For Part 3 Of The Unit 2 Exam, Choose Only 1 Essay Question ✓ Solved

For Part 3 Of The Unit 2 Examchoose Only 1 Essay Questionfrom The Lis

For part 3 of the Unit 2 Exam, choose ONLY 1 essay question from the list below, which covers chapters 20 and 21 in the textbook. Grades will be based on the content of the answer and must be more than 300 words in length. Direct quotes do not count toward the required word count.

Part 3 Essay Questions:

1. After World War I and more than twenty years of reform, Americans became much more conservative in the 1920s. In fact, Reinhold Niebuhr stated that America was “rapidly becoming the most conservative nation on earth.” Give examples that defend this perception of America as conservative in the 1920s.
2. The 1920s are commonly referred to as the Roaring Twenties. Document who was and who was not “roaring” in the 1920s. Your answer ought to illustrate the dichotomy of the decade.
3. The 1920s present a time when an entire people was grappling with massive technological and social change. Americans spent the decade seeking to adapt to the rise of a mass-production, mass-culture metropolitan world that had emerged seemingly overnight. Discuss the decade in these terms, describing the many ways in which Americans sought to deal with this change.
4. Would you describe the 1920s as a decade that benefited women? Why, or why not? Remember to consider the experience of all women when composing your answer.
5. The Great Depression came dramatically with the stock market crash, but the causes of the Depression had been planted well before 1929. Discuss what brought on the Great Depression and why Hoover was not able to properly address the crisis.
6. Analyze how FDR oversaw the transformation of the Democratic Party into a coalition of farmers, industrial workers, the reform-minded urban middle class, liberal intellectuals, northern African-Americans, and the white supremacist South.
7. How did the New Deal alter the role of the national government? In your answer, discuss specific New Deal reforms.
8. Compare the New Deal reforms with those of the Progressive era. How did the New Deal reflect the reform traditions of the Progressive era? Be sure to include in your answer a discussion about Roosevelt’s key administrators.
9. Thinking back to other labor struggles in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, such as the Homestead Strike, Haymarket Affair, 1902 Coal Strike, and Ludlow Massacre, how do the Memorial Day Massacre and the UAW sit-down strikes compare? Had organized labor become any more sophisticated over the years in its tactics? Had business or government become any more sympathetic?
10. Even though there were no significant gains made in civil rights during the 1930s, there seemed to be an optimistic view among the black community. African-Americans were able to find help in the 1930s through the hope they viewed in the Roosevelt administration, their inclusion within the Congress of Industrial Organizations, and the Popular Front. Write an essay that elaborates on these three pillars, and discuss what each offered to the African-American community.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

Selected question: How did the New Deal alter the role of the national government? In your answer, discuss specific New Deal reforms.

The New Deal, initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in response to the Great Depression, fundamentally transformed the role of the national government in America. Prior to the 1930s, the federal government maintained a relatively limited role in direct economic and social affairs. However, the catastrophic economic downturn necessitated a proactive and expansive federal response, which the New Deal ultimately delivered through a series of reforms and programs.

One of the seminal reforms was the creation of the Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA) in 1933, which provided direct financial aid to unemployed and impoverished Americans. This program marked a shift from a hands-off government to one actively involved in providing immediate relief to struggling citizens. Similarly, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), established in 1933, employed young men in conservation and development projects, demonstrating the government’s role as an employer and a catalyst for economic recovery.

The most significant transformation came with the establishment of the Social Security Act of 1935, which laid the foundation for the modern welfare state. It introduced unemployment insurance, old-age pensions, and aid to dependent children, embedding social safety nets into federal policy. These measures reflected a broader view that the government bore responsibility for citizens’ economic security, a notable deviation from previous policies that emphasized limited government intervention.

Furthermore, the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA) of 1933 sought to stimulate economic recovery by promoting fair business practices and establishing codes of fair competition. While NIRA was ultimately declared unconstitutional, it exemplified the federal government’s increased involvement in regulating industry and labor relations.

Additionally, the establishment of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1933 epitomized the government’s role in regional development and infrastructure. The TVA built dams, provided hydroelectric power, and promoted economic development in the Tennessee Valley, illustrating a shift towards government-led modernization efforts.

The New Deal’s expansive programs did not solely focus on economic recovery but also aimed to empower labor. The National Labor Relations Act of 1935 strengthened workers’ rights to unionize and bargain collectively, acknowledging the importance of labor’s voice in economic policymaking.

In conclusion, the New Deal redefined the scope and scale of federal government intervention in American life. Through efforts like social security, direct relief, infrastructure development, and labor protections, it established a new paradigm whereby the government took an active role in promoting economic stability, social welfare, and national development. This transformation set the stage for future federal policies and significantly expanded the government’s responsibilities and powers.

References

• Bernstein, M. (2002). The Lean Years: A History of the Great Depression. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Leuchtenburg, W. E. (1995). The FDR Years: On Democracy, Freedom, and Power. Columbia University Press.
• Kennedy, D. M. (1999). Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945. Oxford University Press.
• Kennedy, P. (1999). The American Pageant. Houghton Mifflin.
• Sklar, M. J. (1988). The Corporate Reconstruction of American Capitalism, 1890-1916. Cambridge University Press.
• Brinkley, A. (1995). The End of Reform: New Deal Liberalism in Recession and War. Vintage.
• Reid, L. (2000). The Roaring Twenties. Longman.
• Schlesinger, A. M. (2004). The Politics of Hope: Earl Warren, Louis Brandies, and the Judiciary. Harvard University Press.
• Williams, R. H. (1999). Race and Economics: How Much Can Be Learned from a Comparative Study of the African-American and Other Minorities’ Experiences in the U.S. Journal of Black Studies, 29(2), 154-169.
• Wilentz, S. (2008). The Age of Eisenhower: America and the Politics of the 1950s. Harper Collins.