HIST 1302 – Bull Moose From the Bully Pulpit5

Bull Moose From the Bully Pulpit51. Know the basics of the American political spectrum in relation to economics. Identify what’s meant by being on the Left or Right. Identify the famous ideological leaders of the left and right.2. Describe how the federal government came to intervene in the economy in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.3. Explain how federal intervention into the economy was rationalized, or justified, constitutionally in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.4. Identify the 16th Amendment and explain what it means that tax brackets are progressive. Understand that everyone gets charged the same rates up to a certain amount, and only gets charged the higher rate above that cut-off. Explain why wealthy Americans sometimes pay a lower overall effective rate than others.5. Identify the Federal Reserve and explain its intended role in the economy. Analyze how well its operated over the last century based on the examples mentioned in the book.6. Explain the theory behind the Sherman and Clayton Anti-Trust Acts of 1890 and 1914. Why did/does the government see monopolies as disadvantageous to free markets, even though anti-trust legislation, itself, interferes with free markets?The Great War61. Analyze the primary causes of the Great War of 1914-1919. What motivated Gavrilo Princip to assassinate the heir to the Austrian throne?2. Explain the impact of World War I on American race relations between Whites and minorities.3. Explain why the U.S. initially stayed out of the Great War.4. Determine what drew the U.S. into the First World War.5. Analyze what military influence the U.S. had on World War I’s outcome.6. Summarize how the Great War impacted the political histories of Ireland, Russia, Turkey and the United States. Analyze why the war caused political instability throughout Europe after it was over.7. Evaluate American relations with the emerging country of the USSR (Soviet Union) at the end of World War I.8. Evaluate and analyze Woodrow Wilson’s handling of German relations and the Versailles Peace Treaty. What did he do right and wrong, in your opinion? What resistance did Wilson get among politicians back home and why?Roaring Twenties71. Identify what historians mean by the urban/rural split of the 1920s.2. Interpret why the new Klan emerged and went mainstream in the 1920s. Was it in any way connected to World War I?3. Identify the Scopes “Monkey” Trial, and how it fit into the context of the 1920s.4. Analyze why the Democratic Party struggled to gain a national footing in the 1920s, even though it did well in local elections. How did Al Smith’s 1928 presidential campaign exemplify the Democrats’ problems?5. Analyze how the expanding electrical grid and invention of refrigeration and air conditioning affected the American economy.6. Explain how Henry Ford was the greatest exemplar of the new industrialism of the early 20th century. How did Ford employ more people than just autoworkers?7. Describe some ways that radio changed American life, and launched a business model in popular music.Crash & Great Depression81. Identify Andrew Mellon and the concept of laissez-faire. How did Mellon influence economic policy in the 1920s?2. Summarize some of the primary causes of the Stock Market Crash of 1929, according to our textbook.3. Discuss the connection between the stock market and general economy in the 1920s/30’s. Analyze whether or not the stock market crash actually caused the Great Depression. What were some other factors?4. Identify protectionism and evaluate the Smoot-Hawley Tariff. What motivated the tariff and how did it affect the economy according to most economists? Explain why economist Paul Krugman disagrees with the common interpretation.5. Explain what Herbert Hoover tried to accomplish with the Reconstruction Finance Corporation.6. Explain the causes of the Dust Bowl. How did technology and nature intersect in an unfortunate way for Plains farmers?