History 475 Fall
2010
Response One (on Byrnes/Wallace reading)
Unless otherwise stated, please
answer all the questions for any given response assignment. A
good answer will consist of about 5-7 thoughtful sentences per question
and will draw specific examples from the assigned readings.
1. Neither Byrnes (Source 2) nor Truman (Source 4) referred to the
Soviet Union by name. However, their documents are both full of
assumptions and descriptions about what the Soviets were up to after
World War II. Drawing at least two specific examples (i.e. brief
quotations or ideas) from each source, explain what Byrnes and Truman
were saying about the Soviets in these two primary sources.
2. Drawing specific examples from Sources 3 and 5, describe at least
three big reasons why Wallace thought that cooperation with the Soviets
was the right option. Using your own judgment and intuition, why
do you think that Wallace lost this debate? It’s ok to be a
little speculative in your answer, but be sure to draw on some specific
examples from the reading to ground your answer.
History
475 Fall 2010
Response Two (on HUAC reading)
**Note: For the HUAC reading, you
only need to read the pages listed in the syllabus (231-45, 250-54,
261-73, 278-80). The .pdf download for this assignment might
contain a few extra pages that you can skip.
Please answer two of the following three questions.
1. How did members of HUAC and their “friendly” witnesses
“know” that there were communists trying to subvert
American society through Hollywood? Referring to at least three
different speakers, explain specific examples showing how the accusers
supported their accusations of communist influence.
2. Would you describe John Howard Lawson as an American hero?
[Note: Lawson had in fact been an active member of the Communist Party
in the late 1930s. The unread statement that Lawson submitted at
the beginning of his testimony (p. 263) was one that challenged the
authority of HUAC.]
3. In your opinion, what were the three biggest concerns (whether stated or unstated) of MPAA chief Eric Johnston?
History
475 Fall 2010
Response Three (on Vietnam
reading)
1. Select two primary sources from this chapter that make an
interesting pairing. Explain why you find this pairing
interesting. For instance, you might write about two sources that
offer different views on the same issue, or you might write about
interesting or surprising parallels between two sources. (Note:
The primary sources appear on pp. 408-17.)
2. Identify at least three important ideas that make up Michael
Lind’s defense of the U.S. war in Vietnam. How persuasive
do you find these ideas?
History
475 Fall 2010
Response Four
(on Civil Rights)
1. What are the reasons why historian Charles Payne gives more emphasis
to SNCC and COFO than to Martin Luther King, Jr.? What do you
think of his argument?
2. After reading the primary sources (sources 2 to 13), identify at
least five important tactics or strategies used by SNCC and COFO to
fight the Jim Crow system. For each tactic or strategy that you
find, identify and briefly explain at least one primary source that
illustrates how and why that tactic worked.
History
475 Fall 2010
Tips on Readings for 12
October 2010 session
Note: There is no written assignment for Tuesday’s class.
The short readings by Ngai and Sugrue are meant to help us connect
recent history to the present day. As you read, focus on how Ngai
and Sugrue attempt to use the past to improve our thinking about
current issues. How successful are they?
When you read the first pages of Avila’s book, focus on how he
lays out his argument and key assumptions in the preface. Skim
the acknowledgements section to see what you can learn about Avila as a
person. Make note of any questions you have.
Also, in the preface, pay particular attention to this passage on page xiii:
"I argue that [1] despite popular culture’s
capacity to incorporate diverse and often contradictory meanings within
its fold, [2] the cultural forms explored in the following chapters
privileged a particular way of seeing the city and its people.
[3] This way of seeing became the basis for a new political
subjectivity that prized an inclusive white identity among a
heterogeneous suburban public."
This is a key passage that reveals his book’s overall
argument. However, it’s also a dense passage. After
reading the whole preface, try to translate it into everyday language
by filling in the blanks below. Each number that I’ve
inserted above refers to one of the lines below.
[1] Although popular culture ________________________________________,
[2] on the whole, the popular culture I study in this book favored _______________________.
[3] This popular culture then became the basis for _______________________________.
Terminology:
• “Subjectivity” refers to one’s sense of identity or way of seeing oneself.
• To “privilege” something is an academic way of saying to “favor” something.
History
475 Fall 2010
Response Five (on Avila
chapters 1, 2, and 3)
**Answer two of these three questions:
1. On page 18, Avila writes, “Culture, like war, is politics by
other means.” What are some of the interesting ways that
this idea appears in chapter one?
2. Why were neighborhoods like Watts and Boyle Heights conducive to the
Democratic Party’s New Deal coalition? Why did the New Deal
order begin to falter in post-World War II Los Angeles?
3. What is the significance of movies such as Them, War of the Worlds,
and Invasion of the Saucer Men? What broader historical context
and what details from the films does Avila provide to support his
interpretation of these movies?
History
475 Fall 2010
Response Six (on Avila
chapters 4 and 5)
**Please answer either question 1 or 2, and then answer question 3.
1. What role did race play at Disneyland? What specific
attractions or features at Disneyland made the park a precursor to
“the political culture of suburban whiteness”?
