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The American Experiment: A History of the United States,
Second Edition
Steven M. Gillon, University of Oklahoma
Cathy D. Matson, University of Delaware
et al.
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Journal Questions
Respond to the following journal questions that address the major themes, topics, and issues discussed in this chapter.
- What role did stories such as the Cherokee myth of creation serve in the Native American culture?
- How would historical events have unfolded differently had Vasco da Gama's discovered a sea route around the Cape of Good Hope to India ten years earlier, in 1487?
- Increasingly, the role of Christopher Columbus in history has become a subject of heated debate. How should Columbus be portrayed in history textbooks? Explain.
- Would England have ever developed a stronghold in North America had Spanish conquistadors, such as Juan Ponce de Leon and Hernando de Soto, discovered gold during their expeditions in the "New World"? Explain.
Top- Compare and contrast the Spanish, French, and British treatment of the indigenous peoples of the Western Hemisphere. What factors accounted for any difference?
- Why is the mystery surrounding the failed colony of Roanoke so intriguing? What significance, if any, does it have in American history?
- Why have individuals in history such as Pocahontas become almost mythical figures? What impact does this have on our understanding of American history?
- Explain whether Puritan Massachusetts was truly a "City Upon a Hill?" Has any society ever been deserving of this label? Explain.
- What role do dissenters such as Anne Hutchinson and Roger Williams play in American history? Are rebels, reformers, and dissenters celebrated more in American history than those who support the status quo? Explain.
Top- If you were a Quaker who escaped religious persecution by migrating to Pennsylvania, what would you tell your friends and relatives who remained in England in a letter sent to them?
- As a member of the Lenni Lanape Indian tribe, what would you say of a tribal meeting in which an alliance with Pennsylvania settlers was proposed by tribal leaders?
- Why did it take the British government so long to realize the threat posed by the colonial assemblies?
- Write a letter to the editor of a colonial newspaper either defending or attacking the popular practice of smuggling, which provided colonists with cheap foreign goods.
- Could the events that took place in Salem during the late seventeenth century have been avoided? Explain.
- What role did eighteenth and nineteenth century organizations such as the American Philosophical Society play in American society? How is that function served today?
Top- Why did individual regions within the colonies seem to attract certain groups of immigrants? How have immigration patterns throughout American history followed distinct patterns of settlement, often based upon ethnicity?
- How would American society be different today if, like during the late colonial period, half of the population were under sixteen years of age?
- If the climate and soil of the northern colonies were the same as that of their southern counterparts, would slavery have developed a stronghold in that region as well? Explain.
- Write three diary entries from the perspective of a slave who experienced the following events: endured the Middle Passage; escaped to the free black community at Mose; and witnessed the Stono Rebellion.
- If you attended a Great Awakening revival during the 1730s, what would you have witnessed? What impact would that experience have had on your life?
Top- If you were at the 1754 Albany's Congress, what would you have said or done to convince the colonial representatives of the need to unite?
- Describe the role the name of a state might have on prospective migrants (i.e., if present-day Kentucky would have kept it's original proposed name Transylvania).
- Were the Sons of Liberty justified in their use of violence and intimidation? Explain.
- Were the deaths of those colonists who perished in the Boston Massacre commemorated or exploited by revolutionary leaders such as Paul Revere? Explain.
- Could the cause of revolutionary leaders have been advanced without the destruction of property such as occurred in the Boston Tea Party? How did such action change the face of the movement? Explain.
- What role did the writings and speeches of individuals such as Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry play in bringing about revolution? What played a greater role in convincing the colonists to declare their independence: individuals or principles? Explain.
Top- What would have been the public reaction to the Olive Branch Petition in 1775? Would the acceptance of the petition by King George III have prevented war, and if so, for how long? Explain.
- Could America have won the revolution without the support of the French? Explain.
- Is the emphasis on the role of George Washington in helping America gain it's independence a case of "heroification" or "giving credit, where credit is due"? Explain.
- Would the Constitution have ever been written had the Articles of Confederation been a more effective plan of government? Explain.
- Should Benedict Arnold be portrayed as a sympathetic or pathetic character in American history textbooks? Explain.
- Write a diary entry for a soldier who experienced the following events of the American Revolution: the battle of Bunker Hill; winter at Valley Forge; Washington's crossing of the Delaware River; and Cornwallis' surrender at Yorktown.
Top- If you were a member of the Pennsylvania state legislature, debating whether immediate or gradual emancipation of slaves within the state should be adopted, how would you convince your colleagues to pass the former of these two types of emancipation.
- What roles have revolts such as Shays' rebellion played in shaping America's political landscape? Should rebels such as Shays be commended or criticized for their contribution to American democracy? Explain.
