Josh Mason

Professor Lark
History 153
12 December 2016
Portfolio Reflection
When studying history of any kind, the key to the class is understanding the problems
that arise from certain acts or ideas and how we can prevent these problems from haunting us in
the future (Postma). One of the areas that we need to learn from our past mistakes in is
technology. We have had a lot of mistakes in technology that we can learn from like how to use
it responsibly, how it impacted our society, and how it is key in allowing the spread of
information (McNeill). These ideas are the keys to understanding how we can better our futures
with technologies.
The first aspect of technology we need to understand for a better future is how do we use
it responsibly. This means that we need to use technology for a good reason and not to demean
the spirit of other people. One specific example of this idea is Adolf Hitler. He is not an
American, but the way he uses different military ideas and innovative tactics greatly impacted
U.S. history. If it werent for his conquest of Europe and his Blitzkrieg technique, the U.S.
would never have entered World War II. There are two reasons why I believe he used his
technology for the wrong ideas. The first of these reasons is that it made him power hungry and
led to his desire to conquer all of Europe. The second of these is that it created problems for
many Europeans. It led to the discrimination of many minority groups, especially the Jews, with
different and innovative gases and ways to kill them (Schoolcraft M9).

Another thing we need to keep in mind when we need to keep in mind when we are
analyzing the use of technology in history is how big of an impact that the device will make on
the economy and the lives of all the people. An example that comes to mind is in the progress of
Henry Ford. Ford created the moving assembly line and kept the costs of production down. This
allowed him to create an affordable car that every American could afford in the Model T.
without his advances in technology, we may still not have cars and the roads to connect us to the
rest of the world today. It also made a huge impact on the country itself because it helped
America build its society. It connected people on the east coast to the west coast and further
connected the country (Schoolcraft M6).
Lastly, when looking at technology, you need to see the different spots to use technology.
One man who was very good at using technology in the right spots was Richard Nixon. He was
smart with technology in that he used it to further advance his campaign against John F.
Kennedy. It was the first time the media was ever used in a presidential campaign. This would
blaze a trail for future elections and eventually allow us to arrive at the elections that we have
today. We can learn truly how powerful technology can be when nit is used by the media
because it can spread information to all corners of the globe quickly. It is also important that we
use technology in the right spot such as in a presidential debate and not to harm others
(Schoolcraft M12).
Technology is one of the most controversial and impactful topics in American history.
Many of the people in a STEM field are very certain of this and need history in order to make
improvements in their own developments (Perry). It is heated because there are many debates of
where, when, and why to use it. We can learn a lot from prior uses and reasons behind these uses
to create a better society today (Postma).

Works Cited
McNeill, William H. "Why Study history." American Historians Association, American
Historical Association, 1985. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.
Perry, David M. "How History Can Help Us Predict the Next Pope." The Atlantic, The Atlantic,
12 Mar. 2013. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.
Postma, Michael. "What Can History Teach Us Today?." ASCD, ASCD, 2011. Accessed 12 Dec.
2016.
Schoolcraft College. History 153 E-Text, Schoolcraft College. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.