Research Project

                      The Iran Hostage Crisis

     On November 4th 1979, the US Embassy in Tehran, Iran was stormed by Iranian militants. Fifty-two workers were seized and held captive for a total of 444 days. In order to understand the reasoning behind this attack we must first analyze Iran's growing animosity towards the United States.

Anglo-Iranian Oil Company

 As I began my research I soon came across an article from The New York Times. The article titled, "The CIA in Iran" clearly showed that animosity had been brewing between the United States and Iran ever since the 1950's. The year 1951 marked the beginning of the Iranian Oil Nationalization Crisis. By nationalizing Anglo-Iranian oil, Mohammad Mossadegh crippled Britain's economy and began to worry the US. Since Britain had been reliant on Iran's oil for quite some while, they were furious and turned to the United States for help. The American Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) and the Secret Intelligence Service (S.I.S) in Britain combined efforts to overthrow Mossadegh, the leader of Iran. This coup became known as Operation AJAX (NYT). The link will take you to the actual C.I.A.
  document composed in 1952. 

General Fazlollah Zahedi

 Handpicked by both the US and Britain, General Fazlollah Zahedi replaced Mohammad Mossadegh on August 18, 1953.  Upon becoming the new shah of Iran, Zahedi began trying to westernize the country. He initiated the "The White Revoluion" which helped to nationalize forests, allow women the right to vote, increase the minimum marriage age to eighteen, and create land reforms (Balaghi). The people of Iran began questioning his motives and he soon got pinned with the nickname "American Puppet"(Wise).  Of those that opposed him was Ayatollah Khomeini. Khomeini was a religious leader in Iran that saw General Zahedi's reforms as anti-Islamic. Khomeini and his followers soon began rioting  against the Shah's changes. It was these actions that lead to the exile of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1964. Above is a picture of General Zahedi and his wife.

Rioting Men and Women

Riot Leading to a Destructive Fire

During the these troubled times, the Shah became very reliant upon the United States. Although the Shah was facing opposition in Iran, his relationship with the United States was very strong. In 1977 Jimmy Carter said, "Iran because of the great leadership of the Shahs is an island of stability." ("Americans held hostage in Iran). But, the opposite seemed to be true. Even with the help of the S.A.V.A.H (Sazeman-i Ettelaat va Amniyat-i Keshvar) the Shah couldn't hold down the fort so to speak. On January 19th, 1979 the Shah fled Iran with his wife Empress Soraya . He began "...zig-zaging the world in search of a safe haven. He was also battling a serious illness, lymphoma."(VanSusteren) On October 22nd, 1979 the General arrived secretly in New York City to receive treatment. ..."All that exacerbated the situation with the Iranians."(Beckel).

Ayatollah Khomeini

News soon reached Ayatollah Khomeini, who returned to Iran on the 1st of February 1979 (BBC). His exile to France strengthened his opposition toward's the Shah ruling. Instead of putting an end to the rioting occurring in Iran, he supported it. Riots were becoming more intense. Islamic fundamentalists were burning American flags as well as effigies representing president Carter ("Americans held hostage in Iran").This marked the beginning of the Islamic Revolution. On December 31st The Islamic Republic of Iran was created. It was a theocratic state that was based around Islamic principles ("Islamic Republic of Iran"). All the drastic and extremist changes of 1979 influenced and led up to the Iranian Hostage Crisis.  

By storming the US Embassy in Tehran, the Iranians had one main goal. In exchange for the fifty-two american diplomats, they wanted General Zahedi. The Iranian people wouldn't be satisfied until Zahedi returned and payed for his "crimes". All the actions and reforms that he took while in office were seen as anti-Islamic as well as influenced directly from the "great satan", America. When intel reached America, President Carter had other pressing problems; inflation was above 10% and people were waiting in gas lines("Americans held hostage in Iran"). The repercussions placed on Iran weren't very drastic. On November 14, 1979 an arms embargo was placed and following on April 7, 1980 all exports to Iran were banned (Lawson). A Iran rescue mission was formed in April of 1980, but it was unsuccessful due to equipment failure. Below is President Carter's statement on the rescue mission.

