Unit 3 Challenge Questions/ The United States at Mid-Century 1939-1969

Which statement describes events associated with the conference at Yalta?

a.) The Soviet Union agreed to participate in the United Nations.

Choose the statement that best describes an example of U.S. containment policy.

a.) The Truman Doctrine stated that the U.S. was obligated to assist anti-communist forces around the world.

Why did the three major Allies—the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union—want to launch a "second front" in Europe?

a.) To divide the German army

Choose the statement that describes a cause of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

a.) To protect its interests in the Pacific, the U.S. imposed economic sanctions against Japan.

What was the primary goal of the U.S. strategy of "island hopping" in the Pacific?

a.) To seize islands vital to Japanese transportation and communication

President Harry Truman created a committee to investigate racism, which had released its findings in 1947. The committee determined that the federal government had a responsibility to ensure equal protection under the law. Please read the following excerpt from the report: "The international reason for acting to secure our civil rights now is not to win the approval of our totalitarian critics. We would not expect it if our record were spotless; to them our civil rights record is only a convenient weapon with which to attack us. Certainly we would like to deprive them of that weapon. But we are more concerned with the good opinion of the peoples of the world." Choose the statement that correctly identifies a likely purpose of this excerpt from Truman's committee to investigate racism.

a.) Truman wanted to address the problem of racism to counter criticism by the Soviets.

Choose the statement that best reflects the idea that those who didn't conform to the American way were threats to the nation.

b.) "Hollywood actors and writers are using films to promote communism."

Choose the statement that best reflects reactions to the Supreme Court's ruling in southern politics and culture.

b.) "Southern congressmen issued a 'Declaration of Constitutional Principles' to resist the Brown decision."

Select the correct chronological sequence of the civil rights victories prior to Brown v. Board of Education.

b.) 1. The NAACP founded the organization's Legal Defense and Education Fund.2. President Truman created a Presidential Committee on Civil Rights to investigate racism in the U.S.3. In Sipuel v. Board of Regents, the Supreme Court ruled that Ada Lois Sipuel had been unlawfully refused admission to law school.

Place the events that led up to U.S. involvement in World War II in the correct order, following Hitler's appointment as Chancellor of Germany.

b.) 1. The United States passes several Neutrality Acts limiting American involvement in European affairs.2. Hitler launches a blitzkrieg against Poland.3. Congress passes the Lend-Lease Act to bolster Great Britain's defense.

Choose one way that traditional assumptions about male and female roles were reinforced during the 1950s.

b.) It was expected that people would marry young and have large families.

Which statement about conformity in the 1950s is FALSE?

b.) Men and women were increasingly delaying marriage in the 1950s.

Which consequence of containment policy on American politics is described as "accusing specific individuals of having ties to communism?"

b.) Red-baiting

A federal housing agency designed to rescue homeowners from foreclosure during the Great Depression created residential security maps, which classified neighborhoods according to a letter scale. However, bankers refused to issue mortgages in low-rated neighborhoods. What is the best term for this form of discriminatory lending?

b.) Redlining

Why was the United States reluctant to launch a land invasion of Japan?

b.) Savage fighting and heavy American casualties occurred in the battles on Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court handed down its decision. Choose the statement that best reflects the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.

b.) Segregation violates the Equal Protection Clause.

Which of the following was an effect of the attack on Pearl Harbor?

b.) The U.S. created internment camps for Japanese Americans.

Which statement accurately reflects reasons why the U.S. government adopted containment as a foreign policy strategy?

b.) The United States wanted to expand free markets around the world.

Match the G.I. Bill with an effect it had on economic expansion in the 1950s.

b.) The local university reported an increase in graduates and thus an increase in the number of white collar workers in the community.

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court handed down its decision. Which of the following arguments helped to convince the Supreme Court to overturn Plessy v. Ferguson and end segregation in public schools?

b.) The right to education is a right that must be equally available to everyone in the U.S.

Choose the statement that best reflects the experiences of Japanese Americans after the United States entered World War II.

a.) "We were forced by the government to move from California because they feared we might be capable of sabotage or espionage."

