STUDY GUIDE

U.S. History 2, HIST 1302

2021-2022

 

Dr. T. Thomas, Professor, History

Austin Community College

 

 

 

Copyright 2022 –DO NOT post this material on any Internet site, such as Quizlet. 

It is a violation of course policy and a violation of copyright to post this information anywhere on the Internet without my permission.

 

 

SUCCESS IN THIS COURSE

 

UNDERSTANDING HISTORY AND THE STUDY OF HISTORY

 

History is not about “memorizing” data, facts, names, and dates.  History is about knowing and understanding the past and its impact on the present:  what happened, when and where, who was involved, what motivated the participants, why events happened, and the consequences and significance of those events/actions. In order to be successful in this course, you must know the “who, what, when, where and why” but also the “connections” between people and events, the “motivations”, and the “consequences (short-term and long-term)” of the events of the past. Memorizing can be helpful, but it will not give you a complete understanding of history.

 

USING THIS STUDY GUIDE

 

The questions in this Study Guide are designed to help you achieve a greater understanding of the past.  Some of the questions are easy to answer; some require you to analyze what you have read and arrive at the best answer.  Some answers are short; some are long (multi-part).

 

The study questions in this guide are provided to help you achieve success on the exams and in this course and are not to be turned in to me. I don’t review your answers, but will be happy to discuss with you, any that you don’t understand or feel unsure of. All answers are to be found on the Textbook.  Do NOT “Google” the questions.  Find them in the textbook.

 

MORE STUDY TIPS

Here are some other suggestions for achieving success in this course:

§  Read the chapter first, to get a good overview of what the chapter is about. Pay attention to the chapter subheadings (subtitles).  They are often clues to the important themes of a chapter.  Similarly, pay attention to the opening paragraph of each section - here you will usually find the thesis, or "main point" of a section.

§  Then read the chapter again, answering the study questions.

§  Write short but complete answers to each of these study questions. Use a “bulleted” format (that is, a “list”) for your answers. Some students use index cards, writing one question/answer on each card.

§  Don't just highlight the answers in your textbook - write them.

§  Read with a dictionary.  Look up any word whose meaning you don’t know.

§  Approach this course as you would a job. Set aside a specific time each day - or every other day - to work on reading and study questions.  This is your work schedule; honor it as you would your job schedule.

§  Work on the reading and study questions gradually, completing small amounts of work each day (or every other day).  Research shows that people retain information better if they work for no more than 2 hours at one task.  For example, on Mondays from 2-4 pm, read half the chapter.  On Tuesday, read the other half.  On Wednesday, write out the first 20 study questions; on Thursday, the next 20, and so on. Don't try to do all the reading and the study questions the night before the exam.  "Cramming" is not an effective, nor is it a successful study method.

§  If you have any trouble understanding the questions – or finding answers, or if you are unsure of your answers, contact me for clarification.

Additional Study Tips are available in the dark blue section of the Course page in Blackboard, and other “Success Tools” will be posted in the “Announcements” link for this class in Blackboard.

WHAT IS COVERED ON EACH EXAM?

 

Exam questions are based on the questions in this Study Guide. There are about 15 questions for each chapter. There are 3 or 4 Chapters in a “UNIT”. The following table gives you the chapters that are included in the UNIT Exams, along with how the exams are graded. See the Course Syllabus (in Blackboard) for more information on taking Exams.

 

EXAM Number

Map Test  (see pages below)

UNIT 1 (covers Chapters 17 - 20)

UNIT 2 (covers Chapters 21 - 24)

UNIT 3 (covers Chapters 25 - 27)

UNIT 4 (covers Chapters 28 - 31)

 

 

 

MAP TEST

 

Because the history of the United States was shaped and influenced to a large degree by the geography of the continent, it is important for you to know some basic North American geography. 

 

FORMAT & GRADING

 

Your first test will be a 30-question, multiple choice Map Test.

§  The Map Test is taken on computer (see syllabus for instructions).

§  You’ll have 35 minutes to complete the exam (most students finish in 15 minutes or less)

§  When you take your exam, you will be shown each question, along with a map of North America, with items already marked. 

§  You will be asked to identify 30 of the items that are marked – from the list below.  

§  The MAP TEST is graded from 0% to 100%.  Each question is worth 3.33 points.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

 

You should be able to locate these items on a map:

 

Canada                                            

Mexico                                             

Each of the 50 states of the United States

 

Appalachian Mountains              

Great Plains                                    

Rocky Mountains                          

 

Atlantic Ocean                               

Pacific Ocean                                 

Gulf of Mexico                                

All 5 Great Lakes

Chesapeake Bay                          

Columbia River

Hudson River                                

Mississippi River

Missouri River

Ohio River

Red River

Rio Grande River

 

Austin, TX

Boston, MA

Charleston, SC

Chicago, IL

New York City

Philadelphia, PA

Richmond, VA

San Francisco, CA

Washington, D.C.

 

 

 

Below are 3 LINKS to an interactive site that can help you study for the Map Test. 

