US History and Gov Thematic Essay Review

1)  Amendment Essay:   Impact of Amendments (government action, events etc.)  Need historical background and impact. of 2

15^th Amendment: 1869

Historical Background—Reconstruction Era, post-civil war

·         “Radical” Republican phase of reconstruction—Republican congress sought to secure ex-slaves rights w/variety of institutions:  Freedman’s Bureau and using martial law. 

·         15^th amendment was a final guarantee of blacks right to vote (it also forced some northern states to allow African Americans the right to vote). 

·         Republicans motivated by keeping majorities in congress (i.e. blacks would vote for Republicans who freed them).

Impact:

·         In the short term very little.  When reconstruction ends in 1876 (Tilden (D) v Hayes (R) disputed election) African Americans are once again denied their rights via Jim Crow Laws (grandfather clause, poll tax, literacy test)

·         Right to vote is finally achieved in 1965 (ironically 100 years after civil war ends) in Voting Rights Act of 1965

 19^th Amendment 1920

Historical Background

·         Women were 2^nd class citizens from the founding of country

·         1848 Seneca Falls Conference: Cady Stanton publishes declaration of the rights of women based on the Declaration of Independence.  Met with resistance and ridicule

·         Stanton and Susan B. Anthony both champion women’s rights, including right to vote—Takes 72 years to achieve success

·         Women achieve right to vote in some states (Wyoming first in 1869  and 11 others west of Mississippi)

·         After WW1, with women taking places in the world of work and a long series of writings, speeches,  protests, demonstrations, and action on the part of women’s groups—Amendment finally passes

Impact

·         52% of population gets right to vote

·         Women now vote in higher % than men

·         More and more congresspersons are women

·         Carol Moseley-Braun:  1^st African American Woman Elected to Senate in 1992-Personifies the spirit of achievement and equality in America

 Court Case Essay:  Historical Background pick

Plessy v. Feguson

Historical Background:  

·         Long term racism in America (from 1^st slaves/indentured servants in 1620)

·         Jim Crow laws were put in place at the end of reconstruction to keep African Americans from gaining political power or equality

Impact

·         Maintained segregation in the south until the modern civil rights movement

Brown v. Board of Ed

Historical Background

·         Jim Crow laws that were ok’d supreme court

Impact:

·         Gave the NAACP legal room to help end segregation. Dr. Martin Luther King and the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Council) use as leverage for further action.

·         Nine African-American students, the "Little Rock Nine," were admitted to Little Rock's Central High School for 1957-1958.  Violent white reaction against integration forced President Dwight D. Eisenhower to order 1000 army paratroopers to Little Rock to restore order and protect the children

·         1962, James Meredith sought to enroll as the first black student in the history of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). His enrollment triggered resistance.  As a result, President John F. Kennedy ordered federal marshals to ensure Meredith's right to enroll and to protect him as he moved to the campus.

  Reform Movements/Minority Groups/Social Change:  Hist Background and Impact, pick 2

 Women

See above (this is called double dipping)

  Civil Rights: 1955-1968

 ·         Slavery:  1620-1865—sets up long term racism and disparities in America (2 separate communities)

·         Reconstruction—South, brief gains w/ 13, 14, 15^th Amendment—then after 1876, Jim crow laws and segregation in place

·         Clip in Plessy v. Ferguson here

·         NAACP-founded 1909- 

·         WEB Dubois-One founder of NAACP—fought for immediate gain of equal rights (considered radical in 1909)

·         Booker T. Washington-urged a slower integration (founder of Tuskegee institute)

·         Jackie Robinson:  1^st Black Professional baseball player.  Becomes a symbol of success for African Americans and an ambassador for civil rights to white America.

·         SCLC (Southern Christian Leader-ship Conference): promote nonviolent resistance sit-ins, boycotts.  Most effective and positive of groups.  Their influence ends after assassination of Medgar Evers (pres of NAACP) 1963 and King in 1968. 

·         Rosa Parks and Montgomery Bus Boycott1955—refusal and arrest, for not sitting at the back of the bus.  Worked w/NAACP and became a test case—led to a 381 day boycott of the busses until they were integrated.

·         March on Washington1963: Led by King, over 250,000 showed up to protest inequality

·         Civil Rights Act of 1964:  Makes illegal segregation of people based on color in any public facility.  (challenged in Heart of Atlanta Hotel v. US)

·         Voting Rights Act of 1965:  Allowed federal oversight of elections.

·         Extreme positions in movement:  Marcus Garvey and the Back to Africa Movement & The Nation of Islam (Elijah Muhammad and Malcolm X)

Long term impact:  Gained right to vote, desegregated schools, and eventually the entire south. Still large differences in average financial standing and long standing problems of racism. 

 Foreign Policy (also could work for Geographic factors etc.)—usually historic background, policy, and success

[Note—This was one from January, not likely to be the essay—may have DBQ on foreign policy]

Mexican-American War/Manifest Destiny

 Goal:  Expand the US’s borders to Pacific

 Historic Background

·         Manifest Destiny: Idea that US would inevitably (fate, destiny, god’s will) spread from Atlantic to Pacific—policy to expand and take over rest of US.

·         Texas secedes from Mexico: Mexico revolts from Spain in 1821. By 1835 some 30K whites and 5k black slaves are in Texas.  Texas Revolution 1836:  Texas becomes an independent nation, The Lone Star Republic In 1845 Texas is “re-annexed” by the US.

·         After Polk (54-40 or fight Polk) takes office Mexico breaks off diplomatic relations.  Polk wanted a war w/Mexico to secure California. US claimed Rio Grande as border (rather than Nueces River).  Border dispute becomes excuse for war.

·         Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo-US takes (pays for) 1/3 of Mexico (now CA, AZ, NM)

Success of Policy

·         Mexican American War allows US control of all the land to the pacific, success.

·         Clearly aggressive policy, US pays Mexico 15 M for a small strip of land in the Gadsden Purchase later

·         Leads to the possibility of the Zimmerman note later (when German ambassador tries to convince Mexico to invade US during WW1)

  Imperialism/Spanish American War

             Goal:  Expand American Markets oversees and provide for naval bases (i.e. take over foreign countries)

Historic Background

a.       Monroe Doctrine (1823)— US will stay out of European affairs, The Western Hemisphere is off limits to European colonization, US will be protector of Latin and South America

b.       Causes of War:

a.       Humanitarian:  General from Spain (nicknamed the Butcher) putting Cubans in concentration camps 

b.       Economic  ($100M in trade and $50M in plantations)

c.       Yellow Journalism:  William Randolph Hearst’s NY Journal & Joseph Pulitzer’s NY World.  Sensational coverage of the abuses by Spain in Cuba. 

d.       DeLome letter:  stolen from Havana post office.  Written by Spanish minister in DC.  It belittled McKinley as weak and incompetent,

e.       Sinking of the Maine 1898: Battleship The Maine blows up in Havana Harbor.  Spain is blamed for the explosion, last event before war

c.       Results: 

a.       Cuba free:  But Platt Amendment to their constitution allowed US to intervene in Cuba to preserve Cuban independence and granted land for US naval base (Guantanamo Bay) and prevented Cuba from signing treaties w/other countries.

b.       Puerto Rico and Guam were ceded to US

c.       Philippines sold to US for $20M

Success:  Large expansion of US military territory, leads to further expansion under Roosevelt and US entering world politics/conflicts

Other things that you should be familiar with: Everything J