American History, What Really Happened?

America, World Leader and Beyond - Chapter 22

2011-03-28T21:34:00.001-07:00

America, World Leader, 2000 and Beyond

(Please read the author’s Conclusion Pg. 828-829)

Chapter 22

1. Why did Al Gore lose the 2000 election? Pg. 806-807

2. Why were the outgoing Clintons so emboldened to “milk” the pubic after they left Washington and headed for New York? Pg. 80

3. What was Clinton’s legacy with his own party? Pg. 810

4. How would the aftermath of 9/11 been different had Obama been president? Carter? Reagan?

5. “Government cannot legislate behavior.” How did this statement bear out after 9/11?

6. What was the “Bush Doctrine”? Does it still exist? Explain. Pg. 816

7. Was Bush more true Republican or Progressive? Explain. Pg. 820

8. What evidence do we have from the “Shock and Awe” of the Gulf War that we could win and win quickly in Afghanistan, Libya, Iran, etc.? Pg. 822

9. How much would you willingly contribute to Democratic lawmakers to finance a personal month’s all-inclusive “vacation” to Gitmo? Pg. 825

10. What has been most enlightening to you about the “City on the Hill” mentioned in chapter 1 and throughout the book? Consider Jamestown, the American Revolution, Gettysburg, the Industrial Revolution, World War II, etc. What seems to be the common threads unmatched by any other nation or culture?

People have asked me several times why I didn’t charge to take this class. There were several reasons: 1) Anyone could have led these discussions – which you often did! 2) Taking money makes you a professional. Nuff said? 3) Choice and Accountability for acting on truth is individual and cannot be mandated by any monetary amount, 4) My goal was merely to facilitate and let you decide what to do with the information. My hope is that it burned deeper patriotism into your heart and that you will be able to do the hard things and bear the burdens that may be placed thereon which we all will face in the future.

Thanks for all you taught us, and added to my life. It has been a pleasure.

Retreat and Resurrection - Chapter 20

2011-03-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

RETREAT AND RESURRECTION, 1974-88

CHAPTER 20

1. How was Gerald Ford’s “bland personality” a welcome relief for America? Pg. 721-22 From all the turmoil of Nixon, Watergate and Johnson and the Vietnam War it was a needed change. Ford was at least honest if nothing else.

2. What became of South Vietnam after the U.S. left the country? Pg. 723 The North eventually surrounded Saigon and captured the south. Literally millions of South Vietnamese were killed in “reeducation” camps. Many tried to leave on U.S. helicopters but were held at bay by gunpoint. The lucky ones that escaped came to America to establish fake nail salons.

3. After the “Six Day War” with Egypt, how did Nixon alone “save Israel”? Pg. 725 Prime Minister, Golda Meir, persuaded Nixon to provide an emergency airlift of arms, which provided the logistics for a Jewish counterattack after days of absorbing blows. Thousands of tons of supplies were delivered and Israel was again successful.

4. What caused the horrendous gas lines in the ‘70’s? How did the flood of government regulation affect the economy thereafter? Pg. 726-728 OPEC cut oil production and boosted prices by 70%. Then two months later, they hiked prices again by 128%. With the skyrocketing prices, Nixon imposed a ceiling on gas prices which made gas artificially low. People frantically filled up their cars in panic, causing horrible lines at gas stations. The flood of regulation stopped business in its tracks. All the restrictions and emissions but greater strain on the auto industry, etc. and increased prices were passed on to consumers. OSHA cost businesses thousands of dollars to come into compliance with government regulation. Big businesses such as IBM, AT&T, Bell, did not innovate one of the top 50 products like the cell phone, personal computer, etc.

5. How did labor unions affect the economy of the ’70’s? Discuss the importance to the NEA’s labor union fight in Wisconsin today. Pg. 729 Became the right arm of the Democratic party. The cost of labor increased 6 times over foreign countries. Americans paid up to 70% more to stay loyal to American made products. Because unions took a hit with memberships dropping, the NEA and the union for federal employees became the union’s last gasp. The fight in Wisconsin today is vitally important to whether unions live or die nationwide.

6. What impact did the ERA, the Pill, and feminism have on the family and the economy in general? Pg. 731-732 The Pill was originally designed to get rid of the “less desirable” in our society; blacks, handicapped children, etc. It went much further than that however. With the Pill, women were not held accountable by their actions. By not becoming pregnant, they could now pursue a career and basically “have it all”. In reality, they had the job on top of the family. They paid extra in gas, clothes, childcare, eating more fast food. There was more pressure to keep up with the Joneses; a bigger house, boat, cars, etc. hence – more stress. Only the pesky religion thing was in their way. The feminists fought against the restrictions of religion, and many churches caved to the pressure in order to keep their members happy and money coming in. The role of fathers became diminished. Men were portrayed as being dumb and that women didn’t need them. The result – children involved in crime, bad grades, and low self-esteem. Men left their wives for the “new and improved” wife. Funny thing… they left her after a while too.

7. Explain the significance of the SALT I treaty. Pg. 737 This was an attempt by Carter and Brezhnev. SALT I is the common name for the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks Agreement, also known as Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. SALT I froze the number of strategic ballistic missile launchers at existing levels, and provided for the addition of new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) launchers only after the same number of older intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and SLBM launchers had been dismantled. SALT II actually put the U.S. at a huge disadvantage.

8. Camp David Accords. Who was involved? What was the final outcome? How did Carter accomplish such a feat? Pg. 740-741 Carter, Egypt’s Anwar el Sadat, and Israel’s Menachem Begin. Normalized relations between the two countries but the deal was clinched when Carter offered “the largest-ever American Foreign-aid package… a total of $5 billion over a three-year period.” And two military airfields for Israel in the Negev. Unfortunately, this did not address the religious problem that has always been at the route of the middle east conflict.

9. Describe the “America Held Hostage” crisis. How could that have been avoided according to the authors? Pg. 742 Carter’s weakness and vacillation in foreign policy was a huge detriment. He failed to see that the Iranians were a serious threat. The Ayatollah stormed the American embassy and took the employees hostage threatening to kill all of them if there was an attempt to rescue them. American stood helplessly by tying yellow ribbons on old oak trees.

10. The 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team won the gold against Russia. What did this symbolize? Pg. 742-43 That the U.S. could indeed conquer the Soviets. That the U.S. had the tenacity to win against all odds. It was a statement about the strength of democracy vs. communism.

11. How did the media spin Reagan’s stunning victory over incumbent Carter? Pg. 746 1) low turnout – even though the dems took bus loads of people out to register voters who never intended to vote, 2) attacked his acting career: that he didn’t play any great or substantial roles.

12. What one characteristic would say made Ronald Reagan one of the greatest U.S. presidents? Pg. 747 Self-deprecating personality, humor, laughing and joking, did not take life so serious, hard on terrorists and bad guys, was not afraid to call it like it is. Russia is an “evil empire

13. How did Reagan’s “voodoo economics” (a term affectionately coined by George H.W. Bush) affect the sagging economy? Pg. 748 Great! The trickle down affected almost everyone. Markets prospered, people had more money in their pockets. ”. Lower capital gains taxes caused investors to pump money into the economy. This all resulted in confidence in American productivity and purpose.

14. “Freedom is not the sole prerogative of a lucky few, but the inalienable and universal right of all human beings…” Discuss this observation and how it shaped Reagan’s foreign policy. Pg. 752-53 He truly believed, as did the forefathers, in man’s inherent desire to be free and that he wanted to do everything in his power to ensure the freedoms of all men.

15. How did SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative) contribute to the downfall of communism? Pg. 757 Strategic Defensive Initiative was a U.S. program designed specifically to “ render obsolete, once and for all, much of the USSR’s advantage in nuclear missiles.”

16. Compare Reagan’s economy of the late ‘80’s to the previous 30-40 years. Pg. 759 We had a president with a spine who would actually go after the bad guys and keep us safe. His tax cuts and benefits to business and drop in regulation helped everyone to prosper; not just an elite few.

17. Was Oliver North on the right side by taking all the blame for the Iran Contra scandal and not implicating Reagan? Pg. 761

18. Few events are as iconic or symbolic as the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. What did that represent besides a pile of rubble? Pg. 762. Freedom and Reagan’s belief that all men should be free to choose and live as they see fit.

MORAL CROSSROADS Chapter 21

2011-03-16T10:30:00.003-07:00

MORAL CROSSROADS, 1989-2000

Chapter 21

1. When a politician needs to “moves to the middle” what does that tell you about his/her convictions? What did George H.W. Bush painfully realize by doing so? Pg. 764 Anyone who has to “move” to the center has no convictions and shouldn’t be trusted. As when Bush betrayed the public with his “read my lips” booboo.

2. Once the Berlin was destroyed, communism fell apart rather quickly. Why? How did its demise affect the U.S. economy? Pg. 768 Because of the yearning to be free of the people. Communism is a government that needs intimidation and force for it to work. Without that it was fairly easy to conquer. The U.S. economy saw job losses in aerospace, shipbuilding, many businesses, thousands of engineers, and a depletion of the military.

3. What reason did Saddam Hussein give for invading Kuwait? What was the real reason? Pg. 768-769 He said that Kuwait was legally part of Iraq, but what he really wanted to do is control a large part of the oil production in the Middle East which would then be a direct hazard to the free flow of oil at market prices. This, then, would pose a threat to American security.

4. How did Bush approach “Desert Shield” that made it look like it would be a short fight? Pg. 772 He went in with full force and fought it “the American Way” with everything we had. The Iraqis left in droves and surrendered.

Was the Rodney King trial fair or merely a capitulation to political correctness? Why? Pg. 774 Definitely capitulation to political correctness. It’s a case of the government being afraid of a few trouble makers. The policemen certainly crossed the line, but 54 people needlessly died and thousands of buildings were destroyed.
Define the pitfalls of all three 1992 presidential candidates. Since Perot siphoned off 19% of the vote, is a third party candidate a viable solution? Pg. 773-777 Bush, lied about not raising taxes, Clinton, total scum, Perot; not attractive enough, couldn’t debate with a real opponent because his policies were simple but not realistic.
What is the biggest difference between “Hillary-care” and “Obama-care” as far as you can tell? Pg. 778 Hillary’s was much more blatant an affront to business and doctors. It was based on dictatorial force. Obama’s would probably prove to be the same thing, but is more covert. Plus it was absolutely forced upon us and coerced upon the congress.
How did Clinton’s attempt to “make his cabinet look like America” come back to bite him? Pg. 779 They were jokingly referred to as “America’s Most Wanted”. Major idiots. Jocelyn Elders, Henry Cisneros, sexual harassment, Webster Hubbell, Whitewater, Mike Espy, illicit deals with Tyson foods, Bruce Babbitt, illegal deals with Indians, etc.

NOTES: How did Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America” damage the Democrats in the following election? How did Clinton make a comeback Pg. 783 He managed to capture both the house and the senate for the first time in 40 years. The Democrats lost 35 seats as a referendum on Clinton’s presidency. The media tried to spin it as a “referendum on incumbents” but all Republican incumbents won reelection. Clinton then scrambled to the middle and his advisor, Dick Morris, crafted a plan for him acting as the reasonable father to two spoiled children. He barked that “the era of big government is over” all the while hoping for the Dems to win back the House and Senate in 1996.

How did the ‘90’s boom get Clinton reelected despite his many scandals and legal challenges? Pg .785-788 The technology boom sent the economy soaring and most people were doing great, so they dismissed or didn’t care that Clinton was a scum. Plus his thugs and advisors made a point to isolate, diminish, and mock each incident to play it down until it went away.
Describe the business boom of the ‘90’s. Could we duplicate that today? How? Pg. 788-790 NO chance. Too much anti-business rhetoric. Too much regulation and vilification of business.
What was the climate as far as guns and religion in the ‘90’s? How does prosperity often dictate those feelings? Pg. 792-793 Gun sales went up dramatically. The Supreme Court ruled that “the right to bear arms” was an individual right, not a militia right.
What did Clinton’s character weaknesses teach the masses; especially children? Pg. 783-795 That character didn’t matter. Everyone does it anyway. What happens in one’s private life should not matter in his/her political life.
Despite Clinton’s dismissed impeachment, what happened to members of his cabinet? Pg. 798 They were prosecuted and/or jailed for their crimes. They took the hit for Clinton.
Describe Clinton’s foreign woes. How did he handle them? Pg. 800-802 He was a pacifist who turned down three opportunities to capture Bin Laden. These were offers by other countries to turn him over to the U.S. He chose not to rock the boat because the economy was doing great and he wanted to coast out of office with a great legacy. Everything he did was after the fact and succeeded only at weakening America in the eyes of foreign dictators and leaders.
How did Clinton misjudge Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden? Pg. 802 He thought they were no danger. Just misunderstood. Clinton didn’t think they had the power to be an international threat.

The Age of Upheaval

2011-03-09T09:35:00.001-08:00

The Age of Upheaval, 1960-74

CHAPTER 19

1. The authors give five reasons why Nixon was “doomed to fail” in his presidential campaign. What were they? Pg. 668

2. Describe the Kennedy “silver spoon.” Pg. 670

3. What was Kennedy’s tie to the mafia? Pg. 671

4. Discuss the “Bay of Pigs” or the “Cuban Missile Crisis”. Pg. 671-672

5. What were Kennedy’s goals and objectives with space exploration? Pg. 674

6. Define “trickledown economics”. Pg. 675

7. How did the Vietcong guerrillas ensure that life did not improve for refugees pouring into the south? Pg. 676

8. What blame does JFK bear for Vietnam? Why? Pg. 678

9. Why did Lee Harvey Oswald want to assassinate JKF? Pg. 680

10. What was the “Warren Commission”? Pg. 680

11. How was LBJ chosen to be the vice president? Pg. 681

12. What infiltrated the black protest and MLK’s fight using righteous indignation and non-violence? Pg. 685

13. What were the immediate results of the Civil Rights Act of 1964? Pg. 686

14. What happened to “the Black Panthers”? Pg. 687

15. How did LBJ’s “Great Society” cripple and enslave the black community? Pg. 687-689

16. Compare LBJ’s treatment of Ho Chi Minh to Obama’s treatment of Ghaddafi or Islam extremists. Pg. 690

17. LBJ never called for a formal declaration of war on the Vietcong. Why? Pg. 691

18. How effective was McNamara’s strategy of “Rolling Thunder”? Pg. 692

19. Describe the “Tet Offensive.” How was it perceived by U.S. citizens? Why? 694

20. Define “Hawks” and “Doves” Pg.696

21. How have unions changed since Vietnam? Pg.696

22. How did “Baby Boomers” change the dynamics of American education?

23. What was the “Port Huron statement”? How did it foment student riots? Pg. 699

24. How did the communist threat infiltrate American colleges and universities? Pg. 700

25. Woodstock…. Gives us pause to be grateful for a) strict parents, b) being too young, c) taking too many baths, d) being boring right-wing establishment types, e) all of the above.

