, Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman because they were brave and fought for equal rights for all. I don't think it is the most important because I love math the most and think you have to use it more daily, but I can see why history matters. We are basically researching what has happened after WWII and coming up with our own answer to argue if humanity has become better or worse. Part of that includes asking experts their opinion and since my favorite college is the University of Alabama that is the college I picked (I figured since UA has the best football team in the nation they would have the best history experts in the nation too).

1. What events in history have made humanity better?

2. What events in history have humanity worse?

3. Would you say as humans we have progressed or gone backwards?

4. What are positive and negative aspects of history since 1945?

5. Are there any other experts you know that would be willing to talk to me?

6. In the future, do you think we will continue to progress or digress?

Thank you so much for your help,

Malik Blocton

Peterson, Erik | May 5 (5 days ago) |  |
to me

Dear Malik,

Thank you for writing back and for sending me those questions. I like math, too! In fact, I am a Historian of Science, Technology, and Medicine. Did you know that even math has a history? For instance, some Islamic religious men in Iraq about 1,200 years ago learned that there were other Hindu religious men in India who were using an idea called “sifr” to make a space between positive numbers (+) and negative numbers (-). The Iraqi men translated that idea “zero” – that’s where the number zero comes from! The history of mathematics is really interesting to me!

It’s important for experts like you and me to get our terms straight. Or maybe we should say that it’s important that we’re both using the right measuring stick before we start measuring something. That way we know that we mean the same things.

So you asked whether things have gotten “better” and “worse.” What do you mean when you use those words? What “measuring stick” should we use to find “better” and “worse”? When you say “better” do you mean better shoes and clothes and video games? Because right now America and countries in Europe and Asia have some of the best of all of those things! But people in South and Central America don’t have a way to get those same things sometimes. So it’s better for some of us and worse for some of them. Or by “better” do you mean “able to get healthy food and clean drinking water”? Because there are some people in Alabama right now who are unable to get those things. And there are kids up north in Flint, Michigan who have to drink water full of lead, which is bad to drink, because their city doesn’t have enough money to fix their pipes. I don’t know about you, but I would call that “worse”!

Sometimes to measure “better” and “worse” we look around us. For instance, have you ever looked at another kid’s shoes and decided that their shoes are better than yours and that’s not fair! You may have good shoes, but they have better ones, and that doesn’t feel very good to you. Right now in America and in other countries it sometimes feels like there are just a few people that have all the good things and a whole bunch of us – even professors – who have much, much less. That feels “worse” even though we have enough, right? Or sometimes it seems like people get treated worse than other people just because of the color of their skin. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked hard to get all Americans to realize we should not treat people unfairly because of differences in skin color. He made a very big difference about 50 years ago. Things did seem to get “better” for people of color then.

Now it feels like things are getting more unfair in some places – more unfair even then when Dr. King was alive. But some things also feel better.

What do you think about all of these things? I want to hear what you think!

Best wishes,

Dr. Peterson

From: Malik Blocton <malikblocton68@gmail.com>
Date: Friday, May 4, 2018 at 8:31 AM
To: "Peterson, Erik" <elpeterson@ua.edu>
Subject: Re: History Project Expert Help Needed

Malik Blocton <malikblocton68@gmail.com> | May 5 (5 days ago) |  |
to Erik

Thank you Dr. Peterson for all of the help.

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What events in history have made humanity better?

I would look to the teachings of Socrates, Confucius, Buddha, Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Maya Angelou as noble and wise teachers whose collective wisdom has frequently triggered important movements like democracy, civil service examinations, mindfulness, non-violence, and anti-war initiatives. While these teachers are  not “events” per-se, their contributions to human ethical thinking have been at the center of those movements which have improved humanity.

What events in history have humanity worse?

I would say expressions of totalitarianism, racism, nativism, and xenophobia have been the most damaging to humanity. Movements or groups like Social Darwinism, fascism, Nazism, the KKK, the White Citizen’s Councils, religious fundamentalism, and the recent “alt-right” movement have brought untold suffering to humanity all in the guise of what groups, countries, or individuals claimed as their “rights” or their “destiny” or their “religious” calling.

Would you say as humans we have progressed or gone backwards?

If you had asked me this question just five years ago, I would have said we have progressed, but recent trends have caused me to be less optimistic. Donald Trump’s election, and other political movements in Europe and Asia have revealed a very troubling xenophobic and anti-intellectual tendency among many people. I am deeply concerned about the hostility these movements seem to endorse as patriotic or appropriate.

