HISTORY 1B Kirsten Resnick, M.A. 310-322-3894 (9:30 am 9:00 pm) kresnick@earthlink.net Required Readings. Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman and Jon Gjerde, Major Problems in American History Volume II: Since 1865 (2007) Requirements and Grade Breakdown: Open-Note Quiz (3/13) 5% Midterm Examination (4/10) 15% Oral Presentation 10% Class Participation and Chapter Quizzes (Including Homework Due on 6/5) 15% Paper on Family Immigration (5/15) and Comparative Essay Paper (5/29) 25% Closed-Note Quiz (6/5) 5% Final Examination (6/12) 25% This course is a general overview of United States history from 1865 to the present. Special emphasis will be placed on the following themes: 1) the increasing participation of the United States government in the lives of its citizens; 2) the civil rights movements of women, African Americans, and other groups; 3) the development of a unique culture influenced by a population of many races; and 4) the transition from isolationism to concerned involvement in the affairs of other countries. After completing this class, students will be able to: 1) gather and synthesize information; 2) analyze evidence; 3) build an argument; 4) construct a comparative analysis; 5) build knowledge of the historical process; 6) evaluate perspective and prejudice. Schedule of Topics and Readings: Subjects: Introduction; Effects of Civil War; Reconstruction (2/20, 2/27) Take-home chapter 1 quiz (due 2/27) Chapter 1, Reconstruction, 1865-1877, pages 1-15. 1. Regarding document 1, list two memories which struck you. 2. Regarding document 2, how were freedoms abridged by the black codes? Give three examples. 3. Regarding documents 3 and 4, compare President Andrew Johnson's and Congressman Thaddeus Steven's arguments. 4. Regarding document 5, according to Representative Benjamin Butler, summarize two of President Andrew Johnson s crimes. 5. Regarding document 6, according to Elizabeth Cady Stanton, what were two arguments of people against women s suffrage? 6. Regarding document 7, what do you believe was the reaction of newly freed blacks to news that the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments passed?
Subjects: Introduction; Effects of Civil War; Reconstruction (2/20, 2/27) 7. Regarding document 8, you were a relative of Elias Hill. How did the described events affect you? 8. Regarding document 9, according to Confederate General Jubal Early, for what ideal did the South primarily fight? What do you believe he meant by slavery was the mere occasion of the development of the antagonism between the two sections? Subjects: The West; Nineteenth Century Alternative Philosophies and Religions (3/6) Chapter 2 quiz (3/6) Read Chapter 2, Western Settlement and the Frontier in American History, pages 33-44. 1. Regarding document 1, how does the governor justify the extermination of Mormons? What is the governor trying to protect? 2. Regarding document 2, what was the significance of the term unappropriated public lands? What was the assumption about to whom the land did and did not belong? 3. Regarding document 3, what were some examples of the vibrant Southwest"? 4. Regarding document 4, how did the Cherokees explain their alliance with the Confederates? Did the U.S. take responsibility? What might have caused problems later for the Native Americans in the propositions listed in this document? 5. Regarding document 5, write an explanation from General Custer's perspective. How could he justify his relationship with Me-o-tzi and his conversation over the peace pipe? What do you think he would say about Katie Bighead's observations about the superiority of Indian warfare? 6. Regarding document 6, what probably encouraged Nez Perce to surrender? 7. Regarding document 7, give three reasons why freed blacks would want to move West. 8. Regarding document 8, you are one of the women cheering. Describe the scene from your perspective. 9. Regarding document 9, according to Frederick Jackson Turner, how did the frontier create an easy-going social equality? Subjects: 1890's: Industrialism; Immigration; Spanish-American War (3/13) Chapter 3 quiz (3/13) Open-note quiz (3/13) Read Chapter 3, Industrialization, Workers, and the New Immigration, pages 60-74. 1. Regarding document 1, why does Lee Chew argue, Chinese were persecuted, not for their vices, but for their virtues? Give two examples of their virtues according to this author. 2. Regarding document 2, which line in this poem do you think would affect you the most if you were an immigrant sailing into the New York harbor? Why? 3. Regarding documents 3 and 7, compare the two accounts. What are three differences? 4. Regarding document 4, how did Andrew Carnegie justify his wealth and see his role in society?
