Regional Studies USA Übung, Homework for Week 12

A note on the Emancipation Proclamation (1863), which declared slaves in the rebellious states as free:
(From the US National Archives): "The Emancipation Proclamation was limited in many ways. It applied only to states that had seceded from the Union, leaving slavery untouched in the loyal border states. It also expressly exempted parts of the Confederacy that had already come under Northern control. Most important, the freedom it promised depended upon Union military victory."

One of the pragmatic functions of the Proclamation was to strengthen the Union cause and inspire support (also among now declared free slaves to join Union forces). It is the 13th Amendment which abolishes slavery nationwide after the Union victory in 1865 and establishes it as constitutional law. But note that it, too, contains an asterisk of sorts: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." This is an important exception, esp. in light of the Civil Rights Movement and in taking a critical view of the state of the US prison system.

I overgeneralized when it comes to new states during this time: both Nevada and West Virginia become official states between the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment. While Nevada prohibited slavery in its state constitution prior to the 13th Amendment, West Virginia's (which seceded from Virginia in 1861) constitution does not prohibit it until the 13th Amendment is passed in 1865 (slavery had been far less prevalent in WV than in Virginia).

Questions for next week:
Chapter 17 "Or does it explode?"
1. (pgs. 451) What made Montgomery crucial to the Civil Rights Movement?
2. What distinguishes Martin Luther King Jr.'s approach from Malcolm X's in the Civil Rights Movement?
3. Investigate the platform of the Black Panthers and the projects they implemented.
4. (pg. 467) What new problems emerged in the busing of black students to white schools?


Both question sets distributed in class today appear below. Ideal answers on the exam will include specific detail and contextualization. Some sample answers appear below. I recommend reviewing this list over the coming weeks and fleshing out answers with detail coming from your study question notes, your timelines, extra info from the blog and Mr. L's slideshows. We will practice other questions together in class for the remainder of the semester, so bring in any questions you might have about the exam to our remaining sessions.

Name three factors that contributed to the US civil war.  

The perennial debate concerning individual state rights, an issue that divided Federalists and Anti-Federalists since the time of the Revolution, and the South's economic dependence on slavery played key roles in instigating the Civil War. Furthermore, Stowe's publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin contributed greatly to public consciousness about slavery, bolstering the Union cause.

What does the Emancipation Proclamation tell us about Lincoln’s stance on slavery?

In spite of the fact that Lincoln was certainly no proponent of slavery, considering the fact that the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 outlawed slavery only in rebellious states, one can regard Lincoln as a pragmatist and not an abolitionist. The prevention of the secession of the Confederacy was his priority. 

What are three factors that distinguish first- and second-wave feminism?

During what period of US history were the 13^th-15^th amendments made to the US Constitution and what rights do they grant?

Discuss the trajectory of US socialist movements in the late 19^th/early 20^th century.

Compare and contrast the Monroe and Truman Doctrines.

Discuss the conditions that led to the establishment and collapse of the League of Nations.

Give an example of intertextuality in political rhetoric.

Give an example of a meme and why it is relevant for understanding culture in the US. 

What factors contributed to the popularity of Thomas Paine's Common Sense?

What roles did Locke’s writings play for the founders’ philosophical  framework?

What impacts did the War of 1812 have on the US’ political climate?

How did Puritan ideology shape colonial life in New England?

Name three factors that distinguish US slavery.

Name three myths about the US contextualization of itself and relate how they are interconnected.

What political parties were present in the political landscape of Revolutionary War?

When was the first American dictionary published and in what context?

What was the “corrupt bargain” and what impact did it have in the decade to follow?

Discuss the conditions that led to the rise and decline of the Whig party.

Name three key figures in the 19^th century women’s suffrage movement and what their contributions were.

What is orientalism?

What role does the concept of prototypes play in studying culture?

 
Literature timeline featured here:  

Pilgrim’s Progress John Bunyan 1678

Cotton Mather Magnalia Christi Americana 1702

Poor Richard’s Almanack Franklin 1732-1757

Federalist Papers (Hamilton, Madison, Jay) 1787-1788

Edgar Allen Poe Fall of the House of Usher 1839

Hawthorne Scarlet Letter 1850

Melville Moby Dick 1851

Stowe Uncle Tom’s Cabin 1852

Thoreau Walden 1854

Whitman Leaves of Grass 1855

Twain Huckleberry Finn 1884

Henry James The Golden Bowl 1904

Upton Sinclair The Jungle 1906

London The Iron Heel 1908

WEB Du Bois The Souls of Black Folk 1903

Great Gatsby 1925

Farewell to Arms 1929

Faulkner 1929 Sound and the Fury

Grapes of Wrath Steinbeck 1939

Richard Wright Black Boy 1945

National Geographic debunks moon landing hoax conspiracy theory: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/photogalleries/apollo-moon-landing-hoax-pictures/index.html