Study questions for Bailey & Farber, The First Strange Place
On the final exam, you will have the option of writing an essay for extra-credit (up to 10 points) in which you demonstrate that you have read this book and thought about the questions below. Support your answers with a few specific examples from the book.
1. What do authors Beth Bailey and David Farber ARGUE in this book (in other words, what hypothesis or claim are they trying to prove)? Why did they choose Hawaii for their study? What are some of the sources (types of historical evidence) they use to make their argument?
2. What was the social structure of pre-war Hawaii? How was it distinctive from the mainland United States? How did that social structure, or power relationships among different groups, change during the war? What did not change so much, or for long? How did the experience of being in wartime Hawaii affect the diverse groups of mainlanders who passed through?
3. What was the role of the federal government in stimulating and/or limiting social change in WWII Hawaii? Discuss some examples of conflict between national government forces (such as national laws or policies, US military forces...) and local forces (i.e. the haole elite, Vice Squad, Social Protection Committee...) in Hawaii.
4. Explain the authors' statement that "America's wartime experience demonstrated both the possibilities and limists of a unifying national identity, and it forged the conditions for struggle and change" (p. 18).
5. Think about the Bailey & Farber book in conjunction with the in-class documentary film, "Rosie the Riveter." Again, what kinds of change did the war stimulate, and what were the limits to change? Again, what role did the government play in changing relations among groups, and in constraining the extent of change?
TERMS:
haole (pronounced "howly")
Military Governor Emmons
Jean O'Hara
Harlem Hellfighters