Subjects: 1890's: Industrialism; Immigration; Spanish-American War (3/13) 5. Regarding document 5, which do you think was his best argument for the eighthour-work day and why? 6. Regarding document 6, what were some of the results of industrialization? 7. Regarding document 8, in your opinion, was the scientific method beneficial to Schmidt? What was an assumption made about his intelligence? Was this assumption a necessary ingredient to this method? Why or why not? Subjects: 1900's: Victorian Era; Child labor; Muckrakers (3/20) Chapter 5 quiz (3/20) Read Chapter 5, The Progressive Movement, pages 110-122. 1. Regarding document 1, why do women need the vote according to the author? 2. Regarding document 2, what is the danger of working an assembly line without understanding one s personal contribution? Why is democracy dependent on education? 3. Regarding document 3, what is Mr. DuBois primary complaint with Booker T. Washington? What does the author feel is most important for African Americans to achieve? 4. Regarding document 4, why do you think people voted for the machines (like those in document 5), rather than according to their consciences? 5. Regarding document 5, why is the word "honest" in the title in quotation marks? What was not quite honest about graft? 6. Regarding document 6, why do you think this argument was more effective than that women deserve the vote because they are equal to men? 7. Regarding document 7, why did a concern for conservation occur at this point in our history? 8. Regarding document 8, how would you summarize Mr. Sumner's criticisms about Progressivism? 9. Regarding document 9, comment on the philosophy put forth by the Progressives or the writers of these amendments. Subjects: 1910's: World War I; Vaudeville; Coney Island (3/27) Chapter 6 quiz (3/27) Read Chapter 6, America in World War I, pages 135-147. 1. Regarding documents 1 and 2, how did Senator LaFollette answer President Wilson's arguments? 2. Regarding document 3, how could the police and the "masked mob" justify attacking union members? Why was the union seen as being unpatriotic? 3. Regarding document 4, how did this document fulfill Senator LaFollette's fears in document 2? Give two examples. 4. Regarding document 5, how do you think President Wilson justified his 14 points in light of the country's commitment to non-interference? 5. Regarding document 6, why do you think this song was so effective in motivating people to enlist? Choose specific lines which you feel are the most compelling.
Subjects: 1910's: World War I; Vaudeville; Coney Island (3/27) 6. Regarding document 7, this author used the senses to describe his experience. Describe two of the following: what he saw, smelt, heard, or felt. 7. Regarding document 8, if you were in charge of "selling the war," what would be three ways you would do that? 8. Regarding document 9 (cartoons), which cartoon was for and which was against the League of Nations and why? Why do you think these cartoons were persuasive? Subjects: 1920's: Women's Rights; Prohibition; Flappers; Mobsters (4/3) Chapter 7 quiz (4/3) Read Chapter 7, Crossing a Cultural Divide: The Twenties, pages 162-173. 1. Regarding document 1, why would an economically successful state criticize some of its allegedly hardest workers? 2. Regarding document 2, compare two of the author s examples of the jungle versus the sacred premise. 3. Regarding document 3, write a letter either from the perspective of a student defending the survey to an adult or from the perspective of a parent who is horrified and who is requesting a plan of action. 4. Regarding document 4, what does this interrogation tell us about the times? 5. Regarding document 5, what is particularly 1920's about this selection? Give examples from the text. 6. Regarding document 6, try to be objective. Who would be attracted to the KKK at this time and why? 7. Regarding document 7, create an advertisement either for parents or for teens stressing why they should purchase an automobile. (Teens probably couldn't afford a car, but your reasons will motivate them to urge their parents to get one.) 8. Regarding document 8, whom do you believe this poetry was directed to and why? Midterm (4/10) Spring break (4/17) Subjects: 1930's: Depression; Dust Bowl; Southern Social Etiquette, Children's Adventure Programs (4/24) Chapter 8 quiz (4/24) Read Chapter 8, The Depression, the New Deal, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, pages 192-205. 1. Regarding document 1, according to Herbert Hoover, what was the problem and what was the solution? Please use at least three quotes from the source. 2. Regarding document 2, how would you try to convince the president to help the people? 3. Regarding document 3, some of the wealthy remained oblivious to the plight of most Americans. Recreate a conversation between two socialites utilizing some of Henry Ford's argument.
