Any topic (writer’s choice)

Instructions: Choose THREE of the possible six questions below and submit answers in essay format as attachments via Canvas.

1.) Analyze the factors that led the United States to a disengaged foreign policy during the decades between World Wars I and II. Although politically disengaged, describe the nature of our involvement in international affairs during this era. Assess Roosevelt’s foreign policy leadership in the 1930s.

2.) Develop a comprehensive look at the condition of the U.S. after World War II. Why does a conflict emerge between the two wartime allies, the U.S. and the Soviet Union? What events feed the friction? What policy, articulated by whom, calling for what, does the U.S. ultimately adopt to respond to international events following World War II? Describe the applications of this policy from 1947 to 1950 in Europe.

3.) Why was establishing an effective Asian policy much more difficult than creating a similar kind of stability in Europe? Analyze America’s wartime China policy. Why did Chiang Kai-shek fall? Why was the U.S. unable to capitalize on the traditional antipathy between China and Russia?

4.) Analyze the meaning of the “communist conspiracy theory.” Why was it such a compelling explanation of the Cold War for so many Americans? Trace a brief history of the career of Wisconsin Senator Joseph MaCarthy. What are the legacies of McCarthyism?

5.) Describe the reform initiatives of Harry Truman’s presidency, and explain why his legislative energy surprised many Americans at the time.. Why was his legislative legacy so limited?  Analyze the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower. Why is it difficult to know his political point of view? Using his cabinet and legislative legacy as guides, come to a conclusion about the nature of Eisenhowers politics. Assess the era that bears his name.

6.) Describe the evolution of the American civil rights movement from the New Deal to the 1960s. Explain the significance of both Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. The Board of Education of Topeka. Analyze the events that finally led to a “second reconstruction,” and evaluate the leadership of the various civil rights organizations.  Analyze the Kennedy Presidency. Why was his legacy so limited? Describe the domestic reform agenda of the Johnson Presidency. What forces ultimately led to its decline?