History 102 - Assignments and Directions

All of my comments will be italicized! Thank you for helping me out :)

9 Professor Questions
Directions: The following questions must be thoroughly answered in at LEAST 1 paragraph. All of
the information must have the source at the bottom. So basically, just copy and paste the web
address of the website you got the information from at the bottom of the paragraph. If you do plan
on using wikipedia, it must be matched by one other non-wiki source. I personally just use wiki for
minor details, rarely at that, and get the majority of my information from other websites. There is
no need to use in-text citations, just a simple link at the bottom will do.

1. Explain, using specific examples of culture, economics and social conditions, how the
Depression was both a societal and psychological collapse on a scale unprecedented in
American history.

2. What were the conditions that caused the Dust Bowl, and what massive internal
migration did it trigger from the affected areas to central and northern California? Also,
what classic book fictionally chronicled one family's Dust Bowl experience, and what was
life like in the midst of the notorious 'black blizzards'?

3. Why was the New Deal such a drastic break with over 150 years of U.S. history upon its
gradual implementation, in terms of the end of laissez-faire government and the beginning
of the modern welfare state? What is the non-politicized meaning of 'liberalism', and who
were the members of FDR's 'Brains Trust' that forumulated the New Deal acts?

4. What events between the U.S. and Japan culminated in the attack on Pearl Harbor, and
why did FDR describe Dec. 7, 1941 as 'a date that will live in infamy'? Also, give examples
of the reaction to Pearl Harbor in California and the immediate backlash against Japanese-
Americans.

5. Explain what is meant by the term 'Cold Warrior', and why they were so
uncompromising when it came to Soviet expansionism. Who were pominent cold warriors
of the 1950s, and how did the actions of such ambitious politicians as Richard Nixon and
Joseph McCarthy unleash a Red Scare frenzy on the nation?

6. How did Martin Luther King, Jr.'s classic, self-written 'I Have A Dream' speech draw on
American Revolution and pre-Civil War history to make its powerful points? Support your
answer with direct quotes from the speech. In wahat ways was MLK himself a
revolutionary, and how did the Civil Rights movement he led ultimately fulfill the pure
meaning of the Constitution for all Americans?

7. Why did three presidents, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon,
respectively introduce U.S. troops to, escalate and widen the war in Vietnam despite its
growing unpopularity and ultimate national divisiveness?

8. Explain who and what comprised 'the establishment' that the flower children generation
blamed for not only the war in Vietnam, but also continuing racial inequality and excessive
corporate power. Who were some of the high profile leaders of American anti-war
movement, and what were the influences of counterculture music, fashion and literature
on the era?

9. Explain the role and rise of evangelical Christianity in Reagan era politics, and why it
was and continues to be so influential. Over what social issues did the conservative 'right'
and more liberal 'left' battle over in the 1980s and 90s?
Historical Essay
Directions copied from syllabus:
Three, two-page, single spaced papers will be due and are seperate from and in addition to
the exam essays, see above important dates for due dates. The subject of each should be
two issues, people, historical events, places or trends of your choice from the eras we are
studying at the time in the course. You may approach them as two seperate, one-page
papers on different topics, if you prefer; papers may be written and submitted at any time
in advance of the deadlines. You are welcome to run the topics by me if you'd like, but it is
not required. Remember to attribute all quotes, paraphrases, facts, ect. Each paper is
worth a total of 30 points, and completion of all three is required to earn a passing grade
for this course. Paper topics must be different than exam question topics.

So, a 2 page, single-spaced essay on anything during this time period. (1920s on) The citation
style is the same (links to websites at the bottom of the essay)

Final Exam Questions:

Pick 2 Questions of Your Choice

1) Writing from a first-person perspective as President Franklin Roosevelt, justify your
reasons for supporting England at all costs and entering the Allied side in World War II.
Incorporate political, economic and strategic reasons including the domestic isolationist
movement, rise of fascist dictators in Europe and Asia, the Lend-Lease program, the
American economy, and the attack on Pearl Harbor, among others. Then, continuing in
first-person as an isolationist U.S. senator before Pearl Harbor, explain opposition to
coming to England’s aid again. Why would entering the war not be in America’s best
interest in terms of the national economy, the experience of World War I, setting a military
precedent and possible threats to America’s coasts, among other supporting reasons.

2) From the viewpoint of a Freedom Rider during the civil rights era, explain the essence of
what the civil rights movement is trying to achieve by attempting to end segregation.
Include analysis of and specific references to the Freedom Rides, Rosa Parks, sit-ins,
boycotts in Montgomery and other places, Brown v. Board of Education, Rev. Martin
Luther King, Jr., activist college students, Emmett Till and the Civil Rights Acts of 1957
and 1964, among others. Then, as a follower of Malcolm X’s movement, detail your
justification for taking a more confrontational approach to the struggle for civil rights.
Include explanations of and references to institutionalized racism, the war in Viet Nam,
unsolved civil rights era murders and assassinations, the Watts riot, Black Power
movement, and the philosophy of ‘by any means necessary,’ among other supporting
reasons.

3) As an editorial writer for the New York Times during the House Un-American Committee
hearings, explain to your readership in a well-structured and factually supported opinion
piece why the Red Scare has become a dangerous witch hunt and the biggest threat to
America are people like Sen. Joseph McCarthy, not communism. Then, from the
perspective of a more conservative editorial writer for the Washington Post, explain why
the hunt for and fight against communists is the most important issue facing the nation in
the 1950s. Include references to specific cold warriors, the Hollywood entertainment
community and HUAC, bomb shelters, Joseph Stalin, Viet Nam, divided Germany and
Berlin as well as the Iron Curtain, among other supporting reasons.
4) From the viewpoint a ‘Yippie’ protesting the Vietnam War, explain why American military
involvement in Southeast Asia is unjustified and a threat posed to U.S. society by the
ruling ‘establishment.’ Include analysis of the Tet Offensive, body counts, the MLK and
RFK assassinations, the war draft, perceptions of government dishonesty, peace
movement, Presidents Johnson and Nixon, as well as the Beatles and new rock music,
and 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Then, from the viewpoint of a cold
warrior U.S. senator, explain why the North Vietnamese army must be prevented from
taking over S. Vietnam and why the policy of containment is crucial to world peace.
Include analysis of the goals of communism, the Truman Doctrine, East Berlin, dislike of
hippie values, the communist threat to Asia, the domino theory and Eastern Europe, the
nuclear arms race, among other supporting reasons.

Short Identifications

Identify six of the following; for full credit, each answer should be at least two full sentences. First
person style is not necessary. Just define 6 of these in two sentences.

1) Tet Offensive

2) Julius & Ethel Rosenberg

3) Normandy

4) Rosie the Riveter

5) ‘Duck and cover’

6) Roe v. Wade

7) Domino theory

8) Cold warriors

9) Iran-Contra scandal
10) Containment policy

11) Hiroshima

12) 1968 Democratic Convention

13) Montgomery, Alabama