 

Interactive Geography Practice Quizzes

 

 

 

 

 

UNIT 1   (Chapters 17 - 20)

 

(NOTE: This class does not cover Chapter 16)

 

Chapter 17 – The Contested West, 1865 - 1900

 

This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

 

§     In the late 19th century, western expansion of the U.S. resulted in profound changes – social, economic, political, demographic, environmental, and political changes. The changes impacted both east and west.  And with change, came conflict.

§     What were the consequences of westward expansion? That is, what impact did settlers have on the people, land and resources of the West?

§     How did western expansion bring about conflict – ethnic, cultural, racial, economic, and political conflict?

 

1.         Define “Manifest Destiny”.

2.         Describe how Native American reservations resembled “colonial” societies.

3.         Explain how the Indian empire of Comanchería was destroyed in the 1870s.

4.         Discuss the outcomes of the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

5.         Describe how institutions such as the Carlisle Indian School sought to “civilize” Native Americans.

6.         Discuss the provisions, and the consequences of the Dawes Allotment Act of 1887.

7.         Describe the non-violent form of resistance employed by Native Americans on the Plains by the 1880s and its effect on the white population.

8.         Describe a typical mining town of the “Wild West”.

9.         Define “buffalo soldier”. 

10.       Define “nativism” and describe how it affected California’s Chinese population.

11.       Discuss the factors that stimulated a land rush in the trans-Mississippi West.

12.       Identify the invention that revolutionized cattle ranching and discuss how it changed cattle ranching.

13.       Define “vaquero” and discuss the fate of the vaqueros by the 1880s.

14.       Define “agribusiness” and discuss the factors that transformed family farms into agri-businesses.

15.       Explain how western territories were governed by the federal government’s policy of “benign neglect”.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 18 – The Gilded Age, 1865-1900

 

This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

§  In the late 19th century, the U.S. experienced an Industrial Revolution.  What factors contributed to this industrial expansion – and how did this “revolution” impact nearly every aspect – social, economic, and political - of Americans’ lives?

§  What is meant by the term “Gilded Age”? What does it mean to say that an object is “gilded” – and how did “gilded” become a metaphor used to describe American society in the late 19th century?

§  How did growth, expansion, and cultural diversity in the Gilded Age impact politics in the U.S.?

§  Which was more powerful in the Gilded Age: government or big business?

 

16.       Discuss how federal, state, and local governments aided the development of the railroads.

17.       Identify America’s early railroad tycoons.

18.       Name the man who came to dominate the steel industry and describe how he did it.

19.       Name the man who came to monopolize the oil industry and describe how he did it.

20.       Identify the inventions that revolutionized American lives and businesses in the Gilded Age.

21.       Define “finance capitalism” and name America’s preeminent Gilded Age finance capitalist.

22.       Define “social Darwinism”.

23.      Explain how the social Darwinist philosophy was used to justify the accumulation of wealth and economic power.

24.       Summarize the economic theory of “Laissez-faire” capitalism.

25.       Define “spoils system” and explain how it resulted in strengthening political parties in the Gilded Age.

26.       Show how religion and ethnicity played a significant role in Gilded Age political party affiliations.

27.       Discuss the components of the New South’s economy.

28.       Discuss Ida B. Wells’ campaign against racism in the New South.

29.      Show how women organized to effect social change in Gilded Age society.

30.       Name the group of reformers from Massachusetts and New York, who worked to eliminate the spoils system that characterized Gilded Age politics.

31.       Identify the federal legislative attempts to curb the power of big business on behalf of the public interest.

32.       Discuss why farmers from the west and south supported free silver.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 19 – The City & Its Workers, 1870-1900

 

This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

 

§  The Industrial Revolution was driven by – and helped fuel – mass immigration and rapid urbanization.

§  In what ways did industrialization, mass immigration, and urbanization bring about social, economic, political, and demographic changes in the U.S.?

§  In what ways did industrialization impact the U.S. in beneficial (or “positive”) ways?  In what ways were the consequences detrimental to the U.S.?

§  How did people live and work in Gilded Age cities?

 

33.       Explain the ways in which building the Brooklyn Bridge symbolized America’s Industrial Revolution.

34.       Compare America’s typical European immigrant before 1880 to the typical

immigrant after 1880.

35.       Describe the urban experience of most African Americans who migrated from the south to northern cities in the Gilded Age.

36.       Identify the author and the book that documented the lives of New York City’s immigrant poor.

37.       Enumerate the increase in child labor from 1870 to 1900.

38.       Describe how women in the cities entered the white-collar workforce in greater numbers by the late 19th century.

39.      Explain how the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 helped to promote the growth of labor unions. 

40.       List the era’s prominent labor unions and their leaders.

41.       Discuss the consequences of the bombing at the Haymarket Square rally.

42.       Define the “cult of domesticity”.

43.       Describe how municipal governments improved city life.

44.       Define political party “boss” and “machine” and discuss their impact on Gilded Age cities.

45.       Discuss how the World’s Columbian Exposition was representative of Gilded Age America.

 

 

 

Chapter 20 – Dissent, Depression, & War, 1890-1900

 

This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

§  Industrialization, immigration, and urbanization profoundly changed American society in the Gilded Age (and beyond).

