Preface |
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xi | |
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Chronology |
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xiii | |
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Agricultural Advances: Did the technological revolution benefit farmers? |
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1 | (9) |
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Yes, the use of technology and science expanded the level of agricultural production and bettered the quality of life for farmers. |
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2 | (3) |
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No, the technological revolution did not benefit farmers because in the long run it destroyed the self-sufficiency of the family farm and incurred unforeseen ecological costs. |
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5 | (5) |
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Atomic Bomb: Why did President Harry S Truman order the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki? |
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10 | (7) |
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The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were unnecessary for victory in World War II and were used primarily as a tool to impress and contain the Russians. |
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11 | (1) |
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President Truman used the atomic bombs in order to bring a quick end to the war. |
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12 | (5) |
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Eugenics: Did the eugenics movement benefit the United States? |
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17 | (7) |
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Yes, the eugenics movement was a Progressive-era attempt to correct social ills. |
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17 | (3) |
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No, eugenics was a sociopolitical effort to control minorities, immigrants, and impoverished Americans. |
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20 | (4) |
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FDR's Supreme Court: How did the Supreme Court weather the attempt by Franklin D. Roosevelt to increase the number of justices in response to its rescinding New Deal legislation? |
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24 | (8) |
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Though he maintained he was not motivated by politics, Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes displayed political skill in handling the Court-packing crisis by persuading conservative justices to modify their opposition to the New Deal. |
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25 | (2) |
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Though Franklin D. Roosevelt lost his attempt to control the judiciary, his threat pushed the Supreme Court to amend its views of constitutional power. |
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27 | (5) |
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Fundamentalism: What role did the fundamentalists play in American society of the 1920s? |
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32 | (13) |
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The power and the purposes of the fundamentalist movement have been misrepresented and oversimplified by historians. |
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33 | (3) |
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The religious fundamentalists of the 1920s embraced modern life and in doing so won significant social gains. |
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36 | (3) |
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Religious fundamentalists lost influence in the 1920s because the rise of mass media spread new ideas about science and society. |
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39 | (6) |
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Good Neighbor: Was the United States a ``Good Neighbor'' toward Latin America in the 1930s? |
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45 | (9) |
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Yes, the Good Neighbor Policy was a new beginning in U.S. foreign policy in Latin America. |
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46 | (2) |
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No, the Good Neighbor Policy represented an ongoing effort on the part of the U.S. government to maintain U.S. hegemony in Latin America. |
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48 | (6) |
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Great Depression: Causes: What Caused the Great Depression? |
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54 | (8) |
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The Great Depression was caused by a global economic crisis as well as poor investment practices in the United States. |
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55 | (2) |
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The Great Depression was caused by a decline in spending and consumption in the United States, not simply by the stock-market crash or the mistakes of the Federal Reserve. |
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57 | (5) |
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Great Depression: Ending: What ended the Depression---the New Deal or World War II? |
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62 | (8) |
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World War II, with little help from New Deal programs, brought America out of the Great Depression. |
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63 | (2) |
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Far from ending the Great Depression, the New Deal was an obstacle to recovery because it was not designed to restore national prosperity. |
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65 | (5) |
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Great Migration: What caused the Great Migrations? |
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70 | (8) |
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The Great Migrations of African Americans from the rural South to the industrial North was the result of economic changes over which they had little control. |
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71 | (3) |
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A close examination of the Great Migrations reveals a complex and diverse story of men and women making decisions based on personal considerations. |
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74 | (4) |
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Harlem Renaissance: What caused the Harlem Renaissance? |
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78 | (8) |
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The Harlem Renaissance was as much a political and social movement as a cultural expression of African American life. |
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79 | (3) |
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The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural and intellectual expression of African American life that was also affected by white ``Negrophiles.'' |
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82 | (4) |
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Huey Long: Was Huey Long a progressive reformer or a dangerous demagogue? |
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86 | (9) |
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Huey Long was a populist reformer who politically pursued and achieved an important social agenda. |
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87 | (3) |
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Huey Long was a dangerous demagogue who dominated Louisiana with an iron fist and exploited reform rhetoric. |
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90 | (5) |
