Are the Indians
American
citizens?
Beard - 1931 - Questions and Problems in American Government - Syllabus by Erbe
4. What additional precautions are taken at ports of entry
to prevent the admission of immigrants with disease? How are
disease cases handled at these ports?
5. To what extent is one liable to detention by health au-
thorities of the States when traveling from one State to an-
other? Explain.
6. Of what importance is the special agency for Food and
Drug Administration in the Department of Agriculture? How
difficult is the work of the government in this respect?
7. Point out the chief objectives of the government in
placing scientific checks on foods and drugs.
8. How does the government protect the public against
"quack medicines"?
9. What is the purpose of the National Institute of Health?
10. To what extent has the Federal Government provided
hospital services to private citizens and public servants?
11. Do local communities sometimes find it necessary to
47
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? 48 PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
appeal to Congress for aid in times when terrible calamities are
suddenly visited upon them?
12. What does the term "public safety" include?
13. May the Federal Government require common carriers
to provide special standards of safety for its patrons? Is this
desirable?
14. Of what value are coroner's inquests in common carrier
accidents?
15. What are some common regulations applying to vessels
for the promotion of public safety? To airplanes?
16. Has Congress attempted to eliminate physical hazards in
manufacturing establishments and in mines? How has this been
done?
17. What has Congress done to prevent floods and to relieve
the suffering and losses of those who have been the victims of
terrible calamities?
18. Is there a divergence of opinion in regard to the advisabil-
ity of the Federal Government legislating in the interests of
public morals?
19. Under what constitutional authority has Congress at-
tempted to legislate in the interest of public morals?
20. What was the purpose of the Mann Act of 1910? The
eighteenth amendment? The Volstead Act?
21. In what department of national administration is the
Prohibition Bureau located?
22. How has the Federal Government sought to enforce pro-
hibition in the United States? With what degree of success
has it met?
23. To what extent, if any, are the State Governments re-
sponsible for the enforcement of prohibition?
24. Does public sentiment favor the return of the liquor
saloon? Explain.
25. How has the Federal Government controlled the manu-
facture, sale, and use of narcotics in the United States?
26. How extensive is the drug habit in the United States?
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? PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY, AND MORALS 49
Questions and Problems for Further Study and
Discussion
1. Are there outstanding social factors affecting public
health? Explain.
2. Of what value are vital statistics in carrying out an
effective health program? How are these statistics kept in your
home community?
3. What are some important factors affecting infant mor-
tality rates? What is an ideal mortality rate?
4. Other than vital statistics, what sources of information
do we have regarding health conditions in the United States?
5. Has the Federal Children's Bureau made any contribu-
tions to our knowledge of health conditions?
6. What are the shortcomings of municipal public health
work in the United States?
7. Are there special hazards to health in the rural areas?
8. Of what value are epidemics in public health education?
9. Outline the public health organization and its activities
in your State.
10. Point out the objectives of the Public Health Service in
the United States.
11. Should medical attendance, when needed, be provided at
public expense for everybody or only for those who are unable
to pay for it?
12. What are some laws passed by your State regulating
working conditions and hours of labor? Are others needed?
Explain.
13. Who should bear the burden of compensating injuries suf-
fered while under employment?
14. What are some steps that have been taken to safeguard
the persons and health of those employed in large industrial
establishments?
15. What is morality? What, in general, has been the direction
of moral progress?
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? So PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
16. Point out the dangers of conventional morality?
17. What sort of conduct may be considered good? Are
people generally agreed on this point?
18. Discuss the evils of undue self-indulgence. Of undue self-
repression.
19. Do moral acts always bring happiness somewhere?
20. Is it wrong to smoke? Is smoking justifiable for men but
not for women? Discuss.
21. What should be one's attitude toward alcoholic liquors?
22. What general duties does one owe his fellow-man?
References
Munro's The Government of the United States, Third Edition, pp. 601,
720-721.
Mathews and Berdahl's Documents and Readings in American Govern-
ment, pp. 856-865.
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? CHAPTER XVI
(pp. 360-382)
NATURAL RESOURCES
1. What is the present status of the natural resources of the
United States? How seriously are the American people con-
cerned about this?
2. Is there a need for government control of petroleum and
natural gas deposits? Discuss.
3. Have the people of the United States been wasteful in
dealing with our coal deposits? Explain.
4. What other natural resources have suffered abuse and
waste in the United States?
5. Is it the business of the Federal Government to prescribe
the conditions under which coal, oil, timber, and other resources
may be utilized in the United States? Discuss.
6. What has been the policy of the Federal Government in
the disposal of its public lands? Point out the evils attending
this policy.
7. Has the Federal Government become interested in the
establishment of national parks? What other steps have been
taken within recent years to conserve our public lands?
8. Of what value are the timber resources of the United
States? May private initiative be depended upon for the con-
servation of our forests?
9. Where are the timber lands of the United States located?
10. What agencies has the Federal Government provided for
the conservation of forests and the reforestation of cut-over
lands?
11. Are there strong reasons for conserving our wild animal
resources? Discuss.
Si
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? 52 PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
12. What has the National Government done to preserve
wild life in America?
13. Outline the policy followed by the Federal Government
in the development and control of water power in the United
States.
14. What are the functions of the Federal Power Commis-
sion?
15. What special interest do private utility corporations have
in the development of water power in the United States?
16. Of what significance are the Indian reservations of the
United States?
17. What has been the controlling policy of the government
in dealing with the Indians?
