United States v. Nixon

The Cover-up

1. Regardless of the outcome, should the President of the United States have a right to privacy in regards to the Oval Office tapes? Explain.

I feel that Nixon should've had no right to privacy in regard to these tapes, because he may have been abusing his power and doing things against his rights, so since these tapes were important evidence of his role, he didn't deserve privacy based on the situation.

2. Was President Nixon justified when he fired special prosecutor Archibald Cox? Explain.

President Nixon was NOT justified when he fired Archibald Cox because he did nothing wrong. Nixon only fired him because he was putting Nixon in the danger of being exposed for the corrupt politician he was, so he had no right to fire him. (When Nixon offered a summary of what was on the tapes, Cox said that it wasn't enough evidence, so he denied the compromise, and Nixon fired him)

3. Was Nixon creating a Constitutional crisis by refusing to hand-over the tapes? Explain.

Yes, because he created a sense of perplexity and confusion within the country by refusing to hand over the tapes, and if he had just handed them over, everything he had done would've been revealed and there would be no more confusion.

Closure

4. Why do you think the American public was so outraged by Watergate?

I think that the American public was so outraged by Watergate because the president is supposed to be a model to others, and doing what Nixon did was and still is unheard of in America, so it was shocking and outrageous that he would take part in such a scandal.

5. Do you think President Nixon should have resigned? Explain.

I think that Nixon made a bad decision to resign. Resigning showed that he felt intimidated by being impeached, and shows that he has no interest in taking responsibility for his actions. If he had not resigned and had just waited to be impeached, it would show that he was truly sorry for what he did and that he was being responsible, but resigning just adds to his duplicity.

6. Do you think President Nixon should have been prosecuted? Explain.

Yes I think that Nixon should have been prosecuted, because he abused his power, misused presidential power to violate the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens, took part in an obstruction of justice, and defied Judiciary Committee subpoenas. All of these are serious crimes, and just because he resigned does not mean he should be relieved of such offenses.

Watergate: Nixon's Downfall

1. How are the "plumbers" connected to President Nixon?

Worked for Nixon, and they were people who plugged leaks in the press in order to protect Nixon by keeping things from getting out of secrecy. They also made people look bad who opposed Nixon by digging up dirt about them.

2. Who was the judge? Why did he hand out maximum sentences?

The judge was John Sirica, and he handed out maximum sentences in order to intimidate people and get those who were involved in the scandal to talk.

3. How were Mitchell and Dean connected to Nixon?

Mitchell was Nixon's former attorney general and was the CRP's director, while Dean was White House counsel who was dismissed by Nixon on April 30, 1973.

4. How were Haldeman and Erlichman connected to Nixon?

Haldeman and Erlichman were men who had resigned, and Nixon had announced their resignations on April 30th.

5. What did the following men tell the Senate about Nixon?
a. Dean

He told the Senate about one meeting where him, Nixon, and other advisers discussed strategies to continue the deceit.

b. Butterfield

Butterfield revealed that Nixon had taped virtually all of his presidential conversations which were meant to be used for his memoirs, which were the key in exposing him.

6. Who was fired or forced to resign in the "massacre"?

Archibald Cox was fired in the "massacre".

7. Why weren't investigators satisified with the transcripts?

Nixon had revealed 1,254 pages of edited transcripts, which didn't satisfy the investigators because they wanted the unedited transcripts.

8. What did the tapes reveal?

Nixon's tapes revealed many gaps, including an 18.5-minute gap, which Rose Mary Woods said to have accidentally erased.

9. Why did Vice President Spiro Agnew resign?

Because it was revealed that he had accepted bribes from engineering firms while the governor of Maryland.

10. What did the House Judiciary Committee charge President Nixon with?

Nixon was charged with Obstruction of Justice, Abuse of Power, and contempt of Congress for refusing to obey a congressional subpoena to release the tapes.

11. How did the Watergate scandal create a constitutional crisis?

The Watergate scandal created a constitutional crisis because the American public and the media developed a general cynicism about public officials that still exist today.

Why did the USA lose the Vietnam War?

The Americans did not lose purely for military reasons. There were other factors as well.

Write an explanation AND cite a source from the reading that shows the importance of the following six factors:

1. US military tactics in Vietnam- US Military tactics were no match for the Vietcong's Guerrilla Warfare tactics, as Vietcong fighters were good at what they did, and were very motivated, therefore their tactics overpowered those of the US. (Source 36---This source shows a picture of the Viet Cong underground tunnels used for Guerrilla Warfare)

2. The unpopularity of the South Vietnamese regime- Because the Vietnam War was a war based on the support of the people, the support of the South Vietnamese regime would be an extreme factor in the United States' war efforts, but its unpopularity caused a lack of US support. (Source 35---This source says that South Vietnam is trying to preserve its independence from Communist attack---Source 41)

3. The experience of the Viet Cong and the inexperience of the American soldiers- Viet Cong soldiers were well experienced, well motivated, and well determined to do whatever was possible to help the war efforts, and their skills in fighting helped extremely to defeat the unmotivated, inexperienced American soldiers. (Source 43---This source says that the US had inexperienced men fighting the Vietcong's experience guerrillas on their home ground)

