The ap instructional strategies discussed below for Chapter 27 of American

Free-Response Questions.

1. 
   Assess the extent to which the United States adopted an isolationist policy in the 1920s and 1930s. (Adapted from the 1998 AP United Stated History free-response question.)
   

• 
  Possible thesis statement: During the period between the two world wars, American leaders followed a cautious foreign policy. The goal was to protect American interests and American citizens first and foremost, which meant that the U.S. should try to avoid global commitments that would decrease its ability to meet that goal. Such a policy was not isolationist, but rather what Dr. Brinkley calls “limited American internationalism.”
  

• 
  Diplomacy reflecting internationalism. As early as 1921, the U.S. was involved in efforts to prevent a naval armaments race. The Washington Conference produced three treaties that illustrated America’s deep involvement in world affairs: the Five-Power Pact, the Nine-Power Pact, and the Four-Power Pact. The Kellogg-Briand Pact sealed the American decision to protect international peace without accepting international duties. The U.S. also participated in the less-than-successful arms control talks in Geneva in 1933 and at the London Naval Conference.
  

While the U.S. had been involved in Latin American foreign affairs for decades, the 1920s and 1930s witnessed further economic expansion and American domination of Latin American economies.

• 
  U.S. interpretations of diplomacy. In addition to preventing a dangerous armaments race and another war, the U.S. believed its major diplomatic goals were to ensure that American overseas trade could expand, and to improve the flow of war debt repayment to the U.S. After Hoover’s efforts in this area, President Roosevelt strengthened American interest in world trade. The Reciprocal Trade Agreement Act of 1934 authorized treaties that would lower tariffs by as much as 50 percent in return for reciprocal reductions by other nations.
  

• 
  Diplomacy reflecting isolationism. There was some strong support for militant isolationism beginning in the mid-1930s as the possibility of another European war loomed ahead: In 1935, the Senate refused to admit the U.S. to the World Court; the Neutrality Acts of 1935, 1936, and 1937 attempted to keep America out of war; and the public reacted negatively to FDR’s “Quarantine” speech. But once war broke out in Europe, FDR expressed the difficulty of avoiding involvement by saying that while the U.S. would remain neutral, he could not ask all Americans to “remain neutral in thought.” Thereafter, American neutrality was tested. From the very beginning, the U.S. was never strictly neutral as it made armaments available to the Allied armies after Roosevelt got the Cash-and-Carry provisions passed. By the time Germany attacked France, the President had increased American aid to the Allies. He then asked Congress for $1 billion to help prepare to resist a possible Nazi invasion of the U.S. These efforts coincided with the newest shift in public opinion. After the invasion of France, many Americans came to believe that Germany posed a threat to the U.S.
  

• 
  Possible conclusion: The cautious internationalism that the U.S. government exercised in the 1930s was not isolationist in scope. It sought to protect American interests, create global stability, and keep America from entering World War II. As Dr. Brinkley reminds us, these goals found the U.S. engaged in a more active role in world history than during almost any previous time in world history. A more correct description of this era would be that the political arena was dominated by disagreement between those who favored isolationism and those who favored internationalism. The debate, however, did not greatly influence presidential or legislative polic,y which initially was cautiously internationalist and, by 1940, was clearly interventionist. By the time that Pearl Harbor was attacked, the political debate ended and the U.S. entered the war.
  

2. 
   After reading Chapter 27, play the full broadcast of Orson Welles’ October 30, 1938 airing of The War of the Worlds. Afterwards, engage the class in the following discussion: What elements in American society encouraged the “wave of mass hysteria” that occurred after the broadcast? How does the panic and fear that resulted relate to American beliefs in internationalism and isolationism? Do you think something similar could happen in America today? Why or why not?
   

3. Stage a classroom debate on any one of the following:

6. 
   Divide the class into three groups of students. One group will research the geography of Europe and the Ottoman Empire before World War I and draw a large map showing the major geo-political boundaries. The second group will research the geographical realities of Europe and the Middle East after World War I and draw a large map showing the major geo-political boundaries. The third group will research the geographical realities of Europe and Asia after World War II and draw a large map showing the major geo-political boundaries. On the day the assignment is due, post all three maps on one wall and engage the students in the following discussion: Looking at these maps and remembering what you have learned about war and diplomacy in the early 20th century, what major geographical and political shifts occurred as a result of two world wars? How do the historical, geographical, and political shifts help to explain the geo-political realities of the 21^st century? What light do they shed on American foreign policy decisions of the late 20^th and early 21^st centuries?
   

6. 
   Stage a press conference to which you have invited American historians to continue their debate over the question of Pearl Harbor: Was the attack unprovoked and made without warning, or was it part of a deliberate plan to make the Japanese force the U.S. into the war? Invitees include Charles A. Beard, Thomas Fleming, Basil Rauch, Richard Current, Robert Wohlstetter, Edwin T. Layton, Gordon W. Prange, and John Toland. Ask eight students to assume the roles of each historian, learn as much as possible about their position, prepare a threeminute introductory statement about their position, and be prepared for questions from the press corp. The remainder of the students will be part of the press corps and will ask questions after each historian introduces his/her position.
   

6. 
   Challenge your students to learn more about the Hitler Youth movement that helped sustain the rise and popularity of Hitler throughout the Third Reich. Begin by showing them the 1993 movie, Swing Kids. Then, have them explore The History Place Website dedicated to this topic  http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/hitleryouth/index.html. Questions for class discussion should include: How and why do you think German young people were so enthusiastically involved in their support of Hitler and his government? What happened to youth who disapproved of the movement or refused to participate? Could something like this ever happen in a democratic society?
   

9. Invite students to watch any of the following movies at home either with their family or with a group of friends from class: Triumph of the Will (1935); The Great Dictator (1940); For Whom the Bell Tolls (1944); The Jesse Owens Story (1984).

• 
  What does this production tell you about the global crisis between 1921 and 1941?
  

• 
  Do you think this film was a realistic portrayal of the historical era? Why or why not? Be specific.
  
• 
  In your opinion, is this movie of any real use to understanding this period in American history? Be specific about how and why  or why not.