Pg. 700-707

26. What policies showed the “right wing” side of Nixon? Which showed the “left wing”? Pg. 708

27. What have been the long-term effects of Nixon’s EPA and OSHA? Pg. 709-710

28. How did Nixon aid in the destabilization of the dollar? What were the effects? Pg. 710

29. Who were the “Weathermen”? What were their goals” Pg. 712

30. Watergate was merely a “gotcha” or a catalyst in Nixon’s impeachment hearings. What really forced him to resign as president? (see #1 also!)Pg. 718-719

America's "Happy Days"- 1946-59

2011-02-25T12:18:00.000-08:00

AMERICA’S “HAPPY DAYS”

1. Compare the election of 1946 to the election of Nov. 2, 2011 Pg. 631

2. How did the USSR contribute to the continuation of the WWII conflict despite the “end” of the war and signing of treaties? Pg. 632

3. Compare/contrast the following: fascism, communism, socialism, totalitarianism, imperialism, capitalism. Name a proponent of each.

4. Where did the term “Iron Curtain” originate? What did it mean? Pg. 635

5. What were the conditions in post-war America that could possibly have allowed communist beliefs to infiltrate the United States government. Pg. 636-637

6. How did the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan react to “The Cold War”? Pg. 638-637

7. Was Truman an effective president at this point? Did he deserve to be reelected? Pg. 639-640

8. How did the communists use our own culture as propaganda against us? Pg. 640

9. How was jazz used to promote peace with Europe? Pg. 641

10. Why did the U.S. choose to engage Korea in war but not China? Pg. 642

11. Was Truman right when he relieved General MacArthur from duty? Why or why not? Pg. 643-644

12. Where did the term “Horsemeat Harry” come from? Pg. 644

13. Define McCarthyism. Do you agree with the derogatory meaning it holds today? Pg. 645-646

14. How was communism squelched? Pg. 646

15. What made Eisenhower an appealing candidate for president? Pg. 648

16. How did Ike deal with the “New Deal” policies? Pg. 649-650

17. What were the unique findings of RAND that lead to MAD? Pg. 651

18. How did Ike promote this atomic age for an untapped energy resource? Pg. 651-652

19. Sputnik… what message did it send? How did the American public view it? The American government? How did the government change its initial reaction? Pg. 652-653

20. Anyone want to pummel Dr. Spock? What did he advocate and what were the results? Pg. 655

21. How does America evolve from the concept of rugged individualism to cookie-cutter conformity? Do you agree or disagree? Pg. 658

22. How did many religions adapt to America’s new found freedoms and prosperity? Pg. 660

23. Define the Invisible Man. How did television and Hollywood condone this concept? Pg. 661

24. “Back of the bus.” Where did this originate and what does this phrase embody about society at this time? Pg. 664

25. How did Martin Luther King incorporate an appeal for inner goodness and capitalism to overcome racial prejudice? Pg. 664-665

26. Define the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Was it successful? Pg. 665

27. If you had only the history up to 1959, in your opinion, what would be the top three issues leading to the turbulence of the ‘60’s?

Democracy's Finest Hour, 1941-1945

2011-02-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

Democracy’s Finest Hour, 1941-1945

Chapter 17

1. Though both formidable foes, what were the main differences between Germany and Japan entering into another world war? Pg. 590 Germany was well prepared technologically and was out to literally conquer the world. Japan, however, had no illusions about being able to sustain itself if the war “lasted three years.” They felt it would be lucky for them to last 6 months to a year.

2. If Japan was so unprepared for war, why did they pursue it full force? Pg. 591 Culture and racial overtone play a critical part in understanding this intriguing subject. Japan had been dawdling in China for three years when America threatened to cut off credit to them thereby cutting Japan’s ability to get petroleum. The Japanese felt threatened by the U.S. that it was leading the charge to isolate Japan from the rest of the world. The Yamato race, according to the Japanese, were the superior race and certainly superior to the “mongoloid mix” of Americans. Therefore, they would force a massive attack on the U.S., crippling their navy, then move into Burma and the rest of Asia, commandeering their militaries, thereby building Japan’s. General Hideki Tojo, known as the Razor – a ruthless man, planned to “shock and awe” the Americans into submission quickly. He planned an all out assault on America’s naval fleet at Pearl Harbor and then planned to attack and “swallow” up all of Asia. Japan was steeped in tradition and Bushido warrior (Samurai – death over defeat) tactics.

3. Though devastating and frightening, the attack on Pearl Harbor was not a success for the Japanese because of these four reasons. Pg 594 1) Yamamoto did not take the carriers as part of his winnings, 2) Most of the carriers would be salvaged and used against him, 3) He failed to destroy the oil storage facilities, 4) He awakened “a sleeping giant” in the American people.

· Roosevelt was later accused of having prior knowledge of the Pearl Harbor disaster. It has been proven false. On Dec. 8th, he asked congress for a declaration of war against Japan. Three days later, Germany declared war on the United States. Though he recognized the danger of Nazi Germany and the evil of Hitler, Roosevelt would not enter the U.S. into war because it might jeopardize his popularity. He knew it would happen sooner or later, but he put it off as long as possible for his own gain.

4. According to the authors, how would the war’s outcome have been different had Roosevelt declared war “on our own timetable”? pg. 596-597 Hitler’s strategic “blitzkrieg” may have been stopped, perhaps the Holocaust may have been avoided, Hitler may not have invaded Poland and/or Russia. FDR was more worried about his popularity than the millions of people whose lives were in jeopardy.

5. Compare Hollywood’s support of WWII and Vietnam, etc. Pg. 599 WWII Hollywood was extremely supportive and hundreds put their careers on hold to support the country and do their civic duty. Today… Hollywood are pacifist wimps…. Most of them.

6. Movies, music, books, art, etc. were all engaged in propaganda in America. What sentiments were they promoting? Why was it necessary according to the authors? Pg. 599 Support for the war. Donald Duck as a war hero, racist tunes against Japanese or Germans, or Italians, etc. Necessary because Americans, as a rule, didn’t have a clue that other cultures were natural born killers and ruthless. We didn’t understand that mentality. Needed to know the inherent dangers.

7. Why was the American military so successful? (Let’s not compare it to today’s… why get depressed, huh?) Pg. 599. The war totally galvanized the country in support of the war. A groundswell of patriotism and sacrifice by all Americans with winning as the goal could not help but result in a successful military.

8. What did the U.S. do with its large numbers of POW’s? pg. 604 Put them in camps like in Arizona. One man escaped into the vast desert only to be later captured in the buttes trying to get out of the heat.

· The very traits of the New Deal that had denounced self-reliance, individual effort and capitalism, were trashed because of the need for capitalists.

9. What was the “Manhattan Project”? pg. 605 Emerged with a letter to FDR by Albert Einstein warning him that Germany could have a nuclear bomb. The U.S., United Kingdom, and Canada were involved. It started in Manhattan, New York where it got its name.

10. Describe the effectiveness of America’s “strategic bombing campaign” against Germany. Pg 606-607 Allied bombing was devastating and played a key role in winning the war for the following reasons: 1) a significant number of German planes left the Eastern Front where they could have taken out Russian tanks, 2) The bombing destroyed much of Germany’s war production capabilities: oil, more aircraft, submarines, etc. 3) Germany lost many pilots and planes from the bombing campaign.

11. Explain the significance of “Bataan” in the Pacific theatre. Pg. 608 Eleven thousand Americans on the Batann Peninsula were marched inland on hot jungle roads with no food or water. They were tortured and left to die on the road.

12. Most Americans had an exaggerated and distorted view of the Japanese. Referring back to question #2, why were we so afraid of the Japanese? What did FDR do with most of the Japanese-Americans during this time? Pg. 608 Rounded them up and put them in “relocation camps” or “internment camps”.

13. Compare the “western way of war” to the German, Russian, Japanese, Middle-Eastern way of war. pg. 609 We have used “water boarding” as a means to get information.We paid reparations to the Japanese because we realized internment camps had been wrong. We are humane and believe in the value of life and the individual whereas other countries do not.

14. What was significant about the “Battle off the Coral Sea”? pg. 610 First naval engagement fought solely from carrier-launched aircraft. After the Yorktown was damaged, the US was left with only the Enterprise and the Hornet in the eastern Pacific to confront the entire Japanese fleet.

15. What was the “Miracle at Midway”? Pg. 610-611 (HISTORY.COM BATTLE AT MIDWAY) Just six months after the vicious attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attempt to lure the remaining US fleet into the Pacific near Midway Atoll. In an amazing turn of events, US fighter planes attack the Japanese carriers and exposed fleet of Zeros (planes). Over 300 trained Japanese pilots were killed as well as destroying and debilitating the entire Imperial Naval fleet of Japan.

16. What was “Operation Torch” and how did it affect Hitler’s forces? Pg. 612 Britain and America joined forces to annihilate the Axis powers in Africa. This stopped any attempt of Hitler to link up with the Japanese forces. In May 1943, more than a quarter million German and Italian soldiers surrendered, dealing Hitler his first serious defeat and securing the Mediterranean for the Allied navies.

17. What happened to Mussolini? How did Hitler co-opt him? Pg. 613 After Italy surrendered to the Allied forces, the Italians were furious at Mussolini and his very unpopular war. He escaped and hid until the Nazi’s helped him escape and reinstated him as a “puppet” dictator. Of course, Hitler was really calling the shots. Mussolini was eventually captured by Italian partisans and hung in the public square along with his mistress, Clara Petacci.

18. What was the reaction of world leaders to the Invasion of Normandy, or D-Day? Pg. 617. Churchill and Roosevelt thought it was ingenious; despite the fact that Eisenhower and Patton had changed the original plan. Though too many troops lost their lives, it was a definite turning point in the war and facilitated France’s freedom from Germany.

19. What happened to Hitler? Pg. 620 Committed suicide with his new wife, formally his mistress.

20. Why did Roosevelt, the leader of the free world, not do something about the plight of the Jews and Hitler’s goal for a Judenfrei (Jewish free) Germany? Or about the mass murder inflicted by Stalin in Russia? Pg. 622 Roosevelt was in total denial that it was even happening. He pandered to Stalin and felt like he was basically a good guy. Though he had all kinds of influence and pull, he exercised none of it to help the Jews.

21. What happened to the “Displaced Jews” after the Holocaust? How did the U.S. view the Zionist State? Pg. 621 Many were too afraid to return back to Poland, Germany, France, etc. The United Nations decided through the Balfour Declaration that they could occupy Israel, which was under British rule, and that Israel would become an independent state. Roosevelt did not support a Zionist State and did nothing to help the Jews. He died unexpectedly and Truman took over totally support the Jews and their move to Israel.

22. Explain the significance of the battles of Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa. Pg. 623-625 The Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower. It was the second major offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan.^[8] The objective was to deny the use of these bases by the Japanese to threaten supply routes between the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. The Guadalcanal campaign was a significant strategic combined arms victory by Allied forces over the Japanese in the Pacific theatre. Guadalcanal marked the transition by the Allies from defensive operations to the strategic offensive in that theatre and the beginning of offensive operations that resulted in Japan's eventual surrender and the end of World War II.

Iwo Jima: The U.S. invasion, charged with the mission of capturing the three airfields on Iwo Jima,^[2] resulted in some of the fiercest fighting in the Pacific Campaign of World War IIThe battle was the first American attack on the Japanese Home Islands, and the Imperial soldiers defended their positions tenaciously. Iwo Jima was also the only U.S. Marine battle where the American overall casualties exceeded the Japanese. The battle was immortalized by Joe Rosenthal's photograph of the raising of the U.S. flag on top of the 166 m (545 ft) Mount Suribachi by five Marines and one Navy Corpsman. The photograph records the second flag-raising on the mountain, which took place on the fifth day of the 35-day battle. The picture became the iconic image of the battle and has been heavily reproduced.

Okinawa: the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War.^[4 Japanese used a “Typhoon of Steel” referring to the vast number of Kamikaze attacks used and from the sheer numbers of war ships that invaded the island from the Allied forces. Hirohito refused to give in. Even the women and children were trained to fight the Allies. “Death before Defeat” Even with the declaration of the “Potsdam Proclamation” that required “unconditional surrender” the Japanese looked at with complete contempt and only dug their heels in further committing even more severe atrocities to POW’s.

23. What three reasons are cited by the author that justify the dropping of the atomic bombs? Pg. 628-630 1) Invading Japan would cost more American lives, 2) They also calculated the thought process of Hirohito and the Japanese concept of “Death over Defeat” and realized that without complete annihilation, they would just continue to fight and sacrifice lives, regardless of what it was doing to their own people, 3) The Japanese proved to be as depraved and vile as the Nazis and that part of the peace agreements would be to completely dismantle the samurai Bushido way of war.

Enlarging the Public Sector - Chapter 16

2011-02-10T21:05:00.001-08:00

Enlarging the Public Sector, 1932-40

Chapter 16

1. How did capitalism “save” America from the New Deal? Pg. 560

2. Define Keynesian economics. How do you see it being applied today? Pg. 561

3. What did the term “alphabet soup” have to do with FDR’s policies? Pg. 564

4. How did the relationship between Democrats and labor unions change from the late 1800’s to the 1930’s? pg. 566

5. How did the AAA attempt to manipulate the agricultural market? What were the effects? Pg. 567

6. What were the general effects of the New Deal? Pg. 568

7. How did the “black vote” move from Republican to Democrat? Pg. 572

8. How did the Democrat party ensure vast and loyal support by mostly low-income voting blocs? Pg. 573

9. How did FDR attempt to circumvent the checks and balances system of the constitution? Pg. 574

10. Compare America’s dismissal of Mussolini and Hitler to today’s basic dismissal of Iran’s Ahmadinejad or Anwar Awlaki? Pg. 577

11. Why did the American administration basically ignore the atrocities of Hitler, Mussolini, and Mao in their inhumane treatment of their own people? Pg. 578

12. How does the politicians’ views of Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, etc. bare eerie resemblance to today’s politicians’ views of Radical Islam? Pg. 582

13. Describe Hitler’s blitzkrieg. Pg. 583

14. How was propaganda used to convince the U.S. to join the war? Pg. 584

15. How did Roosevelt’s isolationist attitude fail to prepare the U.S. for war? Pg. 586

16. What was Hitler’s reason for invading Poland and Russia? Pg. 588

The Roaring Twenties and the Great Crash 1920-32

2011-02-07T13:23:00.000-08:00

The Roaring Twenties and the Great Crash, 1920-32

Chapter 15

1. What was the “Great Twenties Myth?” p.533

2. According to the authors, what were the real causes of the Great Depression? Pg.533-534

3. What did Andrew Mellon discover happened when taxes were raised/cut on the wealthy? The poor? Pg. 535.

4. If “Silent Cal” Coolidge was so quiet, withdrawn, and unsocial as the public was used to in a president, why, do you think, was he successful? Pg. 537

5. What caused the severe drop in labor union memberships? Pg. 538

6. How did competition in the auto industry affect the economy and industry in general? Pg. 539.

7. Why did Prohibition fail? Pg. 541

8. How did elites like F. Scott Fitzgerald feel about the increasing prosperity of the middle class? Pg. 544

9. What caused hyperinflation in the Weimar Republic? Pg. 545-546.

10. What was the flaw in Secretary of State Hughes’ proposal to “cancel production entirely on all those battleships currently under construction”? pg. 546

11. What was the Kellogg-Briand Act? Pg. 547

12. What three factors were said to have caused the Crash of October 29, 1929? Pg. 550-551

13. How did the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 contribute to the Great Depression? Pg. 552

14. How did Hoover speed up the depression process by attempting to “band-aid” the economy? Pg. 553

15. Scary! See any similarities between Hoover’s meaningless “fixes” and today’s bailouts and feeble attempts at “saving” the economy? Pg. 554

16. How is Obama a mirror image of FDR? Pg. 555

17. How were FDR’s policies simply a continuation of Hoover’s? Why didn’t people recognize that? P. 556

War, Wilson and Internationalism 1912-1920

2011-01-28T23:39:00.001-08:00

War, Wilson and Internationalism, 1912-20

Chapter 14

The three super power governments at the time: Germany, Russia and France.