2. What did Disneyland mean to Teresa Hernandez? Does her
relationship with Disneyland mean that Avila is too harsh in his
criticism of Disneyland, or is his criticism still on target?
3. What were the different meanings of the Arechiga evictions to
different groups in Southern California? How does Avila use this
one event to illuminate broader political and cultural shifts in
Southern California?
History
475 Fall 2010
Response Seven (on Avila ch
5, 6, & epilogue)
**Please answer two of these three questions:
1. In what specific ways did freeways increase the “racialization” of Southern California political culture?
2. How did Proposition 13 (discussed in the epilogue) reflect some of
the political, cultural, and spatial changes in Southern California
that Avila discusses earlier in his book? Can we argue that
Disneyland, monster movies, freeways, and other features of Southern
California suburban culture were crucial steps on the road to Prop 13?
3. Spend a few minutes to reflect on the book as a whole. What is
your overall reaction to the book? Did it stimulate you
intellectually, emotionally, or politically? Did it change the
way you view your everyday surroundings or your family history, and if
so how? Did you find Avila’s arguments persuasive or
tendentious? Don’t try to answer all of these
questions. Just write a thoughtful paragraph conveying some of
your reflections on the book.
History
475 Fall 2010
Response Eight
(on the Sixties)
**Please answer two of these three questions:
1. According to the Port Huron Statement, how many different problems
were there in U.S. society? What parts of this statement do you
personally find most or least compelling for our own world today?
2. How would a member of the Weathermen (Source 3) respond to Raymond
Mungo’s account of life at the Total Loss Farm (Source 5)?
How would Mungo likely reply to the Weathermen? Which position,
if either, would you side with?
3. Making references to both of the chapter’s secondary source
readings (Isserman/Kazin & Heclo), what is your overall assessment
of the New Left? Was it effective or ineffective? Noble or
misguided?, etc.
History
475 Fall 2010
Response Nine
(on women’s mvt)
1. The four primary sources in this reading each discuss, either
explicitly or implicitly, a vision of happiness and the “good
life.” Writing a sentence or two for each of the four
sources, summarize what each source was communicating about the nature
of happiness and the good life.
Optional: Which of these four visions most resonates
with you? (You do not have to write a response to this optional
question, be but sure to think about it for class discussion.)
2. Visit the “Ad Access” webpage. You can find a link
to this site from my own links webpage, or you can enter this url: http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess/
Once on the website, click on “browse” and then focus on
the category of advertisements described as “Beauty and Hygiene
(1911-1956).” Find one interesting ad from the 1940s or
1950s and print it out. Then write a sentence or two describing
what the authors of our four primary sources would have likely said
about this ad if they had seen it. Write your imagined reactions
for three out of the four primary-source authors in the reading.
Attach a copy of your ad with your response assignment.
History
475 Fall 2010
Response Ten (on détente
foreign policy)
1. The first three primary sources in this chapter reveal important
features of U.S. foreign policy under Richard Nixon and Henry
Kissinger. Think of three adjectives that convey your opinion of
what Nixon and Kissinger were doing. For each adjective, briefly
identify and explain at least one specific example from the primary
sources that supports your choice of adjective.
2. Compare the speeches by Carter and Reagan. What did they have
in common? How were they different? Do you see the
similarities or the differences as more significant?
Context for question 1:
Richard Nixon and his chief foreign policy advisor, Henry Kissinger,
launched an ambitious foreign policy agenda to rebuild U.S. power
amidst the failing war effort in Vietnam. Rather than treat
communist countries as a monolithic evil force, Nixon and Kissinger
adopted the strategy of “triangular” diplomacy.
Here’s how it was supposed to work. Knowing that the
Soviets distrusted the Chinese and vice versa, Nixon and Kissinger made
friendly gestures toward both communist countries. The plan was
to offer better relations with the United States as a lure to drive the
Soviets and the Chinese even further apart. Then the Americans
could acquire more negotiating leverage with each communist country and
thus gain the upper hand in the Cold War struggle against
communism. Keep this broader strategy in mind as you read the
first three primary sources.
Phases in U.S. policy toward the Soviet Union
-1947-1969: militant Cold War containment
-1969-1979: détente (relaxation) under Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter
-1979-1985: revival of militant Cold War containment under Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan
-1985-1991: Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev wind down the Cold War
History
475 Fall 2010
Response Eleven (on Eckes and
Marsh)
1. Based on Eckes’s evidence, make a list of the main winners and
the main losers of U.S. foreign economic policy during the Cold
War. (You can create a simple list, as opposed to full sentences,
for this first part of the question.) Then address one of these
issues. If you think this overall economic policy was mostly
good, explain why. If you think the policy was largely flawed,
offer a realistic better alternative that the United States could have
taken.
2. Drawing on the Marsh article, what have been some of the successes
and frustrations of private Americans’ efforts to promote better
labor standards in poorer countries? How much power do you think
ordinary Americans have to improve life for workers in other countries?
