History – Ecosystemic Magazine

The Life and Legacy of George Washington Carver

10Apr

By May ChanNo Comments

The Life and Legacy of George Washington Carver

Written by May Chan A young boy, born into the shackles of slavery, was destined to become a towering figure in American history. George Washington Carver's life reads like a tale of triumph against all odds. From the cotton fields of Missouri to the halls of universities, Carver's life is a rollercoaster ride of resilience, innovation, and fights against racial discrimination. From a young age, Carver’s intellectual curiosity was recognized by people around him and he was accepted into Highland College. However, when the college discovered he was Black, his admission was withdrawn. In disappointment, he found work with a family in Ness County in search of land to homestead. From 1886 to 1889, he homesteaded on a quarter section of land where he built a sod house and worked the land. He...

Indigo Cultivation In India: The Story of Production and Destruction

28Jan

By Diya SharmaNo Comments

History

Indigo Cultivation In India: The Story of Production and Destruction

By Diya Sharma In Ecosystemic's interview with Kristy Drutman, Kristy mentioned the role that colonization that has played in creating the current ecological crisis we are facing. The cultivation of indigo during 18th and 19th century in India is a textbook example of how imperialism leads to the destruction of the environment and people's lives. The system of indigo cultivation was inherently exploitative. Greed led to the colonization of India, the death of farmers, and the destruction of the environment on an unprecedented scale. Indigo was the only natural dye that could stain clothes blue before the Industrial revolution. The plant was native to India and had been used for extracting color for centuries. There is evidence of its trade as far back as the Egyp...

22May

By Amelia PNo Comments

History

A Brief History of Roe vs. Wade

By Amelia Petty With Roe v. Wade featuring prominently in the media right now, you may be asking yourself, “What is Roe v. Wade?” In short, Roe v. Wade was a case that came before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973 in which the Court ruled that banning abortion in any state was unconstitutional. On May 3, an anonymous source leaked a draft of the Supreme Court’s plans to overturn Roe v. Wade. If these plans materialize, the decision could have major repercussions on women’s health across the nation, with poor women and women of color being disproportionately affected. Prior to Roe v. Wade, abortion was illegal in most states, with exceptions in place for cases of rape, incest, fetal anomaly or danger posed to the mother’s life. In the Roe decision, Justice Harry Andrew Blackmun found the...

The Impact of War on Agricultural Production

19Mar

By Krish GuptaNo Comments

History

The Impact of War on Agricultural Production

By Krish Gupta The current conflict between Russia and Ukraine is a cause for many pressing concerns and questions, one being its effects on agricultural production. Historically, war has shown both positive and negative impacts on farming practices and trade. Although the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has just started, researchers can predict what might happen, and their predictions reveal a few serious problems. From the civil wars to two world wars, violent conflicts have had varying effects on agriculture. According to a North Carolina State University article from 2017, World War I greatly affected farming production in The United States and Europe. America saw an increase in food supply to meet the demand across the nation. In Europe, however, the agricultural economy col...

Nuclear Warfare: Testing, Destruction, and Damage

19Mar

By Em CochranNo Comments

History

Nuclear Warfare: Testing, Destruction, and Damage

By Em Cochran Nuclear weapons have sparked fascination and often fear in Americans since before the Cold War. From comics and cartoons of nuclear superheroes to the nuances of the current conflict in Ukraine, American media has explored the topic in depth. Despite this myriad of information, the basic history of nuclear weapons is sometimes forgotten. Two types of nuclear bombs exist–– fission and fusion weapons. While fission nuclear weapons split an atom’s nucleus into smaller nuclei, fusion nuclear weapons, also called hydrogen bombs, combine smaller nuclei into a larger nucleus to produce far more energy. The mass destruction caused by nuclear weapons and the associated nuclear waste can be harmful to both humans and the environment. Nuclear weapons have been around for eig...

History of Pollution: Plastic, Light, and Soil

21Jan

By Sophie CaoNo Comments

History

History of Pollution: Plastic, Light, and Soil

By Sophie Cao, Sidwell Friends SchoolWhen you think of pollution, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Plastic? You may not know that other forms of pollution exist, or the history behind them. Plastic is one of the most well-known types of pollution, because of how fast it has spread around the world. However, other types of pollution such as light, noise, and soil pollution are often overlooked despite their harmful effects. These forms of pollution date back to the Industrial Revolution and are caused by human waste and mismanagement. Leo Baekeland, a Belgian chemist, created bakelite in 1907 at the height of the Industrial Revolution. Bakelite was the first synthetic plastic ever made. Later, it was discovered that this synthetic could be molded to manufa...