HIST 4323 -- Nature and Americans

MIDTERM

Summer II 2005

Instructions: Below are two questions about different aspects of the history of the era from 1945 to 1960. Answer both essay questions using essay form (with an introduction, thesis statement, body, and conclusion). Your word count will vary, but I'm guessing that each essay will probably take about 500-1000 words to do a good job. Use the style guide in the syllabus. Give examples from the readings and lectures as appropriate, but remember to cite all quotations or paraphrases. Use this citation style: (Hays, 16). A bibliography is not necessary, unless you are citing sources not used in the course. Your essays are due in class on Wednesday, July 20.

Essay #1: Write an essay explaining why the environmental movement arose in the 1950s. First, how was it a product of the important issues, politics, economics, and concerns of that era? Second, what were environmentalism's similarities and differences with other movements of protest and dissent of the era?

Essay #2: Write an essay explaining the impact and significance of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. What was her argument? What are the most important reasons book such a blockbuster in the United States? How did it reflect the concerns of the day?