American History lecture five homework
1: the two most important outcomes of the Mexican war were that we acquired a great deal of land that had belonged to Mexico, and it also established General Zachary Taylor as a war hero helping him to win the presidency in 1848.
- Excellent, though I'm not sure I'd consider Zachary Taylor's presidency all that important.
2: Around 1839 a the Whig political party rose up in opposition to Andrew Jackson’s democratic party and throve for several years until around 1850 by which time it started showing signs of fracture. These were mostly due to the issue of slavery. And in 1854 what remained of the Whig party merged with the newly formed Republican Party.
- Superb, but "thrived", not "throve".
3: Stephen Douglas’s defeat of Abraham Lincoln in 1858 for the office of senator of Illinois was influenced by his superior debating and speaking skills. However in 1860 when they again ran against each other for the office of President, Lincoln’s political views as well as the publicity he gained from the state senate race would lead to his victory.
- Very good. Ultimately, Stephen Douglas was on the wrong side of the most important issue.
4: in the 1840’s and 50’s there were so many 1 term presidents because there was a lot of conflict between the parties and if the president made a mistake while in office it would be very hard for him to get re-elected.
- Your explanation is close, but conflict between the parties has always existed. The real problem was a pervasive conflict within the nation, among voters themselves. (Minus 1).
5: while Stowe’s book Uncle Tom’s Cabin may have created conflict between the north and south the amount of conflict it caused was not enough to cause the civil war.
- Explain further, as your answer does not give reasons. (Minus 1).
6:
7: the Alamo was a church in Texas where and over 150 Texans led by William B. Travis were killed by the overwhelming force of Mexican soldiers. The battle was an example of bravery and dedication which inspired many Texans and Americans to join the fight for Texas’s freedom. Cries of “remember the Alamo” were heard later in the battle of San Jacinto in which Santa Anna and his forces were utterly defeated in about 18 minutes.
- Excellent. Could use as a model answer.
8:
Honors
1: Debate: Is it ever justified for a President to lie to Congress to accomplish a goal sought by Americans? I don’t think lying to congress can be justified for any reason whatever even to accomplish a goal sought by Americans. Also I don’t believe there would come a circumstance were it would be necessary for the president to lie.
- Superb.
2:
3:
4: the role of campaign slogans were to either to cast the opponent in a bad light or to cast yourself in a good light. I personally think that it is more effective to cast yourself in a good light because casting your opponent in a bad light tends to leave a bad impression of your character.
- Actually, negative ads against a political opponent are typically far more effective than positive ads. (Minus 1).
5: a comparison could be made between the Dred Scott case and Roe v. Wade in that the Dred Scott decision basically ruled that blacks aren’t people and have no rights and the Roe v. Wade decision ruled that unborn children are not people and have no rights.
- Terrific.
jon s.
- Grade: 87/90, with some superb answers.--Andy Schlafly 22:20, 12 March 2011 (EST)