# Can You Guys Please Participate in this Survey, Regarding US History. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 22, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618 "2009-06-22T17:45:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/21 "2009-06-22T19:09:19Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > …Too often we allow the claim that ‘the average person would get this wrong’ without actually checking. It weakens our natural faith in our fellow person, and undermines the fabric of society. Why this general idea is allowed, I don’t know. Because some people find self-worth in knowing the answers when “nobody else does”. ---
**Author:** ![Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a4c791/32.png) [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frustrated_Wonderer)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/22 "2009-06-22T19:10:55Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > **Do You Believe impeachment was a proper way to deal with Nixon in Watergate?** > > It would have been, if he hadn’t resigned. You might get a few of these sort of aggressively stupid answers. Mark them wrong. > > Regards, > Shodan Hehehe, funky or personal answers are welcome. It’s not as if I’m reading all these results to the public, after a point of gathering general Data, I would say certain answers are quite funny. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/23 "2009-06-22T19:12:48Z")
This isn’t really a survey, it’s a test. A survey would seek opinions. On several of your questions you have a perceived correct answer. History is seldom that clean cut. ---
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/24 "2009-06-22T19:21:29Z")
1. Do You Believe impeachment was a proper way to deal with Nixon in Watergate? Yes, sure. 2. The Vietnam War was the first time that what happened to the US Army? Went to “war” without a formal declaration? Lost? 3. What did President Truman allow that ended World War II? dropping the a-bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 4. How Many Justices serve in the US Supreme Court? nine 5. What was John F. Kennedy’s most embarrassing failure as a US President? Failing to duck (I keed, I keed). Bay of Pigs 6. How many Senators Serve each State? Two 7. “Sex, Drugs & Rock N’ Roll” is a slogan that belongs to which era? '60’s 8. Ronald Reagan was a big believer in \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ government. Fill in the blank. small (ineffective, starved, limited) 9. Which country was the United States main “opponent” in the Cold War? USSR 10. What was the “New Deal”? FDR’s plan to lift the US out of Great Depression - works projects and the like. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/25 "2009-06-22T19:25:48Z")
1. Do You Believe impeachment was a proper way to deal with Nixon in Watergate? **Yes** 1. The Vietnam War was the first time that what happened to the US Army? **I’m guessing “lost a war” is the answer you want. Of course, one could argue that, by installing a puppet government, defying the 1954 Geneva Accords, killing 2 million Vietnamese, and bombing a rural country back to the stone age, the US actually accomplished most of its aims in Vietnam.** 1. What did President Truman allow that ended World War II? **Dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.** 1. How Many Justices serve in the US Supreme Court? **9** 1. What was John F. Kennedy’s most embarrassing failure as a US President? **Bay of Pigs** 1. How many Senators Serve each State? **2** 1. “Sex, Drugs & Rock N’ Roll” is a slogan that belongs to which era? **1960s** 1. Ronald Reagan was a big believer in \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ government. Fill in the blank. **Allegedly, small or limited government, but his policies and his deficits strongly suggest otherwise.** 1. Which country was the United States main “opponent” in the Cold War? **USSR** 1. What was the “New Deal”? **Set of economic policies designed to help the United States recover from the Great Depression.** ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/26 "2009-06-22T19:34:46Z")
