1. Progressive movement role it played in American lives major reformers major pieces of legislation which legislation was most progressive brought greatest benefits why is it the natural outgrowth of the gilded age

During the Progressive Era, 1890s to 1920s there was widespread social activism and political reform across the United States

Progressive reformers sought to eliminate corruption in government, regulate business practices, address health hazards, and improve working conditions.

Muckrackers: were journalists who exposed waste, corruption, and scandal in the highly influential new medium of national magazines Upton Sinclairr’s 1906 novel The Jungle gave a horrid portrayal of how meat was packed, The purity of food, milk and drinking water became a high priority in the cities. At the state and national levels new food and drug laws strengthened urban efforts to guarantee the safety of the food system. The 1906 federal Pure Food and Drug Act was the most important piece of legislation because everyone benefited. Whether you are rich or poor , black or white woman or a man everybody eats. This legislation protecting people and their food.

Women: Across the nation, middle-class women organized on behalf of social reforms during the Progressive Era. pushed for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women’s voting rights, and was instrumental in winning the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920

Working Conditions: Progressives enacted minimum wage laws, industrial accident insurance, restricted child labor, and improved factory regulation.

2. Social problems that the US experience following Civil War result of reconstruction why did it end? Racial issues North and South Southerners able to limit African-Americans in the South legally

The union won the Civil War and the slaves were freed

the South passed black codes to control former slaves

the Ku Klux Klan scared blacks

the South became poverty-stricken and dependent on agriculture

blacks were kept as second class citizens with limited rights

once the northern troops left the South made a lot of laws and things became horrible for blacks through Jim Crow laws

15th amendment right to vote for blacks but poll tax and other legal means were taken by southern whites to make sure poor whites and blacks couldn’t vote

3. Senator Albert Beveridge Sen. George Hoar president McKinley towards annexation of the Philippines compare and contrast their attitudes would you agree with and why which added to would reap the greatest benefits of short and long-term

Albert Beveridge supported annexing Philippines because we needed the Chinese marketplace and God wants us to take over the world

George Hoar called for independence for the Philippines

president McKinley wanted the Philippines because racism and nationalism commercialism

4. Compare and contrast experiences of three immigrant groups what was driving immigration advantages disadvantages and hardships

African-Americans came from Africa in slave ships

England came for really just freedoms to get away from nobility and oppressive government

Irish came to get away from the potato famine

5. Monroe doctrine and the reasoning behind it Roosevelt corollary to the Monroe doctrine why did he issue it to examples of how the US exercised its will and Latin America

Monroe doctrine warned European nations not to get involved in political matters in central and south America

only the United States could influence their political issues

wanted to spread democracy

Roosevelt corollary to the Monroe doctrine called the big stick. It made the United States a regional police man started because of Venezuela thought Europe was going to try and take it over use military force to restore internal stability to nations in the region it served as a US justification for intervention in Cuba Nicaragua Haiti and the Dominican Republic

6 four major changes at the place of the 20s

1920 19th amendment women can vote. women make up 50% of the population yet they have no say and are powerless to affect their own government until the 19th amendment gave women the right to vote.

1920 treaty of Versailles ending World War I the bloodiest war that had been to this point killed millions of people and affected nearly every household in the United States. over 100,000 Americans died.

1929 stock market collapse starting the great depression. the stock market crash sent people into a frenzy because 90% of the valueof the Dow Jones average was lost. People literally lost faith in the United States of America and its economy. The stock market crash would have a ripple effect throughout the economy. the depression that followed would encompass nearly every American.

1920’s Black Migration North: Driven from their homes by unsatisfactory economic opportunities and harsh segregationist laws, many blacks headed north, where they took advantage of the need for industrial workers that first arose during the First World War. As Chicago, New York and other cities saw their black populations expand exponentially, migrants were forced to deal with poor working conditions and competition for living space, as well as widespread racism and prejudice. During the Great Migration, African Americans began to build a new place for themselves in public life, actively confronting economic, political and social challenges and creating a new black urban culture that would exert enormous influence in the decades to come.

7. outline sequence of events led to the Great Depression major causes for major causes warning signs could’ve been seen beforehand Great Depression worldwide depression Hoover’s policies at the R’s policies differ were FDR’s policies successful

large disparity between the rich and the poor

Europe was devastated after World War I and their economy fell apart

America became the world’s banker and gave Europe too much money and Europe couldn’t pay it back

Europe started buying less American products

the stock market crashed

Bank failures

lack of credit

people stop spending money

the dustbowl agriculture fell apart

Herbert Hoover did very little didn’t want to involve the federal government he thought it was steps towards socialism

FDR Frank when and Eleanor Roosevelt kicked his butt in the election and offered a new deal

government started being involved in a lot of industries and the government spend a lot of money

FDR made a bank holiday and had fireside chats to make people feel better

government spent lots of money and put lots of people to work

8 three most important pieces of legislation US immigration why which peace had the greatest influence socially economically politically on the US why

1943 Legislation provided for the importation of agricultural workers from North, South, and Central America--the basis of the “Bracero Program.” At the same time the Chinese exclusion laws were repealed.

