Virtual JFK

Can a president make a decisive difference in matters of war and peace? Can a president decisively lead his country into war, or keep his country out of war? Or are the forces that drive nations into conflict far more impersonal – out of the control of any single human being, even a president?

Scopes Trial & the 1920s

In what ways did the historical context of the 1920s affect the "morality battles" of the decade, including the Butler Act and Prohibition? Do you find any similarities/connections to our own era in American history?

Progressivism

How does McGerr's essay on Progressivism compare and contrast to your views of the Progressive Movement, based on your textbook reading? Do you find his analysis compelling? Why or why not?

Populism & The Wizard of Oz

What do you think about the connections made between the Populist Movement & The Wizard of Oz by Littlefield?

Roediger, "White Slaves, Wage Slaves"

What is your reaction to/what are your thoughts about Roediger's essay?

Jacksonian Democracy--JM Group

How would you describe Ryan’s attitude toward Jackson and the expansion of democracy during the 1830s and 1840s? Do you think that she overstates or understates the expansion of democracy, or do you think that she has struck a nice balance in her assessment of this era? (Use examples from the essay to support your answer)

Jacksonian Democracy--RT Group

Were you convinced by the argument of Altschuler and Blumin that party politics during the Age of Jackson was not nearly as central and all-consuming to the American people as other historians have claimed? Why or why not? (use specific evidence from the essay to support your answer)