The authors of Document 1 and Document 2 believe it is necessary to strictly defineAmericans since it enhances the possibility of development

The authors of Document 1 and Document 2 believe it is necessary to strictly define
Americans since it enhances the possibility of development through sole allegiance to the
United States. According to Roosevelt, allowing the notion of different nationalities in the
United States would derail efforts of uniting citizens for a purely American vision of social,
economic, and political growth. Patriotism determines the greatest accomplishment that a
country can ever make. In this case, patriotism is the foundation of national life. He further
insisted that America is founded on democratic principles that are an embodiment of a
commitment to civil and religious liberty. In this case, Americanization ensures that every
American, regardless of background, understands that Americanism is a matter of spirit.
Furthermore, it would help prevent disturbance of labor in important American institutions
and systems during critical times. Mental and spiritual preparedness is just as important as
economic, social, and military preparedness.
Former President Theodore Roosevelt delivered the speech at a time where World War
I was imminent, and the nation needed to be prepared in terms of ensuring every American is
patriotic to America at all levels. While Roosevelt advocated for Americanization as in
important step towards the United States success and strength in a future conflict, Senator
Ellison DuRant of South Carolina believed that the American government needed to “shut the
door and assimilate what [it] has. Furthermore, Smith believed that the country needed to
“breed pure American citizens and develop our resources. In his speech in 1924, Senator
Smith supports “immigration restrictions as a means of preserving existing American
Resources. Roosevelt’s idea of success and growth acknowledges the need for integration
efforts to all American citizens residing in the United States, while Senator Smith is to
lockout immigrants and build America without foreign influence. Woody Guthrie would have

UNIT 4 EXAM 3
supported Roosevelt’s view on Americanism because he sought to “advance an anti-
capitalist, anti-racist agenda” (Carr, 2018). Guthrie’s songs revisited the neglected stories of
the working class through techniques that embraced radicalism.
Question 2
The Cold War had a significant influence on many aspects of American society,
especially regarding what it meant to be an American. The United States during this period
supported democracy and capitalism while the Soviet Union represented authoritarianism and
communism. Document 4, “How to Spot a Communist,” warns Americans about communist
activities in the country. The author compiles a set of hints for spotting a communist to
demonstrate how communist activity in America was a setback to the country’s development.
Brogi (2012) notes that communism sparked negative relations in American society. Scholars
and elites alike embarked on a long-lasting discourse on the woes of communism, which
made citizens live in fear of when the Soviet Union would strike again. Leo Cherne’s article
was thus a useful piece of guidelines on the techniques that the ordinary anti-communist
could spot a communist or a communist party to alert the government.
“You read books, eh?” cartoon by Herb Block illustrated the growing anti-communist
hysteria after the Cold War. This period was known as the Second Red Scare, noting the high
levels of anti-communist sentiment in the United States. The cartoon shows how the “witch-
hunt” influenced McCarthy’s inquisitors to interrogate people at the slighted notion of
anything “un-American.” Anti-subversive efforts are also evident in the way one of the
inquisitors is depicted attempting to cut U.S.S.R from the map of Europe. The onlooker is
urged to relate the picture of Thomas Jefferson on the way right next to the map. The image
ideally satirizes the efforts on freedom of speech for all Americans. According to Boyer et al.
(2016), communism sparked a second Red Scare, resulting in subversive ideologies that
shaped political debates around the subject of communism.

UNIT 4 EXAM 4
Question 3
Common problems identified within American society include human degradation,
racial bigotry, and insecurity. Document 7- Port Huron’s Statement, criticizes the social and
political system of the United States for failing to achieve economic and social justice. The
document called for the development, implementation, and growth of participatory
democracy across universities in the South. Through the document, a small group of students
from the University of Michigan under the leadership of Tom Hayden expressed the idea that
citizens could help bring change through peaceful means. The authors also identified the
effectiveness of solutions that were underway to counter social problems such as the
effectiveness of Civil Rights Advocacy. Similar to Port Huron’s Statement, Black Panther’s
Ten-Point Program notes racial bigotry as one of the leading problems in American society
during the Civil Rights Era.
Unlike Port Huron’s Statement, the authors of Black Panther’s Ten-Point Program take
a different approach to the cause of racial tensions in America. The latter view suggests the
government as the biggest cause of problems in the Black Community. In addition to the
problems outlined in Document 7, Document 8 notes poor housing, lack of proper education,
the murder of Black people and police brutality. Moreover, “Letter from Delano” by Caesar
Chavez identifies the labor struggles of the Mexican and Filipino farmers. According to
Chavez, the major issues that would break human spirit include discrimination due to skin
color, ethnic background, and exclusion from the democratic process. Chavez’s move to fight
for farmworkers’ rights was related to the fact that Mexican farmworkers did not possess the
right to form labor unions and unpaid, contrary to their white counterparts.
Arguments in these documents are persuasive since there was evidence to clearly
illustrate the existence of the identified problems in American society. People of color were
denied equal civil rights compared to their white counterparts. The social, political, and

UNIT 4 EXAM 5
economic system disfavored blacks and other minority groups such as Mexicans, Indian-
Americans, and Filipinos.
Question 4
During the first congressional hearing on the ERA, many female reformers opposed the
amendment because they feared it would lead to the withdrawal of already established health
and labor legislation to aid poverty-stricken mothers and female workers. Throughout history,
women had been facing discrimination in education, employment and access to political
status.
President George H.W Bush’s remarks on the rights the disabled exemplified the long
history of segregation and exclusion of people with disabilities. It took so long for the country
to acknowledge and protect the rights of the disabled since it was not viewed as
discrimination. Existing public policy spread the ideology that people with disabilities were
limited due to the inevitable consequences of their mental or physical deformities. Different
disability groups were also seen as a burden due to differing needs
Question 5
Maya Angelou’s inauguration poem reflects upon the identity of “hyphenated
Americans” by symbolizing the ancestors of the United States as a rock, river, and tree. Maya
Angelou’s poem “On the Pulse of Morning” suggests that there should not be hyphenated
Americans, in that American citizens are connected at the core to symbolize unity. Maya also
suggests that immigrants should be considered as Americans regardless of their origin. Many
immigrants were sold as slaves when they came to the United States, which means that the
labor of immigrants contributed significantly to the prosperity of the United States.
In his inaugural speech, President Barrack Obama alludes to Americanism by using the
phrase “We the people” throughout his speech to address all Americans regardless of their
origins. President Obama’s election as the first person of color to become President of the

UNIT 4 EXAM 6
United States helped resolve the questions and crises surrounding the definition of an
American citizen by exemplifying inclusiveness. The concept of hyphenated American
involved the notion of relating American citizens to their country of origin such as Asian-
American, German-American or Italian-American. All the authors share common ideology
that citizens who consider themselves hyphenated shout not be regarded Americans

UNIT 4 EXAM 7

References

Boyer, P. S., Clark, C. E., Halttunen, K., Kett, J. F., & Salisbury, N. (2016). The Enduring
Vision: A History of the American people. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Brogi, A. (2011). Confronting America: The Cold War between the United States and the
Communists in France and Italy. Chapel Hill, NC: UNC Press Books.
Carr, N. (2019). “They have Their Music and We have Ours”: The Political Woody
Guthrie. Popular Music and Society, 42(3), 309-329.