The following is a list of essay topics/sets of questions. Remember to base your essay on only one topic. Do not integrate questions from other topics into your essay.
1.) Andrew Carnegie is one of the most well-known “robber barons” in US history. What does an examination of his life, principles and personal philosophies reveal to us about US society, culture and ethics during the Gilded Age (roughly 1865-1900)? How did Carnegie feel about so-called “aristocratic privilege?” What were some of the similarities and differences between Carnegie/US steel, and Rockefeller/Standard Oil and J.P. Morgan? Were these men ultimately successful in life? Were they and their business enterprises and tactics good for America? Please explain.
2.) What was the judgment of the US Supreme Court in Buck v. Bell? Do you agree with the Court’s decision? What relation does the case have to the eugenics movement occurring in the US in the early 1900s? What do you believe sparked the eugenics movement in the US?
3.) How and why did the United States get involved in Cuba and Hawaii? Be sure to explore the following in terms of their ability to explain American interest in “imperialism” at the end of the nineteenth century: racial theories, international rivalry, trading interests, religious humanitarianism, and political ideology. Discuss three major results of the Spanish American War.