Choose the statement that best reflects the experience of women as a social group after the United States entered World War II.

a.) "We, both single and married, comprised over 30% of the domestic workforce during the war."

Choose the statement that best describes a reason President Truman decided to drop atomic bombs on Japan.

a.) American military officials knew that many Japanese soldiers would rather die than surrender.

Which statement accurately reflects reasons why the U.S. government adopted containment as a foreign policy strategy?

a.) Because of destabilization after the war, the United States had to remain engaged in world affairs.

Which two areas of American life did the G.I. Bill have the largest impact on in the 1950s?

a.) College enrollment and home ownership

President Truman issued an executive order in 1947 that provided the FBI with broad powers to investigate communist ties among which group of people?

a.) Federal employees

Which statement accurately reflects reasons why the U.S. government adopted containment as a foreign policy strategy?

a.) Many Americans believed that capitalism was a superior economic system to communism.

Choose the statement that best reflects the idea that those who didn't conform to the American way were threats to the nation.

a.) "Homosexuals and lesbians are morally weak and likely to betray this country."

Choose the statement that best reflects reactions to the Supreme Court's ruling in southern politics and culture.

a.) "I am going to join a White Citizens Council to resist the court's decision."

Choose the statement that best describes a way in which Americans were encouraged to conform during the second Red Scare.

a.) "If a witness refuses to testify before our committee, he or she should be placed on a blacklist and refused employment."

Choose the statement that describes an economic consequence of the United States as an "arsenal of democracy."

a.) "My factory converted its production lines to produce bombers, and we hired more workers."

Choose which phrase was a factor in President Truman's decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan.

a.) Prevention of Soviet expansion in Asia

President Harry Truman created a committee to investigate racism, which had released its findings in 1947. The committee determined that the federal government had a responsibility to ensure equal protection under the law. Please read the following excerpt from the report:"It is impossible to decide who suffers the greatest moral damage from our civil rights transgressions, because all of us are hurt. That is certainly true of those who are victimized. Their belief in the basic truth of the American promise is undermined... The damage to those who are responsible for these violations of our moral standards may well be greater... All of us must endure the cynicism about democratic values which our failures breed." Select the statement that best reflects the "damage to those who are responsible for these violations" to which the report refers.

b.) The righteousness of democracy as a political ideology may be called into question.

Why were Hiroshima and Nagasaki chosen as the targets for nuclear attacks?

b.) They had significant military value that helped to keep Japan in the war.

Which statement reflects the principles within the first four articles of the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

b.) Trading of human beings as property is always illegal.

Choose the statement that accurately reflects the relationship between private business and the federal government during World War II.

c.) "As a business owner, I had to begin to deduct a federal income tax from my employees' paychecks."

Choose the statement that describes an economic consequence of the United States as an "arsenal of democracy."

c.) "Corporations and business owners used the assembly line to tackle production on a massive scale."

Choose the statement that describes an economic consequence of the United States as an "arsenal of democracy."

c.) "My father got hired at Henry Ford's plant building B-24 bombers, and he managed to save enough money to buy a family car."

Choose the statement that accurately reflects the relationship between private business and the federal government during World War II.

c.) "Since the government guaranteed a profit on sales, our corporation accepted a defense contract."

Choose the statement that best reflects the experiences of African Americans after the United States entered World War II.

c.) "We began a civil rights campaign to achieve both a victory in Europe and a victory over racism in the U.S."

Select the correct chronological sequence of the civil rights events prior to Brown v. Board of Education.

c.) 1. Plessy v. Ferguson established the doctrine of "separate but equal" in public accommodations.2. Desegregation of Major League Baseball was achieved when Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers.3. President Truman issued an executive order to desegregate America's armed forces.

Which of the following is a reason that the United States initially stayed out of World War II?

c.) A belief that European affairs did not concern the United States

Which statement reflects the principles within the first four articles of the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

c.) All people are born free and with equal rights.

