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HIST 1302, Sec. 006
Spring 2013
US History II
Quiz/Reading Suggestions
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Week 2 (January 24) Quiz 1 Binder, Chapter 1 · What
is Mark Huddle’s main thesis/argument about education programs in North
Carolina during Reconstruction? How successful were the programs?
How and why did they start? Why are they important? ·
What does the reading on Fayetteville
reveal about the era of Reconstruction in the south? How did
Fayetteville’s experience compare to the experiences of other southern
cities? What are some specific examples provided in the essay to
illustrate this? ·
To what does Huddle attribute the
initial success of education programs? What eventually became of those
programs? What does that reveal about the legacy of Reconstruction? ·
What is the general message and tone
of Jourdon Anderson’s letter? Who was he and
why was he writing? What does his letter reveal about life for former
slaves after the Civil War? ·
What is the purpose of the Knights of
the White Camelia document? How did the
Knights justify their existence? What does the document reveal about he
emergence of the Knights and other groups like it after the Civil War? · What
is the nature of the “we are literally slave” document? Who wrote it and what is her story? How
does she describe the working conditions of the servant class? What does this document suggest about the
lives of black southern women in the decades following reconstruction? Binder, Chapter 2 · What
is Jack Chen’s main thesis/argument about the role of Chinese workers in the
settling of western lands in the United States? Why was there so much
resistance to using Chinese labor? What ultimately compelled railroad
companies to rely on the Chinese to lay rail lines? ·
How does the chapter describe daily
life for Chinese workers? How do the descriptions in the chapter
compare to the romantic notions of the “Wild West” in 19th century
America? ·
What themes from lecture and the
textbook are evident in the chapter? How does it illustrate the way
westward expansion was closely linked to economic developments in the
northeast? How does it illustrate the importance of new technological developments
in the late 19th century? ·
What is the nature of the document
entitled “California Must Be All American?”
Who was the author and what does he represent? How does the author describe Chinese
workers? What seems to be his biggest concern? How do his concerns reflect
the anxieties associated with westward expansion? ·
Who is the author of the
“Homesteading in South Dakota” document and what is the source of the
excerpt? Why did the author write the document? How reliable is
it as a primary source? How does the author describe her decision to
move the United States? How does she describe working in agriculture in
Illinois? In South Dakota? What information can you glean from
the document about Americans’ reactions to the Homestead Act? About
tensions with Native Americans in the west? About daily life for
farmers? · Who
is the author of “A Montana Cowtown” and what do
you know about him? What was his purpose for writing the
document? How does his description of the west compare to the
description in the essay? How does it compare to the homesteading
document? Does it help to illustrate how the romanticized notions of
the west developed? |
Week 4 (February 5) Quiz 2 Binder, Chapter 4 ·
Who was Johanes
Johansen and what is his story? How does the author describe Johansen’s
experiences as an immigrant to the United States in the late nineteenth
century? Why did his family migrate to the United States? What examples of
immigrant hardship does Johansen’s story provide? How does his story
illustrate the successful immigrant experience? How did Johansen attempt to assimilate to
U.S. culture? Why did he opt not to return to Norway? · What
is the nature of the Irish Immigrant document? What kind of document is it? Who seems to be the author? What seems to be the purpose of the
document? How does the document
describe the Irish immigrant? Why did
he come to the United States? What
kinds of conditions did he encounter?
How do his experiences help you understand the plight of labor and
immigrants at the turn of the century? ·
When and where was the Italian
Bootblack’s Story published? How does the author describe the
experiences of those particular immigrants? Who was Bartolo
and what role did he play? How does the Italians’ story compare to that
of the miner? To what do you attribute their success? How does
their story help us to understand why so many immigrants continued to come to
the United States despite the difficult conditions most were forced to endure?
· What
is the nature of the “Bintel Brief” document? Who
wrote it and who was the intended audience? How does the letter describe
worker exploitation? What gender dynamics appear to be at work? What advice
does the recipient of the letter offer? |
Week 5 (February 12) Quiz 3 Binder, Chapter 3 · What
is Robert Trennert’s main thesis/argument about
Indian schools in the late 19th century? What was the
purpose of the schools? How successful were they? How does Trennert seem to be defining success? ·
Why was there such an emphasis on
education of Indians in the late 19th century? Why does Trennert focus his study on Indian girls? How and
why did the girls’ experiences differ from those of Indian boys? How
and why did approaches to Indian education change over time? Does this
reflect anything that we have learned about the broader context of the time
period? ·
How did Indians themselves react to
the attempts of whites to impose new ideas and cultures on them? How
does Trennert treat this issue? How does he
deal with a “lack of sources?” ·
Overall, how would you assess Trennert’s essay? Do you agree with his basic
conclusions? Does his essay support or refute any information presented
in lectures or the text? Does is provide meaningful analysis?
