The 21st century -- due April 25

What has been the defining moment for America in the 21st Century? Explain. Try to think deep on this one.

9/11 - due April 18

How successful was America in punishing the attackers of 9/11? Was America's "war on terror" a success or failure? Why or why not.

Watergate -- due April 4

Could any of Nixon's achievements in office compensate for his Watergate crime? What should history say about the Nixon presidency?

The 1950s -- due March 26

Was the 1950s a time of American triumph abroad ad affluence at home, or was it a period that actually suppressed many problems of race, women's roles and cultural conformity? Explain.

Red Scare -- due March 21

Were there legitimate concerns behind "red-hunting" in the late 1940s and 1950s? How were McCarthy and other able to turn the search for spies and subversives into an assault on free thinkers and others deemed "different" in some way?

New Deal - due by March 14

Which of Roosevelt's measures were most effective in fighting the depression? Why?

!920s - Week 26

To what extent did the policies of the booming 1920s contribute to the depression? Was the depression inevitable, or could it have been avoided? Why or why not?

WWI

Was it necessary to suppress dissent in order to win WWI? Explain.

Teddy Roosevelt--Week 23

Why was Roosevelt such a popular progressive leader? In what was did he sound like a more ardent reformer than he really was? Explain.

Imperialism -- Week 22

Was imperialism justified during the 1890s? Cite specific examples.

Frontier -- week 21

Why was the "passing of the frontier" in 1890 a disturbing development for
many Americans? Was the frontier more important as a particular place or as
an idea?

Robber Barons -- Week 19

Should industrialists like Vanderbilt, Carnegie and Rockefeller be viewed as "robber barons" or "captains of industry?" Explain.

Civil War

Should the Civil War be seen primarily as a war to save the Union or as a war to free the slaves?Why? What name would you give the conflict?

Civil War

Did the results of the Civil War justify its cost? Does the answer to that question depend on whether you are a Northerner or a Southerner, black or white?

Dred Scott

Did the Supreme Court do too much in its ruling in the Dred Scott case or was it within its traditional Constitutional boundaries? Explain.

Slavery -- Week 13

How effective were the abolitionists in achieving their goals? Did they hasten or delay the end of slavery?

Reform -- week 12

Why did America produce so many reform and utopian movements? What did they contribute to American culture?

King Andrew

 How would the founding fathers assess Andrew Jackson's presidency? Consider Jackson's democratic views, reaction to nullification, , support for expansion and his attack on the BUS.

Court Decisions

Did the Supreme Court decisions under John Marshall's leadership extend federal power too much? Is it appropriate that someone who was not elected should have such tremendous power to shaped the government and the law?

Political Parties -- Week 8 & 9

Why were political parties viewed as so dangerous by the Founding Fathers? Why did parties come into being at all, and why did the come to be accepted as legitimate ways to express political disagreement? What are your opinions of partisan politics today?

Propaganda--Week 7

Which had the greater effect on revolutionary America--Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence or Thomas Paine’s pamphlet “Common Sense?”  Explain.

Road to Revolution -- Week 6

Was the American Revolution inevitable? Could the colonies have gradually and peacefully developed independence within the British Commonwealth, as Canada later did, rather than engaging in a violent revolt? Why?

French & Indian War -- Week 5

Should the French & Indian War be considered one of the major causes of the American Revolution? Why or why not?

Witches -- Week 4

What aspects of the Salem Witch Trials can we see in present day society? Give at least one fully developed example.

Colonial Differences -- Week 3

Considering the extreme differences during the 17th Century between New England and the southern colonies, was the Civil War inevitable?