Description
Please read the following essay topics and, in no less than five paragraphs each, write a thoughtful and well-reasoned response to one question from each group. Please indicate the questions you choose to answer. Do not worry about proper citation, as I do not expect you to do any outside research for this exam, but please do indicate a source and page number if you make use of any direct quotes. Remember to read the Term Paper Guidelines in your syllabus and follow the rules for writing found therein. Also, remember that you need a minimum of five paragraphs per essay, and each paragraph should be 4-6 sentences with a clear topic sentence and historical evidence given as support.
Group One:
- How did the racial climate in America in the late-nineteenth century impact society? Explain what it was to be white, and how science became involved.
- Was America an imperial power at the turn of the twentieth century? Cite specific examples of how the US was or was not engaged in the sort of colonization seen amongst European empires.
- Explain the Progressive Movement; what was it, what were its motives, what were the outcomes, and was the movement was successful in the end. Use specific examples!
Group Two:
- Was the First World War inevitable? Be sure to identify the root cause or causes of the war when deciding if it could have been avoided.
- What did F. Scott Fitzgerald have to say about the 1920s in The Great Gatsby? Were his observations valid?
- How did the Great Depression develop what were its underlying causes, what were the responses, and what effect did they have? What brought the crisis to an end?
- Why did the Dust Bowl occur, how was it handled, and what kind of reforms were enacted to ensure it would never return?