1. Do You Believe impeachment was a proper way to deal with Nixon in Watergate? \*\*Yes. \*\* 2) The Vietnam War was the first time that what happened to the US Army? \*\*The Army was directed by politicians rather than by soldiers in the field. \*\* 1. What did President Truman allow that ended World War II? \*\*Use of the atomic bomb. \*\* 2. How Many Justices serve in the US Supreme Court? \*\*Nine \*\* 3. What was John F. Kennedy’s most embarrassing failure as a US President? \*\*His endless chasing after every female that he laid eyes on; the Bay of Pigs; not pushing civil rights. Take your pick. \*\* 4. How many Senators Serve each State? \*\*Two \*\* 5. “Sex, Drugs & Rock N’ Roll” is a slogan that belongs to which era? \*\*The 60s, baby! \*\* 6. Ronald Reagan was a big believer in \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ government. Fill in the blank. \*\*Limited. The more limited, the better. \*\* 7. Which country was the United States main “opponent” in the Cold War? \*\*The Soviet Union. \*\* 8. What was the “New Deal”? \*\* FDR’s attempt to get us out of the Depression. We’re still suffering from it today.\*\* ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/27 "2009-06-22T19:35:49Z")
> [@Martin\_Hyde](#): > > I’d argue that World War I would represent an “unsuccessful” overseas war for the United States. Check it: I actually did cringe after I posted and realized I was probably incorrect. I didn’t want to contribute to the “lost a war” meme, but I parsed my answer poorly. > [@](#): > > In most ways that matter WWI was a huge waste of men and resources by the United States. Its outcome was never in any real doubt by the time we became involved, and our involvement simply lead to lots of dead American soldiers and a huge economic expenditure with no geopolitical gain whatsoever. It depends on what Wilson’s war aims were, don’t you think? Although WWI was a pointless tragedy on all sides, American goals in the war seem to have been preventing attacks on American shipping, accomplished by 1918, and prevention of German hegemony on the continent, also accomplished. The high-falutin stuff about national self-determination and a new effective organization to foster peaceful diplomacy was not accomplished, but my dim memory of the history involved is that those aims were articulated once the war had been won, not as goals of fighting the war. Possibly a better answer would be: **Vietnam was the first time the US Army arrived to defend a non-communist nation and left allowing the non-communist nation to become a communist nation**? Korea, while not a victory for the US Army, ended in a stalemate rather than a defeat, but the Army’s still there… ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/28 "2009-06-22T19:42:24Z")
1. Do You Believe impeachment was a proper way to deal with Nixon in Watergate? **Yes.** 2. The Vietnam War was the first time that what happened to the US Army? **The Vietnam War is often stated to be the first war that the U.S. Army “lost” (with Korea and the War of 1812 being “ties”). Also, the Vietnam War was the first war in which television news coverage brought war home to people in their living rooms.** 3. What did President Truman allow that ended World War II? **Truman authorized dropping atomic bombs on Japan, which ended the war in the Pacific.** 4. How Many Justices serve in the US Supreme Court? **9** 5. What was John F. Kennedy’s most embarrassing failure as a US President? **Bay of Pigs** 6. How many Senators Serve each State? **2** 7. “Sex, Drugs & Rock N’ Roll” is a slogan that belongs to which era? **1960s** 8. Ronald Reagan was a big believer in \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ government. Fill in the blank. **small** 9. Which country was the United States main “opponent” in the Cold War? **Soviet Union (USSR)** 10. What was the “New Deal”? **Establishment of a government-managed security net for Americans, including Social Security, which provides income for people who can no longer work due to age or disability.** ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/29 "2009-06-22T19:43:49Z")
Since you have your 10 responses I’m not going to bother with the every question, just one: 1. “Sex, Drugs & Rock N’ Roll” is a slogan that belongs to which era? The Common Era. That should cover it. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/30 "2009-06-22T19:48:12Z")
> [@wevets](#): > > Possibly a better answer would be: > > **Vietnam was the first time the US Army arrived to defend a non-communist nation and left allowing the non-communist nation to become a communist nation**? I think that is possibly an even _worse_ answer. There was no “non-communist nation” of South Vietnam. The boundary set up by the Geneva Accords was NOT an international border, and the Accords themselves explicitly stated that it was a provisional line intended to facilitate the cessation of hostilities, and “should not in any way be interpreted as constituting a political or territorial boundary.” As for whether the people of Vietnam were communist or not, Eisenhower himself admitted, based on State Department briefing papers, that Ho Chi Minh would win a free and fair election in a landslide, probably taking more than 80% of the vote. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/31 "2009-06-22T19:59:15Z")