1. Explain Angell’s “Europe’s Optical Illusion” and why he believed that war was a thing of the past. Pg. 492-493

TR’s success at bringing the Russians and Japanese together with the Portsmouth Treaty, combined with the unprecedented affluence of the United States, fooled many into thinking that a new age had indeed dawned. A certain faith in technology and affluence buttressed these notions. “If only there was enough wealth to spread around, surely everyone would be happy” did not prevent the Civil War.

2. Compare Ford’s entrepreneurial spirit with that of Carnegie’s pg. 495 Through trial and error, he developed 8 different models but lost money on most of those. He then concentrated only on the Model T. He wanted to provide an automobile for the masses and got the price down to $850. He sold 12,000 in 12 months. He figured for every dollar he could shave off the price, he would sell another 1,000 cars. Life Carnegie, his goal was monetary, but it wanted it to be available to everyone.

· Ford was an anti-semite and supported and admired Hitler. He financed and anti-Jewish newspaper in Detroit.

3. Samuel P. Langley was one of the first to experiment with aerodynamics and flying. Why do we not hear much about him? Pg. 496 During the Orville and Wilbur Wright days, Langley was funded by the government to experiment with flying. The Wright brothers succeeded whereas Langley crashed and burned embarrassing the government and nearly losing his funding.

· SHOW WRIGHT BROTHERS VIDEO. http://www.history.com/topics/wright-brothers/videos#wright-brothers-are-first-in-flight Though they lived in Dayton, Ohio, they chose to fly from Kittyhawk, North Carolina because it had high winds and lots of sand to land in!

4. Describe the Pentecostal belief in social justice vs. perfecting the inner self. Why is this a dangerous belief? P. endorsed minimum wage and child labor laws, favored a redistribution of wealth, and state regulation of business. This involved revisions of the Bible, and abandoned any claims about scripture’s literal accuracy. The Bible was a mere moral guidebook and nothing more.

5. The Progressive Reform movement included women’s suffrage, food safety, safer laws, etc. All good causes, right? What, then, is the danger in the Progressive movement? P. 498 The more popular these causes were, the more corrupt the politician that got involved.

6. What modern-day “community organizations” come to mind when reading pg. 498-499? ACORN, SEIU, Center for American Progress, etc.

· NOTE: Progressive-era reformers tried to remedy such social ills and vices through education, their most valued weapon. Public education in such areas as hygiene, they contended, would solve the problems of venereal disease and alcoholism. Only a few groups, such as the Catholic Church, pointed out that a wide gap existed between education and morality, or that secular knowledge did not equate with spiritual wisdom. Reformers silenced those voices with ridicule and embarrassment. Reformers such as Jane Addams firmly believed that people of all social classes should conform to certain Progressive ideas and behave in a certain way. The fact that they were imposing what were, in reality, upper-class values on people who did not have the means to maintain them did not stop the reformers.

7. Since there were no real fields of expertise to “claim superior understanding of urban issues”, what did reformers “create”? Who were some of the “experts” in these fields? pg. 500 Entirely new subjects in which they could claim mastery. “Social sciences” by their very name asserted scientific explanations for human behavior. They would invoke esoteric (understood by only a few) and virtually indecipherable theories, their claims to special insight became even more believable.

Thorston Veblen wrote “A Theory of the Leisure Class” (1899) anti-business and came up with the theory of “conspicuous consumption”.

8. Why did Theodore Roosevelt decide to run for president again opposing Taft, the very man he chose as his successor? What happened? P 501. Taft had a poor public image, despite an activist agenda, had a negative relationship with the congress, and he was NOT Roosevelt. A group of republicans asked him to run. His strategy was to enter the primaries and get the nomination from Taft. As incumbents generally have an advantage, Taft came out with the nomination upon which TR flipped out and started the “Progressive Party”. He moved to the left advocating an income tax, and further regulation of business. This allowed Woodrow Wilson to join the ranks and look like the moderate candidate.

9. As always, America’s banking system had serious problems. Discuss how the ebb and flow of currency affects the nation’s economy in good times and bad. What causes a recession? P. 503-508

10. What is the FED? What was its original intent? How has that evolved (or metastasized)? Pg.505

11. What prompted the beginning of the income tax? By what means was the government funded up to this point? Why did they change it? Progressive Socialists loved this idea as it was one of the ten planks desired by the Communist Party in Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto. In 1894 Congress passed a 2% tax on all those with incomes above $4,000 but it was stuck down within a year by the Supreme Court because it was unconstitutional. Up to that point, the gov. was funded through the tariff and land sales

12. Regarding the income tax, what does the author mean that it had “little to do with revenue and everything to do with reform”? This was a little “nudge” that was originally promised to target a small group of wealthy individuals at a minimal number. Filing was supposed to be absurdly minor and “equalize tax burdens borne by the various classes.” “the ratchet effect has grown government astronomically illustrating the grave danger inherent in the structure.”

13. If federal income tax was unconstitutional, as the Supreme Court deemed in 1895, why does it still exist? Reformers gained support using three major strategies: 1) they emphasized the extremely low nature of the tax and the fact that many Americans would pay no tax at all; 2) they stressed its simplicity; and 3) they pointed to the problems and controversies surrounding tariffs. Most people did not feel it personally, so they didn’t really care and felt it was almost justified. It still exists because the structure was there for the gov to manipulate it. Government grew exponentially with each crisis or emergency.

14. Who was Pancho Villa? What did he have to do with Wilson’s foreign policies in Mexico? Pg. 508-509

15. What incident started World War I? pg. 519 The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. A Serbian Nationalist was blamed, and Austria and Germany set to retaliate. Within a few weeks, the armies of Europe were fully mobilized on enemy borders ready to fight but having no idea what they were fighting for.

16. How did the Germans “misjudge” Britain and America? Pg. 510-511 Their ingenuity and their fortitude. They did not back down despite their terrible losses. They thought that the people who demand peace at any price or that other nations would rise up. None of that happened.

17. What little “boo boo” did the Germans make with their deadly U-boats that should have forced Wilson to join the war? Pg. 511 Sunk the Luistania; a passenger liner, killing 1,198 including 128 Americans.

· German U-boats were “Unterseaboot” under the sea boat which were developed to destroy commerce ships delivering supplies between the US and Britain. They were very devastating and did significant damage. Flying a white flag on a ship was supposed to signal neutrality, but the British often deceptively displayed the white flag. Also, the periscope on the U-boat often could not distinguish color.

18. Wilson’s weak attempts at trying to persuade the Germans to stop sinking allied ships only made them more belligerent and daring. What two crucial mistakes did they make that rallied the Americans and demand retaliation? Pg. 513-514 Despite constant empty threats by Wilson, the Germans resumed the barrage of U-boat attacks. They felt that even if it caused the U.S. to join the war, it would be over before they could deploy to Europe. 2) Alfred von Zimmerman sent a coded message to Carranza’s government in Mexico urging them to declare war on the U.S. In return, Germany would recognize Mexico’s reconquest of Arizona and New Mexico. It was intercepted and decoded, sent to the White House and made public which enraged the public which then demanded war.

· Pg. 515 American propaganda against Germany spawned suspicion and attacks on Germans and other immigrants. Citizens were encouraged to report anyone engaging in antiwar behavior to the Justice Department. The Espionage, Sabotage and Sedition Acts of 1917 and 1918 included slandering the Constitution or the military. Socialist material was blocked by the postmaster general. Wilson vetoed the act, but people still enjoyed more freedom at this time than most of the rest of the world.

19. Who was Bernard Baruch? What contribution did he make to the efficiency of the war effort? Pg. 516 He was a SC millionaire from the business sector who looked at supplying and financing the war from a business standpoint. He knew that business leaders needed to take control of athe production if it was to have any chance of succeeding. He “permitted business to charge high priced for their products,” a feature that would be repeated with stunning success in the next world war. He convince the DOJ to call off the antitrust dogs and stop over-regulation. He also made sure that businesses complied with WIB reports.

20. How did Wilson replenish the dwindling U.S. military? Pg. 516 He instituted the Selective Service – or draft. Three million were drafted, two million enlisted.

21. How has technology contributed to the deadly outcome of this war? Pg. 518516-518 – A lot of different weapons were invented or perfected by farmers and frontiersmen who simply “made a better mousetrap.” To previous wars they added the flamethrower, poison gas, armored tanks, submachine guns, however, mobility was very limited.

22. Of what significance was the “Western Front”? pg.519 http://www.fasttrackteaching.com/T_M14_WW1300g15.gif An area between Belgium and Luxembourg reaching almost to Switzerland. Neither side gained more than a few miles from this area. Because of the lethal weapons introduced in this war, human loss was astronomical. After the Germans began losing ground to the French, they began to dig trenches all along this front for better protection. Most fatalities happened along the Western Front.

NEXT QUESTIONS ARE INCOMPLETE!!

23. Who were the Bolsheviks? How was Communism viewed by Americans at this time? Pg. 521 Americans were pretty clueless and had no idea the evil that backed it. American intellectuals and academics supported the Communist movement but had to hide their beliefs and meet in secret. The ACLU complained the Communists were treated unfairly. J. Edgar Hoover successfully reduced the size of the party by 80%.

24. What was Wilson’s “Fourteen Points”? What were the flaws known as “The Anglo-French” commentary? Pg. 523 A speech given to congress 10 months before the Armistice was even declared. It sounded amazingly like Lenin’s. Wilson felt competition with Lenin and wanted his to get out first. It contained 5 points relating to international relations, freedom of the seas, free trade, arms reductions, and review of colonial policies with an eye toward justice for the colonized peoples. Eight more points addressing territorial claims after the war, and League of Nations. Meanwhile, Germany had already been flying the red flag of revolution. Wilson put most if not all the blame on Germany whereas Britain played a big role.

25. What was the controversy in congress over the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles? Pg. 525

26. Why did the League of Nations fail? Pg 526

27. Describe the legal battle fought by Coca Cola and the FDA. Pg. 527

28. The Prohibition movement led by the Progressives was born out of a) their genuine concern about the evils of liquor and the health of their constituents, b) their superior elitist attitude toward the “little” people and their burning desire for reform.

29. What was the “American Eugenics Society” and who was Margaret Sangar? Pg. 529-531

30. And so… a happy ending (for a while at least) comes to Progressivism. Why was it widely rejected by the American people? Pg. 532

"Building Best, Building Greatly" 1896-1912 Chapter 13

2011-01-20T15:30:00.000-08:00

“Building Best, Building Greatly” 1896-1912

Chapter 13

1. Compare the average expenditures of the American family at the turn of the century to today:

http://www.economicadventure.org/family/ML1890.pdf

2. Why did Socialism never really catch on if it was so great? Because prosperity was great. The Average American lived much better than his European equivalent.

3. Why were buzzwords of the day, “professionalism” and “scientific” somewhat ironic? Because the proponents, Marx, Freud, and Darwin never really proved anything! Professionalism and science were mated to attempt to convince the public that there was a solution to every problem.

4. Discuss the following people and their “contributions” to the social reform movement: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Mary Baker Eddy, Charles Taze Russell. P.460 TR thought very much like a Progressive. He believed that Capitalism was evil, that big business was bad, and that only the elite could lead the government. WW believed the same but to a greater extent. Wilson brought us the progressive income tax, greater regulation on business, the draft, supported unions, and grew government. Mary Baker Eddy – started the Christian Scientist religion, Charles T. Russell – Jehovah’s Witnesses.

5. With the movement of popular secularism, came proponents like Walter Lippman and William James. Describe their philosophy and the danger it imposes on society. P. 460 That

“man was in control. That there was no such thing as lasting truth. No value could last forever because it would evolve with time and place.

6. Discuss the events that lead to the annexation of Hawaii. P.464-465 After King Kalakua dies, a new constitution is adopted. Queen Liliuokalani attempts to overthrow it. Eighteen Hawaiians assisted by U.S. Marines, revolt and form a new government. Sec. of State, Daniel Webster, declares that “no one should have control over these bounteous islands” but what he really meant was that he didn’t want the chance of another slave state to join the union.

7. Why did the U.S. NOT annex Cuba at this time? P. 466 Because tensions were very high. Cuba was living under a terrible dictator, General Valeriano Weyler, whom they called “the butcher.” Do to so would have put America in the “cross hairs” of foreign conflict.

8. Who said, “You furnish the pictures, I’ll furnish the war”? Why? How has this affected American Journalism? P.466 William Randolph Hearst in his thirst for a “juicy” story. There was no war in Cuba, so he sent people down to create one so that he could sell papers.

9. What incident finally made congress force McKinley into a declaration of war against Spain in 1898? An explosion off the coast of Havana that claimed the lives of 250 crewmen. It wasn’t until 1910 that it was proven that the blast was probably caused by a mine and not Spain after all.

10. According to General John Pershing, how did the Spanish-American War help to heal some wounds from the Civil War? P. 469 General Pershing wrote his recollections of the attack: “White regiments, black regiments, regulars and Rough Riders, representing the young manhood of the North and the South, fought shoulder to shoulder, unmindful of race or color, unmindful of whether commanded by ex-confederate or not, and mindful of only their common duty as Americans.”

11. How is the U.S. government still paying for the Spanish-American war? Though only 400 men were killed, thousands were involved but never saw battle. Nevertheless, the government is still paying $160 million annually in pensions.

12. What lands did the U.S. acquire as a result of the Spanish-American War? Compare McKinley’s rationalization about “civilizing” these people with that of the Northern Carpetbaggers and their attempts at “educating” newly freed blacks. P.470-471 Cuba, Guam, Philippines, Puerto Rico. McKinley felt that the people were not capable of governing themselves; that they needed the elites to do it for them.

13. What was William Jennings Bryan and the Anti-Imperialist League’s goal with the Philippines? What was their disagreement with McKinley? P.471 Bryan was an Progressive extremist who hated McKinley. He distributed leaflets encouraging the soldiers in the Philippines to not reinlist. He called McKinley a “mass murderer” for the occupation of the Philippines.

14. How was the theory of American imperialism shattered? P. 472 When on July 4, 1898, Philippines were granted their freedom and autonomy.

