IDENTIFICATION: [ 7 points each; 35 total] Briefly describe five (5) of the following items. It is not intended that you write extensively or a fully essay as in the next section. Two or three sentences giving a basic “what is it” identification will be sufficient. Where appropriate, mention the context as well as significance or consequence of the item. You should also include your own understanding of meaning, even if that wasn’t explicitly stated in the texts. For example: What did the term “skyscraper” indicate? A sufficient answer drawn from page 497 would be something like:
The term “skyscraper” came into use by the 1890s as the use of cast iron and steel beams and elevators made it easier to build taller buildings. Before this, buildings had rarely been more than four stories high. This limited the size of a city’s population and the growth of its businesses. The Equitable Building in New York, completed in 1870, was over sever floors high and one of the first to have an elevator. Towards the end of the century, buildings as tall as ten and twelve stories became common in the larger cities.
It’s not perfect but would suffice. You can, of course, write more. Resist writing less. The basic rule here is to give just enough information so the reader gets the basic idea. As always with narratives no matter how long or short, strength comes from coherent development, from not just slamming in information without tying it together. Remember the “who, what, why, where, when, and how” rule. Get as much of that in as appropriate.
1. The Great Migration
2. The Zimmermann Telegram
3. Black Tuesday
4. The passenger ship St. Louis
5. The “Flapper” of the 1920s
6. The Sedition Act of 1918
7. The Tennessee Valley Authority
8. The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934
9. New York City’s Central Park as discussed in Kasson
10. The War Relocation Authority’s “relocation centers”.