When we learn about American History, we are not taught anything about the historical city of Cahokia. This former city is located within 30 miles of where St. Louis is located in Illinois. This city thrived by 1250 AD, and at around that time, the city had 20,000 residents. This was the largest city in the America's at the time, and was larger than major European cities such as London. It would not be until 1800 that Philadelphia would have a population that reached the height of Cahokia. However, this ancient city had a downfall by 1350 and this can be attributed to an increase in warfare and natural resource depletion. Cahokia expanded and ultimately became too powerful. As the city grew, the more trees were cut. The age of Cahokia was famous for mound building in which the Native Americans would carry by hand soil in a bucket to build up these mounds. More than 120 mounds were located in Cahokia, however the earth was shifted by these mounds.

The depletion of natural resources in Cahokia led to its collapse, and by 1400 AD it was completely dead and abandoned. We are not taught about this city in school, and is a quiet subject in universities because there are very few written records. However, it is time that the American government and media recognizes the rise and fall of this once prosperous city and realizes that society collapsed due to resource depletion in Cahokia. We are not doing enough today, letting big corporations mine coal in destructive ways, freely drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, and depleting the United States of it hardwood trees.

We are mining as much coal these days, but it is continuously proving that is not an approach we can afford to take if we are going to ensure the survival of American society. Thinking locally, West Virginia has some of the best trees and mountains, but to allow large corporations and treat this wild and wonderful as a colony has lead the state into poverty. West Virginian are part of a strong culture but as we have seen excessive natural resource depletion has already led to a poorer quality of life within WV.

To contribute to the downfall of society, the United States is the most obese country in the world with a rate of 30%. In order to cut ourselves down, we need to cut down how much we produce. We are a thriving nation, but we are on a slope downward. Due to obesity, this is the first generation of children that will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. If this is not a wake-up call, I don't know what is.

We need to recognize the hegemonic effect that Cahokia had on society, and because they expanded so fast they fell. It happened to the Holy Roman Empire, and it could very well happen to the United States. It is time that we take a step back. This will difficult to do, and it will take recognition by corporate giants that they are harming the society around them. Unfortunately people like Massey C.E.O. Donald Blankenship does not appear to care about the society around him. He did not care to protect the safety of miners or the people who live in communities around strip mines. 32 people have died from mining accidents in the Appalachian Region in the month of April. To conclude, the everyday American does not know about Cahokia. We need to learn about this city because the sooner we learn to take a step back will be when we can make a leap forward for the everyday life of society.