                                                   Jimmy Carter- statement on rescue mission

Although Carter was taking appropriate actions against the Iranians, Americas were frustrated with his efforts. They felt that there was more he could do or more drastic actions that could be made. During this chaotic period, his popularity dropped to twenty percent. Just to get an idea, twenty percent was a lesser approval rating then Nixon during the Watergate Scandal (White House History). Finally on January 20th 1981, the fifty-two hostages were released, which was also the same day that Ronald Reagan was sworn into office (Lawson). Many people think that Carter wasn't as proactive as he couldn't been and attribute the release of the hostages to Reagan's campaign. But Ronald Reagan didn't have anything to do with the situation. The release was on inauguration day not a few day in. The success of Carter's campaign was handed over to Reagan along with the White House.

When I first began researching the topic I was certain that I would mention Argo,  the successful mission that brought home six American diplomats. Although incredible, I wanted to focus on something that I didn't know the answer to: What lead up to the Iranian Hostage Crisis? I was really intrigued by the history behind the event. It was also interesting to see how the relationship between the United States and Iran oscillated. When people mention the Iran Hostage Crisis they immediately think of Argo and the success  but I wanted to focus on the fifty-two diplomats that were left in the dark and the 444 days they endured in captivity.

Uncle Sam Takes a Stand

Uncle Sam Symbolic Character

These two posters also interested me. Both of them date back to the 1980's. In the poster on the left-handed side, Uncle Sam is clenching a newspaper with the headline "Hostages in Iran". In the poster on the right-hand side Uncle Sam is holding Ayatollah Khomeini. The reason I like these posters is because they symbolize strength. In both posters Uncle Sam is enraged and looks like he is not one to be reckoned with. Also, I found it humorous that the poster on the left side says, "Uncle Sam Wants To Kick Ass!". This is the first time I've seen propaganda that curses, let alone an Uncle Sam poster that cusses.



Sources:
BBC
White House History
Islamic Revolution of 1979- Krysta Wise
"Huffington Post's Howard Fineman talks politics and the internet"- University of Pennsylvania 
America Held Hostage- Don Lawson
New York Times
The Cold War Period- Leora Maltz
Fox News Reporting: Americans Held Hostage in Iran
VCE- "General Zahedi"
New York University- Shiva Balaghi
Islamic Republic of Iran- Iran Tracker

US History Research Project

Uncle Sam Symbolic Character

Uncle Sam Takes a Stand

                      The Iran Hostage Crisis

     On November 4th 1979, the US Embassy in Tehran, Iran was stormed by Iranian militants. Fifty-two workers were seized and held captive for a total of 444 days. In order to understand the reasoning behind this attack we must first analyze Iran's growing animosity towards the United States.

      Animosity had been brewing between the United States and Iran ever since the 1950's. The year 1951 marked the beginning of the Iranian Oil Nationalization Crisis. By nationalizing Anglo-Iranian oil, Mohammad Mossadegh crippled Britain's economy and began to worry the US. Since Britain had been reliant on Iran's oil for quite some while, they were furious and turned to the United States for help. The American Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) and the Secret Intelligence Service (S.I.S) in Britain combined efforts to overthrow Mossadegh, the leader of Iran. This coup or operation became known as Operation AJAX. The link will take you to the actual C.I.A. document composed in 1952. 

Handpicked by both the US and Britain, General Fazlollah Zahedi replaced Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953.  Upon becoming the new shah of Iran, Zahedi began trying to westernize





Sources:
BBC
White House History
"Huffington Post's Howard Fineman talks politics and the internet"- University of Pennsylvania 
America Held Hostage- Don Lawson
New York Times
The Cold War Period- Leora Maltz
Fox News Reporting: Americans Held Hostage in Iran
VCE- "General Zahedi"

The First Red Scare

In November 1917  a revolution was taking place in Russia.  This revolution was known as the Bolshevik Revolution and was a very controversial topic during the time. The "Reds" or people who encouraged communism were against The "Whites", those who opposed communism. The Whites believed that it was wrong to own everything communally and stressed that it would decrease not only peoples pride, but their ambition. The Reds believed that all people should be equal politically, economically,  and socially. By tossing social classes and concern for individual possession out of the equation Russia could transform itself. Russian's believed that communism could help them rebuild from the destruction of WWI and rejuvenate their infrastructure. Russia soon became a communist country and was then on refereed to as the Soviet Union. 

