U.S.

History II
Devil Dog Paper Assignment
Students write one 800-1000 word paper, not more, not less, based on the prompt below. The
final word count must be at the end of the essay. Use Font size 12, times new roman, double
spaced. This is an examination and analysis of the book, and the book only, so avoid using
outside material or material from the lecture since this may cause you to try to prove things that
are not in the book. Have an intro, a body, a conclusion. Have a thesis statement, and use the
source and your analysis to prove your point, your thesis. The essay must be based on the book,
and students must use quotes from the book to formulate and defend their argument, but dont go
overboard. Excessive or large quotes are not acceptable. Find only that part of the quote that gets
to your point and use that. Be sure to explain to your reader how evidence from the book support
your points. Use citations from the sources, such as (Talbot, 67). No cover page or bibliography
is needed. Put your name on it.
The paper is due by midnight Apr 11. Students must submit a copy on Blackboard as a
Microsoft Word attachment on the date due. Papers turned in incorrectly or after the due
date will receive a substantial grading penalty. There will be no exceptions, unless approved
by the instructor beforehand. Plagiarism will not be tolerated; plagiarized papers will receive a
zero. Plagiarism is a direct violation of intellectual and academic honesty. Although it exists in
many forms, all plagiarism refers to the same act: representing somebody elses words or ideas
as ones own. The most extreme forms of plagiarism are those of material authored by another
person or obtained from a commercial source, or the use of passages copied word for word
without acknowledgement. Exact words from a source must be in quotes and cited, or it will be
considered plagiarism. Paraphrasing an authors idea or quoting even limited portions of his or
her text without proper citation is also an act of plagiarism. Even putting someone elses ideas
into ones own words without acknowledgement may be plagiarism. Explanations of just what
plagiarism is and how to avoid it can be found at http://www.diigo.com/list/davidreeves/writingtools
Essay Prompt
What did Smedley Butler experience and learn as a Marine that then directly influenced
his actions as a civilian? Make the clear and direct connections between both parts of his
life.
These following questions are to further help you with the reading of the book. They may also be
questions used for the class discussion, and are organized by chapter. Perhaps these may help you
with your paper, but these are not questions for the class paper assignment.
1. Why did Butler enlist? How old was he in China, and how many men did he command? Why
was the USA in China? What was the march to Peking like? What was it like in the Legation
Quarter? How did the Allied troops behave? What were the arguments of Bryan and Twain
against US imperialism? How was the Empress Dowager described? How may this have been a
justification for the invasion?

2. What social class did Bulter and his wife come from? Where did Butler first take his family?
What was the dollar diplomacy of Taft? Why were Butler and the marines in Nicaragua? What
did Butler do? What did Butler think of it? Who was General Mena? What was his story? How
did Butler deal with the general? Was this the end of the Nicaraguan resistance? What effect did
all this have on Butler?
3. What were the differences and similarities between the imperial policies of Roosevelt, Taft,
and Wilson? What happened to president Sam of Haiti? Why was the US and Butler in Haiti?
How did events in Haiti change Butler? How did he treat people differently than in Nicaragua?
How did Butler win his second Medal of Honor? Why did he shut down the Haitian Parliament?
How did he rule Haiti? What did the 1921 US Senate inquiry into Haiti discover?
4. What disease hit the soldiers as they crossed the Atlantic to France? What did they find upon
their arrival? What were the living conditions of the troops in France? What job did Bulter get?
Why was he nicknamed General Duckboard? What was the Battle of Bellaeu Woods like?
Who created the Veterans Bureau, and what immediately happened to it? What did Bulter think
of the treatment of the doughboys at home? Who was Dalton Trumbo?
5. What job did Butler take after the war in Philadelphia? How did he get the job? Who did he
upset? Who was the Bob-Haired Bandit? How did the death of Officer Fabek change Butler?
What happened at the Bal Masque? Who did Butler come up against, and who supported him?
What finally brought Butler down?
6. Why was Butler arrested? What was the publics reaction? What was the Bonus Army?
What were their demands? How did Hoover, and then MacArthur, respond? How did Butler
respond? What did he write in the magazine Common Sense? In War is a Raquet?
7. Who was MacGuire? Who were the DuPonts? What did they want with Butler? What was the
American Liberty League? What was the Black Legion? What did Butler do? What was the
reaction of the press? How did Smedley Butler save the USA?