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Influenza Epidemic: Did the influenza outbreak of 1918--1919 have much impact on the United States, and why is it historically neglected? |
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95 | (7) |
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While the Spanish flu epidemic was a significant event, its importance was overshadowed by the battles of World War I. |
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96 | (2) |
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The 1918--1919 flu epidemic contributed to the hedonistic escapism of the 1920s. |
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98 | (4) |
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Japanese Internment: Was the internment of Japanese Americans justified during World War II? |
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102 | (8) |
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Yes, the internment of Japanese Americans was necessary for national security because some of them were suspected of disloyalty. |
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103 | (3) |
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No, the internment of Japanese Americans was an unnecessary mockery of American claims of fighting a war for freedom. |
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106 | (4) |
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Lindbergh Kidnapping: Was Bruno Richard Hauptmann guilty of kidnapping and killing Charles A. Lindbergh's son? |
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110 | (7) |
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Yes, Hauptmann received a fair trial and was guilty of the kidnapping and murder of the Lindbergh baby. |
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111 | (2) |
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No, Hauptmann was convicted on the basis of fabricated evidence and without proper defense counsel; the trial was a mockery of justice in an atmosphere of public outrage. |
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113 | (4) |
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Marcus Garvey: What kind of a leader was Marcus Garvey? |
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117 | (7) |
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Marcus Garvey is best understood as a black working-class leader who had more in common with other working-class leaders than with traditional civil-rights leaders. |
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117 | (3) |
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Marcus Garvey was a complicated leader who promoted black pride and left a profound, but troubling, legacy that resembled white racism. |
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120 | (4) |
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Mexican Revolution: Why did the United States oppose the Mexican Revolution, and was it successful in achieving its goals? |
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124 | (8) |
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The United States opposed the Mexican Revolution because American business interests in Mexico were threatened. |
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125 | (3) |
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Despite President Woodrow Wilson's desire to influence political events in Mexico, American involvement had little direct impact on the Mexican Revolution. |
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128 | (4) |
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Narcotics: What led to the war on drugs? |
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132 | (7) |
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The first war on drugs was provoked by white America's fears of Asians, who were perceived as drug traffickers. |
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133 | (2) |
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The origins of the war on drugs had more to do with American economic goals in China than domestic problems. |
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135 | (4) |
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Native American New Deal: Was the Indian New Deal a major change in federal policy toward Native Americans? |
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139 | (8) |
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Yes, the Indian New Deal was a dramatic change in federal policy, allowing Native Americans to develop their own governments and economic policies. |
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139 | (3) |
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The Indian Reorganization Act, while implementing some important changes in political and social rights for Native Americans, was also designed to protect first the interests of the U.S. government. |
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142 | (5) |
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New Deal: Was Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal actually ``New''? |
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147 | (9) |
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Yes, the New Deal represented a fundamental break with the past because it paid attention to people previously ignored in the political process. |
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148 | (3) |
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No, the New Deal was a continuation of earlier government policies, mainly intended to preserve the capitalist system. |
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151 | (5) |
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New Deal and Farmers: Were New Deal policies detrimental to American farmers? |
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156 | (9) |
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Yes, New Deal agricultural policies contributed to the decline of family farms in the United States by not improving their economic status. |
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157 | (3) |
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No, the New Deal stabilized American farm prices, but the conditions faced by American farmers were beyond the control of any government program. |
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160 | (5) |
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New Woman: Who was the ``New Woman''? |
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165 | (9) |
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The New Woman of the Progressive era (1890--1915) represented a popular culture idea embraced by women that marked a shift in the role of the family in American society. |
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166 | (3) |
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The New Woman of the late nineteenth century was constrained by the culture's concern with body consciousness. |
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169 | (5) |
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The 1920s: How normal were the 1920s? |
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174 | (7) |
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The 1920s were years of great prosperity for the United States. |
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175 | (2) |
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The 1920s were not a ``normal'' decade at all, but a new period of social activism reflected in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Amendments and by participation in international peace conferences. |
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177 | (4) |
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1930s Civil Rights: What was important about the 1930s Civil Rights struggle? |
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181 | (9) |
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In the 1930s African Americans joined with radical forces in the American labor movement in a broad social campaign against economic injustice as the majority of white union members feared blacks and tried to keep them out of the unions. |
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182 | (3) |
