United States v. Nixon

Titles: United States v. Nixon Labels: Nixon, Watergate, US_v_Nixon





The Cover-up

1. Regardless of the outcome, should the President of the United States have a right to privacy in regards to the Oval Office tapes? Explain.
When the court demanded that Nixon hand over the tapes, he refused, claiming a right to privacy. However the tapes would have been evidence in the investigation, regardless of how relevant the tapes, particularly the smoking gun tape, would become anyway. The president should not have the power to keep the oval office tapes during an investigation in which they are prevalent.


2. Was President Nixon justified when he fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox? Explain.

When Nixon fired prosecutor Cox in October of 1973, it was because the case was not going as Nixon wanted it to go. Cox had acquired a subpoena for the eight oval office tapes and Nixon wanted claimed that turning the tapes over would threaten national security. Cox however was relentless in wanted the tapes. The president cannot be justified in firing a special prosecutor simply because he is working against the president rather than in his favor.

3. Was Nixon creating a Constitutional crisis by refusing to hand-over the tapes? Explain.

By refusing to hand over the tapes Nixon brought up two issues, one being whether or not the tapes were private property of the president or not and also, by deliberately going against the Supreme Court and judge John Sirica, how much power the executive branch had. If Nixon had not had to and over the tapes and succumb to a court of law, it would have shown that the president is above the law. By refusing to hand over the tapes Nixon was stating that as the president, he was indeed above the law, showing that the executive branch was far more powerful than another branch and thus creating a constitutional crisis.

Closure

4. Why do you think the American public was so outraged by Watergate?
I think that the American public was outraged by Watergate for a few reasons. The first reason pertaining to the actual break in itself; When the investigation began, money from the burglary was able to be traced back to CRP, Nixon's campaign. The fact was that Nixon was using campaign money to pay criminals like G. Gordon Liddy and James McCord and the other burglars. The other outrage and probably the more significant outrage comes from the fact that Watergate created a constitutional crisis. Watergate revealed to the American public how close they had almost come to living under a king or dictator.



5. Do you think President Nixon should have resigned? Explain.

I think that had President Nixon not resigned than he would have certainly been impeached, and so it was in his own best interest. However, aside from that, many of Nixon's aids such as John Mitchell (AG) were serving jail time and had been convicted of crimes relating to watergate. Nixon himself was convicted of abuse of power, obstruction of justice and various other things. If Nixon had not resigned and stayed in his position as president it would have set a precedent that other presidents could break the law, abuse their power and still come out fine.

6. Do you think President Nixon should have been prosecuted? Explain.
Many people working with Nixon were prosecuted, John Mitchell, Gordon Liddy, James McCord, Dean, Colson, and others. Prosecuting Nixon might have shown that even as president he had to answer for his crimes like any other citizen would, which may have been important considering that Watergate seemed to raise the question of whether or not the presidency was heading in more of a totalitarian direction. However, Nixon lost a lot of his power and by becoming the first president to resign his reputation suffered a serious blow. As a political figure he was now very weak.

Watergate: Nixon's Downfall

Wed., May 26 Homework

Read Chapter 32-2 in your online history textbook, The Americans. This is about the Watergate Scandal and the Nixon Administration.

Answer the following questions and post them to your blog: They are due at the end of the school day Thursday.

Title: Watergate: Nixon's Downfall Labels: Plumbers, Nixon, Watergate, Halderman, Dean, Taping_system, White_House, Erlichman, Mitchell, Butterfield, Saturday_Night_Massacre

1. How ere the "plumbers" connected to President Nixon?

2. Who was the judge? Why did he hand out maximum sentences?

3. How were Mitchell and Dean connected to Nixon?
Mitchell was Nixon's former attorney general and dean was a white house counsel to Nixon.
4. How were Haldeman and Erlichman connected to Nixon?
Erlichman was Nixon's
domestic advisor and Halderman was Nixon's White House Cheif of Staff

5. What did the following men tell the Senate about Nixon?

a. Dean
Told the court that the president had been deeply involved in the cover-up

b. Butterfield
Told that court that Nixon had taped all of his presidential conversations

6. Who was fired or forced to resign in the "massacre"?
Attorney General Richardson was forced to resign because he refused to follor orders and fire Archibald Cox.


7. Why weren't investigators satisified with the transcripts?

The transcripts had been edited.

8. What did the tapes reveal?
The tapes revealed how much Nixon knew about the cover up and gave the court enough evidence to impeach him.

9. Why did Vice President Spiro Agnew resign?

it was revealed that he had accepted bribes from engineering firms while he was governer of Maryland.

10. What did the House Judiciary Committee charge President Nixon with?
They impeached Nixon, charging him with obstruction of justice, abuse of power and contempt of congress fro not obeying a congressional subpoena and releasing the tapes.

11. How did the Watergate scandal create a constitutional crisis?
People became disillusion with imperial presidency. Many became cynical about public crisises because they no longer trusted the constitution.

Women Fight for Equality

Read Chapter 31-2 in your The Americans online textbook. (begins on page 982). Answer the following and post to your blog. Due Tuesday prior to class.

Title: Women Fight for Equality Labels: Women's_Rights, Friedan, Schlafly, Steinem, Roe_v_Wade, ERA, NOW, Feminism,

Directions: As you read about the rise of a new women’s movement, take notes to explain how each of the following helped to create or advance the movement.

1. Experiences in the workplace
Certain jobs were considered "men's work". Women were rarely promoted to management and made far less than men did. WOmen learning of this led them to want change.

2. Experiences in social activism
Women were often brushed aside in activist groups which led them to form their own smaller groups


3. "Consciousness raising"
these were small groups formed by women where they could share their experiences and learn that many other women felt the same way that they did

4. Feminism
feminism was the belief that women should have equal political and social rights as men. It was the reasoning behind the push for women's equality.

5. Betty Friedan and The Feminine Mystique
Betty Friedan wrote the book, The feminine Mystique, which was a book about the problem of women feeling dissatisfied with their roles.

6. Civil Rights Act of 1964
This helped the women's movement because it made illegal discrimination based on sex

7. National Organization for Women (NOW)
was a group formed to pursue womens' goals
such as the creation of child care facilities and illiminating discrimiantion based on sex in the workplace

8. Gloria Steinem and Ms. Magazine
GLoria Steinem was a femisnist activist who formed Ms. MAgazine whihc addressed feminism and womens' issues.

9. Congress
Congress passed laws that made gender discrimination in education illegal, also the equaL rights amendament which guarenteed that men and women would have the same protetion under the law

10. Supreme CourtRoe v. Wade which ruled that women have the right to have an abortion in the first 3 months of pregnaqncy.


11. The Equal rights Amendment would have guaranteed equal rights under the law, regardless of gender. Who opposed this amendment? Why?
Phyllis Schlaffly opposed this amendment because she thought it would lead to the drafting of women, a lack of protection under the law for homemakers and same-sex marriage and would make husbands not have to provide for their families.
Posted by Mr. Hyer at 9:24

Why did the USA lose the Vietnam War?

Title: Why did the USA lose the Vietnam War? Labels: Vietnam_War


Look back at your answers to your homework that was assigned on April 30, The U.S. struggles against the Communist in Vietnam. Your answers will be very useful for this summary activity.

Why did the USA lose the Vietnam War?

The Americans did not lose purely for military reasons. There were other factors as well.

Write an explanation AND cite a source from the reading that shows the importance of the following six factors:

1. US military tactics in Vietnam
The US used tactics in et Vietnam war that included dropping bombs. To avoid the effects of American air tactics the Vietcong built underground tunnels (source 36).

2. The unpopularity of the South Vietnamese regime
Although the US had criticized Stalin for not holding free elections, they did not want an election in South Vietnam because it seemed likely that a communist would have won (source 34).

3. The experience of the Viet Cong and the inexperience of the American soldiers

The term of duty in Vietnam was one year for US soldiers. Many soldiers died quickly or left after the year before they really became good soldiers. ALso, many of the recruits were 19 years old. Some soldiers scored so low on intelligence tests that they normally would not have been allowed to join the army (source 43).

4. Domestic opposition to the war in the U.S.
Americans were horrified by the use of chemical weapons like napalm to destroy villages and people. The US public did not condone the war (source 46).

