The People

     Throughout the entire spectrum of history people have always been implementing their new innovative ideas to make their time better, or possibly worse. There have been people of all races and both genders, young and old who changed history. Throughout the curves of history though, the people who truly made anything at all possible and was the reason for so many changes to have occurred have been forgotten. There were millions of thousands of people and definitely more than that who have been born, lived, and died, possibly doing something for humanity directly or indirectly and not been remembered for it. While it is true that great leaders, tyrants, the ones who took a stand to fight, even people who made blunders that affected humanity are remembered, it cannot be overlooked who these people were ultimately doing everything for: The People. Anything that anyone ever did was not only reserved for the big shots, the ones who made it into the history books. History has made us think that, though, by shining the light so much on the people like presidents and leaders, hardly mentioning a soldier who risked his life every day. History does not know much about the common man, even though it is he who made history what it is today.  

                                                                                                                                    

          A blatant example of how the people did indeed shape history but are not clearly recognized for it is in Ancient Egypt, when the pyramids were being built. The pyramids were crafted through back breaking labor by the farmers and craftsmen of Egypt. These workers worked hours and hours for years creating these spectacular monuments that still cause architects troubling mysteries. This is what Egypt is most known for and it was not created by the kings or queens of the area but by men who cannot even be named. It is clear that these gigantic tombs were integral in Egyptian culture as the pyramids were the locations of royal burial (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/greatpyramid01.shtml). The men who made these pyramids with their own hands are the actual makers of history, as it is their work that has stood for many millennia.

                                                                                                                                               

          When World War Two is mentioned, the main icon during that entire war was inarguably Adolf Hitler. People always think of him as the cause of the genocide of millions of Jews, Poles, Romani, Soviet civilians, Soviet prisoners of war, people with disabilities, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other political and religious opponents (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust). Even though this is a much different scenario than the creation of the Pyramids, everything is a part of history. Most people do know the collective term for the troops under the command of Adolf Hitler as Nazis (Nationalist Social German Worker’s Party)

 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism). It was these soldiers who were really the main factors in the Holocaust. The Nazis were the people who fought against those they identified as “life unworthy of life.” They persecuted them religiously in some cases and under direct orders from their superiors. The Nazis were the ones who ran the concentration camps where millions of innocent people met their ends. This is a prime example of how the people can negatively affect history. This is not to say the entire fiasco of World War Two was comprised of the Nazis and their genocide against millions. The opposing party of the Axis powers was the Allies. The Allied powers were a select group of countries who were fighting for the freedom of those held captive by the Axis powers. The Allies were represented by Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill, but again it is the people who were not represented who did the most and changed history. The Allied troops risked their lives to fight for what they believed to be right and changed the history of the entire world. For example, in 1943 the Allies were making their way through Italy. They were a formidable group and overtook many obstacles, making German, and Italian forces recede into defeat. Over in the Pacific Allied forces were gaining territory over the Japanese and progressing into significant points in which they could become even larger threats to the Axis powers (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ww2_summary_01.shtml). In these cases it inarguably the actions of the soldiers in there on the battlefield that truly shaped history.    

                                                             During the African- American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) a man stands out from the rest of those involved in the Movement. His name was Martin Luther King, Jr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a young Baptist minister who organized countless boycotts, marches, and other means of protest. He gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech on August 28, 1963 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African American_Civil_Rights_Movement_(1955–1968)). In this speech he promoted the welfare and civil rights of all people, everywhere. While it is this man that everyone recognizes as the one who changed history, it is again more complicated than that. While Martin Luther King, Jr. was a bold leader of the Civil Rights movement, it was who he was fighting for that is truly important in history’s eyes. He was fighting for the men, women, and children who had suffered through suppression and slavery from the beginning. These people were right next to Martin Luther King, Jr. when he presented his speech and stood right with him when he led the marches and boycotts and were the reasons he fought so hard. The people were the ones who were responsible for his actions. The people were the true reason that history was changed and the new era began.                                                                                               

          Since the beginnings of time and civilizations, certain people are remembered more than others. But this does not necessarily make them more iconic or important than anyone else who has lived their lives. It is when groups of people form together and collaborate and force history to change that is important. Nothing could have ever changed, or at the very least progressed painstakingly slow, without the aid of the people, the common man who seeks for his beliefs to be recognized in the entire scope of history.


"African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.". Web. 20 Feb. 2010. <http://tinyurl.com/4fs463>.


"BBC - History - Ancient History in depth: Building the Great Pyramid." BBC - Homepage. Web. 19 Feb. 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/great_pyramid_01.shtml>.


"BBC - History - World Wars: World War Two: Summary Outline of Key Events." BBC - Homepage. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/ww2_summary_01.shtml>.


"The Holocaust -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holocaust>.


"Nazism -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism>.