1946 Procedures were adopted to facilitate immigration of foreign-born wives, fiance(e)s, husbands, and children of US armed forces personnel.

1948 The first US policy was adopted for admitting persons fleeing persecution. It permitted 205,000 refugees to enter the United States over two years (later increased to 415,000).

1950 The grounds for exclusion and deportation of subversives were expanded. All aliens were required to report their address annually.

9 American sentiment at home towards the Spanish-American war World War I and the Vietnam War did this sentiment change remain the same as it went on with the greatest cost and benefit to the US for each

muckrakers and yellow journalism made people appreciate the Spanish-American war supposedly they blow up an American ship

World War I Irish hated England so they sided with the central powers there were a lot of immigrants. So the president put out an advertising campaign and propaganda to whip up enthusiasm for the war. World War I had both the greatest cost and the greatest benefit for the US. The greatest cost was that it started the Great Depression. The greatest benefit was also World War I because there were many new technologies invented machine guns airplanes and tanks

Vietnam War many people were opposed to the war people didn’t believe they were fighting a Democratic war to liberate Vietnam from communism college campuses big antiwar movement

10 Theodore Roosevelt Woodrow Wilson Franklin Roosevelt why each is the greatest American president white each is the worst American president

Theodore Roosevelt good:love nature national parks ended monopolies. Bad: Liked war too much his rough riders glorified war

Woodrow Wilson good because :work conditions and eight hour workday, major advocate for women’s right to vote. Bad because :Lead theUS into World War I

Franklin D Roosevelt FDR good because: new deal helped people through the depression, established Social Security decreased unemployment bad because: lead the United States into World War II Japanese internment

11 promise of the declaration of independence been for filled or neglected throughout the reconstruction to Cold War eras for examples two ways which it has two ways which has not

The promise of the declaration of independence has been filled examples:

The declaration of independence in 1776 said “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”

 

1.) the First Amendment allows for freedom of religion and press in America we take these for granted in many countries citizens do not have the right to speak ill of the standing government it is a basic right and when we use every single day in the United States.

2.) The 13th amendment to the Constitution Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. Approved December 6, 1865.

3.) The 15th amendment granted African American men the right to vote by declaring that the “right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” ratified in 1870.

4.) The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote

The Declaration of Independence has been neglected examples

1.) when the Declaration of Independence was written there more than 500,000 black American slaves

2.) The promise of the 15th Amendment would not be fully realized for almost a century. Through the use of poll taxes, literacy tests and other means, Southern states were able to effectively disenfranchise African Americans. It would take the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 before the majority of African Americans in the South were registered to vote.

12 Booker T. Washington and WEB DuBois

Two great leaders of the black community in the late 19th and 20th century were W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. However, they sharply disagreed on strategies for black social and economic progress.

Booker T. Washington preached a philosophy of self-help, racial solidarity and accomodation. He urged blacks to accept discrimination for the time being and concentrate on elevating themselves through hard work and material prosperity. He believed in education in the crafts, industrial and farming skills and the cultivation of the virtues of patience, enterprise and thrift. This, he said, would win the respect of whites and lead to African Americans being fully accepted as citizens and integrated into all strata of society.

W.E.B. Du Bois said no--Washington’s strategy would serve only to perpetuate white oppression. Du Bois advocated political action and a civil rights agenda ,he helped found the NAACP. In addition, he argued that social change could be accomplished by developing the small group of college-educated blacks he called “the Talented Tenth:”

The Du Bois philosophy of agitation and protest for civil rights flowed directly into the Civil Rights movement which began to develop in the 1950's and exploded in the 1960's.

I believe DuBois had the best argument. I believe people are very set in their ideas and you need to shake things up with protests and agitation to get them to change their minds about the position of African-Americans in society. The radical 1950s and 1960s moved civil rights into the forefront in people’s minds through the television and newspaper coverage of demonstrations. Perhaps over the next century Booker T. Washington’s idea of soft quiet assimilation would work but I believe DuBois had the right idea.

1. In his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Steinbeck said, “The ancient commission of the writer has not changed. He is charged with exposing our many faults and failures, with dredging up our dark and dangerous dreams for the purpose of improvement.” Choose at least one piece we have studied this semester and explain how the writer exposes human faults and failures (or a human fault or failure) for the purpose of improvement. Also, comment on the effectiveness of each piece.