5. Chinese and Soviet support for the Viet Cong
The Chinese and the Soviets kept the Viet Cong well supplied with weapons. The Viet Cong had the support of the Chinese (source 38).

6. 'But did they really lose?' Summarize the argument put forward in Source 57, and your view on it.
The argument is source 57 essentially claims that the US did not lose any significant military battle, and the Fall of Saigon happened after the US had left and consisted of only Vietnamese soldiers, so therefore the US did not really lose the Vietnamese war. While I agree that technically, the US did not lose the war, I don't think it is particularly important, as the US still completely failed at what it set out to do. The war was disastrous for the US and served as proof that containment was a failure.

Add other if you think there are factors you should consider.

Vietnam War Opposition

Using your knowledge gained from previous readings in the Vietnam War reading, complete the following.


Title: Vietnam War Opposition Labels: Vietnam_War, Vietcong, Tet_Offensive, My_Lai_Massacre, Vietnam_War_Protest, 1968


The assignment is due by at the beginning of class on Friday.


You are an opponent of American involvement in Vietnam. Use the evidence in this chapter to begin formulating ideas to make a poster or a leaflet putting forward your views. You will work on this in class on Friday. You can include stories and images from pages 353-61. However, you must also include an explanation that will convince the supporters of containment that the policy is not working in Vietnam. OPTIONAL: Instead of opposing the war, you can support it. Feel free to make a COUNTER-ARGUMENT that the war is necessary to contain Communism.

1. Note all of the reasons why you feel the war in Vietnam is wrong.

-The My Lai Massacre (the general issue of brutal civillian deaths)
-use of chemical weapons like agent orange
-the US is not making a lot of progress against the Vietcong guerilla army
-methods like bombing (operation rolling thunder) are costly and only slow down the viet cong


2. Note what you re trying to achieve with this poster. (e.g. to convince people to write to their Congressmen to get the troops out.)

With this poster I will try to convince to publicly protest against the Vietnam War.

3. List possible images for your poster. Think about: background (e.g. destroyed villages); the central image (e.g. picture of a young soldier); whether you will need words to explain your image.

Possible images for the poster:

-A soldier (with his head facing down) in the midst of a destroyed village
-Politicians (portrayed unflatteringly) dump money and american soldiers into a giant hold labled "Vietnam"
-Vietnamese civillians running away from chemical weapons
-a group of american protesters

4. List some possible slogans for your poster.
Possible solgans

"Protest the war; stop the waste of lives"
"No one wins in a war like this"
"Show some humanity. Protest the Vietnam War"

Vietnam War Turning Points

Using your knowledge gained from previous readings in the Vietnam War reading, answer the following questions.

Title: Vietnam War Turning Points Labels: Vietnam_War, Vietcong, Tet_Offensive, My_Lai_Massacre

The assignment is due by 3:10 on Wednesday.

1. Why was the Tet Offensive a turning point? Explain your answer.
The Tet Offensive was a turning point because after it, the American side began losing support for the war.


2. Are Sources 51 and 52 making the same point about the My Lai Massacre?
No, source 51 emphasizes the horror of the soldiers involved the the My Lai Massacre and compares the actions of it to the actions of Nazis. Source 51 defends the massacre saying that the objective was not to kill the people and that the massacre was just another way to kill the ideology of communism.


3. Why do you think it took 12 months for
anyone to do anything about the massacre?
I think that people were probably afraid to report Calley. Also, many soldiers may to have wanted to come to terms with what had actually happened at My Lai, preferring to forget what had happened.


4. Why was the massacre so shocking to
the American public?
The massacre was so shocking to the american public because it was very clear evidence that the war in vietnam had gone horribly wrong. Before the massacre, it still seemed like maybe everything the US was doing was for the bigger cause of defeating communism, but the massacre seemed to prove that this was not the case; civilians including women child and old men were all killed at the massacre for no reason except viciousness and that shocked the american public deeply.

The U.S. Struggles Against the Communists in Vietnam

Step 2: Using pages 356-61 in the Vietnam War Reading, make notes in columns 2 (US Army) and 4 (Viet Cong) to record how far each side had each quality.



Stage 2: Thinking it through

Step 3: in each row of column 3, draw some scales to show which way the balance falls for this quality. Did the USA or the Viet Cong have the advantage?

1. Now think about the overall picture - how the strengths and weaknesses work together.

a) Were the armies finely balanced or was the balance strongly weighted to one side or the other?
The US had an advantage as far as armies go because they outnumbered and outgunned the Viet Cong. However, the Viet Cong army was more devoted to the the war, and o Chi Minh continued to sacrifice soldiers to the war.

b) Which quality was most important in determining who won the war? Was one feature so important that being ahead in that area meant that other advantages or disadvantages did not matter?
I believe that the one determining quality in who won the war was effective tactics. Although US tactics were able to kill Viet Kong, they were also very expensive and, witch chemical weapons, extremely gruesome. The US tactics were not only inefficient but in some cases, but when the press got a old of them they shocked the American public. The Veit COng on the other hand used guerilla warfare to terrorize the US.The Tet offensive, although it was in some ways a disaster, was a turning point in the war.

Stage 3: Explaining your conclusions
The failure of the U.S. army to beat the Communist in Vietnam was the result of its own weaknesses and Viet Cong strengths.

2. Now write up your answer. Use this structure:
a. The U.S. weaknesses were: A lack of soldier's and public moral, inefficient and costly tactics.

b. At the same time, the Communist strengths were: Highly motivated (refused to give in) and had better tactics like guerilla warfare.

c. The U.S. forces did have some successes. For example: Operation Rolling thunder.

d. However, there were some major failures as well. Examples of these were: The My Lai Massacre (this is not so much a defeat as bad press for the US), Operation Rolling thunder did work but could not defeat communists, search and destroy was not a good tactic.

e. The Viet Cong had some major successes, such as:the Tet offensive (was a turning point in the war),

f. However, they also suffered defeats, for example:
The US of chemical weapons by the US, keeping the Ho Chi MInh trail open cost many soldiers' lives

g. If I had to identify one major American weakness, it would be [Insert weakness here] because:
American tactics because the Americans were not prepared to deal with the guerilla war tactics of the Viet Cong. Their tactics such as bombing were unable to defeat a guerilla army.

h. The key Viet Cong strength was [their use of guerilla warfare] because: guerilla warfare made them impossible to defeat with bombing raids and traditional battles, both of which the US would have won. Even though the US troops outnumbered and outgunned them, they were not able to defeat them because guerilla warfare made the Viet congs so difficult to find and often caught US soliders off guard with attacks.

The U.S. Enters te Vietnam War

Title: The U.S. Enters the Vietnam War Labels: Vietnam_War, JFK, Cold_War, LBJ, Ho_Chi_Mihn, Gulf_of_Tonkin, Diem

The answers are due on Friday prior to class
1. Many neutral observers in Vietnam were critical of US policy. Explain why.

Much of the US policy in Vietnam was based of off ignorance and the fear that if Vietnam became Communist, all of South East Asia would follow. There were also many incidents where civilians, women, children and the elderly were massacred. The most famous incident was My Lai Massacre.


2. Explain how US politicians would have defended their policies.
They would have defended their policies by citing the defeat of communism as the goal. Calley, when on trial for the My Lai massacre said that they went to Vietnam to kill Communism not people. US politicians would have taken a similar stance to defend their policies, claiming that all actions taken were necessary to contain communism.

3. The following events are not listed in correct date order. Place them in the correct chronological order. (Write the year inside the parenthesis, i.e. (1965). Then note the reason for each U.S. action, and how it brought the U.S. into deeper involvement in Vietnam.
The reasons you can choose from are: No direct involvement; financial support; political involvement; military involvement. Also, note what events triggered the increased involvement.