4. Domestic opposition to the war in the U.S.- American citizens opposed the war for the most part as they had found out they were being lied to about winning the war, and were unaware of how many innocent civilians were being murdered in Vietnam. On the other hand, Vietnamese civilians were aware of what was going on and why they were fighting, to survive, which caused them to have more support than the US. ("My Lai Massacre" from Vietnam War reading)

5. Chinese and Soviet support for the Viet Cong- The Vietcong lacked the technologies required to have a chance against the US, therefore the Chinese and Soviets supported them severely in order to overpower the US, and the arms, food, and ammunition they supplied the Vietcong helped them to defeat the US in the war. ("Viet Cong and guerrilla tactics" from Vietnam War reading--This section mentions the way the Viet Cong was supplied by China and the Soviet Union)

6. 'But did they really lose?' Summarize the argument put forward in Source 57, and your view on it.

In Source 57, the argument put forward is that the US did not lose the Vietnam war, and that the South Vietnamese had lost. It is being argued that since the US stopped fighting before the Fall of Saigon, it cannot be a US defeat. In my opinion the United States LOST the Vietnam War, because they were being so badly overpowered that they were forced to stop fighting. I feel that because the Vietcong showed many areas of superiority to the US, it was a US defeat.

Vietnam War Opposition

1. Note all of the reasons why you feel the war in Vietnam is wrong.

First of all, millions of people are being murdered and killed by diseases caused from Napalm and Agent Orange. Men are murdering an unlawful amount of innocent civilians and American citizens are being lied to, being told that only Vietcong are being killed. We are in this war to support containment, but this war is doing the opposite, because we are only increasing our chances of the domino theory becoming a reality.

2. Note what you re trying to achieve with this poster. (e.g. to convince people to write to their Congressmen to get the troops out.)

I am trying to prove that this war is in NO way good for our country, and only is increasing the chances of an extreme increase in Communism in and around Vietnam. All we are accomplishing is killing a limited amount of Vietcong fighters, and we are just killing our own soldiers.

3. List possible images for your poster. Think about: background (e.g. destroyed villages); the central image (e.g. picture of a young soldier); whether you will need words to explain your image.

Pictures of Vietnamese children affected by chemical weapons; Destroyed Villages; Dead Bodies (of civilians in particular);;;;;; Depending on the pictures, I may want to put a paragraph under some, or maybe just a small caption, describing what is going on in the picture to help us be convinced the war is tragic.

4. List some possible slogans for your poster.

"All bite and no bark"
"Mass murder accomplishes nothing"

Vietnam War Turning Points

1. Why was the Tet Offensive a turning point? Explain your answer.

The Tet Offensive proved to be a turning point in the war because it raised questions about the war in the US, involving troops and money and how the Offensive took the US by surprise, as well as destruction and the murder of many civilians in towns.

2. Are Sources 51 and 52 making the same point about the My Lai Massacre?

Sources 51 and 52, in my opinion, are most certainly not making the same point about the My Lai Massacre, because Source 51 is talking about how the murder of so many civilians was a disaster and a "Nazi thing to do", while in Source 52, Calley is arguing that it was basically part of their overall objective to destroy Communism.

3. Why do you think it took 12 months for anyone to do anything about the massacre?

I think that it took 12 months for anyone to do anything about the massacre because when the Massacre has first taken place, it was recorded as there only being 20 non-combatant deaths and the rest were Viet Cong, but after being looked into and published in magazines, it was proven that much more civilians were killed than Viet Cong.

4. Why was the massacre so shocking to the American public?

The revelations about My Lai so deeply shocked the American public because of all of the innocent murders and it expressed the idea that the war had gone wrong.

The U.S. struggles against the Communist in Vietnam

1. Now think about the overall picture - how the strengths and weaknesses work together.



a) Were the armies finely balanced or was the balance strongly weighted to one side or the other?



The main factor which somewhat balanced the war was the US numbers, otherwise the Viet Cong soldiers were stronger and more determined than US soldiers. The Viet Cong soldiers had more effective tactics than the US, causing the balance to lean more toward them.



b) Which quality was most important in determining who won the war? Was one feature so important that being ahead in that area meant that other advantages or disadvantages did not matter?



The most important quality in the Vietnam war determining who won the war would most likely be 'Effective Tactics' because the Viet Cong soldiers were severely outnumbered, yet their war tactics made them superior to the US soldiers.



Stage 3: Explaining your conclusions

The failure of the U.S. army to beat the Communist in Vietnam was the result of its own weaknesses and Viet Cong strengths.