15. What happened to McKinley? p. 473 He was assassinated. The third president In 35 years.

16. What were the positive and negative contributions of President Teddy Roosevelt? P. 475 He was a strong proponent of big government to alleviate all social ills. He believed that “no people were ever benefited by riches if their prosperity corrupted their virtue.” He added, “more important that we should show ourselves honest, brave, truthful, and intelligent than we should own al the railways and grain elevators in the world.” Does that mean, then, that if you don’t have money and success, you are somehow automatically humble, honest and virtuous? He was successful at everything he tried except he never had to prove if capitalism and free enterprise worked. He was jealous of Carnegie and Rockefeller. His reform ideology seemed to get in the way of his propensity for “rugged individualism.” He regulated and penalized corporations and took away rebates offered to them by railroads.

17. How did Roosevelt’s antitrust actions backfire and hurt the little guy (small business); the very people he was trying to protect? P.477 By penalizing big business, it drove down profits for the entire industry.

18. What similarities, if any, do you see in Roosevelt and Barack Obama. (Don’t believe me?? Read p. 487 paragraph 4!!) also p. 477-478 In Public, they both claim to support business, but all the regulation and legislative restrictions prove otherwise. After spending so much time vilifying business and offending those who have actually had to meet a payroll and produce a viable product for the public, they now have to concede and mend fences to prepare for the next election. During his second term, of course, he turned his back once again, on business; especially the railroads.

19. How does government bureaucracy increase during TR’s second term? P. 478 Hepburn Act, federal control of private land; Interstate Commerce Act, regulate railroads; Pure Food and Drug Act, (FDA), and the Meat Inspection Act.

20. Progressivism is off and running. What new agencies spring up to “save the environment”? U.S. Forest Service, Sierra Club.

21. Discuss the process of building the Panama Canal. What is so miraculous about this endeavor? P. 481-482 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal

22. Describe Roosevelt’s mantra, “speak softly and carry a big stick.” How did it apply toforeign policy? Was is “hot air” or did TR back it up? P. 480-483"Speak softly and carry a big stick" was the way Theodore Roosevelt described his approach to foreign policy. When he assumed the presidency in 1901, several Latin American countries were behind on debt payments to European nations. Concerned that other nations might follow Germany's example of threatening action against Venezuela in 1903, Roosevelt announced what became known as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine in 1904. Roosevelt pledged to protect Latin American nations from military action, and he insisted that the United States assumed the right to intervene to ensure Latin American states met their financial responsibilities to other nations. After the U.S. Navy made an impressive showing in the Spanish-American War (1898), Roosevelt continued to expand it. In 1907, a "Great White Fleet" of American ships went on a world cruise to demonstrate the "big-stick" side of Roosevelt diplomacy.

23. Plessy v. Ferguson, Guinn v. United States, Buchanan v. Worley all proved what about black/white relations at the turn of the century? P.483-484 Mostly dealt with “Jim Crow” laws or “Separate but Equal” legislation

24. How did blacks combat the “Jim Crow” laws at this time? P. 485 Booker T. Washington and other black leaders worked tirelessly to make life better and more peaceful for the black community by developing universities, churches, political appointments and jobs, etc.

25. What kind of a president was William Howard Taft? What unusual ending came to his presidency? Who took his place? Taft was almost a clone to Roosevelt, but he went on an even more trust-busting frenzy. He ended up being pretty weak. Though TR vowed that he would not run for a second term and therefore, hand-picked Taft to be his successor, TR came back from his safaris to Africa and ran again for president. Also in the mix was Woodrow Wilson, who beat both of them.

Another Great Day in History...

2011-01-19T13:14:00.000-08:00

Thanks again for a great discussion and insight of our nation's past! Today we talked about the great business tycoon that build this great nation: Carnegie, Rockefeller, Morgan, Schwab. We talked about social reform of the day and how... wait for it.... government STILL can't change human behavior! Or legislate it! Wow... that is weird! I wonder if our politicians could possibly look back through history and see that government takeovers NEVER, EVER, EVER work. Bailouts, gimmes, almost any freebie cripples the receiver and becomes fraught with corruption. If I'm wrong, I beg anyone to send me the name of the successful government program and legitimate references so that I can stand on the rooftop and beg forgiveness. I would love to know that besides the military, the government knows how to run anything efficiently. So... on to more fun. Chapter 13 next week. Study guide coming soon!

Sinews of Democracy, 1876-96 Chapter 12

2011-01-14T16:20:00.000-08:00

These chapters never cease to amaze me. They read like the news of 2011!! Unbelievable that politicians and we, unfortunately! Can't learn from our mistakes. Reading and understanding our past will definiately help. Please provide any insight you have to this material. Opposing views are always welcome. Keep us on our toes, Lefties! Come on... we'll play nice.

Chapter 12

Sinews of Democracy, 1876-96

1. Explain the pros and cons of the “spoils system”. The term was derived from the phrase "to the victor go the spoils," where the term "spoils" refers to luxury gains resulting from any kind of victory. Proponents of such a practice consider official positions as rewards which are given to loyal individual supporters. It was a contentious feature of Andrew Jackson, who introduced it as a democratic measure informed by his understanding of the nature of party politics and democracy. He considered that popular election gave the victorious party a "mandate" to select officials from its own ranks. The spoils system was closely linked to the new party system which he was instrumental in creating, generally known to scholars as the "second party system" (the first being the system which emerged in the aftermath of the ratification of the American Constitution). Proponents claimed that ordinary Americans were able to discharge the official duties of government offices - not just a special civil service elite. Opponents considered it vulnerable to incompetence and corruption, just like the systems it followed and preceded. Politicians like Abraham Lincoln and Grover Cleveland were widely seen as opposing a spoils system. In fact, Lincoln's nickname "Honest Abe" stemmed from the widespread belief he would not fill political offices with party officials as his predecessor James Buchanan had done.

2. Though Hayes was a “lame duck” president almost from day one, what 3 things did he manage to achieve? P. 424 Avoided “Grantism” (or spoils), re-established decorum to the office of the presidency, demilitarized the South, and introduced civil service reform.

3. What was contained in the “elegantly large book” of Record of the Statesmanship and Achievements of General Winfield Scott Hancock? P425 A bunch of blank pages! The Dems needed a viable candidate, so they attempted to prop him up with this “don’t judge a book by its cover” mess.

4. Who won the election replacing Hayes? What event took place on July 2, 1881 to this man? James A. Garfield won the presidency and was assassinated by Charles Guiteau at the train station in Washington. Garfield served in Congress during the Gilded Age when corruption ran rampant in politics. He was implicated in a scandal that rocked the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872-1873, in which members of Congress were given shares in the Credit Mobilier construction company with the expectation that they would lend their political support to the company's railroad ventures. Although it was never proven, Garfield was accused of accepting a $329 bribe. (Later, during the presidential election of 1880, his opponents used the numbers "329" as part of their anti-Garfield campaign, scribbling the numbers on the sides of buildings and on streets.) Garfield was a personal friend of Grant's successor, President Rutherford B. Hayes, and sat on the Congressional commission that awarded Hayes the presidency after a contentious election in 1876. In 1880, he won a seat in the U.S. Senate. By that time, the taint of involvement with the Credit Mobilier scandal had faded and his association with the more well-respected Hayes contributed to his ascension to the presidency in 1881.

5. What kind of president was Arthur? Was one of the first to actually cut taxes. Never took graft and reduced the tariff. Announced that he would not seek another term which made him lose power. He vetoed pork barrel spending, and actually adhered to the constitution. He had Bright’s disease ( a kidney disease).

6. Why is the “negro problem” slowly losing its steam and importance with many people? First of all, most people were tired of trying to solve this never-ending, and often painful battle. Corruption had permeated so much of government. People had their own problems to worry about and felt victims themselves. Women wanted rights, workers felt threatened by management, activists crusaded to rid societal ills such as alcoholism, prostitution, pornography, drugs (that worked out well, huh?) Agrarians felt that the government was deliberately keeping them from improving their lives and that railroads, banks and grain elevator owners were “conspiring to steal their earnings”.

7. What is a referendum, an initiative, and what is their intent? A referendum (also known as a plebiscite or a ballot question) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of direct democracy. The measure put to a vote is known in the U.S. as a ballot proposition or measure.

The initiative (also known as popular or citizen's initiative) provides a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote (plebiscite) on a proposed statute, constitutional amendment, charter amendment or ordinance, or, in its minimal form, to simply oblige the executive or legislative bodies to consider the subject by submitting it to the order of the day. It is a form of direct democracy.

8. What were the two biggest enemies of safe cities in America during this time? P. 427-28 Fire (largely because people still used gas lighting – Mrs. O’Leary’s cow…and disease (caused by contaminated drinking water)

9. What were Carnegie’s business strategies? How did a depression affect him? He definitely put all his “eggs in one basket” and maintained a state-of-the-art operation. A depression to him was merely a buying opportunity.

10. Name the four most wealthy and powerful men in America at this time and their industries. Andrew Carnegie, steel; J.P. Morgan, steel; John D. Rockefeller, oil and Charles Schwab, steel

11. Discuss how Rockefeller’s genius in the oil industry benefitted the consumer. He slashed prices to accommodate the poorest of people. He commissioned his chemists to come up with 300 other useful by-products of oil for comsumers.

12. How does the failure of the railroads which depended on government bailouts compare to the auto industry of today? Which railroad would be GM and Chrysler? Which would be Hill’s Great Northern railroad? Just like the railroads, the auto giants of today took bailouts and have failed miserably. Companies such as Ford have survived because they didn’t ask for handouts just as did Hill’s Northern Railroad which was privately subsidized. Those railroads that took government money ultimately failed while Hill’s privately owned entity was the only one that survived. Hill’s would be compared to the Ford corporation. GM and Chrysler – the government.

13. Compare the “evil capitalists” of this period to today. What business ethics made so many entrepreneurs wealthy? Though these industry giants made a ton of money, a big part of their goal was to make a useful product without waste and to sell a reusable product at a good price to consumers. They were as concerned about the consumer as they were about making a profit.

14. How did government contribute to the failure of the Homestead Acts? P. 437. subsidies in the form of absurdly cheap and free land through the Homestead Acts encourages westward migration and farming by millions of American who were not good farmers. Just as the government stepped in and demanded that “all Americans own their own home” it just doesn’t work, nor should it.

15. How was big business vilified through literature? P. 437 A popular and common theme of the day was evil big business and corporate monopolies. The down-trodden man and socialistic views were glamorized by Jack London, Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, etc.

16. Describe the Haymarket Riot. P. 439 Organized labor group called “The Knights of Labor”, protested at the McCormick Reaper Works for an 8 hour shift. As the strikebreakers left the factory, angry strikers began to move in on them. Policemen jumped the gun and started clubbing them in anticipation of violence. Later, a call for “Revenge!” fomented the group. The next day a bomb exploded killing seven policemen and injuring sixty. Many of the “Knights” were indicted, 3 were pardoned, and the group was dismantled.

17. What was the Bland-Allison Act? P. 442-43The Bland-Allison Act was an 1878 act of Congress requiring the U.S. Treasury to buy a certain amount of silver and put it into circulation as silver dollars. Though the bill was vetoed by President Rutherford B. Hayes, the Congress overrode Hayes' veto on February 28, 1878 to enact the law^[1].The five-year depression following the Panic of 1873 caused cheap-money advocates (led by U.S. Representative Richard P. Bland, a Democrat of Missouri), to join with silver-producing interests in urging a return to bimetallism, the use of both silver and gold as a monetary standard^[2].The controversial Coinage Act of 1873 (also called the Fourth Coinage Act or Mint Act) embraced the gold standard and de-monetized silver. Silver advocates, decrying the so-called "Crime of '73," demanded restoration of free coinage actually bought more than the $2 million minimum amount^{[citation needed]} and never circulated the silver dollars. The law was replaced in 1890 by the similar Sherman Silver Purchase Act, which in turn was repealed by Congress in 1893.^[3].

18. What were common themes in literature from Upton Sinclair, Ida Tarbell, Jack London, etc. Socialist reform, very secular – non-religious, down-trodden man, evil capitalists, evil big business, etc.

19. Describe the evolving progressive worldview. What writings contributed to this thought? 19^th century, many intellectuals based their beliefs and writings on spirituality and religion, whereas 20^th century belief was based more on progressive thought: that your environment, rather than your soul and spiritual upbringing, shaped character. Darwinism, Marxism, social views became popular thereby excusing many and “freeing” people from a belief in God or adherence to moral values. This was much easier.

20. Why is Grover Cleveland pretty much ignored as an effective president? What did he do right in your opinion? He adhered to the constitution, cut taxes, did not take graft. “Republicans ignored him because he was a democrat, and democrats didn’t trust him because he ruled like a republican.” He was loyal to the gold standard, and squelched any attempts by outside influences to influence his political policies.

21. What was the Sherman Silver Purchase Act? Why was it repealed? Just another example of the government sticking it’s hands in to manipulate currency. As always, it became fraught with corruption and greed. it increased the amount of silver the government was required to purchase every month. The Sherman Silver Purchase Act had been passed in response to the growing complaints of farmers and mining interests. Farmers had immense debts that could not be paid off due to deflation caused by overproduction, and they urged the government to pass the Sherman Silver Purchase Act in order to boost the economy and cause inflation, allowing them to pay their debts with cheaper dollars.^[2] Mining companies, meanwhile, had extracted vast quantities of silver from western mines; the resulting oversupply drove down the price of their product, often to below the point where it was profitable to mine it. They hoped to enlist the government to artificially increase demand for, and thus the price of, silver.

Lighting Out for the Territories - Chapter 11

2011-01-07T11:23:00.001-08:00

Chapter 11

Lighting out for the Territories

1. How did the settling of the west contribute to American uniqueness and exceptionalism according to Mark Twain and historian, Frederick Jackson Turner? Pg. 393 - Many groups migrated west in search of land, gold, industry or simply to live in peace. They did it without expecting the government or anyone else to save or help them. It was “rugged individualism” and basic “survival of the fittest” that made a man successful in this untamed land. …”The West made men democratic, egalitarian, nationalistic, pragmatic and adaptive….”

2. Describe modes of communication in the untamed west. Include the stagecoach, steamboats, and trains. Pg. 395 Steamboats were vital common carriers – commercial transporters of mail, freight, and passengers. Butterfield Line – American Express, William Fargo – Wells Fargo line, Pony Express – telegraph came much later

3. Describe the importance of locomotives to American life. Pg. 396 –Became cheaper than water transportation, and obviously more versatile. Public funds granted for the building of railroads, but private funds turned out to be more efficient. Railroad station became the hub of American life. People would gather around the station to hear news, presidential election returns, baseball scores, and contributed to the rise of national parks.

4. What brought on the “Gold Rush”? How did it affect frontier life? Pg. 397-398 The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill, in Coloma, California.^[1] News of the discovery brought some 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad.^[2] Of the 300,000, approximately half arrived by sea and half came overland.