Subjects: 1930's: Depression; Dust Bowl; Southern Social Etiquette; Children's Adventure Programs (4/24) 4. Regarding document 4, why was President Roosevelt a breath of fresh air after President Hoover? Give examples from Roosevelt's speech. 5. Regarding document 5, what changes were occurring in industry during this time? 6. Regarding document 6, give at least two examples of how this discussion came to conclusions which are discriminatory against women. 7. Regarding document 7, write a short argument from the supervisor s perspective about how union membership hurt productivity and a response from John Kirby. 8. Regarding document 8, what will be the conversation between the woman and her husband when the men return to the camp? Do you think they continued on to California? What do you think happened to them there? 9. Regarding document 9, why was Woody Guthrie popular during this time? Subjects: 1940's: World War II; Tuskeqee Airmen; Rosie the Riveter; Internment Camps (5/1) Chapter 9 quiz (5/1) Read Chapter 9, The Ordeal of World War II, pages 222-237. 1. Regarding document 1, of what things did Hitler convince the German people? 2. Regarding document 2, what part of President Roosevelt's speech stirred you most? 3. Regarding document 3, you are either a German or an English mother or father whose two sons are fighting in the war. You learn that the U.S. will join the war effort. What is your response? 4. Regarding document 4, it is your job to illustrate one of these four freedoms in order to popularize them. For example, for "Freedom from fear," Norman Rockwell painted a couple putting their two children to bed. You may either draw or describe your picture. 5. Regarding document 5, write an account from the perspective of one of the soldiers stationed in the internment camp of the author. 6. Regarding document 6, do you believe the intentions of President Roosevelt and Soviet Premier Stalin in planning the United Nations was "to preserve peace" as stated? Why or why not? 7. Regarding document 7, write a letter to Charles Wilson from a White House staff member. How can you address his concerns? 8. Regarding document 8, write a response from Charlie s wife to Charlie. 9. Regarding document 9, please describe your reaction after reading this account. Some people argue that the holocaust never happened. How would you respond? Subjects: 1950's: McCarthvism; Cult of Domesticity; Bomb Shelters; Korean War (5/8) Chapter 11 quiz (5/8) Read Chapter 10, The Cold War and the Nuclear Age, pages 261-265; Chapter 11, The 1950s "Boom": Affluence and Anxiety, pages 282-293.
Subjects: 1950's: McCarthvism; Cult of Domesticity; Bomb Shelters; Korean War (5/8) Chapter 10 1. Regarding document 6 (page 261), why would people believe Senator McCarthy? 2. Regarding document 7 (page 262), create a dialogue of a McCarthy interrogation. 3. Regarding document 8 (page 264), how would you explain this article to elementary school children? Chapter 11 1. Regarding document 1, what do you believe the 1950's would be like without the G.I. Bill? 2. Regarding document 2, Ron Kovac became very bitter after he lost the use of his legs. (My stepfather tried to help rehabilitate him.) What hints do we have in his narrative that this will happen? 3. Regarding document 3, either pretend you are a young couple who does not want children during this time period and write a letter to your parents explaining your reasons. OR write a diary entry as a young mother living in the suburbs. 4. Regarding document 4, why do you think Rebel without a Cause was so popular (besides the fact that James Dean was very cute)? Please include lines of dialogue in your answer. 5. Regarding document 5, was this the cult of domesticity? Please include quotes in your answer. 6. Regarding document 6, Beatnik poetry was popular in the 1950's for those dissatisfied with traditional values. Write some lines of this type of poetry (it doesn't have to rhyme) and please include some of the points of contention that were mentioned in the article. 7. Regarding document 7, make a list of purchases in a typical week of an American teenager. Was there legitimate concern about teenagers being spoiled? 8. Regarding document 8, how would Betty Friedan respond to Governor Stevenson's speech? Please use quotes from Ms. Friedan's piece. Subjects: 1960's: Civil Rights, JFK Assassination, Flower Children (5/15, 5/22) Family immigration paper (due 5/15) Chapter 12 quiz (5/15) Chapter 13 quiz (5/22) Read Chapter 12, Making the Great Society: Civil Rights, pages 313-326; Chapter 13, The Sixties: Left, Right, and the Culture Wars, pages 344-356. Chapter 12 1. Regarding document 1, what specific statements were probably inspired by the Holocaust? 2. Regarding document 2, you are a white administrator in a segregated Southern white school. How would you explain Brown v. Board of Education to your students? 3. Regarding document 3, according to Martin Luther King, Jr., what were the ramifications of Rosa Parks' decision not to stand up?