The great Gatsby exposes human faults and failures for the purpose of improvement. Daisy Buchanan selfish shallow and hurtful woman all she cares about is money and power and the benefits she receives from these things so she doesn’t even deal with her husband Tom’s affair

she finds West a new rich to be vulgar\

she wants her daughter to be a pretty little fool

she is decided that beauty rather than brains is the most important thing

she cries when she sees all of Gatsby’s shirts because she is satisfied with his material wealth

she goes back to Tom for the comfort of protection that his money can bring

Daisy hits and kills Myrtle and let’s Gatsby take the blame

Daisy has no conscience and she thinks Myrtle is expendable

2. Both The Grapes of Wrath and Slaughterhouse Five feature a nontraditional narrative structure. Using one of these novels, discus how it breaks with narrative tradition and why the author chose to structure his novel the way he did. In other words, how did the author’s choice of narrative structure contribute to the novel’s thematic development?

Vonnegut uses many dimensional view of fantasy and reality. The nontraditional form of random skipping timeline represents Billy’s inability to lead a normal life after experiencing a war. There is no beginning middle or end just like the aliens from travel off the door can experience time all at once so can the reader of this book. Vonnegut chose to portray his message this way so when you see it all at once it shows you the uselessness of war.

3. Using all, or a combination, of the writings concerning cultural identity (i.e. “Prologue to Invisible Man,” “Fire,” “Split at the Root,” “Frank Chin,” and “Chicana”) and/or the interviews in The Color of Fear, argue that being American does or does not entail assimilation into mainstream American society.

Being an American does not entail assimilation into mainstream American society but most cultures have assimilated into mainstream American society.

The reason for this is that American society is built of nothing but immigrants unless you are Native American.

The story of immigrants in our nation is about newcomers integrating into our society and then strengthening our culture and especially our economy.

The longer immigrants have lived in the United States, the more “they” become “us.”

Pasta, salsa, sausage, and egg rolls are now as common place on American dinner tables as corn, pumpkin, and turkey.

more and more people become part of the American quilt we add their culture, food and identity and weave it into America. We add foreign words every day until the point where they become American words and we use them as if they were always here.words like adios and macho are understood by everyone.

Assimilation today often follows the same pattern that it has for generations. The children of immigrants, especially those who were born in the United States or come here at a young age, tend to learn English quickly and adopt American habits.

Mass-marketed media tells us what our lives should look like. We all wear the same clothes. We all eat the same food. We all watch the Simpsons.

We get our groceries from Walmart and Costco. After a generation or two we all start to sound alike and look-alike.

Although there were always be cultural differences in migrant groups you can sit next to a a Mexican and the Filipino at a McDonald’s and all share the same experiences.

Those experiences are what make you an American. Assimilation doesn’t mean changing your cultural identity completely as many cultures have brought their traditions with them.

Over time keeping those special dates becomes less and less and given another century it will be an old-fashioned idea that your great-grandmother did but you don’t anymore.

As more and were cultures assimilate into the United States we are truly a big melting pot and the United States is better for it.

4. Many of the novels we have read describe a journey. Consider Janie from Their Eyes Were Watching God, Ma Joad and Rose of Sharon from The Grapes of Wrath, Daisy from The Great Gatsby, or any other major or minor female characters. How is a woman’s quest different than a man’s? What text details capture the concerns of women especially well?

Daisy from the great Gatsby The great Gatsby exposes human faults and failures for the purpose of improvement.

Daisy Buchanan selfish shallow and hurtful woman

all she cares about is money and power and the benefits she receives from these things so she doesn’t even deal with her husband Tom’s affair

she finds West a new rich to be vulgar

she wants her daughter Pammy to be “a beautiful little fool” intelligence is it useful she rather her daughter be beautiful

she shows off her daughter Pammy like an object only wants her around when it’s convenient to show her off like a pretty picture

she is decided that beauty rather than brains is the most important thing the world is hard on women

she cries when she sees all of Gatsby’s shirts because she is satisfied with his material wealth

she goes back to Tom for the comfort of protection that his money can bring

Daisy hits and kills Myrtle and let’s Gatsby take the blame

Daisy has no conscience and she thinks Myrtle is expendable

5. Langston Hughes was vitally interested in the promise of the American dream and the importance of making it accessible to all Americans. Using a combination of the Harlem Renaissance poets AND other writers we have studied this semester, how does modern American literature portray the American dream? Is it an achievable “dream” for all “Americans”? What “solution(s)” do the writers call for?

The great Gatsby shows that even when you make money it’s still not enough people will find a reason to put you down like East and West egg.

