In all of your answers, be specific and provide examples.

Exam: 100 Points – Choose only 1 of the following (Essay A or Essay B).  

Essay A:

Consider the following two early 21st Century events:

Number 1:
On May 23, 2003 the civil administrator of the transitional government in Iraq issued Order Number 2. This dissolved the entire Iraqi army and put 400,000 Iraqi soldiers out of work.

Number 2:
On September 15, 2008 Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after the US Government resisted the request of Bank of America to provide assistance in Bank of America’s intended acquisition of Lehman.

Compare and contrast each of the two events’ influence upon the course of 21st Century American history.

Essay B:

Suppose that only one of the two events (either #1 or #2, your choice) occurred. How would life be different in America today, and why?

Extra Credit Essay: 25 Points

[Note: Do not attempt to complete the Extra Credit Essay until you have answered either Essay A or Essay B, above.]

Suppose that after the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 the Federal District had been relocated from the banks of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers to the Mississippi River delta, just south of Lake Pontchartrain.

How, if at all, would this have changed your answer to Essay A or Essay B?

Extra Extra Credit Essay: 15 Points

[Note: Do not attempt to complete the Extra Extra Credit Essay until you have answered both the regular Exam as well as the Extra Credit Essay, above.]

Toussaint L’Ouverture died in Dubs, France on April 8, 1803. Discuss how his life influenced the election of the 44th President of the United States.
____________________________________________________________________

NOTE: When you are done with your exam, please hand your charcoal stick and slate back to me, and sit quietly at your desk until the cowbell sounds. – Miss Wilt
____________________________________________________________________

Miss Mary Jo Wilt taught American History at Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh from 1969 – 1992. Her class was a revelation. I learned that texts should be closely examined to determine 1) the author’s views, 2) what the author had decided to exclude from their account, and 3) possible motivations for their inclusions and exclusions. Miss Wilt also insisted that students NOT bring their history books to class, since “class was for thinking and talking, NOT for reading.” None of her exams were this easy. I recall how quickly she returned our graded essays to us, and that she would not tolerate sloppy or careless reasoning. Thank you.

Thanks also to Robert C. Padden, emeritus professor of history at Brown University, who provided a thorough introduction to Toussaint L’Ouverture.  I never expected that college courses on Latin American colonial history could be such fun.  Those that did NOT have this pleasure should pick up Professor Padden’s account of the conquest of Mexico – The Hummingbird and the Hawk.

                            
Source: PastPresent Gallery, Antique 1895 Rand McNally Maps of New Orleans & Washington, DC.
- – - – - – - – - – - 
 
I used to work with numbers for a living, but now I’m realize that it’s important that the new guys moving in know their way around and remember how they got here.  Me, I’m  looking  for a job or at least my next ‘idea’.   Till next time.

REFERENCE

Jeff Pepper, Boom Pop, Exploring Bygone Popular Culture (JP Digital Graphics & Design) – Greetings From Taylor Allderdice High, Jul 2008.