Questions
for Exam Essay
History 103 – Learning Module 3
[General Information] [Exam Information] [Overview – Exam Essays]
[Exam Topic One – Social Reform] [Exam Topic Two – Foreign Policy]
·
It is due on November
16 at the time of the exam or by 8 pm, if sent via email.
·
If sent by email,
make sure that you include your full name and the ticket number or time of the
class.
·
Late essays not
accepted.
·
Typed essays
preferred; if handwritten, use black or blue ink and make sure that it is
legible.
·
Your essay should
be between 450 – 550 words. Please proof
read and use the “spell check” feature in your word processor. (Note: Your
essay can exceed 550 points.)
Shown below are two exam
questions. You are to select the one that corresponds to the
topic you selected.
To write a successful exam
essay, you should:
·
Spend the time
necessary to complete the assignment/discussion before you being writing the
exam essay.
·
Be sure you
understand the exam question and the kinds of information that are required in
the essay. If unclear contact me
ASAP. soliver@cerritos.edu
·
Pay attention to
the recommended outline for the exam essay
·
Write the essay
in your own words. You are free to quote
information from the sources, but be sure to cite the source by using MLA
style.
·
Rely on your work
for the computer lab activity as a basis, but do not quote directly from that
worksheet.
·
MOST IMPORTANT: NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST
MINUTE TO WRITE THE EXAM ESSAY.
Exam Essays (30 pts):
Social Reform or Foreign Policy
Topic One:
The Photograph: The Source for Understanding.
Background: In the activity The Photograph: The
Source for Understanding you learned about the policies and actions of the
photographic division of Farm Security Administration and selected one of its photographers. Some historians argue that the FSA was a propaganda agency designed to demonstrate the broad-based success of
New Deal policies and its photographers supplied the evidence. Conversely, other historians have concluded
that the FSA photographers used their cameras to illustrate that the policies
of the New Deal did not provide enough support for those in poverty such
as migrant workers, tenant farmers in the South, or racial / ethnic groups in
the west and Northeast.
Exam Essay Question: Based on your
work to date, select the question that best reflects your opinion. To answer
this question, use the photographer you selected for the computer lab activity.
Evaluate the photographs of this person to make one of the following arguments:
1.
Did this individual provide
only evidence of the success of New Deal policies which, in turn, made the FSA
a propaganda agency?
2.
Did this individual provide
evidence that the policies of the New Deal did not provide adequate support for
Americans living in poverty?
3.
Did this individual provide
evidence that illustrated both the success of the New Deal policies as well as
the inadequate support for those living in poverty?
Requirements for the
essay:
Organization: Introduction,
Body Paragraphs, Conclusion.
Introduction: Restatement of the question, brief
overview of the scope of your essay, and your conclusion about whether the
photographer selected for your essay provided only images that demonstrated the
success of the New Deal or whether this photographer’s work illustrated the
shortcomings of the policies of the New Deal.
Body
Paragraphs: Two Sections
Section One: General information – Short summary of
the historical context for:
1.
The need and
intent of the policies of the New Deal (See Chapter 24)
2.
The Farm Security
Administration (FSA). When and why was it established? (See Howe, Hartley E. "You
Have Seen Their Pictures" April, 1940, and the introductory information in FSA – Documenting America)
Section Two: Discussion and analysis of one
photographer who worked for the Farm Security Administration. This discussion and analysis should
demonstrate whether (1) the photographer’s work only provided examples of the
success of the New Deal (e.g. propaganda) or (2) took photographs that
demonstrated the shortcomings of the policies of the New Deal or (3) was a combination of support and
criticism of the government’s actions.
Choose your approach based on the information about the photographer and
examples of his/her work.
Information needed for section two:
Sources: Analysis
of images of selected photographer.
·
Information from
your worksheet of the Computer Lab Activity
Conclusion: Restatement of your point of view and
conclusions.
Topic
Two: World War II – The Four Freedoms vs. Japanese Internment
Exam Question:
Background:
On January 6, 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt presented the Four Freedoms to the United States Congress
and American citizens. For Roosevelt, the
freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear
embodied the “rights of men [and women] of every
creed and every race wherever they live,” and it was these freedoms that
defined “the crucial differences between
ourselves and the enemies we face today.” Consequently, Roosevelt made the Four
Freedoms the centerpiece of the United States’ war aims in World War II.[1]
On February 12, 1942,
Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 which authorized the
internment of tens of thousands of American citizens of Japanese ancestry and
resident aliens from Japan. According to historian Eric Foner, the “Japanese American internment—in which about 120,000
people, the majority of them American citizens, were rounded up on the West
coast and moved involuntarily … was the biggest violation of civil liberties in
American history, other than slavery. It shows what can happen in wartime when
hysteria takes hold, when people are willing to sacrifice liberty in the name
of security.” (Eric Foner)
Thus, in the span of 13
months, Roosevelt set policies that contradicted each other. In 1941, he advocated the human rights of all individuals irrespective of religion, race,
and national origin. In 1942, he issued
an executive order that demanded that 120,000 Japanese Americans and Japanese aliens
(non-citizens) leave their homes and businesses
and relocate Internment Camps.
Question: This
exam essay asks that you confront and evaluate this contradiction by answering
the following question: “How can a nation that believes that the
Four Freedoms are the “essential human freedoms” require American citizens of
Japanese ancestry to leave their homes and businesses and relocate to an Internment
Camp?”
Requirements for the
essay:
Organization:
Introduction, Body Paragraphs, Conclusion.
Introduction: Restatement of the question, brief
overview of the scope of your essay, and your conclusion about whether the
event marked a turning point in the human condition.
Body Paragraphs:
Historical Context:
·
Description and significance of the Four
Freedoms.
o
List these
freedoms and comment on how these reflect the ideals of American democracy.
o
A closer look at
one of the freedoms and the ways that Normal Rockwell interpreted this freedom
in his poster
·
Overview of the decision and
consequences of Japanese Internment.
o
A
brief overview of the decision and process
o
An
evaluation on the stated reason for Internment and the underlying agenda by
white citizens.
Your Analysis
·
Answer the exam question. In this section be sure to cite specific examples
that support your answer. This section is
the most important section of the exam essay.
Make full use of the posters and photographs included in Activity 2. Be
sure to provide specific examples that support your answer to this question.
o Reflect on the significance of these four freedoms as
a means to gain unity for the war in the United States and to make clear
America’s point of view to its allies and enemies.
o Reflect on if and/or how Japanese Internment was
consistent with the Four Freedoms or in conflict with them. Cite specific
examples. Feel free to make full use of the website A More Perfect Union.
o Provide an analysis of one of the posters on the Four
Freedoms and the photograph of some aspect of Japanese Internment. Use the
PowerPoint presentation of The Four Freedoms vs. Japanese Internment. Do not
merely copy the information from the worksheet. Instead use this worksheet as a
basis for further study and analysis.
Sources for Body
Paragraphs:
·
Information
learned and included for the quiz and the worksheet for the Computer Lab
Activity
·
Powers
of Persuasion – The Four Freedoms
·
A More
Perfect Union – An excellent source on the personal experiences of those
who relocated to Internment Camps
·
The
Four Freedoms vs. Japanese Internment
.
Conclusion: Restatement of the question and your analysis.