§  With change, came disagreements, problems and issues: in short, conflict. Some examples of Gilded Age conflicts: racial, ethnic, & social class conflicts, workplace conflicts, economic & political conflicts, ideological conflicts.

§  How did the changes and conflicts in American society impact politics: political parties, political philosophies, electoral behavior?

§  To what extent did industrialization impact America’s foreign policy?

 

46.       Identify the problems and issues facing farmers.

47.       List the components of the People’s (Populist) Party plan to help farmers.

48.       Identify the problems and issues facing industrial laborers.

49.       Discuss the consequences of the Homestead Steel “lockout”.

50.       Identify the labor action that demonstrated the power of the government in the nation’s labor wars.

51.       Explain how the “injunction” was used to break the Pullman strike.

52.       Name the founder of the Socialist Party in America.

53.       Discuss the rationale behind women’s support for the temperance movement.

54.       Explain Frances Willard’s use of the “cult of domesticity” to argue for woman suffrage.

55.       Identify the most prominent issue of the presidential election of 1896, championed by candidate William Jennings Bryan.

56.       Identify the factors that prompted America’s overseas expansion by the 1890s.

57.      Identify the foreign policy that established the western hemisphere as an American “sphere of influence”.

58.       Discuss the consequences of John Hay’s Open Door policy in China.

59.       Explain what motivated the U.S. to go to war with Spain in 1898.

60.       Describe the new American “empire” that resulted from the Treaty of Paris in 1898.

 

 

 

UNIT 2  (Chapters 21 - 24)

 

Chapter 21 – Progressive Reform, 1890-1916

 

This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

§  The dawning of a new century (20th century) brought with it the “Progressive Era” – a period of “reform” – that lasts until about 1917. We can define “reform” as “positive change”. 

§  Progressive reformers generally believed that America was a great country – a land of opportunity; but there were problems in America. So part of what motivated reformers was a patriotic (or, “nationalistic”) belief that they should work to maintain America’s status as a great nation of the world.

§  In general, Progressive reformers sought to “fix” what needed fixing in America.  You’ll recall that the country had undergone significant changes during the Gilded Age: specifically, industrialization, urbanization, and mass immigration.

§  Not all the changes of the Gilded Age were positive, so Progressives hoped to improve whatever had “gone wrong” during the Gilded Age. Progressives wanted permanent, “systemic” changes – and they had some very specific methods that they hoped would bring positive change. 

§  For example, Progressive reformers knew that collective (group) action would more likely bring systemic change than individual action, so they established clubs, organizations, committees, and professional interest groups to work for change. Examples would be the National Child Labor Committee, the American Medical Association; and the Federation of Women’s Clubs.

§  Reformers grew up in a period of great innovation, invention, and creativity – so they were dedicated to using science, technology, and the investigative process – to bring about positive changes. They would investigate problems, and use science, technology, and innovative methods to solve these problems.

§  In general, Progressive reformers also believed that government could be used to help bring about positive change, so they sought to expand government’s role (especially the federal government) as a mechanism of change. This created a new expectation among people that government should promote positive change - for example, by passing reform legislation (laws).

§  Different reformers were dedicated to different types of reforms:  some wanted to reform what they saw as corruption in politics (especially the “boss” politics and their political “machines”).  Some wanted to eradicate poverty, overcrowding, crime, vice and other social problems particular to urban areas.  Some worked on behalf of workers’ rights – better wages, hours, and working conditions.  Some wanted to improve business and industry – to make businesses more efficient and profitable. Some worked to reign in the power of big business – especially monopolies.

§  There were limits to Progressive reforms, however. Some Progressive reformers saw African Americans, Asians, Mexican Americans, Jews, Catholics, and recent immigrants from southern and eastern Europe as “obstacles” to progress. These reformers believed in limiting the power and participation of the people that they viewed as being “in the way” of American excellence. They worked to limit immigration of people that they considered “undesirable”.  While some Progressive reformers sought to help immigrants, others sought to prevent further immigration. To keep African Americans and Mexican Americans in a deferential and subservient position, some progressive reformers worked to establish segregation laws (called “Jim Crow” laws), to limit educational and economic opportunities, and to prevent political participation.

§  African Americans, Mexican Americans, and other “marginalized” people, however, did not stand idly by – they, too, were Progressive reformers.  They worked to reverse the discriminatory actions and to empower their communities through the courts, through political action, and by establishing organizations such as the NAACP – that would advocate for their legal, civil, and political rights. The Progressive Era brought racially-motivated violence and discrimination – but it also prompted a civil rights movement that continued well beyond the 1910s.

§  The Progressive Era was a very broad-based, and in many cases, “grassroots” reform movement.  It included people – “activists” - from all walks of life, social classes, political affiliations, geographic areas, races, ethnicities, and genders.

§  How did reformers impact American society (positively or negatively) in the short term?  How do some of these reforms still impact society over the long term – even today? 