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Though the Scottsboro case of 1931--1936 caused deep divisions in the Civil Rights movement, the prosecution of nine black youths for rape also helped revive that movement by exposing discriminatory practices in the Southern courts. |
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185 | (5) |
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1930s Labor Movement: Did the labor movement miss an opportunity for obtaining advances in the 1930s? |
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190 | (7) |
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Yes, by allying itself with the Democratic Party, the labor movement missed opportunities for more-radical advances in the 1930s. |
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191 | (3) |
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No, organized labor achieved substantial gains in the 1930s, providing its membership with a new level of security. |
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194 | (3) |
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Progressive Era Women: Was the Progressive Era empowering for women? |
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197 | (7) |
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Yes, participation in a major progressive reform---Prohibition---actively politicized and empowered Progressive Era women. |
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198 | (2) |
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No, even the few women who wielded power did so within a gender-specific discourse that was ultimately defeating. |
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200 | (4) |
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Progressive Movement: Was the Progressive movement really progressive? |
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204 | (9) |
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Yes, the Progressives of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries were genuine reformers who sought democratic solutions to the problems of industrialism. |
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205 | (3) |
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No, Progressivism was a middle-class attempt to remake the world in its own image rather than broadening the political voice of minorities and promoting acceptance of different cultures. |
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208 | (5) |
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Racism In World War II: Did American racism manifest itself at home and abroad during World War II? |
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213 | (8) |
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During World War II the United States practiced racism against people of color in general, and against Japanese Americans and African Americans in particular. |
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214 | (3) |
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World War II provided an opportunity for black Americans to pursue full equality with white Americans by providing jobs and positions for minorities in the military. |
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217 | (4) |
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Red Scare: Was the ``Red Scare'' after World War I a reaction to a genuine communist or anarchist threat, or was it a government attempt by the Wilson administration to silence domestic critics? |
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221 | (7) |
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The postwar Red Scare was an overreaction to the Socialist Party, which was already in serious decline, and the threat of communism was exaggerated. |
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222 | (1) |
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The Palmer raids were a legitimate response to a real threat posed by the American Communist Party and its controllers in Moscow. |
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223 | (5) |
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Sacco and Vanzetti: Were Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti treated fairly by the American justice system? |
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228 | (12) |
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Sacco and Vanzetti were denied a fair trial and were executed because of prejudice against foreigners and anarchists. |
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229 | (3) |
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The American system of justice does not offer justice, but instead, as anarchists such as Sacco and Vanzetti discovered, is designed to punish those who will not conform. |
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232 | (8) |
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Theodore Roosevelt: Was Theodore Roosevelt a great president? |
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240 | (10) |
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Yes, Theodore Roosevelt was one of America's greatest presidents because he enhanced the power and prestige of the position and broadened the role of the United States in the world. |
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241 | (3) |
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No, although Theodore Roosevelt presented himself as an energetic reformer, he was in fact bent on transforming the presidency into an engine of personal power. |
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244 | (6) |
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United States and the Jews: Could the United States have saved more European Jews during World War II? |
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250 | (9) |
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The U.S. government understood the position of Jews in Nazi Germany but chose to ignore their plight. |
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251 | (3) |
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The U.S. government believed the best way to save European Jews was to win World War II quickly, not to attempt small-scale rescues or to bomb concentration camps. |
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254 | (5) |
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Urban Bosses: Were the big-city bosses of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries an obstacle to progress? |
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259 | (8) |
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Political bosses benefited the people in cities they ran and effected some important achievements such as hospitals, bridges, and other large construction projects. |
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260 | (3) |
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The problems created by urban political bosses outweighed any services they provided. |
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263 | (4) |
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Washington and Du Bois: Whose approach, Booker T. Washington's or W. E. B.Du Bois's, was most effective in achieving rights for African Americans at the turn of the century? |
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267 | (8) |
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W. E. B. Du Bois's advocacy of protest for civil and political equality set the standard for future black activism and paved the way for the Civil Rights Movement. |
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268 | (3) |
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Booker T. Washington's late-nineteenth-century policies of self-help and responsibility provided a wise course for black Americans in the early twentieth century by avoiding social agitation. |
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271 | (4) |
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References |
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275 | (10) |
Contributors' Notes |
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285 | (2) |
Index |
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287 | |