US History Final Exam

John Richardson
G block



Part A

1. Before doing any research, I predict the three most highly ranked presidents in US history will be George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and John F Kennady, and the worst might be William Henery Harrison, Richard Nixon, and Donald Trump. 

2. After looking at c-span.org the presidents who are consistently in the top four are Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln. While there are no presidents that go back and forth between the 4th and 5th spots (Theodore consistently held the number 4 spot) there are others who have swapped places with each other. In 2000 George Washington held the 3rd spot while Franklin D. Roosevelt held the 2nd spot. This switched around in 2009 putting Washingon in the 2nd spot and Roosevelt in the 3rd.

3. Each year this survey was taken in, there are only 4 presidents who remained in the same ranking. Abraham Lincon remained in 1st, Theodore remained in 4th, Thomas Jefferson remained in 7th, and William Howard Taft remained in 24th. In general, if rankings were changed the presidents stayed relatively close to there original rank, however, there have been some that have made notable changes in their 2000 rank to their 2017 rank. Woodrow Wilson started at 6th and dropped to 11th. William J. Clinton started at 21st and rose to the 15th spot. The biggest jump is Ulysses S. Grant starting at the 33rd place and going to 22nd.

4. The majority of the survey participants are college professors. Several are from Perdue and other highly ranked schools such as Notre Dame, Duke, Havard, and Princeton. C-span most likely included this information in order to show that the survey was being taken by highly educated people who can fairly and accurately judge how good a president was. If they had not included this information, I would have wondered who took the survey and how where the people taking the survey qualified to judge something like that. I'd say that the credibility of the results is most likely accurate, but there might be a flaw which is personal opinion through a specific demographic. The people that took the survey all hold very similar job positions and most likely live relatively similar p lives, professionally and financially. When a survey is taken with people all from the same type of background, there is a risk of producing results on what specifically college professors (as an example) think.

5. The 10 categories used to rank the presidents in the survey are as follows:

1. Public Persuasion
2. Crisis Leadership
3. Economic Management
4. Moral Authority
5. International Relations
6. Administrative Skills
7. Relations with Congress
8. Vision / Setting an Agenda
9. Pursued Equal Justice For All
10. Performance Within Context of Times

From C-span.org

6. C-span states that "Each of the ten categories was given equal weighting in arriving at a president's total score." This tells us that one all the categories hold equal value and that one was not going to hold more influence than another. 

7. If I was going to conduct this survey and had to weight three categories, my top three would be Performance Within Context of Times, Pursued Equal Justice For All, and Economic Management. Performance Within Context of Times is important because a president has to be able to adapt to whatever is happening. Adaptability is a skill that every leader needs. If a person can't adapt, they won't be able to progress. Pursued Equal Justice For All is, unfortunately, something that has not always been present in America and even today, the world is experiencing issues regarding equal justice. Justice every country should have. Unequal justice is simply wrong and immoral. Economic Management is important because a president needs to know how to support the economy. The US does not need a 2nd great depression, and seeing that America is in debt, Economic Management is crucial. 

8. My 2 out of 6 of my original predictions fit c-spans list. Lincoln and George Washington were obvious choices to me for the top 3. Both were in the top 3 on the c-span list. I thought John F. Kennady might make the top 3 because of the space race, but he didn't. I wasn't really sure who to pick for the bottom 3. I chose Richard Nixon because of the Watergate scandal, but the actual ended up roughly in the middle of the c-span list. Then I thought of Willam Henery Harrison. He was the only president for a few weeks so I thought that might land him in the bottom 3. It didn't, but he was towards the bottom of the c-span list. Lastly, I chose Donald Trump because of his lack of pursuing equal rights. He was not on the c-span list.


Part B


9. "On March 16 we celebrate the anniversary of James Madison's birthday. Madison, traditionally viewed as the Father of the United States Constitution, is also seen by many as a defender of open government. He once wrote, "[a] popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps, both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives."1
 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. In a similar vein, he asserted that "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge" is "the only Guardian of true liberty."

Quote from The United States Department of Justice.

Paraphrase: Today, which is the 16th of March, is also the day James Madison was born, and we are rejoicing for the occasion. Classically, James Madison's reputation got him the name "The Father of the United States Constitution". Not only that but Madison was also known for protecting transparent government.  He spread the message that Government, lacking knowledge and motivation to achieve it, is at a "Farce" and/or a "Tragedy". Where there is the truth, there is a lack of truth. People have to ascertain the truth in order to move forward. He also states this in relation, "Seeking truth is what protects freedom. 

