Course Schedule - My SMCC - Southern Maine Community College

Southern Maine Community College

HIST 135-DE – United States History since 1877

Instructor: Eben Miller

Fall 2015

Course Number: HIST 135-DE

Pre-Reqs: ENGL 050, ENGL 075 Email: emiller@smccme.edu

Office: Harborview 302

Office phone: (207) 741-5683

Office hours: 9-10am, Monday-Thursday

Course Description: This is an introductory survey covering the history of the United States since the end of

Reconstruction. This course is designed to acquaint students with most major topics in the American experience ranging from the aftermath of the Civil War through the contemporary period. Some of the key topics to be covered include: industrialization, progressivism, World Wars I and II, the Great Depression and the Civil Rights Movement. This course also will introduce students to the process of thinking historically, with a focus on original historical sources.

Course Procedure and Objectives: This course is designed to allow you to engage with the American past as an historian. The historian’s most important responsibility involves the interpretation of historical documents. Such artifacts from the past are known as primary sources. Your work with primary sources will be at the heart of this course: we will discuss the assigned primary sources during the course of the semester and each of your major assignments will involve the interpretation of primary sources. The majority of primary sources assigned in this course are collected in the required volume, Reading the American Past. To supplement this source-rich volume, we will also rely on the work of other historians – known as secondary sources – to guide this survey of United States history since

1877. These secondary sources include the textbook, The American Promise, and an interpretation of the Lawrence textile mill strike of 1912, Bread & Roses. We will also rely on the documentary film series “The Rise and Fall of Jim

Crow” as a complementary secondary source.

Even as this course surveys the American experience from the end of the Civil War through our own contemporary times, we will approach history itself as a discipline to master, not a subject to memorize. Through this approach this class will meet several learning objectives. Specifically, after completing this course I expect you will be able to:

 Explain the social and political impact of Reconstruction on individual Americans and the nation as a whole.

 Describe the evolving relationship between American industry and laborers since the Civil War.



Explain both the causes and consequences of United States’ foreign policy, including the effect on the home front during wartime.



Articulate how social movements (such as the labor movement, the civil rights movement, and the movements of the New Left) evolved over time and shaped the national experience during the 19 th and 20 th centuries.



Interpret primary documents pertaining to United States history since 1877, and use those sources to create original arguments about the past.



Identify connections between past events, peoples, and societies and our own national experience.

Finally, by completing this course you will also meet several of SMCC’s core learning competencies. These include the following:

Critical Thinking:

Competency #1: Read and demonstrate understanding of complex ideas by identifying key concepts.

Competency #3 – Analyze and evaluate research data to produce a well reasoned argument or position on an issue.

Global Citizenship:

Competency #1 – SMCC students can explain how social interactions are influenced by local, regional, national, and/or global cultures.

Competency #3 – SMCC students can explain historical and/or political developments affecting societies and nations.

Course Readings: The following texts are required for this course and are available for purchase at the college bookstore, located in the SMCC Campus Center.

James Roark, et al, The American Promise, Vol. 2 (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2012, 5 th value edition)

Michael Johnson, ed., Reading the American Past, Vol. 2 (Houghton Mifflin, 2012, 5 th edition)

Bruce Watson, Bread & Roses: Mills, Migrants, and the Struggle for the American Dream (Viking, 2005)

Martin Luther King, Jr., Why We Can't Wait (Signet Classic, 2000)

Course Requirements and Grading: The following guidelines describe my expectations for this course. If at any point you have a question or concern regarding the course requirements and grading, please contact me immediately.

Class Participation*: Class participation is mandatory. I expect consistent participation in the weekly discussion forums. Inconsistent participation result in a lower final course grade or an Administrative Failure (AF); that is, you will be dropped from the course. If you know that you will be unable to participate on a consistent basis, do not take this course.

*Weekly Discussion Participation: You will be responsible for contributing 2 new postings to the discussion forum in response to each week’s discussion questions. Also, you will be responsible for replying to 1 posting by a classmate or the instructor. Postings should be at least 100 words. Your 3 bulletin board postings must be completed by Saturdays, 11:59pm. Late discussion postings will not receive any credit. Finally, it is mandatory that you read your classmates’ postings. Please refer to the “Discussion Instructions” in the Course

Information folder for further explanation and grading rubric.

Primary Source Analysis Assignments*: There will be 4 primary source analysis assignments (PSAs) required over the course of the semester. There are more PSAs assigned than required. You may choose which 4 PSAs to complete, but you are required to complete at least 1 PSAs during each of the four class units. These assignments are not formal essays; they are 1-2 page analyses of the assigned primary sources. Please refer to the “Primary Source Analysis

Assignments Instructions” in the Course Information folder for further explanation and grading rubric. Due dates for the PSAs are also listed below in the Course Schedule.

