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HISTORY 202 UNITED STATES HISTORY FROM 1877 TO THE PRESENT ANDREW P. HALEY, PHD CLASS: Liberal Arts Building 101 Mo/We/Fr 10-10:50am OFFICE: 451 Liberal Arts Building (4th Floor, History Department) Office hours are on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2 to 4pm. To arrange a meeting during office hours or to set up an alternative time to meet, email me at [email protected] a day in advance. CONTACT: Email [email protected] Telephone/Messages 601 336 0708 Twitter (musings on culture) http://twitter.com/HistoryCult DESCRIPTION, OBJECTIVES AND GOALS United States History from1865 to the Present is a chronicle of the modern United States, its people, government, and culture. We will explore the growth of the United States in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and examine how Americans’ conception of themselves and their government changed over time. As a survey class, we cannot hope to examine every event which contributed to the building of America. Instead, we will consider critical moments and long-term themes in order to uncover a little of what it has meant to live, work and play in the United States since the end of the Civil War. To organize our study, we will pay special attention to the role of the federal government in American life. At each step in our journey, we will scrutinize the calls forand protests againsta strong central government. What role has the federal government played in the lives of American citizens? What do Americans expect from their government? How has the federal government helped to weld together the nation? How have contests over the role of the federal government divided us? This theme, articulated throughout the semester in lectures and discussions, will provide a consistent reference point for our study. When you have completed this course you should have a better knowledge of the history of the United States from 1877 to the present as well as a better understanding of how history is made, recorded and interpreted. You will be better prepared to examine critically the past and the present, searching out the underlying reasons why Americans do what they do and are who they are. To that end, the lectures, discussions, and assignments will test your basic knowledge of key events, will prepare you to analyze documents, and will offer you the opportunity to do some original historical research.

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HISTORY 202

UNITED STATES HISTORY FROM 1877 TO THE PRESENT

ANDREW P. HALEY, PHD

CLASS: Liberal Arts Building 101

Mo/We/Fr 10-10:50am

OFFICE: 451 Liberal Arts Building (4th Floor, History Department)

Office hours are on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2 to 4pm. To arrange a meeting

during office hours or to set up an alternative time to meet, email me at

[email protected] a day in advance.

CONTACT: Email [email protected]

Telephone/Messages 601 336 0708

Twitter (musings on culture) http://twitter.com/HistoryCult

DESCRIPTION, OBJECTIVES AND GOALS

United States History from1865 to the Present is a chronicle of the modern United States, its people,

government, and culture. We will explore the growth of the United States in the nineteenth and twentieth

centuries and examine how Americans’ conception of themselves and their government changed over time.

As a survey class, we cannot hope to examine every event which contributed to the building of America.

Instead, we will consider critical moments and long-term themes in order to uncover a little of what it has

meant to live, work and play in the United States since the end of the Civil War.

To organize our study, we will pay special attention to the role of the federal government in American life.

At each step in our journey, we will scrutinize the calls for—and protests against—a strong central

government. What role has the federal government played in the lives of American citizens? What do

Americans expect from their government? How has the federal government helped to weld together the

nation? How have contests over the role of the federal government divided us? This theme, articulated

throughout the semester in lectures and discussions, will provide a consistent reference point for our study.

When you have completed this course you should have a better knowledge of the history of the United

States from 1877 to the present as well as a better understanding of how history is made, recorded and

interpreted. You will be better prepared to examine critically the past and the present, searching out the

underlying reasons why Americans do what they do and are who they are. To that end, the lectures,

discussions, and assignments will test your basic knowledge of key events, will prepare you to analyze

documents, and will offer you the opportunity to do some original historical research.

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LECTURES AND CLASS PARTICIPATION

Each week, I will present a series of three lectures that

provide an overview of a historical period. But while

this is primarily a lecture class, participation is

important. All students are expected to attend class

regularly, to have completed the readings before class,

and to be prepared to raise questions and offer

arguments. Don’t hesitate to interrupt the instructor with

questions or observations, and be prepared to share your

views during discussions. Don’t be shy. Offer your

ideas and let the class build on your thoughts.

Given the importance of lectures, class discussions, and

student questions, you are strongly encouraged not to

miss class. Note, however, that attendance is not the

same as participation. Students must actively involve

themselves in class activities to receive credit for

participation.

Arrive on time. Go to the bathroom before class so that

you will not have to leave class. Turn off your cell

phones and pagers. Show respect to your fellow students

when they are speaking. Students who disrupt class will

be asked to leave. And remember, if you are struggling

with a reading, finding it hard to prepare for an exam, or

just want to discuss history, don’t hesitate to send me an email or to stop by my office hours.