 

 

1.         Explain what Jane Addams and the other reformers at Hull House hoped to accomplish.

2.         Name the Progressive reformer who pioneered public health nursing in urban neighborhoods.

3.         Compare the meaning of “social gospel” with “gospel of wealth”.

4.         Explain how “nativism” was a component of the temperance movement.

5.         Discuss the membership and goals of the Women’s Trade Union League.

6.         Summarize the “reform Darwinism” philosophy, a sargued by Progressive sociologists.

7.         Identify the progressive governor of Wisconsin and his progressive reforms at the state level.

8.         Explain Teddy Roosevelt’s trust policy and how he enforced it.

9.         Identify the progressive legislation passed during Teddy Roosevelt’s second term.

10.       Explain what Teddy Roosevelt meant when he said “speak softly but carry a big stick”.

11.       Show where the U.S. asserted its role as an international “policing” power during the Roosevelt administrations.

12.       Describe William Howard Taft’s foreign policy and its consequences.

13.       Identify the Wilson administration’s domestic legislative accomplishments.

14.      Identify the founder of birth control movement and the movement’s progressive goals.

15.       Describe Jim Crow laws and the judicial action(s) that supported Jim Crow.

16.       Discuss the leadership and the goals of the Niagara movement.

 

 

Chapter 22 – World War I: The Progressive Crusade, 1914-1920

 

This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

§  In some ways, the “Great War” (as World War I was originally called) was a foreign policy outgrowth of Progressive reforms.  Woodrow Wilson called it “the war to end all wars” – a goal that was very typical of Progressives’ optimism and idealism.

§  However, America’s involvement in the War and problems in the post-War period exposed deep conflicts in American society – conflicts that signaled an end to many Progressive Era reform efforts.

§  How and why did the U.S. eventually abandon its position of “absolute neutrality” with a declaration of war in 1917?

§  What was happening on the home front, as war raged on the battle front?

§  How did the “crisis” of war and the post-War economic upheaval impact civil liberties in the U.S.?

§  How did the Treaty of Versailles set the stage for future world conflict?

§  In what ways did the U.S. experience conflict in the post-War period?

 

 

17.       Discuss Woodrow Wilson’s belief(s) concerning the U.S.’s role in interna

tional affairs.

18.       List the members of the Triple Alliance (also called the “Central Powers”) and the Triple Entente (the “Allies”).

19.       Explain Wilson’s declaration of American neutrality at the beginning of

World War I.

20.       Explain the events that prompted the U.S.’ entry into World War I.

21.       Identify the commander of the American Expeditionary Force.

22.       Discuss how wartime mobilization impacted industrial laborers.

23.       Discuss the wartime contributions of women at home and abroad.

24.       Discuss the wartime role and activities of the Committee on Public Information.

25.      Discuss the goals of Wilson's "Fourteen Points."

26.       Show how the map of Europe changed as a result of World War I.

27.       Discuss Senate opposition to the Versailles Treaty and its impact on American involvement in the League of Nations.

28.       Identify the leader and the causes of the “Red Scare” of 1919.

29.      Identify the organization, dedicated to protecting individual rights,  which was created in response to the “Red Scare”. 

30.       Discuss the consequences of wartime migration for African Americans.

31.       Describe the experiences of Mexican immigrants to the U.S. between 1910 and 1920.

 

 

Chapter 23 – From New Era to Great Depression, 1920-1932

 

This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

§  This chapter addresses the 1920s, characterized by:

o   A foreign policy that can best be described as “isolationist” – as the country reeled from losses in the Great War.  Economically, however, the U.S. was far from isolationist, with American businesses vigorously engaged in business with other nations.

o   A consumer-driven booming economy – more spending, more goods to spend money on, a soaring stock market, and more personal indebtedness because of those who bought or invested, using credit

o   Republican-dominated national politics, which provided continuing support for banking, business and industry

o   The emergence of a “new woman” – modern, independent, better educated, and with a new political voice:  the vote

o   African Americans migration to northern cities, which laid the foundation for political activism and the “Harlem Renaissance”, a movement celebrating and focusing attention on Black artists, writers, and musicians. To what extent did African Americans make political and social gains in the 1920s?  To what extent did discrimination and racially-motivated violence continue?

o   A conflict between the modern, urban America of the 1920s and the more traditional, conservative, rural America that had existed for the previous 3 centuries.  In what ways do we see this conflict being “played out” in American society and politics of the 1920s? (see below)

 

§  What was the historical basis of this “rural-urban” conflict?

o   The 1920 federal census showed that, for the first time, more people lived in urban than in rural areas. America had become a majority urban nation.

o   For over 300 years, America had been a mostly rural nation – so this “new” urban America was a product of the many changes (industrialization, immigration, urbanization) that had occurred since (roughly) the Civil War.  America had become a “modern”, industrial, mostly urban nation, gaining over 20 million immigrants.

o   The country had seen much change in 70 years.  In this chapter, we learn about some in America who embraced the new, modern “urban” America – and some who resisted the changes that had occurred and sought to maintain what they saw as “traditional, rural” values.

 

§  How was the “rural-urban” conflict expressed in society and in politics? 

