US History April Notes

Read page 474-487 page 474 # 1,4 and 5 page 481 # 3 page 487 # 2 and 4

Pg 474 

• Q1) Explain the reasoning behind President Wilson's concept of "peace without victory." Do you think it was a viable idea? Explain why or why not.

• A1) President Wilson proposed a peace inspired by noble ideals, not greed and vengeance. I think that it was a viable idea because if people only act on vengeance and greed, other people would retaliate. This would become a cycle until the peace without victory concept is finally achieved. 

• Q4) Describe the impact of the Great Influenza pandemic after WWI?

• A4) The impact of the Great Influenza pandemic after WWI was that it gave a sense of doom and dread to people globally. Wilson fell seriously ill and this prevented him from participating in many meetings, which might have contributed to who he didn’t achieve all that he had hoped for. 

• Q5) Explain why the US failed to approve the Treaty of Versailles, and discuss how this impacted the future of world relations.

• A5) The US failed to approve the Treaty of Versailles because of irreconcilables and reservationists and Wilson kept telling his supporters to vote against it. This impacted the future of world relations since the US is now part of an international organization in which other countries could come to its aid.

Pg 481 

• Q3) Discuss the innovations and techniques that Henry Ford used in order to make automobiles more affordable.

• A3) The innovations and techniques that Henry Ford used in order to make automobiles more affordable was mass production. This caused the cost of labor to decrease since the assembly line was the main form of production. 

Pg 487

• Q2) Identify Central Issues Summarize the main components of President Coolidge’s economic philosophy.

• A2) President Coolidge’s economic philosophy included the refusal of separate economics from morality. He also believed that business would provide resources and energy to fuel the American growth. He supported big business. He wanted to limit the federal government, since it would promote economic growth and it would protect economic liberty and the constitution. 

• Q4) Draw Conclusions Discuss the international attempts that were made to prevent another world war, and consider why they were unsuccessful.

• A4) The international attempts that were made to prevent another world war were the Kellogg Briand Pact of 1928. It was a treaty between the US and other powers that provided for the renunciation of war as an instrument of the national policy. 15 nations agreed to sign initially, and 62 followed. It was signed in Paris in 1928. The issue with the pact was that there was no way to enforce this agreement. 

Read page 488-510 page 496 # 2,3 and 5 page 510 # 4 and 5

Pg 496 

• Q2) Generate Explanations Explain how the Scopes Trial illustrated the conflict between modernism and fundamentalism.

• A2) The Scopes Trial illustrated the conflict between modernism and fundamentalism since the main topic of discussion was the theory of evolution. Modernism supported this idea of simple forms of life developing into more complex forms of life. Fundamentalism opposed this theory since the theory clashed with the description of creation in their Bible. The Scopes Trial took place in 1925. 

• Q3) Apply Concepts Identify the flaws of the trial of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti.

• A3) The flaws of the trial of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were that the case occurred at the height of the Italian Immigration to the US and against the backdrop of numerous terror attacks by anarchists. They had participated in these attacks, but there was not enough evidence. The charged atmosphere called the red hysteria ensured that the men’s trial would be a spectacle. They were convicted and sentenced to death in the electric chair. 

• Q5) Identify Cause and Effect Explain how Prohibition contributed to the growth of organized crime in the United States.

• A5) Prohibition contributed to the growth of organized crime in the United States by forcing the alcohol industry to hide from the authorities. The Volstead Act was ignored so the gap between the law and individual desires were filled by a large illegal network. The individuals who sold illegal alcohol were bootleggers. There were also speakeasies where customers could visit to drink. There were millions of dollars made by organized and unorganized criminals. Al Capone who was a Chicago gang leader was the most famous criminal who supplied alcohol, prostitution, drugs, robberies, and even murder. 

Pg 510 

• Q4) Generate Explanations Explain why the “Jazz Age” represented an important transition for American society.

• A4) The Jazz age represented an important transition for American society since it was the African Americans who contributed to Jazz. It is a truly indegenous American musical dorm based on improvisation. It demonstrated the richness and depth of African American culture. It helped many musicians and scholars to have their names known. It proved that the US was a land of shared cultures and traditions, as well as a place where people came together and created something greater than their parts. This lead to the Harlem Renaissance. 

• Q5) Apply Concepts Analyze the importance of Langston Hughes’ writing during the Harlem Renaissance.

• A5) Langston Hughes’ writing during the Harlem Renaissance was extremely important since he was a powerful African American literary voice of his time who was more in the center. He stood for the celebration of African American culture and life rather than politics. He wrote many works of fiction as well as poetry, journalism, and criticism which captured the diversity of African American life. 

Read pages 516-531 Pg 523 # 3 and 4, Pg 531 # 2 and 4

Pg 523

• Q3) Generate Explanations Explain how an uneven distribution of wealth weakened the U.S. economy.

• A3) The uneven distribution of the nation’s wealth created economic problems. More than 60 percent of all American families had yearly incomes of less than $2,000 per year. In contrast, 24,000 of the country’s wealthiest families enjoyed annual incomes of more than $100,000, which was 50 times more than what most families were earning. The rich undoubtedly spent a lot on consumer products. The problem was that the wealthiest few could not buy enough to keep the economy booming.

• Q4) Apply Concepts Identify the role of confidence in both the boom and the crash of the U.S. economy.

• A4) Confidence played a role in the soaring stock prices, since they had no basis in reality. It became clear that too much money was being poured into stock speculation, as investors gambled in high risk stocks in hopes of turning a quick profit. The initial investment was made from confidence and the crash of the U.S. economy was caused by the lack of confidence since the investor had no reason to believe that the stock was really worth the price and the risk that they were facing.  

Pg 531

• Q2) Describe the ways in which farmers dealt with the hardships of the Great Depression.

• A2) Some farmers became tenant farmers, which have similar functions as sharecroppers. Other ways farmers dealt with the hardship was by selling most of the food they grew for money to buy clothes and necessities. They saved some food to eat and tried their best at developing things again; they as well sold farm animals as well as repopulating them. 

• Q4) Identify Patterns Discuss the migrations that occurred during the Dust Bowl.

• A4) People that migrated from the midwest and south during the Dust Bowl were called Okies and usually headed towards California, Oregon, or Washington. They were looking for jobs, shelter, and relief. The migrants faced fierce competition from Mexican American, Filipino, and other farm laborers who were also seeking work. Many of them gave up farming and headed for nearby cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego, hoping to find factory work or to join the military.