REQUIRED READING

A People and a Nation, Vol. II

Mary Beth Norton, 8th

Edition, 2009

ISBN-13: 978-0-547-06037-8

Available at the University of Southern Mississippi Book

Center.

The full version is available from CourseSmart as an ebook

for $58.99.

USII History Readings

Available online at http://ocean.otr.usm.edu/~w589232. Additional readings may be

provided by the instructor during the course of the semester. Please note that while

efforts have been made to keep the readings short, some classes require more time than

others.

ASSIGNMENTS

Take-home Exams

Students will complete two take-home exams (see the dates listed below). The take-home exams will

consist of one or two short-answer essay questions which will be distributed in class. The essay is due by

at the start of the next class. The each question should be answered with a three-to-four page double-

spaced essay which incorporates concrete examples from the textbook, lectures and other readings. All

essays should be typed with standard one-inch margins and a 10 or 12 point standard font. Your essay

must be submitted to turnitin.com on the same day it is submitted in class.

Figure 1: Millions of Acres: Iowa and Nebraska Lands

for Sale on 10 Years Credit (Library of Congress)

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These short essays are intended to test your understanding of a historical period and to develop your critical

thinking skills. Essays should be based on the assigned readings and lectures; additional research is not

required and is generally discouraged. But the essay should be more than a recitation of facts or a summary

of the readings. The essay must develop an argument or a point of view based on carefully thinking about

the question and the evidence. Why did the event happen? How did events change over time? How did

one historical event differ from another? Answering these questions will require that you form your own

assessments based on the evidence available to you.

Essays are not graded on grammar and spelling but well-written essays are easier to read and invariably

receive higher grades. You essay should begin with an introduction which unambiguously states what your

argument will be and how it will develop. Avoid repetition, using ―big‖ words for the mere sake of using

big words, and long quotations from the sources. Only summarize what is necessary to make an argument.

End with a conclusion that not only summarizes, but considers the significance of what you have written.

Allow yourself time to revise and proofread your essays. Revising requires that you reconsider your

arguments, eliminate unnecessary material, and reorganize your paper for clarity. Proofreading requires

that you reread the final essay and make stylistic corrections that will make the paper easier to read.

Consider reading your paper out loud; it makes it easier to notice errors you have made.

Essays are graded holistically. In other words, there is no checklist and you will not lose a set number of

points for each error. Rather, your argument is considered in good faith. If the argument you offer is

reasoned and well-supported, you will receive full credit for the assignment. An engaging essay without

flaws will be given an A. A creative argument that may contain some logical errors or a poor use of

sources will receive a B. An essay that ignores evidence from the readings or fails to make a strong, clear

argument will receive a C. A poorly reasoned argument, an essay that demonstrates a poor understanding

of the readings and lectures, or an essay that consists primarily of summary will receive a D. A slipshod

essay will receive an F.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated. Ideas that are not your own must be accompanied by a citation with the

source and page number. Direct quotations must be in quotation marks (or, for longer quotations,

indented) and must be accompanied by a formal citation. Paraphrasing is plagiarism. Ignorance is not an

excuse for plagiarism; if you have questions about citing source materials, talk to your instructor or visit

the style guides posted on the library’s home page.

Copying another student or another author’s work is cheating and is a violation the University of

Southern Mississippi’s code of student conduct. Students who cheat will automatically fail the course and

may be reported to the Dean of Students for additional disciplinary action. After an appropriate hearing

before the Dean of Students or the Student Judiciary Council, cheating, including but not limited to

plagiarism, may be grounds for probation, suspension, or expulsion.

Late exams will be accepted if submitted to turnitin.com no later than forty-eight hours after the paper was

due. The turnitin.com date and time will be used to determine the time the paper was submitted. All late

papers are automatically penalized a full letter grade. After twenty-four hours, the paper will not be

accepted and the grade for the assignment will be a zero (note: this is considerably worse than failing).

No extensions will be granted without prior notice. In other words, if you are unable to complete the work

on time because of a scheduled conflict, talk to the instructor before the day the assignment is due. Last-

minute extensions are rarely given and after-the-fact extensions will not be given. Students who are unable

to attend class may submit papers via turnitin.com. Electronically submitted papers must be submitted

before the start of class or they are considered late and will be penalized. It is the student’s responsibility to

verify that the paper has been correctly submitted to turnitin.com. If you are unable to submit it online, you

are required to bring a copy to class.

