... These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. HIS 104 Discussion Questions (to be paired with HIS 104 Master Syllabus, by Black/Austin/Kimelewski) Chapter 16: Capital and Labor Thematic Questions How did Americans justify wealth disparity and flaws in the economy following the Civil War? How did industrialization change labor in the United States? How were workers treated during the rapid industrialization of the late 1800s? How did workers respond to this treatment? American Yawp Provided questions: How did industrialization remake the American economy? How did industrialization affect American workers? How did Social Darwinism shape many Americans attitudes toward inequality? How did American workers attempt to improve their condition? How did workers and farmers movements shape American politics? 1877 Strike documents Potential questions: Select four newspaper accounts two Democrat and two Republican and compare their coverage on the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. What tones do these papers take? How do they portray the railroad workers? How do they portray the railway executives? Ira Steward Provided questions: Why does Ira Steward appeal to other countries for assistance and understanding? Potential questions: What was the significance of Steward presenting a revised version of the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July? How does Steward believe the eight-hour workday will lead to universal wealth? What does Steward mean when he says that the working class has no decent use for liberty? Sumner on Social Darwinism Potential questions: Is Sumner a Social Darwinist? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. How is socialism related to Social Darwinism? Can the two coexist? Why or why not? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. According to Sumner, what is the purpose of civil liberty? What effects do these liberties have on industry? Spencer on Survival of the Fittest Potential questions: According to Spencer, why do social welfare programs do more harm than good? Why does Spencer believe it is necessary for people to make mistakes when it comes to their own social welfare? How does survival of the fittest as presented by Spencer favor white, American-born individuals? Breakers Vanderbilt Mansion Potential questions: What does The Breakers architectural style remind you of? What is the significance of designing the house in such a way? What are mansions such as this one symbolic of? The Breakers is isolated on fourteen acres of property. How does the physical separation of the mansion parallel the gap between the wealthy and the poor in the post-war era? Do you think this physical isolation was intentional? Why or why not? Riis images Potential questions: What were living conditions like for poor Americans, and more specifically, immigrants? What systemic issues made it difficult to escape these living conditions? How did the generational cycle of poverty contribute to growing support for the theory of Social Darwinism? What feelings are Riis images meant to evoke in viewers? How does Riis use photography to promote change? Declaration of the Principles of the Knights of Labor front/rear Potential questions: What elements of the post-war industry and economy allowed for the boom in capitalism? Why did the Knights of Labor believe that the aggressiveness of capitalists would lead to the pauperization and hopeless degradation of the toiling masses? Why did the Knights of Labor emphasize moral worth over wealth? How might this argument appeal to capitalists? To workers? How revolutionary were the ideas presented by the Knights of Labor? Is it likely that their demands would be met by the government? By the capitalists? Why or why not? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Why did the Knights of Labor stress that, should they ever become a political party, they would be the party of the people? How would their political party be different from existing parties? Chicago proclamation Potential questions: How do you think laborers reacted to the mayors proclamation? Those who were anti-labor movement? Why do you think they would react in this way? Haymarket Riot in the press Potential questions: How are the rioters portrayed across sources? What kind of publications generally supported the rioters? What publications supported the police? What details in the images help you to understand whether the publication supported the police or the rioters? Do you think the images helped either the pro-labor or pro-business cause? Why or why not? What symbolism is present in the different engravings? What is their significance? How might contemporaries on both sides of the issue have responded to these images? How did objective sources compare to subjective sources? Which was more popular? Why was one more popular than the other? Haymarket pin Potential questions: Who might have worn this pin, and where do you think they would have worn it? What is the significance of using silent political statements such as this lapel pin? Haymarket Affair Potential questions: Choose one resource from each heading (trial documents, published materials, manuscripts, etc.). Analyze the way in which the Haymarket Affair was perceived by the press, the public, and in the legal sphere. DPLA primary sources Provided questions: Which source in the set is most representative of positive eugenics? Explain your answer. Which source in the set is most representative of negative eugenics? Explain your answer. After reading the excerpt from a pamphlet about eugenics and race, what are some of the primary reasons that the author gives supporting the science of eugenics? Compare those justifications to These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. the arguments that the author made in the excerpt from Eugenics, Marriage and Birth Control supporting the use of birth control by couples. After reading the excerpt from The Progress of Eugenics, explain some of the reasons why the author believed that eugenics was less of a biological sciences question. Do you think eugenics is driven more by biology or by economic concerns? Why? Which questions and answers in the informational pamphlet about sterilization in North Carolina are most alarming? Why do you think North Carolina was considered progressive on the issue of eugenics? Considering the letter to W. E. B. Du Bois and the letter on behalf of the Birth Control Federation of America, in what ways did Margaret Sanger support birth control in the African American community? After viewing the charts in the pamphlet including information about sterilization laws, what trends do you notice in the number of sterilizations and the states where they took place? Why were the numbers higher in some states than others? What is Dr. Kelly Millers approach to eugenics in his article Eugenics of the Negro Race? Is it more closely associated with positive eugenics or negative eugenics? How might he respond to Margaret Sangers Birth Control movement? Considering that in 2015 a Nashville, Tennessee assistant district attorney was fired for including sterilization requirements in plea deals, how would you interpret the poster for an event about modern eugenics? What are some other potential manifestations of eugenics in contemporary society? Consider the poster for a Better Baby Contest. How does it represent the eugenics movement? Is there another image that would better represent the movement? If so, describe it. How do the authors justifications for the sterilization of the mentally and physically-handicapped in the pamphlet supporting the sterilization of individuals in asylums compare to the authors justifications for eugenics in the pamphlet about eugenics and race? What are the differences and similarities? Considering the recording of a 1971 eugenics speech, what arguments does the student participant/leader give against allowing the controversial speaker to speak at the college? Should eugenics ideas and speech be protected speech in the twenty-first century? According to the excerpt from a book about eugenics laws in the United States, what was the legal rationale for eugenics laws? After reading the excerpt from the final report on compensating sterilization victims, do you believe the North Carolina government has done enough to compensate victims of forced sterilizations? Explain. These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Chapter 17: The West Thematic Questions How was the American West romanticized in popular culture? Why was the west romanticized? How did westward expansion affect Native populations? How did Natives respond to expansion? American Yawp Provided questions: How would you describe the changes in the American West after Reconstruction? What obstacles confronted independent Native Americans after Reconstruction? What caused the so-called Indian Wars? How did technology shape the West? What can the Turner thesis teach us about the late nineteenth century United States? Buffalo Bills show Potential questions: Browse the photos, videos, and stories present in the collection. How was the American West romanticized by Buffalo Bills shows? Why was there a need to romanticize the frontier? What realities did the show attempt to avoid? How did cowboys help in the settlement of the west? Why was the cowboy chosen as a prominent symbol of the west? The Rescue Potential questions: How does this statue play on existing stereotypes regarding Native Americans? What elements of this statue represent white superiority? The Dakota War of 1862 Potential questions: Compare the uprising of the Dakota against America to the uprising of America against the British during the Revolutionary War. How did Americas conquest of the West foreshadow American imperialism? What does the map indicate about the dispersion of the Dakota people following the war? Why were there so many movements? How widely dispersed were the Dakota people by the 1880s? What impact could this separation have on Dakota culture, identity, and population? Excerpts on the Dakota conflict Potential questions: These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What were tensions like between Americans and the Dakota following the war? Why did some men want to continue fighting? What was at stake for both parties? What different perspectives existed among the Dakota men, especially those being executed? How did the perspectives of white military members differ from the perspectives of white reverends? What might have accounted for this difference in opinion? Chivington to Curtis Potential questions: What was the ratio of American losses to Native American losses? Why did Chivington and his army burn down the Natives settlement after killing so many of their people? What is the significance of taking war trophies from the Natives? Smith affidavit Potential questions: What circumstances led to John Smiths affidavit? Who does he seem to side with? Why does he choose this side? First Account of the Custer Massacre Potential questions: Is this an objective or subjective account of the Custer Massacre? Explain. What is the significance of listing out the dead and wounded? What emotion is this article supposed to evoke in audiences? Turning Hawk and American Horse on the Wounded Knee Massacre Potential questions: Why were American troops so quick to fire after a Dakotas gun went off? Was this an appropriate reaction? Why or why not? Why did American Horse say that he would feel almost grateful if it were only Dakota men who were killed? What importance did women and children hold within the Dakota tribe? How did the Wounded Knee Massacre break already fragile trust between Natives and the US government? Leutze, Westward the Course of Empire takes its Way Potential questions: Why did Americans turn their focus westward after the Civil War? What themes of Manifest Destiny are present in the mural? What is their significance? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What kind of story is being told through this painting? What specific elements of the mural are used to tell this story? Why is this mural featured in the Capitol building? Melrose, Westward the Star of Empire takes its Way Potential questions: What is the Star of Empire referenced in the title of this painting? What signs of progress are present in this painting? In what ways does Melrose draw from Leutzes Westward the Course of Empire takes its Way? Gast, American Progress Potential questions: How is the past juxtaposed to the present in this painting? How is Manifest Destiny depicted? Who is the woman in the painting? What does she represent? How are the Native Americans positioned in this painting? How does their depiction fit into the historical context? What are the elements of progress in the painting? How does the artist use these to portray the westward migration of white settlers in the US? The Right Way to Dispose of Sitting Bull Potential questions: What kind of animals make up Sitting Bulls body in this caricature? Why were these animals chosen specifically? How does the depiction of Sitting Bull differ from the depiction of the white man in the image? Why do you think the artist decided to represent the figures this way? How does this depiction of Sitting Bull draw on longstanding stereotypes of Native Americans? According to the image, what is the right way to dispose of Sitting Bull? Why does Sitting Bull need to be disposed of in the first place? What other elements of this image are significant? Why are they significant? Johnston, The Dawn of Civilization Potential questions: What is the photos landscape like? How is the man in the picture positioned among this landscape? Why is he positioned in such a way? What is meant by the photos title, The Dawn of Civilization? What does the Native mans race have to do with this title? What kind of response is this photo supposed to evoke? Why is the photographer trying to send this message? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Carlisle Indian School Potential questions: How did the Carlisle Indian School homogenize different Native tribes into simply Indians? Why did Americans believe it was necessary to assimilate Native Americans? Why were Native Americans willing to send students to these assimilation schools? Compare and contrast the before and after images of the students enrolled at the Carlisle school. What visual cues and symbolism are used to represent Native Americans in their native way of life? What symbols are used to represent the figures in the after photos? How do you think these images would have been used by promoters of the school? By others in the press, or other public media? What story do these images tell about the goal of assimilation? Nebraska prairie settlement Potential questions: What common topics were discussed in the letters from the Nebraska prairie settlement? Why were these topics important? How did the lives of prairie men and women compare? What different experiences did they have in the social and economic spheres? What hardships did people face on the settlement? How did they solve these problems? How do these letters and diaries compare with stereotypical understandings of life on the prairie? Indian Reorganization primary sources Provided questions: Explore the long hair letter and the response to the long hair letter. In what ways were white people biased against Indian people in the early twentieth century? Do you notice any difference in the way the Superintendent and the Commissioner think about Indian people? Analyze the excerpt from The Problem of Indian Administration, the poster about trachoma, and the map of reservations. What were the consequences of the reservation system and white racial bias for Indian communities? How did Indian people manage the pressure to assimilate alongside a commitment to their traditional ways of life? Pay particular attention to the excerpt from Rebuilding Indian Country, the photograph of Superintendent Hutton and Navajo men, and the photograph of a Navajo boy, looking closely at body language. Analyze the excerpt from a daily schedule at Fort Bidwell Boarding School, the photograph of girls at St. Francis Mission School, and the photograph of boys and girls at St. Bernards Mission. What would it have been like to go to schools like these? How would you change the programming at the schools if you were in charge? