The 1960s: Vietnam, Rebellion, and Watergate
by Dr. H - November 15th, 2010
This week we look at America in turmoil, practically at the point of civil war – the years 1965-1975. The nonviolent civil rights movement fractured into multiple movements, marked by standoffs, sit-ins, protests, assassinations, violence, riots, and new directions: black/red/brown power, radical feminism, student movements and anti-war protests. By the end of this week, we will witness the United States convulsed by violence, torn by war, and deeply disillusioned by scandal and constitutional crisis in Richard Nixon’s White House. It’s a week to look at some of America’s toughest times.
Monday 11/15 – the reading is documents from FTR (347-362), but you should definitely review the textbook’s coverage of the Vietnam War so that you have the basic outline in your head. We’ll discuss the war under Kennedy and Johnson, and the way it’s been remembered in film and public memorials.
Wednesday 11/17 – Chapter 35 in ANH, “Rebellion and Reaction” – including the tumultuous year of 1968
Friday 11/19 – the Vietnam War in the 1970s, including Nixon’s decision to widen the war to neighboring Laos and Cambodia, the Kent State shooting, and the Watergate crisis
