CH 203 Final Review

1. Modernity and Heritage A) How did Sinclair Lewis view Middle America in Babbitt? What did Robert and Helen Lynd feel that the consumer products of the Twenties would do to American society?

B) In The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain, Langston Hughes argued that an African-American poet must be an African-American poet; to aspire to anything else is simply attempting to ignore one’s roots. Do you agree with Hughes, and why or why not? What was the official reason given for Japanese-American internment in World War Two, and what unofficial reasons also almost certainly played a part in the decision?

2. The Cold War and the Affluent Society A) How did the United States come out of the Second World War—what were its strengths and weaknesses (if any)? How did Harry Truman lay the groundwork for postwar liberalism, and how did Dwight Eisenhower set the tone for post WWII conservatism? How do you think McCarthyism affected American society and culture?

B) Why do you think the Fifties is so often viewed as perhaps the ideal period in American history? Overall, how would you evaluate this period—do you think the postwar period was the high point of American history, or was it a less than ideal era which is now seen through rose-colored glasses?

3. Conformity, Protest, Identity Politics A) Why did statements by white ministers deploring civil rights demonstrations upset Martin Luther King? According to Malcolm X, what is the problem confronted by all the oppressed people of the world? How does he view the civil rights movement in general? Do you think charismatic leaders or community organizers made a more significant contribution to the civil rights movement? Why?

B) What is Ishmael Reed’s attitude toward people who emphasize the Western European heritage of the United States? What are the alternatives which Reed feels the United States will choose from, and which does he prefer?

4. The American Century and Beyond A) How did Harry Truman justify his dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan? Why did John F. Kennedy feel that the Alliance for Progress was vitally necessary? What was Ronald Reagan proudest of in his farewell address, and where did he feel America still needed work?

B) In Jihad vs. McWorld, what does Benjamin Barber identify as the key disconnect between global commerce and ethnic parochialism? Do you agree? How did American participation in World War Two transform Nevada, and what issues do you think are of key importance as Nevada moves into the future?

Essay Questions (2 of 4): 1. How have American politics evolved since the dawn of the 20th century—are they more or less democratic, or populist? How have the major political parties changed, and do you feel that this is a good or a bad thing? 2. Looking at the course of US diplomacy from 1900-present, do you think it has been beneficial or detrimental to the national interest? Also, do you feel that American foreign policy is more successful when it is moral and idealistic, or pragmatic and realistic? 3. How has the quest for civil rights for minorities affected US society in the last 150 years? Has the drive for greater civil rights benefited America, and what does the future hold for civil rights activists? 4. What has characterized the interaction between economy and culture in the United States in the period from 1920 to the present? Has the development of the US economy and American culture been positive or negative, not only for the US, but also for the rest of the world?