Why/why not? ·
What is the nature of the “Rules for
Indian Schools” document? What is the source? How would you
describe the schools’ rules? Did any of the guidelines surprise
you? Why/why not? How does the document help you to understand the
time period? Can you offer any alternatives to the rules and guidelines
for Indian education? ·
What is the nature of the document on
Indian Race and Culture? Who wrote the document and why? How does
the author describe Indian culture? What is the author’s idea of “race
evolution?” What is your reaction to his arguments? ·
What is the nature of the document:
“The Cutting of My Long Hair?” How does this document differ from the
other documents in the chapter? Does is support/refute any arguments
made in the essay? Do you sympathize with the author of the
document? How do you imagine people might have reacted to the document
when it was written? |
Week 7 (February 26) Quiz 4 Binder
Chapter 5 ·
What is the main
argument/thesis of Daniel Sidorick’s essay? How did the U.S. garment industry change in
the final decades of the nineteenth century and why were poor working
conditions particularly prevalent in the apparel industry in the early 20th
century? How were women’s roles in the workforce changing in the U.S. around
the turn of the century? How did women benefit even under onerous working
conditions? ·
How did Philadelphia’s garment
industry compare to New York’s? What
role did unions play in Philadelphia’s garment industry? What impact did the
New York textile strike have in Philadelphia? What
motivated Philadelphia workers to strike? How did “bosses” react? What does
this essay suggest about the nature of collective labor action and demands
for reform during the Progressive Era? ·
Who was Anna Manning Comfort and what
is the purpose of her document? Where and when was it published? Is the
date significant? What is her overall message? How does she
describe the challenges she faced as a woman doctor in the mid-late 19th
century? Do you think her account is exaggerated? Why/why
not? How much had the medical field changed by 1916? Why is this
important? ·
What ruling is represented in Supreme
Court Justice Bradley’s decision? How did he defend his ruling?
How did women attempt to use the newly-ratified 14th amendment to
defend their position? What was Bradley’s response? How did
he view the function of marriage in American society? What does this
illustrate about the prevailing attitudes toward women in the context of
Civil Rights in the era of Reconstruction? What is your reaction to his
ruling? How do you image 19th century Americans might have
reacted to his ruling? ·
What is the nature of the
“Employments Unsuitable for Women” document? What is Henry Finck’s attitude toward women in the workplace? How does
he describe reformers who advocate for women in the workforce? What seem to
be his greatest concerns? |
Week 8 (March 5) Quiz 5 Binder, Chapter 6 ·
What is Keith Medley’s main
thesis/argument about events leading up to the Plessy
v. Ferguson case in New Orleans in the 1890s? Why does Medley
consider the racial environment in New Orleans to be unique? Why did
black activists choose New Orleans as the venue to challenge southern moves
toward segregation? Why was their attempt ineffective? ·
How does the essay illustrate the
changing nature of the reconstruction period? How does it illustrate
the ambiguities of race? Why did some blacks support racial separation? ·
How does the episode in New Orleans
reflect the so-called “Guilded Age” at the end of
the 19th century? How does it help you understand the
emergence of progressive reform? How
can theories of social mobility that arose around urban expansion in the
northeast also help to explain racist attitudes in other regions of the
country? What parallels can you identify between Americans’
justifications for imperial expansion and the growing racial tensions in the
south? Overall, how would you describe American society (and social
attitudes) in the late 19th century? ·
Who is the author of the “Lynching”
document and what do you know about him? Where is he from? What
is his justification for lynchings? How does
he try to persuade his audience to support his point of view? Is this
an effective strategy? What kind of language does he use to describe
blacks? To describe white women? How reliable do you consider his
perspective of the situation in the south? ·
What is the nature of the George H.