What are positive and negative aspects of history since 1945?

I would identify the anti-colonial and civil rights movements as the most positive. India’s independence, the defeat of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in WWII, South Africa’s rejection of apartheid, and the civil rights successes in the United States would be the most positive. The most negative would be the aforementioned events’ antithesis such as British resistance to self-determination for India and white, southern indifference or hostility to human, economic, and political rights for Black Americans as the negative aspects.

Are there any other experts you know that would be willing to talk to me?

Not this late tonight 😊

In the future, do you think we will continue to progress or digress?

That will largely depend on your generation Jacob. Will you be able to harness both science and ethical governance to assure the world is safe and just environment and society. The ball is soon in your court! I hope you learn from my generation but find fresh solutions in your own generation.

I have included a brief bio from a recent application to teach abroad as evidence I am an “expert” but I will say to you what I always say the first day in any class I teach; namely, that I will never “tell my students the truth.” I hope you understand that qualification of my expertise!

Joe McCall

Senior Lecturer, History Department

ISCO Faculty Advisor

200-A McCartha Hall

Troy University

Troy, AL 36082

334-670-3514

Joe McCall served as the Director of Student Life at a private K-12 school in Ohio and now teaches part-time at Troy as a senior lecturer. McCall has extensive experience in international travel: in 2006, he and his son met in Singapore, traveling by bus, boat, and train around the world for more than four months. They journeyed through Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Russia, and Eastern Europe, ending in Italy and Ireland. In 2010, he went by sea to South America and then through the Panama Canal to Central America and Mexico. More recently, Mr. McCall guest lectured in both Lanzhou (2015) and Nanjing, China (2017).

McCall is a faculty advisor to the International Student Cultural Organization (ISCO) and is involved in efforts on campus to assist students who are negatively impacted by their own, or another's, misuse of alcohol or drugs. McCall won the Troy University Faculty Council's Excellence Award in 2008, the Outstanding First-Year Advocate Award for 2012-2013, and the Ingalls Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching at Troy University in 2014.

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My questions for Mrs.Belle Tuten.

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Mrs.Belle Tuten's Response.

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Hello all,

Thank you for your questions and for allowing me to participate in your assignment. Since I received a request from each of you, I wanted to combine my answers and send them to you all at once. I hope that they are helpful.

1. Do you think humanity is getting better or worse and why do you think that?

I would say that humanity is generally improving, although more slowly than at other times in history. We continue to make breakthroughs in science and medicine but these do not seem to be as numerous as they have been in the past. We also see improvements in how people treat each other but we are still dealing with war, racism, inequality, and poverty all over the world. So, we are getting better but we need to work harder and improve many of the issues that remain.

2. What events in history have made humanity better?

The explosion of information via the internet is one of the greatest breakthroughs in human history. People have more access to education and knowledge than at any point in time. While this technology is often misused, no one can argue that the opportunity for personal and societal growth is greater than ever before.

3. What events in history have made humanity worse?

War and poverty are two of the most destructive forces caused by the actions of humans. Past and ongoing conflicts across Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and eastern Europe have led to countless deaths and humanitarian disasters. The flood of refugees seeking safety from wars in Syria, Iraq, and north Africa have caused deadly accidents as well as an increase in racism and violence towards these groups. As natural resources diminish, I fear that these kinds of conflicts and mass migrations may continue to grow.

4. Would you say as humans we have progressed or gone backwards?

Since the end of WWII, humanity has improved greatly. We are better able to care for our people through improved medical care and more efficient farming and food production. We are better able to educate our children and see to their basic needs. We also have many mechanisms in place internationally to prevent many of the horrors witnessed before, during, and immediately after WWII.  Unfortunately, inequality still exists and not everyone has access to these necessities. However, despite this inequality, I feel that humanity has progressed overall.

5. What are positive and negative aspects of history since 1945?

While the world is better connected than ever before, I find that many of us have lost our sense of community. In many ways, particularly here in the United States, we have become spoiled and entitled to things that would be considered luxuries in most countries. Despite this abundance, there are so many people here at home that need help. We are divided by politics but we need to unite to ensure that everyone has a fair chance at prosperity and access to basic necessities.

6. Are there any other experts you know that would be willing to talk to me?

Ben Severance: History Professor and Department Chair at AUM bseveran@aum.edu

Dan J. Puckett: History Professor at Troy-Montgomery dpuckett45442@troy.edu

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Mrs. Young's Opinion

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From Dr. Blake Scott Ball
what I have now back from him Hello Hector,

Thank you for reaching out to me. These are some big questions you are asking and the response could go many different directions. I will give you my personal perspective and try to back it up with historical examples where I can.

