US History From the Civil War Era to the Present – HIST 15200
Directions: Answer both Questions #1 and #2 over 4 – 5 pages or 1000 to 1250 words each (the entire exam should be 8 – 10 pages or 2000 to 2500 words, doubled-spaced, using normal margins, and 12-point font). In your response, you should use materials learned from course lectures, the historians we have read over the semester, and the primary sources that are available on the Course Materials page on Blackboard. Be sure to provide historical evidence to support your claims including events, historical figures, important dates, prominent works of art or literature or film, larger historical themes, or any other relevant examples that support your argument. Your grade will be determined by your ability to demonstrate your command of the course readings and lecture materials. Be sure to provide Chicago Manual of Style Citations for your footnotes. For Lectures, provide (to the best of your ability) the title of the lecture and the date it was given.
For Question #1, choose between either Option A or B (DO NOT ANSWER BOTH QUESTIONS), which will focus on the second half of the semester.
This Final Exam is due on Monday, May 25th by 12:00 pm. No extensions will be granted. If the exam is not submitted by that deadline, the grade will be lowered by a full letter grade and will continue to be lowered by that amount for every 24-hours it is overdue (i.e. an A will go down to a B, a B to a C, etc.). No exams will be accepted after Wednesday, May 27th by 11:59 PM, and exams not received by that date and time will result in an automatic failure (barring extreme and documented reasons). Exams should be summited by email to Professor Welt at the email addresses provided above.
Question #1: Answer either Option A OR Option B.
Option A: The New Deal was a transformative political event in American history. What was the New Deal? What effects did it have on American society? In answering this question, think about American politics, culture, and the economy before, during, and after the era of the New Deal.
Option B: After initially opposing American entry into World War I, President Woodrow Wilson changed his mind and eventually decided to commit the US to the War in order to “make the world safe for democracy.” How has American foreign policy changed since WWI? How has Americans’ engagement with the rest of the world transformed since this conflict and what impact have those changes had domestically on American society? Your answer can include (but does not necessarily have to include) events up until the present day.
Question# 2:
You are completing this final exam during an era of national crisis in America. Identify another period of crisis between the era of the Civil War and the present day. What happened? How did Americans respond to this crisis? How did this crisis transform American life? Are there any lessons for today that Americans can learn from this chapter of modern US history?