US History--- Mini-Investigation Paper (Final)

A. Plan of the investigation
- The effectiveness of the strategies and methods which governments used upon US Democracy during the Great Depression.
- Did the strategies or methods of government to deal with unrest threaten US Democracy during the Great Depression?
- The first thought of why I came to choose this topic was due to the information in History Alive. As I flipped the pages, I found out that most of the information is about the government, so I predicted that this topic might be more convenient, moreover; easier during my research. Furthermore, government is considered a great influence during the Great Depression. Therefore, I decided to choose this topic.
- My initial plan is to gather information of secondary and primary history resources from the internet and books. Though finding that it is hard to find any primary history resources, I decided that I should look for secondary resources such as newspaper and articles.
B. Summary of evidence
1. After the Great Crash, the American public sought a scapegoat for the economic collapse. Some held President Hoover responsible; others targeted the "three B's"--brokers, bankers, and businessmen. But the cause of the Great Depression could not be attributed to one individual or even a group of people.
2. The problems were:
a. Unemployment and poverty
b. Breakdown of families
c. Soaring high school dropout rates (2 to 4 million)
d. Homelessness
e. Organized protests
f. Around the country, the homeless built settlements of cardboard and tar-paper shacks, called "Hoovervilles" in sardonic reference to President Hoover.
g. Farmers armed with guns and pitchforks marched on the local banks to prevent foreclosures. 3. "The Bonus Expeditionary Force." A group of WWI veterans who had been denied their pensions organized the first march on Washington in protest. In 1932, twenty thousand men set up a tent city, vowing to stay until they got their money. President Hoover overreacted and sent in the army (led by future war heroes Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower) to break up this peaceful demonstration.
4. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) Relief programs, measures to increase employment and to aid industrial and agricultural recovery from the Great Depression, marked Roosevelt's time in office. He has been both venerated as a national savior and vilified as a socialist who craved greater federal power.
5. At the beginning of his administration, Roosevelt convened Congress in a special session and launched the New Deal with an avalanche of bills. Historians refer to this period as the "Hundred Days." Roosevelt introduced a new notion of the presidency whereby the president, not Congress, was the legislative leader. Most of the bills he proposed set up new government agencies, called the "alphabet soup" agencies because of their array of acronyms.
a. AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Act) rights.
b. CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps)
c. TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)
d. NIRA (National Industrial Recovery Act)
6. Ultimately, we can roughly divide Roosevelt's years in office in the 1930s into two periods:
a. The First New Deal (1933-1935) was characterized by relief of the immediate problems of unemployment. The Second New Deal (1935-1937) was characterized by reform. Increasingly, members of Congress and others called for fundamental reform of society, not just relief of the symptoms of social and economic problems.
7. Critics stood up and complained about Roosevelt’s “New Deal”. One of the most vocal critics of the New Deal was Father Charles Coughlin (1891-1979). The New Deal had other critics as well. Governor Floyd Olson of Minnesota declared himself a socialist and tried to build a third party that would "preach the gospel of government and collective ownership of the means of production and distribution." The most powerful New Deal critic from the political left was Huey Long (1893-1935), governor of Louisiana and later a United States Senator from that state. Known as the "Kingfish," Long became the most powerful governor in Louisiana's history. He used his power to expand Louisiana's underdeveloped infrastructure and helped build new hospitals, schools, highways, bridges, and the state's university.
8. Beginning in 1935, Roosevelt began sending to Congress a host of new legislative initiatives. Some historians characterize the Second New Deal as FDR's radical shift to the left. In reality, however, this second stage of the New Deal was more of a tentative step towards the left. The laws that came out of the Second New Deal included:
a. WPA
b. Wagner Act
c. Social Security Act
d. Wealth Tax Act
9. The American public found the "Three B's" responsible for the Crash and the Depression:
a. Bankers
b. Brokers
c. Businessmen
