Sources for America’s History: Printed Page 811

COMPARATIVE QUESTIONS

  1. Question

    Compare how Kristol and McClelland each would have explained the demise of the steel industry. Which factors would each single out as leading causes? How might you account for the differences you see?

  2. Question

    Assess the role of organized labor in debates about America’s economic policy during the twentieth century by comparing McClelland’s observations with those of John Lewis (Document 23-5) and Cesar Chavez (Document 28-4). What similarities or differences can you identify in their assessments of the problems facing workers?

  3. Question

    To what extent do you see Wal-Mart as a culmination of trends begun during the late-nineteenth-century industrial and managerial revolution? Did Wal-Mart build on those earlier transformations, or does Wal-Mart represent a new phase in global economics?

  4. Question

    What conclusions can you draw about capitalism as an economic and social force by comparing Kristol with William Graham Sumner (Document P6-1), Herbert Hoover (Document 23-1), and Huey Long (Document 23-3)? What changes over time can you identify in their respective assessments of the value of America’s market-based economy?