*Extra Credit: You may complete additional PSAs (by their respective due dates) for extra credit. I will accept the 4 highest grades for final credit; all additional assignments completed will boost your final course grade.

Essays*: There will be 2 essays (1500 words) assigned during the semester. It will only be required to complete one of the essay assignments. The first essay will be on a topic related to Bread & Roses and the second will be on a topic related to Why We Can't Wait. Further details will be provided during the semester.

*Extra Credit: You may complete an additional essay (by its due date) for extra credit. I will accept the highest essay grade for final credit; an additional assignment completed will be considered for extra credit.

Weekly Assessments: Each week there will be a required assessment of the course material. Further details will be provided during the semester.

Exams: There will be 2 exams assigned during the semester. The midterm exam will be due at mid-semester. The final exam will be due at the end of the semester. Further details will be provided during the semester.

Grades*: Your final course grade will be determined according to the following assignment averages:

Participation (Weekly Discussion Forum) 10%

Weekly Assignments 20%

Primary Source Analysis Assignments (4) 30%

Essays (1) 10%

Exams (2) 30%

*Receiving Your Grades: I encourage you to keep track of your assignment grades over the course of the semester. The Discussion Instructions provide a clear rubric for discussion grades. You will also receive assignment grades back from me within one week of the submission due date (with the exception of the end of semester assignments). By keeping track of your assignment grades, you can simply refer to the above averages to estimate your course grade.

Submitting Assignments and Late Penalties: Please submit all assignments through the course website. All due dates appear below in the Course Schedule and on the course website. Please follow the submission directions found on the course website. I will accept late work (with the exception of end of semester assignments) for up to one week. There will be a 5-point penalty per each day late. As noted above, late discussion postings will not receive any credit.

Academic Honesty: All work submitted in this course must be your own. Copying others' work constitutes plagiarism.

Plagiarized assignments will not receive credit, and could result in dismissal from this course as well as other academic pelanties. If at any time you have a question or concern about avoiding plagiarism, please contact me immediately.

Statement Concerning Student Accommodations: If you are a student with a documented disability on record at

SMCC and wish to have reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please contact me immediately. I will be happy to work with you to help best meet your needs.

ADA SYLLABUS STATEMENT: Southern Maine Community College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution and employer. For more information, please call 207-741-5798. If you have a disabling condition and wish to request accommodations in order to have reasonable access to the programs and services offered by SMCC, you must register with the Disability Services Coordinator, Sandra Lynham, who can be reached at 741-5923. Further information about services for students with disabilities and the accommodation process is available upon request at this number. Course policies about online testing are modified to suit each individual’s accommodations.

Course Schedule:

Unit 1: The Gilded Age, 1860s-1900s

Week 1: Introduction to United States History since 1877**************************************************

Reading Assignment for January 12 – January 17

Reading the American Past, pp. viii-xiv, "Introduction for Students"

SUPPLEMENTARY PRIMARY SOURCES:

 Jourdon Anderson, 1865: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6369/

 Alfred Waud, 1867: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6707

Assignments due by Saturday, January 17:

 Week 1 discussion participation

 Week 1 assessment

Discussion Questions:

1.

Please take this opportunity to introduce yourself. Feel free to also explain why you are taking this course, including any thoughts on the skills and knowledge you hope to gain during the semester.

2.

The "Introduction for Students" in Reading the American Past notes several challenges and benefits of reading actual historical documents. After reading the "Introduction for Students," as well as the Jourdon Anderson and Alfred Waud sources, explain what you feel is challenging but beneficial about reading actual historical documents.

Week 2: Reconstruction and Western Expansion*********************************************************


The American Promise, pp. 459-518

Reading the American Past: ch. 16: Docs. #1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ch. 17: Docs. #1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Documentary Film: The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, ep. 1


 New York Daily Tribune, 1865: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6381

 Address of the South Carolina Colored State Convention, 1865: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6514

 Henry Blake, ca. 1936: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6377

 Sarah Thal, ca. 1880s: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4930

 Ellis Childers, 1882: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/37

 Denis Kearney, 1878: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5046

 Memorial of Chinese Laborers, 1885: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5043

 Edward Goodbird, 1914: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/90

 George Kills in Sight, 1967: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/64

 W.H. Prather, 1890: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4930




 Primary Source Analysis Assignment 1


1.

