Study Guide  -  Fall 2000

 

Chapters 16 & 17

After reading these chapters you should be able to answer the following questions 

in an essay of 3-4 paragraphs:

 

What were the consequences of Emancipation and Reconstruction for the

    Freedmen?

What were the consequences of defeat and Reconstruction for the 

    Southern white majority?

What consequences did the end of the Civil War have for the American

    West, its people and economy?

How did the structure, politics, and “social geography” of the American 

    city change after the Civil War?

Chapters 18 & 19

After reading these chapters you should be able to answer the following questions 

in an essay of 3-4 paragraphs:

 

Who were the most significant leaders of American industry and finance during this period, and what were their contributions to the national economy?

How did the structure of work and social class change in America during this period?

What changes occurred in the American political system during this period?

 

Chapters 20 & 21

After reading these chapters you should be able to answer the following questions 

in an essay of 3-4 paragraphs:

 

What national issues led to the growth of Populism, and what were the consequences of this movement?

How did America’s role in world affairs change during this period?

What were some of the achievements and weaknesses of the Progressive movement?

What role did women play during this period of change and reform?

 

Chapters 22 & 23

After reading these chapters you should be able to answer the following questions 

in an essay of 3-4 paragraphs:

 

What were the consequences of national mobilization and war overseas for the United States?

How did the social condition of women and African Americans change during this period?

What effect did this period of economic prosperity have upon the daily lives of the American people?

Why was there an economic crash in 1929 and what were the consequences for the American people?

Chapter 24

After reading these chapters you should be able to answer the following questions 

in an essay of 3-4 paragraphs:

 

Who was Franklin D. Roosevelt, and why was his election in 1932 so significant for the American of the Great Depression?

How did the first stage of the New Deal differ from the second stage?

What groups and individuals opposed the policies of the New Deal?

 

 

 

Study Guide  -  Summer 2000

 

Week 3  (July 3 - 6)          

 

American Promise, chapter 22, “The United States and the ‘Great War,’ 1914-1920”

A.  What do the graphics selected for this chapter (maps, photos, graphs, cartoons) reveal about events of importance to the United States during this period.  

B.  Outline how the person presented in the “Opening Vignette” of the chapter is representative of the period under study in the chapter.

 

1.   While war was raging in Europe, Wilson was sending troops into Mexico. Briefly, what was the background of this affair? What can be learned about Wilson's foreign policy through his actions toward Mexico?

2.   What did the American government do to promote the war effort among its people, and explain the impact that these policies had on people?

3.   What efforts were made by the Wilson administration to mobilize the American economy following its entry into World War I?

 

American Promise, chapter 23,  “From New Era to Great Depression”

A.  What do the graphics selected for this chapter (maps, photos, graphs, cartoons) reveal about events of importance to the United States during this period.  

B.  Outline how the person presented in the “Opening Vignette” of the chapter is representative of the period under study in the chapter.

 

1.   During the 1920s, Henry Ford emerged as the epitome of the American industrialist. What made him a strong industrialist, an innovative and efficient car manufacturer, and a man typical of the spirit of the 1920s?

2.   Who were the "Lost Generation" and what were their problems with America? To what extent were their complaints characteristic of Americans during the 1920s?

3.   While prosperity is a term generally associated with the 1920s, there were several problems with the American economy that inherently weakened it. What were the weaknesses in the American economy before the Great Crash of 1929 and the government's role in maintaining these conditions?

 

 


 

"Learning Objectives" for each chapter.  Please read these questions before  

you read the text.

 

Chapter 17

 

1. Identify the factors responsible for the quick settlement of the West following the 

Civil War and discuss their interrelationship.

2. Recognize the changes in rural America, noting the trend toward agribusinesses 

in the North and a colonial economy in the New South.

3. Discuss the rise of the cities following the Civil War in terms of migration and 

immigration, the growth of urban wealth and poverty, and the evolving social and 

economic structure of the cities.

4. Describe the role of the "boss rule" system of government in the American cities, 

as well as the bosses' connection with their political machines and their constituents.

5. Explain the technological improvements undertaken within the cities to overcome 

their numerous problems and enable their populations to thrive.

 

Chapter 18

 

1. Discuss the development of the industrial sector following the Civil War, its growth, 

its diversity, and its champions.

2. List the inventions and advances in technology that occurred during the Gilded 

Age, summarize their development, and explain how they often fell prey to corporate 

or finance capitalists.

3. Define the terms social Darwinism and laissez-faire and explain the effect these 

theories had on businessmen and on the role of government.

4. Trace the evolution of the major political issues of the Gilded Age (civil service 

reform, tariffs, currency, government regulation) and discuss their importance.

5. Explain what is meant by the term Gilded Age and determine whether it accurately 

describes the post - Civil War period.

 

Chapter 19

 

1. Discuss the major challenges to labor during the years following the Civil War and 

determine the success of labor's response.

2. Examine the changing role of women and children in the workplace.

3. Describe the role of the new management class of workers, its origins, and its 

effect on business.

4. Compare the major unions of the late nineteenth century on the basis of their 

organization, goals, and success.

5. Discuss the utopian visions of Henry George and Edward Bellamy, their notions of 

what was wrong with America and how it might be fixed.

 

Chapter 20

 

1. List the major women's organizations of the late nineteenth century, discuss their 

goals, and assess their effectiveness.

2. Trace the origins of the Populist Party to the problems of farmers, urban laborers, 

and other disaffected Americans of the 1890s, noting the organization's goals and 

hopes for the future.

3. Analyze the effectiveness of the Populist movement in bringing about change in 

the United States.

4. Discuss the ideological basis for American expansionism abroad in the late 

nineteenth century and explain the role of the Spanish-American War in that 

expansionism.

 

Chapter 21

1. Discuss the ideological origins of the progressive movement in terms of 

reform Darwinism, pragmatism, the social gospel, and scientific management.

2. Examine the reforms and reformers in the cities and in state government, noting 

their achievements on behalf of progressivism.

3. Analyze the progressive achievements of Presidents Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson, 

noting their successes and failures.

4. Explain the foreign policies of Roosevelt and Taft, their views of America's role 

in the world, and their actions.

5. Discuss the plight of those whom the reforms of the progressive movement 

failed to address, and describe their reactions.

 

Chapter 22

1. Describe the goals of Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy, in general, and 

toward Western Hemisphere countries, in particular, noting the conflicts between 

theory and reality.

2. Discuss the nature of American neutrality during the First World War, the goals 

of American neutrality, the problems foreign governments created, and the extent to 

which American policy really was neutral.

3. Analyze the causes of American entry into World War I, determining which were 

the most important.

4. Explain the efforts of the American government in mobilizing and promoting the 

war effort, as well as in providing progressive reforms to the people throughout 

the war.

5. Analyze Wilson's role in the Paris peace process, his initial expectations, and 

the ultimate outcome of the Paris Peace Conference.

6. Discuss the factors responsible for America's failure to ratify the Treaty of 

Versailles and the connection between the treaty's failure and the mood of 

conservatism that swept the country following the war.