Unit 3: World War, Cold War and the Liberal Consensus
by Dr. H - October 23rd, 2015
In our third unit, US history collides with world history in a big way, and we seek to explain how the US became involved in the Second World War and the subsequent Cold War. We also explore the transition from the New Deal “welfare state” through the wartime homefront years to a multi-decade era of prosperity and political consensus. But were the postwar “good times” for everyone?
Fri 10/23 World War II. Reading: Chapter 23. Constitutional Module #3 will go live on Blackboard (due by Nov 23).
Mon 10/26 Primary Source Project Peer Review / Writing Workshop. No reading, but bring a *printed* draft of your Primary Source paper to class.
Download Primary Source Paper guidelines
Wed 10/28 Opening of the Cold War. Reading: Chapter 24.
Fri 10/30 Workshop Day – bring textbook. Reading: Chapter 23-24 documents.
Mon 11/2 Troubled Innocence. Reading: Chapter 25. Primary Source paper is due
Wed 11/4 Liberal Consensus. Reading: Chapter 26.
Fri 11/6 Workshop Day – bring textbook. Reading: Chapter 25-26 documents. Exam 3 Study Guide will be handed out.
Mon 11/9 Discussion: The Constitution in Political and Social Movements. Reading (bring with you to class): the US Constitution (textbook pp. Appendix A7-17).
No class Wed 11/11 – Veteran’s Day holiday
Fri 11/13 Exam #3 (Chapters 23-26). As before, you may bring one 8.5×11″ sheet of paper with anything on the front and/or back.
For question 7 we feel as though our documents back up the first statement saying, “the Cold War inspired American commitment and loyalty in the 1960’s.” Document 26.1 supports this because the document is an over simplification of the Cuban Missile Crisis just like how the Kennedy administration oversimplified the crisis to the American public at the time. By oversimplifying the problem it became easy for the Kennedy administration to manipulate the American public into supporting the actions during the Crisis. The second document supports the point because the soldier expresses his loyalty to the United States. The soldier discusses how people can’t be “pacifists” and expect things to change, they must take action.