HW4.5

Did Reagan's policies fit the conservative "brand"?

INCREASED GOVERNMENT DEFICIT DID NOT FIT REAGAN'S "BRAND", BUT POWER DEVOLUTION WAS A POLICY WHICH FIT THE CONSERVATIVE "BRAND".

One of Reagan's "brand" was to reduce government spending, since the US had "piled deficit upon deficit" (Reagan's First Inaugural Address 1981), but he didn't fulfill his promise. Before Reagan, the budget deficit was below $75 billion, but by 1986, the deficit reached $221 billion, largely due to 85% increase in military spending.

Devolving power of federal government was one of Reagan's "brand" which he did fulfill. He promised to "curb the size and influence of the Federal establishment" (Reagan's First Inaugural Address 1981). Thus, he supported Nixon's New Federalism and issued block grants, allowing states to spend money on social programs as they saw fit.

HW4.4

"Who is to blame for America's trend toward high divorce rates, starting in the 1970s?"

THE HIGH DIVORCE RATES STARTING IN THE 1970s ARE THE RESULT OF THE ACTIONS OF RICH MIDDLE-AGED MEN AND FEMINISTS WHO FOUGHT FOR NO-FAULT DIVORCE.

Rich middle-aged men who desired younger women were partly to blame. Caught up in "Jennifer Fever", many like Eugene McCathy and Wayne Hays in 1970s divorced their wives of many years and attracted younger women with their wealth. According to Wolfe, it became "normal behavior", and divorce rates rose rapidly.

The "me" attitude of wealthy, middle-aged men partly contributed to high divorce rates. Instead of being dutiful dads and husbands, many men said, "I've got only one life, let me live it as a..." According to Wolfe, wealthy middle-aged men "took [their] money and ran", contributing to high divorce rates.

Feminists who fought for no-fault divorce were partly responsible. Feminist groups like the National Organization for Women beginning in 1960s, pushed for no-fault divorce. But no-fault divorce became a "remarkable gift" to men. As getting divorces became easy and inexpensive, it contributed to more than 1.1 million divorces in 1979.

1970s TV programs show society was changing and feminists didn't need changes in divorce laws. In "All in the Family", the college-educated daughter got a job. This shows women's role outside home was already increasing in society. Thus, changes in divorce laws were unneeded. As daughter said, "Times have changed."

HW4.3

"Who is to blame for America's trend toward high divorce rates, starting in the 1970s?"

THE HIGH DIVORCE RATES STARTING IN THE 1970s ARE THE RESULT OF THE ACTIONS OF RICH MIDDLE-AGED MEN AND FEMINISTS WHO FOUGHT FOR NO-FAULT DIVORCE.

Firstly, rich middle-aged men in the 1970s were caught up in "Jennifer Fever". Instead of staying home, they divorced their wives of many years in search of young women. With their wealth, they easily attracted these women. This resulted in the rising divorce rates.

These men were also immersed in the selfish thinking of the "Me" movement. Instead of being dutiful dads and husbands, they said, "I've got only one life, let me live it as a..." As Tom Wolfe said, wealthy middle-aged men "took [their] money and ran", resulting in high divorce rates.

Feminists who fought for no-fault divorce were also partly responsible. With their fervent protesting, no-fault was established, but it allowed men to free themselves from marriage without any legal consequences. As a result, from 1975 to 1983, the number of divorced women rose by 28% to more than 3 million.

HW4.2

"Who is to blame for America's trend toward high divorce rates, starting in the 1970s?"

THE HIGH DIVORCE RATES STARTING IN THE 1970s ARE THE RESULT OF THE ACTIONS OF RICH MIDDLE-AGED MEN AND WOMEN WHO FOUGHT FOR NO-FAULT DIVORCE.

Firstly, rich middle-aged men in the 1970s were caught up in "Jennifer Fever". Instead of staying home, they divorced their wives of many years in search of young women. With their wealth, they easily attracted these women. This resulted in the rising divorce rates.

These men were also immersed in the selfish thinking of the "Me" movement. Instead of being dutiful dads and husbands, they said, "I've got only one life, let me live it as a..." Wealthy middle-aged men began chasing after their own dreams, leaving their wives, resulting in high divorce rates.

Women who fought for no-fault divorce were also partly responsible. With their fervent protesting, no-fault was finally established, but it allowed men a way to free themselves from marriage without any legal consequences. Men quickly took up this advantage and used it to its full potential. Thus, divorce rates skyrocketed.

HW8

"Nonviolent resistance to injustice was a good strategy for southern civil rights leaders."

AGREE and DISAGREE (one paragraph each)

AGREE:

The Birmingham campaign in 1963 is an example of an effective nonviolent resistance to injustice. The Birmingham police's attacks on peaceful African American protesters shocked many Americans, drawing national attention to the injustice of segregation. As a result, desegregation of public facilities in Birmingham was achieved, without using violence.

DISAGREE:

Freedom Summer in Mississippi 1964 is an example where nonviolent resistance was a bad strategy. People in Freedom Summer used peaceful means to help African Americans participate in the government, but many were attacked and killed by the opposition. Sadly, these crimes went unpunished, showing the ineffectiveness of nonviolent resistance.

HW7

Find two historians who disagree with each other about the answer to your question.

"How important was Joan of Arc to the successful ascension of Charles VII to the French throne in the 1430s?"

Joan of Arc is important to King Charles VII’s successful ascension. She brought about his coronation at Rheims, which dealt a heavy blow to England’s claim to the French throne, and she was Charles VII’s source of courage as he continued fighting for the throne after her death.

(Patterson, Gail. Joan of Arc: Historical Overview and Bibliography. Nova Publishers, 2002. Print.)

However, in another point of view, Joan was not very important. Even without Joan, Charles VII, who was still wealthy and supported by a large part of France, would have slowly recaptured French territories under English control. Charles’ men were not too successful in battle, but they were still fighting.

(Neillands, Robin. The Hundred Years War. Routledge, 1990.)

REPAIR

"How real was the threat of Communist spies within the US?"

In 1950, US State Department official Algar Hiss was accused of passing information to the USSR. Hiss denied it, but in 1995 documents were revealed, indicating that Hiss was indeed a Communist spy. Therefore, the Algar Hiss Case in 1950 shows that the threat of Communist spies was real.

It was known that spies had passed helpful information about the atomic bomb to the USSR. In 1951, it was found that two Americans, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, was responsible for passing the atomic secrets. Thus, this shows that the threat of communist spies in the US was real.

From 1952 to 1954, Joseph McCarthy accused many people for supporting communism. However, his accusations were backed with no evidence, and he never managed to find a communist spy. Therefore, McCarthy's actions, or McCarthyism, is an example of the how the threat of communist spies in the US was unreal.

The threat of Communist spies was unreal because the US government was at fault for increasing the public's fear. Truman's Executive Order 9835 was a program designed to weed out any disloyal persons, but, sadly, it was "in large measure responsible for creating...hysteria" (Zinn 157).

"Is it fair to say that the anxiety caused in the US due to nuclear threat, was useful and 'healthy'?" (security of the nation = health)

The FCDA's Operation Alert, a civil defense drill, was inspired by the heightened state of fear for nuclear attacks. But, most Americans ignored the drill, rendering the FCDA's efforts useless. Therefore, the anxiety caused by nuclear threat was far from useful in the US.

The anxiety caused by nuclear threat was useful and healthy because it led to the growth of businesses in the 1950s. Atomic power fascinated people, and many businesses saw the potential of atomic power, as evident in the production of "fallout shelters", atomic tourism, and "atomic lunch-boxes".