Short Response Questions

Question 1

List and explain three causes for the Spanish-American War.

Answer 1

• Yellow Journalism: the reporting of exaggerated stories to increase newspaper sales. Yellow Journalism increased the U.S. public’s desire for war.
• DeLome Letter: a letter written by the Spanish Minister that criticized President McKinley as a weak man who was only working for popularity. This letter agitated U.S. support of war.
• Explosion of the USS Maine: A mysterious explosion of the battleship of the USS Maine. The Americans blamed Spain for the explosion and declared war.

America went to war against Spain to free Cuba. The war provided the U.S. An opportunity to seize overseas possessions and begin building an American Empire. The fighting took place in the Philippines and Cuba and ended with the Treaty of Paris written less than 6 months after the war started.

Question 2

Describe the M.A.I.N. causes of World War I.

Answer 2

M: Militarism is when a country builds up its military in preparation for war.

A: Alliances are when countries have a close relationship with each other and please support for one another.

I: Imperialism is when a country expands its power and influence through diplomatic and/or military force.

N: Nationalism is when you have a devotion to your nation AKA patriotism.

Question 3

Provide 4 examples of new weaponry in WWI and describe the impact it had on warfare.

Answer 3

1) Machine Guns: could shoot more than 1 bullet at a time and could “spray” the battlefield.
2) Poison Gas: could poison people in large amounts with small amounts of poison.
3) Airplanes: increase air travel and could drop more effective bombs.
4) Flame Throwers: could eliminate whole sections of trenches with one shot.

Question 4

Provide 5 examples and explain how the Native Americans utilized Buffalo in their culture.

Answer 4

1) Dung- Fuel
2) Bones- Knives, Arrows, and Shovels
3) Fat- Oil and Soap
4) Brains- Hide Preparation
5) Tanned Hide- Moccasins and Tipis
6) Tongue- Best Part of Meat
7) Horns- Spoons, Ladles, and Headdresses
8) Muscles- Sinew, and Meat for Jerky

Question 5

Describe how the Melting Pot Theory differed from the Mixed Salad Theory.

Answer 5

Melting Pot Theory: assimilate to American culture and abandon old culture completely.

Mixed Salad Theory: contribute own culture to American society(keep own identity).

Question 6

Define what a push and pull factor is and provide four examples from each.

Answer 6

Push: Factors that forced/”pushed” people out of a land.

 - Drought/Famine
 - Political Revolution/War
 - Religious Persecution
 - Economic Struggles

Pull: Factors that attracted people to a land.

 - Plentiful Land
 - Political Freedom
 - Religious Freedom
 - Employment
 - Chain Immigrants
 - New Life

Question 7

Define sharecropping and list the six steps of the cycle of poverty.

Answer 7

Sharecropping is a system in which landowners give fame workers land and seed for them to harvest in exchange for a portion of the crops.

1) SC and Landowner create a contract.
2) SC buys food, clothes, seed, and equipment on credit.
3) SC plants and harvests crops.
4) SC gives crops to landowner to sell.
5) Landowner tells SC that he has produced less than he owes.
6) SC promises more crops next season.

Question 8

Provide three examples of how sharecropping was different from slavery and three examples of why sharecropping was the same.

Answer 8

Same:

1) Tied to the land due to endless debt.
2) Landowner is in control and takes advantage of sharecropper(Freedmen were uneducated).
3) Sharecropper must plant and harvest crops.

Different:

1) No brutality.
2) Sharecropper’s choice to work.
3) Only worked to pay of debt.
4) Sharecropper makes profit.

Question 9

Describe four hardships Homesteaders faced while living on the Great Plains and four pieces of technology they used in order to help them survive.

Answer 9

Hardships:

1) Harsh Climate/Drought: A period of dry weather that was injurious to crops.
2) Locust: swarms of grasshoppers that ate and destroyed crops.
3) Dust Storms: lack of rain, flat land, no trees or mountains.
4) Lonely: no houses or people for miles; stayed indoors for most of the winter.

Technology:

1) Barbed Wire: invented by Joseph Glidden, the barbed wire created property boundaries and kept live stock in and trespassers out.
2) Mechanical Reaper: a machine used to easily cut and separate seeds.
3) Steel Plow: steel blade prevented dirt clogs and dug deeper into soil.
4) Steel Windmill: was used to collect water to use for crops.