2. Now write up your answer. Use this structure:



a. The U.S. weaknesses were: their lack of determined and motivated soldiers and their lacking war tactics. The US had less support from the Vietnamese population which also helped add to their failures.



b. At the same time, the Communist strengths were: having stronger, more motivated, and more determined soldiers. The Communists' war tactics such as guerilla warfare helped them significantly to lower the morale of US soldiers.



c. The U.S. forces did have some successes. For example: The US forces had some effective "weapons" to help find people hiding in the jungle, like Agent Orange and Napalm, which also killed. The bombing raids on military and industrial targets in North Vietname were also somewhat successful, just as the use of Search and Destroy.



d. However, there were some major failures as well. Examples of these were: The My Lai Massacre, which was a failure as the soldiers involved failed to complete their objective and killed many civilians. Another US failure to some extent was the policy of Search and Destroy, as the missions did kill Vietcong soldiers, yet there were some problems, such as attacking incorrect sites and having soldiers running into traps.



e. The Viet Cong had some major successes, such as: Their Guerrilla Warfare tactics, which included to retreat when the enemy attacks, raid when the enemy camps, attack when the enemy tires, and pursue when the enemy retreats, which was one of their most major successes.



f. However, they also suffered defeats, for example: the Tet Offensive, as the South Vietnamese who were expected to rise up and help the communists did not help, and they lost 10,000 experienced fighters.



g. If I had to identify one major American weakness, it would be [Effective Tactics] because:

the tactics the Americans used throughout the Vietnam War proved to be no match for the Vietcong's use of Guerrilla Warfare. I feel that if the Americans had chosen alternative tactics throughout the war, they would've been successful of demoralizing the Vietcong army and eventually winning the war.

h. The key Viet Cong strength was [Effective Tactics] because:

the Vietcong proved to overpower the American army with their use of Guerrilla Warfare, with their always ready and very experienced fighters, and they always had back up fighters which were ready to give the Americans hell. Their soldiers were very motivated, determined, and strong which caused them to outfight the American soldiers and overpower their tactics.

The U.S. Enters the Vietnam War

1. Many neutral observers in Vietnam were critical of US policy. Explain why.

Many neutral observers in Vietnam were critical of US policy because democracy was subsided to capitalism, keeping these observers back so that communists will not easily win elections in Vietnam.

2. Explain how US politicians would have defended their policies.

US politicians would have defended their policies by not only exposing the true evils of communism, but also by emphasizing the domino theory.

3. The following events are not listed in correct date order. Place them in the correct chronological order. (Write the year inside the parenthesis, i.e. (1965). Then note the reason for each U.S. action, and how it brought the U.S. into deeper involvement in Vietnam.

The reasons you can choose from are: No direct involvement; financial support; political involvement; military involvement. Also, note what events triggered the increased involvement.

(1954) Formation of South Vietnam_____No direct involvement: It triggered the increased involvement

(1954) U.S. stops elections in Vietnam_____Political Involvement

(1960) Viet Cong formed_____No Direct Involvement: It triggered the increased involvement

(1960) Viet Cong attacks on U.S. and South Vietnam bases_____No direct involvement: It triggered the increased involvement

(1962) JFK sends military advisers_____Military Involvement

(1962) Number of 'advisers' reaches over 11,500_____Military Involvement

(1963) U.S. supports South Vietnam government after army overthrow Diem_____Financial Support

(1963) Assassination of JFK - Johnson becomes president_____No direct involvement: It triggered the increased involvement

(1964) Gulf of Tonkin Incident_____No Direct Involvement: It triggered the increased involvement

(1965) U.S. Marines land at Da Nang_____Military Involvement

4. Choose two events that you think were critical in getting the U.S. involved in a war in Vietnam. Explain

your choice.

1)

2)

The Cuban Missile Crisis

1. Kennedy described Wednesday, Oct. 24 and Saturday, Oct. 27 as the darkest days of the crisis. Use the information on page 350 to explain why.

On October 24, the blockade of Cuba begins, and on October 27, tension builds as an american U-2 plane is shot down, Kennedy is forced to accept the terms suggested by Khrushchev the day before, and he threatens an invasion if the USSR didn't withdraw.

2. Do you think that nuclear war was ever a possibility in this crisis?

Because of the extreme growing tension between the US and the Soviet Union, I feel that nuclear war was indeed a possibility in this crisis, because if tension continued to grow more and more, more severe actions could be taken until nuclear war became the only option.

3. Is Source 26 a Soviet or an American cartoon? Explain your answer by referring to the details in the cartoon.

I think that Source 26 is an American cartoon for a few reasons. First, it seems as though more detail is drawn for Kennedy, which leads me to believe that since it is easier to draw someone easier to see, such as your own president, this would be the drawing of an American. Second, it seems like the details of the bomb under Kennedy are more complex, which may be for the reason that an American writer doesn't know the details on the look of a Soviet bomb.

4. Using Source 27 list any evidence you can find for and against each of the explanations.

To bargain with the USA- Khrushchev tried to bargain with the United States and was promised that the US would not invade Cuba

To test the USA- Testing the US could only increase tension between the two countries.

To trap the USA- This most likely was not the case, as Khrushchev knew that nuclear war would not be good for anyone

To get the upper hand in the arms race- Although this would cause tension, it seems a possibility as it would make nuclear war less of a threat to the Soviets

To defend Cuba- I feel that this could easily be a reason why the Soviets put missiles on Cuba because Cuba was crucial to the Soviet Union, and protecting Cuba would be a smart action

5. I think that Khrushchev most likely put missiles on Cuba to defend Cuba, because Cuba was the only communist country in the West, and it was necessary to protect Cuba to keep it communist.

