American History Homework Eleven Answers - Student Ten

Katie B

1\. One value in learning history is that you better appreciate the great people in the world today and the ones long since dead, that made not only our nation, but the world, what it is now.

Good, but I cringe a bit at the phrase "great people." Is anyone "great" other than God? But I know what you mean and your answer is good.

2\. I think that it was virtually impossible for us not to get involved in the war. Innocent people were dying and we were allied with Britain at the time. I’m not sure what the difference would’ve been if we’d entered sooner as opposed to later or vice versa. However, I believe that Roosevelt used a backhanded way of involving for entirely selfish reasons. He could have saved all the soldiers that died in Pearl Harbor but he didn’t because it was the best way to get us in the war. That was wrong. So if us entering sooner would have stopped that, I believe we should have entered sooner.

Excellent, though note that it is not proven that Roosevelt really knew about the imminent attack on Pearl Harbor. We had broken the Japanese codes and the attack planes were noticed on radar. But your fellow student Duncan says Roosevelt did not know, and it is remains an unresolved issue in history.

3\. I like the approach we used with Ellis Island the best. It wasn’t a flawless system, obviously, but it allowed for people to flee the bad situations in their old countries to a new life here. America is supposed to be the one place where all men are equal so this seems like a logical, American way of admitting immigrants.

Good, but within limits?

4\. What I like about the Roaring Twenties the best is the great economy. Living in America today it’s easy for kids from less affluent families to feel their parents’ struggles with paying the bills. Businesses are closing everywhere; hundreds of people are out of work. If I had lived during the Roaring Twenties I think I would have a much happier family, with less tension over spending and financial issues, and more focus on our relationship with one another and our faith.

Excellent, but note that faith can suffer most when there is too much wealth, as happened eventually to the Puritans! (Wealth was their ultimate downfall.)

5\. I think the New Deal was a great idea in theory, but a not so great idea in practice. Mainly because it didn’t work. If I had been president I wouldn’t have rushed to ‘help’ the economy as FDR did. I wouldn’t have passed such severe legislation as ending the gold standard and emergency banking. This didn’t help, only gave a false sense of security. The first caused inflation, making more money, but it was worth less. The second stopped withdrawal from banks and also gave them more money, much like the bail out we saw a few weeks ago. But, the money has to come from somewhere, and the government gets its funds from the people. The New Deal was basically Roosevelt trying to yank the nation to its feet when it barely had the strength to kneel.

Fascinating and insightful answer.

6\. Absolutely not. The Japanese had already informally offered a conditional surrender before we dropped the first one; surrender on the same conditions we ended up accepting in the end. Hundreds upon hundreds of innocent men, women and children died during the originally explosion and the effects that lasted for many months afterward. It was heinous that we would kill so many civilians, uninvolved in the war beyond the fact that they were born in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Very well argued! Good to take a strong position like that, and support it passionately. Will use as a model!

7\. The cartoon shows a ‘shade’ of Teddy Roosevelt exclaiming that his ‘big stick’ isn’t nearly as big as the ones wielded by the House and the Senate after FDR’s election. This is a reference to the sudden Democratic power in both branches the representatives enjoyed. It was probably drawn by a Republican, as he seems to side with Teddy. The date was probably around 1932-1933. I think it’s funny that both Roosevelts are referred to in this cartoon. Also, Teddy had been dead since 1919. The cartoonist calls him a ‘shade’. Shades are a part of Greek mythology referring to the ghosts of warriors who had died.

Wow, I didn't know all that! Perfect analysis.

Terrific paper, one of the very best. 70/70. Perfect!--Aschlafly 17:46, 6 December 2008 (EST)