Assassination of JFK - Johnson becomes president (1963)-political/military involvement
Formation of South Vietnam (1955)-political involvement/financial involvement
Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964)-political involvement
Number of 'advisers' reaches over 11,500 (end of 1962)-military involvement
JFK sends military advisers (1962)-military involvement
U.S. Marines land at Da Nang (1965)-military involvement
U.S. stops elections in Vietnam (1954)-political involvement
U.S. supports South Vietnam government after army overthrow Diem (1963)-political involvement/financial involvement
Viet Cong attacks on U.S. and South Vietnam bases (1960)-military involvement
Viet Cong formed (1960)-no direct involvement here

4. Choose two events that you think were critical in getting the U.S. involved in a war in Vietnam. Explain
your choice.

Two events that were critical in getting et US involved in a war in Vietnam were, when the Viet conga attacked South Vietnam bases and the assassination of JFK. When JFK was assassination LBJ took his place. LBJ was much more ready and willing to become involved in the Vietnam War that JFK had been and after the Gulf go Tonkin incident, congress passed et gulf of tontine resolution giving him ugh amounts of power. When the Viet Cong first began to attack South Vietnamese bases, JFK began sending many military advisers over to help fight them.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

Tues., April 27 Homework

In your Cold War file folder in your Google Docs account, read pages 350 to 351 of Cuban Missile Crisis.


Answer the following questions and post them to your blog.
Title: The Cuban Missile Crisis Labels: Cuban_Missile_Crisis, Bay_of_Pigs, Khrushchev, JFK, McNamara, Cold_War


The answers are due on Wednesday prior to class.


1. Kennedy described Wednesday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 27 as the darkest days of the crisis. Use the information on page 350 to explain why.
On October 24, and October 27

ON october 24 missile carrying ships and a soviet submarine approached the US blockade. On the 27 Kennedy recieves a letter from Krushchev saying that he will on remove the missiels from Cuba if Kennedy removes the missiles from Turkey. kennedy cannot accept these conditions.

2. Do you think that nuclear war was ever a possibility in this crisis?
I think it was a small possibility becasue if any of the each countries actions were percived as threatening to the other country, it could have begun conventional war that escalated into nuclear war. However I think both countries wanted to avoid nuclear war, decreasing the chance.

3. Is Source 26 a Soviet or an American cartoon? Explain your answer by referring to the details in the cartoon.

It is an American cartoon. Kennedy is arm wrestling Krushchev. Kennedy looks serious while Krushev seems to be struggling and is sweating heavily.

4. Using Source 27 list any evidence you can find for and against each of the explanations.
I think that it is possible that they wanted to bargain with the US becaue Krushchev does say in his second letter to Kennedy that he would remove the missile from CUba if the US removed their missiles fromTurkey.
I think that it is also possible that they wanted to test the US because both countries were not really sure of where the other xcountry stood in the arms race and testing the US would show if they really had the power to back themselves up.
I think it is also possible that they wanted to get the upper hands in the arms race becasue the US had missiles in Turkey and that would make it easy for them to attack the USSR. However if the USSR has missiles in CUba, this is less likely.
I do not think it is likely that they wanted to trap the Us becasue a nuclear war would cause unreparable damages to both sides.

Why did the Soviet Union place nuclear missiles on Cuba?
To bargain with the USA


To test the USA


To trap the USA


To get the upper hand in the arms race


To defend Cuba


5. Choose the explanation(s) that you think best fit what you have found out about the crisis. Explain your choice.
I think the best explanations are that teh USSR wanted to bargain with the US and defend Cuba. In his fisrt lette rto Kennedy, Krushchev says that he would not need the missiles if he did not feel Cuba was threatened. This is a legitimate threat because with the US's policy of containment it would seems possible they would attack Cuba to get rid of the Communists there. I think it is also likely that the USSr was trying to bargain in the US becaus in Krushchev's second letter to the US he says he will remove the missiles in Cuba if the US removes their missiles in Turkey. Wothout missiles in Turkey there would be a lesser likelyhood of the US attacking the USSR.

The U.S. Attemps to Contain Cuba

In your Cold War file folder in your Google Docs account, read pages 347 to 349 of Cuban Missile Crisis.

Answer the following questions and post them to your blog. Your answers are due Tuesday prior to class.
Title: The U.S. Attempts to Contain Cuba Labels: Cuban_Missile_Crisis, Bay_of_Pigs, Khrushchev, JFK, McNamara, Cold_War

1. Why was Cuba so important to the United States?
Americans owned most of the businesses there and had a huge naval base there.

2. Why do you think the Americans chose to equip Cuban exiles rather than invading themselves?
This would have prevented any American lives from being lost and would have prevented a war between the US and Cuba.

3. Why did the invasion fail?
At the Bay of Pigs the exiles were met with 20,000 Cuban troops who were armed with tanks and modern weapons.
The invasion failed because

4. Compare Source 17 on page 345 (in the Arms Race.pdf reading) with Source 24 on page 348. Describe how the Soviet Union missiles on Cuba changed the Cold War balance of power.
Soviet missiles on Cuba gave the Soviets a prescence closer to the US. before, the US would have been able to launch missiles at the Soviets from close proximity, however the Soviets would not had been able to do the same. But with Soviet Missiles on Cuba, they could now easily launch missiles on the US from Cuba.

The American Dream in the 1950's

Title: The American Dream in the 1950s Labels: Baby_Boom, Eisenhower, Interstate_system

This is due tomorrow prior to class.


For each term or name, write a concise sentence or two explaining its significance.

1. Baby Boom
A baby boom is when the birthrate over a certain period of time (like a few decades) is unusually high which occurred right after WWII
2. Dr. Jonas Salk
Dr, Jonas Salk developed the vaccine for the crippling disease polio.

3. Interstate Highway System
The interstate highway system was 41,000 miles of highway across the nation linking major cities and suburbs to workplaces, schools and shopping centers.


4. Franchise
Franchises were companies with multiple location spread over a distance, offering similar service and products (McDonald's is an example).

5. In a paragraph, describe in detail how Americans spent their leisure time in the 1950s
In the 1950's, Americans had more leisure time than ever. Americans were able to participate in leisure sports such as golf, bowling and fishing. Americans were also able to attend sporting events more frequently than ever and filled up football and baseballs stadiums. Americans also began reading frequently, often books by popular authors such as Daphne du Maurier, JD Salinger, Earnest Hemingway and John Steinback. They also began reading magazines like Sports Illustrated. Comic books became popular and so id televised sports programs. Many Americans also began to take on do-it-yourself projects. Leisure time in the 1950's allowed americans to engage in a wide variety of pursuits.

The Arms Race

Title: The Arms Race Labels: Arms_race, Eisenhower, U2_Incident, Khrushchev, Soviet_Union, MAD, Containment

Your answers are due by 8:20 a.m. Monday, April 12.

1. Read Source 12. What methods do you think Dulles had in mind to 'liberate captive peoples' without a war?
Dulles might have had in mind to lend aid to these countries or set up anti-communist alliances nearby or to continue in the arms race without actually having a war.

2. Look at Source 13. Would you agree that the Communist world was encircled? Explain your answer.
No I would disagree with this because on one side of the soviet world there is a substantial amount of land before there is a country involved in an anti-communist alliance.

3. Carefully examine the verticle timeline on page 343. Then look back at Source 12. Do you think the development of nuclear weapons was what Dulles might have had in mind?
Yes I think that it is possible that Dulles had the development of nuclear weapons in line because overtime the Soviets advance on the timeline the US attempts to catch up or get ahead of them and if the us developed nuclear weapons the soviets would not want to start a war with them because they would be under-equipped.


4. Look at Source 16. What is the Soviet cartoon saying about the U-2 plane?
The Soviet cartoon is saying that the U-2 plane is being used by America to spy on the soviets.


5. Read the Factfile on page 344. Explain why the USSR was so angry about the US spy flights.
The USSr was to angry about US spy flights because the flights violated soviet air space. The new planes the U-2's could not be shot down at first because they flew so high and this allowed the US to receive valuable information about soviet technology. later when Eisenhower admitted to having spied on the soviets he refused to apologize or promise to stop.

6. How would the USA justify this violation of Soviet territory?
They could justify this by claiming that was the soviet's job to keep spies out of their territory.


7. If the USSR had had U-2 planes, do you think it would have used them? Why?
I think that the USSr would have used the planes because it would have allowed them to collect al lot of information on US technology which would probably have allowed them to create more and more powerful weapons, propelling them forward in the arms race.

8. Look at Source 17. Why do you think the USA had missiles based in Europe?
It would have been easier launch missiles in Europe that from the US.

9. Define the term 'nuclear deterrent' in not more than 20 words.
A nuclear deterrent is a nuclear weapon that is not intended to be used other than in an arms race.

