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MIDTERM
STUDY QUESTIONS The
first half of your midterm exam will consist of one of the following 4
questions, which you will need to answer in a well-organized essay with
a thesis backed up with persuasive evidence and example.
The specific question will be drawn lottery-style in class on the
day of the exam, so be sure to come prepared to answer any of the questions.
The essay will count for half of the 100 points of your exam. 1) Write an essay in which you describe, analyze, and evaluate the significance of Progressive reform in the early 20th century U.S. West. How “progressive” do you think Progressive reformers really were-and on which issues? What legacies (positive, negative, or both) did Progressive reformers leave for late 20th century westerners? 2)
Corporate
capitalism recast community life in the early twentieth-century West.
Marshal factual evidence to provide a profile of a company-dominated western
mining town. Accent wage earner family life, their institutions and organizations,
and contrast their situation with local business owners, company managers,
and absentee owners. Who enjoyed the best advantage to shape community
life, and how did this power play out in specific instances during the
period between ca. 1900-1920? 3)
Citizenship
is fundamental to democracy, and between 1900 and 1925, citizenship
rights were a key site of social and political struggle. In an essay
detailing the experience of any two of these three groups--women,
Native Americans, and Asian Americans--discuss the range of citizenship
rights, responsibilities, and obligations at issue for each group in this
period. Among other factors, you might want to consider such things
as voting rights, labor opportunities, land and property ownership, and
the forms of legal "protection" enacted for each group. What challenges did each group face, and how successful were they in securing
their claims to full citizenship? 4)
For most of the 20th century most western residents
have lived in cities, yet the American dream of the independent family
farm cast a long shadow over western history. Write an essay in which you identify and analyze the significance
of the American dream of the independent family farm in as many aspects
of 20th century western history as you can.
Why do you think this dream continued to hold such appeal? |