- Evidence 1, 4, 5, 6, and 9: (Schultz, Stanley K. "Liberalism at High Noon: The New Deal." American History 102. 1999. William P. Tishler, Web. 8 Nov 2009. .)
- Evidence 2, 3: (Schultz, Stanley K. "Liberalism at High Noon: The New Deal." American History 102. 1999. William P. Tishler, Web. 8 Nov 2009. .)
- Evidence 7, 8: (Schultz, Stanley K. "Liberalism at High Noon: The New Deal." American History 102. 1999. William P. Tishler, Web. 8 Nov 2009. .)
C. Evaluation of sources
Most of my sources are secondary online articles. One of my sources, “American History 102”, included information I need, though it is still not enough in order to answer my question correctly and conclusively. As I read the details about the site, I found out that it was written in 1999, which means that it is published after the Great Depression. The process of publishing after the Great Depression could provide the general image of what had happened during the great Depression, and briefly explain the purpose of the actions the government took at that time. When I read the articles, I can easily understand the purpose of the whole site. The articles does not show negative comments about any of the cases or governors, nor encouraging its readers in to any strong emotions. Things that it does state are only information stating plainly of what had happened in the Great Depression. Therefore its purpose is clear- the information is provided for learning about the Great Depression. As for the site’s value, I should say that it is very valuable. Even if the writer is not an eye witness of the whole event, the article is clear enough to let a reader understand the general history of the Great Depression. In other words, it shows its readers the whole image of the incident. The site may be useful in writing reports and giving evidence. Moreover, it includes a large amount of information, which can be good examples for learners like me. For the limitations, I had mentioned that the article gives the general vent of the Great Depression. However; the source is considered not detailed enough comparing to primary resources. The article does not have the ability to show the specifics and emotions during the Great Depression. Reading through the article, I admit that it does tell me things which happened and peoples who were involved during the time, though only limited information does not provide its readers feelings and thoughts. And this is the difference between primary and secondary sources.
D. Analysis
In part B, I provided several facts which can support to answer my question, but to be honest, none of them could give me a specific answer to my question. I listed some laws which were created during the Great Depression. The laws were passed for stopping the severe incident, and most of them were stated by President Roosevelt. Comparing to President Hoover, who made many of his citizen’s protest against the Great Depression, President Roosevelt took action instead of remaining silent upon to event. He made many laws as the First New Deal and the Second New Deal. The laws were somehow effective, but at the other side, it also limited the citizens in many ways, which caused critics and citizens standing up, protesting against the law, the situation did, in fact, threatened the US Democracy. In the way of sending people in prisons for protesting against the laws, made the whole evidence even worse, discovering the action of the citizens, President Roosevelt than set up the “Roosevelt Recession”, which saved the US economy and ended the Great Depression. But the evidence written in part B still did not give the specific answer of whether the laws to deal with unrest the threaten US Democracy during the Great Depression. While the end of the Great Depression seems pleasant, part B does not have the evidence to prove that the US Depression is not under threat. The thing that part B proved is that the economy went slowly back to normal due to the laws passed by President Roosevelt, however did not mention any of the citizens who suffered from it, or critics who were protesting against it. In the end, I must say that the information did not fully answer whether the strategies or methods of government to deal with unrest the threaten US Democracy during the Great Depression or not, though the final conclusion seems like it did, none of the facts in part B could give me the statement of- “Yes, it did deal with US Democracy” or “No, it did not deal with US Democracy”. It only stated that the Great Depression came to a temporary end. And from the sources I found, I think no one could answer my question. After all, no one could stand for all of the eye witnesses and give a specific answer. My question is somewhat based on opinion, there are things which facts cannot prove. As a solution, my final answer responding to the question is- The Great Depression came to a temporary end, end citizens seems to be settled down by the strategies and methods of the government during the Great Depression.

