California History

History of California
Instructions: PICK ONE PROMPT from the list below;  2.5 pages, double-spaced, 1 inch margins, 12 point font, 5-6 quote citations  -A CRITICAL THINKING essay (analysis  the authors argument with your argument).

The essay should have-
A strong thesis statement- A robust thesis statement to help guide an argument and pushes you toward greater analysis and away from description.

Describing the challenges in the reading  with a deeper exploration might look at the strategies an immigrant might employ, and what those strategies say about the nuance of the immigrant experience OR Challenges within the reading (focus on the prompt)

Describing the challenges in the reading with a deeper exploration, might look at the strategies of the state compared with other nation-states in the US,  and/or comparing with other countries in the world.

Write the essay with California History knowledge

Questions
Mark Arax’s study The Dreamt Land looks at water politics and land use in California. What does Arax’s study tell us about consolidation in California agriculture and the history of water use in the state? What conclusions might you draw from this study? What surprises did you find?

D.J. Waldie’s Holy Land and James Gregory’s book An American Exodus, deal with two aspects of the “California Dream.” How would reconcile these visions? How do they connect? How do they differ?

D.J. Waldie’s Holy Land is a “suburban memoir” that examines two generations of California suburbanites in the years after the Second World War. Waldie examines both the boom in economic activity represented by the rise of the suburbs and the ways in which American life was reimagined by the new homeowners and, subsequently, their children. What does Waldie’s memoir tell us about this moment in California history? How does he understand the range of suburban development, the emergence of new municipalities, and the evolution of attitudes towards the suburbs over time?