Do you think humanity has changed for the better or the worse?
The honest answer to this question, in my opinion, is that humanity constantly exhibits great potential for good and the advancements we have made in medical knowledge, constructing virtually limitless digital systems to connect people and break down barriers (social, cultural, and political), bringing unprecedented wealth and prosperity to more people than ever before. While this good potential is evident, humanity's capacity for evil is also omnipresent. There are holocaust-like actions taking place in our time in places like Syria and western Africa. There are hateful groups like the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi organizations still active in the US. There are regimes as oppressive as anything imagined in the days of the Nazis and the Soviet Union active today in the Middle East, China, and other areas of the world. So while there are most definitely many things better in our world for more people, there is also no doubt that evil persists and is unrelenting.

What events in history have made humanity better? What events in history have made humanity worse?
Many of the events that have made the world better took place well before you or I ever lived. First, I would say that the Protestant Reformation, which challenged human beings to seek out their own personal relationship the Almighty through Bible literacy invented the modern day idea of the individual. Second, Columbus's accidental discovery of the Americas provided the Western world with the opportunity to build a new society from the ground up at a pivotal moment in human history. One of those colonial experiments, of course, was the United States. Third, the age of Enlightenment thought, which made individualism and God's natural moral law central to new ideas of government "by the people and for the people" helped to give an optimistic, constructive model for developing country in the world. Fourth, the birth of the United States on principles of individual liberty and private property ownership provided the first real-world model of how Enlightenment ideas might work and prosper in the modern world. Fifth, the cultural development of honor for the entrepreneur made it possible for imaginative capitalists to created new wealth in the world, ideas that had not previously existed and no one even knew they wanted until they were created. These include things like Edison's light bulb, the television set, Bill Gates' Windows personal computer (PC), and Steve Jobs' iPhone. With these inventions, these creators introduced not only new possibilities for you and I to enjoy, but they created enormous amounts of wealth, new jobs and careers, and improved the living standards of hundreds of millions of people. Sixth, and finally, I would argue that the creation of the atomic and nuclear bombs, as dreadful a technology as they were, actually helped to make the world a more peaceful place. When you look at the two world wars, you see that things were headed in a terrible direction in the 1900s. In World War I (1914-1918), 9 million people were killed, far more than any other conflict in human history. Only 20 years later, World War II (1939-1945) killed as many as 60-100 million people with another 25 million wounded. What the atomic/nuclear weapons did at the end of the World War II was to make the prospect of another world war so astronomically devastating that it has led the world to negotiate a remarkably stable peace that has lasted for the past 70+ years. This does not mean that we do not fight. It means that when we fight now, it is on a much smaller scale with much smaller impact on global populations.

As for what events have made humanity worse: I think a central thing that has made us worse is the trend in the last half century to reject moral absolutes. What I mean is that we have increasingly argued that there is no one truth for everyone. Each person has their own truth and everyone else must respect that. I alone can define myself, my gender, my ethnic identity, my morals, my meaning, in this view. According to this view, there is no higher power to which we are all subject. I think the devastating effect of this has been to splinter society. We cannot get along about much of anything in society and politics today because we cannot agree on any universal principles to guide our choices any more. This has been a terrible development and threatens to pull our country (and many others in the world) apart. Another development that has made us worse off, I would argue, is "social media." Sites like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and even Youtube have taught us that we can invent whatever reality we want, regardless of the facts. We present ourselves any way we want and anyone who challenges that identity is a "hater." It has also made it very easy to only listen to the voices with which we agree, while ignoring and vilifying those people with which we disagree. This is a very troubling development. Of course, there are numerous positive applications for these technologies, but at the moment, the negatives seem to be outweighing the positives, in my view.

Have have we progressed or gone backwards?
There is no denying that humanity has progressed in many ways, especially technologically. We have also progressed, to a degree, in our ideas about the treatment of fellow human beings. We have move backwards in some regards, looking for powerful government forces to solve problems that past generations would have confronted on an individual and local community basis. Often times for fear of the dangers of the modern world, we have given away our liberties to let government take care of us, though governments have always proved to be at best ineffective and at worst harmful in managing issues of individual liberty like the right to privacy, right to property, and the right to life.

