History Majors/ Buffs...?

Question

I have a History class and it is covering the time from Abraham Lincoln to George W. Bush 2006....what are the significant events during this time period that I should know? My professor just lectures about the presidents and says that we will just have a Final with Essay questions...past students have told me that he asks about significant events in History..for example "Spanish-American War" and we have to write a page long essay on that and there will will 6 essay questions. Please help!?

Thanks in advance

Well that is the tricky part...he talks about useless stuff like Taft being fat and being stuck in a tub and Lincold having a kid die while being in office...not to say its useless but I know for sure he won't be asking me to write an essay on that........I think he likes to trick us...that is why I am panicing cause I am not big into History, my major is Psychology and that is what interests me :) Thanks!

Answer 1

The abolition of slavery, the Industrial Revolution part 2, Reconstruction, massive infrastructure built, Teddy Roosevelt, WWI, WWII, the Great Depression, the dust bowl, the Harlem Renisannce, the Atom Bomb, Veitnam, Korea, Kennedy, Cuban Missle Crisis, Bay of Pigs, Watergate, fall of the Soviet Union, Gulf Wars...

My US II professor taught through the presidents as well. The stroy is told through their influence. You won't learn everything, but if you pay attention and stick with it you'll be fine. The 20th century is the most important piece of the story anyway. It won't be until the fourth week or so of the semester.

Answer 2

Think about the psychological effects of having your favorite little boy die of fever while you are president in the middle of America's worst war. Lincoln had a tendency to depression anyway. How would you try to help him as a psychologist? You have no anti-depressant medications. You can only talk to him and counsel. History involves real people with real pressure just as you have in your life today. How do you cope? How could Lincoln cope? Lincoln had more stress and more sadness in his life than most of us can imagine, yet he was still able to function and see the job through.
Since you like psychology, you might enjoy history more if you apply it to the people of the past. They were imperfect. They had stress. Taft ate too much. Franklin Roosevelt smoked and drank too much. Kennedy was a womanizer. Clinton is a brilliant man who also has a weakness for the ladies. They still functioned in their jobs. When you write essay answers or papers, why not analyze the psychology of the historical men or women in question? That is a valid part of history. The presidents were not statues - just ordinary people like us in extraordinary circumstances.

Answer 3

Wow - that's a lot of History to cover. If you need the major highlights between Lincoln and Bush, go to Historychannel.com and go to their Timeline feature. You can specify various time periods and it will pin-point major events for you. Take what has been discussed / lectured in class and concentrate on that. Good Luck sweetie!

Answer 4

There have been too many significant events over the past 150 years to get much help here. If you still have contact with those past students, they might be able to give you more details

Answer 5

Write about the Molasses flood in Boston. Blow his mind!
http://geography.about.com/od/countryinformation/a/bigcountries.htm

The "Milagro-beanfield war" He'll be stunned!

http://www.colorado.edu/EthnicStudies/ethnicstudiesjournal/Current%20Issue/milagro_beanfield_war.htm

Sounds like a bored history teacher looking for new kicks and wants the students to find them. These links are real and the events are real. Want more?

How about the Mau Mau in Africa. So much in a few hundred years. No room for it all here.

http://www.lycos.com/info/mau-mau-uprising.html

Answer 6

Just pick a few things. Jim Crow laws, Woman's sufferage, prohibition, whatever interests you the most.