READ CAREFULLY AS THE DIRECTIONS ARE DIFFERENT FROM PREVIOUS EXAMS.

Answer the mandatory question and then select and answer two out of the six questions presented below. You are required to research and properly cite all references using APA format and may not use your textbook as a cited reference. Please be sure to paraphrase and cite appropriately as you may not quote material from a source. You should submit a total of three answers (one mandatory and two self-selected). Each answer should be a minimum of 250 words, single spaced, and submitted. Please refer to the Essay Exam Rubric for guidelines and expectations.

YOU MUST ANSWER THE MANDATORY QUESTION:

Mandatory question: Over the long scope of the course, one of the central topics discussed has been the contentious history of race relations in the United States. In your essay, please briefly discuss the history of American race relations from post-WWII America through to the present. Touch on some of the major turning points, events, and court cases that help explain the history of race relations. In your answer, discuss where you think the current state of race relations in America stands, and whether you think the civil rights movement achieved the goals it set out to achieve after WWII.

Select and answer TWO out of the six questions presented below:  

1. During the 1960s, the United States had become a more open, more tolerant – in a word, freer – country. Defend or refute this statement.
2. Analyze the debate over the Equal Rights Amendment. Who was for it and who was against it? How did each side define freedom for women? What does the debate tell us about American society in the 1970s?
3. Ultimately, how conservative was Ronald Reagan’s tenure in office? Why might some conservatives feel he did not go far enough, while some liberals felt that he dismantled too much?
4. Chronicle the story of Native Americans over the past 50 years. How have they been excluded from the definitions of freedom and equality, and how have they petitioned to gain those freedoms?
5. Analyze how cultural conservatives defined freedom. What arguments did they make in defense of freedom? How valid were their arguments?
6. George W. Bush commented in his 2001 inaugural address that America had gone out into the world to protect, not to possess, and to defend, not to conquer. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Give examples to support your position.

You should answer the Mandatory Question and two of the six choices before the due date.