U.S. Elections | Breakdown of Rural Isolation | Areas of Population Growth
U.S. ElectionsThomas Jefferson won the Presidency in 1800 in what has been called a political revolution for the new Republic. The election was the first in which two parties faced one another in a presidential election, and demonstrated that Americans could peacefully change their government through the electoral process. Jefferson, after narrowly defeating John Adams in the electoral college, pledged in his inaugural address to unite the country, "We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists." The two-party system that was born in this election persists until the present.
The election of Thomas Jefferson brought to power a new political party, the Democratic-Republicans. Was this party a national organization, representing the U.S. as a whole, or sectional party, representing only the South? What evidence is there for each position?
Why did a two-party system arise in the election of 1800? What effect did this system have on American political history? Was this a healthy or unhealthy development for American political life?
Write a diary as an observer from France in the United States during the Election of 1800. What are your views of the election? What do you think the election reveals about American political life? Compare America's peaceful transition to Democratic-Republican rule with political life in post-revolutionary France? How do you explain the differences?
Breakdown of Rural IsolationDuring the 1920s, the automobile and paved roads greatly expanded the travel horizons of rural Americans. At the turn of the century, railroad tracks and schedules had determined the relatively narrow boundaries of convenient travel for residents of rural towns like Oregon, Illinois. By 1930, however, a new network of automobile roads had made accessible almost an entire 100-square-mile region. With radio, movies, and other forms of mass entertainment emerging simultaneously, America's "island communities" were fast melting into larger regional and national cultures.
How did the automobile and the development of a road network change the time of transportation from Oregon to other towns and cities in the region? What towns would become more important as a result? What destinations might become less popular as a result?
How did the automobile, radio and other technologies change rural life for areas such as Oregon, Illinois? What cultural and economic opportunities would exist in 1930 that did not exist in 1900? What aspects of rural life might be lost in this time period?
Compare and contrast the path of the train tracks and the roads. What areas were better served by trains? Which areas were better served by roads?
Create a commercial radio message for the Model T automobile. What uses would the car have for rural Americans? How would it help each member of the family? Why did this new vehicle come to be seen as indispensable?
Areas of Population GrowthDue to the increasing availability of transportation in the 1920s and 1930s, many families began to move into the western and southern United States in an effort to escape the crowded Northeast. Many of the areas that saw the highest population growths were in locations that had, up until fairly recently, been inhospitable frontier land.
Do the areas of strong population growth have anything in common?
What might be the cause of a drop in population during the 1920s?
What, if any, are the similarities between the waves of Mexican migration and those of African Americans?
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