Langston Hughes said people should not be ashamed to be black that black is beautiful he wanted to lift up his people with Kurds and humor he thought black people needed to be better to each other and rise up together talked about black pride

Langston Hughes would’ve been disappointed at Jay Gatsby because he had no self worth he thought he made enough money people would respect him but it’s just not true

6. Create a thesis that captures the tension between society and the individual in American literature. How is that tension resolved? Use ample examples from one or more novels.

East and West egg in the great Gatsby. The tension is never resolved in the great Gatsby he simply dies and Daisy and Tom MoveOn to start their shallow life someplace else so they don’t have to deal with the results of their ugliness.

7. Given the main characters from the literature we read this semester, make an argument that one of them embody the characteristics of the ideal American citizen that we should all aspire to be.

Jay Gatsby is so great, so compelling because he’s one of the 20th century’s best tragic figures. I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for those.

When we meet Gatsby, we see his luxurious, ostentatious veneer: the grand mansion, lavish parties, and faux Britishness. Nothing we see is real. Every bit of his persona is ill-gotten and fabricated.

Despite Gatsby’s profligate lifestyle, he wins us (and Nick) over with his overweening optimism and passion. It’s so purely American and innocent that we have to smile.

Cant repeat the past Gatsby cried “Why of course you can,” (116)

All his pretenses aside, Jay Gatsby is a nervous boy in love. It is only when Daisy returns to his arms when his dreams come true. In a strange way, Gatsby isn’t evil or greedy, he’s just like the rest of us: yearning for love and his perfect lover.

Gatsby’s love for Daisy is the only pure and authentic thing about him. And what a thing it is! Gatsby goes all in for his love. He risks everything for her.

Fraudster Gatsby may be, but he was still far more real and authentic than everyone else in the bunch (Nick excepted). It was Tom’s and Daisy’s lies and misdeeds that led to Gatsby’s demise, not his own. It was Daisy who drove the car and Tom who had the affair. Gatsby was a relative innocent.

It is the ultimate irony that Gatsby -- a criminal, a living facade -- was the most real person in that degenerate affair. That terrible irony is what makes Gatsby a great tragic figure. His authentic love led to his death, a love that proved to be illusory.

At the end, just like Nick, we all mourn Gatsby, real name or not.

8. Hurston’s biggest critique from fellow Harlem Renaissance writers is that her novel had “no theme, no message, no thought.” Argue against this criticism by forming a concise thesis that contradicts this idea.

The novel narrates main character Janie Crawford’s “ripening from a vibrant, but voiceless, teenage girl into a woman with her finger on the trigger of her own destiny.

Nanny arranges for Janie to marry Logan Killicks, an older man and farmer looking for a wife. Although Janie is not interested in either Logan or marriage, her grandmother wants her to have the stability she never had: legal marriage to Killicks, Nanny thinks, will give Janie opportunities. Nanny feels that Janie will be unable to take care of herself so she must marry a man who will take care of her.

Janie runs off with the Jody (Joe) Starks She tells him who she really is, and that he never knew because he would not let her be free.

Tea Cake plays the guitar for her and initially treats her with kindness and respect. At first Janie is doubtful of his affections, as she is older and has wealth, but eventually falls in love with him.

9. In looking at a number of different American authors for the semester, make an argument for the GREATEST AMERICAN AUTHOR OF ALL TIME!

Almost 90 years later, The Great Gatsby is regularly named one of the greatest novels ever written in English. Making F Scott Fitzgerald the greatest writer ever!

Wealth remained a social barrier, but it was no longer impenetrable..

Corruption was rife, law-breaking suddenly a way of life. But even amid the boom, poverty lingered.

the self-made man.Gatsby is made by his faith in America’s myths and lies, that you can make yourself into whatever you want to be, that with money, anything is possible.

Gatsby’s money should have insulated him Attempting to pass himself off as an equal to Daisy and Tom Gatsby tries too hard, his every gesture and word a dead giveaway to the people around him.

Tom Buchanan doesn’t believe that Gatsby went to Oxford because he wears a lurid pink suit. Fitzgerald’s intensely clever, dynamic writing and carefully limited perspective makes you feel every joke leveled on Gatsby

It is a novel of class warfare.It is about trying to recapture our fleeting joys, about the fugitive nature of delight. It is a tribute to possibility, and a dirge about disappointment.

But that doesn’t stop him from chasing “the green light” of wealth and status, the dangled promise of power that can only create a corrupt plutocracy shored up by vast social inequality.

In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald makes it clear that if his story is about America, it is also a universal tale of human aspiration. The novel not only stands the test of time it triumphs in it!! it is still relevant, cant you just see the characters all around you every day??

Fitzgerald manages to create a novel where you learn to hate every single hollow person in the novel except for the pure-hearted bootlegger Gatsby.