HIST405 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).
HIST405 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?
HIST405 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.
HIST405 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 the following for your selections:
Examine how
and why each event you selected propelled the American Civil War in 1861.
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 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.
HIST405 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?
Follow-Up
Posts
Compare
your selections and analysis of selections with those of your peers. If they
chose different groups, examine how yours are similar and/or different. If they
chose the same groups, build on their posts by providing additional information
about the groups that you have not already noted in your own post.
HIST405 United States History
Week 6 Discussion
DQ1The 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
Then,
address the following and craft a response as a whole 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).
HIST405 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).
HIST405 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 the other
possible alternatives? Which strategy is best and why?
HIST405 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.
HIST405 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.
HIST405 United States History
Week 5 Assignment
Case Study
Required
Resources
Read/review
the following resources for this activity:
Textbook:
Chapter 18, 21, 22
Lesson
1 primary
source that corresponds with your selected topic (noted in the topic
instructions)
Minimum of
3 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:
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
(library article): The Triangle Disaster: How a Fire a Century ago at a New
York Clothing Factory Changed U.S. Labor Laws (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.
HIST405 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.
HIST405 United States History
Week 1 Journal Entry
Required
Resources
Read/review
the following resources for this activity:
Textbook:
Read the chapter titles of the course text. Click on the Contents button in the
text to reveal the titles in the navigation.
Lesson
Introduction
History is
the choice made by humanity through time. These choices have fostered the world
that we live in today. In a similar sense, learning does not just "just
happen" to you. You must be actively engaged in the learning process by
making choices to devise strategies to maximize your potentials, reflect on the
strategies that worked and those that didn't, and modify these strategies
moving forward. I want all of you to earn an A in this class!
Instructions
For this
journal entry, envision yourself having received an A at the end of the class.
Imagine yourself looking back over the class and describe the strategies you
used to earn that A. Here are some items for you to consider in your response:
How often
did you log in to class?
What time
management techniques did you use?
How did you
manage the reading?
What was
your plan for completing the case studies?
How do you
think history connects to your profession and/or your life in general?
Complete
this assignment in a Word document.
Writing
Requirements (APA format)
Length:
75-200 words (not including title page)
HIST405 United States History
Week 8 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)
