Tutor profile: Sarah S.

"My cousin Roger who is from Massachusetts came to my kickball game." What is wrong with this sentence?

According to Strunk & White's Elements of Style, parenthetical expressions need to be enclosed. Therefore, the parenthetical expression, "who is from Massachusetts," needs to be flanked by commas. The parenthetical portion of the sentence can easily be identified as the part that can be omitted without changing the flow or general understanding of the sentence. In other words, it is still a complete, grammatically sound sentence without the parenthetical expression. The sentence should appear as such: "My cousin Roger, who is from Massachusetts, came to my kickball game."

What significance did the Supreme Court's decision of Brown v. Board of Education have on education in the United States?

The Court's decision overturned the 'separate but equal' precedent set by the Plessy v. Ferguson case. This meant schools could no longer be legally segregated, even if the facilitates were supposedly equal in quality. Separate was ruled inherently unequal. This case's significance rises once you consider its impact on the timing of integrating public schools in America. A follow-on decision, Brown v. Board of Education II, aspired to nudge on the integration process, dictating public schools must do so "with all deliberate speed."

FDR's long-lived presidency saw many unprecedented acts for the role of U.S. President. What implications did his presidency have on American domestic policy during the Great Depression?

Roosevelt's personality and unique perspective on American politics provided him the tools he needed to be influential in his executive role. From the White House, he was able to inspire and design reforms that included the establishment of numerous national 'alphabet agencies' (ex. TVA, CCC, WPA, etc.) and controversial programs such as Social Security. Although his administration was productive in these ways, many of these organizations and reforms were short-lived glimmers of hope– shot down as unconstitutional in the courts. FDR also received heavy criticism for his court packing scheme. However, many of these reforms are seen to have been revolutionary or majorly successful and some still exist today.