The U.S. Attempts to Contain Cuba

1. Cuba was important to the United States not only was Cuba close to the US, but it could be used for missile launches.

2. I think the Americans chose to equip Cuban exiles rather than invading themselves because they thought that if they were to directly invade, the Soviet Union would take equal actions toward the US.

3. The invasion failed because the US feared that if they supported the Cuban exiles to a greater extent, they would be shown to be a large part of the invasion, so the US did not supply them well enough.

4. The Soviet Union missiles on Cuba changed the Cold War balance of power because it showed that the Soviet Union could be just as able to attack the US as the US would be able to attack the Soviet Union.

The American Dream in the 1950s

1. Baby Boom- "Baby Boom" was the biggest increase in birthrate in America.

2. Dr. Jonas Salk- Dr. Jonas Salk is responsible for clearing America of Polio by creating an injection to prevent the disease.

3. Interstate Highway System- The Interstate Highway System made it possible for urban and suburban areas to become more abundant.

4. Franchise- A Franchise is a company which has many outlets to offer their products around the world.

5. In the 1950s, Americans spent their leisure time doing various things to stay occupied. Reading was quite popular at the time, and many children, teenagers, and adults read for pleasure in their spare time. Families and couples spent time outdoors as well as participating in popular activities such as sports. Another thing people did was watched television, which became extremely popular around this time. In the 1950s, people did things very similar to what people do today, basing what they do on what can be entertaining and time wasting.

The Arms Race

1. I think Dulles had in mind either to defeat the USSR in an economical sense or to negotiate with them in order to 'liberate captive peoples' without a war.

2. Yes, I would agree that the Communist world was encircled because of NATO, SEATO, and CENTO which surrounded the USSR, causing increased tension.

3. I think that the development of nuclear weapons was what Dulls might have had in mind because he was the creator of brinkmanship, therefore he had a belief in nuclear weapon stockpiles.

4. The Soviet cartoon is saying that the US is spying on the USSR with the use of U-2 planes.

5. The USSR was angry about the US spy flights because they were negotiating with the US, and they thought of their spying as a sign of distrust and betrayal.

6. The US could've justified the violation of Soviet territory by the use of U-2 planes by saying they were spying to make sure the USSR wasn't stockpiling weapons of mass destruction against the US, yet the USSR could still look at that as a sign of distrust.

7. I think that if the USSR had U-2 planes they would use them because it would have been much more sufficient than using human spies.

8. I think that the US had missiles based in Europe in order to attack the USSR quicker than if they launched them from the US itself.

9. Nuclear deterrent is when you stockpile nuclear weapons to appease your enemy.

Eisenhower & The Cold War

1. The United States reacted to the first atomic bomb exploded by the Soviet Union by trying to create an even more destructive weapon, the H-Bomb, because the US feared the Soviet Union was becoming as technologically advanced as the US.

2. When the Iranian prime minister placed the oil industry under the Iranian government's control, the US feared that Mossadegh might turn to the Soviets for help, so the CIA gave millions of dollars to anti-Mossadegh suporters, which caused pro-American Shah of Iran to return to power.

3. The CIA trained an army which invaded Guatamala because Eisenhower believed that Guatamala's government had Communist sympathies.

4. When Britain, France, and Israel invaded Egypt and occupied the Suez Canal, the UN stepped in to stop the fighting and persuaded Great Britain, France, and Isreal to withdraw, however it allowed Egypt to keep control of the canal.

5. When the Soviet tanks invaded Hungary and fired on protestors in 1956, the United States did nothing to help Hungary break free of Soviet control.

6. When the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957, Americans were shocked at being beated and pured money into their own space program, launching their first successful satellite in 1958.

7. When the Soviets brought down an American U-2 piloted by Francis Gary Powers in 1960, Khrushchev demanded an apology for the flights and a promise to hallt them, and Eisenhower agreed to stop the U-2 flights, and because of this incident, the 1960s opened with tension between the two superpowers.

The Red Scare (1950s).

1. HUAC- The House Un-American Activities Committee investigated possible Communist influence inside and outside of the United Statues government. The committee believed that Communists were sneaking propaganda into films, and investigated suspects of these acts.

2. Blacklist- A list of people whom the HUAC condemned for having a Communist background.

3. Alger Hiss- Alger Hiss was accused of spying for the Soviet Union and was sent to jail for perjury, as they thought he lied about passing the documents. He claimed he was innocent and that Chambers forged the documents used against him, but it was not enough to prove he was innocent.

4. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg- Ethel and Julius Rosenberg denied the charges against them when asked if they were Communists and pleaded the 5th Amendment. They claimed they were being prosecuted for being Jewish and holding radical beliefs, yet were found guilty of espionage and were sentenced to death. They were directly responsible for one of the deadliest clashes of the Cold War.

5. Joseph McCarthy- A Republican who spoke out against the government, accusing them of treason and allowing Communists into the government. He was eventually alienated by his followers and was condemned by the Senate, and he died of alcoholism 3 years after his downfall.