Based on the assigned readings and documentary film, what resistance did African Americans face in securing freedom during the years immediately following the end of the Civil War? Which of the assigned primary sources best document such resistance to African American freedom?

2.

Based on the assigned readings and documentary film, what steps did African Americans take, as best as they could, to enjoy the rights and responsibilities of freedom? Be sure to specify primary source evidence in your answer.

3.

What specific factors prompted the rapid settlement of the American west during the latter half of the 19 th century? What challenges did the new inhabitants of the west endure? Please incorporated examples from the assigned primary sources in your answer.

4.

In what ways were Native Americans subjugated during the nation's expansion into the American west during the latter half of the 19 th century? What primary source evidence helps to support your answer?

Week 3: The Gilded Age*****************************************************************************




Bread & Roses, begin


 "The Workingman's Ten Commandments," 1878: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5747

 Ohio Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1878: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5751

 Albert Parsons, 1878: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4937

 J.H. Walker, 1878: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5730

 Horatio Alger, 1880: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4997

 Phillips Thompson, 1878: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5000

 Mark Twain, 1879: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4935

 William Graham Sumner, 1883: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4998

 Firemen's Magazine, 1884: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4936

 Illinois Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1884: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5754

 Joseph Cahill, 1888: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/79

 Firemen's Magazine, 1893: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4999

 Jose Gros, 1895: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5005

 New York World, 1901: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5008






1.

What factors accounted for the rapid industrialization of the United States during the latter half of the 19 th century? Be sure to incorporate primary source evidence in your answer.

2.

The rapid industrialization of the United States during the latter half of the 19 th century prompted debate over the merits of laissez-faire capitalism. Based on the assigned readings, and drawing examples from the assigned primary sources, explain why some voiced support for a laissez-faire economy.

3.

Based on the assigned readings, and drawing examples from the assigned primary sources, explain why some voiced their opposition to a laissez-faire economy.

4.

In what ways did the industrialization of the United States impact the lives of ordinary workers? Specify primary source evidence in your answer.

Week 4: Turn of the Twentieth Century*****************************************************************

Reading Assignment for February 1 – February 7


Reading the American Past: ch. 20: Docs. #1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Bread & Roses, continue ch. 21: Docs. #1, 2, 3, 4, 5



 The Omaha Platform, 1892: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5361

 Homestead Strike songs, 1892: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5322

 Henry Clay Frick, 1892: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5349

 Lorenzo Dow Lewelling, 1893: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5308

 AFL, "To the People of the United States," 1893: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5310

 Pullman strikers' letters, 1894: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5363

 J.S. Coxey, 1894: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5364

 William Wycoff, 1899: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/48

 Louisisana "Grandfather Clause," 1898: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5352

 New York Sun, 1893: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5487

 Benjamin Tillman, 1900: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/55

 Ida Wells-Barnett, 1898: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/56

 Niagara Movement Declaration of Principles, 1905: http://www.yale.edu/glc/archive/1152.htm

 Walter White, 1906: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/104

 Alfred Mahan, 1890: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/protected/alfred.htm

 William McKinley, 1898: https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/mkinly2.htm

 Soldiers' Letters pamphlet, 1899: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/58

 Platform of the Anti-Imperialist League, 1899: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1899antiimp.asp

 Mark Twain, 1901: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_Hymn_of_the_Republic,_Updated

 Platt Amendment, 1901: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Platt_Amendment

 Roosevelt Corollary, 1904: http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Roosevelt_Corollary

 Alice Hamilton, ca. 1910: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/105

 Elizabeth Anderson, ca. 1910s: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/66

 Miriam Allen deFord, ca. 1910s: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/93

Assignments due by Saturday, February 7:





1.

In what ways did the economic turmoil of the 1890s lead to social and political unrest? Which of the assigned primary sources help to demonstrate the turmoil of the period?

2.

Based on the assigned readings and documentary film, what measures were taken to suppress African

Americans' liberty and equality during the late-19 th and early-20 th centuries? How did African Americans respond to such suppression of their freedom and safety? Be sure to incorporate primary source evidence in your answer.

3.

What economic, political, and cultural factors led the United States to engage in imperialism? Who supported and opposed the United States' wielding its influence abroad, and why? Specify primary source evidence in your answer.

4.

In what ways did Progressive era reformers attempt to improve American society? Use examples and evidence from at least three of the assigned primary sources to explain reform efforts during the Progressive era.

Unit 2: Tumult and Transformations of the United States, 1900s-1930s

Week 5: The Lawrence Textile Mill Strike of 1912*********************************************************


Bread & Roses, complete


 "Proclamation of the Striking Textile Workers of Lawrence," 1912: http://womhist.alexanderstreet.com/teacher/DBQlaw1.htm

 "Shall Wool and Cotton Kings Rule the Nation," 1912: http://womhist.alexanderstreet.com/teacher/DBQlaw3.htm

 William Wood, 1912: http://womhist.alexanderstreet.com/teacher/DBQlaw4.htm

 Mary O'Sullivan, 1912: http://womhist.alexanderstreet.com/teacher/DBQlaw5.htm

 "The Spirit of Lincoln," 1912: http://womhist.alexanderstreet.com/teacher/DBQlaw6.htm

 Walter Pratt, 1912: http://womhist.alexanderstreet.com/teacher/DBQlaw7.htm

 Camella Teoli, 1912: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/61





1.

To what extent were working conditions a cause of the Lawrence textile mill strike of 1912? What specific working conditions were a concern, and why? Be certain to cite page numbers from Bread & Roses and incorporate any appropriate primary source evidence in your answer.

2.

What specific strategies did workers in Lawrence employ in the textile mill strike of 1912? Be certain to cite page numbers from Bread & Roses and incorporate any appropriate primary source evidence in your answer.

3.

What reactions did the Lawrence textile mill strike of 1912 elicit, both locally and nationally? Be certain to cite page numbers from Bread & Roses and incorporate any appropriate primary source evidence in your answer.

4.

In what ways was the Lawrence textile mill strike of 1912 either emblematic of the era, or exceptional? Be certain to cite page numbers from Bread & Roses and incorporate any appropriate primary source evidence in your answer.

Week 6: World War I and the 1920s******************************************************************




Documentary Film: The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, ep. 3 (to the 24:20 mark)


 "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier," 1915: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4942

 Woodrow Wilson, 1917: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4943

 "Over There," 1917: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbggEGUaE28

 Robert La Follette, 1917: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5017

 Randolph Bourne, 1917: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4941

 Four Minute Men speeches, ca. 1918: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/4970

 George Creel, 1918: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5052

 WWI Posters, ca. 1918: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/ww1posters

 "This is For Traitors," 1918: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6653

 Ellen La Motte, 1916: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5326

 William Langer, ca. 1918: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5327

 John Deml, 1918: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/1

 Lola Gamble Clyde, ca. 1918: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/2

 Frank Brocke, ca. 1918: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/3

 Emma Goldman, 1919: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/15



 Ellis DuRant Smith, 1924: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5080

 Robert Clancy, 1924: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5079

 Floyd Dell, 1926: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5081

 Life, 1926: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6684

 Irene Castle Tremen, 1921, and Mary Pickford, 1927: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5117

 Herbert Blumer, 1933: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/21





 Essay 1


1.

What measures did the Wilson administration take to create (or even compel) public support for the nation's involvement in World War I? Be sure to incoprorate primary source evidence in your answer.

2.

In whay ways were American citizens' rights restricted during World War I and its immediate aftermath? What primary source evidence best demonstrates that citizens' rights were restricted during this period?

3.

Based on the assigned readings and documentary film, to what extent did racial and ethnic tensions exist in

American society during the 1910s and 1920s? Specify primary source evidence in your answer.

4.

In what ways was American society becoming more "modern" during the 1920s? How did Americans react to such transformations? Be certain to explain what primary source evidence supports your answer.

Week 7: The Great Depression and New Deal **********************************************************




Documentary Film: The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, ep. 3 (from the 24:20 mark)


 "The Unemployed," 1930: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6788

 "Brother Can You Spare a Dime?," 1931: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eih67rlGNhU

 Edward Angly, 1931: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5063

 Herbert Hoover, 1932: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5062

 Franklin Roosevelt, 1933: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5057

 Ferner Nuhn, 1933: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5060

 John Lewis, 1933: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5135

 Dorothea Lange, 1936: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6691 and http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6692

 Franklin Roosevelt, 1937: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5105

 The Beuschers family, 1937: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/117

 The Donner family, 1937: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/118

 Genora Johnson Dollinger, 1936: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/136

 Lupe Marshall, 1937: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/138

 Billy Holliday, "Strange Fruit," 1939: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4ZyuULy9zs

 Woody Guthrie, "This Land is Your Land," 1940: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxiMrvDbq3s






1.

How did the Great Depression affect the lives of ordinary Americans? What assigned primary source evidence best demonstrates the effects of the Great Depression?

2.

How did Herbert Hoover respond to the Great Depression? Did Americans approve or disapprove of Hoover's reaction to the Great Depression? Specify primary source evidence in your answer.