- Had the Northwest Ordinance not banned slavery, in the territories, how would the road to the Civil War have been altered?
- What would have happened at the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention had delegates been unwilling to compromise? Could the "slavery question" have been resolved in any other manner at that point in the nation's history? Explain.
- Although James Madison envisioned factions arising in America, in Federalist No. 10, he never thought such coalitions would be permanent. Was Madison naive or could America have developed without the emergence of political parties? Explain.
Top- Was America's political landscape shaped more by Thomas Jefferson or John Marshall during the first quarter of the nineteenth century? Explain.
- For Thomas Jefferson, the pinnacle of republicanism was the yeoman farmer. What would occupy that heralded position today in America? Explain.
- In 1828 Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language attempted to replace the "King's English" with "more commonsensical" spellings. What impact does such a swing of the semantic pendulum have on a society?
- Given the consequences its acquisition has had on Native Americans (i.e. thousands were killed in battle or relocated to reservations), how should the Louisiana Purchase be portrayed in American history textbooks?
- What would be a more accurate title or label for the period in American history known as the "Era of Good Feelings"? Explain.
- Which "Virginia Dynasty" president performed the best during his tenure in office? Justify your response.
Top- Compare and contrast the socio-economic structure that developed in American cities during the early nineteenth century with that of today. What factors account for the continuity and change of the past two centuries?
- Explain why the gap between the rich and the poor has always been more pronounced in American cities than in rural towns and villages?
- What is the legacy of Deborah Sampson Gannett's seventeen-month service in the Continental Army, dressed as a man?
- Why did the development of nineteenth century transportation networks play such a critical role in uniting the nation? Does transportation still play such an integral political and social role today? Explain.
- Given the impact of Eli Whitney's cotton gin on the demand for slaves, should the invention be viewed as a technological advancement or social setback in American history?
- Why are the exploits of Samuel Slater-who defied an English prohibition on skilled mechanics, left that country, and smuggled out the design for an advanced loom-celebrated in American history, while others who defy laws and commit such traitorous acts are vilified?
Top- How did America's definition of democracy change from the Federalist era to the Jacksonian period? How does its current definition differ from that of the early nineteenth century?
- Should controversial figures in American history, such as Andrew Jackson, be evaluated using historical or current values and beliefs to pass judgment? Explain.
- What lessons can we learn from episodes in American history such as the removal of Native Americans from their homeland and their forced march along the "Trail of Tears"?
- How would Andrew Jackson's colorful past and political philosophy be viewed today if he was a political candidate?
- Why were snappy campaign slogans such as "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" so common in nineteenth century American politics? Why are they not popular today?
Top- During the late 1820s, Alexis de Tocqueville found "restlessness with their current condition" to be the most salient characteristic of Americans. Is this still true today? Explain.
- Have all reforms in American history required individuals such as Dorothea Dix to serve as catalysts for change or do they sometimes simply develop over time? Explain.
- How much of America's political and economic success can be attributed to the early nineteenth century decision by many states to provide for public education? Is education still the key to success in today's society? Explain.
- What motivated so many Americans to embark on their search for utopian societies during the nineteenth century? Why did such societies not become part of America's social landscape during the twentieth century?
- If you were alive during the early nineteenth century and could have spent time conversing with one of the transcendentalist authors, which would you have chosen and what would you have discussed with him or her?
Top- Was immediate emancipation the only way the "slavery question" was ever to be resolved in America? Were proponents of gradual emancipation misguided? Explain.
- Compare and contrast the efforts and accomplishments of Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Has any book by an American author had as much impact on history as Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin? Explain. Is the pen still "mightier than the sword," or has some other medium eclipsed them both today? Explain.
- Why is Nat Turner's revolt portrayed as a daring attempt at freedom by a "widely respected leader" and "religious visionary," while John Brown-who will come later in history-is often characterized as "nearly crazy" and his raid on Harper's Ferry dismissed as an ill-conceived plan of a "madman"?
- Why did so many Southern authors find it necessary to justify the "peculiar institution" of slavery through the promulgation of a variety of bogus theories? Were these books written for a Northern or Southern audience? Explain.
Top- Is the belief in Manifest Destiny still a part of the American thought today? Explain.
- How should the story of the Donner-Reed party be remembered-as a macabre, grotesque episode, or as a tale of human endurance and triumph? Explain.
- Write three diary entries for a westward-bound migrant at the following points in his or her journey: on the eve of departure from Independence, Missouri; at the halfway point along the trail; and upon arrival in California or Oregon.