Madison is saying that knowledge is a powerful thing. It can be used for good and bad, but the lack of knowledge is the most dangerous to society. If not the lack of knowledge then the lack of motivation to seek out knowledge. 

10. " . . . [K]nowledge of our own history is essential in the making of Americans. The reasons for this belief may be summed up under four main heads. History makes loyal citizens because memories of common experiences and common aspirations are essential ingredients in patriotism. History makes intelligent voters because sound decisions about present problems must be based on knowledge of the past. History makes good neighbors because it teaches tolerance of individual differences and appreciation of varied abilities and interests. History makes stable, well-rounded individuals because it gives them a start toward understanding the pattern of society and toward enjoying the artistic and intellectual productions of the past. It gives long views, a perspective, a measure of what is permanent in a nation’s life. "

Quote from the American Historical Associaton. 

Both of these quotes are about the importance of knowledge. Each quote talks about how knowledge is necessary to protect what we want to protect and how it can move us forward. Madisons quote is referencing more to current knowledge and transparency. He believes that people should not be kept in the dark about what is happening at that moment. The AHA quote is referring to past experiences. They talk about how knowledge of the past is important when moving forward in society today. I believe both perspectives are valuable. It is dangerous to not seek out knowledge about what is happening presently. It is also important to look at the past and learn from it.  

Part C

11. 

When I went into US history at the beginning of the year, I had taken several history classes in high school before. Most of these classes consisted of reading a textbook and being able to identify what happened in history and what were the causes leading up to that event. It was very timeline based and a lot of it was memorization. I found some of what happened interesting, but overall I found it to be rather pointless. Most of my research before this class was looking at facts on file and finding a long article that talked about what happened. I read the article and picked out the important information and summarized what, for example, caused the silver drain. This style of research changed as I progressed through this year. 

In this class, I learned to think more critically and analytically about why things happen. The timeline structure is not how I research anymore. Everything is a domino effect so it is not enough just to say when things happen. I now know how to seek out what caused an event, but also what that event caused, and so on. When I started researching in this perspective, I then saw the importance of history because so much is connected. 

12. The first thing I am proud of in the film history project is my ability to analyze the culture of business in the 5th blog post. This shows the critical thinking that took place. The 2nd thing I am proud of is my invitation. It took me a while to think of what it should look like, but I figured that it should look like it had been made on a typewriter like a secret message. The 3rd thing I am proud of is my choice of crown roast for the main course. By devouring the crown, it represents Nixon's loss of power. The 4th thing I am proud of is the theme of the party. I think it was clever to make it a scavenger hunt just like the reporters had to search for the clues. The last thing I am proud of is my exhibit. I had to really search for artifacts relating to Watergate, so I am happy about what I found. 

13. I really enjoyed Lily's Dinner menu. I thought it was clever that she related the crushed Oreos to the dirt people were finding of Watergate. Her reasoning behind why she chooses mini sliders as an appetizer is also clever. This might not seem like much but I really liked the creativity liked to the menu. Link

14. “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality…. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This quote is so inspirational to me because it shows how brave he was and confidently he believed in kindness. I think many people today underestimate the power of kindness, and it may be true that kindness itself won't magically solve every issue, but I think I will open the door progress to be made. However, there are many problems kindness alone can solve. When we visited the national lynching memorial and the freedom riders museum, it really opened my eyes to the bravery that the African American community had. It's hard for me to wrap my head around how some people these days can be so hateful and they take pride in it. It disgusts me when I read the comments people in government are making about rape and abortion, lgbt+ rights, and women's rights. Not to mention the racism that is still present today. I think that everyone can learn from Martin Luther King Jr. He not only fought for kindness, but he used kindness to fight for it.

15. Exhibit

NPR

I chose this image from Dr. Kings famous I have a dream speech because it was an iconic moment and a turning point for equal rights in America. This represents progress.

CNN

I chose this image because the White House was lit up in rainbow colors for the legalization of gay marriage in all 50 states. This also represents progress, but there is still so much to change regarding the negative culture of the lgbt+ community in America.

Britannica

I chose this image of the first moon landing because it also represents progress. It represents what teamwork can achieve and the potential of what the US will do next. 

The aspiration of truth, progression, and kindness is how positive change is made.