The gold-seekers, called "Forty-niners" (as a reference to 1849), often faced substantial hardships on the trip. While most of the newly arrived were Americans, the Gold Rush attracted tens of thousands from Latin America, Europe, Australia, and China. At first, the prospectors retrieved the gold from streams and riverbeds using simple techniques, such as panning. More sophisticated methods of gold recovery developed which were later adopted around the world. At its peak, technological advances reached a point where significant financing was required, increasing the proportion of gold companies to individual miners. Gold worth tens of billions of today's dollars was recovered, which led to great wealth for a few. However, many returned home with little more than they had started with.

The effects of the Gold Rush were substantial. San Francisco grew from a small settlement to a boomtown, and roads, churches, schools and other towns were built throughout California. A state constitution was written and California became a state in 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850.

** West’s natural resources: fur, fish, logging – quick depletion was said to be due to overharvesting and waste, but was mainly the result of over-regulation from the government, confiscating private land and claiming as public land.

5. What did James J. Hill, Frederick Weyerhaeuser, Gustavus Swift have in common? How would their stories have been different had they lived today? Pg. 397-399 All were strong entrepreneurs. Hill developed the Canadian-American Railroad lines, Weyerhauser in the paper industry, Swift in the meat packing industry. Both were environmentalists and conscientious land managers. Today, there is no way they could start their businesses with all the government regulation, PETA and other left-wing groups and lobbies to stop them in their tracks.

6. How was the west impacted by the cattle industry? Pg. 400-401 – With the development of railroads, the cattle industry boomed, and the price of beef came down. Cattle were herded by “cowboys” to the stockyards at railheads and shipped to Chicago slaughter houses. “Cow towns” popped up like Abilene, Kansas; Wichita, Dodge City where cowboys got paid, drunk and got in fights or worse.

7. Joseph F. Glidden and Jacob Haish patented what product? Why was it so ingenious? Pg. 402 – The “Homestead Act” – 1862-1890 – made land available of 160,000 acres. Land was arid and difficult to harvest. Severe weather destroyed crops and livestock. Livestock would wander or worse, fall victim to predatory animals. Glidden and Haish patented barbed wire. Wood was scarce on the plains and these wire fences kept their livestock in check and protected farmer’s crops.

8. How was the movement trans-Mississippi west like the Industrial Revolution? Pg. 403 Small producers declined and turned to manufacturing like in the Industrial Revolution. Necessity was indeed the mother of invention!

9. If life was so difficult and foreboding in taming the west with most people never realizing their dreams, why did so many people attempt it? Pg. 403 – Despite in intense difficulty of settling and taming the land, those who made it had a much better opportunities to thrive and become successful than they ever would have in Europe. Life expectancy improved dramatically.

10. What are some great truths about Indians? What are some great myths? Pg. 404 – They were mostly peaceful, conflicts over land which eventually led to wars that they always lost. Most were nomadic; following buffalo herds which they often wasted and were not the eco-environmentalists that they are often portrayed to be.

11. What made the Plains Indians different than other tribes? Pg. 405 Completely dependent on the buffalo herd. They followed them around and used almost all parts of the buffalo. Those who lived in “villages” were almost decimated by the disease that Europeans spread whereas, the nomadic Indians stayed more healthy. “Of thee I Sing” about Sitting Bull was a Sioux Medicine Man from SD. He tried to heal broken hearts and broken promises. He tried to teach all people that it is fine that we are different. He Said, “For peace, it is not necessary for eagles to be crows.” Though he was imprisoned, his spirit soared free on the plains of the Dakotas and his wisdom touched generations and continues to do so. This was such a senseless tragedy that happened only an hour from our home.

12. Discuss the failed U.S. Indian policy. How was it similar to most government agencies? Pg. 406 The government spent as much as $1 million and 25 cavalry members per Indian they killed. They tried to “civilize and Christianize” the Indian population which, of course, was met with great resistance.

13. How did the government attempt to curtail hostile Indian tribes? Pg. 407 – BIA (Bureau of Indian Affairs) was to put them all on reservations, and “manage” them through U.S. army intervention. As always, money pours in from the government and corruption takes hold. Made the Indians even more hostile at times.

14. Who was Crazy Horse? What made him an important part of history? Pg. 409 Treaties were made and broken with the Sioux. A road had been built through the heart of the Big Horn and Yellowstone. Wooden forts were built, and manned by small groups of cavalry and infantry.

15. What role did General George Custer play in the American West? Pg. 410 A decorated Civil War veteran, often employed the media to follow his gallantry in war. DVD CLIP

16. How did the government finally attempt to assimilate and civilize Indians into the white culture?

How successful were they? Pg. 411 Dawes Severalty Act (1887) gave Indians’ families 160 acre plots on which to live. Pres. Cleveland promoted this idea. He believed that the Indians needed “guardians” and that it was the government’s job to teach them English and fully assimilate them into white culture. The transition to modern capitalism and free market economy has been a terrible struggle for the Native Americans. Plus the government has given them so many handouts, it’s really crippled many of them.

17. How did the territory of Washington become a state? How long did it take? Why? Pg. 414 Took 4 decades because of political bickering, anti-Chinese rhetoric, advocacy of women’s suffrage, etc.

18. How did the “Edmunds Act” affect Utah statehood? Pg. 415 – Outlawed polygamy and denied voting rights to all participants, and any children born to polygamists declared illegitimate. After Brigham Young’s revelation reversing polygamy, Mormons adhered to the law abolishing polygamy and were then admitted to the union.

19. Describe Alaska’s struggle to become a state. Pg. 416 – Remained neither a territory nor a state for a long time. Gold rushes in the Klondike and Nome brought thousands of people, but the isolation and mere distance proved daunting. Finally the “Alcan” highway was finished and with the onset of WWII, Alaska became a state in 1948.

20. How did “capitalism’s creative destruction” lead to labor unions? Pg. 417 People became disillusioned with low pay, hazardous working environment, which lead to labor unions which also lead to violence, corruption, and socialism.

21. What potentially devastating effect did the case of Munn vs. Illinois have on government regulation and business? Pg. 417 It stated “that private property in which the public has an interest must submit to public controls.” People lost interest in pushing it, because everyone made money.

22. Describe the “Crime of ‘73.” Why does this sound familiar?? Pg. 419 It essentially wiped out the wealth of many Americans (short term, primarily western miners) while wiping out the United States’ wealth long term. (The United States at that point accepted both gold and silver as monetary equivalents). By not purchasing the silver at a slightly higher than market rate, the United States essentially went on the gold standard (although I don’t think it was until around 1900 that it was official). Anyway, because of increased pressure from western mining states the united states eventually had to purchase the silver at higher than initially demanded rate. In 1890 the “Sherman Silver Purchase Act” was enacted (repealed 3 years later). This required the government to purchase 2-4MM of silver per month at TWICE the going rate. Silver in the meantime was being devalued as discovery of the metal increased (it was around 40-1 or so, don’t remember exactly) after 1900. The increase in silver discovery ultimately reduced the price of silver (law of supply and demand). This also forced silver to be used in more industrial applications. The bottom line of all that is the government was forced to buy silver at an inflated price increasing their silver reserves (that were decreasing in value), with gold that was increasing in value.

23. What was the “Populist” party platform? What did it morph into?? Pg. 421 Progressivism! Lead by William Jennings Bryan

Chapter 10 - Ideals and Realities of Reconstruction 1865-76

2011-01-06T19:48:00.000-08:00

Ideals and Realities of Reconstruction, 1865-76

Chapter 10

After the war and loss of 618,000 men, explosion of the Sultana at Vicksburg killing 1,547 of the 2,100 Union soldiers trying to get home. Northern victory in the Civil War decided the fate of the Union and of slavery, but posed numerous problems. How should the nation be reunited? What system of labor should replace slavery? What would be the status of the former slaves? How would they reunify the nation? Who or what would replace the slavery work force? Who would pay for that?

1. Define Reconstruction. What three phases were involved?

a. Presidential Reconstruction: the south should be admitted to the Union as quickly as possible, Lincoln’s 10 percent plan…It decreed that a state could be reintegrated into the Union when 10 percent of the 1860 vote count from that state had taken an oath of allegiance to the U.S. and pledged to abide by emancipation with as little as possible punishment for the Confederates, 2) the freedmen should obtain full emancipation which did not seek to compensate them for their years in bondage or make them citizens.

b. Congressional Reconstruction: sought full political equality for freedmen, economic compensation with 40 acre-and-a-mule concept, and more serious punishment for former Rebels. After rejecting the Reconstruction plan of President Andrew Johnson, the Republican Congress enacted laws and Constitutional amendments that empowered the federal government to enforce the principle of equal rights, and gave black Southerners the right to vote and hold office.

c. Radical Reconstruction lost its steam which lost public support. Efforts to help the blacks were totally abandoned. Threats of another war were already brewing over this caustic topic. Southern Democrats, known as Redeemers, restored white supremacy and intimidated blacks with segregation or “Jim Crow” laws which squeezed blacks out of positions of power and other rights. http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h396.html

2. How did Andrew Johnson become president? How was he received by the North? The South? The nation was totally unprepared to transition the presidency after Lincoln’s assassination. He was the only southerner left in Lincoln’s cabinet and was against secession. Lincoln hoped that his VP nomination would appease the “War Democrats”. Johnson was detested by both the north and the south. He supported the Fugitive Slave Law and was distrusted by the south. Every cabinet member vied for the presidency, yet it was literally “given” to a weak man detested by the entire nation. Though each man shook his hand and promised support, it was not long that Ben Wade, and other radicals demanded that Johnson replace the cabinet with men more in line with their political views. *How would the outcome been different had a strong northerner been appointed president? Slavery was abolished by the Thirteenth amendment to the Constitution. READ pg 358. How is this wording flawed? (does not make them citizens or address suffrage.) Each southern state was forced to adopt this amendment before they were readmitted to the union.

3. What was the GAR? How did it affect the lives of veterans? “The Grand Army of the Republic” was formed to help and assist veterans of the Union army to be compensated for their service and to keep in touch with fellow soldiers. The GAR initially grew and prospered as a de facto political arm of the Republican Party during the heated political contests of the Reconstruction. The commemoration of Union veterans, black and white, immediately became entwined with partisan politics. The GAR did promote voting rights for black veterans, extolling their demonstrated patriotism. Blacks, unfortunately, were never compensated. Having learned many news skills during the war, many veterans were hired into various fields. Being a veteran brought status to him and his employer. *The north largely decreased its military force and cut its naval capacity drastically, but still required 60,000 troops to “babysit” the unrepentant south. The economy grew at a snail’s pace; only 2 percent per year.

4. Describe the economic devastation of the postwar south. What results, if any, would have been different had the south simply been allowed to secede? Once lush lands and plantations were burned to the ground. Cotton and corn fields gone. 35,000 people now dependent on the government for subsistence. Many people colonized to Brazil, New Zealand, Mexico, etc. The Confederate flag remained flying until 1999. Many southern women complained at “having to comb their own hair.” The south was rebuilt quickly to the capacity of the prewar era. So to blame the north because of its destruction, does not hold water. Had the south simply been allowed to secede, could they survive only with the profitability of slavery? Would we be divided even today? Would slavery still exist? How would WWI and WWII have been fought differently? How about the North and their radical views? Would we be speaking German having elected a socialist dictator?

5. Describe postwar congress. How effective was Johnson at unifying both sides of the political spectrum? Very divisive. Johnson had practically no power or influence over either northern or southern factions. Radical republicans wanted to completely annihilate the south and strip the Democratic party of any authority whatsoever. They didn’t care a bit about the freedmen except that they represented a vast bloc of voters. And though the southerners “pledged” allegiance to the Union, their hearts were still Confederates. They were in complete gridlock.

6. What was the “Joint Commission on Reconstruction”? What were the four main concerns? Radicals could no longer support the weak Andrew Johnson. They formed this commission to investigate what was really going on in the south. As the southern states attempted to rejoin the union, they simply skirted the points they did not agree with or want to submit to. Fuming, Radicals decided to take matters into their own hands and get rid of Johnson.

· Four Postwar Questions: 1. Economic compensation to the freedmen? 2. What would their political status be? 3. To what extent would federal laws governing either economics or politics in the South be enforced and prosecuted? 4. Who would determine the pace and priorities of the process – the president or the congress? Thaddeus Stevens’ priority was to give the freedmen land or send them back into slavery. Frederick Douglass said that emancipation was moot unless the freedmen could vote. Could the government confiscate southern land? If so, they had to be charged with a crime. But what crime? Slavery had been legal up to that point and could not retroactively be assigned as such.

7. What were the pros and cons of sharecropping? Without a land policy, many freedmen entered into an agreement with former plantation owners called “sharecropping” where whites and blacks would share profits 50/50. Each contract was daunting because some whites owned the land and the implements, whereas some had blacks owning implements and seeds and were performing the labor. Other blacks simply replaced the work force that they provided in slavery. Pros: 1) provided a natural work environment: whites who needed labor, and blacks who needed land and crops. 2) Flexible contracts – temporary time frame. 3) both parties had to work together to adjust to market and weather changes. 4) lack of education minimized transaction costs but gave the freedmen new responsibility.

Cons: 1) neither party had incentive to upgrade land or implements. 2) Both refrained from making technological or management changes to improve productivity. 3) opportunity to gauge sharecroppers – workers knew where to go to get a better contract so monopolies were less frequent.

o Blacks contributed greatly to America’s industry and became important entrepreneurs.

8. Describe the struggle of the freedmen after emancipation. What difficulties did the die-hard southerners deal with? White southerners were very suspicious of the black freedmen. They were exploited and taken advantage of because of their lack of education. They suffered from racism and discrimination, and had a difficult time locating their family members having been split during the slave trade. Political status: Their sudden movement terrified whites. Therefore, annual employment contracts were developed that prohibited movement between counties without permission. Laws regarding black ownership of weapons, negotiating contracts and travel were restricted. Black youth could be arrested with “vagrancy” if they appeared to not have a job. They were charged $100 and if they could not pay, could be “hired out” to earn his release. Though black marriages were now recognized, confirmed their rights to own property, rights to sue – which was ridiculous because of lack of education. Stiff fines were assessed to those coming across state lines to lure freedmen to come work for them. All these statutes were merely to suppress the blacks and keep them in line. In Florida, half the population was black which made government paranoid. It was law that burglary or insurrection was punished by death – except for an ex-confederate! Death for rape of a white (only) woman, prohibited from bearing arms, or assemble after dark. Could have schools but not at state expense.

9. What debilitating effects did the “do gooder” Freedmen’s Bureau have on the blacks? As

with any other government agency it made more people dependent on the government. Those in charge tended to pat themselves on the back with their good intentions. This actually led to northerners referred to as “carpetbaggers” moving south seen as leaches sucking off the Southern vitality. Third, the bureau itself had an influx of money and zealous followers which almost always spells corruption. Though their intention was the self-sufficiency of blacks, it was mainly a “feel good” idea for the bureau. They had little concept of capitalism and entrepreneurial ideas. They had worked for nothing for generations! It did have some positive points, however. Reconstruction schools were 90% black. It was indispensible in helping to educate blacks even though attendance was around 5%. They then instituted “mandatory attendance” which, again, expanded the scope of government. “Reconstruction could not change either human nature or historical prejudices.”