White document? What arguments is he making about race relations? How does he
measure the successes achieved by African Americans? Why does he not seem to
be satisfied with those achievements? What is his overall message and tone? ·
Who is the author of the “A Call for
Equality” document and where was it published? What is he
demanding? How does this document compare to the speech by Frederick
Douglas in Chapter 1? How have the issues changed and/or remained the
same? How does this document define equality? How does this
document fit within the context of the era of progressive reform? |
Week 9 (March 19) Quiz 6 Binder
Chapter 7 · What
is Meirion and Susie Harries main thesis/argument
about the U.S. military during World War I? Generally, how do they
describe the military at the time? How does the military reflect other trends
being discussed in class? ·
How did the military treat non-white
and immigrant enlistees? What types of training challenges did the
military face? What types of bureaucratic challenges did the military
face? How did many enlistees resist the military and the war? Why
was there such resistance during WWI? How did the military deal with
objectors? ·
How do the Harries describe life in
military camps? How does this compare to life in tenements and other
urban housing areas at the time? Is it surprising that living
conditions were so poor? Why/why not? Why do the author’s include
a section on vice in the military? Overall, how does the military
experience reflect broad trends in the Progressive era in America? ·
When and where was the document on
German-American loyalty published? What does it reflect? What
were the possible motives of the author? What were the possible motives
of the CPI? What can this document tell us about the attitudes of
immigrants in American during the war? Do you think these sentiments
were typical? Why/why not? · What
does the Mennonite Draftee letter describe? How does this document fit
in the context of information presented in the essay? What does it
reveal about ethnic tensions in America during the war? ·
What is the nature of the French
Military Mission document? Who wrote it and why? How does it describe
Americans’ attitudes toward blacks? Why are the French concerned with this?
Overall, how do these documents and essays illustrate broader trends being
presented in class? Binder,
Chapter 9 ·
What are Daniel Okrent’s
main arguments in the essay, “Last Call: The Rise and Fall of
Prohibition?” How does he describe the
politics surrounding the passage of the Volstead Act? How did Americans
circumvent the prohibition law? How did politicians and law enforcement react
to the law? How does the information presented on prohibition help to
illustrate some of the main themes of the Progressive Era? ·
Why did Senator Henry Myers write the
report on moving pictures? What is his overall argument? What
seems to be his objective? Does his argument make sense or does it seem
to be an overreaction? How does this document compare to arguments made
today about the influence of movies and other media? · What
is the nature of the “Jazz….” Document? Who wrote it and what was the
intended audience? How does the author describe Jazz music? What seems to be
her biggest concern? What is “The Rebellion” described in the document? What
are some of the main historical issues reflected in this document? |
Week 10 (March 26) Quiz 7 Binder, Chapter 10 · What
is the main argument by Timothy Egan in the essay “The Worst Hard Time?” How
did the people of Dalhart react to the closing of the First National
Bank? How does the author describe the
impact of the economic crisis in the town?
How did climate and other acts of nature make the suffering worse? ·
Whom did the people of Dalhart (and
across the United States) blame for their misfortune? What was the logic in assigning blame? How did the economic problems of Dalhart
exacerbate racial tensions? ·
What happened when agricultural
output actually increased in Dalhart?
Why did greater agricultural production fail to help the struggling
town? How was the town’s judicial
system affected by the economic decline?
How can the essay help you understand the impact of the Great
Depression in small towns and on ordinary people? ·
Who were the “Okies in
California?” What is the nature of the document describing them?
What does the document reveal about how people who relocated to California
lived during this time? With such meager conditions, why do you imagine
people continued to go? Overall, how could you use this document as a
source? ·
What is the nature of the document
"Homeless Women Sleep in Chicago Parks?”
Who wrote the article and where did it originally appear? How was the story reported? What were the concerns of public officials?
· What
is the nature of the “Vagrant Civil Engineer” document? What was the original source of the
document? Why does the author of the
document find Langlan Heinz’s story so
compelling? How does it help to
illustrate the nuances of the era of the Great Depression? How do the last two documents help to
illustrate who was affected by the Great Depression? |
Week 11 (April 2) Quiz 8 Binder, Chapter 11 · What
is William O’Neill’s main argument/thesis about the home front in the United
States during World War II? How did Americans respond to the crisis of
war? How effective were their efforts? ·
How would you compare the home front
in World War II to the portrayal of World War I in Chapter 7? To what
would you attribute the differences in WWII? To what would you
attribute the similarities? How do both periods compare to America at
war today? ·
Overall, how does the essay describe
the home front in World War II? Did any aspects of the essay surprise
you? What role did propaganda play on the home front? Which
aspects of the propaganda campaign seem negative? Do any seem positive?