3.

How did Franklin Roosevelt respond to the Great Depression? Did Americans approve or disapprove of

Roosevelt's reaction to the Great Depression? Specify primary source evidence in your answer.

4.

What types of measures did the Roosevelt administration's New Deal take in response to the Great

Depression? What was the impact of such measures? Be sure to incorporate primary source evidence in your answer.

Week 8: Midterm Exam****************************************************************************

Assignments due by Saturday, March 7:

 Midterm Exam

Unit 3: Postwar America, 1940s-1960s

Week 9: World War II*******************************************************************************

Reading Assignment for March 15 – March 21




 Franklin Roosevelt, 1941: http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/pdfs/fftext.pdf

 Carson Robinson, "Remember Pearl Harbor," 1941: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3MxeilsAg4

 Sammy Kaye Orchestra, "Remember Pearl Harbor," 1941: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyQDT3EZQ2k

 Murphy Sisters, "You're a Sap, Mr. Jap," 1941: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cQaP82Wv2E

 Popeye, "You're a Sap, Mr. Jap," 1942: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOmkvEMLIT0

 Executive Order 9066, 1942: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5154

 Milton Eisenhower, 1942: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5153

 "Instructions to All Persons of Japanese Ancestry," 1942: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/media/uploads/2009/09/evacuation_poster.jpg

 Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga, 1994: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/8326

 Bob Fuchigami, 2008: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/8323

 Pocket Guide to China, ca. 1942: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6795

 Collier's, 1942: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6790

 "Jap Trap," ca. 1942: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/8332

 Milton Eisenhower, 1942: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5153

 "Japanese Relocation," 1942: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6gSShuQCUE

 "Interview with...an Older Nisei," 1943: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5152

 March on Washington Movement, 1942: http://www.aasd.umd.edu/chateauvert/mowmcall.htm

 Eric Knight, 1942: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5150

 Norman Rockwell, 1943: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm142.html

 Charles Wilson, 1944: http://www-personal.umd.umich.edu/~ppennock/doc-

AfrAm%20letter%20to%20FDR%201944.htm

 Bing Crosby, 1945: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5149

 Correspondence between Harry Truman and Samuel Cavert, 1945: http://www.trumanlibrary.org/flip_books/index.php?pagenumber=1&titleid=234&tldate=1

945-08-09&collectionid=ihow&PageID=-1&groupid=3705






1.

What factors prompted the United States to enter World War II? In what ways was revenge integral to the

United States' entry into the conflict? Specify primary source evidence in your answer.

2.

How did the United States portray and treat Japanese and Japanese-Americans during World War II?

Incorporate primary source evidence in your answer.

3.

In what ways did the United States' participation in World War II affect women and African Americans? What primary source evidence best illustrates the impact of World War II on women and African Americans?

4.

In what ways did American citizens contribute to the war effort? How would you characterize the experiences of soldiers, in particular? Be sure to draw upon assigned primary source evidence in your answer.

Week 10: The Origins of the Cold War******************************************************************

Reading Assignment for March 22 – March 28




 Nikolai Novikov, 1946: http://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/110808

 Henry Wallace, 1946: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6906/

 Harry Truman, 1947: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/trudoc.asp

 John Howard Lawson, 1947: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6441

 Ronald Reagan and Walt Disney, 1947: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6458

 Trial of Communist Party Leaders, 1949: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6446

 Herblock political cartoons, 1947-1956: http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/swann/herblock/fire.htm

 Harry Truman, 1950: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/8078

 Margaret Chase Smith, 1950: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6459

 Lillian Hellman, 1952: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6454


 The Army-McCarthy Hearings, 1954: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6444


 Pete Seeger, 1955: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6457

 Paul Robeson, 1956: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6440






1.

What factors led to tension between the United States and the Soviet Union in the wake of World War II?

What assigned primary source evidence best demonstrates such tension?

2.

What did the United States' policy of containment entail? Be sure to incorporate assigned primary source evidence in your response.

3.

To what extent did the United States experience an anticommunist "Red Scare" during the immediate post-

World War II years? Specify primary source evidence in your answer.

4.

How did Americans respond to the wave of domestic anticommunism following World War II? For what reasons did some Americans support and oppose domestic anticommunism? Which of the assigned primary sources best demonstrate Americans' support and opposition to domestic anticommunism?