- Why has the Alamo-the site of an American military defeat-remained a symbol of historical pride? Are victories or losses celebrated more in American history? Explain why.
- How would California's history have been altered had James Marshall never discovered gold at Sutter's mill? Why did other states in which precious metals were discovered, not fare as well as California?
Top- What would have occurred had the government not reached a compromise in 1850? Have compromises such as the Compromise of 1850 and Missouri Compromise done more harm than good in American history? Explain.
- Describe what it would have been like had you been a slave attempting to escape by traveling northward along the Underground Railroad.
- Were John Brown's actions in Kansas and Virginia justified? Did he hasten the start of the Civil War? Explain.
- What is the late nineteenth and twentieth century legacy of the "Young America" movement of the 1850s?
- Some historians rank Abraham Lincoln as the greatest president in American history. Discuss whether he is deserving of this title, or if another president deserves such recognition.
Top- Although Senator John J. Crittenden's proposal did not prevent the Union from fracturing in 1860, discuss whether any other possible compromises could have worked, or was the Civil War inevitable? Explain.
- Could Abraham Lincoln have effectively carried out his duties as president without suspending the writ of habeas corpus? Is the government ever justified in suspending individual civil liberties, even during wartime? Explain.
- What impact do you believe photographs of battlefields littered with corpses, taken by Civil War photographers such as Matthew Brady, had on the American public?
- If the Union possessed so many more advantages than the Confederacy, why did the South choose to go to war against all odds?
- Was the strategy of "total warfare," employed by General William T. Sherman, necessary to bring about victory? Explain.
- Why has the Civil War remained the most written about topic in American history?
Top- What would have happened had Abraham Lincoln survived his assassination attempt and remained at the helm during Reconstruction? Would any of the following events or periods in American history have ever occurred: Military Reconstruction, Compromise of 1877, or the Gilded Age? Explain.
- How would African Americans have benefited if the government had provided "forty acres and a mule" to all Freedmen? Was economic independence more important than political rights during this period? Explain.
- Did "carpetbaggers" and "scalawags" do more harm than good during Reconstruction? Why has the term "carpetbagger" remained in the American vernacular? How has the definition of the term evolved?
- How should the government have responded to the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and violence and intimidation inflicted upon African Americans in the South?
- How could the able military officer Ulysses S. Grant have been such a mediocre president? What qualities make for an ideal president?
- How would Booker T. Washington's "Atlanta Compromise" been viewed by African Americans during the 1950's and 1960's civil rights movement?
Top- What motivated individuals to travel Westward during the nineteenth century, and how is that same spirit of adventure and desire to find a better life manifested in today's society?
- Should Native Americans be compensated for being forced onto reservations during the nineteenth century, in the same manner as Japanese Americans were for being interned during World War II? Explain.
- If you were among the thousands of Americans who traveled to one of the mining towns in the West and didn't make a fortune, what were your options at that point? Which would you choose and why?
- How has the role and perception of guns in American society today changed from the days of gunfights in the "Wild West"?
- Why has the image and/or myth of the West remained such a popular genre in American literature and film? Will this interest ever fade? Explain.
- Critique Frederick Jackson Turner's assertion that more than anything else, the frontier concept shaped the American character.
Top- Compare and contrast the impact of Thomas Edison and Bill Gates on America's economic and social landscape.
- What elements of the late nineteenth century consumer culture have survived on into the twenty-first century? What accounts for their success?
- Discuss how Horatio Alger's "rags to riches" theme is still apparent in American society today? Is this belief closer to reality today, or is it still as much a myth as it was over a century ago? Explain.
- How does the image of "Titans of Industry" and "Power Barons" of the late nineteenth century compare with that of wealthy corporate executives today?
- Discuss what attracted workers to labor unions during the late nineteenth century, and compare and contrast that with the motivation of workers today to join a union. How has the public image of unions evolved over the past century?
Top- Why did America's demographic pendulum continue to swing to the urban side throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries?
- Compare and contrast the problems that plagued American cities during the nineteenth century with those problems that still exist in the nation's urban areas today.
- Explain why Americans were attracted to amateur and professional sports during the nineteenth century, and discuss why such interest became infatuation during the twentieth century to today.
- Do books such as Frank Norris' The Octopus, exposing social, political, and economic corruption and abuses, ever bring about change or reform? Explain.
- Great strides were made during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in breaking down the "cult of domesticity." Do any remnants of that paradigm, however, still exist today? Explain.
- The Comstock Law represented an attempt by Congress to legislate morality. Can the government ever succeed in this type of endeavor? Explain.
Top- The 1884 presidential election pitted a good family man with a tarnished political record against an honest politician with a tarnished personal life. Which candidate would fare better in today's political arena? Explain.
