US History June Notes

Read page 618-630 Pg 623 # 3 and 5 Pg 630 # 1 and 3

Pg 623 # 3 and 5

Q3) Define What was the “Final Solution”?
A3) Nazi’s denied Jews the right of citizenship and committed acts of brutality against them. These acts of persecution were steps towards “Hitler’s Final Solution to the Jewish question”: nothing short of the systematic extermination of all Jews living in the regions controlled by the Third Reich. This is called a genicide.
Q5) Connect How are the Holocaust and the creation of Israel connected?
A5) The Holocaust and the creation of Israel are connected since the recelation of the Holocaust also increased demand and support for an independent Jewish homeland. In 1948, when the Jewish community in Palestine proclaimed the State of Israel, President Truman immediately recognized the new nation. Since then, the US has continued to offer strong support to Israel.

Pg 630 # 1 and 3

Q1) Predict Consequences Predict at least one postwar issue that the former Allies will disagree about following the war.
A1) One postwar issue that the former Allies will disagree about following the war would have been about who would get control over different defeated nations. Germany was divided differently that the Allies had expected it to be divided, as well as the type of government that was in control.
Q3) Analyze Context Why did Americans agree to participate in the UN after World War II when many had rejected participation in the League of Nations after World War I?
A3) Americans agreed to participate in the UN after World War II when many had rejected participation in the League of Nations after World War I because the senate overwhelmingly ratified the charter. The UN set up its permanent home in NYC. The major goal was to prevent further world wars or events such as the Holocaust.

Read pages 636-652 Pg 641 # 1,2 and 4 Pg 646 # 1,2 and 3

Pg 641 # 1,2 and 4

Q1) Distinguish between the political systems of the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.
A1) The Soviet Union was a dictatorship. Under Joseph Stalin, the Communist Party made all key economic, political, and military decisions. The Soviet people could not worship as they pleased, own private property, or express their views freely. The United States was a capitalist democracy. The citizens believed in free elections, economic and religious freedom, private property, and respect for individual differences.
Q2) Identify Cause and Effect Describe the factors that led to the creation of the Truman Doctrine, as well as how the doctrine affected U.S. foreign policy.
A2) President Truman’s promise to aid nations struggling against communist movements became known as the Truman Doctrine, and it set a new course for American foreign policy. The doctrine affected U.S. foreign policy by bringinging the country into war, rather than retreating into isolationism and remaining neutral.
Q4) Generate Explanations How did the concept of collective security lead to the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)?
A4) Member nations agreed that “an armed attack against one or more of them . . . shall be considered an attack against all of them.” This principle of mutual military assistance is called collective security. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, formed in 1949, provided the military alliance to counter Soviet expansion. Twelve Western European and North American nations agreed to act together in the defense of Western Europe.

Pg 646 # 1,2 and 3

Q1) Generate Explanations Why did the United States send financial aid to Jiang Jieshi at the beginning of the Chinese civil war, but later refuse his request for military aid?
A1) The US. initially sent financial aid to Jiang Jieshi at the beginning of the Chinese civil war because American leaders feared that Jiang’s defeat would create a communist superpower spanning most of Asia. They later refused his request for military aid because nationalist generals were reluctant to fight. And, while masses of Chinese people faced starvation, corrupt officials diverted U.S. aid dollars into their own pockets.
Q2) Identify Patterns Explain how President Truman’s knowledge of previous historical events influenced him to initiate U.S. involvement in Korea.
A2) President Truman’s knowledge of previous historical events influenced him to initiate U.S. involvement in Korea since he remembered how the policy of appeasement had failed to check the German aggression that sparked World War II. This knowledge, coupled with the U.S. policy of containment, caused Truman to announce that the United States would aid South Korea.
Q3) Summarize General Douglas MacArthur’s plan for a counterattack against North Korea.
A3) General Douglas MacArthur suspected that the rapid advance of North Korean troops had left North Korea with limited supply lines. He decided to strike at this weakness by launching a surprise attack on the port city of Inchon, well behind enemy lines. Because Inchon was such a poor landing site, with swift currents and treacherous tides, MacArthur knew that the enemy would not expect an attack there.

