HIST405N United States History
Week 1 Discussion
The Cost of Expansion
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 3, 4
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, pick two (2) of the following settlements:
Southern colonies
Chesapeake colonies
Middle colonies
New England colonies
Then, address the following for your selections:
Compare and contrast the settlement patterns.
What forces and ideas shaped their origin?
Examine the influence of religion for those settlements (e.g., Puritanism, Quakers, and the Anglican Church).
HIST405N United States History
Week 2 Discussion
DQ1 The American Revolution
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 5, 6
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, pick two (2) of the leading causes of the American Revolution.
The Proclamation Act of 1763
The Navigation Acts
The Stamp Act
The Declaratory Act
The Townsend Act
The Boston Massacre
The Coercive Acts
Then, address the following for your selections:
Analyze the cause and effect of two acts passed by the British Parliament on British North America. Which of your two selections do you consider the most significant and why?
Examine and explain the significance of the Declaration of Independence to the development of the American Revolution.
DQ2 Confederation and Constitution
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 7, 8
Lesson
Link (website): Articles of Confederation (1777) (Links to an external site.)
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post
For the initial post, address the following:
Pick two (2) issues of the Articles of Confederation and describe the main problems that the United States was faced with under the Federation government.
Analyze two major debates (see textbook Section 7.4) by which the Constitution was created in the summer of 1787.
Then, address one (1) of the following to your initial post:
Discuss the ratification process of the Constitution of 1787.
How did ratification lead to the formation of America's first two political parties, the Federalists and Anti-Federalist?
What were the major differences between the Federalist and Anti-Federalist, and who were the best-known members of each party?
HIST405N United States History
Week 3 Discussion
Manifest Destiny and the Mexican War of 1846
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 8 (section 8.3), 11
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, pick two (2) of the following historical events:
The Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Missouri Compromise
Independence of Texas
Mexican War of 1846-1848
The California Gold Rush
Then, address the following for your selections:
Which of your two selections do you consider most impactful on Westward Expansion during 1800-1848? Explain why.
Analyze the effects of the ideology of Manifest Destiny on the two historical events that you chose from the list.
HIST405N United States History
Week 4 Discussion
DQ1 Stepping Stones to the Civil War
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 12, 14
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, pick three (3) of the leading causes of the American Civil War:
The Compromise of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Law 1850
Uncle Tom's Cabin 1852
The Kansas Nebraska Act 1854
The Dred Scott Case of 1857
The Lincoln Douglas Debates 1858
Then, address one (1) of the following for your selections:
Based on the historical facts given in this module, assess if the American Civil War was inevitable.
Analyze if the United States Supreme Court can settle legal and moral issues through judiciary review. In your response, provide a documented example of a modern parallel of a legal or moral issue settled by the United States Supreme Court.
DQ2 Reconstruction and the Compromise of 1877
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 15, 16
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, craft a response comparing the three (3) Reconstruction plans:
Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction (10% Plan) - Lincoln
Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction Plan
Congressional Reconstruction Plan (Congress)
Then, address one (1) of the following for your selections:
Analyze if the South should have been treated as a defeated nation or as rebellious states.
Explain how the American culture and society changed in the North versus the South during Reconstruction.
Analyze the impact of the Compromise of 1877 that ended Reconstruction on African-Americans.
HIST405N United States History
Week 5 Discussion
Industrialization, Imperialism, and America’s Entry Into WWI
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 17 (section 17.4), 18 (section 18.3), 19 (sections 19.1, 19.2), 21 (sections 21.2, 21.4)
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, pick two (2) of the following categories representing minority groups during 1880-1914:
Women's rights activists
African Americans
Immigrants from southern and eastern Europe
Child workers
Great Plain Indians
Then, address the following for your selections:
Explain the socio-economic status and challenges of your minority groups at the turn of the century.
How did the Industrial Revolution affect your chosen minority groups?
