The Turning Points in American History by Edward T. O'Donnell gave me a deeper understanding of the events that shaped this country. He notes that events are often unexpected and that action through agency of individuals not in leadership positions continues to shape history. The fall of the Soviet Union and the securing of the women's right to vote are two examples. In the middle 1980's, I recall talking to a man at the Minnesota State Fair at a political booth. The individual predicted the breakup of the Soviet Union based on his contacts with individuals in the Warsaw Pact. The other person and I thought he was nuts. We were wrong.
The evolution of the role of the Supreme Court weaves its way through many turning points. The precedent for judicial review allowed the court to assess the constitutionality of laws. The court in the reconstruction period after the war offered a very narrow view of the 13th and 14th Amendment seeing a limited Federal role. This allowed the establishment of the Jim Crow culture in the South and led to the Great Migration of African Americans at the beginning of the 20th Century. These same amendments reinterpreted by the court were later used to help secure civil rights.
Turning Points summary - 2 min.
Why the Boston Tea Party is a turning point - audio - 29 minutes
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