Benjamin Blackburn

Ms. Hahn

Pd. 1

Due Date: May 20, 2011

Reflective Paper

The Rising, Evolving, and Falling of Civilizations

The United States has had many successes. One accomplishment the United States has obtained

is diversity. As the United States has gotten larger, it has also become populated by many different

ethnicities. On January 20, 2009, the first black president came into office. This was an important time,

and always will be in history, because it shows how the U.S. has evolved from being segregated, to being

an open and free country. The United States also has had much success from having powerful alliances.

In World War II, the United States military helped a lot with defeating the Germans, Italians, and

Japanese, with the help of strong countries like France, England, and Russia. The United States has many

allies, and few enemies. This means fewer wars, excellent trade, and the ability to get help when

needed. The U.S. has overcome so much, from starting out a British colony, to become a world

superpower.

When the United States first started, it wasn’t even the United States. At first, it was a British

colony. Overtime, the colony grew larger and larger, and became the United States. This is the easiest

example of evolving, because it clearly shows the U.S. starting from small, and going to big. Also, during

the Civil War, the U.S. overcame struggles. During the time around the Civil War, it was common in the

United States to have slavery. As the war ended, slavery was abolished and now the idea of slavery is

looked down upon. The U.S. evolved from being segregated, to being a free land where everyone has

equal rights.