Eisenhower & The Cold War

Read Chapter 26, section 4, Two Nations Live on Edge, (pages 828-833). This section discusses the Hydrogen Bomb, Brinkmanship, the CIA in the Middle East and Latin America, the Warsaw Pact, the Eisenhower Doctrine, the Space Race, and the U-2 Incident. Please place your answer to your blog.
Title: Eisenhower & The Cold War Labels: Space_Race, Sputnik, Eisenhower_Doctrine, U-2_Incident, Brinkmanship, H-Bomb, Cold_War


This is due Thursday, April 8 prior to class.


How did the United States react to the following 7 events, and why?

1. The Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb in 1949.
This triggered fear in the US and the two superpowers began competing in an amrms race.

2. In 1951, the Iranian prime minister placed the oil industry in Iran under the Iranian government’s control.
The US was afraid that they would turn to the Soviet's for help after Britain stopped buying from them and gave them lots of money.

3. The Guatemalan head of government gave American-owned land in Guatemala to peasants.
The CIA took over the Guetemalan government because they thought they were communist sympathizers.

4. In 1956, Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt and occupied the Suez Canal.
The Eisenhower doctrine said that the US would protect the middle east from communist countries, this is because the Soviet union was winnning support from Egypt.

5. Soviet tanks invaded Hungary and fired on protesters in 1956.
The United states did not help them because the Truman doctrine did not extend to non-satellite countries. The hungarians were very disapointed.


6. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik.
The United States began investing a lot of oney into their space programs as to not let the Soviets get ahead of them. In 1958 the US launched its first satellite.

7. In 1960, the Soviet Union brought down an American U-2 piloted by Francis Gary Powers.
Eisenhower initiall denied that it was a plane for spying but the Soviet's had evidence against it and demamded an apology. Eisenhower refused to appologize and the Soviet Leader Krushchev refused to attend the summit. This inicdent renewed tensions between the Soviets and the US.

The Red Scare (1950's)

Read Chapter 26, section 3 in your textbook. (pages 822-827) and answer the following questions.
Title: The Red Scare (1950s). Labels: Red_Jello, Red_Scare, McCarthy, McCarthyism, Rosenbergs, Blacklist, Alger_Hiss


This assignment is due on Tuesday, April 6 at the beginning of class.






For each term or name, write a concise sentence or two explaining its significance.


1. HUAC
HUAC began to investigate communist influence in Hollywood to try and prevent communist propaganda in films.

2. Blacklist

The Blacklist was a list of people in Hollywood who were believed to be communist.
It ruined the careers of over 500 actors writers and directors.

3. Alger Hiss
Alger Hiss was a state department official who was accused of being a Soviet Spy.
Soviet released cables seemed to prove his guilt.

4. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg
Ethel and Julius Rosenburg were indicated in the case of Fuchs, who had given information to the Soviets about atomic bombs. They were executed for espionage.

5. Joseph McCarthy
McCarthy was a famous anti-communist activist who made many unsupported accusations.

6. McCarthyism
Named after Joseph McCarthy, McCarthyism was when McCarthy made many attacks and accusations against suspected communists.

7. In a paragraph, describe the motivations and actions of Joseph McCarthy during the 1950s. What prompted his actions? What did he do? What happened as a result of his actions?

Joseph McCarthy motivations for his attacks on suspected communists were purely self-serving. McCarthy was a senator from Wisconsin who had been labled as "ineffective". McCarthy needed an issue to take on the win another election. He used people's irrational fear of communism to his advantage and made many false and unsupported claims against believed communists. McCarthy made accusations against the US army which resulted in a televised Senate investigation. The Senate comdemned him for improper conduct.

Korean War Lessons

I've shared a new document with you in your Cold War file. It is titled Korean War. Read this and answer the prompt below. (Also, if you want to read about the Korean War in your Americans textbook, it is 26-2)

Prompt:

It is 1952. A new president, Eisenhower, has been elected in the US. Your task is to write a report for him on what lessons the United States can learn from the war. Your report should advise the President on:

the US aims in Korea
how the support of the UN helped
how far the US achieved its aims
whether MacArthur should have been allowed to invade North Korea
why MacArthur was removed
the military and civilian cost of war


For each point you will need to use the sources and text on pages 338-41 to compile your answer.

Finally, make up your own mind as to whether, on balance, the policy of containment succeeded and then write up your ideas as a balanced report.


The Korean War has demonstrated many lessons to the U.S. The U.S., in its fight against communism had given its support to the anti-communist South Korea and so when communist controlled North Korea attacked, the U.S. hoped to drive North Korea away. Because the Soviet Union was boycotting the UN, the UN could assist he U.S.'s cause. ALthough most of the UN force sent to Korea was American, additionally support from 18 states including Britain sent troops. The UN was able to quickly drive the North Korean forces out of South Korea, which was the U.S.'s original goal. However, the US general MacArthur was not satisfied with this. MacArthur, along with Truman, wanted to remove communism from all of Korea. However North Korea had the support of the Chinese, which MacArthur underestimated. The UN's troops we pushed back into South Korea. Even then MacArthur wanted to continue the war, even if that meant using nuclear weapons, but Truman was satisfied with achieving the US's original goal of pushing North Korean troops out of South Korea. MacArthur's attack on North Korea resulted in intense fighting and of course, many civilian and military deaths. had MacArthur been able to continue as he wanted and use a nuclear weapon the toll would be much higher and could have begun a war with China and the USSR. Truman removed MacArthur after ignored UN instruction and threatened China.

The US's policy of containment seems to have been effective. The Korean War can be counted as a success for containment because it did just that and contained communism to North Korea. Although further efforts to bring down communism in all of Korea were very unsuccessful, the UN was able to counter North Korea's attack on South Korea and push the communist troops back. Had this not happened than South Korea might have been taken over and turned into a communist state. Mac Arthur aggressive policies however seem to have been counter-effective as they would have in all probability have launched a war with China or the USSR. China had already shown in North Korea how hard they were willing to fight and if they would have won a war against the US, communism would have spread even more.

Dropping the Atomic Bomb

Additionally, you are to read War in Pacific. It is .pdf file I've shared with you in your WWII file folder. After reading the three pages and studying the sources, answer the following questions and post them to your blog. These are due on Monday.
Title: Dropping the Atomic Bomb Labels: atomic_bomb, Manhattan_Project, Truman, Japan, WWII, Pacific_War


1. What factors have affected viewpoints on Truman's decision?
Many at the time agreed with Truman's decision to drop the bomb because there would be no bloody invasion of Japan and save American lives. No country could recover from the impact of it. However some disagreed because they felt that the bomb was unnecessary to win the war. The bomb would also have far reaching consequences. Because Truman was an anti-communist, some also felt that he dropped the bomb just to scare the Soviets.

2. Do you think he made the right decision? Give your reasons.
I think that looking at it from a historical it is harder to agree with Truman's decision. There is a good chance that the Allies could have won in the Pacific even without the bomb, however this would have been very bloody and many American soldiers would have died. Also this marked the beginning of the nuclear age and nuclear weapons cause damage that has effects far in the future besides being immensely destructive immediately. However, if I were an American during the war I think that I would support Truman's decision. It would have guaranteed Japan's defeat and spared American troops the invasion.

War in the Pacific

Read Chapter 25-3, The War in the Pacific (Stop at the end of page 790) and answer the following questions. These are due at the beginning of class Friday. Title: War in the Pacific Labels: Atomic_Bomb, Truman, Pacific_War, Japan, MacArthur, Battle_of_Midway, Manhattan_Project, Iwo_Jima.

1. What was the importance of the Battle of Midway?
It was a turning point in the Pacific war, soon et Allies began "island Hopping" toward Japan.

2. What strategy did the United States adopt in fighting Japan?
The US adopted an offensive strategy, jumping from island to island and regaining territory until they reached Japan.

3. Why did the Japanese fight so hard on Iwo Jima?
This island would enable the US to drop bombs on Japan now.

4. Why did the Allies believe Okinawa was a foretaste of an invasion of Japan?
This was the only island that stood between the US and invading japan. Only 200 Japanese survived and the Allies felt this would be just as bad or worse when Japan itself was invaded.

5. What was the Manhattan Project?
The Manhattan Project was the development of the atomic bomb, it was led by J. Robert Oppenheimer.At its peak more than 600,000 Americans we involved but few knew its true mission.

