Why did the political parties fail to confront the major social and economic issues of the late nineteenth century? Consider that both parties were large coalitions with conflicting interests.
Consider also that many of the problems were new (industrilization, urbanization, etc.) Is it surprising that answers were not readily available?
Explain how Darwinian theories could lead to advocacy of reform as well as advocacy of laissez faire.
What role did women play in progressivism? How did their concerns shape the Progressive Era?
Did World War I represent the end of the Progressive Era or its culmination?
Discuss the changing constituency of the Democratic Party and the struggle for control between its rival wings.
Explain how the changes experienced by American women during World War II were likely to change American society after the war.
Discuss the concept of affirmative action. What is the reasoning behind it? Does it result in reverse discrimination?
The text describes Reagan s reduction of taxes as a scheme, a word with negative connotations. However, John F. Kennedy recommended similar tax cuts in 1963, which were widely approved by liberal economists at the time and have been subsequently praised by liberal historians. What, if any, differences were there between Kennedy s tax cuts and Reagan s?