- Why have the third parties never experienced the same level of political success as the Republican and Democratic parties?
- The "British minister voting advice" campaign trick hurt Grover Cleveland in his 1888 reelection bid; however, could such political trickery ever succeed today? Explain.
- Would the farmers' movement and the Populist Party have experienced greater, more long-lasting success had they organized a quarter century earlier? Explain.
- Why has America not experienced more revolts and protests similar to that of Coxey's Army in 1894? Are these incidents a threat to or manifestation of democracy?
Top- Do individual still believe today that Darwin's theories of evolution can be applied to society? Explain.
- List examples of individuals and groups in today's society that are crusading for social justice and progressive reforms. Compare and contrast the tactics and goals of modern reformers with those of the progressive era.
- Would some of today's print, radio, and television journalists be considered muckrakers? Explain.
- What is the political and social legacy of the Eighteenth Amendment?
- What book or film in the past quarter century has had as much impact on American society as Upton Sinclair's The Jungle in the early part of the twentieth century?
- Does Theodore Roosevelt deserve to be one of the four presidents commemorated on Mt. Rushmore? If so, explain why. If not, discuss who is more deserving.
Top- Compare and contrast the manner in which the United States acquired Alaska and Hawaii. Does the legacy of these acquisitions differ today as a result? Explain.
- Was the United States justified in declaring war on Spain in 1898? Explain. What other options were available at the time?
- Compare and contrast the role played by the "yellow press" during the Spanish American War with that of television journalism during the Vietnam War and Gulf War II.
- Can any war ever be regarded as a "splendid little war"? Explain.
- How could the American government have turned on Filipino rebel leader Emilio Aguinaldo following the Spanish American War? Why did the government grant independence to Cuba, while at the same time it withheld such status from the Philippines? Why was independence finally granted to the Philippines in 1946?
- Does the building of the Panama Canal represent a major American engineering feat or a perfect example of interventionist exploitation by a global power? Explain.
Top- Who is to blame for the sinking of the Lusitania? How would the American public have reacted had they known the entire truth behind the incident? Could such a "secret" ever be concealed today? Explain.
- Why did the government find it necessary to "sell the war" to the American public during World War I? Would such practices have worked to strengthen support for the Vietnam War? Explain.
- If you were a soldier serving in the trenches during World War I, how would a typical letter back home read? How do you believe your view of the world and life would change after serving in combat during the war?
- How could the American government, courts, and public defend laws and actions that violated individual civil liberties, while at the same time believing they were fighting a war to preserve liberty and freedom?
- How did the type of warfare American troops were exposed to during World War I differ from that experienced during the Spanish-American War and the Civil War?
- Should "Shoeless Joe" Jackson be admitted to the Baseball Hall of Fame, despite his role in the 1919 Black Sox Scandal? Explain.
Top- Compare and contrast the impact of the automobile and the computer on America's economic and social landscape.
- How accurate is the characterization of the 1920s as the "Roaring Twenties"? Why are such labels applied to the decades of the twentieth century?
- Why did the Ku Klux Klan experience a boom in membership during the 1920s, and why did it gain such a stronghold in certain Midwestern states?
- Why are the issues surrounding the Scopes Trial of 1925 still the subject of debate in many state legislatures and courtrooms?
- What role does a candidate's religion play in American presidential politics?
Top- If you were a journalist during the 1930s attempting to convey the impact of the Great Depression on American society, what would you report? Discuss how your article would differ if you were a reporter in each of the following cities: New York, Oklahoma City, Los Angeles.
- If you were a member of FDR's cabinet, placed in charge of winning public support for his First Hundred Days initiatives, what New Deal programs, goals, and features would you emphasize in your public relations campaign and why?
- Were movies by film producers and directors such as Walt Disney and Frank Capra, reaffirming traditional values, equivalent to government propaganda? Explain.
- Is radio experiencing a new "Golden Age" with the advent of satellite radio and the popularity of talk radio? Explain.
- Judge whether of the New Deal brought about true economic, social, and political change for each of the following groups: African Americans, Native Americans, and women.
- Historians have long debated whether the New Deal should be remembered as a great success or failure. Identify which you believe is the most accurate historical assessment and discuss your rationale. In addition, describe what the legacy of the New Deal is for the twenty-first century.
Top- How did America's isolationist posture of the 1930s differ from the earlier European policy of appeasement?
- When would the United States have entered World War II, had the Japanese not bombed Pearl Harbor?
- How could a great humanitarian such as Franklin D. Roosevelt have allowed certain State Department officials to turn their heads to the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany?