Students should keep backup copies of materials submitted. In the unlikely event that the instructor needs a

second copy, you are responsible for producing a copy in a timely manner.

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In-Class Exams

There will be two in-class exams (see the schedule below). The first will cover material from the first half

of the class and the second will cover material from the second half of the class. Each exam will include a

number of short-answer identifications in which you have to define a term or image (and state its historical

significance), a timeline, and at least one essay question, but the exam may include other types of questions

as well. Depending on the content of the exam, you will have roughly an hour to complete the quiz.

Final Paper

Students must submit a seven-to-eight page

(double spaced, one inch margins, 10 or 12-

point font) research paper and samples of the

sources used to write the paper. The paper will

examine seven consecutive days of any

historical paper published prior to 1975. Papers are due in the class on December 2

nd.

Late papers will not be accepted unless the

instructor has granted an extension by the end

of class on November 31st.

Additional information shall be provided in

class during week 3. The final paper must

conform to the same ethical and writing

guidelines as the take-home essay questions.

Once again, plagiarism will not be tolerated.

Schedule Revisions

You are responsible for any and all changes to the syllabus. If you miss class, contact a fellow student and

check the website for updates to the reading or exam schedule.

SCHEDULE AND PERCENT OF GRADE

DUE DATE ASSIGNMENT PERCENT OF GRADE

September 14 Take-home One 15%

October 12 Exam One 20%

November 13 Take-home Two 15%

December 2 Final Paper 30%

Exam Period Exam Two 20%

Daily Discussion Earn up to five extra points on your final in-class exam

by regularly and actively participating in class.

Extra Credit Instructor Challenge Document where the book and your instructor disagree,

and earn two points (six maximum per exam) toward

your midterm or final exam grade.

Figure 2: Oyster-shuckers in the Barataria Canning Company in

Biloxi, MS (Lewis Hine, February 1911)

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Library

Assistance accessing and evaluating online sources, as well as help finding the research materials you will

use for your final paper, can be found at the University of Southern Mississippi Libraries. For more

information, see http://www.lib.usm.edu/.

Disability Services

If a student has a disability that qualifies under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requires

accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) for information

on appropriate policies and procedures. Disabilities covered by ADA may include learning, psychiatric,

physical disabilities, or chronic health disorders. Students can contact ODA if they are not certain whether

a medical condition/disability qualifies.

If a student has a disability that qualifies under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requires

accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) for information

on appropriate policies and procedures. Disabilities covered by ADA may include learning, psychiatric,

physical disabilities, or chronic health disorders. Students can contact ODA if they are not certain whether

a medical condition/disability qualifies.

The University of Southern Mississippi

Office for Disability Accommodations

118 College Drive # 8586

Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001

Voice Telephone: (601) 266-5024 or (228) 214-3232

Fax: (601) 266-6035

Individuals with hearing impairments can contact ODA using the Mississippi Relay Service at 1-800-582-

2233 (TTY) or email Suzy Hebert at [email protected].

Email

Email will be used to pass on vital information about quizzes and writing assignments. All students are

required to have an active Southern Miss email address. (If you use a different account to check your

email, you should contact iTech for help with forwarding your USM email account to your preferred email

address.)

turnitin.com

The take-home exams and final paper must be submitted to

turnitin.com on the day they are due before the end of class. To set

up an account, you will need the class identity number (2800571)

and the class enrollment password (checkers). If you need

additional instructions, they are available on the turnitin.com

website.

Figure 3: Blossom Restaurant, 103 Bowery,

New York City. (Bernice Abbott, October 3,

1935)

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WEEKLY OVERVIEW AND READING ASSIGNMENTS

THE GILDED AGE and PROGRESSIVE ERA

Week One (August 19 &21)

Introduction to Course/Reconstructing the South

Approximate Time Period: 1865-1877

Readings

Review the syllabus. Familiarize yourself with the course policies and the

assignment due dates.

Read: Charles W. Chesnutt’s short story, ―The Sheriff’s Children,‖ from The Wife of

His Youth published in 1899.

Read A People and a Nation, read Chapter 16.

Week Two (August 24, 26 & 28)

Industrialization and the Making of the Upper Class

Approximate Time Period: 1870-1900

Music and History: The Evolution of Casey Jones

Readings

Read Andrew Carnegie's "Wealth" from the North American Review, June 1889.

