Unit 7 Exam – 1920s-1940sQuestions 1-4 refer to the excerpt below. “The central task of the New Deal . . . might be either social reform in a restored economy, or political stabilization in a disintegrating society, or, most likely and most urgently, economic recovery itself. . . . In fact, these three purposes—social reform, political realignment, and economic recovery—flowed and counterflowed throughout the entire history of the New Deal. . . . Perhaps precisely because the economic crisis of the Great Depression was so severe and so durable, Roosevelt would have an unmatched opportunity to effect major social reforms and to change the very landscape of American politics.” — David M. Kennedy, historian, Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929–1945, published in 1999

1) Which of the following historical evidence could best be used to support Kennedy’s argument in the excerpt? a) The passage of legislation providing unemployment insurance b) Attempts by the United States to remain isolated from international conflicts c) The strong influence of White southerners on New Deal legislation d) Efforts by the government to discourage women from holding paid jobs

2) The “political realignment” described in the excerpt contributed most directly to the a) increase in the power of local and state governments b) new influence of money from independent political action committees on electoral campaigns c) emergence of a Republican voting bloc among evangelical Christians in the South d) greater identification of working-class communities with the Democratic Party

3) Which of the following most strongly sought to limit the New Deal reforms described in the excerpt? a) Organizations of older Americans b) Radicals such as members of the Communist Party c) Conservatives in Congress and on the Supreme Court d) African American groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

4) The New Deal drew most directly on which of the following earlier sets of ideas? a) Abolitionism b) Populism c) Progressivism d) Social Darwinism

Questions 5-7 refer to the excerpt below. “The peace-loving nations must make a concerted effort in opposition to those violations of treaties and those ignorings of humane instincts which today are creating a state of international anarchy and instability from which there is no escape through mere isolation or neutrality. “Those who cherish their freedom and recognize and respect the equal right of their neighbors to be free and live in peace, must work together for the triumph of law and moral principles in order that peace, justice and confidence may prevail in the world. There must be a return to a belief in the pledged word, in the value of a signed treaty. There must be recognition of the fact that national morality is as vital as private morality.”

- President Franklin Roosevelt, Quarantine Speech, 1937

5) The ideas expressed in the excerpt differed from the prevailing United States approach to foreign policy issues primarily in that Roosevelt was a) arguing to expand the role of the United States in the world b) encouraging the United States to avoid political entanglements in Europe c) seeking to promote United States influence throughout Latin America d) encouraging new laws that would give the United States international police power

6) The excerpt best reflects an effort by Roosevelt to a) encourage the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles b) promote the acquisition of new territories abroad c) contain the spread of Soviet-dominated communism d) overcome opposition to participation in the impending Second World War

7) Which of the following best represents continuity in the years after 1945 with the ideas that Roosevelt expressed in the excerpt? a) The conviction and execution of suspected Soviet spies in the United States b) United States membership in an international peacekeeping body c) United States military commitment to countries battling communist insurgencies d) The rise of peace organizations opposed to the buildup and use of nuclear weapons

Questions 8-10 refer to the poster shown.

8) The poster was intended to a) persuade women to enlist in the military b) promote the ideals of republican motherhood c) advocate for the elimination of sex discrimination in employment d) convince women that they had an essential role in the war effort

9) The poster most directly reflects the a) wartime mobilization of United States society b) emergence of the United States as a leading world power c) expanded access to consumer goods during wartime d) wartime repression of civil liberties

10) Which of the following represents a later example of the change highlighted in the poster? (BONUS) a) The increased number of women in the paid workforce by the 1970s b) The growing feminist protests against United States military engagements abroad in the 1970s c) The increasing inability of the manufacturing sector to create jobs for women in the 1970s and

1980s d) The growing popular consensus about appropriate women’s roles in the 1980s and 1990s

Questions 11-13 refer to the excerpt below. “American women are learning how to put planes and tanks together, how to read blueprints, how to weld and rivet and make the machinery of war production hum under skillful eyes and hands. But they’re also learning how to look smart in overalls and how to be glamorous after work. They are learning to fulfill both the useful and the beautiful ideal.” — Woman’s Home Companion, 1943