I think I have laid out some of the positive and negative aspects of American history since 1945. One other positive aspect would most certainly be the African American civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s. This movement was tremendously significant for expanding the original ideals of the Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights to all Americans, regardless of race. Race has, undeniably, been the most stubborn social barrier throughout American history and the drive to end that after 1945 is remarkable. Though there are still inequalities today in various regards, African Americans (and especially African American women) with the proper qualifications have access to every segment of American life and power. That is an incredible development.

Others you might want to contact?
I would recommend contacting Dr. Derryn Moten (dmoten@alasu.edu) at Alabama State University or Dr. Sharony Green (sagreen1@ua.edu) at the University of Alabama. Mention to them that Dr. Blake Ball at Huntingdon College suggested you talk to them and I'm sure one or both would be happy to help. They will be able to give you a different perspective and outlook from my own that can help you get a better understanding of the differing opinions on these important questions.

What direction for our future?
If there's one things clear, it is that the past is never a predictor of the future. If that were true, Donald J. Trump would not be president of the United States. Barack Obama would have never been president either, for that matter. The truth is that what will determine whether we will progress or digress is the future is simple enough: it is you and I and the other 7.4 billion people on Earth. We make history. We are writing it right now with our thoughts, beliefs, and actions. History is made in the mundane choices of everyday life. This is why it is essential for you and I to think about character and integrity. Every act of kindness makes a difference. Every act of honesty makes a difference. Every act of courage, every act of creativity, every act of love makes a difference. In the same way, however, every act of hate, every act of envy, every act of destruction, every act of deceit, they all make a difference as well. The direction of the world will be determined by what kind of world you and I make in the spaces where we have influence: in our family, in our schools, in our neighborhood, our city, our church, our state, our nation, and our world. How will we treat people? Will our actions reflect respect and honor or selfishness and hatred? The future is not written yet. That's our job every day. And the consequences (good or bad) will be historic.

Hector, I apologize if my answers have been too long, but I do think these questions are very important and entire books could be (and have been) written on these subjects. I am happy to discuss any of this further if you have any follow up questions. Thank you for reaching out to me and I hope these responses help.

Best,
Dr. Ball

Dr. Blake Scott Ball
Assistant Professor, History

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What events in history have made humanity better? In our country (USA), the rise of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, with the leadership of figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, and Ella Baker; the women's (or feminist" movement; the struggle to promote and maintain labor unions.
What events in history have humanity worse? The Cold War nuclear arms race (1945-1991); US involvement in Vietnam War (especially 1955-1975); the great famine in the People's Republic of China (late 1950s); mass murder in Indonesia (1965), Cambodia (1975-79), Rwanda (1994), Bosnia (1992-95)
Would you say as humans we have progressed or gone backward? Both have occurred, since there have been achievements (see #1) and great calamities (see #2), and therefor we have gained and lost. It's hard to say one or the other definitely.
What are positive and negative aspects of history since 1945? See my answers to #1-3.
Are there any other experts you know that would be willing to talk to me? Bob Bain, professor in School of Education, University of Michigan
In the future, do you think we will continue to progress or digress? I tend to be an optimist, so I think progress is possible--but we also face great dangers (such as global warming, among other things) that could derail or prevent real progress.

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William Francis Deverell What events in history have made humanity better?The Civil Rights movement is an important one. It is a long story – goes back to before 1945, but much of what it accomplished in terms of equal and civil rights did happen since 1945.  I would say that this is an extremely critical aspect of how things have gotten better – not perfect, but better – since 1945. What events in history have humanity worse?Wars.  Pollution of the oceans.  Would you say as humans we have progressed or gone backwards?Good question.  I think we have gotten better.  But some would disagree with me.  What do you two think?  What are positive and negative aspects of history since 1945?This seems to be asking the same questions as above?  Rising equal rights for women, across good chunks of the world (but not all of it, unfortunately), is a very positive aspect of our history since 1945. Are there any other experts you know that would be willing to talk to me?Now that the summer is almost here for us in history departments, you may be able to draw others into the conversation. In the future, do you think we will continue to progress or digress?I am an optimist.  I think we will continue to progress, but I think we have to always be watchful of trouble, evil, and bad things happening.  And having you two ask good questions about history is a step in the right direction.Thanks for writing.