Read the obituary (New York Times, February 2, 1895) for social arbiter Ward

McAllister and then read Chapter 10 of his autobiography, Society as I Have Found

It.

A People and a Nation, read Chapter 18.

Quotes of the Week

―Everything that can be invented, has been invented.‖

Charles H. Duell, Commissioner of U.S. Office of

Patents, urging President McKinley to abolish the

Patent Office (1899)

―That a deep-rooted feeling of discontent pervades the masses, none

can deny.‖

Terrence Powderly, North American Review (1885)

Week Three (August 31 and September 2 & 4)

The Working Class and Labor Unrest

Overview of Final Paper

Approximate Time Period: 1870-1900

Readings

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Ragged Dick is a novel by Horatio Alger, Jr. about a poor street urchin who rises

from poverty through moral behavior, determination, and luck. Ragged Dick was

serialized in 1867 and published as a novel in 1868. Read chapters 25, 26 and 27.

View three images of Coney Island at the turn of the century.

A People and a Nation, review Chapter 18 and read Chapter 19.

Quote of the Week

―It is with roses and locomotives (not to mention acrobats Spring

electricity Coney Island the 4th of July the eyes of mice and Niagara

Falls) that my ''poems'' are competing.‖

E. E. Cummings (n.d.)

Week Four (September 9 & 11)

Populism

Approximate Time Period: 1880-1896

Readings

Read excerpts from William Jennings

Bryan’s Democratic convention

speech and William McKinley’s

Republican convention speech. What

themes do they share? On what issues

do they differ? (Keep in mind that

these men were politicians seeking to

convince voters would represent their

interests.)

A People and a Nation, read Chapter

20.

Quote of the Day

―We meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral,

political and material ruin. Corruption dominates the ballot box, the

legislatures, the Congress, and touches the ermine of the bench. The

people are demoralized. . . . The newspapers are subsidized or muzzled;

public opinion silenced; business prostrate, our homes covered with

mortgages, labor impoverished, and the land concentrating in the hands

of capitalists.‖

Ignatius Donnelly, People’s Party Platform (1892)

NOTE: There is no class on Monday, September 7th, due to the Labor Day Holiday.

Week 5 (September 14, 16 & 18)

The Progressive Impulse/Immigration/Early Imperialism

Approximate Time Period: 1890-1924

The first take-home exam will be distributed in class and is due at the start of class on July 8th

.

Readings

Figure 4: Fourth of July, North Danville, Vermont

(Verner Reed, 1955)

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Immigration, spurred by America's growing industries, transformed the American

city. Read chapters 1 and 3 from How the Other Half Lives, Jacob Riis' famous

account of tenement life and immigration in New York first published in 1890.

Read Jane Addams’ ―Social Settlements‖ from 1897.

A People and a Nation, review chapter 19 and read chapter 21.

Quotes of the Day

Greasiness in various degrees distinguishes the German dishes. Dirt in

all degrees is present at the German restaurants. Plates and cups with

pieces chipped out . . . and knives which know no cleaning, are always

found. When the grease, which is so freely used, takes fire in the

kitchen below, or in the rear of the dining-room, there is a suffocating

odor which attends the decomposition of animal fat dispersed through

the room.

C. Gesner, Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, 1866

―To keep the world clean -- this is one great task for women.‖

Helen Campbell, Household Economics (1897)

Week 6 (September 21, 23 & 25)

From Sea to Shining Sea and Beyond/The Twenties

Approximate Time Period: 1870-1900

Readings

The Anti-Imperialist League opposed the acquisition of the Philippines. In May of

1899, the League published a pamphlet consisting of letters written home by

disgruntled soldiers. Selected letters have been assigned for this course.

In 1899, Andrew S. Draper, the President of the University of Illinois, published The

Rescue of Cuba: an Episode in the Growth of Free Government. Draper wrote the

book for "young Americans" in order to celebrate "the steady progress of the world

towards universal liberty" and "the heroism and manly quality of the American

soldiers and sailors who gave their lives for the rescue of their oppressed neighbors."

Read Chapter XII: "Results."

A People and a Nation, review chapter 22.

Suggested: A People and a Nation, read Chapter 17.

Quote of the Day

―Only Anglo-Saxons can govern themselves.‖

William Allen White, journalist and editor (1899)

THE TRIUMPH OF LIBERALISM

Week 7 (September 28 & 30 and October 2)

Scopes Trial/Great Depression

Approximate Time Period: 1917-1929

Music and History: Music and Dance as Escape and Protest

Readings

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A People and a Nation, briefly skim Chapter 23 and closely read Chapter 24.

