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”.