It was this ideology that scared Americans. People feared that the Soviet Union would try to spread their ways of communism throughout the world. In history this became known as The First Red Scare. Following WWI(1919-1920) American's were concerned for their futures as well as their country's. Most of this fear was spurred from the unknown: how many communists are in America, are anarchist a threat, is my security being compromised? Patrick Floyd, a teacher at San Antonio said, "If communists can take over Russia, than they can take over the United States as well."

People had reason to be frightened.Mitchell Palmer, the Attorney General of the United States had a bomb go off in front of his house. In response, he was moved to write "The Case Against the Reds". In his writing he discusses his position on communism. He said,"It [comunism] is eating its way into the homes of the American workmen.."  as well as, "...the American Government must prevent crime...". The bomb that was set off at his home was traced back to Italian anarchists. Another incident that happened during this time also was associated with expolosives. Thirty eight bombs were discovered in the post office in April of 1919. These bombs were in the process of being sent to American politician and capitalists  These event further scared the citizens of America.

People didn't know who to trust, so they turned to the government.The Government produced two major acts during this time: The Espionage Act and the Sedition Act. Both of these acts provided the same affects. Suspected communists, along with Southern and Eastern Europeans were prosecuted for doing little to nothing. Civil rights and liberties were violated in the process of protecting American citizens. In November of 1919 10,000 people were arrested and 245 were deported. Along with these people were: Emma Goldman, Joseph Yenowsky, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetli.

Emma Goldman was a feminist and anarchist who was deported back to the Soviet Union. Joseph Yenowsky was a Connecticut clothing salesman of Russian decent. He was pinned with six months in jail because he said, "Lenin is the greatest, the most brainiest man on the earth today." Although that does sound alarming, as Americans we do have the freedom of speech  Many Americans were prejudice against immigrants and saw them as a threat to the stability and security of America. In 1921 the Johnson Act was created for that sole purpose. It reduced the quota of immigrants. The case of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti is sometimes seen as one of the most controversial trails of the time. Both of these men were accused of robbing a bank and murdering someone in the process. Several American thought that they were innocent, but in the end, the were executed in August 23, 1927.

Nicola Sacco

Bartolomeo Vanzetti

Emma Goldman

             

Espionage and Sedition Acts

Sources:

Ohio History Center- This source helped me to define communism                                

Lockout by Michele Wucker- I used this source to get information about trials and cases of deportation

The Red Scare by Paul Burnett-This site helped me understand how the Bolshevik revolution affected theUS

The First Red Scare By Michael J. O'Neal- This source helped me understand the opposition immigrants faced

Between The War-This source provided quotations and the story about Joseph Yenowsky

AVL- This is a link to my avl source

The Case Against The Reds- Primary Source written by Mitchell Palmer

The Red Scare- This website informed me about the bombing by anarchists

Great White Fleet Source

Naval History & Heritage Command
AVL
-The Eagle and the Kangaroo: The Great White Fleet's Visit to Australia. Naval History. David Stevens
-How We Enjoyed The Sails of the Century. Daily Telegraph
-The Great White Fleet Returns Home. Sea Power. David F Winkler
Naval Historical Center
Library of Congress- Chronicling America
-Bisbee Daily Review
-The Commoner

Great White Fleet

Meet my gnomie! So far, I've figured out where my six stops will be, the dates, and found loads of newspaper articles(especially containing the Navy Department). I've made rough drafts of three postcards and come up with some ideas for the artwork. I need to find information on actually places that the sailors went when they arrived in Brazil, Australia,and Hawaii. I also need to find more information on the purpose of the fleet, because all the sources I have found contradict each other.