Analyze how the Progressives brought reform to your selected minority groups. Do you find that the Progressives were successful in making government responsive and improve the conditions of your chosen minority group?
HIST405N United States History
Week 6 Discussion
DQ1 The New Deal
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 24 (Section 24.4), 25, 26
Lesson
Link (video): A New Deal: Part 5 (Links to an external site.) (7:20)
Link (website): New Deal Programs: Selected Library of Congress Resources: Introduction (Links to an external site.) (Read this introduction before exploring the other links in this discussion.)
Link (website): New Deal Programs: Selected Library of Congress Resources (Links to an external site.) (Explore the links under Sections and Topic for specific New Deal Programs.)
Link (website): New Deal Programs: Selected Library of Congress Resources: Digitized Materials (Links to an external site.) (Explore the links for primary sources including audio recordings, written narratives, photographs, posters, and music.)
Link (website): President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal (Links to an external site.) (Review the documents and interviews on this site.)
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to noted resources)
Initial Post Instructions:
For the initial post, pick two (2) of the following (any program and/or act of the New Deal):
Programs
Acts
Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC)
Public Works Administration (PWA)
Civil Works Administration (CWA)
Works Progress Administration (WPA)
Farm Security Administration (FSA)
Emergency Banking Relief Act
Economy Act
Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA)
Tennessee Valley Authority Act (TVA)
National Employment System Act (Wagner-Peyser Act)
Home Owners Loan Act
National Industrial Recovery Act (NIA)
Glass-Steagall Act (Banking Act)
Securities & Exchange Act
Emergency Relief Appropriation Act
Resettlement Administration (RA)
Rural Electrification Administration (REA)
National Labor Relations Act (Wagner Act)
Social Security Act
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
Reflecting over the weekly reading and lesson video The New Deal Coalition (also linked in the Required Resources), address the following for your selections:
Consider workers, immigrants, and African Americans. Explain how minorities were represented by the New Deal.
Analyze to what extent you think that the New Deal effectively ended the Great Depression and restored the economy.
DQ2 World War II
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 27
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post Instructions
For the initial post, consider three (3) of the following events:
Treaty of Versailles
Rise of fascism, militarism and imperialism
Failure of the League of Nations
Hitler and the Nazi Party
The Lend Lease Act
Japanese expansion and the bombing of Pearl Harbor
Based on your three selections, choose two (2) of the following and craft a response for your selections:
Assess if the United States foreign policy during the 1930s helped to promote World War II. Could the United States have prevented the outbreak of World War II? If so, how? If not, why not?
Explain if the United States, despite neutrality, aided the Allies against the Axis powers.
Analyze if the use of atomic (nuclear) weapons to defeat enemies in war is a setback for democracy (President Truman's decision to drop the atom bomb on Japan).
HIST405N United States History
Week 7 Discussion
American Foreign Policy during the Cold War
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Sections 28.2, 29.1, 30.3, 31.3
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post Instructions
Pick three (3) of the following American Foreign policies:
Marshall Plan
Berlin Airlift
Containment
Anti-Communist Freedom Fighters
Vietnam (conflict) War
Détente'
SALT I & SALT II
Camp David Accords
Strategic Defense Initiative (nicknamed "Star Wars")
Then, address the following for your selections:
Explain how each of your choices was an effective policy to thwart international communist expansion.
Based on your selections, analyze if the United States should have feared international communist subversion during the Cold War era (1945-1991).
HIST405N United States History
Week 8 Discussion
America and Terrorism in the 21st Century
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 32
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Initial Post Instructions
Consider a few terrorist activities since the 1980s until today. Here is a starting point:
1983: United States Embassy in Beirut and Kuwait is bombed
1988: Osama bin Laden re-organizes Al Qaeda in Pakistan to carry out attacks
1993: World Trade Center Bombing (first time)
1995: Oklahoma City Bombing
1998: United Stated Embassy bombings Nairobi and Sar Es Salaam
2001: 9/11 Bombing of the World Trade Centers
2001: Bio Terrorism begins (anthrax letters and Bill Gates's warnings on bio terrorism)
2013: Boston Marathon Bombings
2018: Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting
Then, address three (3) of the following and craft a response, as a whole, for your selections:
Explain if you think that global terrorism can be stopped.
