Deck 14: What Wars Good For: Minority Rights Expansions in American Political Development

Question 1

Which of the following statements about American political development (APD) is true?

A) It is a political science subfield that examines changes in American government through the lens of historical patterns and processes.
B) It is based on the observation that the features of American government were all created at one point in time.
C) Political scientists studying APD are usually only focused on understanding political history for its own sake.
D) None of the above

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What moral considerations increased support for policy changes affecting women, African Americans, and gay/lesbian service members? How did these moral considerations affect reform efforts in each of the three cases?

Answer 2

No Answer

Question 3

How have wars affect the expectations of what society owes to marginalized groups?

Answer 3

No Answer

Question 4

Please describe the general process through which foreign wars have affected minority rights.

Question 5

What is the significance of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy?

A) It banned gays and lesbians from openly serving in the armed forces.
B) The policy was enacted after a broad political agreement involving President Clinton and Congress.
C) It allowed gays and lesbians to openly serve in the armed forces.
D) Most of the military leadership opposed discharging gay and lesbian personnel in 1993.
E) None of the above

Question 6

Which of the following is true about the Smith v. Allwright Supreme Court case?

A) It confirmed the legality of "separate but equal".
B) It outlawed the "White primary".
C) It did not conflict with an earlier 1935 Supreme Court ruling.
D) All of the above
E) None of the above

Question 7

How did World War II affect racial attitudes in the U.S.?

A) Denunciations of Hitler's policies made Americans think less favorably about their own segregationist system.
B) The Army began to integrate African American soldiers into previously all-white units because it believed that segregation was fundamentally wrong and irreconcilable with America's democratic ideals.
C) The service of African Americans in World War II diverted attention away from race relations in the U.S.
D) Surveys showed that more white officers held unfavorable opinions of African Americans after serving with African American units during the war.
E) None of the above

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true about the effort to guarantee suffrage for women?

A) Attempts to amend the constitution to guarantee voting rights for women almost passed through Congress in 1914, 1915, and 1916.
B) The fact that Western states began expanding voting rights to women in the 1890s shows that the Women's Suffrage movement was making substantial progress before World War I.
C) President Wilson strongly supported voting rights for women throughout his political career.
D) After women provided essential labor and other support during World War I, President Wilson dropped his longstanding opposition to women's suffrage and supported rewarding women with the right to vote.
E) None of the above

Question 9

Which of the following are examples of wartime rights abuses in American history?

A) Mistreatment of prisoners in Abu Ghraib
B) Imprisonment of political dissidents during World War I
C) Suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War
D) Internment of Japanese descendants during World War II
E) All of the above

Question 10

Throughout the last 100 years, how did major wars affect marginalized groups in America?

A) Wars did not have much effect on these groups.
B) Wars temporarily boosted the position of these groups in the short run.
C) Wars sometimes resulted in persecution of these groups in the short run, but often facilitated the extension of new rights to these groups in the long run.
D) Wars affected marginalized groups in the same way that they affected the general population.
E) None of the above

Question 11

Why are historical processes important in understanding American politics?

A) Historical processes are not important.
B) Historical processes establish trajectories.
C) Historical processes help identify patterns.
D) Historical processes help illuminate the present and suggest a framework for the future.
E) B, C, and D

Question 12

Dr. Saldin notes that although major wars have resulted in gains for marginalized groups throughout American history, these conflicts have also hurt marginalized groups through abuses of government power. Why does Saldin argue that the gains are more important than the abuses of power? Do you agree? Why or why not?