Jerald M.

Jimenez

Life and Works of Rizal

1st year, Class Kalinga

Mary Help of Christians College Seminary

The Landmarks of the 19th century

1. Scientific Ideas
Charles Darwin
Perhaps the most significant idea of the 19th century was that of Charles
Darwin. His Theory of Evolution had major implications on the scientific thinking,
religious thinking, and social thinking of the 19th century. His theory postulated
that all life we see today can be traced back to a common ancestor. With this came
the idea that even humans had descended from some ape-like being. Prior to the
introduction of this theory, the widely accepted belief was that God had created
humans directly approximately 6,000 years ago. The Theory of Evolution not only
challenged the origin of man, but also the age of the earth as well.1
2. Philosophical Ideas
Karl Marx
One philosopher whom Hegels work had an impact on, was the work of
political economist and German philosopher Karl Marx. Although he is most
widely known because his ideas provided the foundation of modern communism, it
seems to me that people generally do not know much the actual ideas of Marx.
Similar to Hegels philosophical view of history, Marx saw a dialectic struggle
between social classes. The upper classes take advantage of the hard working
lower classes who then revolt and this process continues. Marx believed that
capitalism would eventually destroy itself due to the exploitation of the lower class
by the upper class, and that true progress could not be made by the human race
until it abolishes classes and gives up its obsession with material things. The
philosophical views of Marx greatly influenced many areas of philosophy
including: political, historical, ethics, epistemology, and aesthetics.2
3. Events
1 http://19thcenturychange.wordpress.com/category/important-ideas-of-the-19thcentury.com
2 http://19thcenturychange.wordpress.com/category/important-ideas-of-the-19thcentury.com

Industrial Revolution
The transition to new manufacturing processes in the period from about 1760 to
sometime between 1820 and 1840. This transition included going from hand
production methods to machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production
processes, improved efficiency of water power, the increasing use of steam power,
and the development of machine tools. It also included the change from wood and
other bio-fuels to coal. The Industrial Revolution marks a major turning point in
history; almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way. In particular,
average income and population began to exhibit unprecedented sustained growth.
Some economists, such as Robert E. Lucas, Jr., argue that the real impact of the
Industrial Revolution was that "for the first time in history, the living standards of
the masses of ordinary people have begun to undergo sustained growth ... Nothing
remotely like this economic behavior is mentioned by the classical economists,
even as a theoretical possibility." 3
4. Person
Abraham Lincoln
After attending an April 11, 1865, speech in which Lincoln promoted voting
rights for blacks, an incensed Booth changed his plans and became determined to
assassinate the president. Learning that the President, First Lady, and head Union
general Ulysses S. Grant would be attending Ford's Theatre, Booth formulated a
plan with co-conspirators to assassinate Vice President Andrew Johnson, Secretary
of State William H. Seward and General Grant. Without his main bodyguard, Ward
Hill Lamon, Lincoln left to attend the play Our American Cousin on April 14. At
the last minute, Grant and his wife chose to travel to New Jersey to visit their
children instead of attending the play. Lincoln's bodyguard, John Parker, left Ford's
Theater during intermission to join Lincoln's coachman for drinks in the Star
Saloon next door. The now unguarded President sat in his state box in the balcony.
Seizing the opportunity, Booth crept up from behind and at about 10:13 pm, aimed
at the back of Lincoln's head and fired at point-blank range, mortally wounding the
President. Major Rathbone momentarily grappled with Booth, but Booth stabbed
him and escaped. After being on the run for 12 days, Booth was tracked down and
found on a farm in Virginia, some 70 miles (110 km) south of Washington, D.C.
After refusing to surrender to Union troops, Booth was killed by Sergeant Boston
3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution

Corbett on April 26. An Army surgeon, Doctor Charles Leale, was sitting nearby at
the theater and immediately assisted the President. He found the President
unresponsive, barely breathing and with no detectable pulse. Having determined
that the President had been shot in the head, and not stabbed in the shoulder as
originally thought, he made an attempt to clear the blood clot, after which the
President began to breathe more naturally. The dying President was taken across
the street to Petersen House. After remaining in a coma for nine hours, Lincoln
died at 7:22 am on April 15. Presbyterian minister Phineas Densmore Gurley, then
present, was asked to offer a prayer, after which Secretary of War Stanton saluted
and said, "Now he belongs to the ages."4
5. Infrastructure
The Suez Canal
Suez Canal an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting
the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years
of construction, it allows ships to travel between Europe and eastern Asia without
navigating around Africa thereby reducing the sea voyage distance between
Europe and India by about 7,000 kilometers (4,300 mi). The northern terminus
is Port Said; the southern terminus is Port Tewfik at the city of Suez. Ismailia is on
its west bank, 3 km (1.9 mi) from the half-way point.
When built, the canal was 164 km (102 mi) long and 8 m (26 ft.) deep. After
several enlargements, it is 193.30 km (120.11 mi) long, 24 m (79 ft.) deep and 205
meters (673 ft.) wide. It consists of the northern access channel of 22 km (14 mi),
the canal itself of 162.25 km (100.82 mi) and the southern access channel of 9 km
(5.6 mi).
The canal is single lane with passing places in the "Ballah By-Pass" and the Great
Bitter Lake. It contains no locks; seawater flows freely through it. In general, the
canal north of the Bitter Lakes flows north in winter and south in summer. The
current south of the lakes changes with the tide at Suez.

4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln

The canal is owned and maintained by the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) of Egypt.
Under international treaty, it may be used "in time of war as in time of peace, by
every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag."5

5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suez_Canal