6. McCarthyism- McCarthyism was attacks by McCarthy on suspected Communists in the early 1950s.

7. During the 1950s, Joseph McCarthy wanted to be reelected in 1952, in which he would need a winning issue as he had acquired a reputation for being an ineffective legislator in his first 3 years in the Senate. McCarthy charged that Communists were taking over the government. He accused many people of disloyalty without providing evidence and claimed he had proof of 57, 81, and 205 Communists in the State Department. He also charged that the Democratic Party was guilty of 20 years of treason for allowing Commuynists infiltration into the government. He then made accusations against the US army, which led to an investigation. His bullying of witnesses alienated his audience and costed him public support, and he was condemned for improper conduct that "tended to bring the Senate into dishonor and disrespute".

Dropping the Atomic Bomb

1. In 1945, Truman decided to drop nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. There were various views on his decision, with some people thinking his decision was unjustified and others thinking it was justified. Japan was not going to surrender to the United States because they had too much going for them in World War II. Truman thought the only way to get them to surrender was to bomb them in a devastating manner in order to totally expunge their pride, power, and ambition. People who thought it was unjustified could argue that the bombs killed too many innocent Japanese people, and it destroyed too many homes, buildings, and important facilities. Although these seem like bad results of the bombings, the bombings did infact save many many lives. If the Japanese did not surrender and the bombs were not dropped, the war between Japan and the US would've possiby gone on for years and years more, causing MANY more deaths for both Japanese and Americans.

2. I think that Truman made the right decision in bombing Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The first reason I think this is because Japan wasn't going to surrender, and I thought it was necessary to bomb them if it meant ending the war. Second, if this was the way to end the war, it would prevent many deaths since the war would've continued for quite a while longer. My last reason as to why I think he made the right decision was because of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, by which I mean that since Japan bombed us and devastated us, then we should have the right to devastate them by bombing them and ending the war.

War in the Pacific

1. The importance of the Battle of Midway was the turning point of the war in the Pacific. The Americans knew that Midway Island was Japan's next target, and were able to move to defend the island. On June 3, 1942, Chester Nimitz's scout planes found the Japanese fleet. The Americans sent torpedo planes and dive bombers to the attack, destroying four Japanese aircraft carriers, a Japanese cruiser, and 250 Japanese planes. Following this battle, the Allies began winning territories back from the Japanese, island by island, and the Americans officially had "avenged Pearl Harbor".

2. One strategy that the United States adopted from fighting Japan was a Pearl Harbor-like air raid, which they mocked with Doolittle's raid, bombing Tokyo and other Japanese ities on April 18, 1942. Another strategy that the United States adopted from the Japenese was the act of Island Hopping, conquering island by island, which they showed in the Battle of Midway, re-capturing islands once lost to Japan.

3. The Japanese fought so hard on Iwo Jima because it was critical to the United States as a base from which heavily loaded bombers might reach Japan, so if they were to lose the island, they would be in greater danger based on the position advantage the United States would have over the Japanese. The Japanese had also almost 21,000 troops there, making Iow Jima one of the most heavily defended spot on earth, which made it a crucial base for Japan in the war. The Americans won the battle and took over the island, and their next move was the island of Okinawa.

4. The Allies believed that Okinawa was a foretaste of the invasions of Japan's home islands because of Japan's strong defensive troops on the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Because of their [Japan's] remarkable fights on those islands, Churchill predicted the cost of invading Japan's home islands would be a million American lives and 500,000 British lives.

5. The Manhattan Project was the development of the atomic bomb, and it was the best kept secret of the war. Over 600,000 Americans were involved in the project, and few of them knew the true purpose of it. The first tests of the new bomb took place in New Mexico, in an empty expanse of desert, and the bomb was described as "a red-hot elephant standing balanced on its trunk", and the development of the bomb was deemed successful.

6. President Truman decided to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to ultimately end the war. He ordered the military to make final plans for dropping the bombs on July 25, 1945. The US warned Japan that it faced "prompt and utter destruction" unless it surrendered, and Japan refused. Truman planned the bombings in order to bring the war to an end, and to end all of this madness, dropping an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, and another on Nagasaki on August 9. An estimated 200,000 Japanese people were killed from injuries and radiotion caused by the bombs, and Emperor Hirohito of Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945 because he said he "cannot bear to see [his] innocent people suffer any longer".

War for Europe and North Africa - Part II

6. D-Day was the day when we invaded Normany, France, on June 6th, 1944.

7. At the Battle of the Bulge, Germany tried to split allied forces, but they was unsuccessful.

8. Allied troops found concentration camps in Germany.

9. Hitler and his wife committed suicide, FDR died of a heart attack, and Truman became the new US president.

War for Europe & North Africa

1. Roosevelt and Churchill agreed that they would concentrate on Germany and the rest of Europe's Axis powers before worrying about Japan, because the European Axis forces, especially Germany, were a much larger threat to America.

2. Winning the Battle of the Atlantic was crucial for America because it would give them a much better position to supply Britain.

3. The Battle of Stalingrad was important because it was when Germany turned to defensive tactics. This was considered the turning point in the war.

4. The Ally powers won the war in North Africa, which gave them a better position to invade Europe.

5. Once the Allies invaded Italy, Mussolini was thrown in jail by the king of Italy.

Mobilizing for WWII.

1. The Selective Service System expanded the draft and eventually provided another 10 million soldiers to meet the armed forces' needs.