Week 11: Postwar American Society*******************************************************************

Reading Assignment for March 29 – April 4


Reading the American Past: ch. 27: Docs. #1, 2, 4, 5


SUPPLEMENTARY PRIMARY SOURCES

 "Welcome Back," ca. 1945: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6796

 House subcommittee hearings, 1949-1950: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6338


 "Ike for President," 1952: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmCDaXeDRI4

 Alan Paton, 1954: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6265

 Letters to the Editor, Collier's, 1954: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6264

 Look, 1955: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6255


 Comic Books and Juvenile Delinquency, 1954: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6542

 Comic Book Code, 1954: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6543

 Television and Juvenile Delinquency, 1955: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6559

 Ford commercials, 1956: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4TLSBolPVc and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCbuMIDcAYQ

 Elvis Presley, "Hound Dog," 1956: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzQ8GDBA8Is

 Look, 1960: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6250

 Eleanor Harris, 1960: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6271

 Malvina Reynolds, "Little Boxes," 1963: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_2lGkEU4Xs

Assignments due by Saturday, April 4:





1.

In what ways was the United States transformed by the economic prosperity of the post-World War II years?

Specify primary source evidence in your answer.

2.

What significant social and cultural concerns characterized American life between the late-1940s and early-

1950s? Be sure to incorporate primary source evidence in your answer.

3.

Based on the assigned readings and documentary film, and drawing upon assigned primary source evidence, explain what challenges African Americans faced in the years following World War II.

4.

To what extent were gender roles and expectations changing during post-World War II years? What assigned primary source evidence best illustrates the gender roles and expectations of the postwar period?

Week 12: The Civil Rights Movement******************************************************************

Reading Assignment for April 5 – April 11


Reading the American Past: ch. 27: Doc. #3; ch. 28: Doc. #3

Why We Can't Wait, Introduction-Ch. 8

Documentary Film: "No Easy Walk, 1961-1963," Eyes on the Prize, ep. 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul_57aUXIpo


 Bayard Rustin, 1947: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6909

 Southern Senators, 1949-1950: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6340

 Alice Brantley, 1954: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6328

 David Degraffenreid, 1954: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6329

 Thomas Williams, 1954: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6330

 E. Frederic Morrow, 1955: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/sources/ps_till.html

 Martin Luther King, 1955: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGtp7kCi_LA

 The Southern Manifesto, 1956: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/sources_document2.html

 Montgomery Improvement Association, 1956: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/sources/ps_bus.html

 Martin Luther King, 1957:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/sources/ps_nonviolence.html

 Dwight Eisenhower, 1957: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6335

 Hosea Guice, 1958: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6334

 Fannie Lou Hamer, 1972-1973: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6918

 Hollis Watkins, 1996: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6923

 Malcolm X, 1962: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/7041

 Ross Barnett, 1962: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/sources/ps_schools.html

 James Meredith, 1963: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6326

 John Kennedy, 1963: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/sources/ps_c.html

 James Baldwin letter, 1963: http://www.thenagain.info/Classes/Sources/Baldwin.html

 Martin Luther King, "I Have a Dream," 1963: http://www.let.rug.nl/usa/documents/1951-/martinluther-kings-i-have-a-dream-speech-august-28-1963.php

 John Lewis, 1963: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/sources/ps_washington.html

 Terri Shaw, 1964: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/sources/ps_summer.html

 Alabama Voter Registration Form, 1964-1965: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/sources/ps_march.html

 Malcolm X, 1964: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/sources/ps_noi.html

 Nina Simone, "Mississippi Goddam," 1964: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBiAtwQZnHs

 Lyndon Johnson, 1965: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6336

Assignments due by Saturday, April 11





1.

What social and legal restrictions of African Americans' freedom did the civil rights movement challenge between the late-1940s and mid-1960s? Be sure to incorporate primary source evidence in your answer.

2.

Based on the assigned readings and documentary film, explain at least three factors that led the Southern

Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) chose to focus a major campaign in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963.

3.

Based on the assigned readings and documentary fim, what tactics did the SCLC employ in Birmingham? To what extent were those tactics controversial? To what extent was nonviolent protest crucial to the success of the Birmingham campaign?

4.

Drawing upon the assigned readings and documentary film, and incorporating examples from the assigned primary sources, explain why many Americans resisted the advances of the civil rights movement throughout the 1950s and early 1960s.