6. Ultimately, why did President Truman decide to drop atomic bombs on Japan?
Truman chose to do this to bring the war to an end and because the Japanese refused to surrender.

War for Europe and North Africa Part II

Read the remainder of Chapter 25-2 (pages 779 onward) (War for Europe and North Africa) and post your answers to the following questions in your blog. Your answers are due at the beginning of class Tuesday. Title: War for Europe and North Africa - Part II Labels: WWII, FDR, Churchill, D-Day, Battle_of_Bulge, Germany, Hitler, Truman

6. What was D-Day?

D-Day was the plan by the Allies to attack Normandy in France set for June 5th, but delayed because of weather. June 6th is what is now known as D-day, the day of the invasion.

7. What happened at the Battle of the Bulge?
At the Battle of Bulge 8 German tanks broke through American defenses along and 80 mile front and drove 60 miles into Allied territory. When it ended after over a month, the Germans had been pushed back and had lost 120,000 troops, 600 tanks and assault guns and 1,600 planes.

8. What did Allied troops find in Germany?

In Germany, Allied troops found Nazi death camps in Germany, here they found starving prisoners, huge crematoriums and storehouses of shoes.

9. What happened to Hitler? What happened to F.D. Roosevelt? Who became U.S. President?

Hitler married Eva Braun and wrote his last address to Germany, blaming the war on Jews. Hitler shot himself (Braun drank poison).

F. D. Roosevelt had a fatal stroke on April 12, 1945. His vice president Harry S. Truman became president.

War for Europe and North Africa

Read Chapter 25-2 (pages 775 - 779 - You don't need to finish chapter. This will be the next day's homework) (War for Europe and North Africa) and post your answers to the following questions in your blog. Your answers are due at the beginning of class Tuesday. Title: War for Europe & North Africa Labels: WWII, FDR, Churchill, Battle_of_Atlantic, Stalingrad, Mussolini, Italy, Germany

1. To what did Roosevelt and Churchill agree early in the war?
Roosevelt and Churchill agreed to back each other up in the war. Churchill convenced Roosevelt to strike against Hilter first and then deal with teh Pacific war.


2. Why was winning the Battle of the Atlantic so crucial to the fortunes of the Allies?
If they had not won than Britain's supplies would have been cut off. If they had not won that battle than they would have lost the war at sea.

3. Why was the Battle of Stalingrad so important?
The Battle of Stalingrad was so important because it prevented Hitler from winning the war; it was a major turning point. After the battle the soviets were able to move west.

4. What happened in the war in North Africa?
107,000 American troops were sent to Casablanca, Oran and Algiers from where they went east and chased after the afrika corps,led by Gerneral Erwin Rommel, eventually causing them to surrender. After Harold alexander sent a message to Churchill saying that "all enemy resistance has ceased".

5. What happened after the Allies invaded Italy?
After the Allies invaded Italy, they first captured Sicily (mussolini was taken out of power),later there was one of the bloodiest battles, "Bloody Anzio" which took place near Rome, (25,000 allie casualties and 30,000 axis). Itlay was not freed until 1945 when Germany was close to collapse.

Mobilizing for WWII

Read Chapter 25-1: Mobilizing for War and note how each of the following contributed to that effort.

Please post to your blog prior to class on Monday. Title: Mobilizing for WWII. Labels: WWII, homefront

1. Selective Service System

The Selective Service System drafted soldiers when the volunteers were not enough. It contributed to the war effort by strengthening the military by providing another 10 million troops.

2. Women
The women's auxiliary army corps was founded and woman now served in non-combat positions.


3. Minorities
More than 300,000 Mexican Americans joined the military and about 10,000,000 African Americans, as well as more than 13,000 Chinese Americans and 33,000 Japanese Americans and 25,000 Native Americans.

4. Manufacturers
The automobile industry stopped functioning as a private industry to make war supplies like boats, planes, and command cars. All over the country production companies were converted to war production. Also many women and minorities took over men's jobs in the factories.

5. Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD)
This brought scientists together to help the war effort. It improved radar and sonar and technology for finding submarines under water, it pushed DDT to kill insects and created drugs like penicillin. Most significantly however was the creation of the atomic bomb.


6 Entertainment industry
Hollywood began promoting the war by creating propaganda films and films that stirred up hatred for Nazis.

7. Office of Price Administration (OPA)
Because production had dropped on many goods due to the war effort, the OPA fought price inflation by freezing the costs of those products. The OPA also set up a food rationing system.

8. War Production Board (WPB)
The WPB was in charge of making sure that the troops received the proper supplies.It allocated different materials to key industries.

9. Rationing
The OPA set up a rationing system that set up fixed allotments of food for the military and also for the citizens of America. People were given coupons to buy restrictive amounts of food and things like gas. Many people saw this as a personal contribution to the war effort. Cutting back meant more for the war effort.

Japan and U.S. Relations in 1941

The IA question: Using the documents and your own knowledge assess the state of diplomatic relations between Japan and the U.S. in 1941.

DIRECTIONS: Based on this question, create a bullet-pointed list of evidence from each document. List the evidence under each document ID. You are NOT to answer the question. Simply list the evidence. Copy and paste the following into your blog. Title: Japan and U.S. Relations in 1941 Labels: Pearl_Harbor, WWII, FDR, Japan, This is due at the beginning of class on Friday.

Japan and U.S. Relations in 1941

Document A

(meeting of Japanese Imperial cabinet)

-trying to advance in south so Germany and Italy can defeat England
-Want to force China to surrender and then the Soviet Union
-By seizing south they can damager America's source to strategic materials
-They want to defeat American and England by seizing more hostile and asian countries


Document B

-FDR, Cordell Hulll and Sumner Welles) standing together reading "pacific situation" but turned facing Tojo
-Tojo is running around them angrily



Document C

(Japanese dispatch)

-U.S. is presenting "humiliating proposal"
-Japan can't use it as basis for negotiations
-negotiations between the two countries will be ended
-Imperial Government has made huge sacrifices for peace of Pacific, but the U.S. has been unbending and has made this impossible

Document D

(imperial conference)

-Tojo has reached decision to commence hostilities
-are going to make "all out effort" for Japanese war aims

Document E

(extract from Roosevelt's address)

-U.S. "suddenly and elaborately" attacked by Japan
-had been at peace with that nation prior to attack
-Japan had wanted to discontinue diplomatic relations but had not threatened war
-Attack has been planned for many days or weeks
-Roosevelt has requested congress to declare war on Japan

America Movies Toward War

read Chapter 24-4 in your history textbook and answer the following questions. Post them to your blog by Wednesday at 3:10 p.m. Title: America Moves Toward War Labels: FDR, Pearl_Harbor, WWII, Japan, Great_Britain, Axis_Powers,

1. What did the 1939 Neutrality Act allow?
The 1939 Neutrality Act allowed the US to trade with other countries under the cash and carry policy, or the policy in which other countries would pay cash for US goods and pick them up.

2. Who were the Axis powers?
The Axis powers were Germany, Italy and Japan.

3. What did the Lend-Lease Act do?

the Lend-Lease Act provided aid to allies of the US (Great Britain) by "lending" them supplies that technically was supposed to be returned after the war.

4. What pledges were contained in the Atlantic Charter?

The pledges contained in the Atlantic Charter were promises between Britain and the US for collective security, disarmament, self-determination, economic cooperation and freedom of the seas.

5. Who were the Allies?

The Allies were the nations that fought the Axis powers, a total of 26 nations, among them Great Britain, the US, and the Soviet Union.

6. What did the attack at Pearl Harbor do to the U.s. Pacific fleet?

The raid had sunk or damaged 21 ships, including 8 battleships, almost all of the US pacific fleet.
7. Why did Germany and Italy declare war on the U.S.?

Germany and Italy declared war on the US because the US declared war on Japan.

"Isolationism" and FDR (1935-1941)

1. What were the goals of the isolationists? Why is "isolationism" a misleading term?

The goals of isolationists were to stay out of war and believed neutrality was the best way to do that. They feared that technology would make the war even worse than WWI and that america's economy would not be able to stand another war. Their primary goal was to put American interests first. However the term isolationism is misleading because isolationists did not seek to completely sever ties with other countries, most favored international trade and respected the laws put into place since WWI.