2. Many women at the time worked military jobs, except those which involved actual fighting.

3. Minorities worked with the intention of obtaining employment in military jobs. They eventually got these rights and worked harder than most Americans.

4. Manufacturers made weapons and vehicles for war, and were overthrown and controlled by the government.

5. The Office of Scientific Research and Development helped scientists to create new things that would be helpful to the US in war.

6. The Entertainment Industry played a huge role in creating propaganda, as businesses like Disney would make films with large quantities of propaganda.

7. The Office of Price Administration fought inflation by freezing wages, prices, and rents, and it rationed food, such as meat, butter, cheese, vegetables, sugar, and coffee.

8. The War Production Board rationed fuel and materials vital to the war effort, such as gasoline, heating oil, metals, rubber, and plastics.

9. The Office of Price Administration set up a system for rationing, or establishing fixed allotments of goods deemed essential for the military. Under this system, households received ration books with coupons to be used for buying such scarce goods as meat, shoes, sugar, coffee, and gasoline.

Japan and U.S. Relations in 1941

Japan and U.S. Relations in 1941

Document A
-By conquering the south, Japan would have a good position to attack at America's source of strategic materials

-Japan and America are at war
Document B

-Japan is in the act of encirclement to isolate and surround America
-Japan is surrounding America by the Pacific Ocean
Document C
-Japan and the US are trying to negotiate

Document D
-Japan needs to keep great responsibilities to win the war
Document E

-Japan attacks America at pearl harbor

-America was at peace with Japan before this event----betrayal

-Because the attack was obviously planned weeks ahead, Japan has shown to be giving the US false statements of negotiation for continued peace

-US declares war on Japan

America Moves Toward War

1. The 1939 Neutrality Act allowed countries at war to buy supplies from the US if they paid fully for them, to stay out of debt.

2. The Axis Powers were Germany, Japan, and Italy.

4. The Atlantic Charter allowed Britain to borrow weapons, ammunition, and other equipment from the United States.

5. The Ally Powers were the United States, the UK, France, and the Soviet Union.

6. The Pearl Harbor attack almost totally destroyed the U.S. pacific fleet, destroying 21 ships.

7. Germany and Italy, two axis powers, declared war on the United States in order to gain more international power and had promised to help each other in any form of trouble.

"Isolationism" and FDR (1935 - 1941)

1. Isolationists wanted to make it so that America wouldn't have to move out of its borders to keep itself safe. Isolationism is a misleading term because the policy is stricly militarily, and isolationists were still open to free trade with all other countries.

2. Some isolationists felt that there was no need to feel threatened by developments in Europe and Asia because they felt America was too powerful in many aspects to feel threatened by other countries so far away, and those countries were not powerful enough to be a threat to America.

3. The purpose of the Nye Committee hearing were to find the reasons why America got involved in World War I to help prevent intervention in World War II.

4. Two impressions that the Nye Committee hearings created were that big businesses were a major cause of the US getting involved in World War I and that Roosevelt was trying to get involved in World War II.

5. The purpose of the Neutrality Acts were to prevent the United States from getting involved in World War II.

6. Some Americans considered Roosevelt's leadership radical and dangerous because he was trying to get America involved in World War II as well as trying to get elected as president for the third time.

7. "Cash and carry" was a system to supply the allies without causing problems internationally. The allies would pay America for supplies so that they would not be in debt.

8. Roosevelt froze Japanese assets in the United States because of the threat Japan caused for China and other countries due to their increase in aggression.

9. The purpose of the America First Committee was to support isolationists' ideas. This, as planned, would make America's feelings and ideas come before the ideas of foreign countries.

World Events Set Stage for Isolationism

1. The Japanese were unhappy with the Treaty of Versailles because they didn't receive any respect, which led to an anti-western nationalist sentiment in Japan.

2. In order to become a stronger power, Japan took the tactics of all other top countries and combined them. The U.S. threatened Japan due to the fact they were expanding westward into the pacific.

3. Japan's rising power was becoming recognized by the western powers, and they signed a pact to keep their navy under a premeditated number.

4. The Senate's willingness to ratify the Kellogg-Briand Pact reelected two strong and widely held sentiments, which were that the U.S. enjoyed the freedom to defend themselves and others.

5.

6. Chinese dissidents were said to have blown up one of their train tracks, and they wanted to expand their empire's self reliance.

7. Both the Reichstag fire and the explosion on the Japanese railway in Manchuria gave justification for unjustifiable things.

8. The United States stayed alone in order to prevent a new war from breaking out.

9.

New Deal Essay Outline

Thesis Statement- The United States Government created the New Deal in order to solve problems caused by the Great Depression of 1929. The New Deal was successful in improving the economy in terms of creating jobs for many of the unemployed and by helping farmers increase income, but it was for the most part unsuccessful as it failed to tackle and improve the much more large scale issues such as Economy troubles and widespread poverty.

New Deal- Roosevelt (elected in 1932)

I. Successful Programs

A. Emergency Banking Act

-Passed to inspect banks for their health

-successful (people gained faith in the US banks)

B. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

-put millions of people to work

-taught the men and women how to live independently (increasing self esteem)

C. Agricultural Adjustment Administration (AAA)

-provided some relief and farm prices rised.