 

§  Those from mostly rural areas, who resisted the changes that had occurred expressed their unhappiness with the new, modern America in a variety of ways in the 1920s: 

o   they supported Prohibition;

o   they emphasized fundamentalist religious beliefs as expressed in the Bible and rallied against the teaching of evolution in the public schools;

o   some joined organizations intended to preserve white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant supremacy, such as the Ku Klux Klan;

o   they supported anti-immigration policies and efforts to limit further immigration, especially immigration from Asia, and southern and eastern Europe.

 

§  How did politics change as America entered the modern, urban 1920s?

o   Those who were living in the cities – most of them immigrants – flocked to the Democratic Party, changing the Party’s traditional “demographic” profile.

o   Traditionally, the Democratic Party was the party of the south: rural, conservative, the party that supported slavery, and White supremacy. 

o   By the 1920s, however - with their ranks swelled by millions of industrial laborers, immigrants, and African Americans in northern cities -  the Democratic Party was undergoing a significant demographic change that would continue into the 1930s and beyond.

 

§  What causes the “roaring” 20s to come to a “crashing” end in 1929?

 

 

 

32.      Identify the Harding administration policies intended to boost American

prosperity.

33.       Show how America exercised significant economic & diplomatic influence

abroad in the 1920s.

34.       Name the “keystone” industry of the American economy in the 1920s and

what made it so successful.

35.       Define “welfare capitalism” and explain its purpose.

36.       Describe the consequences of Prohibition.

37.       Analyze women activists’ failure to achieve political power in the 1920s.

38.       Discuss the components of the “Black nationalist” philosophy of Marcus

Garvey.

39.      Identify the prolific expression of African American music, literature, and art that originated in New York City in the 1920s. 

40.       Explain the alienation felt by the “Lost Generation” of artists and writers.

41.       Analyze the impact of the Johnson-Reed Act of 1924.

42.       Explain the goals behind the Ku Klux Klan’s “100% Americanism” slogan.

43.       Show how Democratic presidential candidate Al Smith and his platform        represented all that rural Americans feared and resented.

44.       Discuss the domestic economic problems evident in America by the late

1920s.

45.       Explain activities in the Stock Market as a cause of the Great Depression.

46.       Discuss Herbert Hoover’s response to the Stock Market Crash.

47.       Discuss the consequences of the Great Depression for Mexican Americans.

48.       Explain the growth in membership in the American Communist Party in the 1930s.

 

 

Chapter 24 – The New Deal Experiment, 1932-1939

 

This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

§  The Great Depression was not the only time Americans had experienced economic downturns.  Recall that 1893 saw the beginning of a similarly severe depression.  There were also economic “panics” in 1819, 1857, and 1873.  But the Great Depression, as its name implies, was more extensive, severe, and longer-lasting than any previous recessions.

§  Franklin Roosevelt, elected president in 1932, envisioned the Depression as a complex problem – which required a multi-part, complex, solution. His plan can be summarized as:

o   Relief - for the millions who needed immediate help;

o   Recovery – policies and programs intended to get America out of the Depression; and

o   Reform – policies and programs to make sure that this type of crisis never happened again

§  To what extent were Roosevelt’s New Deal programs and policies successful in achieving his goals? What were limitations (failures?) of the New Deal?

 

49.       Analyze the impact of polio on the political career of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

50.       Compare FDR’s beliefs with conservatives’ “laissez-faire” approach to the Great Depression.

51.       Describe the factions within the Democratic Party as the 1932 presidential election approached.

52.      Enumerate the objectives/goals which Roosevelt promised to pursue in the first hundred days of his administration.

53.      Identify Roosevelt’s first priority after taking the oath of office in 1933.

54.      Discuss how the New Deal sought to help farmers.

55.      Summarize the opposition to the New Deal from the political right and from the political left.

56.      Name the New Deal’s most prominent critics from the political “fringe” and their “radical” messages.

57.      Describe the New Deal’s political and legislative support for labor and the

New Deal’s impact on labor unions.

58.      Identify the single most important social welfare program of the New Deal,

and its components.

59.       Explain Roosevelt’s reluctance to address the plight of African Americans

in the south during the Great Depression.

60.      Evaluate the achievements and limitations of the New Deal in ending the

Depression.

 

 

 UNIT 3  (Chapters 25 - 27)

 

Chapter 25 – The U.S. & The Second World War, 1939-1945

 

This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

§  During the 1930s, the U.S. foreign affairs policy was one of “isolation”.  But while America was preoccupied with the Great Depression, there were very troubling developments in the rest of the world, particularly in Germany, Italy and Japan.

§  Since the early 20t century, the United States had been wary of Japan’s aggressive actions taken to dominate the Pacific and eastern Asia – especially the expansion of Japan’s naval power.  You’ll recall that Theodore Roosevelt negotiated an end to the Russian- Japanese War in 1905 – a war that the Japanese were winning. So as early as 1905, the U.S. had serious concerns regarding Japan’s expansionist intentions throughout the Pacific and eastern Asia, and its increasing military.

§  By the 1930s, Adolf Hitler had established a dictatorship in Germany and Benito Mussolini had done the same in Italy – while Japan’s military effectively gained power over the country’s government.

§  What goals and philosophies motivated Germany, Italy, and Japan in the 1930s and into the 1940s?  What actions did each country take?

