The book provides an image of a rock breaking in half which serves as a metaphor for the “looming split between the American colonies and Britain” (pg. 351). Eventually, this metaphor proves to be true as American colonies gain independence from the English government. However, it is important to note that such detachment did not happen naturally; many organizations, some of them being covert, worked restlessly towards America’s independence. For instance, the Sons of Liberty clandestinely and continuously fought for the rights of the colonists and fought against the excessive taxation of the English colonists especially after the introduction of the Stamp Act (1765). The colonies’ liberty from English control fits into the theme of Politics and Power which is similarly displayed in other circumstances. For instance, Rosa Parks fought for black rights in the Montgomery Bus Boycott in an effort to congregate the blacks and the whites in public spaces such as buses. Although what Sons of Liberty and Rosa Parks fought specifically for were different, both were similar in that they fought for the greater picture of liberty in the theme of Politics and …show more content…
In 1616, an epidemic swept out the pre-existing Native American population in the southeastern coast of modern day Massachusetts. The book’s description that “so terrible is the apprehension of an infectious disease, that not only persons, but the houses and the whole town, take flight” lucidly shows how infectious diseases lethally affected human lives (pg. 79). Infectious diseases resulted from the interaction between the “New World” and the “Old World”, and such exchange of diseases infected both parties. The trade of infectious diseases still remain widespread today. One noteworthy example is Zika fever, which is currently affecting the lives of many Americans and others around the world, as something as trivial as a mosquito bite can transmit this fatal disease to several regions in the world. As societies develop to be more connected and trades become easier and more commonplace due to globalization, the risk of transmitting infectious diseases trouble many nations as a single disease can wipe out a settlement with a long history like the demise of the New England Native American population from 1616 to