Political History Responses

1. In the following scenario, which historical lens is being applied? Why do you think so? The influx of unskilled Irish immigrants into New York City in the 1840s and early 1850s drives down wages for other workers at the low end of the salary ladder. The lens being applied in this scenario is the Economic history lens. The definition of the Economic history lens is the economic phenomena of the past. By considering that at this point in history most of this country's economics was driven by a blue collar work force. With the famine in Ireland and the desperation for any type of work, working for lesser wages caused economics to shift for lower wages to occur across the board for lower end workers due to the Irish being willing to work for significantly less than Americans. This is considered an phenomena because it is not often that the minimum wage is ever drastically decreased as when the Irish immigration changed the wages for blue collar workers. 2. In the following scenario, which historical lens is being applied? Why do you think so? In 1908 Aram Pothier, an immigrant from Quebec, is elected governor of Rhode Island with strong support from the Québécois community. The lens being applied here is the Political history lens. With the increase of Rhode Island's population being Quebec immigrants, the majority of voters in this election have a passionate following for "one of their own". In politics, playing to a strength like strength in numbers shows the power of popular opinion, or in this case, having a strong connection with the mass majority of the voter population. 3. In the following scenario, which historical lens is being applied? Why do you think so? Irish immigrants and first-generation Irish-Americans come to dominate the hierarchy of the American Catholic Church in the late 19th century. The historical lenses being applied to this scenario is Social History. This is the lens being applied because the definition of the Social History lens is a social structure or processes that prevail at a particular point in history. Irish immigrants coming to the United States in mass quantities, where the majority of faith in Ireland is Catholicism, shows the reasoning why the influx of the American Catholic Church is dominated by the Irish at this particular point in time. 4. In the following scenario, which historical lens is being applied? Why do you think so? Immigration to the United States comes to be seen as a "rite of passage" for young Québécois women in the early 20th century. The historical lens being applied here is Social History. The definition of the Social History lens is social structures and processes and, more generally, the conditions that prevail in an entire society at a particular point in history, and that directly applies to the women of Québécois. It applies to this situation because the example is specifying a particular time in history in the 20th century, and the condition of immigrating to the United States is also being fulfilled for the “rite of passage” thus appealing to the Social History lens. 5. If you had to write a paper on the Lincoln assassination, what would you like to know more about? Create three research questions that would be appropriate for a historical analysis essay, keeping in mind the characteristics of a critical research question. The three questions can be related, or they can address different aspects of the topic. 1. How did the reaction of Lincoln's death differ from northern and southern states in the months after? 2. Did economic processes or structures drastically change from before Lincoln's death to after? 3. What political and economic reasons would Confederate leaders have to order an assassination on Lincoln? 6. If you had to write a paper on Title IX, what would you like to know more about? Create three research questions that would be appropriate for a historical analysis essay, keeping in mind the characteristics of a critical research question. The three questions can be related, or they can address different aspects of the topic. 1. How did the funding of schools and universities that offer sports for both sexes affect the number of sport teams? 2. How did the integration of Title IX change the role of coaches? 3. What other unintended consequences arose after the instillation of Title IX besides those of sexual abuse and discrimination to female athletes and olympians? 7. Write a research question that addresses the Irish immigrant experience through the lens of political history. How did the lives of Irish Immigrants in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and San Francisco differ from other cities with the growth of Democratic political machines in these cities? 8. Write a research question that addresses the Irish immigrant experience through the lens of economic history. How did the freedom of the slaves following the Civil War directly affect Irish immigrants ability to get a job, the changes in wages, and negative's economic consequences such as home-foreclosure and bankruptcy following the emancipation. Â