BADNESS of AAA- Millions of hogs and other products went to waste. 10 million acres of cotton crop plowed under at the cost of $200 million. Modernization put some farmers out of work.

II. Unsuccessful Programs

A. Securities Exchange Commission

-wasn't pleasing for businesses

B. Federal Emergency Relief Administration

-While it put many to work, it was very costly....$1 billion spent in 5 months

In the end, the New Deal was for the most part unsuccessful, as it failed to fix the big issues, but it did show signs of improvement in some areas

FDR & the New Deal

1. During the Great Depression, many people struggled to survive. Many people were laid off at work, were no longer able to afford housing expenses, therefore evicted, and eventually ended up living on the streets. They were forced to live without much food and usually would wait outside of soup kitchens in order to get food.

2. Men weren't used to the change, and some men went out to look for jobs while others left their families. Women were different, as most women worked hard to keep their families close and to help them survive by working outside the house. Lots of children became sick during the Great Depression due to a lack of food, and many were forced to work in sweatshops, where working conditions were horrible.

3. The Dust Bowl was cause by the customs of farmers, as they used tractors to break up the grasslands, which eliminated the protective layer of grass. Overproduction wore out the crops and fields became unsuitable for farming. Effects of the Dust Bowl include farmers being forced to leave their farms and thousands of families forced to move west.

4. The New Deal was a program created to pacify the problems of the great depression and the goals of it were to create relief for the needy, to start economic recovery, and financial reform.

5. During the Hundred Days, Roosevelt planned to carry out reforms in banking, and Congress passed more than 15 major pieces of New Deal legislation.

6. Roosevelt's fireside chats were significant because American citizens felt they were more in contact with the president, as it seemed he was talking directly to them.

7. The Glass-Steagall Act, Federal Securities Act, Agricultural Adjustment Act, and the National Industrial Recovery act all tightened regulation of banking and finance.

Causes of the Great Depression Outline

To what extent was the Wall Street Crash a cause of the Great Depression of 1929? Support your argument with specific examples.

Introduction- The Wall Street Crash was definitely the most major cause of the Great Depression of 1929, while other major causes, while not as major as the Wall Street Crash, include tariffs and war debt policies that cut down the foreign market for American goods, and Stock Market Speculation.

Reason 1- Wall Street Crash
Notes:
-In the 1920's, people believed the stock market was an easy and quick way to get rich, and many people decided to join
-From 1920 to 1929 the amount of investors changed from about 4 million to 120 million :o
-People thought that the stocks would just continue increasing forever and ever and ever
-Then, in 1929, the Wall Street Crash happened, causing millions of people involved in the stock market to DIE.....inside because they lost so much money

Reason 2-Stock Market Speculation
Notes:
-Around 600,000 investors were speculators
-Speculators would borrow money to buy shares and didn't even have to pay the full value of shares (they only had to put down 10%) because they expected the shares to increase and then they would use profits to pay the rest of the 90%, and apparantly would strill have profits for themselves
-This was a rather large cause of the great depression because this caused not only the investors to lose lots of money, but also the people they borrowed money from lost out because they never would get payed back and the share owners would lose money because they wouldn't get the whole 100%

Reason- Tariffs and war debt policies that cut down the foreign market for American goods
Notes:
-Made American goods less valuable and less desireable
-Sellers of these items would be stuck with stuff without income
-Products became hard to sell and people would not be buying much at this time

Conclusion- In conclusion, the Stock Market Crash was the most important and major cause of the Great Depression of 1929, while Stock Market Speculation and Tariffs and war debt policies that cut down the foreign market for American Goods were other very major causes.

Causes & Early Effects of the Great Depression

1. What happened on "Black Tuesday"?

On Black Tuesday, the bottom fell out of the market and the nation's confidence. Shareholders tried to sell stocks quickly before prices dropped even more, but couldn't find buyers. 16.4 million shares were dumped that day.

2. How did the economic trends of the 1920s in industry, agriculture, and with consumers help cause the Great Depression? (Make sure you include significant details about each area in your answer. It should be at least a paragraph)

The AGRICULTURE in the 1920's went way down from the times of the war. During the war wheat and other grain were in high demands, so farmers took out loans in order to expand their farms to meet the demand. When the war was over the demand went down, and farmers lost because they were in debt from taking out the laons, and they couldnt pay the loans back because they werent making enough money to. Because of this the farmers raised the prices of their gooods, which made the people have to pay more. Because of the credit that was now avaible people would creat debt for themselves. The INDUSTRY helped caused the great depression because the basic textiles (railroads,textiles, and steel.) Coal was hit hard after the war because there were new forms of electricty so people were no longer buying it. When housing fell so didnt the jobs that went with it such as construction, and industries that built things such as furniture, rugs etc.

3. According to your reading, what are the major causes of the Great Depression?

Some of the major causes of the Great Depression were the lack of demand for crops, livestock and coal mining, as well as the change of spending habits of Americans.

