Conclusion frameworks and synthesis approaches
This paper consists of a series of conclusions for chapters examining aspects of society from the Renaissance through the Machine Age. The chapters address cultural environment, scientific environment, economic environment, general management, architectural principles, construction technology, the master builder transition, and the 18 major building projects from the time periods.
American Studies One Theme That Could Unify
One theme that could unify the wide variety of readings in this course would be the paradox of Equality versus Hierarchy in American history and society, which is closely related to Inclusion and Exclusion. Black observers, activists and critics of American society like Martin Luther King, Langston Hughes, Cornell West and James Baldwin understood these themes particularly well. From the colonial period to the present, this country has always had a racial caste system, which all of its founders understood perfectly well. John Winthrop may have envisioned a Puritan Commonwealth that would be a model for the world, but this society also had slavery, genocidal wars against Native Americans, as well as harsh treatment for white religious dissenters and the lower classes in general.