Officers Moving Casualties 

Nick Rotondo's: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

During the 1910’s New York City was a major producer of the nation’s clothing industry. New York City alone made 70% of the nation’s garments. The major factories that contributed to this were all located in downtown Manhattan. Within close proximity, and similar in function business owners were willing to cut corners. By cutting corners, they created unsafe environments for workers. One of these companies was the Triangle Waist Company. It was located on the northern corner of Washington Sq. and was a nine story building. On March 25, 1911 a fire struck inside of the building. Along with the numerous fire hazards, locked door caused the company to instantaneous go into flames; causing one of the worst disasters since the beginning of the industrial revolution

There were approximately 500 people that made up the working staff at the Triangle Waist Fire. Out of those 500 employees, 146 lost their lives to the fire of 1911. People were trapped inside the building with nowhere to turn. The fire escapes were collapsed, the doors were locked, and the firefighter’s ladders only reached the 6^th floor. People had to choose between being encompassed by the fire altogether, or taking a leap of faith. The fire fighters set up nets to catch jumpers. Ultimately, they failed and many more lost their lives. Most of the people who lost their lives were young, Jewish immigrants who came to the United States searching for a better life. Most of them found one similar or even worse.

Blanck and Harris, the owners of the Triangle Waist Company hired a subcontractor who ran the building. It is believed that they had no idea as to what the pay or conditions of their building were. They entrusted in a subcontractor because it meant two things: less stress and more leisure time. The company in turn was full of chaos. In a literal sense The Triangle Waist Company was a “sweatshop”. Women worked in close quarter and long hours only to receive little pay. They were treated less than human and ordered around by their supervisors. One of the reasons the doors inside of the building were locked was to keep workers in line. The business men were afraid that they would be distracted by others and dilly dally in the stair wells. Ultimately, locking the door caused the building to erupt in flames and destroy the building beyond repair.

After the fire, Blanck and Harris were indicted. They faced trial but never received any punishment because the building was approved by the Department of Buildings prior to the fire. Although charges were dropped they faced 23 civil suits and had to pay $75 dollars per life lost. In 1913 Max Blanck was charged with locking the doors again. This time he had to pay $25 dollars and apologize to the people.

The Triangle Waist Fire sparked the nation’s labor movement and improved the rights of the workers. Women workers especially began to be acknowledged for their skill and education. The Factory Investigating Commission (FIC) issued a series of reports to reform the modern labor conditions. NYC legislation also passed 8 new bills. Brue Raynor, President of Workers United said in regards to the fire, “It was an incredibly galvanizing event for the nations labor movement and the rights of workers. After Triangle, people were so shocked, not only by the terrible disaster, but by the drama of these young immigrant women who were treated as less than human by their boss.’

Women Workers

Working Space 

Mourning Their Lost Ones

 Links:

New York Times Upfront

My Jewish Learning

Cornell University "Remebering The 1911 Triangle Fire"

Cornell University ILR School

"Leap For Life, Leap of Death

Faces of America

Recently our class finished watching the first episode of Faces of America. In this video Henry Louis Gates Jr. explores and researches the history of twelve outstanding individuals. A few people seen throughout the video are: Yo-Yo Ma, Eva Longoria, and Meryl Steep. With the help of Henry, these celebrities trace their family history and become enlightened with facts that they never knew. For example, Yo-Yo Ma who know little going into his meeting with Mr. Gates, came out with completely new knowledge about his family lineage. One of his cousins had hidden the Ma family's genealogy tracing back to the year 1217. Watching this particular video made me realize how narrow minded we are as humans. Sometimes we get caught up in dealing with our own agendas and forget where we came from. Its spectacular to think about all the people that came before us in history and in our individual families. If one relationship was altered along my family tree I might not be here right now. In retrospect, this video does a great job of showing how important it is for everyone to learn more about their family lineage. With a little digging, you'll never know what you could find.

America is a country built off of pride, success, and opportunities. As Americans we pride ourselves with being apart of one of the best countries of the world. But how did we get here? How did we become as successful as we are present day? The ones that came before us are accredited with moving along the nation and growing into a success story. Our ancestors, especially immigrant ancestors played a major role in the rise of our nation. They came from all parts of the world with hope and ambition. Many of them had to say goodbye to loved ones, knowing that they'd never be reunited. Others dropped their lives on their cozy farms and moved into industrial parts of the country. They weren't afraid of facing change or starting a new life as long as it would better the lives of their children or next generation. That is why it is important for everyone to take care of our nation now. We have to eliminate debt, build our country up, and vote for whoever we believe will further our nation and preserve it for the ones following us.