Final Exam - HIST102 – American History since 1877

Introduction

There are four sections in this exam, with four questions each. You are required to answer only one question in each section. Be sure to include as much information as possible to support your answer. Each answer should be 3-5 paragraphs in length. Be sure to cite your sources.

Directions:

Be complete! All must have an intro, body, and conclusion. Use specifics. Show context, show you understand the "whys" - why something happened. A handful of paragraphs is customary. Do not use generic sources. Each question must be answered. 

1. Why was it so difficult to resolve such issues as the spoils system, the tariff, and bimetallism, which consumed congressional energies in the late nineteenth century?

2. How did popular culture—whether in the form of best-selling novels, games, films, or radio programs—reflect and respond to the ravages of the Great Depression?

3. Many historians feel that Harry Truman as much as Joe McCarthy gave force to the postwar "Red Scare." Explain why you agree or disagree. 

4. Compare the achievements and shortcomings of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society with Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal.