Historical imagination
Historical imagination from the perspective of the individual whose name you discovered in the cemetery.
Re-thinking American History
First, visit a cemetery in the neighborhood, borough, or town where you currently live. Take a walk through the cemetery and try to find a marker memorializing someone who lived between the years 1865 and the present day. Gather information from the memorial about the individual's name, date of birth and death, and any other details that might be recorded on the stone. Be sure to choose someone who is not famous/well known and who you do not personally know.
Using your local newspaper, public library and historical society archives, see if you can learn a little about the individual. You might turn up nothing, but see if you can find the individual's obituary, at least.
(Chosen Obituary)
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/paula-aponte-obituary?id=34576056
Re-imagining the Past
For the written assignment, please review the Study Guide: Historical Imagination. Your assignment will be to use historical imagination to write an essay of approximately 1,000 words, from the perspective of the individual whose name you discovered in the cemetery. The essay will cover the history of the United States that unfolded during their life. You might imagine this history as being a story that the individual is sharing with a child, grandchild, or great-grandchild who has outlived that person.
To write the history:
Synthesize details from the timeline into narratives that the individual constructs for descendants.
Include in-text citations referencing quoted and paraphrased material.
Catalogue all sources you used into cited works, including the references included with the Wiki entries you use.
Examine all of the Re-Thinking Historic Timeline posts and other events that occurred in the 20 years preceding the individual's birth as well as the entries that occurred during the individual's lifespan.
Review any of the learning materials from our previous course modules that you feel might be helpful in preparing this story.
Sample Solution
The United States was a drastically different place when Paula Aponte was born in 1945 than it had been when her parents and grandparents were growing up. When the Great Depression hit, she remembers all of the hearing about how devastating the economic depression was to so many people's lives. But at 7 years old, she could not fully understand what it meant. She began to learn more as World War II ended and America entered into a period of great prosperity.
Paula also remembers being taught about the civil rights movement that was gaining momentum during her teenage years, with leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Thurgood Marshall working hard to bring racial equality to all Americans. She recognized how far the nation had come since the days of Jim Crow laws in some parts of the country; however she still witnessed segregation in some places while growing up - especially within schools and public spaces. Paula’s family encouraged her to focus on education and activism so that one day African-Americans would have equal opportunities wherever they lived or worked.
In 1968, Paula attended college for nursing school where she later received her degree from UCLA in 1971. This allowed her to become part of an important group of female nurses who took care of patients during a time when medicine changed dramatically because new technology emerged such as pacemakers and other life-saving devices for heart disease and cancer treatments appeared due to scientific breakthroughs which allowed for quicker recovery times than ever before seen before this era (Rosenberg). After graduation Paula never stopped learning - taking every opportunity to increase her knowledge base by attending lectures or reading research journals so that eventually she became head nurse supervisor at Los Angeles County Hospital Emergency Room where many celebrities visited (McKinnon).
During this same timeframe (1975), America began experiencing an energy crisis because OPEC nations raised oil prices drastically causing inflationary fears around buying groceries or gasoline driving costs sky high (Friedman). The economy then began changing with President Reagan's implementation of trickle-down economics that cut taxes primarily benefiting wealthy individuals but leaving middle class citizens feeling squeezed financially even further! Yet despite these issues society continued striving for progress as advances made towards women's rights included ERA legislation becoming law which granted legal protection against gender discrimination nationwide (Gorman). Additionally throughout Paula’s lifetime gains were made toward creating better environmental policies such as The Clean Water Act passed in 1977 ensuring clean drinking water sources—not just across California but nationally!
In recent years history has taken major strides forward towards bringing justice reform towards minority communities faced with systemic racism & inequities Paulas ancestors experienced firsthand passing through generations until today—the fight continues on yet real tangible changes are happening right now too! For example 2018 marked passage into law Proposition 47 reducing penalties associated with certain offenses making them misdemeanors instead felonies leading people out from jail back into their homes & communities living regular lives post incarceration meaning less recidivism rates & fewer incarcerated families overall–this directly impacts people like Paula herself! These types of reforms show us all that change is possible no matter what obstacles there may be in our path if we work together towards common goals we can move mountains . . .
Ultimately over five decades worth events shaped American culture – war, poverty ,government initiatives implemented & repealed ,laws passed ,rights expanded ,social unrest —it blurred together into one narrative arc culminating cumulatively until today where never ending struggles remain yet hope keeps us looking ahead at brighter possibilities beyond our current state inspiring those both present & future generations alike continuing onward