· A War on Four Fronts:

1. Congress vs president for policy dominance

2. North’s desire to dominate the south in political and industrial superiority

3. Republican’s intention on destroying the Democrats

4. Racial, social and political tensions – mainly below the Mason-Dixon Line.

· The Radicals in congress began to realize that although blacks could not vote, they nevertheless, counted as 100% not 60% of a person which would, therefore, give more power to the south. As a result, they would not allow southern representatives to be seated.

· Johnson won his last battle in 1866 over Congress when he vetoed an extension of the Freedmen’s Bureau on the grounds that until Southern states were readmitted into the Union, congress could legislate no such law. Although they sustained his veto, they were more furious and determined to get him out of office.

10. How did Andrew Johnson feel about the Civil Rights Bill of 1866? Defining black as U.S. citizens and promising them “full and equal benefit of all laws and proceedings for the security of person and property, as is enjoyed by white citizens.” Johnson’s goal was to “elevate poor whites, not create black competitors for them.” Would not support any law that would significantly improve the rights of blacks.

o 14^th Amendment: READ pg 374 – para 2 “How has this law been distorted throughout history?

How is it interpreted today? Is that how this congress intended it to be understood?

11. Define the “Military Reconstruction Act” Under the authority of the north, the south was divided into 5 military districts, each led by a Radical rep. general. Johnson vetoed but congress overrode. The south needed to reconvene and restructure their constitutions which forced each state to give their black population the right to vote and to accept the Fourteenth Amendment which discusses citizenship rights. Military tribunals determined loyalty and actually disqualified as many as a half million whites from voting. What was the triumvirate that resulted in southern radicals gaining power? Scalawags, In United States history, scalawag was a nickname for southern whites who supported Reconstruction following the Civil War. Some were former Unionists. Carpetbaggers, (northerners who came to impose their views to “save” the south) and black Republicans – freedmen viewed by the south as pawns of the Republicans, hated by the south because they posed a threat to social order.

12. Describe the role of blacks in government during/after reconstruction. Between 1869 and 1901, there were 2 black U.S. senators, (Blanche Kelso Bruce and Hiram Revels) 16 congressmen. Reconstruction governments soon yielded to corruption and pork barrel spending. Northern reformers, Southern opportunists and blacks with little or no experience handling money and responsibility.

13. Contrast Andrew Johnson’s impeachment process to that of Bill Clinton’s. The fight between congress and President Johnson continues. They would try to pass an act that would further debilitate him, he would veto, they would counter, etc. After dismissing Stanton in the War Department with General Grant – twice… the Radicals had had it. They decided to impeach him. The vote to impeach Johnson was 126 to 47 compared to Clinton’s 228 to 206. Johnson was charged with “unconstitutionality” whereas Clinton was charged with lying to congress. What was similar? In both cases, the senate usurped the power of the house in rearguing the presumption of guilt and whether the punishment fit the crimes. Johnson was acquitted by a one vote margin. Radicals realized that the nation did not necessarily agree with them after all, that blacks should be treated equal. In the next election, they easily nominated Grant.

14. How did most of the south view reconstruction? The south felt that the whole Reconstruction thing was a ruse to conceal the Northerners and the Republicans’ true objective of crushing the South politically, economically, and culturally.

15. As always, corruption creeps in. Describe the Fisk and Gould scandals and the Credit Mobilier scandal. Having barely taken office, two of Grant’s associates, the infamous speculators, Fisk and Gould, tried to corner the market on gold. Black Friday ensued, where gold prices skyrocketed because of their backroom deal. They involved Grant’s brother-in-law, Abel Corbin, who acquired insider information from Grant over dinner that in the event of a run on gold, the fed would not sell its gold which would drive the price up. Fortunately, Grant was informed and ordered the Treasury Secretary to sell its gold to stabilize the price. Gould made millions, but far below what he expected. Although Grant was in no way connected, his reputation was tarnished. The Credit Mobilier scandal had to do with massive public funding for railroads particularly Union Pacific and Central Pacific. Agreeing to join at Promontory, Utah, they were given cash incentives of $16,000 per mile of flat track laid, and $32,000 for hilly terrain. Duh… guess what they did?? Took the most circuitous routes they could, meandering through hilly terrain, and even through South Dakota spurring on the Sioux wars. Union Pacific laid track on ice which then had to be replaced in the spring. They stole wood from private property and totally misused public funding. Fed up, congress came up with the Credit Mobilier which controlled the monies for the railroads. The railroads would give the construction contracts to CM, which then would balloon the costs of construction to double the genuine expenses. Union Pacific paid CM with its own checks, which the directors of the credit company promptly used to purchase railroad stock at th par value of $100 per share. Or… the railroad was buying its own stock. The CM sold the stock on the open market far below par.

16. Scandals plagued Grant’s administration. In your opinion, why did (does) corruption always seem to abound under these circumstances?

17. How did the Ku Klux Klan begin? What was its purpose? The new Southern governments confronted violent opposition from the Ku Klux Klan and similar groups. In time, the North abandoned its commitment to protect the rights of the former slaves, Reconstruction came to an end, and white supremacy was restored throughout the South. Reconstruction was widely viewed as an era of corruption and misgovernment, supposedly caused by allowing blacks to take part in politics. This interpretation helped to justify the South's system of racial segregation and denying the vote to blacks, which survived into the 1960s.KKK whose goal was to scare and intimidate blacks into submission. They disguised themselves in white hoods based on the superstitious beliefs of blacks. They would burn their homes, businesses, crops and even hang them. They would leave a “calling card” of a burning cross in their front yard. They were very rarely convicted of these horrendous crimes.

18. How did the fervor of radical reconstruction begin to wane and lose the north’s interest? Radical Reconstruction lost its steam which lost public support. Efforts to help the blacks were totally abandoned. Threats of another war were already brewing over this caustic topic. Southern Democrats, known as Redeemers, restored white supremacy and intimidated blacks with segregation or “Jim Crow” laws which squeezed blacks out of positions of power and other rights.

19. What did congress hope to achieve by passing the first Amnesty Act of 1872? Did it work? Allowed Confederate leaders to vote and hold public office. It did not work because both sides slowly tried to turn back to their pre-war ideals.

20. How did the presidential election of Hayes/ Tilden resemble the Bush/Gore election of 2000? http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h396.html The Compromise of 1877 was a “back room” deal that assured Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency as long as southern demands were met: Union troops leave the south, Under the terms of this agreement, the Democrats agreed to accept the Republican presidential electors (thus assuring that Rutherford B. Hayes would become the next president), provided the Republicans would agree to the following:

· To withdraw federal soldiers from their remaining positions in the South

· To enact federal legislation that would spur industrialization in the South

· To appoint Democrats to patronage positions in the South

· To appoint a Democrat to the president’s cabinet.

I love January!

2011-01-06T19:23:00.000-08:00

   Ok... I know this is probably weird, but I love Mondays, Januarys, and a new year. The weather in Arizona could not be greater, I forced myself to throw the rest of the cheese ball and fudge away (just wiped the last tear also) and I'm finishing some projects that are long overdue. Each January, I run to Franklin-Covey and buy my little pocket monthly calendar; not the whole planner thing, mind you, just those pages. Of course, the entire store was 30% off... except those little pages. Whatever....
    I love to watch my husband teeter on the ladder as he shoves the last Christmas box through the slightly larger opening in the attic. (This is our long-standing battle every year... "Why can't we have steps installed? You are too old to be up on that ladder with those huge boxes! Watch out! You are going to kill yourself! Don't wrench your shoulder again! blah, blah....It would be a simple thing to install steps, but my husband still thinks he's 27, and will do 27 year old things until he ends up in traction. It's very romantic and part of our holiday tradition.)

    Yesterday we resumed our American History study. Gotta tell you that there are a lot of die-hard, smart patriots attending. We actually combined the two classes and are just doing the Wednesday morning class. We studied the "Reconstruction Era" this week. What a great discussion! I love you guys! I have learned a ton from all of you, as well as Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen. We talked about the "14th Amendment" written in 1866 which states that a baby born on U.S. soil is an automatic citizen. This was to ensure citizenship to the freed blacks. Wow! Has that law been twisted and misconstrued?
     Today a few of us attended the Mesa Republican Women meeting and listened to Russell Pearce and Kirk Adams discuss this law in conjunction with the SB1070 and "anchor baby" mess that Arizona is dealing with today. Honestly, I was very encouraged. They seem to believe that the courts will side with AZ and change the meaning of the 14th Amendment to its original meaning and stop handing out free stuff to every person who crosses the border to have babies and raise them on the backs of hard-working Americans.
     But I digress... for you who couldn't make it yesterday, Lon, Shirley, Carrie, Carol, Son Hee, etc... we really missed you and hope you can make it next week as we talk about "Lighting out for the Territories!" See you then!

Class Syllabus

2011-01-03T08:11:00.000-08:00

A Patriot’s History of the United States Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen
January 5	Chapter 10	IDEALS AND REALIITES OF RECONSTRUCTION: Lincoln assassinated, Johnson, Radical Republicans, KKK, Grant, 14^th and 15^th Amendments, Credit Mobilier Scandal, Panic of 1873, For Post-War Questions, Freedmen, Grant and “The Era Of Good Stealings”, Hayes.
“ 6	1865-1876

January 12	Chapter 11	LIGHTING OUT FOR THE TERRITORIES: Oregon Trail, Pioneers, Gold Rush, Homestead Act, Prairie Population and National Radicalism, Introduction of labor unions.
“ 13	1861-1890

January 19	Chapter 12	SINEWS OF DEMOCRACY: Life after Reconstruction Hayes, prosperity and Social “Reform”, Titans of Industry, Greed and Jealousy, Foundations of Progressivism, Cleveland, Harrison.
“ 20	1876-1896

January 26	Chapter 13	“BUILDING BEST, BUILDING GREATLY” - McKinley, Tensions With Cuba, T. Roosevelt, Black and White in Progressive America
“ 27	1896-1912

February 2	Chapter 14	WAR, WILSON AND INTERNATIONALISM: Wilson, Federal Reserve Act, Income tax, WWI, Versailles Treaty, Social justice, South of the Border, Flexing Democracy’s Muscles, Selective Service Act, Churchill, Rise of USSR, Social Reform, Eugenics, Suffrage.
“ 3	1912-1920

February 9	Chapter 15	THE ROARING TWENTIES AND THE GREAT CRASH: Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, Germany’s Weimar Republic, An Economic and Cultural Goliath, Great Bull Market, Crash and Depression.
“ 10	1920-1932

February 16	Chapter 16	ENLARGING THE PUBLIC SECTOR: FDR, New Deal and its unintended results, social change and the Great Depression, SEC established, Minimum Wage, WPA, Social Security, American Cinema, Hitler and German expansion.
“ 17	1932-1940

February 23	Chapter 17	DEMOCRACY’S FINEST HOUR: WWII begins, German occupation in Europe, Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, Allies’ fight back, Democracy’s Industrial Tsunami German surrender, The Holocaust and American Jews.
“ 24	1941-1945

March 2	Chapter 18	AMERICA’S “HAPPY DAYS”: An Atomic world, Truman, The Iron Curtain and the Cold War, Communists in the White House, NATO, Eisenhower, Korean War ends, Castro captures Cuba, Sputnik, The Invisible Man.
“ 3	1946-1959

March 9	Chapter 19	THE AGE OF UPHEAVAL: JFK, Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, JFK assassinated, LBJ, Great Society, Civil Rights Act, NASA, Tax cuts and growth, Trickle Down Economics, Origins of Vietnam Quagmire, The Crime of the Century; Race, Rights, and The War on Poverty, MLK, Origins of Welfare Dependency, Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll; Protests, Mobs and Media, Keynesian Economics, Nixon and Watergate.
“ 10	1960-1974

March 16	Chapter 20	RETREAT AND RESURRECTION: Ford, Middle East instability and economic Crisis, OPEC raises oil prices, Honey, I Shrank the Economy!, Sex, the church and Collapse of Marriage, Carter, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak market first personal computers, Regan And Supply-side Economics.
“ 17	1974-1988

March 23	Chapter 21	THE MORAL CROSSROADS: George H.W. Bush, “Read My Lips”, Communism Collapses in Europe, Operation “Desert Storm”, Saddam Hussein, Clinton, “I Didn’t Inhale”, The Contract with America, Riding Regan’s Coattails, The Roaring 90’s.
“ 24	1989-2000

March 30	Chapter 22	AMERICA , WORLD LEADER: Election of George Bush, Al Gore’s case goes to the Supreme Court, Clintonism collapses, Grand Corruption and Petty Larceny, 9/11, War on Terror, Bush’s “Big Government”, the “Axis of Evil”, Election of 2004, Abu Ghraib and Gitmo
“ 31	2000+

2010-12-26T14:56:00.000-08:00

2010-12-26T14:52:00.000-08:00

The Crisis of the Union - Chapter 9

2010-11-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

Well... tis the season to be crazy! Haven't posted on this blog for a bit. This will actually be the last chapter and discussion we have from "A Patriot's History..." until January 5, 2011. This chapter covers the Civil War barely. It's amazing how much information is available on this important topic. I commend Schweikart and Allen on condensing it into 58 short pages. Our history and the legacy left to us never ceases to amaze me. At this Thanksgiving season, I am especially grateful for those men and women who stood for principles and values and fought to uphold our constitution. My gift to you is page numbers on where to find the answers! But I also included a couple of vocabulary words. Maybe you're offended because you already know what they mean. Good!! Hey - I'm an English teacher. Humor me. Happy reading!

THE CRISIS OF THE UNION 1860-65

CHAPTER 9

Electoral college

Spoils system:

Plebiscite

Jayhawkers

Electoral college: a body of special voters that pledge to vote for the pres. And VP chosen by their state.

Spoils system: In the politics of the United States, a spoil system (also known as a patronage system) is a practice where a political party, after winning an election, gives government jobs to its voters as a reward for working toward victory, and as an incentive to keep working for the party—as opposed to a system of awarding offices on the basis of some measure of merit independent of political activity.
Plebiscite: a vote by the electorate determining public opinion on a question of national importance
Jayhawkers: is a term that came to prominence just before the Civil War in Bleeding Kansas, where it was adopted by militant bands affiliated with the free-state cause. These bands, known as "Jayhawkers", were guerrilla fighters who often clashed with pro-slavery "Border Ruffians". After the Civil War, "Jayhawker" became synonymous with the people of Kansas. Today the term is a nickname for a native-born Kansan.^[1]

1. This is false and can be easily proven. Lincoln would have won even if all the What made the electoral college different in the election of 1860 than in the past? MAPS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ElectoralCollege1860-Large.png Split in the Dem. Party and a difference in ideology – slavery. Some writers blame the Democrats, and especially the Southern Democrats, for Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860. The split in the Democratic Party that summer is said to have opened the door for the new Republican Party. Because the divided Democrats could not agree on a candidate, this theory goes, the split in the party allowed Lincoln to capture the White House with a mere 39 percent of the popular vote.

non-Lincoln votes had gone to a single candidate. Yet the "divided Democrats" myth persists. So here's the math.