18. Which government in our federal system has jurisdiction
over the Indian reservations?
19.
Are the Indians American citizens? Explain.
20. Point out some governmental problems in the education
of the Indians.
Questions and Problems for Further Study and
Discussion
1. How is the United States to care for its people when its
population reaches three-hundred million?
2. Why do we need a national policy of conservation?
3. How are the national forests protected from fire?
4. Is there a real need for government conservation of the
mineral resources? Give reasons.
5. What is meant by reclamation?
6. What is the value of irrigation to the Western farmer?
How great is the need for irrigation?
7. Show the connection between forest conservation and
water conservation.
8. Is the conservation of animal life important? Explain.
9. Should the government adopt a policy of withdrawing
lands of low productivity from use as a means of conservation?
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? NATURAL RESOURCES 53
Would such a policy aid in the solution of the present problem
of agriculture?
10. With an outline map of the United States and crayons
show the location of the great natural resources of this country.
References
Beard's Readings in American Government and Politics, New and Re-
vised Edition, Chap. XX.
Young's The New American Government and Its Work (1023), Chap.
XIV.
Pinchot's "The Conservation of Natural Resources" in the Outlook,
Vol. 87, pp. 291-294.
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? CHAPTER XVn
(PP- 383-396)
TERRITORIES AND EMPIRE
1. Did the Constitutional Fathers contemplate a Union of
equal States? What is meant by a "Union of equal States"?
2. What different views are now held in regard to the ac-
quisition and government of territories?
3. Explain the expression "the white man's burden. "
4. Under what authority has the United States acquired
additional territory?
5. Do the various provisions of the Federal Constitution
apply to the people of the territories the same as to the residents
of the United States proper? Explain.
6. What significance may be attached to the decision of the
Supreme Court in the "Insular Cases"?
7. In what different ways has the United States acquired
additional territory? Illustrate each.
8. How are the following territories governed?
a. District of Columbia e. Porto Rico
b. Alaska /. Virgin Islands
c. Hawaii g. Panama Canal Zone
d. Philippine Islands h. Guam and Samoa
9. Does the United States have a central Colonial Office for
the government of its territories? What are the advantages of
a central Colonial Office?
10. What is a protectorate? How does it differ from a man-
date?
11. List the protectorates of the United States. Under what
circumstances were each of these protectorates established?
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? TERRITORIES AND EMPIRE 55
12. Has Congress acquired the territories of the United States
under a definite policy of colonial expansion?
13. What may be said concerning the future of American
colonial possessions?
14. Do the American colonial possessions tend to bolster-up
national defense? Explain.
15. What is the relation of the tariff to American colonial
policy?
16. Are the people of all the territorial possessions, citizens
of the United States? Discuss.
17. Is there a growing tendency for the American people to
become imperialistic? Explain.
18. Of what significance is the Monroe Doctrine in American
foreign policy?
Questions and Problems for Further Study and
Discussion
1. What are the motives prompting colonial expansion?
2. Outline briefly the colonial policy of the United States.
3. May non-contiguous territory be organized and admitted
to Statehood?
4. What degree of local self-government has been granted
to our insular possessions?
5. Should the Filipinos be granted their independence? De-
bate.
6. Does free trade exist between the United States and her
insular possessions? What are your views on this question?
7. Do the inhabitants of the territories participate in the
election of the President?
8. Are the inhabitants of our insular possessions, who are
natural-born citizens of the United States, eligible to the presi-
dency?
9. How does the United States protect her possessions against
foreign aggression?
10. Do the inhabitants of the territories enjoy the same rights,
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? 56 PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
privileges, and immunities under the Constitution that are en-
joyed by the citizens of the United States proper?
n. What important principles were laid down by the Supreme
Court in the "Insular Cases"?
12. How does the colonial policy of the United States com-
pare with that of England; France; Japan; Italy; Holland; and
Portugal?
13. List the territorial possessions now held by the United
States. Give the date of acquisition, the cost, the area in square
miles, and the present population of each.
14. Do the major parties in the United States differ in their
attitudes in regard to the government and control of our terri-
tories? With which of the two do your own views more nearly
correspond? Give reasons.
References
Beard's Readings in American Government and Politics, New and Re-
vised Edition, Chap. XXI.
Munro's The Government of the United States, Third Edition, Chap.
XXVI.
Ogg and Ray's Introduction to American Government, Fourth Edition,
Chap. XXIX.
Mathews and Berdahl's Documents and Readings in American Govern-
ment (1928), pp. 528-545-
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? CHAPTER XVIII
(PP- 397-429)
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
1. How is a nation's destiny related to the manner in which
it conducts its foreign affairs?
2. Who is responsible for the general direction of foreign
affairs in the United States?
3. What part, if any, does Congress play in the conduct of
foreign affairs?
4. Through what channels are negotiations with foreign
countries carried on?
5. Point out the function of the Department of State? How
is this department organized?
6. What diplomatic representatives and consular agents
does the United States send to foreign governments?
7. How are diplomatic agents and consuls selected? In
what manner may their posts be terminated?
8. Outline the duties of a diplomatic agent. Of a consular
agent.
9. Describe the changes that have taken place in the develop-
ment of the personnel for foreign service. Is the present plan
immune of criticism? Explain.
10. Who exercises the treaty-making power in the United
States?
ix. What rules did Jefferson lay down for the making of
treaties? To what extent are these rules followed today?
12. Are these limitations on the powers of the United States
Government? Explain.
13. Outline the steps in the process of negotiating treaties in
the United States.
