HIST-1301 6007 1 United States History to 1877

by

Humanities

You must choose one of the questions below to answer. Start a new thread for the question that you select. Please type the question first, and then type your answer. Your post should have between 100 and 300 words and be written in paragraph format; however, it is not merely the number of words that you write, but rather, the content in your post, that will determine your grade. Also, I grade for grammar and coherence. (Remember to check the rubric below on how I grade your discussion posts.) You should respond by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 11th. Your post will count for up to 40 points.

You must also reply to 2 classmates’ posts by y 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, November 13th. You must post before you will be able to read your classmates’ posts. Add to what your classmates have contributed (don’t simply answer “yes” or “no”, and don’t just say “I agree with what you said.”) Replies to classmates do not add to your discussion grade; however, failure to provide a quality response to 2 classmates will reduce your grade up to 8 points.

  1. Read the Emancipation Proclamation, and then discuss the following questions: Did the Emancipation Proclamation end slavery in the United States? Where exactly did the proclamation end slavery? Were there slave states where slavery was protected and not abolished? Where were those states? Why did Lincoln protect slavery in these states? Was the Emancipation Proclamation primarily the result of a moral decision or a military decision on Lincoln’s part? Was it an emotional decision or a pragmatic decision? How might the Emancipation Proclamation be the result of a diplomatic decision on Lincoln’s part? What is the historical significance of the Emancipation Proclamation?
  1. Discuss the issue of civil rights during the Civil War. Respond to the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus by the Lincoln government during the war and the subsequent arrests for disloyalty. Does civil war justify this abridgment of civil rights? Should the Lincoln administration have tolerated Copperhead opposition? How does this situation during the Civil War compare to the use of the Sedition Act of 1798 by Federalists at the turn of the century? How does it compare to the use of the Sedition Act of 1918 by the Wilson administration during World War I? How does it compare to the second Bush administration’s anti-terrorism policies?
  1. Some historians have discussed the American Revolution as the First American Civil War. Now that you have studied both the Revolution and the Civil War, discuss the parallels and distinctions between the two. Questions to consider: Consider the Continental Congress’s adoption of the Declaration of Independence and the South’s secession from the Union. Are there parallels between these two events? Are there distinctions? Was the Declaration of Independence by Americans in 1776 an act of secession? How could it be seen that way? Was the Southern secession in 1860–1861 a declaration of independence? How could it be seen that way? How do victory and defeat define the way people identify military events in history? Would the American Revolution be called a revolution if the United States had lost? Would the American Civil War be called a civil war if the South had won?
  1. What choices did the justices face during the Plessy v. Ferguson case? Explain your answer in detail.