Week 4 - January 25 - January 29 - The Great Depression: Economic Theory and Practice

This week we looked at three economic theorists whose ideas have greatly impacted not only U.S. History, but the history of the world. Smith, Marx, and Keynes all thought differently about the role of government in the economy. From Smith's laissez-faire ideas to Marx's communistic values, the world always seemed to have two opposing views at odds with one another. While other economic theorists added to the mix, it wasn't until Keynes comes along that a specific idea about how, when, and to which level a government should interfere in the economy that social welfare programs come to life in the U.S.

These programs form the foundation for many of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, wherein he works to improve the quality of life for many Americans who were struggling through the Great Depression. While people continue to argue the extent to which the Great Depression helped, it is clear that some of the ideas behind the programs persist. We continue to set aside money for retirement, like it or not. We continue to benefit from government loans toward purchasing our first homes, and we continue to benefit from public works projects in our everyday infrastructure.

The debate in class pointed to many of the arguments Republicans and Democrats still have today in Congress. Yes, we have a responsibility to pull our own weight, and if people aren't willing to do so, maybe they should fall by the wayside. Yes, we have a responsibility to help one another in times of need, partly because it serves all of our best interests to keep everyone working and producing for our economy. Yes, some people are selfish and unwilling to share what they've worked hard for while others share the burden regardless of the benefit coming to them. All of these are issues we continue to battle about today, but the expectation is that you'll think about theory and what history has taught us as you choose sides or find a middle ground.

Week 3 - January 19 - January 22 - The 1920's and the Great Depression

This week we take are reading about the 1920's and its ultimate effect on the 1930's Great Depression. One might say that the culture clash of the 1920's causes some of the problems of the 1930's but the culture itself needed some level of change. Doughboys had just come back from fighting in World War I, blacks had similarly fought alongside white soldiers and contributed to the war effort on the homefront, and women played an important role in maintaining the home and going off to work in the war industry at the same time.

The 1920's proved to be a time of change because a new level of confidence arose within Americans. It was clear that we were now a force to be reckoned with and similarly that historically-oppressed groups in the U.S. were perfectly capable of offering the country similar, if not better services, than the historical oppressors.

The economic confidence increased as well as people invested in the newly-founded stock market, bought things on credit, were encouraged to spend more on leisure activities with the advent of the automobile and mass flight transportation, and were encouraged to consume more with advertisements, both in the form of the already-proven print propoganda, and the new media of film and radio.

Still, the increase in economic activity could not prepare the U.S. for the types of business-minded corruption that would eventually lead to the Great Depression of the 1930's. Harding built a campaign on the idea of "normalcy" but was ultimately responsible for returning to some of the ideas of the Gilded Age, favoring railroads, all but doing away with anti-trust laws, raising tariffs (which would ultimately hurt Europe's ability to pay back its war debt) and turning a blind eye to corrupt staff members such as Albert Fall in the Teapot Dome Scandal, who received appromately $400k in bribes in order to lease out some land in Wyoming and California.

Calvin Coolidge was moral, somewhat boring, but ultimately backed many of Harding's economic ideas. By the time Hoover took over the Hawley-Smoot tariff was at a whopping 60%, and over-speculation and buying on credit was out of control. The stock market crash of October 29, 1929 ultimately led to higher unemployment rates, government's attempt at increasing jobs, and a complete lack of confidence in the economy, which would ultimately lead to the Great Depression.

Week 2 - January 11 - January 16 - World War I

I thought I would clarify some ideas from comments responded to the last blog. The blog has been set up to thing critically about the issues that arise from the readings or discussion in class. They are not meant to create extra work. The blog itself will serve as an additional resource for individuals who do not get to all the readings if they choose to look at it. However, it will replace one of the APPARTS assignment given in class for Thursdays or Fridays so as to allow students to reflect on what is being read or discussed through another avenue. Also, I do believe that students will read this an interact with it because students who have really sought to be successful in the course have taken all suggestions and resources I've provided, including Saturday school, and run with it. Finally (with regard to last week's readings), I feel that the notecards would not have been as effective if I had given them out sooner because students would have been asked to review information, that in most cases, we had not yet covered. They are now serving as review for most information we've covered in class already. Still, I will think about passing them out earlier next year as I plan for upcoming APUSH courses.

Now, to this week's information...

This week's lessons have been based around World War I. Considering it was a war with so many casualties and no real resolution, it has a tremendous effect on the course of history immediately afterward and maybe that's one of its most important attributes: the effects of the war rather than the causes or the length or military strategy that arose from it. Still, one cannot help but wonder about the amount of responsibility that might be placed on the U.S. because of how we, along with the other nations, chose to engage in the idea of imperialism during the Progressive Era. If the "greed" that caused major countries to seek out other lands caused tensions between those major countries, and others felt the need to take over lands particularly after the U.S. beat Spain during the Spanish-American War, would World War I have happened?

We became a threat with Imperialism, other countries felt the need to react (or had started taking over other lands) and the tensions arose. German nationalism certainly did not improve the situation, but military alliances would not have been so intense if not for imperialism.

Trench warfare, military technology (including the use of poison gas, the machine gun, fighter planes, the tank, flame throwers, grenades, and submarine warfare), and deep-rooted nationalism all changed how this particular war was fought. People fought with bravery and intensity and the results were catastrophic.

Finally, the mistreatment of German-Americans (and the violation of their civil liberties), the number of casualties, Wilson's proposed 14 Points, the experiences on the front line, and the results of the Great Migration to the north (particularly of African Americans), are all things covered in the primary source readings this week. The readings provide us with insight to how, although the U.S. only participated in the war for one year, it was a participation that would provide an immeasurable impact on us as a country and the world as a whole.

Blogging and Note Cards - January 4th - January 8th

The intent behind what we're doing in class this week is really to get students to understand the importance in thinking about academic issues outside of the classroom. As we prepare to become stronger students of history, our responsibility is to try and understand different perspectives about how history is looked at by other individuals as well as how they perceive the events, court cases, policies, etc. which ultimately affect our lives today. It's been said that, "in order to know where we're going, we need to understand where we've been" and that only happens when you have a better understanding of history and the things that affect who we are now and why we are facing whatever issues we face in society.

Students will be introduced to note cards in order to better understand FACTS about history. It is perfectly legitimate to understand history from a conceptual perspective, understanding generally what happened, why it happened and whether or not it was right or wrong. The more important work in history however, is done when those ideas are combined with historical evidence, namely facts. It's those facts which will ultimately support your argument and serve as historical evidence. Note cards will help you memorize some of those facts by helping you to break them down into definitions of terms or concepts on one side and the actual term or concept on the other.

Taking it to the next level

My students have been incredible this year. Every time I throw something new at them, they accept and run with it. When it comes down to it, their engagement in an APUSH course has to be pretty intense in order for them to be successful on either the AP exam or the course in general. And still, no one has opted out of the class for the second semester. Here is your next challenge:

Throughout the next 18 weeks of this semester, your group will be responsible for posting information on this APUSH blog. Because it was created for this class. It must simply be a commentary in response to a conversation you have in class about the material, a reaction to how you feel about any subject covered the week that it is due, or any other measure in order to make sure that you interact with the information at another level .

There is a list of instructions that will follow in order to help you become engaged with the material.