Documenting United States History

402 ChApTEr 17 | ChaLLenGes to the statUs QUo | period seven 1890 –1945

exercise on comparison, appropriate use of evidence, and contextualization, the

international context clearly influences the American perception of the Commu-

nist Party. Although working people joined social and economic movements in

the early 1900s, the end of World War I signaled the end of isolationism for the

United States and opened the doors to ideologies that threatened the economic

fabric.

Socialism and communism shared some similar economic concerns, but they

differed because of historical events that reshaped America’s role in the world.

Consider the following prompt:

Compare the above excerpts from Zora Neale Hurston (Doc. 17.6) and

F. Scott Fitzgerald (Doc. 17.5). In what ways do both express notions that

are at odds with the American status quo of this period?

Using literature as a primary document automatically contextualizes a historical

discussion because authors are influenced by the context in which they write and

their work archives the era.

In the documents referred to in the above prompt, for example, Fitzgerald’s

vision of the endless pursuit of wealth seems as romanticized as Hurston’s tribute

to her race. Both voices seek to paint a picture of America that is distant from its

reality, and both paint a picture that is prettier than reality. Why?

Preparing an answer to such a question allows you to evaluate key contexts

or perspectives. Which ones most prominently influenced these writers? First,

consider the contexts that apply:

•   

Social

•   

Economic

•   

Demographic

Next, evaluate the most (or least) important contexts, or determine if they

carry equal weight in their influence. When you make these evaluative state-

ments, use transitional words that show judgment, such as the following:

Even more important

Less significant

To an equal extent

Most important

Far less noteworthy

Finally, your outline requires you to compare two documents that accomplish

the same goal, so you have the freedom to evaluate the contexts differently. For

example, matters of race (a social context) and class (an economic context) may

figure differently in each author’s vision. A sample outline is provided below:

putting it all together 403

18_STA_2012_ch17_381-404.indd 403 01/04/15 4:17 PM