11) The excerpt was most likely intended to do which of the following? a) Address the need to contain the Soviet Union through military action b) Dispel concerns about wartime cooperation between industry and the government c) Raise questions about the role of the United States in the world d) Reduce anxieties about wartime mobilization on the home front

12) By the 1950s which of the following most contributed to the continuation of the “beautiful ideal” for women? (BONUS)a) The anxieties caused by the Cold War b) The rise of suburban housing developments c) The increased educational opportunities for both sexes d) The shift from a manufacturing to a service economy

13) The excerpt best serves as evidence of which of the following trends during the 1940s? a) Women’s widespread support for an equal rights amendment b) Growing challenges to civil liberties c) Enhanced opportunities for women d) New technological and scientific advances

The following questions should be answered one at a time:

14) The zeal of federal agents in enforcing prohibition laws against liquor smugglers strained U.S. diplomatic relations witha) Mexico.b) Canada.c) Spain.d) Ireland.

15) All of the following helped to make the prosperity of the 1920s possible excepta) government regulation of the economy.b) increased productivity of workers.c) perfection of assembly-line production.d) advertising and credit buying.

16) Automobiles, radios, and motion picturesa) were less popular than had been anticipated.b) contributed to the standardization of American life.c) had little impact on traditional life-styles and values.d) were for the most part too expensive for ordinary working families.

17) The 1928 Kellogg-Briand Pacta) formally ended World War I for the United States, which had refused to sign the Treaty of Versailles.b) set a schedule for German payment of war reparations.c) established a battleship ratio for the leading naval powers.d) officially outlawed war as a solution to international rivalry and conflict.

18) When he finally acted, what was President Hoover's approach to the Great Depression was toa) leave the economy alone to work itself out of trouble.b) encourage the states to stimulate spending.c) work for the breakup of business monopolies.d) offer federal assistance to businesses and banks but not individuals.

19) The phrase Hundred Days refers to thea) worst months of the Great Depression.b) time it took for Congress to begin acting on President Roosevelt's plans for combating the Great Depression.c) flood of legislation passed by Congress in the first months of Franklin Roosevelt's presidency.d) “lame-duck” period between Franklin Roosevelt's election and his inauguration.

20) The most controversial aspect of the Tennessee Valley Authority was its effort toa) provide cheap electrical power in competition with private industry.b) control floods in the Tennessee and Cumblerland valleys.c) build housing for poor and middle-class citizens in the region.d) resettle poor farmers on more productive land.

21) The 1941 lend-lease program was all of the following excepta) a focus of intense debate between internationalists and isolationists.b) the point when all pretense of American neutrality was abandoned.c) the catalyst that caused American factories to prepare for all-out war production.d) another privately arranged executive deal, like the destroyers-for-bases trade.

22) By 1941, Japan believed that it had no alternative to war with the United States because Franklin Roosevelt absolutely insisted that Japana) withdraw from the Dutch East Indies.b) withdraw from China.c) renew its trade with America.d) break its treaty of nonaggression with Germany.

23) In sharp contrast to World War I, during World War II, the United States wasa) ready to use conscription if necessary to raise an army.b) weakened by constant isolationist criticism of the war effort.c) nearly unanimous in support of the war.d) actually invaded by enemy forces.

24) Efforts to bring large numbers of Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany to the United States were largely blocked bya) restrictive immigration laws and opposition from southern Democrats and the State Department.b) internal tensions between German-Jewish and eastern European Jewish communities in the United States.c) the inability to find sufficient passenger ships to bring refugees across the Atlantic to the United States.d) Zionist organizations that wanted to steer Jewish immigration to Israel, not the United States.

25) African Americans did all of the following during World War II excepta) fight in integrated combat units.b) rally behind the slogan “Double V” c) move north and west in large numbers.d) Experienced discrimination.

26) Japanese Americans were placed in concentration camps during World War IIa) due to numerous acts of sabotage.b) as a result of anti-Japanese prejudice and fear.c) because many were loyal to Japan.d) By the Japanese

27) This battle was considered the turning point the pacific.a) Leyte Gulf.b) the Java Sea.c) Midway.d) the Coral Sea.

28) In waging war against Japan, the United States relied mainly on a strategy ofa) invading Japanese strongholds in Southeast Asia.b) fortifying China by transporting supplies from India over the Himalayan hump.c) island hopping across the South Pacific while bypassing Japanese strongholds.d) turning the Japanese flanks in New Guinea and Alaska.