Unit 4: Modern America, 1960s-2010s

Week 13: The Tumultuous 1960s and Early 1970s********************************************************


The American Promise, pp. 840-868, 875-904

Reading the American Past: ch. 28: Docs. #1, 4, 5; ch. 29: Docs. #1, 2, 3, 4, 5


 Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Vietnam, 1945: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5139

 Ho Chi Minh, 1946: http://vietnamwar.lib.umb.edu/enemy/docs/Ho_letter_to_Truman_Feb_46.html

 John Kennedy, 1961: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=8032

 "Daisy Ad," 1964: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDTBnsqxZ3k

 SDS Membership Card, ca. 1962: http://www.sds-1960s.org/MembershipCard.htm

 Paul Potter, 1965:

http://www.antiauthoritarian.net/sds_wuo/sds_documents/paul_potter.html

 Carl Oglesby, 1984: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6911

 Cathy Wilkerson, 1985: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6913 , http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6914 , http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6915 , and http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6916

 SNCC, 1965: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/sources/ps_vietnam.html

 SSgt Barry Sadler, "The Ballad of the Green Berets," 1966: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-

1CZ3xk4R08

 Black Panther Party Platform, 1966: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6445

 Stokely Carmichael, 1967: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6461

 Frank Benson Jones, 1970: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6460

 National Mobilization Staff memo, 1968: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6464

 Bruce Darrow, 1968: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6798

 Kerner Commission, 1968: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6545 and http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6465

 The Goals of the Poor People's Campaign, 1968: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/eyesontheprize/sources/ps_poor.html

 Country Joe and the Fish, "Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die," 1969: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBdeCxJmcAo

 Merle Haggard, "Okie from Muskogee," 1969: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iYY2FQHFwE

 Walter Cronkite, 1968: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn4w-ud-TyE

 "Vietnam," 1968: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HBON-ZIyUE

 Spiro Agnew, 1969: http://wps.prenhall.com/wps/media/objects/108/111235/ch29_a4_d2.pdf

 Letters to Richard Nixon, 1969: http://nixon.archives.gov/forkids/speechesforkids/silentmajority/silentmajoritypro.pdf

and http://nixon.archives.gov/forkids/speechesforkids/silentmajority/silentmajoritycon.pdf

 Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Fortunate Son," 1969: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec0XKhAHR5I

 Carol Mirman, 1970: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6912

 Jim Vacarella, 1970: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6928

 Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, "Ohio," 1970: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82CYNj7noic

 Marvin Gaye, "What's Going On," 1971: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f39Zs0gB87c

 Leslie Gelb, 1972: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6899





 Essay 2


1.

Based on the assigned readings and documentary film, in what ways did many Americans—especially younger, college-aged Americans—rally around issues social justice and foreign policy? Specify primary source evidence in your answer.

2.

What factors prompted the United States to intervene in Vietnam? What goals did the United States have in the Vietnam War? Be sure to incorporate primary source evidence in your answer.

3.

Why did the Vietnam War lead to incredible social and political divisions in American society? What assigned primary source evidence best illustrates the social and political divisions of the era?

4.

Why did racial equality remain a polarizing issue between the mid-1960s and early-1970s? Be certain to draw upon the assigned primary sources in your answer.

Week 14: A Conservative Era, 1970s-1990s*********************************************************


The American Promise, pp. 868-872, 905-955


Documentary Film: Minimum Wages: The New Economy: http://billmoyers.com/content/minimum-wages/


 Gloria Steinam, 1970: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/7025

 Georgiana Sellers, 1970: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/7050

 Margaret Heckler, 1970: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/7020

 Mary Frances Berry, 1983: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/7023

 Robert Gray, 1983: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/7028

 Oil crisis political cartoons, 1973-1974: http://hti.osu.edu/opper/lesson-plans/energy-crisis

 Jimmy Carter election ad, 1976: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ujaix6ya54

 Jimmy Carter, 1977: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primaryresources/carter-energy/

 Ronald Reagan election ad, 1980: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOaXTNVimJI

 Ronald Reagan, Inaugural Address, 1981: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=43130

 "A Warning," 1981: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6776

 "Photo-op," 1980s: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6774

 Bruce Springsteen, "Johnny 99," 1982: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAjhHbtZyQU

 Bruce Springsteen, "Born in the USA," 1984: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPhWR4d3FJQ

 Ronald Reagan, 1985: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/reagan2.asp

 "It's Morning Again in America," 1984: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EU-

IBF8nwSY&feature=related

 "The Bear," 1984: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpwdcmjBgNA&feature=related

 House Hearings on AIDS, 1983: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6893 and http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6894

 House Hearings on AIDS, 1987: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6895

 Bruce Priebe, 1980s: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6910

 Employment Discrimination against Gay Men and Lesbians, 1994: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6463

 Faith Robinson, 1995: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6917

 Gulf War protest interviews, 1991: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/7037

 Los Angeles riots photographs, 1992: http://framework.latimes.com/2012/04/19/photos-from-losangeles-riots/#/0

 Dan Quayle, 1992: http://www.vicepresidentdanquayle.com/speeches_StandingFirm_CCC_1.html

 Darin Zirin, 2012: http://www.thenation.com/blog/167630/want-understand-1992-la-riotsstart-1984-la-olympics#axzz2c8YpAyFb






1.

