Support or Silence

Although many Americans supported the United States involvement in World War I, there were some who were against sending young men to die in a war in another country. President Wilson did everything he could to gain support for the war and keep its opponents quiet. To gain this support, he had films , posters, and booklets made to show that " Great War" was being fought between the sides of good and evil. He had his opponents silenced with his use of emergency war powers.
Do you think his methods are helpful or harmful to Americans at home and fighting in the war? Explain

Minding Our Own Business

When World War One started in 1914, most Americans wanted no part in the war. Neutralism- a policy to not get involved with either side of a dispute- was an important part of United States foreign policy ( how we deal with and treat other countries) at the time. We took care of business in our own hemisphere, period. The United States eventual entry into the war forever changed our foreign policy. We were no longer a country that minded it's own business; we were a world power that looked out for the rest of the world.
What is your opinion of the policy of neutralism? Do you think the United States should go back to that policy? How do you feel about this policy in your personal life? When should you mind your own business?

The United States and Latin America

You are an engineer, and you’ve been working on the Panama Canal for almost eight years. Your work crews used huge steam shovels to slice through a ridge of mountains and built a huge artificial lake. You planned a system to move ships through different water levels. Now your work is done. You can watch massive ships travel from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

Which part of the work on the canal
was the most challenging?

The Rights of Women and Minorities

You are a member of the graduating class of 1912 from an excellent women’s college. You have always been interested in science, especially biology. You would like to be a doctor, but you know that medical schools accept very few women. One career path for you is to go into social work. Yet that’s not what you really want to do.
How would you want to use your education?

Social Reform

You have been working in a hat factory since 1900, when you were eight years old. Now you are experienced enough to run one of the sewing machines. You don’t earn as much as older workers, but your family needs every penny you bring home. Still, the long hours make you very tired. One day you hear that people are trying to stop children from doing factory work. They think that children should be at school or playing.

Would you be for or against this social reform? Why?

Immigration Restrictions

Throughout history, Congress has passed laws to restrict immigration. Sometimes these laws were aimed at specific countries, like the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, which barred Chinese laborers from entering the United States for 10 years. Others were aimed at entire regions, such as the Johnson-Reed Immigration Act of 1924, which limited immigration from Europe. Others were aimed at classes of people, such as an 1882 immigration act that barred entry to criminals, paupers, and the mentally ill, among others.

Questions to think about:

1. Why do you think Congress passed some of these restriction acts? 
2. Rate the effectiveness of these acts? (1-5, 1 Worst, 5 Best) Explain your rating.
3. Should anyone who wants to live in the United States be able to live here, or should there be some restrictions on immigration? Defend your thinking. If you believe there should be restrictions, explain what they should be.

Labor Unions ?

In the late 19th century, most working people suffered long hours, low pay, and hazardous conditions at the hands of their employers. Despite these conditions, many refused to join had been organized to light for better treatment of workers. They feared they would lose their jobs, as employers often found some reason to fire such "trouble- makers." Imagine you're working in a cotton mill or a coal mine in the late 19th century. Your family needs your income to help put food on the table and keep the roof over your heads, but you work long hours in dangerous conditions. You work 14 hours a day, six days a week, and have seen co-workers lose lives and limbs on the job. What would you do if some- one asked you to join a labor union to fight for better working conditions?

Would you join, even if it meant you might lose your job? Or would you refuse to join, and accept your employer's unreasonable demands?