- Why was there no need for a World War I-type Committee on Public Information government propaganda program during World War II?
- Was the compensation provided by the U.S. Congress in 1988 to Japanese Americans interned during World War II a case of "too little, too late"? Why did it take over four decades for such actions to be taken?
- Was the use of atomic weapons during World War II justified, because it would save more lives as a result of shortening the projected length of the war, had the "island hopping" campaign continued?
Top- How would the events of the Cold War have been altered had Franklin D. Roosevelt completed his fourth term?
- Did George Kennan's appraisal of the Soviet Union accurately portray the status of world affairs in the postwar period, or did it create a polarized global situation? Explain.
- Describe the type of combat American troops experienced during the Korean conflict in a letter back home from a soldier.
- Compare and contrast the erroneous election night predictions of the 1948 and 2000 presidential contests. Why has half a century of technological advances not resulted in more accurate reporting?
- Compare and contrast the causes, proceedings, and consequences of the Salem witch trials of 1692 and the House Committee on Un-American Activities Hearings of the 1940s and 1950s?
- Could another politician like Joseph McCarthy ever rise to power again? Explain.
Top- Compare and contrast the consumer revolution of the 1950s with the "dot com" economic explosion of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. Which played a greater role in transforming America's economic and social landscape? Explain.
- Has the Interstate Highway System helped or hurt America? Explain.
- Why did television have such an affect on 1950s American society? Has the impact of television reached a plateau today? Explain.
- Is it accurate to characterize the 1950s as a period of "consensus and conformity"? Explain.
- How would you react if you were a student during the 1950s and just experienced your first "duck and cover" drill at school, and then found out your parents were going to purchase a bomb shelter?
- Why was Rock and Roll music considered so revolutionary? Has any music phenomenon since then eclipsed the impact of Rock and Roll on American society?
Top- Why were so many Americans attracted to the Camelot and New Frontier image that characterized the Kennedy presidency? Would the public find that image just as appealing today? Explain.
- Why did the United States government support a regime as corrupt as that of Ngo Dinh Diem's in South Vietnam? Was George Ball correct in his 1961 assessment that Vietnam was not a vital American interest? Explain.
- If you were a college student during the 1960s, would you have participated in the anti-war movement? Explain why or why not.
- Was Lyndon Johnson bold or naive in his attempt to win the war on poverty and create a Great Society? Explain.
- Would the civil rights movement of the 1960s have been as successful as it was without newspaper and television coverage? Explain.
- What would you have thought had you watched the events unfold at the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago on television?
Top- Could another incident similar to what occurred at Kent State University in 1970 ever happen again? Explain.
- Was "peace with honor" achieved in Vietnam? Explain.
- Where does the 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing rank on the list of most important events of the twentieth century? Explain.
- What lessons did Americans learn from the Vietnam War? from Watergate?
- Explain whether the title "the me decade" is an appropriate one for the 1970s. What title best describes the current decade? Explain.
- Which have had a greater impact on the environmental movement: legislation, environmental crisis (e.g., Three Mile Island), books (e.g., Silent Spring), or events such as Earth Day? Explain.
Top- Would America's political and social pendulum have swung to the right during the 1980s without Ronald Reagan? Explain.
- Who deserves more credit for thawing out the Cold War, Ronald Reagan or Mikhail Gorbachev? Explain.
- Do you think the following quote accurately characterizes the 1980s: "Greed is all right"? Explain.
- How did acts of terrorism during the 1980s differ from the terrorist threat today?
- Who is to blame for the emergence of an "hourglass society" in America, and was this demographic development unavoidable? Explain.
- Why is 1980's tycoon Donald Trump more popular today than he was a generation ago?
Top- If you were a journalist sent to cover the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, how would your article have read?
- Compare and contrast the causes and consequences of the Gulf War with that of the Vietnam War. How and why did public support for American involvement in these conflicts differ?
- Compare and contrast the circumstances, proceedings, and significance of Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton's impeachment trials. What role did congressional leaders and public opinion play in each of these cases?
- Compare and contrast the controversy surrounding the 1876 and 2000 presidential elections. Evaluate the methods used to resolve each of these presidential contests.
- Has globalization been a blessing or a curse for American society? Explain.
- Does hip-hop music serve to illustrate the social tensions of the 1990s or wider acceptance of African American artists? Explain.
Top- What were you doing when you first heard about the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001? How did you react?
- Compare and contrast the causes and consequences of the first and second Gulf War. Why did public support, in the U.S. and abroad, for American involvement in these conflicts differ so greatly?
- How best should the government attempt to balance protection of civil liberties with the need to root out terrorist sleeper agents in the United States?
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