US History--- Mini-Investigation Paper

A. Plan of the investigation
- The effectiveness of the strategies and methods which governments used upon US Democracy during the Great Depression.
- Did the strategies or methods of government to deal with unrest threaten US Democracy during the Great Depression?
- The first thought of why I came to choose this topic was due to the information in History Alive. As I flipped the pages, I found out that most of the information is about the government, so I predicted that this topic might be more convenient, moreover; easier during my research. Furthermore, government is considered a great influence during the Great Depression. Therefore, I decided to choose this topic.
- My initial plan is to gather information of secondary and primary history resources from the internet and books. Though finding that it is hard to find any primary history resources, I decided that I should look for secondary resources such as newspaper and articles.
B. Summary of evidence
1. After the Great Crash, the American public sought a scapegoat for the economic collapse. Some held President Hoover responsible; others targeted the "three B's"--brokers, bankers, and businessmen. But the cause of the Great Depression could not be attributed to one individual or even a group of people.
2. The problems were:
a. Unemployment and poverty
b. Breakdown of families
c. Soaring high school dropout rates (2 to 4 million)
d. Homelessness
e. Organized protests
f. Around the country, the homeless built settlements of cardboard and tar-paper shacks, called "Hoovervilles" in sardonic reference to President Hoover.
g. Farmers armed with guns and pitchforks marched on the local banks to prevent foreclosures.
3. "The Bonus Expeditionary Force." A group of WWI veterans who had been denied their pensions organized the first march on Washington in protest. In 1932, twenty thousand men set up a tent city, vowing to stay until they got their money. President Hoover overreacted and sent in the army (led by future war heroes Douglas MacArthur and Dwight D. Eisenhower) to break up this peaceful demonstration.
4. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) Relief programs, measures to increase employment and to aid industrial and agricultural recovery from the Great Depression, marked Roosevelt's time in office. He has been both venerated as a national savior and vilified as a socialist who craved greater federal power.
5. At the beginning of his administration, Roosevelt convened Congress in a special session and launched the New Deal with an avalanche of bills. Historians refer to this period as the "Hundred Days." Roosevelt introduced a new notion of the presidency whereby the president, not Congress, was the legislative leader. Most of the bills he proposed set up new government agencies, called the "alphabet soup" agencies because of their array of acronyms.
a. AAA (Agricultural Adjustment Act) rights.
b. CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps)
c. TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority)
d. NIRA (National Industrial Recovery Act)
6. Ultimately, we can roughly divide Roosevelt's years in office in the 1930s into two periods:
a. The First New Deal (1933-1935) was characterized by relief of the immediate problems of unemployment.
The Second New Deal (1935-1937) was characterized by reform. Increasingly, members of Congress and others called for fundamental reform of society, not just relief of the symptoms of social and economic problems.
7. Critics stood up and complained about Roosevelt’s “New Deal”. One of the most vocal critics of the New Deal was Father Charles Coughlin (1891-1979). The New Deal had other critics as well. Governor Floyd Olson of Minnesota declared himself a socialist and tried to build a third party that would "preach the gospel of government and collective ownership of the means of production and distribution." The most powerful New Deal critic from the political left was Huey Long (1893-1935), governor of Louisiana and later a United States Senator from that state. Known as the "Kingfish," Long became the most powerful governor in Louisiana's history. He used his power to expand Louisiana's underdeveloped infrastructure and helped build new hospitals, schools, highways, bridges, and the state's university.
8. Beginning in 1935, Roosevelt began sending to Congress a host of new legislative initiatives. Some historians characterize the Second New Deal as FDR's radical shift to the left. In reality, however, this second stage of the New Deal was more of a tentative step towards the left. The laws that came out of the Second New Deal included:
a. WPA
b. Wagner Act
c. Social Security Act
d. Wealth Tax Act
9. The American public found the "Three B's" responsible for the Crash and the Depression:
a. Bankers
b. Brokers
Businessmen
- Evidence 1, 4, 5, 6, and 9: (Schultz, Stanley K. "Liberalism at High Noon: The New Deal." American History 102. 1999. William P. Tishler, Web. 8 Nov 2009. .)
- Evidence 2, 3: (Schultz, Stanley K. "Liberalism at High Noon: The New Deal." American History 102. 1999. William P. Tishler, Web. 8 Nov 2009. .)
- Evidence 7, 8: (Schultz, Stanley K. "Liberalism at High Noon: The New Deal." American History 102. 1999. William P. Tishler, Web. 8 Nov 2009. .)
C. Evaluation of sources