29) Despite the demands of the wartime economy, inflation was kept well in check during the war bya) directing production to whatever goods were in most demand.b) permitting large numbers of illegal migrants to enter the work force.c) sharply constricting the flow of credit from the Federal Reserve Board.d) federally imposed wage and price controls.

30) At the wartime Teheran Conferencea) plans were made for the opening of a second front in Europe.b) the Soviet Union agreed to declare war on Japan within three months.c) the Big Three allies agreed to divide postwar Germany into separate occupied zones.d) it was agreed that five Big Powers would have veto power in the United Nations.

31) Which of the following was considered to be the symbol of post WWI consumerism?a) Televisionb) Automobilec) Phonographd) Radio

32) In the second world war the allied strategy, agreed upon by the US and Great Britain, was to a) Concentrate on defeating Japan firstb) Divide resources equally among Japan and Germanyc) Concentrate on defeating Germany Firstd) Let the Russians handle the Japanese

33) Senator Huey Long proposed to make “Every Man a King” bya) Dividing up all the country’s wealth and resources equallyb) Limiting the amount of wealth someone could havec) Providing free healthcared) Supplying free electricity to rural areas.

34) The recession of 1937 was primarily caused bya) Overextension of easy creditb) Excess business speculationc) Stock speculationd) Premature tightening of credit and cutbacks in New Deal Programs

35) On the home front, the US involvement in WWII brought abouta) Increase labor/management disputesb) Increased manufacturing of consumer productsc) Increased employment of womend) Increase in unemployment rates

36) At the beginning og the second world war in Europe in 1939, the general mood in the United States in regards to the war wasa) Determination not to get involvedb) Eagerness to aid Britain and have a short conflictc) Mildly favoring Germanyd) Eagerness to aid Italy

37) Which of the following best describes the administrations of Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge?a) “The monopolies must stop”b) “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”c) “The business of America is business”d) “The world should be made safe for democracy”

38) The internment of the Japanese-Americans during WWII was primarily becausea) They were Japaneseb) Many of them had been caught spyingc) They refused to swear allegiance to the USd) Their businesses were wanted by the US government

39) In order to deal with the crisis of banking at the time of his inauguration, Franklin Roosevelta) Curtailed government spendingb) Declared a banking holidayc) Urged congress to pass banking lawsd) Nationalized all US banks

40) The Scopes Trial had the effect ofa) Elimination state restrictions on teaching evolution in schoolsb) Highlighting the intolerance of religious fundamentalism and its conflict with modern science and secularismc) Emphasizing the importance of the first amendmentd) Pointing out the importance of the separation of church and state.

41) If your neighbor’s house was on fire , and he didn’t have a garden hose, wouldn’t it make sense to let him use your hose to fight the fire so it would be put out before it spreads to your house?” This questions was raised by Roosevelt to justify a) The neutrality actsb) The Atlantic charterc) The lend lease actsd) The Good Neighbor Policy

42) Marcus Garvey, leader of the Universal Negro Improvement association argued fora) Equal rightsb) A return to Africac) Desegregationd) Violence in the streets

43) What was the primary purpose of Operation Overlord (D-Day)a) To drive German forces out of Russiab) To launch a force behind German Linesc) To drive the Japanese from the Philippinesd) To open up a western front in France

44) Roosevelt’s court packing plan called fora) The addition of six new judges for every justice over 70b) The mandatory removal of all judges over 70c) The addition of 15 new justices for every justice over 70d) The consolidation of the court

45) The 1932 demonstration known as the Bonus March involveda) Farmers angry about low crop pricesb) Homeless persons building shanty towns in DCc) Japanese Americans protesting interment on the West Coastd) WWI veterans demanding pension payments from US government

46) The philosophy behind the New Deal was primarily toa) Restore laissse-faire capitalismb) Eliminates massive federal deficitc) Establish a socialist system of government that would take over private industryd) Expand the role of the federal government to provide aid to citizens and fix and prevent the problems caused by

the Great Depression47) All of the following contributed to the Great Depression except

a) Excessive stock speculationb) Protectionist/isolationist trade policiesc) Huge farm debts and foreclosuresd) Lack of consumer credite) Unequal distribution of wealth

