“The Postwar Boom: 1946-1960” and “Civil Rights of the 1950s: 1945-1959” Chapters 19 and 21s1 Study Guide
Chapter Essay: The questions which follow are the extra credit essay prompts that could be completed during this unit
of study. The essay should be typed (double-spaced), at least between two and five pages, and submitted to your
instructor no later than the day following the chapter test. You must include a bibliography page if you use any
additional information than that provided by your textbook or by your instructor. You may wish to use the writing
rubric to help you organize your essay in the correct manner. Please remember to use proper spelling, proper
mechanics, and proper organization.
1. Do you think that you would have liked “Ike” in the 1950s? Why or why not? Which of his (a)
personal qualities, (b) domestic programs, and (c) foreign-policy decisions do you find most
admirable? For what may he be criticized? Why?
2.
Which writers and artists best expressed the concerns of American culture in the 1950s? Was
there a connection between the rise of pop-culture figures like Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe
and the changes in art and writing (like the Beats and the new southern writers)?
3.
Why did consumption expand so dramatically in the 1950s and what aspects of American life
and culture did it influence? Answers would ideally include: discussions of the economic expansion,
population surge, expanded borrowing, and the effects of these changes on American society and
culture.
“The New Frontier and the Great Society: 1960-1968” and “Civil Rights of the 1960s: 1960-1968” Chapters 20
and 21s2-3 Study Guide
Chapter Essay: The questions which follow are the essay prompts to be completed during this unit of study. You must
choose one of the following and answer it completely. The essay should be typed (double-spaced), between two and
five pages, and submitted to your instructor no later than the day following the chapter test. You must include a
bibliography page if you use any additional information than that provided by your textbook or by your instructor. You
may wish to use the writing rubric to help you organize your essay in the correct manner. Please remember to use
proper spelling, proper mechanics, and proper organization.
1. Both Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal and Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society attacked poverty. How was
Johnson’s approach different from the New Deal? Which was more successful, and what
contributed to the relative successes and failures of each approach? Answers would ideally
include: discussion of the social/political/economic context of each, the continuities, the differences,
and an evaluation of each.
2.
During the 1960s, African-Americans made substantial gains in asserting their freedoms and rights.
Discuss how the civil rights movement produced significant social change. Were there limits to
its success? What part did government play in this process? Answers would ideally include:
strategies of the movement, role of the federal government, and the limits of reform.
“The Vietnam War Years: 1954-1975” Chapter 22 Study
1. Explain the Gulf of Tonkin incident and its significance to American foreign policy. How did
President Lyndon Johnson respond to the incident? What considerations, domestic and
international, contributed to his course of action? Answers would ideally include: Gulf of Tonkin
incident, Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, and domestic and international influences.
2.
The United States’ engagement in Vietnam divided the nation. Discuss the range of American
responses to the war. How did they change over time? How did domestic political concerns shape
response to the war? How did the war shape domestic politics in the 1960s and early 1970s?
Answers would ideally include: Cold War commitments, opposition to the war, impact of domestic
concerns on the war, impact of the war on domestic concerns, and revelations during Nixon’s
administration.
“An Age of Limits: 1968-1980” Chapter 24 Study Guide
1. What was Watergate’s legacy for American politics in the following decade? In your answer,
explain what led to Nixon’s resignation. How did Congress try to prevent such abuses of power in the
future? Answers would ideally include: account of Watergate, disillusionment with government,
government reforms, and the political consequences.
2.
What was détente and how did it affect the United States’ cold war foreign policy? What were its
achievements and limitations? In your answer, discus how Nixon’s approach to communism built on,
and departed from, the previous two administrations. Answers would ideally include: definition of
détente, impact of détente, successes of détente, continuing commitment to anticommunism, and Nixon
in Vietnam.