Most of my sources are secondary online articles. One of my sources, “American History 102”, included information I need, though it is still not enough in order to answer my question correctly and conclusively. As I read the details about the site, I found out that it was written in 1999, which means that it is published after the Great Depression. The process of publishing after the Great Depression could provide the general image of what had happened during the great Depression, and briefly explain the purpose of the actions the government took at that time. When I read the articles, I can easily understand the purpose of the whole site. The articles does not show negative comments about any of the cases or governors, nor encouraging its readers in to any strong emotions. Things that it does state are only information stating plainly of what had happened in the Great Depression. Therefore its purpose is clear- the information is provided for learning about the Great Depression. As for the site’s value, I should say that it is very valuable. Even if the writer is not an eye witness of the whole event, the article is clear enough to let a reader understand the general history of the Great Depression. In other words, it shows its readers the whole image of the incident. The site may be useful in writing reports and giving evidence. Moreover, it includes a large amount of information, which can be good examples for learners like me. For the limitations, I had mentioned that the article gives the general vent of the Great Depression. However; the source is considered not detailed enough comparing to primary resources. The article does not have the ability to show the specifics and emotions during the Great Depression. Reading through the article, I admit that it does tell me things which happened and peoples who were involved during the time, though only limited information does not provide its readers feelings and thoughts. And this is the difference between primary and secondary sources.
D. Analysis
In part B, I provided several facts which can support to answer my question, but to be honest, none of them could give me a specific answer to my question. I listed some laws which were created during the Great Depression. The laws were passed for stopping the severe incident, and most of them were stated by President Roosevelt. Comparing to President Hoover, who made many of his citizen’s protest against the Great Depression, President Roosevelt took action instead of remaining silent upon to event. He made many laws as the First New Deal and the Second New Deal. The laws were somehow effective, but at the other side, it also limited the citizens in many ways, which caused critics and citizens standing up, protesting against the law, the situation did, in fact, threatened the US Democracy. In the way of sending people in prisons for protesting against the laws, made the whole evidence even worse, discovering the action of the citizens, President Roosevelt than set up the “Roosevelt Recession”, which saved the US economy and ended the Great Depression. But the evidence written in part B still did not give the specific answer of whether the laws to deal with unrest the threaten US Democracy during the Great Depression. While the end of the Great Depression seems pleasant, part B does not have the evidence to prove that the US Depression is not under threat. The thing that part B proved is that the economy went slowly back to normal due to the laws passed by President Roosevelt, however did not mention any of the citizens who suffered from it, or critics who were protesting against it. In the end, I must say that the information did not fully answer whether the strategies or methods of government to deal with unrest the threaten US Democracy during the Great Depression or not, though the final conclusion seems like it did, none of the facts in part B could give me the statement of- “Yes, it did deal with US Democracy” or “No, it did not deal with US Democracy”. It only stated that the Great Depression came to a temporary end. And from the sources I found, I think no one could answer my question. After all, no one could stand for all of the eye witnesses and give a specific answer. My question is somewhat based on opinion, there are things which facts cannot prove. As a solution, my final answer responding to the question is- The Great Depression came to a temporary end, end citizens seems to be settled down by the strategies and methods of the government during the Great Depression.

step 3 research results

1) http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture18.html
websites 2) http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture19.html
3) http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/lectures/lecture20.html
books 4) http://books.google.com/books?id=pT8gMTpQ5L0C&pg=PA148&lpg=PA148&dq=%22roosevelt+recession%22+%22milton+friedman%22&source=bl&ots=_X_zQUwXqM&sig=GyT89oXJVYLPtk8s__KaBJr1QDM&hl=en&ei=7guWSqr_HY6w8QaLs-C3DA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=%22roosevelt%20recession%22%20%22milton%20friedman%22&f=false

Wish List- Step 3

- Websites that set a time line telling what specifically happened during the Great Depression.
- Websites that are mainly giving important facts and information of the Great Depression.
- Websites that give a picture giving measurement of the percentage of people’s thought upon the Great Depression.
- Books that talk about the things which happened about the Great Depression.