How effective was WWII propaganda? ·
What is the nature of “The Woman
Worker” document? Who wrote it and why? What information does it provide
regarding women in the workforce during World War II? What kinds of jobs were
women performing? How does the document seem to define “women’s work” and “men’s
work?” Why were women simultaneously losing jobs during World War II? ·
How does the “Conditions in the
Camps” document describe the Japanese internment camps? What does the
document reveal about life in the United States during the war? What
does it reveal about the plight of Japanese-Americans during the war? ·
What is the nature of the “Japanese
American Servicemen” document? Where and when was it originally published and
why? What does the document describe? What is the review system described in
the document? Why did this review system begin and why did so much time pass
before it was put into effect? What does the document illustrate about racial
and ethnic tensions during World War II? · Consider
the video on the U.S. homefront during WWII. How does the video reinforce the
information provided in lectures and the readings? What are some specific
examples from the video of Americans sacrificing and demonstrating their
patriotism during the war? What are some specific examples of the ways in
which World War II changed the nature of U.S. culture and society?
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Week 13 (April 16) Quiz 9 Binder, Chapter 12 ·
What is Kenneth Jackson’s main
argument/thesis about the emergence of suburbia in post-WWII America? Why
did the housing issue become so important in the decades following the
war? How did American industry deal with housing demands? · Who
was William Levitt and what did he represent in postwar America? How
did Levitt build homes so quickly and so inexpensively? How did this
fit in the broader context of American industry, economic expansion, and
prosperity? Why did Levitt and others like him fall prey to
critics? Was there any merit to the criticisms? · Does
suburbia accurately represent larger trends in American development in the
decades following the war? Why/why not? How do issues such as the
Cold War and race in the 1950s and 1960s? · What
is the general message in the Melting Pot document? What does the
author mean by “melting pot?” Do you agree? Does the document
describe a steady integration of suburban areas? Or does it describe a
continued segregation? According to the document, what kind of
challenges do communities face when integration takes place? Would you
characterize the trends described in the document as positive or negative? ·
What is the nature of the “Big Apple”
document? When and where was it published? What kinds of population trends
does it describe? What might be driving population growth in the cities
discussed in the article? What implications does this information have in
terms of the information on suburbia and population growth covered in
lecture? |
Week 14 (April 23) Quiz 10 Binder, Chapter 13 · What
is William Doyle’s main thesis/argument about the attempt to integrate
Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas? How does his style of
writing differ from the other essays assigned from this book? Is it
effective? Why/why not? According to Doyle, why was this such a powerful moment in the Civil Rights Movement? ·
How does this chapter compare to the
portrayal of white, middle-class Americans moving to the suburbs in the 1950s
and 1960s? Taking a broad view of American society, it is accurate to
describe this period as a era of prosperity and
progress? ·
How is President Eisenhower portrayed
in the essay? How does this image of him compare to the “Straight and
Narrow” personality presented in lecture and in the textbook? What did
Eisenhower’s position on civil rights seem to be? Why did he eventually
send American troops into Little Rock? ·
What is the nature of the “Growing Up
Black in the South” document? Who wrote it and what kind of information
does it provide? How does it compare to other information about racism
provided in class? How does this document help you understand why many
blacks became involved in pushing for their rights in the last half of the 20th
century? ·
What is the nature of the “Southern
Manifesto?” Who wrote it and where did it first appear? How do
they authors of the manifesto defend segregation? Are their arguments
compelling (or would they have been compelling at the time?) How does
this document help to illustrate the resistance to integration in the 1950s? · What
is the nature of the document on “Wealth and Income Inequality?” When and where was it first published? Who appears to be the author? What evidence does the author cite to argue
that racial inequality still exists?
How do the racial issues described in this document compare to the
issues described in the documents and essays from earlier decades? |
Week 15 (April 30) Quiz 11 Binder, Chapter 14 · What
is Terry Anderson’s main argument/thesis about the development and activities
of the student movements in the 1960s? What led to growing student
activism and what impact did the student movements have at the time?
How does the author tie this activism to broad trends of the previous decade,
such as the development of the Cold War, the rise of the red scare, the
growing civil rights movement, and the trend to conformity? How do you
tie these issues based on your knowledge? ·
What was your impression of the
student movements prior to reading this essay? How does the essay’s
portrayal of the movements compare? What were the students fighting
for? What tactics did they use? How might you explain the
reaction of administrators? ·
Since the student movements
originated prior to the Vietnam War, how would you explain the fact that they
are so closely associated today? Does the essay give you an idea of how
widespread the movements were? How do you explain the “Flaming
Moderates?” How do the 1960s student movements compare to youth
activism today? ·
Who is the author of “Vietnam
Veterans Against the War? What do you know about the author? Does
your knowledge of the author influence the way you read the document?
What is his overall point? Based on your knowledge, how accurate was
his statement? What impact, if any, should the document have on
politics today? · What
is the nature of the “Gays in the Military” document? What is the source of
the document? What is the message conveyed by the document? How does the new
policy on gays in the military reflect a continuation of activist trends
initiated in the 1960s? |
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