48) Which of the following was the major reason Truman used to justify his decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima in August of 1945?a) He felt it would save American lives and eliminate the need for an invasion of Japanb) He felt is would save Japanese Civilian lives as compared to an invasionc) He wanted to send a message to the Russiansd) He felt it was retribution for Pearl Harbor

49) Roosevelt’s landslide in 1932 included the shift into the democratic party the traditional Republicana) New Englandersb) African Americansc) Labor Unionsd) Women

50) The Manhattan Project was a top secret plan a) To prevent Japanese access to oilb) Devised by the Nazi party to eliminate the Jews of Europec) Led to the formation of the Rome, Berlin, Tokyo axisd) By the united states to develop an atomic weapon

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Short Answer “During [the 1920s], the city contested the supremacy of rural, small-town America. The city represented a challenge for economic power: the determination of finance capitalism to regain the political preeminence that had been pared away in the Progressive era. The city threatened to disrupt class stability through the drive by unskilled labor to form industrial unions. . . . The city imperiled the hierarchy of social status through the clamor of new immigrant[s]. Most of all, the older America was alarmed by the mores of the metropolis.”— William E. Leuchtenburg, historian, 1958

“The geographic reorganization of urban and rural areas [in the 1920s] drew these regions into a closer and more interdependent relationship with each other. This relationship was most evident in cities and towns which lay in the outlying districts around urban centers. These towns attracted people from both central cities and the surrounding countryside. . . . In addition, farm families that converted to truck farming were tied more closely into the urban market and urban culture. . . . [A] shift from the direct production of goods to the purchase of them in metropolitan markets [also] changed people’s habits of consumption. . . . Consumption habits [drew] women out of the household and into the marketplace. . . . A 1930 study of bread consumption, for example, found that most families [in urban and rural areas] had shifted to store-bought goods.”— Joseph Interrante, historian, 1980

Using the excerpts above, answer (a), (b), and (c).a) Briefly explain ONE major difference between Leuchtenburg’s and Interrante’s interpretations of cities and rural

areas during the 1920s.b) Briefly explain how ONE specific historical event or development in the period 1919–1930 that is not explicitly

mentioned in the excerpts could be used to support Leuchtenburg’s interpretation.c) Briefly explain how ONE specific historical event or development in the period 1919–1930 that is not explicitly

mentioned in the excerpts could be used to support Interrante’s interpretation.

Long Essay

Prompt:Some historians have argued that the New Deal was ultimately conservative in nature. Support, modify, or refute this interpretation, providing specific evidence to justify your answer

Tips:Definition of “conservative” - holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation, typically in relation to politics or religion.

Approach this as a CCOT question – Consider what changed after the New Deal and what stayed the same. Economy? Politics (government’s role), etc.

Sample Positions

Support – New Deal maintained capitalism and was not revolutionary or “communist” (no redistribution of wealth) Refute – New Deal instituted substantial change in the role of government in the economy Modify - New Deal followed a middle course between taking more radical actions in the economy and deserting the

principles of capitalism altogether.

Short Answer SCORING NOTES

A. Response briefly explains ONE major difference between Leuchtenburg’s and Interrante’s interpretations of cities and rural areas during the 1920s. Leuchtenburg argues that the 1920s experienced increasing conflict between cities and rural areas of the United

States and conflict over the growth of the metropolis. Interrante argues that in the 1920s cities and rural areas became more interdependent.

B. Response briefly explains how ONE specific historical event or development in the period 1919–1930 that is not explicitly mentioned in the excerpts could be used to support Leuchtenburg’s interpretation.

Conflict over modernism and traditionalism Rural concerns about secular values in the metropolis Rural concerns about the modern mores and values of the new consumer culture that promoted expressions of

freedom and individualism through consumption Rural concerns about the visibility of feminism, demands for women’s rights, cultural expressions adopted by

young women (New Woman) Rural concerns about new technologies and secular values, especially the teaching of evolution (Scopes trial) Rural concerns about the rise of new visibility of African Americans, New Negro movement, Black nationalism,

Harlem Renaissance Rural concerns about immigration and migration to the cities that led to the rise of nativist and Ku Klux Klan

movements Rural concerns about urban crime, gangs, drugs, and alcohol; strong support for Prohibition among rural

Protestants Protestantism versus Catholicism

C. Response briefly explains how ONE specific historical event or development in the period 1919–1930 that is not explicitly mentioned in the excerpts could be used to support Interrante’s interpretation.

