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Joseph M
American History Homework Seven 
Instructor: Andy Schlafly 
Read the lecture. 

''1. What was the "Gilded Age"?''
::The Gilded Age was the name given to the period after Reconstruction by Mark Twain He described the period 1878 to 1889 as looking very nice on the outside but as actually dreadful on the inside. Although this was the view expressed by Mark Twain, the Gilded Age was also a time of economic growth and of many inventions. 

:Superb.  Will use as model answer!

''2. What do you like about Thomas Edison, and do you think home schooling him created enormous wealth?''
:What I like about Thomas Edison is that he wasn’t selfish, for instance he made the phonograph even though he himself was deaf and couldn’t hear it. I think that I would give a lot of credit to his mother in her patience and in being able to deal with him and teach him. And the reason she was able to teach him was because he was not in school-- had he been in school I do not think he would have been able to have his skills develop to their full potential .

:Terrific.

''3. How do you think the frontier might have affected the views of Americans?''
I think that the frontier and its acres of unexplored land would have meant freedom and mystery and maybe wealth, as well as unlimited opportunity. There could always be a place to move on to. 

:Good, but how did ''affect the views'' of Americans?  Always be sure to answer the precise question asked.  (Minus 1).

''4. What do you think is special about the United States that has made it the world leader in inventions?''
::I think that what made the United States the world leader in inventions is that if you have a good idea, you won’t be ignored, there will be someone to listen to Your idea and fund it. In other poorer countries you can’t do that, and something Else that makes America special is that you can rise from the bottom if you have a hard work ethic and a good idea.

:Well done.

''5. How influential do you think political cartoons really are? Give an example or two.'' 
:I think that political cartoons are very influential, because they are a simple picture but one glance can tell you many things and change your opinion. For instance, the cartoons of Thomas Nast, influenced voters and other people so much that the cartoons overthrew political machines and attacked many immigration issues. So I believe that cartoons can be extremely influential. 

:Good.

''6. Other than Thomas Edison, who do you think was the most influential person between 1877 and 1896?''
:I think that the most influential person in that period was John D. Rockefeller, because he forged one of the biggest monopolies in the world at the time, and made America a much wealthier place.

:Very good.

''7. Please interpret the above cartoon, with special emphasis on explaining the images used and including a description of the point of view of the cartoonist.'' 
I believe that this cartoon deals with the issue of bimetallism. The cartoon shows Uncle Sam, a character used to represent America after the Civil War, on a horse trying to ride to prosperity but he is sinking in “quicksand” gold. To the right there is a hill “silver”. I think that this means that America (Uncle Sam) is trying to get to prosperity by just riding gold, but America must ride the silver road if it wants to reach prosperity. I think the cartoonist is for bimetallism as he shows that America is only going to reach prosperity if it uses silver, too. 

:Superb, but mention how the sinking in quicksand is like [[deflation]] under the gold standard.  (Minus 1).

Honors (answer 3 out of 5): 
''H1. The Blaine Amendments: good, bad, or bigoted? Your view, please.'' 
I think that the Blaine amendments were good because they made it so that the states could not prohibit the free exercise of religion, but they also prevented any religious sect from obtaining the money that is meant for the public schools.

:OK, but your "is meant" refers to the taxpayers, and what if the taxpayers want the money to go where each set of parents want?  (That's what is known as "school vouchers" or "school choice").

''H2. Write about any controversy or mystery relating to the time period covered by the lecture.''
:What caused the USS Maine to explode? I believe that the cause of the explosion that sunk the USS Maine was the spontaneous combustion of the coal bunker, a frequent problem with ships after the Civil War. Smoldering coal can hold heat for a long period of time. I believe that the coal spontaneously combusted and the fire reached the ammunition magazines and the magazines exploded and this chain reaction caused the USS Maine to explode 

:So you don't blame it on enemy attack as the newspapers did?  Well done, but you're a bit past our time period for this homework.  That's OK, I'll allow it.

''H1. Do you support or oppose unions? Use an example from the late 1800s.'' 
I sometimes support them and sometimes oppose them. I think that after a while unions can get corrupt, and sometimes turn to violence such as the infamous Haymarket Affair of 1886. However, there are certain companies where the employees are treated badly and are not paid well, and in these cases I support unions.

:Very good.

:Excellent work.  Score: 98/100.--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 19:58, 30 October 2008 (EDT)
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