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. The photograph of a Crow Indian family in their kitchen and the photograph of a Crow Indian camp show two different Crow families at home. What are the similarities and differences between how they lived? How might you interpret their lifestyle choices given the other sources in this set? Rebuilding Indian Country was produced by the federal Department of the Interior. How does that shape the images you see? Can you find evidence in the film of American Indian resistance to white ideas about how they should live? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Chapter 18: Life in Industrial America Thematic Questions How did industrialization affect race relations in America? Why were relations affected in this way? How did the transcontinental railroad revolutionize American industry and commerce? How did industrialization affect American leisure time? American Yawp Provided questions: How did Chicago represent industrial America? How did the era of industrialization transform American culture? How did immigrant communities form and support themselves? What was the New South? How did the era of industrialization affect ideas about gender and sexuality? The Goophered Grapevine How is the South presented in the story? How does the Northern narrator think about the South? Who is Julius? What story does he tell? What was the plantation like pre-war? Master Dugal McAdoo? Aunt Peggy? Henry? The Yankee salesman? Is Julius better off at storys end? Why or why not? The Heathen Chinee Provided questions: How are the Irish man and the Chinese man in this poem portrayed? What stereotypical characteristics does each character have? Which character does the narrator find most objectionable? What does the narrator think about the actions taken by the other two participants in the card game? Does he hold them both to the same standard? In the last verse the poem says certain traits are peculiar, or unique, to the Chinese. Does the rest of the poem support this? Do you think the author, Bret Harte, wanted his readers to think about how the Chinese were being judged by Americans? What do you think people remembered most about this poem a few months after they had read it? Chinese immigrants confront prejudice Potential questions: These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Who do the Chinese immigrants feel is responsible for the continued prejudice they face in America? What led them to place responsibility in this way? What is ironic about the California governments decision to create a segregated school in terms of American attitudes toward assimilation at the time? How did relationships between Chinese immigrants and Americans compare to the relationships between Chinese immigrants and other migrant groups? What might have accounted for the differences between the two? A Practical Plan for Building the Pacific Railroad Potential questions: Why dont Americans have faith that the Pacific Railroad will be completed? What arguments does Judah use to dispel Americans distrust regarding the Pacific Railroad? Why must it be private capitalists who fund the railroad? Why havent capitalists funded the railroad prior to Judahs plan? Is Judahs plan to build the Pacific Railroad feasible, both geographically and economically? Why or why not? The Transcontinental Railroad Potential questions: Why was a transcontinental railroad necessary? What was the symbolic significance of the transcontinental railroad? How did the construction of the transcontinental railroad affect immigrants, pioneers, and Native Americans? Wedding of the Rails Potential questions: Why was the meeting of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads such a significant event? How did it revolutionize travel and industry in the United States? How did the transcontinental railroad foster growth after its completion? What impact did it have on subsequent infrastructure? Union Pacific Railway How did the map of the Union Pacific railway also serve as an advertisement for the company? What points do the railroad and its connections pass through? Why does it hit these points specifically? Railroad travel ads Potential questions: These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What kind of language do these advertisements use? Who are they supposed to appeal to? Why did railroad lines use sightseeing as an advertisement tool? How did sightseeing turn rail travel from a trip to a leisure experience? Camel riding, Coney Island The Bowery On the beach at Coney Island Dreamland Filipino baby, Coney Island Potential questions: Have students analyze the images from Coney Island and answer questions: What kinds of amusements could people engage in at Coney Island? How was amusement at Coney Island different from entertainment that came prior? What conditions allowed Americans to enjoy leisure activities? What kinds of people visited Coney Island? What about Coney Island was appealing to these demographics? How did the organizers encourage visitors to observe and engage with exotic peoples, places, and animals? How did Coney Island represent both a place to see and be seen? Early motion pictures Have students select motion pictures and answer the following questions: What kind of activities did Americans participate in during their free time? Why did they choose these activities specifically? How did the visual documentation of leisure exploit differences in the leisure activities of people of different races, ethnicities, classes, and genders? How was the visual documentation of these activities leisure in and of itself? How did the dissemination of motion pictures make leisure more accessible? How did people experiment with early film to document the world around them? How do you think early audiences would have responded to these films? Vaudeville & Popular Entertainment Collection Potential questions: What elements of vaudeville made it entertaining for Americans of all backgrounds? How did vaudeville serve as a tool for cultural consciousness? How did vaudeville caricaturize different cultures? Overall, do you believe vaudeville was more helpful or harmful to bridging cultural gaps? Explain. These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Jewett, The Gray Mills of Farley Potential questions: What purpose did local fiction like The Gray Mills of Farley serve in the early nineteenth century? What role does ethnicity play in The Gray Mills of Farley? How is ethnicity portrayed relative to the labor performed in the story? Cohens account of her neighborhood Potential questions: How did Cohen change after her exposure to the world outside her neighborhood? How did this new world drive her? What role does the American dream play in Cohens account? What does Cohen mean when she says, And then I was able to stand between the two [worlds], with a hand in each? Might this have been a common sentiment for people immigrating to America in the early twentieth century? Why or why not? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Chapter 19: American Empire Thematic Questions Why did Americans begin to take on imperialist conquests at the end of the nineteenth century? What events caused Americans to get involved with the issues of foreign governments? How did this begin to assert the United States as an international power? What varying attitudes did Americans hold regarding imperialism? What were the benefits and drawbacks of imperialism? American Yawp Provided questions: How did American foreign policy change in the late-nineteenth century? What arguments did Americans make to support interventions abroad? How was the question of immigration tied up with American imperialism? How did nativism shape American immigration? What role did American women play in imperialism? Howells, Editha Potential questions: How is Editha an anti-war story? How does Howells use irony to express this point? Why did Editha romanticize war? What were the consequences of doing so? What is meant by Editha when she says, What a thing it is to have a country that cant be wrong, but if it is, is right anyway! What does this quote say about American patriotism and nationalism? How can this sentiment be dangerous? School Begins Potential questions: What is being taught in this school? Who is receiving the most attention from Uncle Sam? Why? What do these students represent? How are the children in the back of the classroom portrayed? Why are they portrayed this way? Why is the Native American student isolated from the rest of the classroom? Who is the child at the door supposed to represent? The child at the window? Aguinaldo on American Imperialism in the Philippines Potential questions: What ironies does Aguinaldo identify regarding American imperialism in the Philippines? What does Aguinaldo mean when he says, the Filipinos fighting for liberty, the American people fighting to give them liberty? Why is there such a tension between the two if they supposedly want the same thing? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Does Aguinaldo believe that the Americans truly went to war with Spain for moral reasons? Why or why not? Declined with Thanks Potential questions: Why is Uncle Sam so heavy in this picture? The caption of this cartoon says, The Antis Here, take a dose of this anti-fat and get thin again! / Uncle Sam No, Sonny! I never did take any of that stuff, and Im too old to begin! What is the meaning of this caption? Why does Uncle Sam decline the antis remedy? What is the significance of President McKinley being the tailor in this cartoon? Is he impartial to Uncle Sams weight gain, or is he complicit in it? Why are previous American conquests woven into the enlightened fabric? The Paralyzing Influence of Imperialism Potential questions: Why, according to Bryant, do pro-imperialist Republicans remember a selected history of the United States? How does this selected history justify their imperialist attitudes? Why does Bryant believe that a war of conquest is as unwise as it is unrighteous? McKinley on expansion Potential questions: Why is McKinley reluctant to take any blame for imperialism in the Philippines? Is he right in thinking he does not deserve the criticism? Why or why not? Crews Mess With Admiral Dewey Sailors Dancing Potential questions: What does American imperialism look like through the female gaze? How might Johnston's photography have changed the opinions Americans held regarding imperialism? How might Johnstons presence on the boat, as a middle-class woman, have served to counteract press reports about the sailors brutal violence in the battle for Manilla? What were emotions like following the USS Olympias departure from Manilla? How did these feelings set the tone for future conquests in the Philippines? Images from the Pan-American Exposition Potential questions: These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What was ironic about the Pan-American Exposition celebrating the accomplishments nations had made since achieving their independence? How stark were the differences between exposition participants of different races and ethnicities? What groups have made more advancements than others? What might account for the varying degrees of achievement seen at the exposition? How might Johnstons photographs have publicized these different peoples to the rest of the US? How do Johnstons photographs depict the various non-white groups as a spectacle to be looked at? The Spanish-American War in Motion Pictures Potential questions: Why was the ability to film war such a significant development? How was the American military presented in these films? How might the films have affected American attitudes towards war and imperialism? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Chapter 20: The Progressive Era Thematic Questions How did labor change in the early twentieth century? What events led to changes in the legality of labor? How did workers organize to create change? What actions did the government take to prevent big business from controlling American labor and markets? How was the labor movement connected with the movement for womens rights? American Yawp Provided questions: What ideas animated American progressives? What major reforms did American progressives pursue? How did American women shape the progressive movement? How did Jim Crow influence life for both white and black Americans? How do the similarities and differences between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Dubois capture major currents in African American thought? Photography and Reform Potential questions: What were living conditions like for poor Americans? What systemic issues made it difficult to escape these living conditions? Why were immigrants often found in these poor conditions? How did the generational cycle of poverty contribute to growing support for the theory of Social Darwinism? What feelings are Riis images meant to evoke in viewers? How does Riis use photography to rally Americans to action and to promote change? National Child Labor Committee collection Potential questions: Why were these photos taken? How were they used as propaganda? Examine some of the photos. About how old were the children in these pictures? What kind of labor are they doing? What are the conditions they are working in? Is it fair to have children these ages doing the jobs they did? Why or why not? Who would be the audience for these photos? How might different groups react to the images? Sherman Anti-Trust Act Potential questions: What economic conditions created the need for an anti-trust act? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Why was the Sherman Anti-Trust Act beneficial for consumers? How specific was the language used in the Sherman Anti-Trust Act? What effect might the language have had on the success of the act? T. Roosevelts First Annual Message Potential questions: Why was it important for Roosevelt to establish his goals and philosophies in his first annual message? What circumstances contributed to this need? Why, according to Roosevelt, was President McKinley assassinated? What was to be gained by his death? What kind of domestic issues were prevalent at the dawn of Roosevelts presidency? What kind of foreign issues? What are Roosevelts plans to solve these issues? From this speech, what kind of president is Roosevelt setting himself up as? Explain. Chronicling America Potential questions: Choose (#) resources and answer the following questions: Why was Teddy Roosevelt referred to as the Trust Buster? Was this a positive nickname or a negative one? When reporting on Roosevelt and trusts, were newspapers generally objective or subjective? If you answered subjective, do they favor Roosevelt, or the trusts? Explain. How did businesses generally respond to Roosevelts actions against trusts and monopolies? How did consumers react? T. Roosevelt copies Potential questions: Roosevelt to John Carter Rose Why did Roosevelt want executive officers to oversee cases that potentially violated the Sherman Antitrust Act? What were the pros and cons of leaving these cases to the court system? The up-to-date charge of San Juan Hill Why is Roosevelt portrayed as a Rough Rider in this image? How does this portrayal relate to his trust busting? Next! What is meant by the images title, Next! Why is the octopus positioned on a globe? What does such positioning suggest? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Who might the people in this image be? Why does the Standard Oil octopus want to take hold of them? What does the octopus holding and reaching for government buildings suggest? Why is this concerning? Labor Condemns Horror Potential questions: Why did it take a catastrophic event like the Triangle Shirtwaist fire for changes to be made regarding work safety protocols? How did the Triangle Factory fire spur on women to organize and fight for better labor conditions, particularly in factories and sweatshops? Triangle Factory Fire photos Potential questions: Why were so many workers forced to jump from the Asch building? Did these workers have a better chance of surviving by jumping, or by attempting to follow existing safety protocols? Why did photographers take pictures of the carnage and destruction left from the fire? How might these photos have inspired change? Program of the Womens Suffrage Parade Potential questions: Who, or what, is the woman on the cover of the program supposed to represent? Why did the artist choose to depict her in this way? How did changes in womens role in society contribute to the shared desire for suffrage? What do the suffragettes depicted in the program look like? How do they compare to caricatures of suffragettes in political cartoons? What kinds of companies advertised in this program? Why was advertising in a program for a suffrage event beneficial for these specific companies? LOC Womens suffrage collection Provided questions: Select items that reflect different strategies used in the fight for equal suffrage. Study the items opposing suffrage and compare strategies. Use the anti-suffrage items to identify and study the arguments made by those opposed to suffrage. Study the maps to form a picture of which states and territories enfranchised women and which did not. Speculate about why there were differences in rights in different states and areas, and then look for evidence to support the hypothesis. These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Study the political cartoons and select one for further analysis. What do you think was the cartoonists opinion of womens suffrage? Who do you think was the audience for the cartoon? What methods does the cartoonist use to persuade the audience? Examine several items reflecting the consequences for the suffragists actions. What can you discover about the treatment of suffragists from these items? Triangle Factory Fire collection Potential questions: Why did many former Triangle Factory workers testify regarding the conditions of the factory? How did the testimonies of workers contribute to the effort for increased safety in the workplace? How were factory executives able to bypass safety measures without being caught? Why did they choose to take shortcuts when it came to safety? About how old were most of the victims who died in the fire? How might the identities of the deceased have helped rally local and regional workers for change? What was the significance of relief networks in the aftermath of the fire? What services did they provide to survivors and their families? Why were these services essential? Anti-suffrage valentine Potential questions: Why were suffragettes portrayed as undesirable partners? How did industries like the postcard industry capitalize on the portrayal of suffragettes in popular culture? Why did they choose to capitalize on political issues like suffrage? Who might have sent a valentine like this? Why? DPLA set on suffrage Provided questions: Examine the postcard of nurses and the photo of a suffragette appealing to striking workers. Why do you think the suffrage movement aligned itself with professionals in fields like teaching, nursing, and other striking labor groups? What common causes did these different groups of people share? Compare and contrast the anti-suffrage lithograph illustration, the 1914 poster for the International Woman Suffrage Alliance, and the flyer listing reasons for a constitutional amendment. How does each address womens roles in the family? Why / how were family roles related to the cause of suffrage? Using the items in this collection, explain the specific arguments made by those who advocated for womens suffrage and those who opposed it. Many of the items in this set are postcards. Why was the postcard such a popular method of communication for both suffragists and anti-suffragists? What are its advantages? With the 1915 These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. postcard of Kewpie dolls, which strategies was the National Womans Party using to appeal to readers? Chronicling America, Triangle Fire Potential questions: Were the newspaper articles regarding the Shirtwaist fire intended to be objective, or were they meant to act as an expos of the factorys owners? Use text from the articles to support your claim. How did the media react when Harris and Blanck were acquitted of their manslaughter charges? Was the reporting on this element of the fire objective or subjective? Explain. National Womens Party Potential questions: What tactics did the National Womens Party use to publicize their cause? What were the advantages of lobbying in this way? How were the NWPs tactics similar or different from those of other groups that came before them? Why was picketing the most favored way for the NWP to express their viewpoints? What kind of language and slogans did they use on their signs? Were their signs controversial? If so, how did controversial messages help or hinder the NWPs cause? Was the government fair in its treatment of women who were arrested for picketing? Why or why not? How did these protests (and the aftermath) put pressure on the president? Great Suffrage Parade Potential questions: Why did organizers schedule the Great Suffrage Parade for the day before Wilsons inauguration? What were they hoping to accomplish by making such a political statement? Why did the men who witnessed the parade not take the women seriously? Was this an indication of how successful the parade would be in the short-term? In the long-term? Explain. What was the movement for womens rights like prior to the Great Suffrage Parade? Did the parade provide the movement with the vigor it needed to continue to stay afloat? Explain. The Lost Beautifulness / Soap and Water Provided questions (http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/gilded/people/text6/text6read.htm): How does Yezierska portray the city in these stories? Compare the aspirations of Yezierska's protagonists to those of Alger's Dick Hunter. In "The Lost Beautifulness" how are Hannah's relationships with her son, husband, and neighbors influenced by the vision she has for her kitchen? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What does Mrs. Preston represent to Hannah? How is Hannah an artist? What do both the creation and dismantling of the kitchen mean for Hannah's dreams? What role does Miss Whiteside play in the story? Why does the narrator in "Soap and Water" dream of going to college even though she doesn't like the work required of her? What is the teacher's relationship to Miss Van Ness? What does the conclusion to "Soap and Water" suggest about the narrator's future? What do the protagonists of these stories gain and lose through assimilation? Wells Crusade Provided questions: Examine the title pages of Southern Horrors and A Red Record. Compare the use of imagery, color, and text. What do you think Wells was trying to convey to her audience? How do you think she wanted her readers to feel when they saw her publications? What do you interpret the title A Red Record to mean? In what ways does Wells employ irony in the pamphlets subtitle, Respectfully submitted to the Nineteenth Century civilization in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave? Using the court record from Wells lawsuit against the railroad company and her portrait from 1893, imagine Wells in the scene that she recounts on the train and, later, in a courtroom providing the recorded testimony. What does Wells testimony reveal about her character? In the illustration from The College of Life, the caption below Wells portrait reads Lecturer, Defender of the Race. In what ways did she fulfill this role? What does the Harpers Weekly cartoon reveal about the motivation(s) of the Ku Klux Klan? In what way is lynching part of the Klans strategy? Using the lynching announcements that were reprinted in The Crisis, the photograph of a lynching, and the letter from A. M. Middlebrook, explain what each reveals about the relationship between the state government, the local police, and local white citizens when it came to the practice of lynching. Lynchings were sometimes planned, public events that people came to watch. Using the lynching announcements that were reprinted in The Crisis and the photograph of a lynching, explain why the committee of Ellisville citizens and other white groups or individuals wanted these events to be public. Why do you think the men, women, and children who attended wanted to watch? What would it have felt like to be an African American citizen of Ellisville, Mississippi or Columbus, Georgia at this time? What does her address say about what Ida B. Wells hoped to achieve with her speaking tour in England and Ireland? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What does the letter by Ida B. Wells to Albion Tourgee reveal about their relationship? Analyze what this letter and the address reveal about public perception of Ida B. Wells. How do you think she felt about pushback she received from the media or other reform leaders? Read the introduction to Wells A Red Record online. Compare the introduction to The Tragedy of Lynching. Do you think Milton and Raper had read Wells work as part of their research? How are their approaches and tones different from hers? Settlement Houses Potential questions: Based on the fundraising brochure, the Unity Settlement House report, and the photo of citizenship class, describe ways in which settlement houses tried to Americanize their visitors. What were the pros and cons of these Americanization programs? What impact might these programs have had on the different cultural groups that made up many immigrant communities? Based on the photo of the early leaders of the settlement house movement, what can you infer about their class background? Using the Hull House map, the photo of the kindergarten class in Chicago, and The City Wilderness excerpt, describe the racial and ethnic makeup of the neighborhoods served by these settlement houses. Considering the photo of the Phyllis Wheatley Settlement House football team and the photographs of the play facilities and children served by the Social Settlement in Washington, DC, why might these organizations appear to serve predominantly or entirely African American communities? In what ways might the services offered at these settlement houses be similar or different to those offered in European immigrant communities? Do a close reading of the photograph of singing class at Hull House. What can you learn about the participants? Using the Hull House map as a guide, choose a person in the photo and imagine his or her backstory. Where is s/he from? What brought him/her to Hull House? What is his/her relationship to the other people in the picture? Using the source set, list the range of specific activities, services, or facilities that settlement houses offered to children and families. In what ways did these services combat or prevent some of the dangers that these children may have faced at the timeon the streets or as workers? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Chapter 21: WWI and its Aftermath Thematic Questions How was World War I fought on both the homefront and the battlefield? What was life like for soldiers fighting on the front lines of the war? What issues existed on the homefront that challenged the war effort, both domestically and abroad? American Yawp Provided questions: Why did the United States enter World War I? How did World War I transform American culture? How did World War I change American race relations? How did Americans ideas about postwar international relations differ from one another? How did the influenza pandemic affect American life? WWI Propaganda Potential questions: Browse the propaganda and answer the following questions: Why was propaganda necessary for garnering American support for the war? How do these propaganda pieces urge Americans to participate in the war effort from all fronts? What themes repeat in these materials? Why would such themes have been chosen? What kind of language is used throughout the propaganda posters? What kind of symbolism? How are these tools used to exploit Americans sentiments toward national values? Why are these tools used to do so? Aerial view of the trenches Potential questions: Why were the trenches dug in a jagged pattern? What is the purpose of the smaller, connecting trenches? Why was trench warfare so conducive to stalemates? Letters about living in the trenches Potential questions: How did Albert describe life in the trenches? What possible consequences might have resulted from these living conditions? What was Alberts philosophy regarding trench warfare? What aspects of trench warfare led him to this opinion? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Imperial War Museum Potential questions: What psychological effects might the dull nature of trench life have caused for soldiers? Abandoned German Trench Potential questions: What does the abandoned trench look like? What kind of physical and psychological effects might soldiers have faced after living in these conditions for extended periods of time? BYU Assembly Potential questions: What elements of campus life made colleges and universities specifically susceptible to the 1918 flu? What measures did colleges and universities take to mitigate the spread of the flu? How did these actions set a precedent for handling future disease outbreaks? Halt the Epidemic! Keep your Bedroom Windows Open! Potential questions: How did the uncertainty surrounding the flu and its spread dictate the way governments and health organizations responded? What kind of advice did these organizations give people? Were the responses of governments and health organizations precautionary, or reactionary? Explain. How did governments and organizations use the media to educate Americans about the flu? What tactic do you think was more effective - propaganda or public service announcements? Why? DPLA Exhibit on the 1918 Flu Potential questions: What demographic was hit the hardest by the flu? How did high susceptibility among this group affect the American economy and industry? Which wave of the flu was the most dangerous? Why? Why did some Americans resort to homeopathic methods for treating the flu? How desperate were health organizations for workers? Was everyone who helped in combating the flu qualified to do so? Explain. How did Americans distract themselves from the looming threat of the flu? National Archives Exhibit on the 1918 Flu These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Potential questions: Why did the response to the flu require a national effort? Was that effort effective? How / why? What were some of the mitigation measures taken/advocated to prevent the spread of the flu? How did public health officials attempt to warn people about the ways in which the flu spread? Why do you think public health officials grouped together diseases like influenza and tuberculosis in some campaigns? How did the flu epidemic impact American life? How and why did the flu unite Americans from different backgrounds, even if it was just for a short period of time? Select 2-3 letters and personal communications to explore in depth. How did Americans in different industries respond to the epidemic? How did it impact their work, health, and family life? Why was the military so affected by the influenza epidemic? How did the epidemic affect the way in which soldiers fought the war? What was the legacy of the 1918 flu epidemic? Influenza Archive Potential questions: Select resources from the cities, organizations, people, places, and publications tabs. Answer the following questions: How did localities respond to the pressures of the epidemic? How did Americans in different industries respond to the epidemic? How did it impact their work, health, and family life? How did the epidemic impact communities differently? Which communities were hit the hardest in the epidemic? Why do you think that was the case? Locate your community in the archive. What can you learn about how the epidemic affected your local community, city, or region? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Chapter 22: The New Era Thematic Questions What ideas were popularized by the Harlem Renaissance? What did the Harlem Renaissance do for race relations in the 1920s? What was American social life like in the 1920s? What elements of social life were controversial? Why were they controversial? What economic changes were brought about in the aftermath of World War I? How did these changes affect consumer culture and advertising? American Yawp Provided questions: Were the 1920s a return to normalcy, as Warren G. Harding had advocated? Is it reasonable to describe the 1920s as a time of culture war? How did changes in consumption shape American culture? Why was the Second Ku Klux Klan prove so popular in the United States? What is the significance of the Harlem Renaissance? Passing Potential questions: How do the experiences of mixed-race individuals compare to those of African Americans? To those of white Americans? How does being white passing affect the way mixed-race individuals perceive their own identity? What benefits does being white passing provide Clare and Irene? What costs are associated with being white passing? Despite both being white passing, Clare and Irene both have very different lives and experiences. What might be the cause of these differences? What is Nella Larsen trying to convey through her novel? How does Larsen draw from personal experience to solidify her points? If We Must Die Potential questions: How does McKay use animalistic imagery to describe the dynamics of oppression? Why, do you think, might he have done so? According to the speaker, what must the oppressed do to die like men rather than die like animals? I, Too, Sing America Potential questions: These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What does Hughes mean in saying I, too, sing America? Why does Hughes change this to I, too, am America at the end of the poem? How does Hughes use irony in his poem? Where specifically is he being ironic? What is meant by his use of irony? Compare and contrast McKay and Hughes. In what ways are they similar? Different? 18th Amendment Potential questions: What role did alcohol play in American society prior to the Prohibition? How might have alcohols role in society lead to its outlaw with the 18th Amendment? Why did Congress give it a year before the 18th Amendment would come into effect? How might this stipulation have contributed to the illegal storing and selling of alcohol? LOC Historical Newspapers Collection Potential questions: What groups were generally pro-Prohibition? What groups were generally anti-Prohibition? Why did wets believe the Prohibition was unfair? Why did the drys want to keep Prohibition laws in place? In what ways did wets and drys disseminate their ideas regarding the Prohibition? How did these tactics appeal to Americans with all different kinds of interests? Anti-Saloon League Potential questions: What were the political aspirations of the Anti-Saloon League? How was the league organized? How did this organization allow the group to expand to higher levels of government? What kinds of propaganda did the league release? Why did many of these pieces feature children? What is the significance of these children? Liquor dump Raid by Prohibition Officers Potential questions: Why were raids and liquor dumplings public affairs? What point did these public displays make regarding the enforcement of the Prohibition? How did disposing of alcohol publicly protect the reputations of Prohibition officers? Wets vs. Drys Provided questions: These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What arguments for and against Prohibition are presented in the cartoons? what benefits, harm, and unforeseen consequences? How is the public depicted? Uncle Sam? ardent wets and drys? How do cartoonists employ these generic caricatures? What perspectives are expressed in the cartoons published in Kansas and Nebraska? in Chicago? in New York City? Why? Should Prohibition Be Repealed? Provided questions: What factors were central in the debate five years into Prohibition? What later factors entered the debate, especially in the 1928 presidential campaign? Potential questions: What groups generally stuck to a pro-Prohibition stance? What groups generally stuck to an antiProhibition stance? Based on the politics of these groups, is their stance expected? Why or why not? Westinghouse ad Palmolive ad Chevrolet ad Packard ad Potential questions: How did advertisements directed toward women differ from those directed toward men in terms of language and imagery? What elements of the 1920s industry and economy made it easier for goods to be produced, and for consumers to purchase goods at affordable prices? How did advertisements stress affordability without making consumers question the products quality? How did advertisements use cultural ideas about class, status, and luxury in this period? How did advertisements position products to help consumers achieve goals, enact their gender roles, or otherwise demonstrate identity? What do these advertisements suggest about the position of consumption in American society at the time? How might these changes have influenced American society in the following decades? Do you see the legacy of these advertisements in current advertising campaigns today? How? Influence of the 10-payment plan on prestige of the store Potential questions: Why were stores concerned about letting their customers buy on credit? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Were more consumers in favor of installment plans or against them? What did consumers like about stores that offered credit payments? What concerns did consumers have regarding stores where installment plans were available? How did the development of the installment plan promise to reshape consumer behaviors? What consequences can you envision from these developments? Prosperity & Thrift Potential questions: How did the radio revolutionize advertisements? How did advertisers use the radio to create demand rather than just respond to it? How did the radio contribute to a widespread consumer culture? How did the invention and sale of domestic wares create increased leisure time for women? How did this increased leisure time allow women to participate more in consumer culture? What markets expanded because of these new customers? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Chapter 23: The Great Depression Thematic Questions How did the Great Depression contribute to civil unrest in American society? What was the New Deal? How did politicians garner support for these programs? Was the New Deal an overall success? What were some defining moments in the presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt? Why was Roosevelt known as the Great Communicator? How did he connect with the American people in ways other presidents had not? American Yawp Provided questions: What economic factors contributed to the Great Depression? How did the Hoover administration respond to the Depression? How did the Depression shape migration and immigration? How did the New Deal reorient Americans relationship to government? Why did some Americans criticize the New Deal? New Deal collection Potential questions: Why was support for the New Deal essential for the rebuilding of the American economy? How did the government work to rally public support for New Deal programs? What themes repeat? How do race and gender factor into such images? What industries are represented in these images? What role did these industries play in the New Deal? Is it appropriate for the government to produce propaganda like this? Why or why not? Bonus Army Riots Potential questions: Why did Hoover claim that the disagreeable marchers were either communists or criminals with few veterans among them? How might this dispel public sympathy for the marchers? How might it make it easier for soldiers to take action to remove marchers from Washington? Why did calvaries and tanks march their way toward the Capitol? What purpose did this display serve? Was it necessary for the makeshift settlements to be burned to the ground? Why or why not? Bonus Army March images Potential questions: These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What were living conditions like in the Bonus Armys shanty towns? Why were people willing to live like this even for a short period of time? What did the protests look like? Were they generally peaceful? How did the Bonus March unite different demographics of veterans for a unified cause? The Bonus Army podcast Potential questions: Why is the test of any real democracy how the government responds to protest? What does Hoovers response to the Bonus March suggest about the state of American democracy in the time leading up to the Great Depression? How desperate were members of the Bonus Army when it came to fighting for their checks? What kinds of actions did marchers take that make you think this way? What actions did Hoover take to try and put a stop to the march? What does Hoovers actions suggest about the respect he held for American troops? How did the Bonus Armys march on Washington come to an end? How did the Bonus Armys demonstration help or hinder Presidents Hoovers chances at getting reelected in the 1932 election? Veterans March to Washington Potential questions: What economic issues did World War I veterans face upon their return from the war? Why did they want to take an advance on their war bonuses? Why did the outcome of the Bonus March leave veterans feeling betrayed? Was it feasible for the government to pay out bonuses at the dawn of the Great Depression? Why or why not? How did veterans continue the fight for their bonuses in the aftermath of the Bonus March? What other concerns did they organize for? Hoover on the Bonus Army March Potential questions: Why did Hoover insist that there was an extraordinary number of criminals at the march? How did characterizing the veterans in this way benefit Hoover? How does Hoover characterize the men he deemed to be legitimate, law-abiding veterans? How did this benefit Hoover? How is the Bonus March remembered in Americans collective memory? Is Hoover usually in the right or wrong? Explain. FDR: First Inaugural Potential questions: These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What does Roosevelt mean when he says the only thing we have to fear is fear itself? How does Roosevelt balance the positive elements of his address with the negative? Is he an effective speaker in this way? Why or why not? What is FDRs most pressing goal for his presidency? Why is it essential that he achieves this goal given the condition of the American economy? Why was it so important for FDR to express his plans to expand federal power in his first inaugural address? How would this expansion of power differ from the ways FDRs more recent predecessors approached their government? The Meaning of Progress Potential questions: What kind of tone does Roosevelt take when discussing the prosperity of 1924? What does hindsight reveal about that so-called prosperity? Why does Roosevelt refer to himself and the crowd as a collective in the last half of his speech? What does this imply about the way in which Americans worked to pull the nation out of its depression? What does a third-class diet mean in the context of this speech? Why, despite the progress that has been made, must Americans continue to survive on this third-class diet for the foreseeable future? A Fair Days Pay for a Fair Days Work Potential questions: Why did Roosevelt stress the fact that Americans cannot take a pause in striving for progress despite the relative prosperity the nation was experiencing at the time? What is the enlightened business that Roosevelt refers to? Is federal control of the work week and minimum wages necessary to create and maintain enlighlightened business? Why or why not? Why was Roosevelt a proponent of interstate trade? What powers did the national government have over interstate commerce? How could this trade help insure the quality of American goods, and the standards of their production? FDR on concentration of economic power Potential questions: What is significant about the two lessons Roosevelt lists at the beginning of his speech? What does the concentration of economic power lead to? Why is it important for the federal government to regulate the distribution of such power? What solutions does Roosevelt provide to distribute economic power more evenly among American citizens? Which of these solutions seems the most effective? Why? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. FDR on the Four Freedoms Potential questions (sourced and adapted from https://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/franklin-d-rooseveltfour-freedoms-6-january-1941/): Although Roosevelts immediate audience for this speech was a joint session of Congress, there were a number of other possible audiences for his speech, including people who would read the speech days or even weeks later. Consider other possible audiences: isolationists within the U.S., those who thought the U.S. should enter the war on the side of the Allies, those who were undecided about the right course of action, and foreign audiences on both sides of the war. How might each group have responded to the speech differently? How, according to FDR, did this moment in history differ from every other State of the Union address? Although FDR used the word threat many times in the opening paragraphs, he defined the enemy as the new order of tyranny that seeks to spread over every continent today. Why do you think he defined the enemy in this way? This new enemy was clearly the Axis powers that had already invaded and occupied several countries throughout Europe and Asia. So why do you think FDR chose not to mention Hitler, the Nazis, or the Axis Powers by name? FDR describes the U.S. as the agent responsible for upholding the justice of morality. Why do you suppose he used that language? How does the language of morality justify FDRs call for resisting foreign peril the nations top priority? FDR speeches Potential questions: Choose five of Roosevelts speeches and answer the following questions: Why was FDR hailed as the Great Communicator? Choose specific elements from some of his speeches that demonstrate his ability to connect with different Americans. How did Roosevelts speeches define popular thought regarding specific issues throughout his presidency? What elements of Roosevelts speeches have imprinted themselves into the collective memory of the nation? Why are these specific elements remembered over others? Why did Roosevelt often choose to include civilians in his addresses to the government? How did this form a rapport between the president and civilians? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Chapter 24: WWII Thematic Questions Why did Americans fear the rise of a Japanese fifth-column? What Japanese American political, geographic, and economic factors contributed to white Americans concerns? How were other races and ethnicities affected by World War II? How were women affected by the war? How was domestic labor managed during the war? Why was labor so significant to the war effort? American Yawp Provided questions: World War II is often called The Good War. Was it? How did World War II affect the American economy? What did internment reveal about American life? How did World War II transform Americas standing in the world? How did World War II shape American race relations? Japanese Relocation Potential questions: Why was it necessary to transfer several thousand Japanese residents from the Pacific Coast to points in the American Interior? What was allegedly dangerous about Japanese Americans being close to the Pacific Coast specifically? Why were Japanese individuals considered such a formidable threat when about 66% of the countrys Japanese population were American citizens? Does the fact that the majority of Japanese individuals were citizens ease the concerns of a fifth-column, or heighten them? Why were Americans more threatened by the idea of Japanese Americans becoming traitors than German or Italian Americans? Did Japanese Americans have a choice in cooperating with the American government? What might have happened if they resisted? Japoteurs Potential questions: What is meant by the title, Japoteurs? Is its meaning supposed to be subtle? Why or why not? How would you describe the portrayal of Japanese Americans in Japoteurs? What quotes or actions support your description? How did Japoteurs assert Japanese Americans as the other? Why did Americans want to alienate Japanese Americans? What consequences might this have had? How might have Japanese American audiences reacted to this cartoon? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Who is the likely audience for Superman cartoons? How does Japoteurs ensure that all demographics become aware of the danger of a fifth-column in America? EO 9017 Potential questions: What was the purpose of the National War Board? How would the War Board protect the interests of both laborers and the government? Did the executive order carry any legal power to prevent workers from striking? Why or why not? Is it likely that the National War Board was effective in handling labor disputes? Why or why not? National War Board meeting Potential questions: Was the War Board equipped to handle work disputes that involved mass amounts of people? Why or why not? Was it possible for large groups like the anthracite strikers to have a fair hearing? Why or why not? CIO Annual Meeting Potential questions: What are the pros of putting a hold on labor strikes during the time? The cons? Why did CIO members question the validity and effectiveness of the Square Deal? What conditions led them to criticize the deal? According to CIO members, to what extent was the pause in strikes a courtesy extended by laborers? What were the conditions of this courtesy? What would happen should laborers stop adhering to the no-strike pledge? FDR Fireside Chats Potential questions: What was the purpose of Roosevelts Fireside Chats? How did Roosevelt connect with the American people in an unprecedented way? How did this connection set the tone for future presidents? FC 20: Why was it essential for Roosevelt to address the inform American people about the war, especially in the early days? Why does FDR emphasize labor and production in this speech? Why was the manufacturing of munitions so essential at the time of this chat? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Based on Roosevelts speech, how important were the actions taken by those on the home front at this time? Why were these actions necessary? Why did FDR close with the quote, "The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered, yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the sacrifice, the more glorious the triumph? Why did he call so much on the Revolutionary War in this chat? FC 24: Why was action taken to transfer control of the mines to the US government? What did the government hope to achieve in doing this? Why was coal so essential to the war effort? What might happen to the American military if mining slowed or stopped? Why does Roosevelt emphasize that workers in war industries are just as heroic as soldiers? Is this true, or is it Roosevelt trying to charm workers? Explain. Labor propaganda posters Potential questions: What kinds of labor were specifically depicted in propaganda posters? Why were these industries in particular depicted? Why was it essential to show camaraderie in the propaganda posters? What might work environments be like? How did the war effort distract Americans from domestic tensions, even if it was only for the duration of the war? How did pro-American posters differ from anti-Axis propaganda? Women drivers ad Potential questions: What language did the advertiser use in describing their female drivers? Is the way they address women genuine, condescending, or both? Explain. How great was the need for women to fill the roles men left behind as they went to war? Was any industry left untouched? What might society have looked liked had women not stepped up to fill these roles? What might the war have looked like? Women in War Industry Potential questions: How does this poster comment on the typically masculine work women are doing while still maintaining the womens femininity? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What does this balance suggest about the changing roles of women during the war era? How might these roles have changed or stayed the same once the war was over and men returned home? Pearl Hill Interview Potential questions: What was Hills experience like working in male dominated industries? Is her experience typical for the time? Why or why not? How did womens work during the World War open the door for future female employment? How did womens employment affect gender roles at the time? How did men and women respond to this change? Why did some women choose to return their expected roles following the end of the war? Why did some women continue working? How did women who worked balance their home life and occupation? Norman Rockwell Potential questions: What kind of attitude does Rosie exude in this image? How does both her positioning in the composition and physical position contribute to this energy? How might her attitude be appealing to American women looking to get involved in the war effort? Why did Rockwell choose to match Rosies pose to that of Isiahs on the Sistine Chapel? What is the significance of this connection? Is Rosie an ideal, a reality, or some combination of both? Explain why Rockwell would choose to portray Rosie in this way. What message does it send to average American women? What other significant elements exist in this piece? How are they juxtaposed to Rosie? Why are these things significant? How does Rockwell picture Rosies femininity? What message does this send to female viewers? To male viewers? Womens Army Corps Yearbook Potential questions: Why did the creators of the yearbook decide to go for a more informative and positive tone when describing the Womens Army Corps? Why were hardships not addressed? Although the yearbook was produced after the end of World War II, did it still serve as propaganda? Why or why not? How might the yearbook have encouraged women to seek out military roles in future conflicts? Was the WAC an organization that provided women a degree of equality to men, or a degree of equity? Explain. These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. WWII on the Homefront / Rosie collections Potential questions: How were knick-knacks, souvenirs, and other domestic wares used to remind women of their role on the homefront? What were typically messages used on these items? WAVES of WWII Potential questions: Why did the Navy choose to open up service to women? Why was service integrated rather than supplemental? How might have men reacted to this decision? Women? Why was it important for the Navy to emphasize the fact that womens service was voluntary and not compulsory? How did womens eligibility for service compare to mens eligibility? What might account for these similarities or differences? Why did WAVES propaganda posters emphasize gender equity over gender equality? What is the difference, and why is it significant? What tensions existed between WAVES and male sailors? Why did such tensions exist? How did the experiences of the WAVES compare to women in other branches of service at the time? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Chapter 25: The Cold War Thematic Questions How did the government address civilians in regard to the Cold War? What suggestions did they make for the safety of the individual and the safety of the public as a whole? What Cold War anxieties plagued the public? How did they react to these concerns? How did the threat of communism spread outside of politics? Why did it spread to other areas of American life? Who was affected by the spread of the Red Scare? American Yawp Provided questions: What were the origins of the Cold War? What foreign policy developments shaped American approaches to the Cold War? How did the Cold War shape American politics? How did the red scare influence American life? How did decolonization movements shape the Cold War? Long Telegram Potential questions: Why, according to Kennan, were the Soviets cynical of other nations, specifically those who were not communist? What did he think drove Soviet behavior? Why was containment the best response to the Soviet threat? How might have Kennans suggestions regarding the handling of the USSR contributed to the Truman Doctrine? To the Korean and Vietnam wars? In hindsight, was containment a good suggestion for handling the potential spread of communism? Sinews of Peace Potential questions: What is the tone of Churchills speech? How might it have influenced the widespread response to the Cold War? How might have Churchills concerns about a fifth-column contributed to the Red Scare? What is the iron curtain that Churchill refers to? Why did he choose to call it a curtain rather than a wall? Stalin Speech Potential questions: Why, according to Stalin, did capitalistic societies lead to war? What was his solution to this issue? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. How is imperialism related to capitalism and war? Is Stalins opinion ironic in any way? Explain. How did the Allied victory in World War II reinforce Stalins opinions on capitalism and communism? Duck and Cover Potential questions: Who is the intended audience of this video? What is the significance of using animation alongside live action for this video? Why was Bert the Turtle chosen as the spokesperson for Duck and Cover? Does the guidance provided in Duck and Cover seem like it would protect people from a nuclear blast to some degree? Knowing the historical context, is it likely that the creators of this video truly believed the information they were disseminating was accurate? Opinion-based question: Can this video be considered propaganda? Why or why not? Facts about Fallout Potential questions: What tone does the pamphlet take regarding the severity of nuclear fallout? How does this relate to American Cold War fears? What purpose do the illustrations serve? Does the guidance provided in this pamphlet seem like it would protect people from nuclear fallout to some degree? Knowing the historical context, is it likely that the creators of this pamphlet truly believed the information they were disseminating was accurate? Family Fallout Shelter Potential questions: What significance did the American family hold during the Cold War? How important was it that the family sheltered together? Consider the personal and political significance the family would hold in the aftermath of a nuclear attack. Were these shelters made for long term survival? Why or why not? What does this say about American expectations regarding a nuclear attack? Bunker at Greenbrier Potential questions: What does the construction of the Greenbrier bunker suggest about atomic anxieties at the highest levels of government? How does the bunker at Greenbrier compare to the fallout shelters advertised for families? Seeing the precautions and provisions provided at Greenbrier, is it likely that safety officials knew the average American familys fallout shelters were inadequate? Explain. These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Diefenbunker Potential questions: What kind of amenities and safety measures was the Diefenbunker outfitted with? Is it likely that people would be able to operate here until the consequences of an atomic blast subsided? Why or why not? Reagan & Disney Potential questions: How did the government try to police the cultural sphere, specifically the film industry? Why did government officials feel it was essential to keep communism out of the film industry specifically? What kind of influence did Hollywood have over the public that other industries lacked? What economic stake did executives like Disney have in testifying against communists? Paul Robeson Potential questions: How might Robeson's blackness and anti-imperialist attitudes have made him a greater target for the House Committee on Un-American Activities? How did it affect the way the HUAC conducted their trial? Why does Robeson refer to the HUAC members as the un-Americans? What role does the First Amendment play in the HUAC testimonies? The Fifth Amendment? Pete Seeger Potential questions: Was it fair for Seeger to be charged with contempt for his testimony to the HUAC? Why or why not? How might have Seegers testimony gone differently had he invoked the Fifth Amendment like many of his peers? Did Seeger receive a fair trial for his contempt charge? How might it be difficult to get an impartial judge and jury when considering Seegers fame and the paranoia that surrounded the Red Scare? Why was the judge reluctant to let Seeger free on his own recognizance during his appeal? What does this decision suggest about Americans fear of communism at the time? Homosexuals in Government Potential questions: These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Why were LGBTQ+ Americans considered Communist sympathizers? In the minds of these congressmen, how did supposed sexual immorality translate to political immorality? What attitudes forced LGBTQ+ individuals to flock together, as Miller put it? How might this discrimination have fostered a greater sense of community among LGBTQ+ individuals? Hollywood Blacklist Potential questions: Why were entertainers with potential communist affiliations blacklisted? As entertainers, what power did they hold over average American citizens? How quickly did the Hollywood Blacklist end the careers of those whose names showed up on it? What does this suggest about American fears of affiliating with potential communists? Were all of these entertainers members of the Communist Party themselves? If not, why did these individuals find themselves blacklisted? Why were members of the Hollywood Ten convicted of contempt for their conduct in their HUAC testimonies? Was their charge and subsequent conviction constitutional? Why or why not? What does this blacklist say about the relationship between artistic expression, political beliefs, and the First Amendment? Inquiry into hiring undesirables Potential questions: Why, according to Hill, were homosexuals bad security risks [who] should not be in sensitive positions or in any position in the government where they might in any way aid or abet subversive activity? What made gay individuals easy targets for this kind of rhetoric? Were LGBTQ+ individuals able to escape these stereotypes? Why or why not? Why was blackmail a concern with LGBTQ employees in the government? How did the Lavender Scare affect LGBTQ+ activism? LGBTQ+ sources LOC Potential questions: Compare the way homosexuality is addressed in government sources and in the media. What kind of language is used in these sources? What is the tone? What emotions are these sources supposed to evoke in readers? HUAC primary sources Provided questions: General questions: Who is the intended audience of each source? Why was each source created? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Which sources support national security? Which sources support individual freedom? Use evidence from each source to support your reasoning. Source 1: Why did Truman refer to this cartoon instead of just answering the question? National Archives on the Lavender scare Potential questions: Why was the community aspect of gay culture frightening to straight individuals, especially during the era of the Red Scare? How the actions of straight individuals force gay Americans to find community among themselves? How did the culture of conformity in this period conflate family values with political centrism? Why were Americans sexualities uncovered more often than their political affiliations? What dangers did this pose to the safety of gay Americans? Why were some government agencies more concerned about their workers sexualities than others? Why did governments criminalize some aspects of homosexuality? What did they hope to achieve by doing so? Why did people try to understand homosexuality from a medical standpoint? What did they hope to gain by doing so? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Chapter 26: The Affluent Society Thematic Questions How were the affluent in particular affected by Cold War anxieties? Why were they affected in these ways? What social issues came to light in the postwar era? What actions were taken to ease civil unrest? How did the American people respond to the governments reaction to these issues? What effect did the war have on gender and the family? How did consumer culture change to accommodate these changing domestic values? American Yawp What factors contributed to Americas postwar economic boom? How did the baby boom shape postwar American understandings of gender? How did postwar economic boom shape American politics? How did American race relations shape housing, education, and employment? What factors contributed to the rise of the civil rights movement? The Enormous Radio Potential questions: How does Cheever stress that Jim and Irene are an average couple? To what lengths do Jim and Irene privately go through to achieve this appearance of avergeness? What is Cheever trying to say about the importance of appearances during this time? How does Cheever describe the new radio? What does the radio begin to reveal about other families that Jim and Irene know? How does it shape Jim and Irenes relationship? How does the Enormous Radio prey on the idea that Americans had regarding the safety and privacy of their own home? How does this idea reflect Cold War sentiments of paranoia and espionage? Fears about technology? Duck and Cover Potential questions: Who is the intended audience of this video? What is the significance of using animation alongside live action for this video? Why was Bert the Turtle chosen as the spokesperson for Duck and Cover? Does the guidance provided in Duck and Cover seem like it would protect people from a nuclear blast to some degree? Knowing the historical context, is it likely that the creators of this video truly believed the information they were disseminating was accurate? Opinion-based question: Can this video be considered propaganda? Why or why not? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Doll Test Potential questions: What was the doll test? What conclusions did Dr. Clark draw from his experiment? When asked what skin color black children identified with, many chose lighter skin tones. What does this suggest about black childrens perception of their own race? What effects did Clark believe racism and prejudice had on black childrens self image and perception of race? Brown v. Board arguments Potential questions: How did the language used in Brown v. Board of Education make it easier for people to argue against separate but equal laws across the country? What, according to the court, were the cons of having segregated schools? For what reasons did many white Americans most likely support segregation? Is it likely that African Americans saw any pros to segregation? Explain. Marshall on Brown v. Board Potential questions: What kind of reception did Marshall expect Brown v. Board to receive in the South? Why was Brown met with more resistance than Marshall anticipated? Is it likely that Marshalls expectations for future desegregation efforts in the wake of Brown would be as successful as he initially anticipated? Why or why not? Judgement of Brown v. Board Potential questions: Why did the Brown decision have to be revisited so many times? Why was Brown II issued? Is it likely that schools listened to the court and desegregated schools as quickly as possible? What measures were taken by governments to ensure that the desegregation of schools was a gradual process? Brown v. Board opinion Potential questions: Why did the Court determine that the doctrine of separate but equal could not be implemented practically in American public schools? What conditions prevented segregated schools from being able to obtain a degree of equality? According to the Court, what rights are violated by the presence of the separate but equal doctrine in schools? Why are these rights mentioned specifically? 25th anniversary of Brown v. Board These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Potential questions: What do the protests on the 25th anniversary of Brown v. Board suggest regarding how well its ruling was enforced? Why was the federal government lax in its enforcement of the ruling? To Tell or Not to Tell Potential questions: What does Buddy mean when he tells Rob that he lost a wife and gained a roommate? What does this quote suggest about womens ability to balance work and family? Why are working women considered undesirable by many men? How do the men behave in Lauras absence? Do they function well without her? Why / why not? What does this show tell us about the cultural roles for men and women at the time? How does this show fit with other sources weve discussed in this class? How did the shows writers resolve the conflict at the end of the episode? What do you think about the end of the show? How might viewers of different groups have responded to this episode? What overall message does the episode send? Barbasol ad Potential questions: Why are pin-up girls being used to sell mens shaving cream? Why do these women like a man who uses Barbasol? How might the sexualization of women encourage men to buy Barbasols product? How did advertisements create unrealistic standards for both women and men? Why was there an emphasis on hedonism in advertising, specifically in the postwar era? Why did consumers deserve to indulge themselves with material goods? American Airlines ad Potential questions: Why might American Airlines have felt the need to create a family plan? Why were American families looking to travel following the second World War? How does the advertisement reflect the affluent society? How does American Airlines family plan accommodate worn out American mothers? Why does the advertisement only mention domestic duties when talking about the matriarch of the family? Why does the advertisement only mention money when addressing the father of the family? What does this suggest about family management and structure in the postwar era? Motorola ad Potential questions: These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Why does this advertisement make an effort to appeal to all members of the family? How does this ad play on the Cold War values of family and togetherness? Why is the wife of the house standing when the rest of her family is sitting watching television? What does this suggest about American womens duties as well as leisure time in the postwar era? Why does Motorola push the TVs aesthetic value more than its functionality when addressing women? How does this television advertisement assert the man as the households breadwinner? What other gendered stereotypes are present throughout the ad? African American women in the Civil Rights movement Potential questions: How did the intersectionality of race and gender put African American women in a unique position during the Civil Rights movement? What about African American women made them ideal for leading grassroots movements? What skills did they possess that other groups lacked? What issues were unique to black women? Why were these issues unique to this group? What issues were shared with women of other races? What kind of backlash did African American women receive from their activism? Do you think this backlash would have been different if it were solely African American men leading the movement? Why or why not? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Chapter 27: The Sixties Thematic Questions How did Americans view policies of containment? In what ways did Americans protest the Vietnam war? How did the government respond to these protests? How did American failures in Cuba and Vietnam create a cynicism toward American politics? How did the government attempt to regain citizens trust? How did the Civil Rights activists attempt to tackle systemic racism? In what ways were they successful? How did white Americans respond to these successes? American Yawp Provided questions: How did Cold War tensions lead to the Cuban missile crisis and the Vietnam War? How did the African American civil rights movement evolve in the early 1960s? What were the legislative achievements of the civil rights movement? How did youth culture change in the 1960s? How did political activism expand in the late 1960s? Hendrix at Woodstock Potential questions: What events coincided with Woodstock? How did these events influence Hendrixs performance? Was Hendrixs performance of the national anthem patriotic or an act of protest? Explain. Hendrix interview Potential questions: Why was Hendrixs rendition of the national anthem so controversial? Did he intend for his rendition to be a form of protest? Why or why not? How did the American people receive Hendrixs version of the national anthem? Why did they react this way? Ohio Masters of War Imagine Saigon Bride Potential questions: Why was music an effective medium to criticize the Vietnam war? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What common themes are present throughout the lyrics of these songs? How do they suggest that Americans understood the policy of containment? The draft? The loss of both American and Vietnamese life? Propaganda Action Plan Potential questions: Why was it decided that Cuba was vulnerable to persuasion and needed to be controlled to some extent by the American government? Why were radio broadcasts and leaflets decidedly the best way to disseminate propaganda to Cuba? What topics were most heavily pushed in this propaganda? What is meant by the statement Should military action be extended over a long period of time, the radio and leaflet operations previously described will be augmented by all the regular propaganda apparatus? Why were radio broadcasts and leaflets only expected to be effective for short term interventions? CIA agent interview Potential questions: How critical was propaganda in the effort to combat Cuban communism? Why might have people thought the propaganda effort was less extensive than it actually was? Why was it more difficult to convince lower class Cubans to join the effort against communism? Bay of Pigs images Potential questions: What is the general mood of this photo? Why was it so exciting for revolutionaries to hold off US mercenaries? How might this have further strengthened the Cuban militia? JFK on Soviet arms in Cuba Potential questions: Why might have Kennedy decided to publicize the fact that the Soviets had installed new missile sites in Cuba? What steps does Kenendy suggest to diffuse the tension caused by the installment of Soviet missiles? Why did he choose these specific responses and order them in such a way? Why does Kennedy mention the Monroe Doctrine in his address? What role does it play in the Cuban Missile Crisis? Memorandum for Kennedy These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Potential questions: In the memorandum, Schlesigner talks about American success in Cuba. Did the Bay of Pigs invasion result in a successful outcome for the United States? Why or why not? Why did Schlesinger need to advise Kennedy on how to frame his speech? Would Kennedy have needed such advice had the United States achieved a decisive victory? Why or why not? How does Schlesinger think Kennedy should frame his speech? Why is it imperative for Kennedy to stress that Cuban intervention was necessary regardless of the outcome? Address to the American people Potential questions: Why did Kennedy want the international surveillance of cargo being shipped to Cuba? Why would the Red Cross be an appropriate agent to carry out such surveillance? How might this surveillance impact US-Cuban relations? Platform of the States Rights Democratic Party Potential questions: Based on their platform, why was this States Rights Democratic Party created? Why might party organizers have chosen to keep the word democratic in the partys title? Is the States Rights Democratic Party a completely new party, or simply an offshoot of the Democratic Party? Explain. What actions had the federal government taken that made the States Rights Democratic Party feel like the US was shifting toward a totalitarian state? Consider the ideas in this platform moving backwards and forwards. What historical precursors might have prompted this platform? How might the States Rights Party have influenced current or recent trends in conservative politics? How does race fit in with the partys ideas? Why do you think it was important for the States Rights Party to make these arguments at this particular point in time? Anti-integration rally Potential questions: What is meant by the picket signs that say Race mixing is communism? How might protesters justify this claim? What do you learn about conservative politics in this period, by looking at this photograph? George Wallace inaugural address Potential questions: During his address, Wallace says, Let us rise to the call of freedom-loving blood that is in us and send our answer to the tyranny that clanks its chains upon the South. What is ironic about These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Wallaces call to freedom, especially considering what this line is followed up with? What other parts of Wallaces speech are ironic? Why? How does Wallace draw upon the legacy of the Confederacy? Why do you think he did this? How does Wallace use the principles of us vs. them to create a stronger bond between him and his constituents? Why did politicians like Wallace use race as a platform, especially considering how divisive the issue was in the early 1960s? Wallace at the University of Alabama Potential questions: What is the physical and symbolic meaning of Wallace standing in the door of the University of Alabamas Foster Auditorium? Who is he in a standoff with? Why is such a standoff occurring? Southern School News Potential questions: Was Southern School News (Nashville, TN) pro- or anti-integration? How can you tell? Reviewing the various articles in the newspaper, what can you surmise about the pace of integration in 1963, and the responses of both sides to the issue? How did African Americans push to integrate schools? How did they respond to setbacks in this push? How did white Southerners respond to desegregation? How did that response vary in different places covered by the newspaper? Map of Monuments to the Confederacy Potential questions: During what period were the most Confederate monuments erected? Why do you think there was such a desire to memorialize the Confederacy during this time? Why are Confederate monuments present in states that were part of the Union? In current states that did not hold the status of statehood during the Civil War? Why have Confederate monuments continued to be erected in the last 50 years? Which states have the most monuments? Why do you think that is? What are these monuments celebrating or memorializing? How do you think these monuments speak to different members of the local communities? What is the difference between remembering the past and celebrating it? Do Confederate monuments serve to remind us of the past, or memorialize what the Confederacy stood for? Explain. Have students consider various arguments to keep / maintain Confederate monuments, vs. arguments to take them down. What is accomplished by keeping the monuments intact? What These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. would be accomplished by taking them down? Do you see a middle-ground between these two views? What might that look like, and what could it accomplish? How has politics continued to shape the ways in which we remember and tell stories about our past? Why is that important? Citizens Council collection Potential questions: What was the purpose of the Citizens Council? Why was it created? What sociopolitical changes were the Citizens Council protesting? Why did they see changes to these institutions as threatening? Why did the council often comment on pro-integration publications? How did their use of primary sources help their argument? What types of media and publicity measures did the Citizens Council use to recruit members? How did their tactics differ when attempting to recruit individuals from different parts of the United States? What can we learn from these strategies? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Chapter 28: The Unraveling Thematic Questions How was Vietnam presented in the American media? How did this presentation shape American opinions of the war? How did people protest the Vietnam War? Why was the war so divisive? What led to the second wave of feminism in America? What were the goals of this movement? American Yawp Provided questions: Why did the United States lose the Vietnam War? How did deindustrialization shape American life? How did Richard Nixon appeal to American voters? Is unraveling a proper way to describe this time period? How did sexual politics evolve during the 1970s? A Look Back at 1968 Potential questions: Choose four photos and compare their tone. How is American society presented in these images? What photo best represents the late sixties and why? Taken together, what do the photos suggest about American society in 1968? CBS on the burning of Cam Ne Potential questions: How are American military men portrayed in this news report? How might this portrayal have been received by Americans back in the United States? How did CBSs report spread doubt about the morality of the war in Vietnam? Why was the American military targeting South Vietnamese civilians, who were supposed to be politically and militarily aligned with the Americans? What did Safer mean when he said todays operation [the burning of Cam Ne] is the frustration of Vietnam in miniature? March on the Pentagon Potential questions: Using the images from the March on the Pentagon, what are the main arguments the protestors argue (i.e. moral; economic; political; etc.)? Why might have the marchers protested at the Pentagon specifically? What were the long term consequences of anti-war activism during the Vietnam War? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Video: Protests during 1968 Democratic Convention Potential questions: How did the Vietnam War affect domestic politics and the 1968 presidential election? After viewing the video footage prior to the 1968 Democratic Convention, describe what you saw taking place? What points do the protestors make? CIA analysis of the Tet Offensive Potential questions: After reviewing the summary of the CIA report, what were the objectives of the Vietcong (VC) during the Tet Offensive? Were they successful in achieving their objective? How do you think the Tet Offensive affected public perception of the Vietnam War in the U.S.? Ridenhour to Congress Potential questions: Why did Ridenhour feel obligated to inform the American government of the incident in My Lai? How might have Ridenhours fellow soldiers felt about him revealing the atrocities in My Lai to the government? How did war crimes and other atrocities create internal divisions within the military? Why did Americans slaughter South Vietnamese civilians, despite being on the same side of the war? How did this affect American perceptions of the events in Vietnam? Mickey Mouse in Vietnam Potential questions: Why was Mickey Mouse chosen to be the subject of this short? What characteristics are generally associated with his character? How does Mickeys character contribute the shock value of the short? How did the short glamorize the war in Vietnam? Why was there a need to glamorize the war in real life? Burning draft cards Potential questions: Why did people need to be drafted for the Vietnam war? Why were people opposed to the draft, especially in the context of the politically charged Vietnam war? Why did the men eligible for the draft feel it was better to protest from the outside the system than fight from within? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What was the symbolic significance of burning draft cards? What constitutional issues arose from the burning of draft cards? Kent State Potential questions: Choose five primary sources and answer the following questions: What caused the National Guard to be called to Kent State? Why did the National Guard open fire? Based on the narrative accounts, was the crowd so unruly that they needed to be subdued with gunfire? What lasting effects did the shooting have on students? Faculty? Guardsmen? Where do most witnesses place the blame for the shooting? The Feminine Mystique Potential questions: What is the problem that has no name? What caused women to be pigeonholed into domestic roles? How did this lead to women feeling uncomfortable about questioning their role and identity in society? How were women exploited both socially and economically by their role as the housewife? According to Friedan, why were women unable to shake their feelings of discontentment? How could things be different if women realized their issues were not individual, but rather collective? NOW Statement of Purpose Potential questions: According to NOW, how would granting equal rights to women be beneficial to men as well? Why was it important for womens movements to appeal to both sexes? How does NOW draw on popularized political ideas such as separate but equal to stress the injustices carried out against women? What is meant by the silken curtain of prejudice? Why is prejudice described in this way? Presidents Commission on the Status of Women Potential questions: What events made it necessary for the president to form a commission with the sole purpose of examining womens status within American society? How did Kennedys recognition of womens issues force Americans to confront their treatment of women in different aspects of society? Why might have Americans been more willing to listen to JFK than feminists or other womens rights activists? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What specific issues did the commission examine? What did they find about womens position in these roles? In what areas was the most improvement needed? Why were these areas in particular unaccommodating for women? What recommendations were made to help improve the status of women in different sociopolitical spheres? Is it likely that actions were taken to implement these strategies? Why or why not? Is it likely that these strategies would have been successful? Why or why not? Was the Commission on the Status of Women created to foster equality among the sexes, or simply protect women from discrimination in different sociopolitical spheres? Explain. Steinem: Living the Revolution Provided questions (adapted from http://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/steinem-living-the-revolutionlesson-plan/): Steinem says that the first problem for all us, men and women, is not to learn but to unlearn. What does she mean by that? Steinem complains that students do not learn enough about womens history. Why is it important for students to learn about and understand the womens history? How does an inclusive curriculum benefit society? Potential questions: Why did Steinem choose to discuss this topic specifically in her commencement speech? Is her speech a typical commencement speech? Why or why not? Redstockings Manifesto Potential questions: What was the purpose in calling this declaration a manifesto? What does this terminology imply? What does the language used both in the documents title and body echo? Is this parallel purposeful? Why or why not? Point VII says, We call on all men to give up their male privilege and support womens liberation in the interest of our humanity and their own. What would male support entail? Would it have been beneficial for women to take advantage of mens elevated status to help invoke change? Why or why not? What kind of feminism do the Redstockings subscribe to? How can you tell? How is the Redstockings ideology different from other feminist groups? ERA primary source set Provided questions: Using the sources in this set, describe the justifications used to oppose the Equal Rights Amendment. These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Examine the button. What does the word uppity mean? What does it suggest in the context of the ERA? How were supporters of the ERA changing the connotation of the word uppity? Consider the cartoon by Tom Engelhardt, the cartoon by Kate Salley Palmer satirizing shifting gender roles, and the cartoon by Kate Salley Palmer satirizing opponents of the Equal Rights Amendment. Who were the audiences for these cartoons? How does each cartoon comment on the ERA? What makes the political cartoon an effective medium for this commentary? Use Martha Griffiths petition, the Michigan Womens Commission pamphlet, and the statement by Representative Barbara Jordan to describe the ratification process and its obstacles for ERA supporters. Consider the photograph of supporters and opponents, the footage of an Equal Rights Amendment rally, the photograph of Tom Bradley, and the clip of Phyllis Schlafly. What do these sources suggest about who actively supported the ERA and who actively opposed it? Closely read the statement by the US Commission on Civil Rights. For what historical reasons does this report support the passage of the ERA? American Indian movement source set Provided questions: According to the excerpt from a newsletter, what actions was the federal government taking to address Native American concerns in 1970 through the National Council on Indian Opportunity? What major conditions of Native American life did the American Indian Movement protest in the 1970s? Cite evidence from the sources to support your answer. Consider the interview with Earl Livermore, the interview with Ramona Bennett, and the photograph of Native American protesters in Terre Haute. What strategies for protest and advocacy did American Indian Movement activists use? Who were their audiences? What connections do you see among the actions described in this set? Using the photograph taken at Wounded Knee, the photograph of Russell Means, and the footage from the trial of Dennis Banks and Russell Means, compare and contrast the tactics used by the American Indian Movement with those of other activist groups during the civil rights era. Do a close reading of the print. What is its central message? How does it relate to the concerns of the American Indian Movement? Describe the perception of the American Indian Movement explained in the Senate Judiciary Committee report. How did this perception influence federal government response to the American Indian Movement? The button, the story about the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Wounded Knee protest, the interview with Clyde Bellecourt, and the news story about the Leonard Peltier case explore the legacy of the American Indian Movement and its protests. What is this legacy? How did perceptions of AIM change over time? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Chapter 29: The Triumph of the Right Thematic Questions How was the era of the New Right addressed in popular culture? How was the AIDS crisis understood through the lens of the New Right? How did activists fight for government assistance? How did the government respond? How did minority groups progress under the traditionalist attitudes of the New Right? American Yawp Provided questions: What factors contributed to the rise of the New Right? How did Ronald Reagan and the New Right shift political discourse in the United States? How did American race relations evolve in the 1980s? What cultural developments shaped the 1980s? Did the New Right accomplish its policy goals? Modern Day Cowboy Blackened Peace Sells Land of Confusion Lets Dance Two Tribes 1999 Its a Mistake Russians The Futures So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades Wind of Change Potential questions: What themes carry across these 1980s videos? How do they suggest that Americans understood the Cold War? Nuclear weapons? The Soviet Union? Reagan and Americans more generally? AIDS Deaths by Year Potential questions: What does the data provided in the chart suggest about the average individual with AIDS in the eighties and early nineties? What made these individuals particularly susceptible to AIDS? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. How did the total number of individuals with AIDS change between the 1981-1987 period and the 1988-1992 period? Why might the number have changed in this way? Reagans first major speech on AIDS Potential questions: The first reports of AIDS in the United States occurred in 1981. Why did it take Reagan seven years to deliver a major speech on the epidemic? What New Right values are present throughout Reagans response to the epidemic? Why was AIDS an emergency room operation? How might have government responses contributed to the urgency needed for AIDS relief? ACT UP poster Potential questions: To what extent was the AIDS crisis addressed when this poster came out? In what areas was improvement still needed? What accusations did ACT UP bring against the government? Why would the deaths of gay men, drug users, and people of color been considered acceptable? How did these groups fit into the societal schema of the New Right? ACT UP ad Potential questions: While printed in black and white, the triangle often depicted with the ACT UP logo is pink. What is the significance behind this symbol? What is the significance in activists reclaiming a former symbol of persecution? What is the significance of the slogan Silence = Death? Is this slogan truthful, or does it seem like an exaggeration? Why? What did activists mean when they advocated for human care not warfare? Why did they consider widespread responses to the AIDS epidemic to be acts of warfare? your HIV negative Potential questions: How is irony used throughout the poster? Why is the Statue of Liberty portrayed in an offensive pose? What emotion is this supposed to evoke among viewers? Why might have immigrants become a topic in the political rhetoric surrounding HIV and AIDS? Cartoon against proposition 96 and 102 Potential questions: These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Research California Propositions 96 and 102. Why might have AIDS activists been against these statutes? In the image, the three politicians are mixing together fear and hatred to get bad medicine. What elements of each proposition could be considered fear mongering? Hatred towards individuals with AIDS? To what extent did politics play a role in the length of the AIDS epidemic? In the eventual management of it? Lessons from the AIDS fight Potential questions: In what ways did anger help fuel ACT UPs mission? In what ways did anger harm ACT UP as a group? How did ACT UP use shock value to promote change? How were these demonstrations perceived by the public? Opinion-based questions: Did activists have anything to lose by rallying so fiercely? Schlafly against the ERA Potential questions: Schlafly emphasizes the fact that family and domesticity should provide women with fulfillment. Why then, does she advocate for women to have increased roles in government and the workforce? Based on Schlaflys logic, can these women find fulfillment in their careers alone? Is Schlaflys opinion regarding womens increased role in society contradictory to her belief that women should not try to push for equal rights? Why or why not? How can women have roles level with their male peers if they do not share equal rights? How does Schlafly justify her propensity for activism while discussing the need for domesticity to come first in a womans life? The Phyllis Schlafly Report Potential questions: Is Schlafly disputing the fact that women were afforded less rights than men at the time? Explain. What elements of the New Rights ideology are present in Schlaflys argument? How, according to Schlafly, is domestic life easier than what life would be like should women have the same rights as men? What elements of American society ease the burden of domestic work? How does Schlafly capitalize on long-lasting American fears of things like communism in her argument? Schlafly at a Stop ERA rally These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Potential questions: How are Schlafly and the other women present dressed? How does their dress compare to the popular styles of the 1970s? What might this suggest about their politics? What age group are the women pictured in? What does this suggest about the demographics of the Stop ERA movement? How might their age inform the way they view the role of women in society? Ebert on Fatal Attraction NYT on Fatal Attraction Potential questions: How does Eberts review compare to Maslins review? How might gender affect the way these critics viewed the movie? Why were critics disappointed with the third act of Fatal Attraction? Why would a film where marriage is tested be more exciting for audiences in the era of the New Right? Fatal Attraction clips Potential questions: What dangers did sexually liberated women like Alex Forrest pose to the sanctity of the family? How are traditional female stereotypes regarding emotion exploited in this film? What does this film say about a womans ability to act outside of her prescribed gender roles? How does Fatal Attraction fit into the era of the New Right? Is it supposed to be mainstream or countercultural? Explain. Baby Boom Clips Potential questions: Is this film meant to be satirical or genuine? Explain. Is the ending of the movie a clich, or proof that women really can have it all? Could JC have had it all if she had accepted Fritzs offer? Why or why not? How does Baby Boom compare to Fatal Attraction? How do these films show the extremes of female independence? Does a happy medium exist between the two films? Why or why not? What would a happy medium look like? Ebert on Baby Boom LA Times on Baby Boom Potential questions: In one review, Roger Ebert writes that Baby Boom makes no effort to show us real life. It is a fantasy about mothers and babies and sweetness and love, with just enough wicked comedy to give it an edge. In another review, Kevin Thomas writes that What the Shyers are finally saying These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. is that a woman can in fact have it all but that you had better be prepared to make some crucial adjustments as the price exacted. Which critics interpretation of the movie better fits the narratives surrounding female independence in the 1970s? Whose review would pro-ERA individuals side with? Whose review would anti-ERA individuals side with? Why? What do these two films together show about the post-1970s era, in terms of Civil Rights, politics, the family, and feminism? Faludi, Backlash Potential questions: According to Faludi, why do women find themselves unfulfilled when they supposedly have it all? How, according to Faludi, did womens liberation actually worsen the predicament American women faced regarding their domestic roles? How did equality strip women of their identity, thus negatively affecting prescribed gender roles? How do Faludis arguments compare to those of Phyllis Schlafly? Of the two women, who would you say is more of a feminist? Why? Desegregation in Boston Public Schools Provided questions: In his opening arguments, what specific arguments did Charles Sumner make on behalf of Sarah Roberts request to attend a white school nearer to her home? Redlining and restricting mortgage insurance was a practice used in cities all over the United States to prevent black access to predominantly white neighborhoods. Look at the map of redlining in Miami and the census map of Boston. How do you think the practice of redlining affected a city with distinct neighborhoods like Boston? Review the oral histories conducted with Lew Finfer and Moe Gillen. How did their age, family circumstances, and neighborhoods affect their perspectives on busing and desegregation? Consider the broken window, the photo of black teens, and the photo of the anti-busing rally. Read the FBI correspondence and search for the famous Soiling of Old Glory photograph that depicts the assault on Ted Landsmark. What emotions do these sources convey? The 1974 booklet outlines the plan for busing in Boston. The 1974 letter contains criticism of this plan by an outspoken anti-busing advocate. After reading the conclusions on the 1985 report, discuss the challenges that still impeded equality in Boston schools ten years after the implementation of court-ordered busing. These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. Chapter 30: The Recent Past Thematic Questions How was Barack Obamas presidency depicted in the media and popular culture? What parallels can be drawn between the war in Afghanistan and the Vietnam war? How has the COVID-19 pandemic revitalized conversations of personal freedoms and liberties? How has the COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep-rooted, systemic racial inequality in America? In what ways has the history of the recent past paralleled historical events from years ago? American Yawp Potential questions: How did the Bush Doctrine change American foreign policy? How has American immigration changed in recent decades? What are some major shifts in recent American political history? How have social media and personal technology shaped American life? What has animated major protest movements in recent American history? Obamas New Yorker cover Potential questions: What is meant by the illustrations title, The Politics of Fear? Does the title make it more evident that this portrayal of Obama is supposed to be satirical? Why or why not? Is it surprising that this cover received so much backlash? Why or why not? How might have feelings regarding race relations and terror contributed to the way in which this illustration was received? How might have Blitts cover dictated the ways in which Obama was depicted in cartoons throughout the rest of the election and during his presidency? Obama comic covers Potential questions: Why was Obama so widely portrayed in comic books? Was his portrayal more often positive or negative? What roles does Obama fill in comic books? Is he the hero? The villain? The damsel in distress? Why is he positioned in these roles? How did his portrayal represent his character throughout his elections and presidency? Why does media capitalize on politics? What political influence do comic books have that other media lack? Obama political cartoons Potential questions: These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. How did Obamas portrayal in political cartoons change as his terms progressed? What recurring themes exist throughout Obamas cartoon appearances? Why do these themes come up more than once? What symbolism is present throughout the political cartoons? What are these symbols supposed to represent? Opinion-based question: What cartoon most accurately captures Obamas presidency? Why this cartoon? Biden on Afghanistan Potential questions: Why does Biden oppose the permanent stationing of troops in Afghanistan? Do civilians share this sentiment? Do politicians? Is Biden acting on any military precedence in this situation? Based on the questions asked by reporters after Bidens speech, did the media believe that It has come to light that Bidens intelligence community was aware of the potential collapse of Afghanistan prior to Bidens July 8th announcement. Why did Biden deny this fact when asked about it? Why have connections been made between the end of Vietnam and the end of Afghanistan? Does Biden recognize these parallels? Why or why not? Why does Biden say that no mission has been accomplished in Afghanistan, then immediately follow up with saying that the mission was accomplished in Afghanistan when Osama bin Laden was assassinated? Exiting Afghanistan Potential questions: Why did the cartoonist choose to represent Afghanistan with Jenga blocks? What does this suggest about the nations stability? Is the US soldier balanced on top of the stack part of Afghanistans stability? What is likely to happen if the soldier tries to step off the top of the tower? Consider Bidens withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan. Was the cartoon accurate in its expectations? Will Afghanistan End Like Vietnam? Potential questions: Was the war in Afghanistan always destined to be a prolonged and seemingly endless war? If you answered yes, what events at the start of the war indicated it might be a long campaign? If you answered no, what was the turning point? These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. To what extent was the war in Afghanistan an imperial war? What kind of success does the United States have with imperialist conflicts? What parallels existed between Vietnam and Afghanistan? In what way were these wars different? In looking at Afghanistan after the August 16th airlift of US troops out of the country, did Afghanistan in fact end like Vietnam? Why or why not? Passing the Torch Potential questions: Why have organizations like the Ku Klux Klan been able to survive despite the fact that they are so separated from their original mission? How has the Klan changed as African Americans role in society has evolved? Are most Klansmen today recruits, or are they born into the ideology? Could the KKK survive if it did not pass the torch to future generations? Why or why not? White Collar Quarantine Potential questions: What does the author mean when they refer to the pandemic as an equalizer? In what ways is the pandemic and equalizer? In what ways is it not? Why is it difficult for lower class Americans to receive the help and services they need? Why do these issues not affect upper class Americans to the same extent? What attitudes do the affluent generally hold toward the wealth disparity that was exposed through the pandemic? Opinion-based question: Can the affluent truly understand the devastation caused by the pandemic? Why or why not? Class and Covid Potential questions: What classes make up the majority of the labor force in essential industries? What effects might this have on the ability to self-isolate? What services and technologies are easily accessible to the affluent that make it easy for them to quarantine? Are the same services as accessible to the lower class? Why or why not? Why do the affluent have less risk factors like diabetes and COPD? How does the affluent stockpiling essential goods make it more difficult for individuals of other classes to isolate? Racial inequality & Covid restrictions Potential questions: These discussion questions were created by Alyssa Chesek, Misericordia University History major, with contributions from Jennifer Black, Allan Austin, and Mary Kay Kimelewski (Misericordia University History Department), in the summer of 2021. Support for the project was generously provided by the Pennsylvania Grants for Open and Affordable Learning (PA GOAL) program, Grant #1. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License and may not be reproduced for commercial purposes. What socioeconomic factors put black Americans at a higher risk for contracting and dying from the coronavirus? What systemic flaws have led to African Americans finding themselves in these circumstances more often than whites or other races? Why does the Deep South have some of the highest equity risk factors in the United States? What does this suggest about the progression of racial equality in the years since the end of the Civil War? What issues need to be addressed and what measures need to be taken to reduce the impact of COVID in black communities? How would solving these issues reduce the stress of COVID on black communities? How would it benefit black Americans in ways other than pandemic relief? Right-Wing Groups Protest Restrictions Protesters Rally Armed Protesters at Michigans State Capital Potential questions: Why might have tensions regarding stay at home orders reached their boiling point in mid-April of 2020? What political tensions fueled these protests? Can you see the history of partisan values behind these tensions? How / why? What longstanding partisan values conflicted with federal, state, and local pandemic guidelines? What was meant by picketing slogans such as live free or die and give me liberty or give me COVID-19? How did these slogans draw on the legacy of the Revolution? Do you agree with that connection? Why or why not? Why did some protesters feel the need to be armed/open carry at these rallies? What was the intention behind these actions? How has the publics response to COVID differed from the publics response to the 1918 influenza epidemic? What might account for these differences? Donald Trump on January 6th Potential questions (sourced from https://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/daily-videos/classroom-resourceinsurrection-at-the-u-s-capitol/): Why did Trump supporters seek to forcefully disrupt the counting of the electoral votes? Why were the events at the U.S. Capitol referred to as an insurrection rather than a protest? What elements of Trumps speech can be seen as a rallying call? Did Trumps debunked reiteration of a fraudulent election help or hurt efforts to diffuse the unrest? ...