So Much Science

Science has been a major component in America's uprising. This article highlighted the main scientific events that have shaped our nation's past. It began with 18th century by noting Benjamin Franklin's experiments with electricity. Then in the 19th century, numerous inventors aided in America's overall progression. Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1773, then in 1831 Cyrus McCormick created the reaper and six years later John Deere made the steel plow. These men worked off of each others ideas to establish the most successful product to use on the farms throughout America. There were other significant inventions such as Alexander Graham Bell's telephone, Elias Howe's sewing machine, and Samuel Morse's telegraph which improved Americans everyday lives. Due to these single inventions, practically one hundred years later scientists were able to start working towards creating the atomic bomb. During World War II, as a result of the Manhattan Project, the first atomic bomb helped to end the war. The government funded for the project and continued funding scientific research for the Cold War a few years later. This interesting war was different than anything America had seen before. The United States fought with Russia basically scientifically as they tried to advance in both the arms race and space race. I am very intrigued by this kind of war because it was entirely non-violent. Both countries used all the brain power they had to improve their nuclear weapons and be the first to discover the mysteries of space. This war was beneficial because its competitiveness helped the world to advance. Other great advances were those in the medicine field. Scientific research helped to make essential advancements in cancer and AIDS treatment. What I find most amazing is the Human Genome Project which was done only a few years ago. This research "decoded chemically the entire human genetic code." In 2003, the researchers reveled the first human sequence which was both admired and questioned. The morality of all this scientific research remains an issue to many today. New advancements such as stem cell research, genetic testing, and cloning trouble many individuals. They believe that the government should not be funding so much money to these projects because of this morality question. I find this topic very interesting and would enjoy further researching it.

Daniels, George H. "Science in America." American History. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 31 Jan. 2010.