Greater interdependence between cities and rural areas because of the automobile Consumer society’s creation of new interdependence between cities and rural areas Increasing dependence of rural Americans upon work in the city and the migration of young people to cities and

outlying towns for work Building of suburban developments that increasingly connected rural areas and towns Transportation that increasingly connected all Americans (trains, auto, streetcars, etc.) Dependence of farmers upon city populations that consumed food and produced commodities An increasingly national culture fostered by media and advertising

Long Essay Scoring Notes

This question involves a historical interpretation and requires students to use the historical thinking skills of historical argumentation and patterns of continuity and change over time.

A good response that supports the interpretation presented in the sample question might argue that Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal in the 1930s was ultimately conservative in that it preserved the capitalist economic system in the United States by implementing programs to eliminate the worst weaknesses in that system or at least minimize their deleterious effects.

The federal government did intervene in the economy and created a limited welfare state through agencies such as the Agricultural Adjustment Administration, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Works Progress Administration, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. A student might argue, however, that the result of that intervention was to preserve the system of capitalism that had developed over the history of the nation, and so therefore could be considered a conservative approach. Government had intervened, but in the name of continuity for the economic system itself.

More, or different, argumentation along that same line might point out what the New Deal did not do that would have been revolutionary had it happened. For example, a student might contend, as some historians have, that none of the programs or agencies in the New Deal brought about a fundamental redistribution of income, land, or other wealth in society. Those elements of the capitalist system remained largely untouched, even if some adjustments such as Social Security occurred. Because it did not take some actions, then, the New Deal conserved (and reformed) capitalism.

A student might decide, on the other hand, that the interpretation in the exam question ought to be refuted — that the New Deal was not conservative but instead did institute substantial change. A good response taking this approach might maintain that the New Deal marked a sharp departure from the role government had played in the economy historically, and certainly in the 1920s. This response might reason that New Deal programs and policies were revolutionary in a positive way, by providing relief to people experiencing economic distress, seeking ways to curtail corporate abuses and malfeasance, and utilizing measures to protect the environment.

A variation of this response might claim that government intervention in the New Deal was substantial but had negative effects. A student making this argument might stress that some programs offered substantial change but were eventually ruled to have exceeded authority permissible under the Constitution, as happened to the National Recovery Administration. The student might contend that New Deal programs such as Social Security represented a considerable change in governmental philosophy but bordered on socialism. Or he or she might conclude that New Deal programs took revolutionary actions that actually worsened the effects of the Great Depression for some people and groups, such as business owners. Either argument would maintain that the interpretation referred to in the exam question ought to be refuted.

Furthermore, since the exam question does not provide chronological limits, it would be appropriate to cite evidence analyzing the effects of the New Deal in a broader chronological framework. For example, a good response refuting the interpretation presented in the question might note that although New Deal programs did not completely eradicate the Great Depression, they did, in the long term, provide greater financial security for some individuals, significantly strengthen regulatory mechanisms, and raise expectations about government involvement in the economy. A student taking this approach might also observe that the New Deal eventually led to a significant political realignment in which groups that supported greater government intervention, such as African Americans, many ethnic groups, and working-class communities, developed a strong allegiance to the Democratic Party, a realignment that lasted for decades.

Of course, it would be equally acceptable for a student to conclude that the strongest argument in response to this question would modify the stated interpretation. A good response along these lines, for instance, might take the position that the New Deal followed a middle course between individuals and groups calling for far more radical actions in the economy than the New Deal proposed (citing Huey Long or the Congress of Industrial Organizations) and those

who were highly critical of the New Deal for deserting the principles of capitalism (as charged by many conservatives in Congress and the businessminded American Liberty League).

Finally, a good essay taking any of the three positions will include contextual material, too. Students might mention the largely conservative fiscal policies of Roosevelt’s immediate predecessors, the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, or World War II. References to relevant context can strengthen an analysis as well as demonstrate a student’s ability to use another valuable historical thinking skill.