American History Homework Thirteen Answers - Student Nine
1. What is your favorite period of time in American history, and why?
The 1920s are a very interesting time period to study. The sudden explosion of culture during this time is fascinating. The study of this exciting culture along with the pondering of the question of what caused such a boom makes for a very interesting subject.
- Excellent example.
2. Contrast President Ronald Reagan with President Bill Clinton.
Both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton enjoyed the initial popularity that comes of economic good times. However, each one’s character was what caused his respective success or downfall. Ronald Reagan was not afraid to do what was right, regardless of what others told him to do. This did not always make him popular, but it made him a strong leader. Bill Clinton fell into the trap of sexual immorality, and was shamed by a scandal in the White House. This caused him to lose the respect of many of the American people, and his lies about this scandal led to his eventual impeachment.
- Superb answer.
3. What would you say is the most important trend or trends guiding American history?
I see two trends that have shaped and continue to shape America. The first relates to government and the second to cultural.
From the time of the Revolution until today, the government has gained more and more power (this is especially true regarding the federal government). This trend began early on with the shift from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution, and continues to this day, as we see the court writing more and more of the law.
The American people as a whole have become more and more “tolerant” of those who are different from them (whether they are of different race, gender, religion, etc.). In the colonial times, there was a very intolerant sentiment, which continued, yet slowly lessened. Over time African Americans were freed from slavery, women gained the right to vote, African Americans and minorities attained more and more rights and so on. Today the trend is continuing beyond a tolerance of differences, to a denial of differences, and there is a sentiment that homosexuals deserve special rights. There also exists “reverse racism” (preference towards minority groups), which is essentially just racism. It is not surprising that this would be a trend guiding American history, as America is such a melting pot of cultures.
- Superb answer, which led me to realize something for the first time: it is a conservative trend to rise above materialism, and the decline in racism in the course of American history is a kind of rising above the materialism of racism. But the liberal spin on that is to reemphasize race in a different way, as in reverse discrimination or quotas, which as you point out could be viewed as a return to racism.
4. What is the most important threat to the future of America? Cite history to support your view.
The post-modern worldview which is so prevalent in America today is a huge threat. Post-modernism is the belief that there is no such thing as truth; everything is relative. Post-modern adherents believe that we must tolerate all differences, and accept one man’s belief as “true for him”, and another man’s opposite belief as “true for him”. Yet it is fearfully ironic that post-modernists cannot tolerate any perceived “intolerance” or a belief in absolutes, and thus, they cannot tolerate Christians. We can see the effects of post-modernism everywhere we look, and the effects are sure to continue in the future. The question stands: where will this lead us? Followed through to conclusion, post-modernism actually leads to anarchy. While I do not believe anarchy to be a threat to America at this point in time, there are other immediate dangers that come of the post-modern worldview. Post-modernism is a threat to Christian’s freedom of religion. It is also the heart of the homosexual movement. Finally, it leads to the denial of a universal moral code, which is having and will continue to have a horrible effect on the laws of our nation.
- Insightful comments about post-modernism, which I might include as a model answer!
5. Do you see a connection between culture and success for a nation? Give an example from history (e.g., period of time) to support your view.
There is a huge correlation between culture and success. This correlation runs deeper than the culture causing success; the culture in a way defines what success is for that nation. How achievable that success is and how in line with God’s principles it is, will define how successful the nation is. For instance, in World War II American culture cried out for the quickest possible end to the blood shed, while Japan’s culture required the upkeep of honor above all else. America’s definition of success was more achievable (and more in line with the Bible) than Japan’s, so thus we succeeded. Another example of this can be found in the America colonies. The colony at Plymouth was founded on Biblical principles, and it was successful from the start. Yet the colony at Jamestown was founded for monetary purposes. Success in that colony was originally defined as having a lot of money, without having to work hard. Obviously, this is not very achievable or in line with the Bible, so the colony failed (until a new leader implemented a “don’t work, don’t eat” rule, redefining “success” into something achievable).
- Fantastic arguments to support your point. May include this as a model answer also!
6. Describe two of the greatest achievements of Ronald Reagan.
Ronald Reagan’s great achievements both had to do with communism: he was successful in protecting America from the threat of communist missiles, and he is accredited with ending communism in the USSR and Eastern Europe. The former was the product of his Strategic Defense Initiative (or “Star Wars”), which was an ingenious plan to protect America from communist missiles by preparing to shoot any missiles launched towards America down in space. The latter was the result of his willingness to do what it took to end communism no matter what others said.
7. Explain during which century you think this map was drawn, and comment how America's achievements may have met or exceeded the expectations of the cartographer or other people of his time.
This map was probably drawn during the 16th Century, as the names of the lands labeled on it were all discovered and named by the Europeans during this century. The cartographer clearly underestimated the significance of North America, as is clear from its size in this map. This reflected the popular belief during the 16th Century that North America was not as important as South America, as there was little prospect seen to find gold in North America. Yet while there actually was gold in the West, that was not the main misperception that the people of the 16th Century had. The main misperception was that gold would be the greatest riches to gain from this “New World”. No one ever imagined that someday the settling of North America would lead to the forming of the future richest country in the world. At that time, few even thought of settling the New World.
- Absolutely terrific insights. Now you've made it very difficult for me to choose a model answer from your work!
- Fantastic homework paper, one of the very best. Your work has been at the highest level throughout the course. 70/70. Congratulations!--aschlafly 18:22, 20 December 2008 (EST)