Unit+07+Seminars

= ** Native Americans of the West ** = ** How would you have attempted to solve the problem of nomadic and semi nomadic Indians ** roaming the West, threatened by the advance of white man’s civilization? Consider these four possibilities: A Leave them alone to survive or not survive as settlers move into the West. They would either become farmers, gather into groups to continue on their own, or retreat into areas not wanted by settlers and miners. B Concentrate tribes in several large areas designated as Indian areas with the possibility of becoming states of the United States in the future. C Place tribes on small reservations out of the way of settlers, there to be protected and helped by the federal government. D Require that each Indian family move from their campsites to small homesteads where they will be encouraged to abandon their culture—at least the parts that might interfere with their adjustment to the “normal” American farm life—and to accept, like the immigrants from Europe, the American way of living.

= ** Turner's Thesis on the Frontier ** = ** Frederick Jackson Turner in 1893 presented his theses on the role of the West in the ** Development of the United States. Some of his ideas follow: A The United States developed differently from other nations due to the experiences of a vast frontier. Americans had “rooms” in which to expand and were not hemmed in like other people. B This frontier experience produced an American character that was dominated by coarseness and strength, inquisitiveness, a practical and inventive turn of mind, materialism, individualism, a sense of equality, a strong belief in democracy, anti-intellectualism, optimism, and a boastful arrogance. C The frontier also served as a safety valve in that it tempered the class struggle, allowing the discontented in the East to move west and acquire farms. These settlers became self-sufficient voters not influenced by city bosses or corrupt political machines. D The roots of American democracy lie not in racial or Germanic traditions, nor in a legal and political inheritance from Europe, but in the environment of the frontier, the geographic, economic, and psychological experiences of those who went west. Do you agree or disagree with these ideas of the frontier thesis? Criticize them.

= ** Civil Service Reform ** = ** Although the Pendleton Act of 1883 established a civil-service merit system for the ** government bureaucracy, it led political parties to turn to big business for financial contributions that had formerly been acquired by assessment of officeholders and patronage. It also tended to guarantee jobs and make it difficult to dismiss incompetent officeholders. Was a civil-service system based on merit beneficial? Explain.

= ** Gilded Age Corruption ** = ** In the presidential election of 1884, one candidate, James G. Blaine, was accused of ** corrupt stock deals while the other, Grover Cleveland, admitted that he had fathered an illegitimate child. Which would be a more significant issue to raise in a presidential campaign? If the candidates' abilities and programs were similar, for which candidate would you have voted? Why? = = = ** Tariffs and Currency ** = ** Two important issues of the period were tariffs and currency. Many conservatives ** argued that a high tariff was necessary both for the protection of "infant industry" and of jobs for workers. They also supported gold as the basis of currency, calling it "nature's money" or even "God's currency." Opponents maintained that the free-enterprise system should support free competition and trade and that both gold and silver should be coined in order to increase the supply of money. Which sides of these issues do you support? Explain.

= ** Urbanization ** = ** City "bosses" often provided coal, turkeys, jobs, gifts, and emergency help to voters in ** cities—a type of "social security" program for those in need. Yet they overcharged the city and received kickbacks and payoffs. Reformers attempted to end this corruption but, in the name of frugality and efficiency, provided none of these social services to the needy. One could argue that the "bosses" benefited the people more than the reformers. React to this last statement. ** Political parties in the United States in the late nineteenth century, and throughout ** most of American history, represented community interests and organization loyalties rather than espousing a system of ideological beliefs. Thus American politics tend to be issue-oriented rather than philosophically or ideologically centered. Is this system preferable to the adherence to a set of coherent and consistent beliefs as the basis of political parties? Explain. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each?