> [@robby](#): > > 1. What was the “New Deal”? > **Establishment of a government-managed security net for Americans, including Social Security, which provides income for people who can no longer work due to age or disability.** For my last answer, I should have also added that, besides the establishment of the Social Security Administration, the "New Deal’ also encompassed a host of other programs intended to combat the effects of the Great Depression. Some of these programs worked; some did not. There is no question, however, that the “New Deal” programs worked to dramatically increase the size of the federal government. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/32 "2009-06-22T20:14:16Z")
1. Do You Believe impeachment was a proper way to deal with Nixon in Watergate? Yes 2. The Vietnam War was the first time that what happened to the US Army? If you’re looking for “defeat” it really wasn’t, but that’s what most people think. 3. What did President Truman allow that ended World War II? Use of nuclear weapons 4. How Many Justices serve in the US Supreme Court? Nine 5. What was John F. Kennedy’s most embarrassing failure as a US President? The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba 6. How many Senators Serve each State? Two 7. “Sex, Drugs & Rock N’ Roll” is a slogan that belongs to which era? 1970’s 8. Ronald Reagan was a big believer in \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ government. Fill in the blank. Limiting 9. Which country was the United States main “opponent” in the Cold War? Soviet Union 10. What was the “New Deal”? Franklin Roosevelt’s program for ending the Great Depression ---
**Author:** ![ashman165](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e8cbc/32.png) [@ashman165](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ashman165)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/33 "2009-06-22T20:17:42Z")
> [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](#): > > Hey guys. This is some survey I’m supposed to give to 10 random people about US history, what better place that this? > > Just post brief answers. When applicable a “Yes”, “No”, “I Don’t Know” is fine. On other questions feel free to elaborate a bit, but no more than a sentence is necessary. > > I know most of you will breeze by all these questions, so if you get one wrong on purpose, that would be fine. 😛 > > 1. Do You Believe impeachment was a proper way to deal with Nixon in Watergate? Yes. > [@](#): > > 1. The Vietnam War was the first time that what happened to the US Army? Lost an armed conflict. > [@](#): > > 1. What did President Truman allow that ended World War II? Well, the war was big. But I presume your question deals with the Japanese-American side of it, which was to allow the dropping of two atomic devices. > [@](#): > > 1. How Many Justices serve in the US Supreme Court? 9 on paper. > [@](#): > > 1. What was John F. Kennedy’s most embarrassing failure as a US President? Getting killed. Just kidding; the “bay of pigs” is what is his most public failure. > [@](#): > > 1. How many Senators Serve each State? 2, except for Minnesota. > [@](#): > > 1. “Sex, Drugs & Rock N’ Roll” is a slogan that belongs to which era? Circa 1960. > [@](#): > > 1. Ronald Reagan was a big believer in \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ government. Fill in the blank. Expensive, inefficient. I’m just kidding (sort of), it’s a republican staple (on paper anyway) to reduce government to be as small as possible. Preferably would it be to reduce it to a size sufficiently small to fit conveniently in everyone’s bedroom. > [@](#): > > 1. Which country was the United States main “opponent” in the Cold War? The nation formerly known as the USSR. > [@](#): > > 1. What was the “New Deal”? Yeah, this is such a short answer. It was an attempt by President Roosevelt (the second one) to reinitialize the U.S. economy, to provide some protection against the evils of capitalism. (Evils such as sink or swim). Example include TVA and CCC, which provided jobs artificially. Seriously, this isn’t a short answer, like so many other sweeping policy areas of politics. > [@](#): > > Again, thanks so much for participating. > > Oh and no cheating! (As if you guys need to) ---
**Author:** ![Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a4c791/32.png) [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frustrated_Wonderer)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/34 "2009-06-22T20:27:33Z")
This should cover my needs. Thanks for participating folks. Much appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Dogberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7bcc69/32.png) [@Dogberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogberry)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/35 "2009-06-22T20:48:01Z")
