Comparative Questions

COMPARATIVE QUESTIONS

Document Links

Document 22-1: The North American Review Considers War a Blessing, Not a Curse

Document 22-2: Eugene V. Debs Attacks Capitalist Warmongers

Document 22-3: A Doughboy's Letter from the Front

Document 22-4: Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer Defends America from Communists

Document 22-5: An African American Responds to the Chicago Race Riot

  1. In what ways did the editors of the North American Review's arguments about American war aims differ from Eugene V. Debs's views? What accounted for the differences? How might each have responded to the other?
  2. How does the doughboy's letter reinforce or dispute the pro-war stance conveyed in the North American Review?
  3. To what extent were A. Mitchell Palmer's raids against the Red menace an outgrowth of President Wilson's wartime policies? Based on the documents in this chapter, how might Debs have responded to Palmer?
  4. To what extent did Debs's advocacy of socialism address the issues raised by Stanley B. Norvell? Did Norvell endorse Debs's stance toward the war and other matters?
  5. The wartime appeal to patriotism intensified domestic concerns about who was authentically American. Considering the documents in this chapter, what ideas do you think existed about who genuine Americans were, how they could be recognized, and what their duties and responsibilities were?