What arguments could be made FOR and AGAINST this statment: "America's poor, in the mid 20th century, were mostly responsible for their own problems."
The people under poverty in the mid 20th centuries were not responsible for their own problem. A good example would be the working poor. The poor people did work, but their wages were too low to lift them out of poverty. It wasnt their responsibility to get low wages, the companies which charged them low wages were reponsible.
The people under poverty were somehow responsible for their own condition. An example would be "In 2004, the poverty rate for adults aged 25 or older with college degrees was 4 percent." That means, Americans were poor, yet; they still have the power to lift themselves up.
2010年1月25日 星期一
Sem2.HW5
"How real was the threat of Communist spies within the USA?"
To the USA, the threat of communist spies is very real; and the USA took it very seriously. An example could be the loyalty oaths(1947), where hundreds of government workers lost their jobs for being “potentially” disloyal.
Another example would be the Alger Hiss case(1950) and Rosenberg trail(1953). The reality of being betrayed by their own people raised the fears of the USA towards spies, also the threat of communist party became stronger.
"Is it fair to say that the anxiety caused in the US due to Nuclear threat, was useful and 'healthy?' (security of the nation . . . = its health).
It is somehow not fair to say that the anxiety caused in the US due to Nuclear threat was useful and healthy. As the Federal Civil Defense Administration(1951) had intended to train the USA citizens to evacuate under nuclear threat; however, did not work. Yet, created protesters against the organization.
To the USA, the threat of communist spies is very real; and the USA took it very seriously. An example could be the loyalty oaths(1947), where hundreds of government workers lost their jobs for being “potentially” disloyal.
Another example would be the Alger Hiss case(1950) and Rosenberg trail(1953). The reality of being betrayed by their own people raised the fears of the USA towards spies, also the threat of communist party became stronger.
"Is it fair to say that the anxiety caused in the US due to Nuclear threat, was useful and 'healthy?' (security of the nation . . . = its health).
It is somehow not fair to say that the anxiety caused in the US due to Nuclear threat was useful and healthy. As the Federal Civil Defense Administration(1951) had intended to train the USA citizens to evacuate under nuclear threat; however, did not work. Yet, created protesters against the organization.
2010年1月21日 星期四
Sem2.HW4
"How does the CIA's activities in Iran show that the US behaves undemocratically in its foreign policy?"
Different from behaving as a country which declare itself as the symbol of freedom; however, on July, 1953, the CIA had monitored a Tudeh Party radio broadcast. The clandestine radio warned Iranians that the American government were working to liquidate the Mossadeq government. Which does not show the image of democracy.
Another example would be-Mossadeq counterattacked by shutting down the Majlis—under the law, only the Majlis could dismiss him, not the shah—rendering the senators and deputies whose votes had been purchased by the CIA useless, the event happened in 1953, which can fully show that US behaves undemocratically toward Iran.
On August 19, the agency's hired mobs assembled in Tehran, ready for a riot. Buses and trucks filled with tribesmen from the south, their leaders all paid by the CIA, arrived in the capital. The event show that the CIA used money to control the whole riot, which is not consider to be the right action for a country declaring itself as a democratic country.
Different from behaving as a country which declare itself as the symbol of freedom; however, on July, 1953, the CIA had monitored a Tudeh Party radio broadcast. The clandestine radio warned Iranians that the American government were working to liquidate the Mossadeq government. Which does not show the image of democracy.
Another example would be-Mossadeq counterattacked by shutting down the Majlis—under the law, only the Majlis could dismiss him, not the shah—rendering the senators and deputies whose votes had been purchased by the CIA useless, the event happened in 1953, which can fully show that US behaves undemocratically toward Iran.
On August 19, the agency's hired mobs assembled in Tehran, ready for a riot. Buses and trucks filled with tribesmen from the south, their leaders all paid by the CIA, arrived in the capital. The event show that the CIA used money to control the whole riot, which is not consider to be the right action for a country declaring itself as a democratic country.
2010年1月18日 星期一
Sem2.HW3
1. The stategies that US used during the Cold war were considered to be very attempting. A good example would be the convert action. Convert action helped shape political, economic events or military operation in other contries in order to get other contries to behave as they wish; moreover, to side with the US.
2. The US had wisely controlled their strategies and tactics in the Cold War, as one of their stategies- deterrence, where US had already produced the H-bomb which is able to threaten the Soviet Union and to prevent them to attack the US. Deterrence not only kept US from harm, but also shown other countries the power of US.
2. The US had wisely controlled their strategies and tactics in the Cold War, as one of their stategies- deterrence, where US had already produced the H-bomb which is able to threaten the Soviet Union and to prevent them to attack the US. Deterrence not only kept US from harm, but also shown other countries the power of US.
2010年1月12日 星期二
Sem2.HW2
"Were the Methods the US used to Contain the spread of Communism justified?"
- One of the method that is considered not to be justified is the action of spying upon the Soviet Union. The action of sending spys to another country is against the faith between two countries. Moreover; it intensified the Cold War.
-A justified action of the US is the unification of West Germany. The action did not go against the rules shared by the Soviet and the US, and US did not try to unify lands controlled by the Soviet Union. The method could also warn the Soviet Union that the US have not yet given up.
-The appaering of North Atlantic Treaty Organization(1949) is a justified method. The Soviet Union was trying to expand it's power and had taken control of Czechoslovakia. Threatened by the Soviet, it is reasonable for US to form NATO in order to fight against the Soviet Union.
- One of the method that is considered not to be justified is the action of spying upon the Soviet Union. The action of sending spys to another country is against the faith between two countries. Moreover; it intensified the Cold War.
-A justified action of the US is the unification of West Germany. The action did not go against the rules shared by the Soviet and the US, and US did not try to unify lands controlled by the Soviet Union. The method could also warn the Soviet Union that the US have not yet given up.
-The appaering of North Atlantic Treaty Organization(1949) is a justified method. The Soviet Union was trying to expand it's power and had taken control of Czechoslovakia. Threatened by the Soviet, it is reasonable for US to form NATO in order to fight against the Soviet Union.
Sem2.HW1
If the
The Iron Curtain created more coldness between the Soviet Union and the
If Truman Doctrine (1947) was not announced, the Soviet would not feel threaten by the
2009年11月16日 星期一
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.
- 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.
訂閱：
文章 (Atom)