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William Francis Deverell What events in history have made humanity better?The Civil Rights movement is an important one. It is a long story – goes back to before 1945, but much of what it accomplished in terms of equal and civil rights did happen since 1945.  I would say that this is an extremely critical aspect of how things have gotten better – not perfect, but better – since 1945. What events in history have humanity worse?Wars.  Pollution of the oceans.  Would you say as humans we have progressed or gone backwards?Good question.  I think we have gotten better.  But some would disagree with me.  What do you two think?  What are positive and negative aspects of history since 1945?This seems to be asking the same questions as above?  Rising equal rights for women, across good chunks of the world (but not all of it, unfortunately), is a very positive aspect of our history since 1945. Are there any other experts you know that would be willing to talk to me?Now that the summer is almost here for us in history departments, you may be able to draw others into the conversation. In the future, do you think we will continue to progress or digress?I am an optimist.  I think we will continue to progress, but I think we have to always be watchful of trouble, evil, and bad things happening.  And having you two ask good questions about history is a step in the right direction.Thanks for writing.

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 Deonta Carter        Erik Peterson   Thank you for writing! I also received an email from Malik Blocton. Do you know him? I wrote him a very long email. I will write you a shorter one with different information in it. Maybe you can talk about this in your class.1. What events have made us better?Medicine is much better now than it was 100 years ago. Also being able to talk through email like this is a huge improvement!2. What is worse?The world, and especially the United States, feels like it is becoming more unfair. A small number of people and businesses seem to have most of the money. Our government right now seems not to care very much about most of us but only the wealthy and the famous. I also think that racism is almost as bad now as it was in Dr. King’s time, 50 years ago.3. Have humans progressed?I think so! I think the world is becoming more aware that there are different people everywhere. I think that people like you, Deonta, will work to make the world a place where kids can go to school without fear of being shot and where racism is less than it is today.4. Positive and negative things since 1945?I’m only going to list the good: Brown v. Board of education of Topeka, KS (1954), the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Miranda v. Arizona (1966), Fair Housing Act (1968), Environmental Protection Agency (1970), the eradication of Smallpox in 1980, the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 …. So many things! 6. If people keep fighting for justice, voting for justice, and holding our governmental, religious, and business leaders accountable, the world will get better. When we just think about selfish or silly things and forget about how much there is still to do in the world, things will get worse.  

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 Deonta Carter        Erik Peterson   Thank you for writing! I also received an email from Malik Blocton. Do you know him? I wrote him a very long email. I will write you a shorter one with different information in it. Maybe you can talk about this in your class.1. What events have made us better?Medicine is much better now than it was 100 years ago. Also being able to talk through email like this is a huge improvement!2. What is worse?The world, and especially the United States, feels like it is becoming more unfair. A small number of people and businesses seem to have most of the money. Our government right now seems not to care very much about most of us but only the wealthy and the famous. I also think that racism is almost as bad now as it was in Dr. King’s time, 50 years ago.3. Have humans progressed?I think so! I think the world is becoming more aware that there are different people everywhere. I think that people like you, Deonta, will work to make the world a place where kids can go to school without fear of being shot and where racism is less than it is today.4. Positive and negative things since 1945?I’m only going to list the good: Brown v. Board of education of Topeka, KS (1954), the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Miranda v. Arizona (1966), Fair Housing Act (1968), Environmental Protection Agency (1970), the eradication of Smallpox in 1980, the completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 …. So many things! 6. If people keep fighting for justice, voting for justice, and holding our governmental, religious, and business leaders accountable, the world will get better. When we just think about selfish or silly things and forget about how much there is still to do in the world, things will get worse.  

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That is a big question that you're asking, but I'll try to give you an answer. First, you have to be clear about what you mean by 'humanity' - all humankind? Also, what do you mean by 'better' or 'worse'?

I would argue that there are few events that have made all humanity better - the curing of polio perhaps, or similar diseases. Events that have made humanity worse since 1945 would, I think, include wars (including the Cold War, which resulted in several conflicts with high human, environmental, and political costs), and the progression of climate change.

The problem with asking whether humans have progressed and gone backwards is that history isn't a linear progression or regression - some positive things have happened, including improvements in civil rights for many different groups, but negative things have also happened, including the recent resurgence of neo-fascist, xenophobic, and white supremacist political movements in the United States and Europe. As for the future, I think it will continue to be a mixed bag of positive and negative developments.

I hope this is helpful, and good luck with your assignment!

