American History Homework Seven Answers - Student Eight

VeronikaF

1.What was the "Gilded Age"? The “Gilded Age” was a period of time, at the end of the 1880s, when the greed and difficulties of America hid under a golden façade from which it appeared to be prosperous. Many people became rich by dealing with dishonest or aggressive business practices.

Superb answer. I'm very impressed by your "ç" symbol also in "facade"!

2.What do you like about Thomas Edison, and do you think homeschooling him created enormous wealth? I admired Thomas Edison for his perseverance and courage to prove to the world that anyone with determination can achieve great things. He never gave up, even with criticism from his former teacher. Homeschooling helped Edison think for himself and concentrate on the subjects he enjoyed, eventually helping him to create ideas and inventions without the help of another. At school he might have never had the encouragement from teachers to achieve his goals. He would never have the opportunity to think of the unbelievable and experiment.

Superb answer, may use as a model answer. I want to see what your other answers say!

3.How do you think the frontier might have affected the views of Americans? The frontier planted democracy and individualism in the minds of Americans. The free-spirited frontier was what America really was, a place to start a new life. The frontier was a reminder to everyone that their ancestors were the ones who settled a wild country and that they were still just beginning to grow.

Terrific answer. Will use this as a model answer.

4.What do you think is special about the United States that has made it the world leader in inventions? America was a young country and they were open to new ideas. Many Americans thought of the impossible because they fought and won against the British who were at that time a strong nation with a large army. Many people believed that the weak and clumsy Americans would have no chance of defeating the British.

Good.

5.How influential do you think political cartoons really are? Give an example or two. Political cartoons have been used for centuries to show the opinions of average Americans. They were influential in some presidential elections and helped campaigns gain more favor. They showed what was on most people’s minds at that particular time. Cartoons help people better understand visually. The cartoon with the Russian bear, John Bull, and Columbia showed how Russia was trying to make peace between Britain and America.

Good again.

6.Other than Thomas Edison, who do you think was the most influential person between 1877 and 1896? President Cleveland was the most influential person between 1877 and 1896 because he stood his ground and did not let himself be influenced by other people as shown when “Coxey’s Army” marched into D.C. and demanded that the government assist workers by giving them a job in public projects. Cleveland did not bail out the banks in the Panic of 1893 even if he was criticized greatly.

Superb.

7.Please interpret the above cartoon, with special emphasis on explaining the images used and including a description of the point of view of the cartoonist. Uncle Sam, the man who is sinking in the gold quicksand, refers to how the gold standard of America was soon overshadowed by the silver standard. When there was such an abundance of silver, it soon lost a great deal of its value. In the cartoon there is only a small stream of quicksand, gold, running through vast mountains, silver. Uncle Sam is heading towards prosperity where the mountains of silver start to subside. Many farmers wanted inflation and did not like when the value of silver decreased. Soon America started to have gold as their most used standard instead of the silver standard. The cartoonist thought that silver should be a standard because if Uncle Sam is swallowed up by the gold quicksand, America is unable to back out.

Good, but your explanation seems slightly off. The cartoon advocates use of silver as a standard to bring America to prosperity. I think you're reading a bit too much into the "abundance of silver" and its loss in value. The cartoonist supports the use of silver and nothing relates to the decline in value of silver. But otherwise your analysis is well done. (Minus 1).

Terrific answers again! Score: 69/70. Well done!