Analyze the responsibility of the United States today to be the world's "policeman."
Assess if peace and stability in the Middle East are vital to U.S. economy and national security.
If the United States withdrew its troops from the Middle East tomorrow, would the terrorist threat end. Why or why not?
Assess if the use of military force is the only way to prevent terrorism. Are there other possible alternatives? Which strategy is best and why?
HIST405N United States History
Week 1 Assignment
Case Study
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4
Lesson
Minimum of 1 scholarly source (in addition to the textbook)
Optional Resources to Explore
Feel free to review the library guide for scholarly sources and videos at the following link:
Link (website): History Library Guide (Links to an external site.)
Introduction
The purposes of each case study assignment include the following:
To hone your abilities to research using scholarly sources
To advance critical thinking and writing skills
To compile a response to the prompts provided
To explore a historical topic and make connections to change over time
Instructions
Pick one (1) of the following topics. Then, address the corresponding questions/prompts for your selected topic:
Option 1: Exploration and Effects on Native Americans
Explain what motivated the European world powers to explore the Americas.
Describe the economic effects of exploration based on the Colombian exchange.
Analyze the effects of exploration on Native Americans.
Based on research, analyze if Europeans might be held accountable for transmitting Old World diseases to people in the Western Hemisphere.
Option 2: Slavery vs. Indentured Servitude
Explain how and why slavery developed in the American colonies.
Describe in what ways the practice of slavery was different between each colonial region in British North America.
Analyze the differences between slaves and indentured servants.
Option 3: Women in Colonial America
Pick two colonies (New England, Middle, or Southern colonies) and explain how women's roles differ in the two colonies of your choice.
Describe what legal rights women held during the colonial period.
Analyze how Native women's lives were different from colonial women's lives.
Make sure to use your course text and incorporate an additional scholarly source from the Chamberlain Library in your response.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
Length: 1-2 pages (not including title page or references page)
Use standard essay writing process by including an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
References page (minimum of 1 scholarly source)
No abstract is required
In-text citations that correspond with your end references
HIST405N United States History
Week 3 Assignment
Case Study
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 9, 10 (section 10.4), 11 (section 11.5), 13
Lesson
1 primary source that corresponds with your selected topic (noted in the topic instructions)
Minimum of 2 scholarly sources (in addition to the textbook)
Optional Resources to Explore
Feel free to review the library guide for scholarly sources and videos at the following link:
Link (website): History Library Guide (Links to an external site.)
Introduction
The purposes of each case study assignment include the following:
To hone your abilities to research using scholarly sources
To advance critical thinking and writing skills
To compile a response to the prompts provided
To explore a historical topic and make connections to change over time
Instructions
Pick one (1) of the following topics. Then, address the corresponding questions/prompts for your selected topic. Use at least one (1) documented example of the corresponding primary source in your writing.
Option 1: The American System, Transportation, and Communication
Read the following primary source:
Link (website): Of Debates in Congress (Clay's Debate of the American System in 1832) (Links to an external site.) (Click on "Next Image" to see all pages of the debate: pp.258-262.)
Then, address the following:
Describe the idea of Henry Clay's "American System."
Based on Clay's economic vision of America, analyze how the American System would build the American market and economy?
Analyze the role of mechanization and communication in the American System.
Option 2: The Indian Removal Act of 1830
Read the following primary source:
Link (website): Transcript of President Andrew Jackson's Message to Congress 'On Indian Removal' (1830) (Links to an external site.)