§  How did the U.S. respond to actions taken by Germany, Italy, and Japan in the 1930s?  How did the U.S.’s response encourage these nations to continue pursuing their expansionist goals?

§  When, and why did the U.S. become involved in the Second World War?

§  What strategies did the Allies pursue to defeat the Axis nations in Europe and in the Pacific in WWII?

§  How did America’s industrial production capabilities help win the War for the Allies?

§  How did workers and others in the U.S. contribute to the Allied victory?

§  Why did President Truman decide to use the atomic bomb?  What were the alternatives?

§  In what ways did the War impact the U.S. – socially, economically, and politically?

§  In what ways did the War impact America’s status among the nations of the world?  In what ways did the War impact America’s relationships with other nations?

 

1.         Discuss the components of FDR’s “Good Neighbor Policy”.

2.         Describe the events in Europe, Africa, and Asia that threatened world peace in the 1930s - and America’s response.

3.         Identify the event that started World War II.

4.         Discuss the objectives of the Lend-Lease Act of 1941.

5.         Identify Japan’s goals for the conquest of Asia.

6.         Discuss the consequences of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on

December 7, 1941.

7.         Identify the Roosevelt administration’s efforts to protect the U.S. against espionage and internal subversion within the continental U.S. during WWII.

8.         Analyze the War’s impact on the U.S. economy.

9.         Locate and discuss the importance of the Pacific theater battle that proved to be a turning point in the Allies’ war against Japan.

10.       Discuss the strategic importance of the Battle of the Atlantic.

11.      Analyze the importance of the Allies’ plan to open a “second front” in western France – and identify the operation that finally opened the “second front”.

12.       Describe the contributions of women on the home front to the war efforts.

13.      Describe the wartime activities of African Americans on the home front.

14.      Identify the components of the GI “Bill of Rights”.

15.       Discuss the U.S.’s reaction to the Holocaust.

16.      Evaluate the results of the “D-Day” invasion.

17.       Identify the participants and the outcomes of the 1945 Yalta conference.

18.       Discuss President Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb.

 

 

Chapter 26 – The New World of the Cold War, 1945-1960


This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

§  During WWII, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were allies, but the U.S. never really “trusted” the Soviets. After WWII, tensions and hostilities between these two “superpower” countries formed the basis of a “Cold War”. 

§  Why do we refer to the U.S. and Soviet Union as “superpowers”?  What gives them – and no one else at the time - that status?

§  How did the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union begin?  How did these two nations differ ideologically? What were the events that drove the two countries apart in the post-War period?

§  How did “containment” policy motivate U.S. actions in Eastern Europe, China, the Middle East, Korea, Latin America, and Vietnam?

§  What impact did the struggle to stop the spread of Communism have within the U.S.?

§  What is an “arms race”?

 

19.      Identify the problems Harry Truman and the U.S. faced when he became an

"accidental president."

20.      Explain the meaning of "Cold War" and the issues that divided the U.S. and the Soviet Union.

21.       Explain what was meant by an "Iron Curtain” in Europe.

22.      Describe the Cold War concept of "containment".

23.      Identify the goals of the Truman Doctrine and locate where the policy was first implemented).

24.      Discuss the objectives of the Marshall Plan.

25.      Identify the Berlin Blockade and the U.S. response.

26.      Explain the Cold War concept of nuclear “deterrence” and its conse

quences.

27.      Identify the new federal organizations created by the National Security Act of 1947.

28.      Analyze the Cold War concept of "collective security" and how it was applied in 1949.

29.      Summarize the foreign policy challenge(s) faced by Truman in the Middle East.

30.       Explain the meaning and the rise of “McCarthyism”.

31.      Analyze the impact of McCarthyism on individuals and on American society.

32.      Explain the decline of “McCarthyism”.

33.      Explain how the Korean War began and why it was officially a "U.N. police action."

34.       Describe Eisenhower’s new national defense strategy.

35.       Discuss the goals of brinksmanship.

36.      Trace the origins of U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

37.       Explain what was meant by the “domino theory” in the Cold War struggle to contain Communism.

38.      Analyze the role of the CIA in American foreign policy during the 1950s.

39.      Identify Nikita Khrushchev.

40.       Explain the U.S.’s reaction to the Sputnik satellite launch.

41.      Explain what Eisenhower meant when he warned Americans of the growing influence of        the "military-industrial complex".

 

 

Chapter 27 – Postwar Culture & Politics, 1945-1960

 

This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

§  As the U.S. fought a Cold War against Communism - both abroad and at home – the post-WWII period brought economic growth, industrial expansion and prosperity. The country experienced a “baby boom” that impacted American culture, politics and the economy.

§  Amid the affluence and optimism, however, were problems and issues that revealed flaws and weaknesses: 

o   the civil rights movement’s demands for racial and ethnic equality;

o   the tensions and uncertainties of the Cold War arms race;

o   the impact of McCarthyism on civil liberties; and

o   growing criticism of an expanding “consumer culture”.

§  What were the developments that fueled the post-War economic “boom”?

§  What events and developments mobilized the post-War civil rights movement?  What goals did the movement’s participants hope to achieve?  What strategies did civil rights activists adopt, to achieve their goals?  Were they successful in achieving their goals?  Why, or why not?

