History

Your Final Exam has two parts (the final is worth 25% of your course grade)

Part I: Five short essay questions to be answered in one substantial paragraph each (10 points each; whole section 50 points out of 100) Part II: One longer, comprehensive essay to be answered in five substantial paragraphs. (50 points out of 100) -Write both parts on one file

Part I. Short Essay. Answer five (5) of the following questions in one substantial paragraph each. Answer these from our course materials (our text, our readings, our articles and our documentaries). (10 points each; section is worth 50 points out of 100). Tell me which ones you’re answering.

1) What happens domestically as the nation demobilizes from World War I? What happens next? Describe the hysteria that emerged domestically after World War I. Who got wrapped up in that? How were African American soldiers who had fought abroad greeted upon returning?

2) Discuss how Guatemala “ushered in” the Cold war for this hemisphere in 1954 and then describe the consequences of that for the U.S.-Latin America relationship during the Cold War (1954-1991). (Reread our article “The US and Latin America Since the End of the 19th Century”)

3) Discuss some of the consequences of the Cold War on domestic politics in the United States; include discussion of the “red scare,” it’s effects on speech, and its effects on gender (roles of women), and its effects on race relations.

4) Describe the role that World War II veterans and students played in the Civil Rights movement from the 40’s to the late 1960s. (re-read our 40s to 60s chapters and consult your notes for “The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross: Rise!, 1940-1960s”)

5) Describe the international and domestic significance of 1968 for the United States (discuss civil rights, student movements, Vietnam)

6) Discuss the origins, impact and consequences of the economic collapse of 2008, “The Great Recession,” as it has come to be described. What caused it? What were the policy responses by the Bush (late in his term) and then the Obama administrations to stimulate recovery? How did it impact the U.S. economy and American workers?

FINAL PART II (50 out of 100 points). Comprehensive Essay. Choose ONE from this list to answer in about five well-argued and well-supported paragraphs with specific examples drawn from Schaller’s American Horizons, our primary sources in Schaller’s Reading American Horizons, our short films, and our other articles you've been assigned to read. Tell me which one you're answering. Answer all parts of each question and be sure to provide specific examples drawn from our textbook, our primary sources reader, our articles, and our films. Tell me which question you’re answering.

1) Depression and New Deal. Describe the origins of the Great Depression as well as its consequences. How did the New Deal represent a change in the role of the federal government? Describe in detail the specific measures that it included (including all economic and social programs), and how they promoted recovery and reshaped the American landscape. Include both the ‘original’ New Deal as well as the ‘Second’ New Deal. Be sure to provide specific examples from Schaller’s American Horizons, our primary sources on this topic in our textbook, and our short films on this topic.

2) Civil Rights, 1940s to the late 1960s. Describe how African Americans attacked segregation in American society from the 1940s to the 1960s. Discuss the roles of formal organizations such as the NAACP, the role of returning veterans and students, and the role of movements such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). What role did the federal government come to play in promoting civil rights? How did this civil rights struggle affect Mexican Americans and Native Americans in the United States? Be sure to provide specific examples from Schaller’s American Horizons, our primary sources on this topic in our textbook, and our documentaries on this topic.

3) Cold War, 1947-1991. Write an essay in which you address the complexities of the Cold War for the United States. Discuss the origins of the Cold War as well as the role the U.S. came to play in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Describe also the U.S.-Latin America relationship during the Cold War. Lastly, discuss the consequences of the Cold War on the United States domestically. Be sure to provide specific examples from your readings, your primary sources on this big topic, and your films. Be sure to provide specific examples from Schaller’s American Horizons, our primary sources on this topic in our textbook, our articles on the U.S. and Latin America, and our documentaries on this topic.

Answer both parts in one file. Our system accepts only one file.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY. It is absolutely important that you submit your own writing and analysis (and that it is NOT clipped from online sources). Please read the section in our syllabus entitled “Academic Integrity.” In short: clipping and pasting from online sources is plagiarism (as is copying the work of others and changing a few words here and there) and will result in a 0 for the exam and possible disciplinary action.

Files I can accept: Word files: .doc or .docx Pdf files: .pdf Text files: .txt Rich Text format files: .rtf (do not send .wps, .odt, files, nor Google docs. If you’re using Google docs, please convert them to .pdf or .docx)