Lincoln got 180 electoral votes and 1,865,593 popular votes.

Breckenridge got 72 electoral votes and 848,356 popular votes.

Douglas got 12 electoral votes and 1,382,713 popular votes.

Bell got 39 electoral votes and 592,906 popular votes.

2. Even if you take all the Democratic electors into one pool, they only have 123 electoral votes. Lincoln still wins. But what about the popular vote? As Americans learned again in 2000, elections can hinge on the distribution of votes among the states, and a candidate can win without a majority of the popular vote, so long as he has majorities in key places. So the thing to do is look at the vote by states in 1860. Surely 39 percent of the popular vote couldn't have carried Lincoln into the White House. What made the electoral college different in the election of 1860 than in the past? MAPS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ElectoralCollege1860-Large.png Split in the Dem. Party and a difference in ideology – slavery. Some writers blame the Democrats, and especially the Southern Democrats, for Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860. The split in the Democratic Party that summer is said to have opened the door for the new Republican Party. Because the divided Democrats could not agree on a candidate, this theory goes, the split in the party allowed Lincoln to capture the White House with a mere 39 percent of the popular vote.

United States history, the term Fire-Eaters refers to a group of extremist pro-slavery politicians from the South who urged the separation of southern states into a new nation, which became known as the Confederate States of America. Radically promoted secessionism.

3. Who were the four candidates for president in the 1860 election? Why were there more than two? Steven A. Douglas – Northern Democrat, John Breckinridge – Southern Democrat, John Bell – Constitutional Union party (dying Whig), and Abraham Lincoln – Republican. Steven A. Douglas had the majority of the popular vote but party rules required two-thirds to nominate. Southern Dems came demanding that slavery would be protected by law, but Douglas wanted a “loose” interpretation – not guaranteeing protection, and that the Congress would have discretion over the territories. Southern delegates “walked out” as promised, and found their own candidate: John Breckenridge of Kentucky. Remaining Northern Dems gave Douglas the weak nomination. Both of these incidences diluted Douglas’s chances.

4. Describe the two simultaneous elections on November 6, 1860. Between Lincoln and Douglas in the North, and Bell and Breckinridge in the South. Lincoln carried all northern states except New Jersey – which he split with Douglas. Breckinridge carried the Deep South and Bell had only 39 electoral votes.

5. What last ditch efforts were made by Lincoln and others to compromise with the South and hopefully avoid secession? What was the South’s response? Proposed a constitutional amendment that would prohibit interference with slavery in states where it existed. 1) restore the Missouri Comp. line. 2) prohibit the abolition of slaveholding on federal property in the south, 3) establish compensation for owners of runaways, and 4) repeal “personal liberty” laws in the North (these laws attempted to nullify the “Fugitive Slave Act”. They would even add the word “slavery” to the constitution. The south would not compromise a bit. Thank heaven!

*NOTES: The market plunged at the south leaving the union.

6. Describe the political process in the south whereby secession “passed”. Sound familiar?? It barely passed. “697 wealthy men decided the destiny of over 9 million people, mostly poor, one-third enslaved. Most men fought for their “country” as a duty – not necessarily to promote slavery. They fought for states’ rights against a national government.

7. What was unusual about Jefferson Davis’ view of slavery? He treated his slaves well, and just figured that other masters did the same. Since he did not travel much, he thought that the horrors of slavery were “pure fantasy” and that anyone questioning his opinion was offensive and wrong. He was also an advocate for industrialism and manufacturing.

8. The south complained that the U.S. Constitution was “a failed experiment.” How was the CSA’s constitution different? They gave subsidies to slave owners while passing on the costs of enforcing slave laws on to non-slave owners. All appropriations bills must have 2/3 majority vote. There were virtually no checks and balances which gave Davis unchecked power. The document reflected southern weaknesses that lead to secession in the first place. Namely ideas of: white supremacy, a residual notion of “states rights”, the propaganda that “Cotton is King” and that a Southern republic would not only be freer, but economically superior to the North. (301)

9. Define Southern arrogance and the view of the “Negro” according to President Jefferson Davis.(302) war officially begins.

10. What happened at Fort Sumter? (302-303) VIDEO CLIP The war officially begins. Lincoln resists.

11. How did West Virginia come about? (305) Large pockets of Union support existed in the southern Appalachians. They were very much against slavery.

12. How did gangs like Jesse James’ and others use the “Rebel” cause to commit crime? (306) they pretended to be fighting for the Confederate cause in order to “plunder and pillage”. Only after several crimes committed were they then sworn into the Con. Army.

13. Compare and contrast the North’s and South’s strengths and weaknesses going into war. (306) NORTH: Controlled the navy, held the majority of factories that produced ammo, vital railroad tracks, clothing, food, backing of the Constitution. SOUTH: Determination that their cause was just, military expertise, cotton, which they felt was “King”, railroads running east and west bringing vital supplies down the Missouri River, which was choked off after the fall of New Orleans. BOTH: have met their match on the battle field having been trained in the exact same way by the same leaders, literally fighting “brother against brother”.

NOTES: Confederates berated the North as oppressing the rights of free men while ignoring the fact that the Confederacy forced more free whites under arms than the North. Both sides had huge numbers desert; 10% of Union forces, 12.5% for Confederates.

14. Describe the organization of the military on both sides. (308-309) NORTH: standing army able to draw from a population of over 20 million but over half had deserted to the south. Both sides, therefore, relied on militias that lacked critical military discipline and irregular training of men 15-50. Militia units had tough-sounding names. One big problem was that men were enlisting so quickly that they did not have the means to provide for them.

15. What was the “Conscription Act”? (310) Union issued to “all able-bodied men 18 to 35 to serve for three years.” Ages changed from 17-50. Exemptions granted to postal workers, CSA officials, railroad workers, religious ministry, and those employed in manufacturing plants. Draftees could also hire substitutes. 70,000 in the south compared with 118,000 in the north. Confederates felt that this violated the very cause they were fighting for.

16. Define the strategic “Anaconda Plan” What were its strengths and weaknesses? (312) General Winfield Scott’s strategy to subdue to South. Blockade of Southern ports and called for an advance down the Mississippi River and cut the south in two. Some argued that this was not aggressive enough.

17. How did the South misinterpret their “victory” at Bull Run? (314) They missed a great opportunity to follow the north and possibly end the war. They were very arrogant about this “win”.

18. Describe the strengths and weaknesses of Union generals: McClellan, Pope, Grant, Baell (320) McClellan was boastful but couldn’t quite “close the deal”. He was soft – a lot of talk. Pope was a braggart who was more humiliated than McClellan, Buell was soft and lacked aggressiveness, Grant had to prove himself as he had struggled with alcohol in the past. H was extremely aggressive and successful

19. Having a strong navy was critical to the outcome of the Civil War. Who was in control? Did the South have any advantage? (318) The North was definitely in control but the South had some ships namely the Merrimac that it had confiscated at the fall of Norfolk. It sank a few of the Union fleet.

20. Describe the importance of the battles of Shiloh and Vicksburg. (321-322) Shiloh ( a church) was the bloodiest battle. General Sherman was in command. Vicksburg sealed the South’s doom. Grant was able to isolate Vicksburg and prevent two of the CSA armies from uniting. He cut off all supplies and literally starved the troops and citizens.

21. Who was Salmon P. Chase? How did he attempt to pay for Union debt incurred from the war? (323-324) Head of U.S. Treasury who appointed many “party hacks who often could be relied upon for little else but their partisan loyalty” to fill positions in the department. Gov. increased from 383 in 1861 to 2,000 in 1864. Asked Congress for a tax on incomes over $300, requested new tariffs, expanded land sales, issued twenty-year bonds paying 7% interest.

22. How did “greenbacks” come about? (324) Banks did not want to buy bonds if they had to pay for them in gold, and in Dec. 1861 the Northern banks suspended specie payments on all notes. (South went off gold standard immediately after Fort Sumter). Concerned that soldiers would go unpaid, Chase advanced a paper money concept to Congress that would allow the Treasury to issue $100 million in notes that would circulate as “lawful money, and a legal tender of all debts public and private.” Enacted as the Legal Tender Act of February 1862, the proposal authorized the issue of more than Chase requested - $450 million of the new green-colored billed called greenbacks.

23. What was the disastrous result of the South’s financial strategy? (325) Confederate money attained a reputation for worthlessness – previously seen in the Revolutionary War and not again until the Weimar Republic of Germany which produced hyper-inflation in the 1920’s. A Confederate dollar worth $.82 in gold or silver in 1862, had plummeted to only $0.17 in 1865.

24. How did “free market” vs. “socialist” ideology determine the outcome of the Civil War? (326) Because of the South’s dire straits, it lacked an entrepreneurial base from which to thrive. The government literally confiscated property leaving the war and personal life in total control of the government. The Confederacy reached levels of government involvement unmatched until the totalitarian states of the twentieth century. Confederate officials eerily resembled King George’s agents that Jefferson warned about. “The Confederacy died of big government.” READ P 326 PARA 2: “Six specific….”

25. How did General McClellan get fired from his post? After he left, what events led to the Emancipation Proclamation? (327-328) He did not pursue General Lee after the Battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln fired him and was so upset that he decided to free all the slaves and “rip the heart out of the rebellion”.

26. What were Lincoln’s four objectives of the Emancipation Proclamation? (330) Lincoln’s view of Emancipation was moral over military or political. 1) Save the Union by freeing the slaves 2) prove to Europe that the Confederates were “pariah” 3) freeing the slaves changed property into people which decimated their industry and physical assets 4) contributions of black troops

27. How did the war effort in the North change after the Emancipation? (331) Blacks fought in battle instead of just building and clearing land,

28. What happened to Southern General “Stonewall” Jackon? (334) Accidently shot by his own men.

29. What is the significance of the Battle of Gettysburg? How was General Meade different than other Union Generals? (337) Tremendous loss

30. Who was General William Tecumseh Sherman? What was his legacy to the war? (339)

31. Define “Copperheads” and “Radical Republicans”. (342) Copperheads, a name given by Republicans to a vocal group of Democrats in the North opposed to the war likening them to a poisonous snake, The Radical Republicans were a loose faction of American politicians within the Republican Party from about 1854 (before the American Civil War) until the end of Reconstruction in 1877.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_Republicans

32. Explain the emotional and complete surrender of Robert E. Lee. (346)

33. What happened to Jefferson Davis? (347) Fled to Richmond and plead with his people to send troops and help defend him. They didn’t. He was granted amnesty by Pres. Andrew Johnson and became an embarrassment to the Confederate cause.

34. What was the “Lost Cause Theory”? (350) Sought to prove the irrelevancy of slavery to the cause of the war. That economic issues and the immoral North and the honorable south

35. How did Marxism play into reconstruction? (351) Leftists complain that Lincoln was too conservative, and blocked genuinely radical(and to them, positive) redistribution of not only plantation owners’ wealth, but all wealth. America’s Civil War was ultimately and overwhelmingly about the idea of freedom: whether one group of people could restrict the God-given liberty of others. That the Republicans, in their zeal to free slaves, enacted numerous ill-advised taxes, railroad, and banking laws, was a minor consequence to the big picture. The South perverted classic libertarianism – libertarianism did not pervert the South.

The message of the election?

2010-11-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

Well, by now, we've all had our little parties in our heads about the election. I must say it was glorious. Two big mysteries still remain, however.... California and Nevada. Thanks to the great democratic system in California, we here in AZ are closer than ever to actually having beach front. Thanks Senator "Please-don't-call-me-ma'am" Boxer.

Just found this picture of former Congressman Alan Grayson of Florida in his new job as Wal-Mart security. What will happen to you if he catches you committing a no-no? You will "Die quickly! That's right! Die quickly". So... be nice to each other out there in Fla.
What a remarkable gift our republic is! No more can anyone say, "my vote doesn't count." Congrats to the Tea Party people. You are a force for good. Keep up the good fight; all of us. It's so great to see people turn back to God who gave us these blessings in the first place. Let's remind each other not to be lulled back into "carnal security".... talkin' to you Republicans. You are definiately on probation this time. As we painfully found out, we must guard our freedoms with our very lives. Continue to pray night and day, and exemplify a grateful heart at all times. We are going to have to tighten our belts as the country resets itself, but we will do it together. God bless each of you. God bless America.

THE HOUSE DIVIDING, 1848-1860 CHAPTER 8

2010-11-11T15:59:00.000-08:00

THE HOUSE DIVIDING, 1848-60

CHAPTER 8

1. Describe the after-math of the John Brown/Harper’s Ferry incident. Include reactions from the following: the newspapers, politicians, citizens, etc.

John Brown was an abolishionist who thought that if he could collapse Virginia, he could end slavery. His group of 17 whites and 5 freed blacks stormed Harper’s Ferry armory. Their insurrection planned to arm the slaves in revolt on October 18, 1859. Unfortunately, reinforcements failed to show up before General Robert E. Lee’s forces surrounded and killed many of the rioters. Brown was bayoneted several times but lived to face trial. He was convicted and hung on December 2, 1859. This incident sparked a deep division between the north and the south.

SOUTH: triggered paranoia of slave rebellion in the south. They thought Brown to be crazy or insane. Many of his family members were in asylums and suffered from lunacy. They figured he was just a product of his family.

NORTH: Immortalized him as a true saint or martyr. Thoreau and Emerson wrote and eulogized him for good. A song written by David S. Reynolds, “John Brown’s Body” was later changed by Julia Ward Howe and renamed “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”. http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=amss&fileName=as1/as106750/amsspage.db&recNum=0

2. What was the “dark side, nether side” of society at this time? Growing population and influx of immigrants. Most cities unable to deal with or keep up with the physical needs of everyday living. New York’s Bowery, or “Hell’s Kitchen”, referred to by police because of its filth and crime. 30,000 orphans roamed the streets, prostitution. Gangs, Boss Tweed – a NY politician who swindled between $25-45 million from NY city taxpayers. (one historian estimated $75-200 million!) He was tied to Tammany Hall – similar to the unions and would attempt to intimidate voters going to the polls.

3. Early America was made up of energetic and motivated immigrants. Generally, what contributions were the Irish known for? Germans? After the potato famine in Ireland, there were more Irish in the US than in Ireland! At this time, the gov. took no income tax. The Irish suffered great persecution (Catholics) got involved in politics, government jobs such as policemen, Germans: more skilled than Irish: steel, mechanical, musical instrument trades, pianos, breweries, rifles, eyeglasses, Heinz ketchup,

4. Slavery is stronger and woven more deeply into the fabric of American society. What three reasons are cited for this? NOTES: Profits – although the northern factories were more profitable, free market system that promotes the slave trade was also striving to abolish it, southerners needed the force of gov. to maintain and expand slavery and without it, a combination of the market and slave revolts would have ultimately ended the institution. NOTES: population of 3.84 million slaves in 1860 represented “60% of agricultural wealth in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and South Carolina. The census showed that slaves accounted for $3 billion in wealth; an amount more than the railroad and manufacturing wealth combined! Definition of property rights:

5. Northern industrialists profited more on their return on their business investment than the south did with slavery. If this is true, why did the south continue with slavery? Why not transition into northern-like industry? Long-held family tradition of slavery. Southerners did not understand the industrial system, psychic gains – dominance and control. NOTES: laws were passed in the south making it illegal to educate slaves. They could not meet in groups, own land, or finance their own freedom. Capitalism could not work as long as slavery was permitted anywhere. The government provided loopholes for slave owners to circumvent the system.