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    Sariya Landrum MRS.YOUNG         1.What events in history have made humanity better? I believe some events in history that have made humanity better include Jesus walking the earth and preaching the gospel, the pilgrims coming and settling in America, the constitution and what it stands for, the results of the civil war, and women gaining the right to vote. I'm sure there are more but those are off the top of my head!2.What events in history have humanity worse? I feel the events in history that made humanity worse include the holocaust, slavery, and taking prayer out of schools.3.Would you say as humans we have progressed or gone backwards? I think we have progressed when it comes to technology and resources, but I feel like technology has also taken some of the humanity out of everyday life. Now days people can communicate over text or social medial instead of face to face or a phone call.4.What are positive and negative aspects of history since 1945? 5.Are there any other experts you know that would be willing to talk to me? Katelyn Johnson in C5 6.In the future, do you think we will continue to progress? I think that we will continue to progress in technology and engineering. I hope we do not lose our humanity towards each other and still think about how we are making each other feel. It is so easy to be unkind and hurtful to a social media account when we don't stop and remember that words can hurt and there is a person behind that social medial account. 

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    Sariya Landrum MRS.YOUNG         1.What events in history have made humanity better? I believe some events in history that have made humanity better include Jesus walking the earth and preaching the gospel, the pilgrims coming and settling in America, the constitution and what it stands for, the results of the civil war, and women gaining the right to vote. I'm sure there are more but those are off the top of my head!2.What events in history have humanity worse? I feel the events in history that made humanity worse include the holocaust, slavery, and taking prayer out of schools.3.Would you say as humans we have progressed or gone backwards? I think we have progressed when it comes to technology and resources, but I feel like technology has also taken some of the humanity out of everyday life. Now days people can communicate over text or social medial instead of face to face or a phone call.4.What are positive and negative aspects of history since 1945? 5.Are there any other experts you know that would be willing to talk to me? Katelyn Johnson in C5 6.In the future, do you think we will continue to progress? I think that we will continue to progress in technology and engineering. I hope we do not lose our humanity towards each other and still think about how we are making each other feel. It is so easy to be unkind and hurtful to a social media account when we don't stop and remember that words can hurt and there is a person behind that social medial account. 

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ANDREW HUEBNER

What great questions! They’re very big questions but I’ll give you some brief thoughts here.

Since I study the US, I’ll generally stick with American events if that’s alright:

1. What events have made humanity better since 1945? I would say the broad civil rights movement for women, people of color, and many other marginalized groups. There’s still, of course, a great deal of inequality and racism in the country, but many members of those groups have better access to jobs, economic security, education, and quality of life than they did before.

2. What events have made humanity worse? Here I’d point to our inability in this country (and many others) to resolve our differences without resorting to war. Even after the biggest war in human history (WWII), Americans have been more or less constantly at war since, and of course many other countries have been as well.

3. Have we progressed or gone backward? Tough one, but I’m sort of an optimist so I’d say overall things have gotten better in terms of technology, quality of life, literacy, and so on—but the fact that those things have NOT gotten better for millions of people in the world suggests the great limits to progress. Of course, I do think that in the US, we are currently going backwards in terms of the way our national leadership embraces racism, sexism, and xenophobia.

4. For positive and negative aspects of history since 1945, see questions 1 and 2.

5. Other experts: lots of possibilities, but Robert Fleegler at U. of Mississippi is a good friend of mine and might be willing to help.

Good luck with your project!--Andrew Huebner

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1.      What events in history have made humanity better? The discovery of new cures for diseases, the Declaration on the Rights of Man during the French Revolution, the slow and steady enfranchisement of women, the poor, and minorities in western governments, the establishment of non-violent protest as a form of resistance to power, the discovery of improved agricultural techniques that will feed more people on the planet.

2.      What events in history have made humanity worse? The Holocaust, warfare, slavery in all its instances, the unfortunately long list of genocides committed by humans against humans, the continued subjugation of the poor, the increasing separation of workers from the products and revenue that they produce, all the times in America when minorities are made to feel like strangers in their own land and are afraid to walk the streets. Drone strikes in Syria.

3.      Would you say as humans we have progressed or gone backwards? This is a hard question. Not to be depressing, but I think we have just gotten better and more innovative in finding new ways to hurt each other.

4.      What are positive and negative aspects of history since 1945? This is too big a question to answer here. Positive aspects include the end of colonialism, the fact that we didn’t all die in a nuclear war, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the rise of the internet. Negative aspects include all the proxy wars that were fought between the Soviet Union and the United States in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia (which lead to the deaths of millions), the betrayal by the West of the Middle East and the subsequent rise of radical Islam, the persistent racism and classism of the West (particularly the United States), and the rise of the internet J.

5.      Are there any other experts you know that would be willing to talk to me? I will have to think about it. I will let you know.

6.      In the future, do you think we will continue to progress or digress? Given our recent record since 2016, my fears are that we are treading wa