DBQ discussion

[bsa...@gmail.com]

I want students discussing the DBQ and how to approach it. Particlarly
I am looking for a discussion of the outside information about FDR and
the way that students integrated the outside info with the documents.

[happykit...@yahoo.com]

for me, i think the cartoons are very very useful because it'sreally up
to your own interpretation of it instead of remember actual facts. You
could simply interpret the way you want others to see and use it as
your supporting argument.

[Ricky Wat]

You can always integrate "City upon a Hill" by John Winthrop sermon
(Massachusetts Bay?). How American institutions are looked upon by the
rest of the world as a model. Winthrop believed that by purifying
Christianity in the New World, his followers would serve as an example
to the Old World for building a model community.

You should not center your entire essay around "City upon a Hill" idea,
because its not directly relevant to whatever your topic is discussing.
You should gloss over the details of this notion of a 'American utopia'
and most importantly, how it reconnects back to your overall
theme/thesis/idea. Also, "City upon a hill" sets many precedence for
American imperialism/Monroe Doctrine, how America desires to spread its
fine model to other nations around the world. Sets precedences to
uplift and civilize them with the best American institions.

[J. Pizzle]

I have a question. I don't really understand the political cartoon
(Document C). I think it is showing how the New Deal has developed and
expanded into hundreds of branches. It is saying that it is a natural
evolution, correct?

Is it being critical? I don't really understand what it is trying to
say. Can anyone help me?

[Ricky Wat]

I am sure that this political cartoon is not critical of the 'New
Deal'. Instead, FDR is explaining why these new public works programs
are neccessary "because of the changing and evolving times." FDR uses
the 'natural evolution' of a baby tree to illustrate the evolution of
America and of the growing needs of a changing society. It a way to
justify the establishing of these new programs because America needed
to adapt to the new changes of society by creating newer programs. The
evolution of the tree represents the evolution of society, and as
society evolves, it has new needs and neccessities, which is symbolized
by the creation of new branches (governmental programs) to satisfy this
new needs.

I agree that it is showing how the New Deal has evolved and "expanded
into hundreds of branches", each representing the creation of new and
different programs. The CCC program (Civilian Conservation Corps) was
Roosevelt's favorite relief project. It encouraged the creation of
national parks and forest reserves, planting trees and etc... In many
ways, you can see that FDR incorporated the CCC program ideas with the
growth and emergement of a new trees in this cartoon.

When Roosevelt saids: "It is evolution, not revolution Gentlemen" What
do you think it means? I am stumped on that.

[J. Pizzle]

I still feel like it's critical in at least one sense becuase you
usually don't write political cartoons if they're not critical of
something at all?

I think the quote may be referring to the revolutionary nature of the
role the government was begining to play. They were creating all these
new programs (like social security) that had never been imagined
before. And I think hes trying to defend himself from the people who
are saying that he is becoming socialist, etc. He's saying this isn't
a revolutionary thing that we're doing, it's just something that
happens and is being done naturally.

It is clear that this cartoon references Darwin's theory of evolution.
The theory wasn't widely accepted in America yet (it still isn't), so
is this cartoon also critical of Darwin's theory?

[Eva]

I think that the cartoonist is criticizing Roosevelt for being so
revolutionary against the accepted American way of life. Roosevelt's
programs essentially limited the prosperity of big businesses and
granted more power to workers, which went against the traditional
distribution of power and wealth in society. And in the cartoon,
Roosevelt claims that these reforms came as a result of natural
evolution because of a response to existing conflicts between social
classes or whatever. but the tree in the cartoon is not evolving
naturally - it starts off as a person. so i think the cartoonist is
saying that Roosevelt's programs are not a result of normal evolution
but rather of a revolution started by him and now he's trying to
convince the public that it's "natural"

[whit...@gmail.com]

oh I said that it showed how it evolved to fit the countries needs...
To do the DBQ I wrote about mostly how he helped the economy,
redistributed money etc. I brought in info like the Emergency banking
act, and the Revenue act for that.
Also I had a question about test number 2. Could anyone figure out
what that cartoon was of with that family in it that was really dark??