1. Yes, I believe so. 2. First time U.S. soldiers appeared on television burning, murdering and raping civilians 3. Nuking Japan 4. Well, there are 9. Can’t say that they all “serve” all the time, though. 5. According to the high school history books, the failure of the Bay Of Pigs invasion. 6. Well, there are 2. See answer 4 for caveat. 7. “Era” is a very muddy term, but the generic answer is probably “The Sixties” (which ran from about 1964 - 1975) 8. In theory, “limited”, in practice “incompetent” 9. The USSR or Russia, depending on how accurate or nit-picky one wants to be about the term “country” 10. The catchy name FDR’s brain trust came up with to market their “temporary” welfare state policies ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/36 "2009-06-22T20:58:25Z")
1. Do You Believe impeachment was a proper way to deal with Nixon in Watergate? **Yes** 2. The Vietnam War was the first time that what happened to the US Army? **It was the first time they… visited Vietnam? I think you’re looking for “defeat” but that would be the War of 1812.** 3. What did President Truman allow that ended World War II? **Use of atomic weapons** 4. How Many Justices serve in the US Supreme Court? **Nine** 5. What was John F. Kennedy’s most embarrassing failure as a US President? **The Bay of Pigs massacre** 6. How many Senators Serve each State? **Two** 7. “Sex, Drugs & Rock N’ Roll” is a slogan that belongs to which era? **1970s** 8. Ronald Reagan was a big believer in \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ government. Fill in the blank. **Limited** 9. Which country was the United States main “opponent” in the Cold War? **The USSR.** 10. What was the “New Deal”? **The programs which came to form the US welfare system under FDR as a result of the Great Depression.** ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/37 "2009-06-22T21:09:16Z")
OT: > [@Martin Hyde](#): > > An Army is beaten when it can no longer effectively fight the enemy, a country is beaten whenever they sue for peace or withdraw from the war in failure. I would argue the U.S. Army has never been defeated. The U.S. Army tasked to defend the Phillippines (USAFFE) at the start of WW2 was defeated. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/38 "2009-06-22T21:35:12Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Since you have your 10 responses I’m not going to bother with the every question, just one: > > 1. “Sex, Drugs & Rock N’ Roll” is a slogan that belongs to which era? > > The Common Era. That should cover it. I’d like a ruling on this question. I thought 70s because The Pill was essential to the “sex” part running wilder. ---
**Author:** ![Hyperelastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Hyperelastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hyperelastic)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/39 "2009-06-22T21:36:41Z")
This is an odd mix of the objective and subjective. 1. Do You Believe impeachment was a proper way to deal with Nixon in Watergate? Yes 2. The Vietnam War was the first time that what happened to the US Army? No simple answer to this. 3. What did President Truman allow that ended World War II? Dropping of atomic bombs 4. How Many Justices serve in the US Supreme Court? 9 5. What was John F. Kennedy’s most embarrassing failure as a US President? Bay of Pigs 6. How many Senators Serve each State? 2 7. “Sex, Drugs & Rock N’ Roll” is a slogan that belongs to which era? 1966-73 8. Ronald Reagan was a big believer in \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ government. Fill in the blank. Smaller 9. Which country was the United States main “opponent” in the Cold War? USSR 10. What was the “New Deal”? Government spending and regulation intended to counteract the Great Depression ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2009, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618/40 "2009-06-22T21:51:33Z")
Without reading any answers: 1. It would have been 2. It lost a war 3. Dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 4. Nine 5. Bay of Pigs 6. Two 7. 1970’s ([cite](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_and_Drugs_and_Rock_and_Roll)) 8. supply-side economics 9. USSR (Soviet Union) 10. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s policies for recovering from the Great Depression [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-guys-please-participate-in-this-survey-regarding-us-history/500618.md?page=3)