Read pages 653-666 Pg 658 # 1,2 and 5 Pg 666 # 1,3 and 5

Pg 658 # 1,2 and 5

Q1) Support Ideas with Examples In what ways did McCarthyism intensify tensions within the United States during the Cold War?
A1) McCarthyism intensified tensions within the United States during the Cold War since Americans worried about the nation’s security, a clever and unscrupulous man began to take advantage of this sense of fear and helplessness. He suggested that these setbacks were really caused by the work of traitors inside the United States.
Q2) Summarize Explain the purpose of the House Un- American Activities Committee, or HUAC, and the effect the committee had on the American public.
A2) It was created to investigate possible subversive activities by fascists, Nazis, or communists. After the war, the committee conducted several highly publicized hearings on communist activities in the United States. Cold War fears were intensified by HUAC investigators, who probed the government, armed forces, unions, education, science, newspapers, and other aspects of American life.
Q5) Compare Points of View Explain the debate on the convictions of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, and how this debate changed when the Venona Papers were revealed.
A5) The trial of the Rosenbergs generated intense controversy. The case against them was based on the word of one confessed spy. Pleading innocent, the Rosenbergs claimed that they were being persecuted for being Jewish and for holding unpopular beliefs. In the end, both were found guilty and sentenced to death. In 1995, the U.S. National Security Agency released secret Soviet messages that the United States had intercepted in the 1940s, known as the Venona Papers. The papers revealed the names of Americans who spied for the Soviet Union, including the Rosenbergs and Alger Hiss.

Pg 666 # 1,3 and 5

Q1) Summarize the reasons for American prosperity at the end of World War II.
A1) The U.S. mainland was undamaged at the end of the war. There were numerous reasons for American prosperity at the end of World War II. War industries to be redirected into production of consumer goods for a growing population. These industries hired more people who in turn could afford to buy even more products. In addition, technological advances helped spur productivity, while increased government spending on the military and in foreign aid also bolstered the U.S. economy.
Q3) Infer Why did so many veterans choose to enter or return to college after the war?
A3) Many veterans choose to enter or return to college after the war since they understood the importance of education. The average soldier was inducted into the armed forces at the time when he or she would have been finishing high school. The bill encouraged veterans to enter or return to college. Eight million veterans eventually took advantage of the education benefits.
Q5) Generate Explanations What effects did the baby boom have on the economy between 1940 and 1955?
A5) The baby boom increased consumption largely. It created a larger demand for food, goods, and services. Industries looked for ways to increase production to meet the demands for a growing population and prices of limited resources rose. These also created more jobs across the country to meet the needs of the larger population.

Read pages 673-679 Pg 673 # 1,2 and 4 Pg 679 # 1, 2 and 5

Pg 673 # 1,2 and 4

Q1) Identify Cause and Effect Discuss how the religious revival during the 1950s was linked to America’s response to communism.
A1) The religious revival during the 1950s was linked to America’s response to communism since they were scared of the form of government. Organized religious groups became more powerful and more houses of worship were built. Religion allowed for the followers to be hopeful and peaceful while facing the threat of a nuclear war.
Q2) Support Ideas with Evidence Describe the role television played for children during the 1950s.
A2) The nuclear family, or a household consisting of a mother and father and their children, as the backbone of American society. For the nuclear family to function smoothly, experts claimed, women had to accept their role as homemakers. Television shows and movies made similar assertions. Children also watched hours of cartoons and shows featuring their favorite superheroes.
Q4) Summarize Explain the connection between the prosperity of the 1950s and increased consumerism.
A4) The U.S. economy began to boom in the postwar era and Americans were caught up in a wave of consumerism, buying as much as they could, much of it on credit. The average American family now had twice as much real income as the average family had during the prosperous years of the 1920s. Consumer- oriented companies found new and innovative ways to encourage buying on credit. With money to spend, easy credit, and new goods to buy, shopping became a new pastime for Americans.

Pg 679 # 1, 2 and 5

Q1) Make Generalizations Describe the impact beatniks had on society and culture in the 1950s.
A1) Beatniks were a small group of writers and artists who critiqued the American society. They refused to conform to accepted ways of dressing, thinking, and acting. Conformity, they insisted, stifled individualism. They displayed their dislike of American society by careless dress and colorful jargon. Many Americans were outraged by their behavior and believed that Beatnik values would have a negative impact on society.
Q2) Support Ideas with Evidence Describe the struggles and discrimination minorities faced in post–World War II America.
A2) Minorities faced various struggles and discrimination in post–World War II America, and fought for their equality. Puerto Rican migrants to New York City were often clustered together in many of the poorest inner city neighborhoods with employment opportunities limited by formal and informal forms of discrimination. They had little political power and received little help from city governments in getting better services, education, or an end to discriminatory practices. Mexicans and Mexican Americans faced a similar situation in the United States.
Q5) Identify Central Issues Describe the impact that the migration of middle-class families to suburbs had on the economic stability of the nation’s cities.
A5) American cities were suffering a severe decline as middle-class white families moved to the suburbs. The loss of the middle class hurt cities economically because the middle class paid a large share of the taxes. It hurt them politically, as well, because as the suburbs gained population, they also gained representation in state legislatures and the national government. This combination of declining economic and political power put a serious strain on cities, leading to a deterioration of services, such as garbage removal and street repair. In turn, as the conditions worsened and crime increased in what was now called the inner city, more of the middle class decided to move to the suburbs. Inner city refers to the older, central part of a city with crowded neighborhoods in which low-income, usually minority, groups live and are often plagued with problems such as inadequate housing and schools, as well as crime.