Then, address the following:
Evaluate the rationale that President Jackson used in the removal of the Native Americans from east of the Mississippi River. Did the removal have the intended impact?
Identify the responsibilities given to the President under the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
Compare Jackson's actions toward Native Americans in the context of his First Inaugural Address with the path of events during the Trail of Tears.
Determine if the removal of the Native Americans from east of the Mississippi River violate the principles found in the Declaration of Independence?
Option 3: The Abolitionist Movement
Read the following primary source:
Link (website): Declaration of Sentiments of American Anti-Slavery Society (1833) (Links to an external site.) (Click on arrows to view all images of the document. Click on plus and minus signs to enlarge or reduce size of images.)
Then, address the following:
Assess if abolitionists were responsible reformers or irresponsible agitators?
Explain how abolitionists upheld the Declaration of Independence as the foundation of antislavery and abolitionist thought.
Assess the effect of the Gag Rule on the Abolitionist Movement.
Analyze how the women's rights movement would gain momentum from the antislavery movement.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
Length: 2-3 pages (not including title page or references page)
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
References page
In-text citations that correspond with your end references
HIST405N United States History
Week 5 Assignment
Case Study
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 18, 21, 23
Lesson
Minimum of 3 scholarly sources (in addition to the textbook). The sources associated with each topic selection below can be used as part of the 3 scholarly sources.
Optional Resources to Explore
Feel free to review the library guide for scholarly sources and videos at the following link:
Link (website): History Library Guide (Links to an external site.)
Introduction
The purposes of each case study assignment include the following:
To hone your abilities to research using scholarly sources
To advance critical thinking and writing skills
To compile a response to the prompts provided
To explore a historical topic and make connections to change over time
Instructions
Pick one (1) of the following topics. Then, address the corresponding questions/prompts for your selected topic. Use at least one (1) documented example of the corresponding primary source in your writing.
Option 1: Big Business (Monopolies) and Exploitation of Workers
View the following resource:
Link (video): The Progressive Era (Links to an external site.) (27:30)
Browse and read one (1) of the following:
Link (article): Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (Links to an external site.)
Link (library article): The Pullman Strike (Links to an external site.)
Then, address the following:
Explain if big business leaders were "captains of industry," "shrewd businessmen," or "robber barons."
Based on one of the resources noted for this option, assess American working conditions and exploitation of workers in the Age of Industry.
Analyze the role that government played in reforming American working conditions.
Explain the benefits of the Federal Government regulations of monopolies.
Analyze which progressive presidents attained economic justice and reform for workers.
Option 2: Who is A Progressive?
Review the following site:
Link (website): Presidential Election of 1912: A Resource Guide (Links to an external site.)
Then, address the following:
According to Roosevelt, what are the characteristics of a progressive?
Explain and give examples of the characteristics of "anti-progressives."
Trace what types of activities "anti-progressives" engaged in?
Analyze the goals of progressivism.
Explain what areas of society progressives addressed?
Analyze the progressive achievements Roosevelt highlights in his speech?
Option 3: World War I
Review the following resources:
Link (video): A War to End All Wars: Part 2 (Links to an external site.) (6:56)
Link (library article): The Treaty of Versailles and the Rise of Nazism (Links to an external site.)
Then, address the following:
Trace the origins of World War I, and assess if the world war was inevitable in 1914?
Explain if it was possible for the United States to maintain neutrality in World War I. If yes, explain how. If no, explain why not.
Analyze if the United States should have entered World War I to make the world safe for democracy.
Analyze if the Treaty of Versailles was a fair and effective settlement for lasting world peace.
Explain if the United States Senate should have approved of the Treaty of Versailles.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
Length: 3-4 pages (not including title page or references page)
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
References page
In-text citations that correspond with your end references
HIST405N United States History
Week 7 Assignment
Case Study
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Chapter 28, 29, 30
Lesson
Minimum of 1 primary source
Minimum of 4 scholarly sources (in addition to the textbook)
Optional Resources to Explore
Feel free to review the library guide for scholarly sources and videos at the following link:
Link (website): History Library Guide (Links to an external site.)