Read H. L. Mencken’s account of the Scopes’ ―Monkey Trial.‖

In the 1920s, as today, people worried about the impact of mass media on the youth

of America. Published in 1933, Herbert Blummer's survey of movie-goers offers us

a glimpse at how the growing popularity of movies changed people’s lives. Read the

following four accounts: A College

Student's Motion Picture Autobiography;

How the Movies Made Some People

Restless (this is a summary from the final

report); A High-School Student Describes

Movie Going in the 1920s and A Black

High-School Student Tells What 1920s

Movies Meant to Him.

Quotes of the Day

―The restlessness approached hysteria. The

parties were bigger. The shows were bigger.

The pace was faster, . . . the buildings higher,

the morals looser.‖

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1926)

―I say it’s spinach and I say the hell with it.‖

New Yorker cartoon of a

child refusing to eat the

―new‖ Italian vegetable,

broccoli. (1928)

NOTE: September 30th

is the last day to drop classes without academic penalty.

Week 8 (October 5 & 7)

The New Deal

Approximate Time Period: 1929-1941

Readings

Read letters sent to Mississippi Congressman William Colmer during the Great

Depression.

Read letters sent by children to Eleanor Roosevelt during the Great Depression.

Read FDR’s radio address concerning the second phase of the New Deal.

Lyrics of a folk song about relief programs during the Great Depression.

View post office murals created during the Great Depression.

A People and a Nation, Chapter 25 and 26.

Quote of the Day

Federal relief aid to end the Depression would cause ―degeneration of

that independence and initiation which are the very foundation of

democracy.‖

President Herbert Hoover (1931)

―I will say one thing for this administration. It is the only time when

the fellow with money is worrying more than the one without it.‖

Figure 5: Rudolph Valentino (Son of the

Sheik, United Artists, 1926)

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Will Rogers on Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933)

NOTE: There is no class on Friday, October 9th, due to Fall Break.

Week 9 (October 12, 14 & 16)

World War II and the Cold War

Approximate Time Period: 1927-1965

Readings

View 10 to 15 World War II posters. Who were these

intended for? What claims are the government making

(time, sacrifice) on its citizens?

Read George Kennan’s "The Sources of Soviet

Conduct" written in 1947. Kennan’s assessment of the

Soviet threat served as the basis for America’s early

Cold War policies.

A People and a Nation, read Chapter 27 and 28.

Quote of the Day

―I know how easy it is . . . for a girl to be tempted to forsake her

chastity . . . especially in these times when human life is uncertain, . . .

especially still if the boy is in uniform. Out salvation . . . lies within us,

in a hard-boiled code of wartime morals.‖

Actress Bonita Granville (1943)

NOTE: On October 12th

there will be an in-class exam.

Week 10 (October 19, 21 & 23)

Fear and Loathing in Postwar America

Approximate Time Period: 1945-1965

Readings

Read the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944.

View images from Levittown.

From the Educational Forum in 1949, read "Communists Should Not Teach in

American Colleges" by Raymond B. Allen, the president of the University of

Washington, Seattle.

Higher Education's Appalling Responsibilities. Read Jazzes H. Halsey's defense of

academic freedom.

Communists on campus? Read E. Merrill Root's warnings about communist

indoctrination on college campuses (from Collectivism on the Campus, 1955).

Review: A People and a Nation, Chapter 29.

A People and a Nation, read Chapter 29.

Quotes of the Week

―The smart woman will keep herself desirable. It is her duty to be

feminine and desirable at all times in the eyes of the opposite sex.‖

Leland Kirdel, Coronet (1953)

Figure 6: Camp Shelby,

Hattiesburg (William Perlitch,

1941)

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―When you find an intellectual, you will probably find a Red.‖

Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer in their best-selling

book, Washington Confidential (1951)

LIBERALISM CHALLENGED

Week 11 (October 26, 28 & 30)

Black America

Approximate Time Period: 1945-1970

Music and History: The Sound of Protest in Mississippi

Readings

Read a selection from the Brown vs. Board of Education decision.

Watch two clips from CBS Reports: Who Speaks for Birmingham?

Visit the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, click on the link for oral histories, click

on the link for Movement, and then watch all fifteen oral histories.

Recently the Birmingham News published a series of photographs from the 1950s

and 1960s that had originally been suppressed by the newspaper. Come to class

prepared to discuss specific images and ideas in the photographs.

A People and a Nation, read Chapter 30.

