American History

Essay Prompts for Exam 1

          Please answer one of the following questions in essay format. Your answers will need to be typed, double spaced, Times New Roman 12pt Font, with 1 inch margins. In addition, you will need to cite from the lecture, your textbook, and readings using footnotes in Turabian style (please consult the lecture video where I demonstrated this in class or consult http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html for more assistance). Ideally, the essay should be 3-5 pages . The textbook is Foner, Give Me Liberty 6th Edition

Analyze the description of Reconstruction as “the most disgraceful period in American history.” Is this description accurate? Discuss the events of Reconstruction and their impact on American society. How effective was it in reshaping the South or the United States? How and why did it end? Was it truly a “disgraceful” period in American history? Why or why not.

Discuss the period known as “The Gilded Age.” Discuss the factors that made it “gilded” instead of truly “golden.” What technological and business innovations drove the period, and what problems manifested themselves because of them? What was the role of the “Robber Barons”? How did men like Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, and J. P. Morgan help shape the era?

Explain the American transformation to an imperial power. Why did the United States take so long to gain an empire? What were American imperial interests before the 1890s? Discuss the significant events in detail as to how the United States became an imperial power. Was there any criticism at home? If so, what was it and why?

Explain the origins of the Progressive Movement. What types of reforms did they want to bring about? How successful were those reforms? Explain why they needed reforms, namely, what was occurring to create the need for change. How did these reforms correspond to the actions of the Gilded Age?