Introduction
The purposes of each case study assignment include the following:
To hone your abilities to research using scholarly sources
To advance critical thinking and writing skills
To compile a response to the prompts provided
To explore a historical topic and make connections to change over time
Instructions
Pick one (1) of the following topics. Then, address the corresponding questions/prompts for your selected topic. Use at least one (1) documented example of the corresponding primary source in your writing.
Option 1: McCarthyism and Anti-Communist Campaigns
The Cold War brought about an irrational fear of communism and communist activities in the United States. As we are learning this week, one of the most vocal instigators of this paranoia was Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy delivered a speech about the imminent threat of communism on February 9, 1950. Perform a search on the internet and locate and read Joseph McCarthy's speech given in Wheeling, West Virginia on February 9, 1950. Copy and paste the following keywords into your Google search bar: "Joseph McCarthy, Wheeling, West Virginia." The speech is also referred to as "Enemies from Within."
Construct the case study by responding to the following prompts:
Explain how Senator Joseph McCarthy defined communist nations within the speech. What specific threats did these nations pose?
Assess if Senator Joseph McCarthy charges were accurate.
Analyze anti-communist sentiments during the Cold War era, were these sentiments valid. If so, how? If not, why not?
Explain if there are other examples of events similar to the Red Scare that have occurred throughout history and modern day.
Examine what happened to people who invoked the Fifth Amendment, refused to appear or were found in violation of the law as defined by the Congressional Committee.
Option 2: The Civil Rights Movement
Using the Internet, locate and read Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have a Dream" speech given in Washington D.C., August 1963. Copy and paste the following keywords into your Google search bar: "I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr." Feel free also to locate and incorporate additional scholarly sources to respond to this case study, including information on the Civil Rights Movement.
Construct the case study by responding to the following prompts:
Explain if the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s effectively changed the nation.
What effect would the Civil Rights Acts have across the continent on minority groups?
Do you think that the tactics and strategies that civil rights activists used in the 1960s would apply to today's racial and ethnic conflicts? Why or why not?
Do the ideas of the 1960s still have relevance today? If so how? If not, why not?
Analyze how the Civil Rights Movement would impact diversity in America today.
Option 3: American Domestic and Foreign Policies (1953-1991)
Complete a search either in the Chamberlain Library or internet for domestic and foreign polices of four (4) of the following Presidents. Please incorporate at least one primary source of either a policy or act that you have chosen to write about.
Eisenhower
Kennedy
Johnson
Nixon
Ford
Carter
Reagan
Then, compare domestic and foreign polices of your four (4) presidents by answering the following prompts:
Explain how your selected presidents worked to improve the United States economically and socially. Give at least one example of each president.
Assess if the policies of your choice of presidents strengthen or weaken the United States.
Explain how you see your choice of presidents served the public interest and further the cause of democracy.
Determine if it is constitutional for the United States to fight preemptive wars.
Determine if human rights and morality should be the cornerstones of United State foreign policy.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
Length: 4-5 pages (not including title page and references page)
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
References page
In-text citations that correspond with your end reference
HIST405N United States History
Week 8 Assignment
Journal Entry
Required Resources
Read/review the following resources for this activity:
Textbook: Review chapters as needed
Review lessons as needed
Instructions
For this activity, reflect on the course content and address the following:
Identify and elaborate on one or two lessons you have learned from our study of United States history that affect you today in your daily life and/or work.
Provide advice to the next group of students who will be taking this course.
How has this course affected you today in your daily life and/or work?
What should incoming students be aware of regarding this class?
What strategies did you use that they may find useful?
What advice can you provide to help them earn an A?
Writing Requirements
Length: 2-3 pages (not including title page)
1-inch margins
Double spaced
12-point Times New Roman font
Title page