2. What did some isolationists feel that there was no need for Americans to feel threatened by developments in Europe and Asia?

Some isolationists felt this way because of the pacific and atlantic oceans that separated America from Europe and Asia and the US had good relationships with the other countries in the western hemisphere.

3. What were the purposes of the Nye Committee hearings?

The purposes of the Nye Committee hearings were to uncover the reasons that the US had gotten involved with WWI through investigation of the munitions industry and the banking industry.The Nye Committee hearings hoped to prevent the U.S. from entering another world war.

4. List two impressions that the Nye Committee hearings created.

1. The Nye committee hearing increased the isolationist mood in the US and
2. Through newspaper coverage it created the impression that many American soldiers had died in WWI due to big corporations convincing Wilson to go to war.



5. What were the purposes of the Neutrality Acts?

The purposes of the Neutrality Acts were to keep the United States out of war through a strict policy of neutrality.

6. List two reasons that some Americans considered Roosevelt's leadership radical and dangerous.

1. When Roosevelt tried to "pack" the Supreme Court some Americans felt that he was becoming a dictator and 2. When he ran for a third term some Americans also saw this as too much power.

7. What was "Cash and Carry"?

Cash and Carry was part of the Neutrality acts that allowed the US to trade with other countries if the countries paid cash and picked up the goods themselves.

8. Why did President Roosevelt freeze Japanese assets in the United States?

Roosevelt froze Japanese assets in the US because he hoped it would prevent the Japanese from becoming more aggressive.

9. What was the purpose of the America First Committee?

The purpose of the America First Committee was to keep the United States out of war.

World Events Set Stage for Isolationism

Answer the following questions and post them on your blog. Title: World Events Set Stage for Isolationism Labels: Isolationism, FDR, Germany, Japan, Hitler, Great_Depression, Open_Door_Policy

1. What was the Japanese reaction to the Treaty of Versailles? (pgs. 4 - 5)
Many people in Japan did not believe they would ever be treated fairly by Britain, France or the U.S.. At the conference the Japanese experienced racism against them. These countries also had policies the were anti-Japanese. Japan hoped to use the conference as a way to address this discrimination. They provided an amendment to the treaty that would address these racial problems however it was rejected. The Japanese were outraged and warned that in the future they would be less inclined towards international cooperation.

2. Read the pull-out box on page 4 entitled, "Japan Becomes a Great Power." Cite specific evidence Japan was becoming a strong power that rivaled European & American interests. And, why specifically was Japan threatened by U.S. actions?

Japan's rise to power was very rapid. IN the late 1860's Japan began a new program that modeled its navy on Britain's, its banking on the U.S.'s and its army and constitution on Prussia's. Between 1885 and 1920 the goods and services produced by Japan tripled, manufacturing and mining increased sixfold. Some Japanese wanted Japan to move in a democratic direction however many wanted Japan to build up military power to gain control. IN 1905 Japan defeated Russia (Russo-Japenese War) and gained access to parts of Manchuria. Japan then annexed Korea in 1910. In 1914 Japan declared war against Germany over asia. Japan wanted to expand into China however the US, Britain saw this as an issue. Japan felt threatened by the U.S.'s expansion into pacific islands like Hawaii, Guam the and the Philipines.


3. Why was the Washington Naval Conference convened and what was accomplished? (pg. 6) (Note: Japan signs the agreement.)
The Washington Naval conference convened because the U.S. was concerned about Japan's growth as a naval power and how it threatened U.S. interests. Parties agreed to place limits on the size of naval ships, placed moratorium on building new battle ships, outlawed the use of poison gases and limited the role of submarines in future wars.

4. The Senate's willingness to ratify the Kellogg-Briand Pact relected two strong and widely held sentiments. What were they? (pgs. 6 - 7)
The two strongly and widely held sentiments were that Americans remembered the carnage of WWI nod did not want to be involved in another European war, secondly policy makers avoided obligations and permanent alliances because they wanted to be able to act when they wanted to.

5. Why did Hitler enjoy popular support in Germany for most of the 1930s? Give three reasons. (pgs. 9 - 10)
Right after the election there was a fire in the German parliamentary building and Hitler took the is opportunity to blame German communists for it, claiming they were trying to overthrow the government and he used to fire as an excuse to suspend freedoms guaranteed in the German constitution. After another election in 1933 Hitler used his power to enact laws that gave him free reign. Hitler also targeted ethnic minorities because he believed that they were tainting the German race. Hitler's popularity came from the improvement of Germany's economic system and reducing unemployment as well as boosting nationals pride.

6. Japan voiced its intentions to invade China for what two reasons? (pg. 10)

Japan wanted to invade China to gain raw materials and to increase Japan's power.

7. Compare the Reichstag fire and the explosion on the Japanese railway in Manchuria. What did they accomplish?

Like the fire in Reichstag, many historians believe that caused the incident themselves so they could blame it on the Chinese. With the Reichstag fire Hitler was able to blame communists and gain power and the Japenese were able to use the explosion on the Japanese railway in Manchuria as an excuse to invade China.

8. Why was the united States unable to oppose Japan in the early 1930s with a significant military force? (pgs. 11 - 12)

The U.S. had been unprepared for Japan's aggression and had drastically reduced its military since WWI. Japan was also violating treaties it had signed and had dropped out of the Washington Naval Treaties and built up it's Navy.

9. Describe the major similarities and differences among liberal democracy, fascism, and socialism. (pg. 8)

Liberal democracies have a constitution, with elected representatives and emphasis on freedom of individuals.
Fascism is an authoritarian form of government that puts the economy and government under control and emphasizes strong control over the individual.
Socialism was meant to create a classless society to end the exploitation of workers . Socialism rejects capitalist economic systems by taking means of production away from owners and under the power of the state.

New Deal Essay Outline

Introduction (thesis): Trhough relief for the needy, economic reform and financial recovery the U.S. government tried to help the problems of the Great Depression; however these "3 R's" had limited success.

support 1: Relief for the needy
how's: creating jobs (PWA, CCC)
help for home owners (home owner's loans)
power/ resources for rural areas -TVA
judgement: although these programs were successful at creating jobs, it was extremely successful and many people considered some of the jobs to be unesseccary.

Support 2: Economic Relief/financial recovery
how's: emergency banking act, FDIC, more jobs (PWA, CCC), AAA social securtiy
judegement: the emergency banking act reassured people but it also went against some new deal principles when it caused people to lose money in banks that were closed down. Also the new deal never solved any underlying econmic problems and when the budget was cut the country went into a recession. The AAA was ruled unconstituational and was also very controversial. Social securtiy lead to reession of 1937, although it did acknowledge that people had a right to be cared for

The depression did not end until the start of WWII

Support 3:
how's
wagner act
social security (can go under relief for needy also)
NRA
judgement: the NRA was later ruled unconstituational along with the AAA, and as a result FDR tried to pack the Supreme court making himself look like a dictator
the wagner act did help unions a lot but it unions began having "sit down strikes" and eventually violence breaks out between business and labor

Counter argument:
AAA- was successful at raising crop prices
New Deal measures created millions of jobs
Labor unions made huge progress- wagner Act
nationals confidence was boosted
PWA_ creates a lot of jobs
CCC- creates jobs and also helps forests
Native Americans, blacks and women all saw some benefits from the new deal
social security- people who were unemplyed/old ect. could be provided with money to live off of, it is still around today

conclusion: the New Deal did make many imporvements however it did not end the depression and at times even caused problems (recession of 1937) and there were many many flaws.

FDR & the New Deal

Read 22-2 and answer the first 3 questions. Then read Chapter 23-1 through page 696 and answer the remaining 4 questions. Please post your answers to your blog. These are due at the beginning of your next class.

Title: FDR & the New Deal Labels: Dust_Bowl, FDR, fireside_chats, Great_Depression


1. Describe how people struggled to survive during the depression.
People lost their jobs, were evicted from their homes and had to live on the streets, sometimes sleeping in parks or sewer pipes, wrapping themselves in newspapers to try and prevent getting cold. Eventually shantytowns began appearing, which were little "towns" essentially built of junk that people lived in.

