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G????????????????????IVE A BRIEF RESPONSE TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS IN NUMERICAL ORDER; Morgan and Fields argue that racism was first used by White elites to keep dangerous Whites and Blacks apart. Later, it had a second effect: it acted to make poor Whites satisfied with their lot – even though they were poor, and that poverty was due to the elites, they still felt superior to Black people. The historian and activist W.E.B. DuBois called this effect a “psychological wage.” What are your thoughts about this idea? Is there still a psychological wage today? 2- Both Fields and Morgan, in slightly different ways, argue that American liberty/freedom/equality for White men was more likely during the revolutionary era precisely because there was an oppressed group that was not granted those rights. Is this still relevant in the U.S. today? Must there always be an “otherized” oppressed group for the rest to be “free” and “equal?” — 1- 1. In class, we read Abigail Adams’s letter and John Adams’s response in which he connects “rebellious” women to other enemies of the Revolution. This seems to support Parkinson’s controversial claim that some groups needed to be excluded from potential citizenship in order for the Revolution to succeed. (This is another form of the “Does Equality Require Oppression?” question from last class.) What do you think? 2- 2. Who s????????????????????hould the Revolut

ion have been “for?” Shays and others like him – the actual soldiers of the revolutionary army – had one answer. The writers of the US Constitution had another. Explain each group’s answer, and explain who, in your opinion, was right. What would the nation look like today, 230 years later, in which Shays had won this argument? — 1- 1. President Trump had a portrait of Andrew Jackson in his office and compared himself to Jackson. In what ways is this a valid comparison, and not? Or, if you would prefer, you can just write about the events of Wednesday January 6th in Washington: how America’s values and traditions led to this moment, and what you think this moment tells us about America’s future. It has been said that journalism is the first rough draft of history. I invite you to be journalist/historians and tell the first draft of a story that will be written about for generations. 2- . Two models have been presented of the United States: a melting pot, in which all cultures melt into one smooth blend, and a salad bowl, in which different cultures remain separate and discrete (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.) while still contributing to the overall harmony or benefit of the nation. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is all melting pot and 10 is all salad bowl, what number best represents the United States today? Explain your reasoning. What number ????????????????????should it be, in your opinion? Why?