Section 2: Essays

 Students will write TWO essays from the list below for the midterm exam. Students can choose any two essay topics and will write two, separate essays. Each essay is worth 40 points. I expect that you will reference any and all sources available to you to answer the following questions; however, the work and arguments you produce should BE YOUR OWN! You should plan to spend approximately two hours (try not to spend more than that) actually writing the exam. The completed essays should be uploaded to Canvas.Focus on the chapters in the textbook The American Yawp which cover The Reconstruction Chapter 15 through to the New Era – Chapter 22. Please label your essays.A.    Reconstruction witnessed profound changes in the lives of southerners, black and white, rich and poor. Explain the various ways that the lives of these groups were changed. How were the changes for better or worse?B.    The West meant different things to different groups of people. Explain the experiences of at least three distinct groups of people in The West between 1865 and 1914.C.    Explain the immigrant experience in the late 19th/early 20th century. Be sure to explore the changes in immigration (new vs. old) during this period. Explore the lives of working-class peoples both at home and in the workplace.D.   What do historians mean by the term new manifest destiny? Through specific historical examples illustrate how and why this term came to define the late 19th and early 20th century United States.E.    What were the causes and the consequences of the Great War (First World War) for the United States? Include in your answer a discussion of the war years at home in the United States.F.Analyze the ways in which the following indicated the tension between conservative and liberal views in American society during the 1920s: The Red Scare, Prohibition, The Scopes Trial, and flappers.