§  What impact did the demographic phenomenon known as the “baby boom” have, on American culture?  On the economy?  On higher education?

 

 

42.      Identify the reasons for Truman’s inability to enact much of his domestic "Fair Deal" agenda.

43.       Discuss the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act and its impact.

44.       Define “Dixiecrats”.

45.      Identify President Truman’s most successful civil rights initiatives.

46.       Identify the organization(s) and legal success(es) of the post-war Mexican American civil rights movement.

47.      Describe President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s "modern Republicanism" and analyze how it helped him navigate domestic politics.

48.       Discuss the impact of Eisenhower’s most significant domestic legislation.

49.       Describe how the federal government’s “termination” policy impacted Native Americans during the Eisenhower presidency.

50.      Enumerate the disparities in wages between men and women by 1960.

51.      Analyze the postwar growth of new suburbs.

52.      Locate the “Sun Belt” and explain its growth in the postwar period.

53.      Describe the impact of the bracero program on Mexican immigrants.

54.       Enumerate the increase in college enrollments between the 1940s and the 1960s.

55.      Explain the growing importance of television in transforming American culture and politics.

56.      Identify the “Beat generation” and its philosophy.

57.       Identify Alfred Kinsey and how he challenged the accepted standard of the “ideal” family of the 1950s.

58.      Discuss the outcome and historical significance of the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court case, Brown vs. Board of Education.

59.       Identify the individuals and organizations that provided leadership in the civil rights movement of the 1950s.

60.      Discuss how the civil rights movement in the 1950s differed from earlier civil rights efforts.          

 

 

 

UNIT 4   (Chapters 28 – 31)

 

 

Chapter 28 – Rights, Rebellion, & Reaction, 1960-1974

 

This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

§  The 1960s was a tumultuous period in American history and has often been characterized as a time of social and cultural “revolution”. 

§  In addition, foreign policy continued to revolve around Cold War challenges in places such as Vietnam and Latin America.  (Foreign affairs are discussed in Chapter 29.)

§  However it is characterized, the 1960s did see significant changes in American society – and significant disruption in the form of protests and social upheaval.

§  Why?  In part, because not all Americans supported the changes (or reforms).  For example, a significant portion of the American population (and political leaders) opposed civil rights measures. Disagreement over domestic reforms (and foreign policies) created political and social conflicts, or, power struggles: those who supported change and reform vs. those who did not.

§  Another reason for disruption?  Many Americans who had not previously been active participants in decision-making demanded to be heard – to have a “place” at the decision-making “table”:  these included women, African Americans, Native Americans, Mexican Americans and other Latinos, and gay Americans. But even within these groups, there was disagreement over goals, strategies, and tactics.

§  In what ways did President Kennedy’s “New Frontier” and President Johnson’s “Great Society” bring about reform. We can define “reform” simply as “positive change” or, perhaps more accurately, as changes that are intended to be positive – because not everyone agreed that the proposed reforms were “positive” (as in the example regarding civil rights reforms, above)?

§  What laws, programs, and initiatives brought changes to American society?

§  What did participants in the various “rights” movements (women’s rights, civil rights, gay rights, etc.) hope to achieve?  HOW did they propose to achieve their goals?  What strategies and tactics did they adopt?  And, to what extent did they succeed – or fail?

§  How did the presidential election of 1968 signify an abrupt end to this period of liberal reform?  What messages did the candidates use to appeal to voters?

 

1.         Evaluate how John F. Kennedy was successful in the 1960 presidential election and identify his opponent.

2.         Describe Kennedy's plans to ease poverty.

3.         Identify Lyndon Johnson’s efforts to declare “war on poverty”.

4.         Identify the Great Society’s efforts to end racial and other forms of discrimination.

5.         Identify the Warren Court decisions that reformed the criminal justice system.

6.         Describe reactions to the efforts of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee to end racial discrimination.

7.         Describe the goals of the “black power” movement and its most prominent spokesmen.

8.         Explain the goals and tactics of the American Indian Movement.

9.         Identify the individuals and organizations which provided leadership in the Chicano civil rights movement.

10.      Identify the objectives of the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). 

11.      Identify the event that served as a turning point of the gay rights movement of the             1960s.

12.      Identify the book which sparked the modern environmental movement in the U.S. – and its author.

13.       Summarize the goals of the National Organization for Women (NOW).

14.      Summarize the factors that led to the electoral success of Richard Nixon in 1968.

 

Chapter 29 – Confronting Limits, 1961-1979

 

This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

§  Cold War conflicts and challenges continue to shape foreign policy in the 1960s and 1970s, in places such as Vietnam, Latin America, and the Middle East.

§  When, why, and how did the U.S. become involved in Vietnam (formerly known in modern times as “French Indochina”, or, “Indochina”).

§  In what ways did America’s involvement in Vietnam create social conflict in the U.S.? How did the War impact politics in the U.S.?  The economy?

§  What were President Nixon’s Cold War policies and priorities? 

§  In what ways did the Watergate scandal result in legislative reforms?

§  What foreign policy challenges did President Carter face? 