In what ways did gender equality remain a divisive issues between the 1970s and early 1990s? Which of the assigned primary sources reveal such social tensions?

2.

In what ways did sexuality emerge as a major social issue during the 1980s and early 1990s? Which of the assigned primary sources demonstrate the significance of this social issue?

3.

Based on the assigned readings and documentary film, what major economic challenges did ordinary

Americans—such as the Stanley and Neumann families of Milwaukee, Wisconsin—face between the 1970s and early 1990s? Specify primary source evidence in your answer.

4.

In what ways did the Reagan administration reflect the political conservatism of the era? Be sure to incorporate primary source evidence in your answer.

Week 15: The Contemporary United States**************************************************************

Reading Assignment for April 26 – May 2



Documentary Film: No End in Sight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykpf5nDIs9M


 Emira Habiby-Browne, 2001: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6921

 The September 11 Digital Archive: http://911digitalarchive.org/

 George Bush, 2001: http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/address-to-a-jointsession-of-congress/

 Bruce Springsteen, "My City of Ruins," 2000 (performed in 2001): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zld2cSIVUO4

 Toby Keith, "Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue," 2001: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PXSK3iDeAI

 George Bush, 2002: http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/president-bushdelivers-graduation-speech-at-west-point/

 George Bush, 2003: http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/state-of-the-unionaddress-6/

 Robert Byrd, 2003: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/feb/18/usa.iraq

 "Wolves," 2004: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MU4t9O_yFsY

 Abu Ghraib photographs, 2004: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/05/03/slideshow_040503#slide=8

 Derrick Jackson, 2004: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/04/21/rumsfelds

_fungible_facts?pg=full

 Jeff Jacoby, 2004: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/05/13/the_imag es_we_see____and_those_we_dont?pg=full

 James Carroll, 2004: http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/12/07/afraid_to_ look_in_the_moral_abyss/

 PBS NewsHour, 2004: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/military/july-dec04/armor_12-9.html

 Merle Haggard, "America First," 2005": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UodJB1tRNVE

 Trace Adkins, "Arlington," 2006: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJO7lJIxG10

 Darryl Worley, "I Just Came Back from a War," 2006: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lyramw3NUAE

 Boston Globe, 2007: http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/02/12/dixie_chicks_victory_shows_coun trys_anti_war_turn/

 New York Times, 2008: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/24/opinion/24fri1.html?em&_r=0

 Barack Obama, 2008: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/07/us/politics/transcript-of-presidentobamas-election-night-speech.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

 Barack Obama, 2009: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/04/us/politics/04obama.text.html?pagewanted=all

 Sherman Alexie, "The Facebook Sonnet," 2011: http://holykaw.alltop.com/the-facebook-sonnet-bysherman-alexie

 New York Times, 2012: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/opinion/sunday/barack-obamafor-president.html?pagewanted=all

 National Public Radio, 2013: http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/08/19/213568763/researchers-facebookmakes-us-sadder-and-lesssatisfied?utm_source=NPR&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=20130820

Assignments due by Saturday, May 2





1.

Please take this opportunity to reflect on the skills and knowledge you have gained this semester. Also, after a semester of reading actual historical evidence, please explain what you think are the major benefits and challenges of relying on primary sources to understand the past.

2.

Why did the Bush administration advocate for a preemptive invasion of Iraq? Why did Robert Byrd to oppose this strategy? Be sure to incorporate primary source evidence in your answer.

3.

Based on the assigned readings and documentary film, what are three major challenges the United States faced after the invasion of Iraq in March 2003? Specify primary source evidence and examples from the documentary film in your answer.

4.

This week, just as I've done for each week of the semester, I've collected a number of primary source artifacts—from popular songs to interviews, from poetry to New York Times editorials—that reflect aspects of the contemporary experience in the United States. Choosing at least three of these sources, please reflect on how well (or not so well) they reflect the contemporary national experience. Please also make at least one other suggestion for a primary source I could assign in the future, explaining what what would make it appropriate for the course.

Week 16: Final Exam**************************************************************

Assignment due by Saturday, May 9:

 Final Exam

Course Schedule - My SMCC - Southern Maine Community College

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