Introduction:

Read the introduction and the first four sections from the History 16 reading assignments and questions link on my webpage.

5. Read Johnson pp 515-529.  What does he think about Indian Removal? How do you think he would view their special right to run casinos?

6. Read Zinn Chapter 11 "Robber Barons and Rebels."  What is his thesis in this chapter? Did he prove it?  Is his argument that Horatio Alger stories were myths supported by his evidence? How does Zinn view Karl Marx compared to Johnson's book at page 526? What's wrong with the Constitution's contract clause?  What is ironic about Zinn's view of America's educational system?  What is ironic about Zinn's view of the anarchist manifesto, the Central Labor Union's Resolutions, the miners activities, the American Railway Union, and the Populists?  Who was responsible for the Haymarket bombing?

7. Read Johnson pp. 530-569, 591.   What does he think of the "Robber Barons?"  What is his thesis about the Railroads? What is the Absolute Value Fallacy?  What does he think about 19th century unions (Zinn's "Rebels")?

8. Read Hofstadter ch 7.  What was the motivating philosophy behind the politicians and businessmen of the Gilded Age? What did they think about the morality of what they were doing?  Did they engage in philanthropy to vindicate themselves?  What was the difference between the democrats and republicans during this time? 

9. What statement on page 539 of Johnson seems highly questionable.  Does it offer us any other insights into Johnson's approach to history? Do you agree with his thesis at p 576?  Per Johnson,  p. 579, What has been the essential strength of America? Is this still holding true?  Why or why not? p 594 what does he think about materialism? Do you agree? Read Johnson pp 599-609.  What does he think about monopolies?  Is there a flaw in this thinking?  What does he think about Populism and Progressivism? 

10. Read Hofstadter chapter 8.  What does he think of William Jennings Bryan?  In what way does he embody a certain kind of American thinking? What is that kind of thinking?  Is that kind of  thinking still with us today? Why did Jennings lose the 1896 election? Why did he lose the election of 1900?  What was his essential fault?

11. Read Zinn Chapter 13.  What do you think of the cave-man analogy?  Who is poisoned by a passion for money?  What is ironic about Philip Federman?  What is Zinn's race thesis? Do the workers and employers have anything in common? Would "direct action" work? Was Joe Hill guilty? How about Big Bill Heywood?  Was Margaret Sanger a hero?  Did it matter that women obtained suffrage?  Were workmen's compensation laws an improvement? Why did the progressive movement emerge?

12. Read Hofstadter ch 9.  What is his thesis regarding Teddy Roosevelt?  How did he feel about rich businessmen?  What did he think about the poor masses?  What was his attitude towards labor unions?  How about workers rights generally?  What did he think about the populists?  What was his attitude toward racial minorities? What did he value most?  How were his values shaped by his childhood? How did he feel about the Spanish-American War? Why did he earn the Nobel Peace Prize?  In what way was he similar to William Jennings Bryan?  In what way was he different?  What did he think about the Germans in WWI? What brought an end to his life?  

13. Read Zinn chapter 12 "The Empire and the People." What is his thesis? What problems are there with it?  How does his thesis regarding the populists conflict with what he said about them in chapter 11?  What efforts did communist labor unions and the progressives make toward race relations?  What position did labor take regarding the Spanish-American War? What similarity do you see between Zinn's thesis here and his thesis regarding blacks who traded slaves in Africa?

14. Read Johnson pp. 609-624. How does Johnson's thesis about the Spanish American War differ from Zinn's?

15. Read Zinn Chapter 14 "War is the Health of the State."  According to Zinn, why did the U.S. become involved in WWI?  Why did the Germans sink the Lusitania?  What was wrong with the Espionage Act? Why did socialists oppose the war?  To what extent were elites involved in a conscious conspiracy?   Read Johnson pp. 628-654. According to Johnson why did the U.S. become involved in the war? How badly did the U.S. want to become involved?  What were Wilson's chief characteristics?  Why did the U.S. fail to ratify the League of Nations?

16. Read Hofstadter ch 10.  What is his thesis regarding Woodrow Wilson?  What motivating forces drove him? In what way was Wilson like William Jennings Bryan?  In what way was Wilson like Teddy Roosevelt?  What did Wilson think about organized labor?  What did he think about Populism?  In what ways did Wilson's thoughts about World War I change?  According to Hofstadter, what did most Americans think about U.S. involvement in World War I?  In what way do you see providential secular history played out in Wilson?

17. Read Johnson pp. 656-724.  What do you think of his treatment of the Sacco & Vanzetti case (versus Zinn) and of Warren Harding?

Midterm Exam TTH Class  3-11

Midterm Exam MW Class 3-19

18. Read Zinn Ch 15 "Self Help in Hard Times" and Johnson pp. 727-768.  At p. 383 Zinn  has a quote that begins "A classmate killed..."  What  is he trying to prove through this evidence?   Are you convinced?  How else can you explain these events?  On page 384 he discusses the "Mellon Plan."  Do you agree that it was unfair?  Why or why not?  Per Zinn, what caused the Great Depression?   What was wrong with the New Deal programs, especially, the Wagner Act?   Specifically,  what kind of "self-help" does he advocate? What does Johnson think caused the Great Depression?  What was wrong with the New Deal?  Who really started the New Deal programs?  What were FDR's most noteworthy characteristics?  What does he think of Mellon?  What is the legacy of the New Deal?

19.  Read Hofstadter chapter 11.  What does he think of Herbert  Hoover?  How did he perform during WWI?   What was it that ruined him?   Why did he fail as a politician?  How did his experience with rags to riches taint him?   What was his reaction to the Great Depression?  What was the purpose of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation?   What did he think about the New Deal?   What was his position regarding U.S. intervention in WWII?

20. Read Hofstadter Chapter 12.  How did FDR and Hoover differ in terms of their own personal histories?  What similarity did thy share? How did FDR differ from Hoover in terms of his general approach to problem solving?  How did he and Hoover differ in terms of personality?  What was ironic about his New Deal program when contrasted to statements he had made during the 1920's?  To what degree was Roosevelt sophisticated in his understanding of economics?  Why did the New Deal fail?  What was FDR's position regarding U.S. involvement in WWII?  What was his relationship with Stalin like?

20. Read Zinn ch. 16  "A Peoples War?" and Johnson pp. 768-804.  Per Zinn,  why did the U.S. get involved in WWII?  How popular was the war among Americans?   Were its aims clear?  Did the U.S. help Greece and Turkey by kicking out the fascists? Per Johnson, why did the U.S. enter the war?  Was FDR surprised by the war?  Was the U.S.  isolationist before the war?  How did Wilson antagonize the Japanese?   Was FDR a passionate defender of democracy around the world? 

21. Read Johnson pp 805-841 regarding the Cold War. Critique the thesis.

22. Read Zinn Chapter 17 regarding Civil Rights and Johnson pp 841-876 and 952-963. Critique the thesis.

23. Read Zinn chapter 18 regarding Vietnam and Johnson pp 877-894. Critique the thesis.

24. Read Johnson pp 894-906 regarding Watergate and Zinn pp.542-546. Critique the thesis.

Final Exam:

MW Class:  4-23 8:00-10:00

TTH Class 4-22  2:00-4:00

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