The 1960s: Political and Constitutional
by Dr. H - October 31st, 2010
The next three weeks will look at the 1960s (and early 1970s) from three different perspectives. This week, we’ll look at the gaining momentum for school desegregation and the long-overdue but slow dismantling of Jim Crow legislation in the 1950s–and the constitutional conflicts that momentum provoked. On Wednesday and Friday we’ll look at the domestic policy agenda, and mixed achievements, of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. For this week, read Chapters 33 and 34. Since there’s no assigned reading for Friday the 5th, use that as a day to catch up on any missed reading and to review the postwar era so far (Chapters 29-34).
All of this will be essential background and overview for next week, when we look closely at the leaders, organizations, events and strategies of 1960s civil rights movements, and for the week after–a look at the tormented era of the Vietnam War, the turbulent end of the 1960s, and the Watergate crisis that ended Nixon’s presidency (Chapter 35).
The unit exam will be Monday, 11/22, covering Chapters 29-35.