2. How was what happened to men during the Great Depression different from what happened to women? Children?

During the Great Depression the men had a hard time coping with unemployment. They were often out on the streets looking for jobs. Some men became so discouraged that they left their families or stopped trying. Women canned food and sewed their own clothes, but working women, especially married working women became hugely resented because they were taking jobs from men. Women weren't seen out on the streets as much as men, but many women starved and froze to death. For children, poor diets and no money led to many health problems. Child-welfare services had their budgets cut.Schools were softening the year and even closing in some cases. Many teenagers hopped on freight trains in search of work but this was dangerous.

3. Describe the causes and effects (on people) because of the Dust Bowl.
Farmers had overflowed land, destroying the prairie grass that kept the earth in place. When drought and winds came, the dust bowl was caused. Between the dustbowl and evictions, thousands of farmers left their land in the oklahoma, kansas, new mexico texas and colorado region and went to california.

Objective: Summarize the initial steps Franklin D. Roosevelt took to reform banking and finance.

4. What was the New Deal and its three general goals? (The 3 Rs)

The New Deal was a program meant to ease the hardships of the depression. It's three goals were relief for the needy, economic recovery and financial reform.

5. What did Roosevelt do during the Hundred Days?
During the Hundred Days,Roosevelt worked intensely on the New Deal. Congress passed 15 major pieces of New Deal legislation.

6. Why were Roosevelt's fireside chats significant?
The fireside chats were significant because they made americans feel as thought the president were talking with them. He used clear, simple language for all the public to understand and explained the New Deal measures.

7. Describe four significant agencies and/or bills that tightened regulation of banking and finance.
Glass-Steagall Act-established FDIC, reassured banking customers that their money was safe
Federal Securities Act-required all corporations to provide complete information on all stock offerings. This heed them accountable.
The Securities and Exchange Commission-to regulate stock market
Repealing prohibition-meant to raise nation's revenue by taxes on alcoholic beverages.

Causes of the Great Depression

Title: Causes of the Great Depression Outline Labels: Great_Depression, essay_skills



Prompt: To what extent was the Wall Street Crash a cause of the Great Depression of 1929? Support your argument with specific examples.

The Wall Street Crash was one of several causes of the Great Depression, as well as the result of causes

Example of the outline structure:




Thesis: The Wall Street Crash was a cause of the Great Depression of 1929, however other factors, tariffs and war debt policies, agriculture failing , the availability of credit, unequal distribution of incomes, and overproduction also helped to bring about the Great Depression.
I. Main Point 1: Tariffs and war debt policies
a. Evidence 1 that supports Main Point 1: Hawley-Smoot tariff
i. further supporting details: causes Americans products stop selling in Europe after europe retaliates against the tariff on their goods, weakens economy
b. Evidence 2 that supports Main Point 1: Germany cannot pay Britain and france
II. Main Point 2: Agriculture crisis
a: farmers overproduce when deemed falls after the war
Farms go out of business, annual income from 10 billion to 4 billion from '19-21
b. banks lose money
III: Availibility of credit
a: in the 20's everyone used credit to buy things
i; they got into debt and could not pay it off
b: with people in debt, less consumer spending
IV: unequal distribution of income
a: small population of rich people control huge portion of the economy
i: poor get poorer, rich get richer
b: lower wages: less spending

V: Industries overproduce
A industries overproduce and demand goes down, their value goes down
i: to cut spending, layoff
b: unemployment, leads to less spending by consumers

VI: stock market crash
a: stock market crashes, people rush to sell stocks
i: people had been buying stocks with money they did not have (speculation)
b: when people do not have money to pay debt, banks lose other people's money and close

Causes & Early Effects of the Great Depression

Read Chapter 22-1 and answer the first 3 questions. Then Read Chapter 22-3 (yes, skipping 22-2) and answer the remaining questions. Post the questions and answers to your blog before class on Tuesday, Jan. 26. Title: Causes & Early Effects of the Great Depression Labels: Great_Depression, Hoover

1. What happened on "Black Tuesday"?
The stock market crashed on "BlackTuesday".

2. How did the economic trends of the 1920s in industry, agriculture, and with consumers help cause the Great Depression? (Make sure you include significant details about each area in your answer. It should be at least a paragraph)

Economic trends of the 1920's lay the foundation for the great depression to happen. Key industries like railroads and textiles made meager profits. Industries that had grown during the war like mining and lumbering had a much smaller demand. Coal mining was crippled with the introduction of new energy sources. Industries that boomed in the 20's the the automotive industry , construction and consumer goods dwindled. Agriculture suffered even more than industry. During the war the demand for crops was high but after the war the demand fell dramatically and the farmers overproduced. Many farmers who were in debt could not pay off their loans and had their homes and property seized. As a result of the unsuccessful farmers many rural banks failed. After the 20's, consumers did not have as much money to spend. Because prices had increased and many Americans had credit to pay off from the 20's they were buying less. Also production expanding much faster than wages led to a growing gap between the rich and the poor.


3. According to your reading, what are the major causes of the Great Depression?

according to the reading, major causes of the depression are declines in essential industries, declines in agriculture, declines in consumerism, credit and uneven distribution of incomes that related in the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

4. What was Hoover’s philosophy of government?

Hoover's philosophy of government was that it was the government's job to foster cooperation between competing groups and interests in society. However the government could not force them to cooperate.

5. What was Hoover’s initial reaction to the stock market crash of 1929?

Hoover's initial reaction to the stock market crash of 1929 was to call together key business leaders and urged them to work together.

6. What was the nation’s economic situation in 1930?
In 1930 the economy was in bad shape. Many people were out of jobs and homeless.

7. How did voters in 1930 respond to this situation?
They elected democrats into congress.

8. What did Hoover do about the economic situation?
Although he did call for the construction of the boulder dam, meant to boost california's agricultural economy, Hoover refused to let the government step in and support welfare programs.

9. How did the economy respond to his efforts?
His efforts made little difference in the economy leading people to become frustrated.

Midterm Study Guide

U.S. History II – Mr. Hyer

Mid-Term Exam Review



This comprehensive mid-term exam will touch upon all subjects we have studied since the beginning of September to this week. There will be a Paper 1 exam AND a Paper 2 essay. This is a two-hour test.



The following is a general overview of the topics we have covered. Make sure you understand the general concepts and key points of these topics. Make sure you study from all of your previous quizzes, tests, and handouts.




There will be a review days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Your assignment during the rest of this week is to study the topics on this list, review your notes and handouts, skim through the textbook chapters, and write down any questions to ask me on these days. Also, I am planning to stay late after school on Thursday.




Paper 1: The topic will be from the Imperialism Era.

Imperialism notes:

Imperialsim is the policy in which stronger nations extend their political economic and military control over weaker territories. It was a world trend at the time.

Begining in 1867 and through the next century, global competition caused the US to expand.

Global Competition- European nations had been establishing colonies for centuries. In the late 19th century Africa emerged as a prime target for European expansionism.
-most Americans liked the idea of expansion overseas
-with manifest destiny they had alreadt pushed US borders to the Pacific.

-3 factors to American Imperialsim
1. the desire for military strength
2. the thirst for new markets
3. the belief in cultural superiority

*Alfred T. Mahan-as an adimiral in the Navy, he urged the government to build American naval power in compete with other powerful nations.
-the US navy would soon become the 3rd largest in the world

-Imperialists viewed foreign trade as a solution to American overproduction and the relatated problems of underemployment and economic depression
-they argued that the US had a responsibility to spread Christianity and "civilization" to the world's "inferior" people

US acquires Alaska
*William Seward-arranged for the US to buy Alaska from Russia for 7.2 million
-in 1959 Alaska became the 49th state. (ended up being rich in resources)

US take Hawaii
-Hawaii was important to the US because it was a stopping point on the way to China East India
-in 1887 the Us established a naval base at Pearl Harbor which was used as a fuleing station
-by 1990 foreigners and immigrant laborers outnumbered natives 3 to 1
-Hawaii was a major source of sugar for the US
-The Mckinley Tariff of 1890 provoked a crisis by elimination the duty free status of Hawaiian sugar
-as a result, Hawaiian sugar growers faced competition in the American market
-American planters in Hawaii called for the US to annex the isllands so they wouldn't have to pay the duty
*Queen Liliuokalani- surrendered her to the superior force of the US and the white foreigners who planned to overthrow her
-the US set up a government head by *Sandford B. Dole
-in August 1898 Congress proclaimed Hawaii as an american territory
-in 1959 Hawaii became the 50th state

The Spanish American War

in 1898, the Us went to war to help Cuba win its independence from Spain

Cubans rebel against Spain
-by the end of the 19th century, Spain had lost most of its colonies
-the US had a long held interest in Cuba, which lies only 90 miles south of Florida
-While president Pierce was in office he offered to buy Cuba from Spain. The Spanish responded saying that they would rather see Cuba sink in the Ocean
-When the Cubans rebelled against Spain, betwqeen 1868 and 1878, americas sympathies went out to the Cuban people

The Second War for Independence
-Anti-Spanish sentiment in Cuba soon erupted into a second war for independence
*Jose Marti-a Cuban poet and journalist in e xile in New York launched a revolution in 1895. He organized a Cuban resistance against Spain using an active guerilla compaign and deliberately destroying property, especially american owned sugar mills and plantations. This was all in an effort ot get America involved in freeing cuba.

