The Secret Past of Our Modern Life

Process Paper:

Since I am all ready interested in the sciences, it wasn’t a leap to research the history of electricity. I knew all the technical and science aspects but not how it was adopted into the U.S. and the world. The idea was to choose a topic that is related to today but one that we take for granted or don’t necessary ask, “What is the history of this”? I thought it would be very interesting to research how it became so deeply in every aspect of our life. I knew Edison invented the light bulb and little bit on Tesla but not the relationship between the two. Or how F.D.R. used R.E.A. to make electricity spread across the U.S.

I watched documentaries about the subject, although they weren’t very specific into my topic I gathered a lot of information from them. Over the course of about 2 to 3 months I compiled a document of the information, including essays that were used for another project. Also, finding primary sources such as actual legislature and real footage, by the way of the Internet which is where the other facts came from. They helped the video aspect as-well. The other archival footage was really helpful in explaining facts and it gave a sense of the past - since most of them where made in the 1930-1960’s. Most of the information for the video was from articles and secondary sources. 

I choose to do a video to be more engaging and entertaining than just a website with text and pictures. As well as, it would be a more creative project that just facts and point of views in words. I represented themes visually and let people actually see what happened in history with footage. I tried to make it more of an entertaining movie rather than me just talking about facts on facts. Instead of trying to visual the scenes in your own head. For the programs, I used iMovie to make the video. The video is from various websites, mainly youtube, mostly primary. I compiled the video with dramatic scores, and near the era music, to get into the time of what it was like back then.

After the introduction the project goes into the three parts of the NHD theme, Revolution, Reaction and Reform. The revolution part is the first steps of electricity and how it was started. That sparked, no pun intended, an electricity race across the country and it primarily between two minds who had different ideas on the topic. The Reaction part of the project is how Edison reacted to Tesla, what he did to try to squash Tesla’s ideas and inventions. By electrocuting an elephant and making the electric chair. Finally the reform part is when the government, F.D.R., got involved and how they implemented it across the country. There is no conclusion because I wanted the audience to make their own conclusions, to think about the video and how it relates to their life.


Bibliography:

SECONDARY

"The Missing Secrets Of Nikola Tesla - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 29 Oct. 2009. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5uiK_QnyrE>.

A video showing the history of Nikola Tesla ranging from childhood to latter life. Basically the last half talks about a death ray and world peace (not really useful). But the first half talks about the history of him, Edison and Westinghouse. Which I could use to provide some background during the article.

"Welcome to the Tesla Memorial Society of New York Website." Tesla Memorial Society of New York. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.teslasociety.com/exhibition.htm>.

This source has a lot of good information on the power plant at Niagara falls the T and W made. It shows all the parts of the plant how the work and how things were arranged to have it completed. Also, a couple good primary sources such as letters that may help. This will really help with my first article.

"Nikola Tesla." Welcome to Phils Website. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.phils.com.au/tesla.htm>.

More background/history of T. Has some parts on the Niagara falls generators I can use. Which was the partnership with Westinghouse and J. P. Morgan. But as soon as people knew what he really wanted to do, jp decided they wanted out. T wanted to transmit free electricity, and if they were doing that jp wouldn’t get any profit. Of course this was never realised but the idea alone caused it.

Klein, Andrew R. "Rural Electrification Act (1936) - ENotes.com." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/rural-electrification-act-1936-reference/rural-electrification-act-1936>.

REA was a great thing for farmers and other people living in rural areas. At the time this act was first made only 10% of the rural pop. had electricity but more over this act helped to get out of the great depression. In 1950 almost 90% of the rural pop. had electricity and telephone lines were then added to the act. Today it’s know as the RUS and still helps and provides electricity at a low cost to farmers.

BURNS, JOSH. "Edison vs Tesla: The War of Currents." Overcome Everything! — Business as Unusual. Overcome Everything Inc. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://overcomeeverything.com/2924/edison-tesla-war-currents/>.

Info on the strong rivalry between the two men. Explains the differences between the two types but I already have that. The good stuff is where it talks about all the conflicts between them. How they clashed with the different inventions they had or came up with. Plus, the people they did it with. What is also interesting is the world fair part but I don’t think I’ll be able to use it.

Parkinson, Dave, and Tracy Lamourie. "THE HISTORY OF THE ELECTRIC CHAIR." The Canadian Coalition Against The Death Penalty. Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty, 29 Dec. 2010. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.ccadp.org/electricchair.htm>.

Specific history timeline on the electric chair with some articles (that I didn’t know until later, sadly). The timeline is very good and provides key points and dates in the evolution of the electric chair. I only saw the timeline while writing the article so that’s all I used. But it basically shows Edison’s involvement in the electric chair and how it progressed.


PRIMARY:

"Nikola Tesla's Acceptance Speech on Receiving the Edison Medal." Nikola Tesla Information Resource | Books and Online Files. AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS, 18 May 1917. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1917-05-08.htm>.

This is where Tesla is receiving the Edison medal (kind of ironic) for his working with electricity and other devices. The president of board is introducing him and naming all of the achievements. Then Tesla gives a speech while accepting it. I’ll use this to highlight some parts of the niagara plant as well as future things for different articles.

Tesla, Nikola. "My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla." Lucidcafé Interactive Café and Information Resource. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96jul/teslaautobio.html>.

This book is a book the Tesla himself wrote about many aspects of his life. Some parts are his inventions and other are how he grew up. It’s not that long but there are a lot of things I could use in here (didn’t read the whole thing yet). He does talk about the Electric Plant at Niagara and his dreams of being built as a young person.

Edison, Thomas A. "Electrocuting an Elephant." Wikipedia.com. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Topsy.ogg>.

This video shows the smear campaign that Edison used against Tesla to make people favor DC current. Edison insisted that AC current was hazardous to living things so he just electrocuted animals to prove his point. In this video he electrocuted an elephant name topsy. I can use this video to show the propaganda in the “current wars” between Tesla and Edison. Plus could be used to show how Edison felt about Tesla’s work.

"Rural Electrification Act of 1936 - Title I." U.S. Department of Agriculture. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.usda.gov/rus/regs/info/100-1/title_i.htm>.

This is the Rural electrification Act of 1936. Helped America as a whole become one giant electric network. This helped to connect the power lines into all different cities that were previously not. It also got the rural people acoustomed to the new technology that was spreading across the nation and the world.

"Bad Elephant Killed." RailwayBridge.co.uk. The Commercial Advisor, 5 Jan. 1903. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.railwaybridge.co.uk/topsy.html>.

Thee article about Topsy getting killed. Explained what happened that day and what she did to deserve it. It was a bit short but very good to have the actual article. It explains how she died and what they used/fed her to ultimately kill her.

<Franklin D. Roosevelt:"Executive Order 7037 Establishing the Rural Electrification Administration.," May 11, 1935.Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,The American Presidency Project> http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=15057#axzz1jT1eIbLw

Again a good primary source depicting the exact order issued by the president. He talks about the REA (administration one) creation. What it will do and how it will be done.

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