Which statement describes events associated with the conference at Potsdam?

c.) Allies agreed to divide Germany into four zones, each controlled by an Allied power.

Match the term "suburbanization" with its effect on American economic expansion in the 1950s.

c.) Convenience stores and drive-in movie theaters sprang up on the edges of cities.

The separation of races was common during this time period because of specific laws that authorized it in schools and other public accommodations. What is the best term to describe these laws?

c.) De jure segregation

According to the Supreme Court, how did school segregation violate the 14th Amendment?

c.) It did not give equal education to all citizens.

Choose the true statement about conformity in the 1950s.

c.) Just as the Cold War encouraged political conformity, economic expansion encouraged cultural conformity.

Which statement describes events associated with the conference at Yalta?

c.) Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill met at this conference to discuss the future of eastern Europe.

Choose the statement that describes an effect of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

c.) The attack bolstered American support for involvement in World War II.

Select an argument used in favor of U.S. involvement in World War II.

c.) The rise and spread of fascism threatens the entire globe.

Select an argument used to oppose U.S. involvement in World War II.

c.) The war is a struggle among Europeans in which the United States has no vested interest.

Choose the statement that best reflects reactions to the Supreme Court's ruling in southern politics and culture.

d.) "In the Southern Manifesto, we accuse the Supreme Court of misusing its power."

Choose the statement that accurately reflects the relationship between private business and the federal government during World War II.

d.) "The government paid most of the costs for my company to convert to wartime production."

Place the events following the Nuremberg Laws that led to World War II in the correct sequence.

d.) 1. Germany sent military troops into the Rhineland, a region that had been demilitarized.2. Austria was invaded and occupied by Germany.3. Germany began to expand into eastern Europe, despite an agreement reached during a conference in Munich.

Select the correct chronological sequence of the civil rights victories prior to Brown v. Board of Education.

d.) 1. Jackie Robinson became the first to break the color barrier in Major League Baseball.2. President Harry Truman desegregated the armed forces with an executive order.3. Heman Sweatt successfully sued the University of Texas for denying his admission into law school.

Place the events related to World War II in the correct sequence, following the signing of a mutual defense treaty by Japan and Germany.

d.) 1. Nazis destroy Jewish homes, businesses and synagogues during Kristallnacht.2. France and Great Britain declare war on Germany.3. The German army conquers much of Scandinavia and defeats France.

One consequence of containment policy on American politics occurred during Richard Nixon's run for Congress in 1946, when he accused his opponent of having been endorsed by groups with links to which political party?

d.) Communist Party

In some large Northern cities, developers tore down "slums" and replaced them with housing that only middle class buyers could afford. When African Americans tried to purchase homes in predominately white neighborhoods, they were often turned away because homeowners had signed agreements that prevented them from selling their homes to blacks. What was the name of these types of agreements?

d.) Real estate covenants

President Harry Truman created a committee to investigate racism, which had released its findings in 1947. The committee determined that the federal government had a responsibility to ensure equal protection under the law. Please read the following excerpt from the report: "We cannot escape the fact that our civil rights record has been an issue in world politics. The world's press and radio are full of it. This Committee has seen a multitude of samples. We and our friends have been, and are, stressing our achievements. Those with competing philosophies have stressed—and are shamelessly distorting—our shortcomings. They have not only tried to create hostility toward us among specific nations, races and religious groups, they have tried to prove our democracy an empty fraud, and our nation a consistent oppressor of underprivileged people. . ." Select the statement that best reflects the "competing philosophies" to which the report refers.

d.) The Committee is referencing the emerging Cold War with the Soviet Union.

Choose the statement that best describes an example of U.S. containment policy.

d.) The U.S. Congress allotted $400 million in aid to Turkey and Greece.

Which statement reflects the principles within the first four articles of the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights?

d.) The political status of a region should not affect the treatment of its people.

Choose the statement that best describes an example of U.S. containment policy.

d.) U.S. and U.K. planes delivered more than two million tons of supplies to the Western zones of Berlin.