 

 

15.       Describe the outcome of the Bay of Pigs invasion.

16.       Discuss Kennedy’s response to the Berlin Crisis.

17.       Discuss the outcomes of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

18.      Discuss the problems that President Kennedy faced in Vietnam.

19.      Identify the legislative action that authorized President Lyndon Johnson to expand the conflict in Vietnam.

20.      Describe the demographic composition of U.S. military forces in Vietnam.

21.       Discuss the Johnson administration’s efforts to silence critics of the Vietnam War.

22.      Evaluate the results of the Tet Offensive.

23.       Identify the candidates and their messages in the 1968 presidential election.

24.       Explain why Democrats lost the southern vote in the 1968 election.

25.      Explain President Nixon's policy of détente toward China and the Soviet Union.

26.      Describe President Nixon's strategy for ending the Vietnam War.

27.       Explain Congress' reaction to the 1970 U.S. invasion of Cambodia.

28.       Discuss the impact of the Vietnam War on American society.

29.      Define “busing” and the results of court-ordered busing in the early 1970s.

30.      Explain the role played by President Nixon and his White House aides in the Watergate scandal.

31.       Assess the outcomes of the Watergate controversy.

32.      Analyze Jimmy Carter's appeal to voters in the 1976 presidential election.

33.       Explain how President Carter made human rights the cornerstone of his foreign policy.

34.       Evaluate President Jimmy Carter’s foreign affairs successes and failures.

 

 

Chapter 30 – Divisions at Home & Abroad

 in a Conservative Era, 1980-2000

 

This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

§  The presidential election of 1980 ushered in a decade dominated by conservative presidents (Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush), with their “New Right” priorities and initiatives. 

§  What did conservatives hope to achieve, and what methods would they employ to achieve their goals? 

§  What does the term “culture wars” mean? How did the U.S. become an ideologically and culturally “polarized” (deeply divided) nation as a new millennium approached?

§  What foreign policy challenges did the U.S. face in the final 2 decades of the 20th century? 

§  After having fought a “Cold War” against communism for 45 years, what would be America’s role in the international community after communism collapsed?  What would be the foreign policy priorities – and challenges - in a post-Cold War world?

 

35.      Summarize the conservative cultural agenda promoted by Phyllis Schlafly and adopted (in part) by President Reagan.

36.       Explain how the Reagan administration theory of “supply-side” economics was intended to stimulate economic growth.

37.       Describe the consequences of President Reagan’s conservative “trickle-down” economics policies.

38.       Identify the economic agenda supported by women’s rights advocates in the 1980s.

39.       Name the first women appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.

40.       Identify the event that helped motivate the growth of gay rights activism during the Reagan era.

41.      Discuss President Reagan's approach to foreign and military affairs.

42.       Summarize the elements of glasnost, as promoted by the Soviet Union’s Mikhail Gorbachev.

 

43.      Identify the events that fostered an end to the Cold War.

44.      Discuss the circumstances that led to U.S. involvement in the Persian Gulf War in 1991.

45.       Identify the major issues and the outcome of the 1992 presidential campaign.

46.       Identify the reform-oriented major policy initiatives of President Clinton's first term.

47.      Explain the circumstances and the outcome of President Clinton’s impeachment in

1998.

48.      Identify the Clinton administration legislative efforts to promote a “global marketplace”.

 

 

Chapter 31 – America in a New Century: Since 2000

 

This chapter will explore the following themes and questions:

§  The presidential election of 2000 was one of the most controversial in American history.  What made it controversial?  How was the winner decided?

§  As the U.S. enters the new millennium, the administrations of Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama will be challenged by the war on terror, a surge in immigration, new economic opportunities and economic crisis, and the implementation of social reforms.

§  In what ways did technology impact the U.S. economy beginning in the 1990s?

§  How did patterns of immigration in this period, compared with immigration patterns of earlier decades?

§  The historic election of 2016 ushers in the right-wing “populism”  of President  Donald Trump, with its emphasis on curbing illegal immigration, tax cuts, and its “America First” foreign policy agenda.

§  Why was the presidential election of 2016 considered “historic”?

§  To what extent did the 2016 election expose the deep divisions within American society? Why were Americans so deeply divided?

 

 

49.       Describe the controversy surrounding the outcome of the presidential election of 2000.

50.       Identify the legislative actions taken as a result of the events of September 11, 2001.

51.       Discuss the doctrine of “pre-emption” and how it was applied under President George W. Bush.

52.       Identify President George W. Bush’s "compassionate conservative" policies.

53.       Describe the Bush administration’s efforts to reform public education.

54.       Explain how the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 led to a surge of immigrants to the U.S. by the 1980s, and show from where most of these “new” immigrants originated.

55.      Identify the candidates and the outcome of the presidential election of 2008.

56.      Describe the most significant domestic achievement of President Obama's first administration.

57.       Define the “Tea Party” movement.

58.       Explain the events surrounding President Obama’s nomination of a U.S. Supreme Court justice.

59.       Identify the issues that provoked grassroots protests in the 21st century.

60.       Identify the issues at the heart of President Trump’s pledge to “Make America Great Again”.