4. What was Hoover’s philosophy of government?

He believed that one of government's chief functions was to foster cooperation between competing groups and interests in society. He thought that this cooperation must be voluntary, and that the government should encourage and facilitate cooperation, not to control it.

5. What was Hoover’s initial reaction to the stock market crash of 1929?

Hoover initially issued a statement which aimed to assure people that everything was fine and to calm them. He hoped that it would prevent panic.

6. What was the nation’s economic situation in 1930?

Economic difficulties increased in 1930 and Americans grew more and more frustrated by the Depression.

7. How did voters in 1930 respond to this situation?

Democrats took advantage of anti-Hoover sentiments to win more seats in Congress, and because of this, Republicans lost control of the House of Representatives and saw their majority in the Senate dwindle to one vote.

8. What did Hoover do about the economic situation?

Hoover's plan was to encourage employers not to cut wages or lay off workers, and labor leaders not to demand higher wages or go on strike. He also created an organization to help private charities generate contributions for the poor.

9. How did the economy respond to his efforts?

The economy was unchanged by all of the efforts of Hoover except for the construction of Hoover Dam. It provided electricity and flood control, as well as providing a regular water supply, which enabled the growth of California's massive agricultural economy.

The Twenties Woman

1. In the 1920's, womens' fashions changed as they began to wear shorter dresses, got shorter haircuts, and dyed their hair jet black.

2. Their social behavior changed as well, as they would talk openly about sex in public and would smoke and drink in public.

3. Jealousy and motivation.

4. Work opportunities improve for women at this time as they found work opportunities to be more abundant.

5. Women were treated as more important in relationships at this time and birth control became more available.

6. Women didn't make as much money as men even if they were to work as much, or even more, children would cause their mothers both stress and emotional pain by resisting parental control, and women were given more responsibilities.

Prohibition and the Scopes Trial

changes in urban life
-migration from towns to cities rapidly accelerated between 1922 and 1929
-city dwellers began reading and arguing about current scientific and social ideas
-they judges each other by accomplishment rather than by background
-they also tolerated drinking, gambling, and casual dating
-streets were full of strangers
-life was fast-paced
-Americans found themselves caught between rural and urban cultures

Rural- safe world of close ties, hard work, and strict morals
Urban- big world of anonymous crowds, moneymakers, and pleasure seekers

effects of prohibition
-consumption of alcohol decreased
-disrespect for the law developed
-criminals found a new source of income
-drinkers went underground to "speakeasies"
-people learned to distill alcohol and built their own stills
-organized crime grew
-it caused worse effects than the initial problem

the scopes trial
-Tennessee passed a law which made it a crime to teach evolution in
-John T. Scopes defied the law and read about evolution in his biology class
-Scopes was arrested and his trial was set for July
-the scopes trial was a fight over evolution and the role of science and religion in public schools in American society
-Scopes was found guilty and fined $100 (the verdict was later changed due to a technicality)
-the law remained in effect



Did the passage of the Volstead Act and the ruling in the Scopes trial represent genuine (quality) triumphs for traditional values?

In my opinion, I think that the passage of the Volstead Act to some extent represented quality triumphs for traditional values, but for the most part, was unnecessary and unjustified in its reasons for enforcement. The only things I can think of that were good about the Volstead Act were that some people with certain beliefs would be satisfied and that the consumption of alcohol decreased. On the other hand, the Volstead Act/Prohibition was too opinionated with its reasons for enforcement as the main causes were based on the beliefs of people, which caused some people to be satisfied, and some to be outraged, causing disrespect of the law, which led to an increase in crime and rebellion.
On another matter, the ruling in the Scopes trial, in my opinion, represented absolutely NO genuine triumphs for traditional values. Scopes was found guilty of teaching evolution, which seems very ridiculous because I find no harm in the knowledge of evolution. I think that evolution is a very legitimate theory, which makes me believe that the ruling in this trial is barbaric and lacking triumphs for traditional values.

Americans Struggle with Postwar Issues

1. The Justice Department under Palmer reacted to fear that Communists would take over the country by hunting down suspected Communists, socialists, and anarchists. Him and his agents trampled people's civil rights by invading private homes and offices and jailing suspects without allowing them legal counsel, yet failed to discover any important evidence.



2. Many thought Palmer was just looking for a campaign issue to gain support for his presidential aspirations and the public soon decided that he didn't know what he was talking about.



3. The KKK reacted by destroying saloons, opposing unions, and driving Roman Catholics, Jews, and foreign-born people out of the country.



4. By the end of the 1920's, the KKK's criminal activity had led to a decrease in power, popularity, and membership.



5. Sacco and Vanzetti became victims of the red scare as they were put to death by electric chair because they were immigrants and were thought to have robbed and murdered.



6. The Boston Police Strike was unpopular with the public because the police were said to be striking against the public safety, and the public were unhappy with this, and soon after this the strike had ended.



7. Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge became popular because he was said to have saved Boston from communism and anarchy by ending being the cause of the Boston Police strike.



8. The strike at U.S. Steel was unpopular because the workers wanted things that were unnecessary such as bargaining rights and union recognition. The public was also probably not too fond of their propaganda campaign.



9. Wilson had responded to the steel strike with the want of a compromise which would prevent the abuse of the strikers.