

     The purpose of this historiographical report is to take a look at the affects of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, Operation Mongoose and other attempted coups by the United States to discover their impact on Cuba. It will look at how it positively affected the Caribbean island country and how it has negatively affected it. The essay will use these sources to discover if there are any lasting impacts even still today on the Cuban people. 

     This report will also find sources which speak about the impact from the Soviet Union's part in these events. The author will discover sources discussing impacts from a soviet point of view and a Cuban point of view to see what – if any – positives or negatives came from the spreading of the iron curtain to the Caribbean. 

    This essay's purpose is justified because it seeks to look at the affects of Cuba while traditionally more of the spotlight is shined on the superpowers of the United States and the U.S.S.R while seeing Cuba as merely a pawn, or location for the events. It will be able to look at how Cuba has become what it is today and how these events impacted the country, including the rise of Fidel Castro and if the events truly helped him gain power. 

    By viewing these secondary sources on this topic, the author of this report can find a large amount of accounts of the events which fall on all sides of the spectrum in order to avoid a biased report. 


    

      The biggest mistake any citizen of the United States of America can make is that we actually have a vote that counts. You can not avoid the phrase “Every vote counts!” that is spewed out of mouths every Presidential election. “Yes we can!” Should be “Yes we probably can, you have your say, but nothing is guaranteed!” According to (American Government, 2009) Thomas Jefferson called it “The most dangerous blot on our Constitution” (p. 141). Even more, it is a threat to the rights of citizens, and the things that the revolutionary soldiers fought against. That thing is the electoral college.

     The election of 2000 is still very clear in the minds of adults and children old enough to remember it. The confusion, the court battles and the constant recounts. (The American President, 2007) states the final tally of votes as “Bush: 50,460,110; Gore: 51,003,926” With a victory margin of 543,816 votes (just short of the population of Wyoming.) I am proud to say congratulations to President Albert Arnold Gore! However, that is not the direction that history took; a sad reminder of our flawed system. 

     While Albert Gore held the popular vote by a sizable margin, it was the electoral vote which gave George W. Bush the victory with a total of 271 electoral votes over Gore's 266. The average citizen was shocked, and those who voted for Albert Gore felt cheated out of their rightfully earned victory. 