Choose from ONE of the following topics and write about. Remember to follow the instructions and formatting described.

1)    What factors conspired to propel the United States to emerge as a military and economic powerhouse prior to World War II?

OR

2)    What new opportunities did the war present for women and African Americans? What limitations did these groups continue to face in spite of these opportunities?

 OR

3) Explain how the 1920s was a decade of contradictions. What does the relationship between mass immigration and the rise of the Second Ku Klux Klan tell us about American attitudes? How might we reconcile the decade as the period of both the flapper and prohibition?

OR

4)    How did the cultural products of the Great Depression serve to reflect, shape, and assuage Americans’ fears and concerns during this volatile period? How do our cultural products—such as books, movies, and music—reflect and reinforce our values in our own times?