Analytic Entry on Background

Science and Technology is the core reason for America's progression throughout time. It began with the migration from the countryside to the cities after the Civil War. America's cities were appealing due to the many job opportunities that new technology and scientific advances made available. Jobs were desperately needed because the citizens' work they previously had been doing for years on the countryside had been replaced by new machines and technology. On the farms, iron plows replaced the sickle, which would take on average one day to cut a half acre of wheat. This new invention could cut ten times the amount of wheat in one day compared to the sickle. The inventions began in 1773 with Eli Whitney's cotton gin. Slaves could pick cotton in far less time than they previously could have. Next, Cyrus McCormick created the reaper, and six year later John Deere invited the steel plow. Inventions improved throughout time because the scientists worked off of each other’s ideas to create the best product possible. This concept is true in the field of science as a whole. James Dalton, J.J Thomson, Ernest Rutherford, and Neils Bohr used the ideas of each other to discover the smallest unit of matter: the atom. J.J Thomson claimed that all electrons were spread out in positively charged matter, but Rutherford went the next step further by discovering the nucleus which the positively charged matter surrounded. Science can be extremely competitive, but at the same time new technology would be impossible without many individuals working together to come to the best conclusion possible. Stagecoaches and wagons used to be the way Americans transported from one location to another. Then, through scientists working off of each other’s past ideas, railroads and canals were invented which could carry goods to the cities in half the time. America had been progressing and along with it new technology was necessary to compensate with the new fast-paced society. Factories had to produce merchandise at fast rates in order to stay in business. Therefore machines were constantly improving and making advancements so that the factories would benefit from them. Other inventions became necessary once a majority of the American population moved to the cities. Thomas Edison helped to improve the American factories by creating the first electrical power plant. His work made electricity accessible to factories and homes all over New York City. Similar to Edison, Alexander Graham Bell’s invention of the telephone benefited the workplace, but it also helped to improve domestic life as well. Having electricity available at home, the telephone was able to occupy homes all across America. Telephones allowed individuals to share ideas, continue communicating with friends and family, get fast help in the event of emergencies, and more. The latest technological advances created a new lifestyle for the citizens in America. Never before did technology make the simple tasks in life so easy and quick. Never before were factories producing billions of products in one day and selling them all over the country. Science helped to improve all aspects of the American life however as time progressed, ethical implications needed to be considered. During the Cold War, the United States got involved with Russia in a war that became somewhat scientific. Both countries wanted to create more nuclear weapons than the other. Although this competition resulted in amazing scientific progress, the idea of one country possessing numerous atomic bombs was threatening and dangerous to the rest of the world. After awhile, actions were taken so that this “arms race” came to an end. Just recently, the Human Genome Project where the scientists “decoded chemically the entire human genetic code” (Daniels, George H. "Science in America") brought up the morality question. Due to this research, new advancements such as stem cell research, genetic testing and cloning are on its way. These advances although incredible, trouble many. Many individuals argue that messing with the genetic makeup of humans questions what it means to be human. They believe that God put all individuals here for a reason and science should not be intervening with nature. Even though Science and Technology helped America get where it is today, it is essential to make sure that the ethical implications are always considered.