6. Describe George Fitzhugh’s Marxist view of man. What were Fitzhugh’s beliefs about slavery? George Fitzhugh believed in the Marxist labor theory of value http://www.isil.org/resources/lit/labor-theory-val.html and that all men were basically slaves; including whites. Being a strong proponent of slavery, he taught that those employed in the evil Northern factories were really the ones being enslaved. He said that “African slaves probably lived better than the Northern factory worker and that they were liberated from all decision making.” Their masters kindly did that for them! And he added (p 261)… “a Southern farm is the beau ideal of Communism; it is a joint concern, in which the slave consumes more than the master… and is far happier, because although the concern may fail, he is always sure of support.”

7. How did perverted Christian views and doctrines to attempt to justify slavery? Mid-1800’s said that the bible condoned slavery as a positive good and was the only hope of salvation for Africans. Believed that “Christianizing” Africans was not possible without the intervention of slavery. Came to view slavery as “social control”

8. Who fomented and perpetuated slavery uprisings? What affect did the uprisings have? Nat Turner and Denmark Vesey. Nat Turner won his freedom in a lottery and started a Methodist Church with over 1,000 members. Vesey started a rebellion that was later determined to not be a rebellion at all. Denmark Vesey was born on the island of St. Thomas in 1787 and was captured by the owner of a slave ship, Capt. Joseph Vesey. Became educated and won $1,500 in a lottery; $600 of which he used to buy his freedom. Day after day, he witnessed the injustice suffered by his people and therefore planned a rebellion sort of like the one John Brown would attempt years later. Vesey had approx. 9,000 slaves at the ready to revolt. A white house servant got wind of the plan and told his master. Vesey called off the insurrection but many, including him, were hanged. Affect was that southerners became even more paranoid about blacks uprising. It was a crime to teach a slave to read or write. White masters’ determined that blacks had to be kept away from Christianity and Christianity away from blacks. Religion and government worked together to enforce slavery laws. Civil disturbances, censorship of mails and newspapers from the North, infringement of free speech, right to assemble. One Maryland county enacted a resolution requiring vigilante committees to visit the houses of every free black “regularly” for “prompt correction of misconduct.” http://www.nndb.com/people/937/000110607/

*Turner felt that he was lead by God to lead an insurrection. “The last shall be first.” Sight of a solar eclipse in February 1831 would be the sign to begin. He and several others stormed the house of his master, Joseph Travis and murdered all inside. They stole horses, liquor and guns and repeated this at other homes until U.S. troops and marines stopped them. He was later hanged after hiding out for six weeks.

9. Who was William Lloyd Garrison? What did he contribute? A fanatic who badgered others for vices that he did not agree with: drinking, gambling, lotteries, Sabbath violations, and war. Abandoned by his father when he was 3 years old, he spent his life trying to get attention and his “15 minutes of fame” by meddling in others’ lives. He became a celebrity and posted his beliefs in the National Philanthropist. He accused a merchant of slave atrocities for which the man threw him in jail. This fomented his “martyr” personae. He ripped up his copy of the constitution because many people believed that the document promoted slavery. Joined with Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, and other abolitionists to fight against slavery.

10. Define “popular sovereignty”. How did politicians use it to their advantage? People could decide the rules and regulations of each state; (slavery being the top issue) as opposed to the government making those decisions. Majority ruled. Crooked law makers could “rig” vote by bringing in immigrants for support of their cause. Many times, the immigrants would not know what they were voting for, but the structure was nonetheless in place.

11. Define the unintended consequences of the “Fugitive Slave Law”. Discuss a current law that has resulted in unintended consequences. Example: Prohibition in 1920 was to abolish alcohol and its evils. Unintended consequences were many small businessmen lost their livelihoods, increased violent crime, etc. This law contained several provisions that Southerners saw as reasonable and necessary but soon turned against them. Runaway slaves were denied any aright to jury trial. Commissioners received ten dollars for every runaway delivered to claimants, but only five dollars for cases in which the accused was set free. Any free citizen could help capture slaves. As a result, innocent people were captured, many Northerners were looked as accomplices to slavery as they were sending slaves back into slavery! Enforcement was expensive. Five thousand dollars was spent to capture one slave. And after that, the law was no longer enforced. The Underground Railroad played a huge role in this – assisting almost 50,000 slaves to escape.

NOTES: Henry Clay’s fifth time to run for president vs. Zachary Taylor!! He gets killed again because he is completely anti- slavery in new territories gained from the Mexican War. He also was against annexing Texas. That got him. Taylor, a Louisiana slave holder, was not affiliated with any party. Believed in “popular sovereignty” and that the Wilmot Proviso was not needed (permitting no slavery in lands accrued from the Mexican War.)

12. What was the “Kansas-Nebraska Act”? How did it lead to the Civil War? Desire for a mid-eastern transcontinental railroad with a major hub in Chicago, whose expenses would be offset by grants from public lands. Steven A. Douglas, attempting to assuage contention between north and south, and win potential votes for the upcoming presidential election, wrote into the bill the “popular sovereignty” law thereby abolishing a thirty year covenant and allowing possible slavery to the entire Louisiana Purchase. Turned out to be a disastrous bill. This nearly destroyed the Democratic party and started a national crisis. *NOTES: Virtually anyone could cross state or territorial lines to vote. People came from all over to “stack the deck” for their side. But if Kansas became a free soil state, it would cause a “free zone” below the slavery line for the first time in American history. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Missouri_Compromise_Line.svg

13. Explain the media coverage of the “sack of Lawrence”, “Brook’s canes”, and the “Harper’s Ferry” incident. The press greatly exaggerated these stories to promote violence, inflame and propagandize their own ideology. The lid was finally starting to blow off the slavery pot.

*NOTES: Two new parties were partially responsible for dismembering the Whigs. One was the American Party whose platform was against the massive immigration of Irish and Germans. They banded together, secretly and voted in massive blocks of power. They became known as the “Know Nothings” because they would deny or not answer any questions asked about their group. They sealed their doom by shunning the very people who were also against slavery and could have gained much politically from their support. The other was the Anti-Nebraska Party or the Republicans. Attacked slavery head on instead of dancing around it.

14. What made the “Dred Scott” case so controversial? Why did the judges overturn the ruling? What affects did it have? Dred Scott was a slave who went all the way to the supreme court to appeal for his own freedom. The St. Louis circuit court ruled that he was free. Two years later, the Missouri supreme court stepped in and overturned the rule. He finally ended up at the federal supreme court where Justice Roger B. Taney made the shocking decision that “because he was black, he had no right to sue in the first place. Africans were not protected by the Constitution because they were not US citizens, and therefore had no rights at all.” The court overturned the rule because it was such a monumental and controversial issue. Even though he lost, it put slavery in the forefront of social discussion.

15. Define the Lecompton Constitution and its role in fomenting the inevitability of the Civil War. The Kansas election of 1857 was heated and in turmoil. Governor Walker observed much voter fraud as pro-slavery Democrats illegally wrote their own Lecompton Constitution. While free soilers, or Anti-slavery factions boycotted this constitution crying out the “popular sovereignty” rule, but to no avail. They then went to Topeka, Kansas and drew up their own constitution, both sides even elected their own state representatives which increased divisiveness and tensions! Both sides fought for their agenda as the legitimacy of the Lecompton constitution went back and forth through referendums and legalities only fomenting more tension.

The original application for statehood would have granted 23 million acres of federal land to pro-slavery Kansas if the people accepted the Lecompton Constitution but this was cut substantially to 4 million acres. There was also a bribe attached: If the people did not accept the constitution, they would not only be denied statehood, but they would not be allowed to reapply until the population reached ninety thousand. Buchanan was shocked and delivered a crushing blow when the people rejected the offer. In the ten years of fighting and negotiations, advocates had not achieved one inch of pro-slavery land.

16. What were Abraham Lincoln’s feelings about organized religion? About the separation of church and state? How would you describe his relationship to God? How did Gettysburg affect that relationship? Lincoln did not believe in organized religion until he experienced severe trials in his own life; the deaths of his mother, his son, Tad and especially what he saw at Gettysburg. He believed in the separation of church and state. He was a devout believer in the scriptures and in “doing good to all men”. He lived his “religion” in everything he did – based on his love of Jesus Christ.

17. Define the debates between Lincoln and Douglas. Why do you think Lincoln was more appealing to the masses than Douglas? Both parties agreed to seven debates – all centering on slavery - vying for the Illinois senator seat. Douglas was the incumbent and won despite the Republicans winning the popular vote – an ominous sign to Dems. Unlike political debates of today, these were festive gatherings where true debates about the issues prevailed. The opponents often took friendly jabs at each other, but left shaking hands leaving it up to the voters to decide which view they supported. Lincoln managed to shift the slavery issue to the morals of it not the economic value which had prevailed for so many decades. *What made Lincoln stand out and again credibility with the voters was that he embraced the moral and logical designation of slavery as an inherent evil, while distancing himself from the fanatics like the Grimke sisters of William Lloyd Garrison. He focused on the law of the constitution in the Republic. (READ: page 290 – red)

18. Why did 90 percent of southern congressmen vote to not reopen the African slave trade? At this point, Southerners had to rationalize their belief in the slave trade, but had to come up with a reason not to re-open the slave trade to Africa. They reasoned that slaves already here were content, and the blacks in Africa were “cannibals”. The issue of morality was at the heart of this debate. “If it was right to buy slaves in Virginia and carry them to New Orleans, why is it not right to buy them in Africa and carry them here?” asked William Yancey. Lincoln would have reversed the question. “If it’s wrong to enslave free people in Africa and bring them to Virginia, why is it acceptable to keep slaves in either Virginia or New Orleans.

19. What was the Wanderer and how was it involved in a crime? What happened to Charles A. L. Lamar? The issue intensified after the “Wanderer” case where cotton trader, Charles Lamar, purchased the ship that went to Africa. He purchased 600 slaves of which only 300 survived. When rumors of the docked slave ship reached authorities, a federal investigation ensued. Corruption in the southern courts was even more evident when Lamar was not arrested, and no legal action against the criminals was taken. When the ship was put up for auction, Lamar, the only bidder, ?” announced that “the episode had given him good experience in the slave trade and that he would apply it in the future.” It was obvious that the south had no intension of upholding anti-slave laws – or any laws, for that matter. This ultimately started the Civil War.

Trancendentalism...I finally get it!

2010-10-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

   I have to admit... my years at BYU majoring in English were sometimes grueling! I started off in nursing because two of my sisters were nurses. However, I soon discovered that you have to be good at blood, bed baths and numbers so.... that changed pretty quickly. What could I do? What was I good at? There were no majors for experts in "Mad Magazine" trivia, so I did the second closest - English Literature. I was excited until I saw the people in my "neighborhood". My classmates were mostly pre-law brainiacs that sat with one arm perched on their worn briefcases that hid the remains of a pb&j, the other arm shooting directly and permanently into the ceiling because they knew the answers to EVERYTHING! Case in point, discussing Hermann Melville's "Moby Dick". This one I get. So this guy, Captain Ahab, is kind of a lunatic who goes out into the ocean by himself on a mission to kill this massive killer whale that is tormenting him. And... who wouldn't be tormented by a massive killer whale? Solution? Stay away from the whale. But... I digress...The professor asks, "Can anyone tell me what the fishing line is symbolic of ?" I think... duh.... dinner? But I hesitate raising my hand thinking that is too easy. Mr. Law Guy practically bursts a neck vein trying to answer. "Yes, Merwin?"
    "Well, as I sat in my cubicle on the 4th floor of the library last night and purused the meaning of Captain Ahab and this fish who metamorphizzified into Ahab's metaphysical preponderacismist (see blog post September 14, '10) child, it dawned on me that the fishing line represented a sort of societal dental floss, if you will. Ahab is so focused on destroying this mammoth creature, that he doesn't realize the spinach, or little common annoying people, that are crowding between his teeth which are his entrenched beliefs taught to him by an obviously abusive father and sickly, fish-loathing stepmother- which will eventually decay his enamel - family. That fishing line is death to Ahab, death to Moby Dick, death to Amedika!"
"Why, yes Merwin. How insightful of you!"
   Now I'm flipping through the pages thinking I'm in the wrong class.That's about how it went for the first year. Then I slowly began to understand. You gotta have a dorky briefcase to survive in English. Anywho...
   This chapter of "A Patriot's History..." I loved! It's all about the emerging literature and arts. Granted, you have the loonies who believe in "social reform, social justice, all religion stinks" crowd (some things never change, eh?) But it's been so fun to actually understand what the Naturalists, Transcendentalists, Romanticists all believed and why. It was a dark and sad part of our history. They had to escape somehow. Worst of all Alfred E. Newman was just a twinkle in Howard Kurtsman and William Gaines' eyes.

Red Foxes and Bear Flags

2010-10-22T00:39:00.001-07:00

Chapter Seven Study Guide

Red Foxes and Bear Flags

1. The Jacksonian period is associated with a time of great social reform. Explain.

2. Why did people feel that they especially needed “spiritual sustenance” at this time?

3. What are the similarities and differences of the First and Second Great Awakenings?

4. Define communalism, Transcendentalism, Bible Communism, Individualism, Abolitionism

5. How have the roles of women changed?

Describe the typical education under Horace Mann and other educational reformers.

6. Artists of the day were most famous for painting what?

7. Discuss the literary authors of the period. What were the popular topics they wrote about?

8. As far as the arts are concerned, what seemed to be the recurring theme of the American ways of life?

9. Describe the economy as Van Buren takes office and the “free market” solutions he proposes to fix it.

10. How did John Tyler become president? How would you define his presidency?

11. Describe America’s expansion into Texas. “Remember the Alamo!”

12. Why was Texas initially denied statehood?

13. How did Polk incite war against Mexico? Why did he do that?

14. Describe the “Wilmot Proviso”.

15. How did the Mormon Battalion play into America’s annexing of California?

16. Define the provisions of “The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo”. Why was Polk furious about it?

17. Describe expansion into California and Oregon. What was the “Mormon Trail”?

What do Barney Frank and Willie Wonka have in common??

2010-10-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

Hey kids! Just in case there was any question of the government's authority whatsoever.... here ya go! Thanks to Debbie Allen for this entry. Gosh Deb... not sure if this qualifies for "mind-numbing nonsense" because it's all true. But good luck! We'll be pullin' for ya!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO2eh6f5Go0

Congrats to Linda for mind-numbing nonsense!

2010-10-16T21:20:00.000-07:00

Way to go Linda! Your comment on "Eight countries suing AZ over 1070" took the cake this week. Three weeks left in October and then we'll vote on the best one of the month! Keep them coming everyone!