HISTORY 386: THE MILITARY AND WAR IN AMERICA. REACTION PAPER QUESTIONS

Five reaction papers will be assigned during this semester. Below are the questions for this semester's reaction papers. You are expected to express your reaction and answer the question(s) given for each due date in a typed,and double spaced paper at least one but not more than two pages in length. The lowest score of the five reaction papers will be dropped. Each reaction paper will be worth 50 points for a total of 150 points toward the course grade. Each reaction paper will be due at the end of each section's class period on the day stated below. No reaction papers will be accepted after this deadline and there are no makeups.

• 1. How do the Venetians measure state and military power in their memorandum.  How does their ratings and statistics compare to what your text, American Military History, says about the European powers in the Early Modern Times? (Section I)
• 2. According to the sources on the web, why were the Wars of Religion, like the Thirty-Years' War, so devastating?  In particular, what do the excerpts from the adventures of Simplicissimus say about the nature of the conflicts and the conduct of their combatants? (Section I)
• 3. What do the films, The Battle of Culloden and Barry Lyndon, say about the nature of war in the 18th century? Compare the film's views with that described by your readings. (Section I-III)
• 4. According to the readings, was the linear tactics of European warfare suitable against Native American forces? In answering this question, cite American Military History, and the primary sources. (Sections II-III)
• 5. According to the sources what were the roles of: A) regular troops; B) militia and volunteers; and Native Americans in the Colonial Wars of North America, 1690-1783? (Sections II-III)

• 1. Why can one say that the American Revolution, especially in the Southern Colonies, was in some ways a civil war? In answering this question, cite American Military History, as well as the Greene and Madison sources. (Section III)
• 2. What was the nature of naval war in the 18th century? Like land warfare, did it have regular and irregular components? In answering this question, give examples from American Military History, and the primary sources. (Sections II-III)
• 1. Based upon the primary sources, compare and contrast the conditions of service (recruitment, renumeration, supply, morale, etc.) of British and American forces during the American Revolution. (Section III)
• 2. Take one of the following engagements and analyze how it was covered by both the Americanh Military History and the primary sources. 1) Braddock's Defeat; 2) Quebec; 3) Lexington and Concord; 4) Saratoga; or 5) Yorktown. (Sections II-III)
• 3. According to the primary sources, how did foreigners in British and American Service (like Chastellux, Lafayette, Pausch, Riedesel and von Steuben) feel about their allies, adversaries and the American Revolutionary War in general? (Section III)

• 1. Why did it take so long to develop a regular officer corps and army in the early United States? In answering this question, cite the American Military History and the primary pources.
• 2. Why was the concept of a militia, instead of a regular standing army, so important in the early American Republic? In answering this question, cite the American Military History and the primary Sources.
• 3. Compare and contrast the nature of naval service and warfare between the war of 1812 and the Civil War. In answering this question, give examples from the Secondary and primary sources.
• 4. Was the American Civil War the last chivalric or first modern conflict? In answering this question cite the American Military History and the other sources.

• 1. How did the theories of Afred Thayer Mahan influence U. S. naval and foreign policy from the Civil War to the First World War. In answering this question cite the Secondary and primary sources.
• 2. Why was their increasing pressure to develop a large regular army and officer corps in the U. S. between 1865 and 1914? In answering this question cite the Secondary and primary sources.
• 3. Were the conflicts of the United States Army with the Native American tribes from 1865-1890 similar or different from other colonial wars in causes, conduct and outcome. In answering this question cite the Secondary and primary sources.
• 4. Why were the U. S. armed forces radically demobilized following World War I? What innovations were made in the U. S. armed forces in the interwar period? In answering this question cite the Secondary and primary sources.

• 1. Compare and contrast the role of U. S. naval forces in the European and Pacific Theatres of Operations during World War II. In answering this question cite the Secondary and primary sources.
• 2. Compare and contrast the purposes and nature of U. S. military actions in Korea and Viet Nam. In answering this question cite the Secondary and primary sources.
• 3. How has the use of air power in war evolved from World War I to the present? What period would you consider as crucial in it growth of air power in tactical and strategic uses? In answering this question cite the Secondary and primary sources.
• 4. Why are there so many small wars in the world today? What should the U. S. do about them? In answering this question cite the Secondary and primary sources.

• Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria for the Reaction Papers:

  1. Coverage of Subject: Be sure that your reaction paper directly addresses the question. Fully answer the question without side issues or repetition. Make a significant effort to fully cover and reiterate the question or topic of the reaction paper in the conclusion. (10 points)

  2. Analysis: The focus on the question should be maintained thoughout the reaction paper. Points and/or subtopics should be clearly conceived, presented and discussed. Be sure to present your own view as well as the view of the sources. (10 points)

  3. Content: The information you present to subtantiate points and topics ought to be accurate and clearly presented. The facts and the interpretation of those facts that you offer in the reaction paper should contribute evidence to the general arguments you present. Do not make assertions in your paper without backing them up with evidence from the sources. (10 points)

  4. Organization and Form: Your reaction paper should be composed in a clear and logical manner. If your reaction paper is a narrative essay, events should be covered in a clear chronological outline. If your reaction paper is analytical or descriptive, your points should be presented in a logical sequence which enhances your general argument. Make certain that your reaction paper has an introductory statement, a body of evidence, and a conclusion. (10 points)

  5. Writing and mechanics: The writing style of your reaction paper should be clear and concise. Your reaction paper should be written in proper English and addressed the prospective audience of educated lay people. Be sure that each paragraph leads logically into the other and that all terms, events, people and other items are adequately defined. Be certain that all information is properly documented. Make sure that you follow the fundamentals of paragraphing, sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Be certain that you have maintained proper margins and form. Have your reaction paper carefully proofread for mechanics, organization, continuity, and transition. (10 points)

  TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE---50 POINTS

  SCORE SHEET FOR EACH REACTION PAPER:

  1. Pertinance and coverage:	__________	Out of 10
  2. Analysis:	__________	Out of 10
  3. Content:	__________	Out of 10
  4. Organization & Form:	__________	Out of 10
  5. Writing & Mechanics:	__________	Out of 10
  TOTAL	__________	OUT OF 50