1. ***Economics:*** How has economics impacted America & Americans?
1.1. Prohibition
1.1.1. The prohibition caused the government to lose millions of dollars in tax revenue and it took millions of dollars to enforce the law. This led to violence. #legalize Marijuana
1.2. 1920s Workforce
1.2.1. Since there were a lot of immigrants coming at this time taking jobs from Americans. Women started to get their own jobs. We learned that when wages go up and hours go down, people have more leisure time to enjoy life.
1.3. Credit
1.3.1. We learned that if you do not have money it is better to wait so you do not accumulate debt. When people are too in debt they are in BIG trouble when the economy fails.
1.4. The great depression was caused by a variety of factors such as over production, under consumption, the stock market crash, and the American dream becoming less achievable.
1.5. Bus Boycotts
1.5.1. Many blacks refusing to use public transit systems cause the bus companies to lose money until they gave in and accommodated to blacks.
2. ***Migration*** What causes migration and how has it impacted America?
2.1. Imagration
2.1.1. Mass immigration happened during the 1920s. This caused lots of controversy no matter what your policy was just like it is today. We learned that immigration as a whole has both positive and negative side effects.
3. ***Leaders & Presidents*** What makes an effective or ineffective leader?
3.1. MAIN
3.1.1. When leaders focus too much on MAIN, it destabilizes world peace.
3.2. Hoover was one of the worst presidents in the history of America. He not only did not help people in the depression, but somehow made the situation worse. FDR was a great president that was able to help pull America out the horrors of the great depression despite Hoover making it worse.
3.3. MLK + Malcolm X
3.3.1. MLK used strategies such as peaceful protest to convince the entire population that what was going on was wrong. His technique was extremely successful. Malcolm X encouraged separation between whites and black and was a racist hypocrite. His strategies were worthless.
3.4. Vietnam War
3.4.1. President Richard Nixon make campaign promises to end the Vietnam war with honor. What actually happened is Nixon started using Rolling Thunder to bomb as much of North Vietnam and Cambodia as possible and disrupt the North Vietnamese. This only escalated the war instead of helping stop it. Once he finally started to pull troops out of Vietnam, the North Vietnamese started to crush the South. Nixon lied the public and claimed the South could protect themselves from the North and the development of a united communist Vietnam soon followed. The lesson learned was that leaders do not always fulfill their promises how you might think they will.
4. ***Government:*** What is the role and responsibility of the American government?
4.1. The New Deal was created by FDR so that they could pull America out of the great depression. The new deal created more jobs and set regulations that greatly benefited the country as a whole.
4.2. Great Society
4.2.1. When the government decreases taxes and creates large social programs, government debt will increase.
4.3. Vietnam War
4.3.1. The government is supposed to make decisions that are best for it's citizens. The Vietnam War is a perfect example of a government doing the opposite of that. The U.S. government is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Vietnam veterans and the PTSD of hundreds of thousands of others. They also used weapons like agent orange that they knew could have devastating effects on their own troops anyway. The lesson learned from this is that the United States government needs to put the lives of Americans before the potential spread of communism.
5. ***Civil Rights:*** To what extent have the oppressed in America been able to attain an equality of life?
5.1. Women's Rights
5.1.1. They gained the right to vote during the 1920s due to increased pressure to government which led to independence and future rights for them. This involved more people in the decisions of our country.
5.2. Black rights
5.2.1. through peaceful protest, blacks slowly gained rights that they deserved.
5.3. Vietnam War
5.3.1. Soldiers were oppressed by the public when they returned home from Vietnam. The public treated them like it was their choice to go to Vietnam and be forced to kill others defending their home. many soldiers suffered from intense PTSD after these events and the public only made it worse for the people that risked their lives. There was also a civil rights issue for the people who were affected by the draft. These people had to leave their family, friends, belongings, and lives behind so that people who did not know what they were doing could order them to risk their lives. The lesson learned from this was that soldiers deserve respect even if you do not agree with what they were forced to do.
6. ***Technology*** How does technology impact society?
6.1. Technology
6.1.1. We started to see a more nationalized culture after we established connection through technology like the radio, the television, and the automobile.
6.2. World War I
6.2.1. When there is a lot of new technology in society, we will not be prepared for what shows up in warfare.
6.3. Early Cold War
6.3.1. The Sputnik started an intense space race while also proving the Soviets technologically stronger than us at the time.
7. ***Media*** To what extent does the media influence people?
7.1. Newspaper
7.1.1. We learned that media news will try to drive out perspectives to be bias. We as a society need to critique it so we do not make ill vised decisions.
7.2. Joeseph McCarthy
7.2.1. McCarthy used the media to manipulate Americans into giving him enough power to force everyone else into submission or face extortion.
7.3. Freedom Rider
7.3.1. Caused violence to gain media attention.
7.4. Vietnam War
7.4.1. Media coverage of the Vietnam War was a vital part of alerting the public what was really going on across the world. News of the horrors of massacres by the United States troops on innocent women and children quickly convinced the public that something was wrong during this war. Hamburger Hill only increased the growing controversy of the Vietnam War because no one could really say why they were sending citizens to die. Songs by a large variety of artist emerged and instantly became hits all across the country. The media highlighting protest that were taking place by both citizens and veterans showed how war heroes felt about their service. The lesson learned from this subtopic of the Vietnam War is that the media is a powerful tool when the government is not always transparent.
8. ***Foreign Relations*** How have foreign entanglements influence America?
8.1. World War I
8.1.1. When the U.S. is involved in world affairs to a large extent, it is hard to stay neutral if a major conflict breaks out.
8.1.2. Forming allies can draw the country into a broader conflict
8.2. Pivotol Battles of World War 2
8.2.1. Stalingrad showed Hitler that Russia was a much larger and more powerful force than he had thought. It was also a strategic error to leave his troops during winter.
8.3. Early Cold War Alliances
8.3.1. The cold war was started because of our positive relationships with capitalist countries and and negative relations with communist countries.
8.4. Vietnam War
8.4.1. The involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War was heavily based on the fact that If North Vietnam took over South Vietnam, the entire country would become communist. The United States government wasted a lot of time, resources, and lives defending a country that would become communist the second they left. The lesson learned in this situation was that countries should know not to get involved in situations where it can only hurt them. The United States should also have used knowledge from our experiences in the Korean War to prevent similar events from happening in this war.