War fever escalates
-in 1896, Spain responded to the Cuban revolt by sending general * Valeriano Weyler to Cuba to restore order

Yellow Journalism-exaggerates the news to lure and enrage readers (Willian Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer)

Paper 2: You will choose to answer one question from a bank of five. (Each will be from a major topic)



Chapter 13: Changes on the Western Frontier

Section 1: Indian Massacres, Buffalo Destruction, Custer’s Last Stand, Dawes Act, Chisholm Trail, Cowboys

Section 2: Homestead Act, Challenges facing Homesteaders, Debts and Farmers

Section 3: Railroads overcharging farmers, Populist movement, William Jennings Bryan, Cross of Gold speech



Chapter 14: A New Industrial Age

Section 1: New Inventions spur industrialization / innovations, Electricity, Thomas Edison

Section 2: Transcontinental Railroad, Railroad time, Interstate Commerce Act, Railroad monopolies

Section 3: Social Darwinism, Vertical & Horizontal integration, Rockefeller, Robber Barons, Sherman Antitrust

Act, Labor Unions, Labor Strikes



Chapter 15: Immigrants and Urbanization

Section 1: European and Asian Immigration patterns, Ellis Island, Nativism, Chinese Exclusion Act



Chapter 17: The Progressive Era

Section 1: Goals of Progressivism, Prohibition, Muckrakers, Child Labor, Seventeenth Amendment

Section 2: Suffrage Movement, Rise of Women’s Social Status

Section 3: Teddy Roosevelt, Square Deal, Trustbusting, 1902 Coal Strike, Railroad Regulation, Meat Inspection

Act, Pure Food and Drug Act, Conservation Act, NAACP

Section 4: William Taft, Taft’s departure from Progressive Movement, Bull Moose Party, 1912 Election

Section 5: Woodrow Wilson, New Freedom, Clayton Antitrust Act, Federal Trade Commission, Federal Reserve

System, Nineteenth Amendment, WWI ends Progressive Movement



Chapter 18: America Claims an Empire

Section 1: Imperialism, Alaska, Hawaii

Section 2: The Spanish-American War

Section 3: Puerto Rico, Cuba, Philippines, China

Section 4: Teddy Roosevelt, Panama Canal, Mexico, Latin America



Chapter 19: The First World War

Section 1: Causes of WWI, Opening Battles/results, American neutrality, U-boats

Section 2: U.S. entry into WWI, weapons, war’s hazards, results

Section 3: War economy, propaganda, financing the war, civil liberties, espionage & sedition acts,

Section 4: Fourteen Points, Big Four, Treaty of Versailles, League of Nations, WWI’s legacy



Chapter 20: Politics of the Roaring Twenties

Section 1: A return to isolationism, Red scare, Palmer raids, fear of immigrants, KKK, quota system, labor

unrest



Chapter 21: The Roaring Life of the 1920s

Section 1: Rural v. Urban differences, prohibition, organized crime, Scopes trial,

Section 2: Flappers, double standards, changing roles of women,

The Twenties Woman

1. Note two ways women's fashions changed.
The new fashion ideal for women was the "flapper" look. Women cut their hari short like boys and began wearing dresses above their knees.

2. Note two ways women's social behavior changed.

Women began behaving more asserively in public. Women began to smoke in public, talk openly about sex, go out dancing and saw marriages as equal partnerships.

3. Note two words that describe the attitude reflected by these changes.
The attitude could be described as independant and progressive. Woman were gaining more self-reliant attitudes but also continues pushing for even more equality between men and women.

4. Note one way women's work opportunities improved.
In 1930 10 million women had paying jobs. Although after the war, many female workers were replaced by men, women were getting inot the work force more and although they often took jobs as nurses, secretaties ect. some women had "men's" jobs and flew air planes, drove taxis and drilled in oil wells.

5. Note two ways women's home and family life improved.
Birth control became more widely availible, decreading the number of pregnancies. Technological advances simplified home and house work.


6. Note three negative effects that accompanied women's changing roles in the 1920s.
Working class women faced and enormous strain juggling work, families, ect.
Adolecents became more rebellious and put a strain on families.
Traditional and modern values were conflicting with each other more and more often.

Prohibition and the Scopes Trial

Do you think the passage of the Volstead Act and the ruling in the Scopes trial represented genuine triumphs for traditional values?

I don not think that the passage of the Volstead Act and the ruling in the Scopes trial represented triumphs for traditional values. Instead, these two occurrences seemed to trigger and uprising of "modern" values.
The passage of the Volstead Act was a disaster. Not only was it ineffective, it was also extremely unpopular within few years. Instead of conserving traditional values, the passage of the act triggered the uprising bootlegging and criminal empires.By making alcohol illegal the act did not prevent anyone from drinking alcohol, it only made the process of obtaining it much worse. Gangsters like Al Capone became rich from the illegal alcohol business. Many times these operations were violence and, in Capone's case, killed off their other competition. Soon, people were fed-up with the act, which was repealed in 1933. It did nothing to further traditional values.
The ruling at Scopes trial did not present so much as a surge of tractional values, but rather it represented the changing ways of thinking. Although the judge (who was a devout Protestant) did not rule in Scope's favor, the issue of teaching evolution in schools even coming into a court did not show that traditional values were becoming more popular, it showed that traditional values were becoming less important. The judge Bryan, when questioned by trial lawyer Darrow,admitted that he believed the world was created in 1 day, shocked many people. Bryan even admitted the Bible could be interpreted differently. This ruling only stirred controversy over fundamentalism values and was not a triumph for traditional values.

Americans Struggle with Postwar Issues

After World War I, many Americans feared that Communists would take over the country.

1. How did the Justice Department under A. Mitchell Palmer respond to this fear?
Palmer responded by hunting down suspected communist, socialists and anarchists. They invaded private homes and jailed suspects without legal justice.

2. Why did Palmer eventually lose his standing with the American public?
Palmer's tactics did nothing to unearth communist or revolutionary conspiracies and it seemed like he was more focused on becoming president.

3. How did the Ku Klux Klan respond to this fear?
They used this fear as an excuse to harass immigrants. They claimed they were devoted to 100% americanism (native born white males) and used the anti-communism wave to drive different groups of people out of the country.

4. Why did the Klan eventually lose popularity and membership?
The Klan committed many crimes such as burning saloons. They opposed unions and attempted to drive Roman Catholics, Jews and foreign born people out of the country and wanted to put blacks "in their place".

5. Briefly describe how Sacco and Vanzetti became victims of the Red Scare.
Both men were Italian and also radicals who had evaded the war draft. They were convicted of murder on circumstantial evidence and both were executed. It is most likely that the men were treated so unfairly because of their political beliefs and their status os foreigners.


Public opinion turned against labor unions as many Americans came to believe that unions encouraged communism.

6. Why was the strike by Boston police unpopular with the public?
The Boston strike was unpopular with the public because it was believed that, as police officers, they had no right to strike and thus endanger the safety of the public. There was also a fear of strikes leading to communism.

7. Why did Massachusetts governor Calvin Coolidge become so popular?
He became very popular after ending the Boston strike. The people felt that he had saved Boston form communism.

8. Why was the strike at U.S. Steel unpopular?
Propaganda that linked the strikers with communists was put out, and the fear of communism made the strike unpopular.

9. How did President Wilson respond to the steel strike?
Wilson responded by giving a written plea to the negotiators and ended the deadlock between labor and management.