Quotes of the Day

"There are those who say to you –we are rushing this issue of civil rights. I say we are

172 years late."

Hubert H. Humphrey (1948)

Week 12 (November 2, 4 and 6)

The Great Society and Fragmentation

Approximate Time Period: 1963-1968

Assignment: Second Take-home Exam

Readings

Read about the occupation of Alcatraz Island by

native American rights advocates at PBS’s

―Alcatraz is Not an Island‖ site. Read as much as

you like, but focus on two sections: ―The

Occupation‖ and ―The People.‖

View a newsreel from the 1964 Miss America

contest and then read a 1968 press release

announcing that the pageant will be boycotted.

What is the basis for the protest?

Visit Rutgers University’s website dedicated to the

Newark and Detroit riots of 1967. Thoroughly

explore the site including the interviews.

A People and a Nation, read Chapter 31.

Review: A People and a Nation, read Chapter 30.

Figure 7: The Great Society Comic

Book (Parallax, 1966)

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Quotes of the Day

―A spirit of national masochism prevails encouraged by an effete core

of impudent snobs who characterize themselves as intellectuals . . .

[Americans want] a cry of alarm to penetrate the cacophony of

seditious drivel.‖

Vice President Spiro Agnew (1969)

―Slave catchers, slave owners, murderers, butchers, oppressors -- the

white heroes have acquired new names.‖

Eldridge Cleaver, Soul on Ice (1968)

Week 13 (November 9, 11 & 13)

Vietnam, Watergate, Oil and Stagnation

Approximate Time Period: 1968-1980

Readings

View one of the following three movies: Taxi

Driver [1976], Five Easy Pieces [1970] and/or

Network [1976] . All three are on reserve at Cook

Library. Treat these as if they were texts: view

them carefully, take notes, and ask yourself what

they say about American’s view of themselves in

the 1970s.

Read poetry written by Vietnam veterans. How do these poems cut across political

and class lines? [The poems have been selected from From Both Sides Now edited

by Phillip Mahony (New York: Scribner Poetry, 1998). The selections reflect only

the American viewpoint.]

Recommended: Jacob Holdt visited the United States in the 1970s. With little

money, he traveled the South living with and documenting social conditions. View

the photo gallery documenting the rural South. Warning. These images are graphic,

disturbing, and include some nudity. How does Holdt’s photographs compare with

the picture of the seventies depicted in the film you watched?

Review: A People and a Nation, read Chapters 30 and 31.

A People and a Nation, read Chapter 31.

Quotes of the Week

―We are not a weak people. We are a strong people. American has

never been defeated in the proud, 190-year history of this country and

we shall not be defeated in Vietnam . . .‖

Richard M. Nixon (1970)

―For some reason, self-doubt appears to thrive in our Bicentennial

year.‖

Historian Arthur Schelesinger, Jr. (1976)

THE CONSERVATIVE BACKLASH

Week 14 &15 (November 16, 18, 20 & 23)

Roots of Conservatism/Reagan/Cold War Update

Approximate Time Period: 1960-1980

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Readings

The Reagan Revolution in government called for a reduction in the role of the

federal government. Reagan explained his ideas in a 1964 speech for Barry

Goldwater.

Read Time Magazine’s 1985 profile of the Rev. Jerry Falwell.

Read about Anita Bryant’s Anti-Gay Crusade at Days without Sunshine.

Optional: Video of Buckley debating James Baldwin, October 26, 1965, Cambridge

University; digitized by UC Berkeley.

A People and a Nation, read Chapter 32.

Quote of the Week

―I would like to suggest that Ronald Reagan is politically dead.‖

Political Analyst Tom Pettit on the Today Show (1980)

NOTE: There is no class on Wednesday, November 25th, and Friday, November 27th

, due to the

Thanksgiving Holiday.

Week 16 (November 30 & December 3)

Rap and Reagan/Terrorism and Globalism

Approximate Time Period: 1980-2006

Music and History: Rap and Reagan

Assignment: Final Paper Due on July 31st

Readings

Read President George Bush’s Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the

American People, the President’s formal response to the 9/11 attacks.

Read Osama bin Laden’s November 2004 speech explaining his reasons for the 9/11

attacks.

A People and a Nation, read Chapter 33.

Quotes of the Day

"I'm not the expert on how the Iraqi people think, because I live in America, where it's

nice and safe and secure."

George W. Bush (Sept. 23, 2004)

"It has been said that arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of

gravity."

Kofi Annan, U.N. Secretary-General