History 143 Assignment Guide, May 5-7, 2009

 

Reading: America: A Concise History, 913-936; Discovering the American Past, 290-307; lecture notes for the semester.

 

Note: In our final discussion, we want to use reading about the last 20 years of U.S. history to trace change and continuity in American history since the late 19th century. This discussion will help you prepare for the comprehensive essay question on your final exam. Use the assigned reading to find the background information; use both your  reading and semester lecture notes to answer the discussion questions.

 

Background information: After reading this assignment, you should know the following:

1.      Why the early 1990s were anxious years for Americans, especially concerning the economy.

 

2.      How race, ethnicity, sex, and class continued to divide American society during the 1990s.

 

3.      Details of the “fourth wave” of immigration to the U.S., especially to California.

 

4.      Failures and successes of the Clinton Presidency and the Republican-controlled Congress.

 

 

Discussion: In class, you should be able to provide thoughtful answers to these questions:

 

  1. Compare immigrations patterns during recent years to immigration patterns from the late 19th century. What are the similarities? Differences?

 

  1. What do the personal accounts of fourth-wave immigrants in California say about the American Dream? (What is the “American Dream”?)

 

  1. The Cold War dominated U.S. foreign policy for nearly 50 years. What would you say are the main goals of U.S. foreign policy today, both in terms of national security and economic interests? Are there similarities with Cold War policies and actions?

 

  1. The U.S. is now in a severe recession. What are the similarities and differences between the government’s and public’s reactions to this recession when compared to reactions to the Great Depression?

 

  1. Since 1900, the federal government has steadily increased in size and power—why? Why are millions of Americans distrustful of a large, powerful federal government? Why do others welcome it? Will the federal government continue to grow? 

 

 

Personal connection: In class, you should be able to provide answers to the following question:

 

What do you believe is the greatest challenge facing the nation today?