Subjects: 1960's: Civil Rights, JFK Assassination, Flower Children (5/15, 5/22) 4. Regarding document 4, is Henry Louis Gates, Jr., white or black? How can you tell? How could his race affect his perspective? 5. Regarding document 5, what do you think life was like before the Civil Rights Act of 1964? 6. Regarding document 6, describe a few ways in which Malcolm X's strategy was different from that of Martin Luther King. 7. Regarding document 7, create an advertisement or make a sign to proclaim one of their propositions. 8. Regarding document 8, you are a 60-year-old Mexican American who has lived in the United States all of your life. Is "La Raza Unida" a good thing? What are your hopes and fears regarding this movement? 9. Regarding document 9, what three points struck you as the most sarcastic and poignant? What do you think of this document? 10. Regarding document 10, how has the Americans with Disabilities Act impacted your life? Chapter 13 1. Regarding document 1, list three ways in which this was a conservative document. 2. Regarding document 2, how does Kennedy promise an activist government? How does "ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country" fit in? (In other words, Kennedy explains all that the government will do but then asks the American people to think about what they will do. Why?) 3. Regarding document 3, what effect did Kennedy's speech have on others, according to Bill Moyers? 4. Regarding document 4, list three ways in which this was a liberal document. 5. Regarding document 5, according to Malvina Reynolds, how did young people end up in "Little Boxes"? Do you think that's true for today? 6. Regarding document 6, what were two reasons Governor Wallace gave in support of "segregation forever"? 7. Regarding document 7, write a letter and pretend you are someone who has been affected by Johnson's plan. Describe its ramifications in your life. 8. Regarding document 8, would you like to go to school during this time? Why or why not? Please include two quotations in your answer. 9. Regarding document 9, according to Vice President Agnew, what was the threat to America? Please summarize. 10. Regarding document 10, how did we go from protest groups to encounter groups? Using quotes from the document, what would be appealing to people about these groups? Subjects: 1970's: Women's Liberation; Vietnam; Watergate; Me Generation (5/29) Comparative paper (due 5/29) Chapter 14 quiz (5/29) Read Chapter 14, Vietnam and the Downfall of Presidents, pages 375-384. 1. Regarding document 1, what did you feel was the most persuasive quote in Ho Chi Minh's plea and why?
Subjects: 1970's: Women's Liberation; Vietnam; Watergate; Me Generation (5/29) 2. Regarding document 2, how did the fear of Communism influence President Eisenhower's speech? 3. Regarding document 3, what was the problem with our war aims? 4. Regarding document 4, why was it difficult for America to accept Undersecretary of State George Ball's admonition to compromise? 5. Regarding document 5, what wore this Marine down? 6. Regarding document 6, do you see a generation gap here? How specifically? 7. Regarding documents 7 and 8, what attitudes were forming in and toward government in the early 1970's? How will this impact the American people? Subjects: 1980's: Ronald Reagan; Moral Majority; Yuppies (6/5) Closed-note quiz (6/5) Homework (due 6/5): Create a collage of or a time capsule from the 1980's or 1990's. Final Examination (6/12)