Context for Question 2:
In 1979, a leftist movement in Nicaragua, known as the Sandinistas,
overthrew the dictatorship of Anastasio Somoza. Somoza was an
anticommunist U.S. ally (and West Point graduate) whose family had
dominated Nicaraguan politics since the 1930s. Despite their
strong popular support, the Sandinistas faced militant opposition from
Ronald Reagan, who painted them as pawns of world communism. Most
controversially, the Reagan administration funded right-wing guerillas
known as the “Contras,” a policy that plunged Nicaragua
into violent civil war in the 1980s. In 1990, the Sandinistas
undertook a general election, in which the Sandinistas lost power and
Violeta Chamorro, a relatively centrist leader (neither Sandinista nor
Contra), assumed the presidency. The United States, under George
H.W. Bush, openly spent $9 million to support Chamorro. The CIA
also covertly spent millions more to influence the election. Once
in office, Chamorro encouraged the creation of Free Trade Zones
(FTZ’s). FTZ’s are meant to promote foreign business
investment in poor countries. When businesses set up factories in
an FTZ, they do not have to pay the host government any taxes on their
business activity. The host economy does receive money in the
form of labor wages and rent on land in the zone.
History
475 Fall 2010
Response
Twelve (on Preston)
1. How did religion influence U.S. foreign policy debate in the 1980s
and early 1990s? Identify at least three specific examples,
citing specific pages from Preston’s article.
2. Should Americans’ moral values and humanitarian concerns
determine the conduct of U.S. foreign policy? Why or why
not? Your answer here should refer at least a little to
Preston’s evidence, but ultimately, answering this question will
depend in large part on your own thoughts. Also think about the
fate of the Kurds (see below) in your answer.
TIMELINE ON IRAQ AND THE UNITED STATES
1920s: With the defeat of the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire in WWI, the
victorious Allied powers divided the Ottoman Empire into different
nations. The British became temporary rulers of Iraq, and the
British drew an arbitrary line that defined Kuwait as a separate nation
from Iraq. After an Iraqi revolt in 1921, the British ceded power
of Iraq to a friendly monarch, Faisal I, but the British also kept
military bases there.
1934: The first oil exports left Iraq.
1953: In Iran, a CIA coup overthrew the democratically-elected but
left-leaning government of Mohammed Mossadeq. The CIA restored to
power the Shah, an anticommunist monarch who became a key U.S. ally.
1958: In Iraq, a secular left-wing coup by Abd al Karim Kassem overthrew Faisal II, grandson to the first Iraqi king.
1963: The Ba’ath party, a pan-Arab socialist party founded in
Syria, overthrew Kassem in Iraq. Ba’ath members, including
26-year old Saddam Hussein, executed Kassem and thousands of leftist
Kassem supporters. Strong evidence exists to suggest that the
CIA, worried over Kassem’s leftist politics, supplied the
Ba’ath Party with lists of Kassem supporters to kill. Later
that year, the Ba’ath party lost power.
1968: The Ba’athists regained power in another coup, this time
with Saddam Hussein playing a leading role. Compared to 1963,
Hussein had become even more of a secular leftist, ironically not
unlike Kassem.
1970s: Hussein gradually assumed tighter control of the Ba’ath
Party and Iraq. He received military aid from the Soviets, while
the U.S. supported Hussein’s rivals, Iran and Israel. In
1973, the CIA began arming the ethnic Kurdish minority in northern Iraq
until the Shah of Iran and Hussein signed a peace treaty in 1975.
Then the CIA cut off its support to the Kurds.
1980-88: The Iran-Iraq War. In 1979, the Shah of Iran fell to a
radical Islamic revolution. One year later, Hussein launched a
war against Iran that killed hundreds of thousands but ended eight
years later in a stalemated truce.
1988-90: Hussein attempted to recover from the Iran-Iraq war by calling
for a rise in global oil prices. Neighboring oil producers Kuwait
and Saudi Arabia declined to cooperate. Iraqi nationalists had
long resented British protection of oil-rich Kuwait, which they claimed
rightfully belonged to Iraq.
1990-91: The Gulf War: In August 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait. Later
that month, George H.W. Bush began Operation Desert Shield, which
eventually sent 500,000 troops to Saudi Arabia and nearby bases.
Bush then received approval to use force from both the U.S. Congress
and the U.N. Security Council. After Hussein rejected a UN
ultimatum calling for an Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait, Bush launched
Operation Desert Storm. Air strikes over Iraq began on 17
January, and the ground invasion of Kuwait began on 24 February, until
the negotiation of a cease-fire on 28 February. During the war,
the U.S. once again encouraged ethnic Kurds in northern Iraq to rise up
against Hussein’s rule. At the cease fire, Bush ordered
U.S. troops to remain at the Kuwait border and refrain from invading
Iraq. He allowed Hussein to stay in power, expressing concern
that the collapse of Hussein’s government would spark internal
violence in Iraq, and that it would also create violence in neighboring
Turkey, where a large group of Turkish Kurds might try to join the
Iraqi Kurds. Instead, Bush gave Hussein the chance to repress the
rebellious Iraqi Kurds. In the end, Hussein remained in power but
fell under U.N. sanctions, in part to ensure that he did not develop
chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons. The U.S. only paid 11%
of the war’s $61 billion cost. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait each
paid about 27%. Japan paid 16%. Just over 200 Americans
died, while between 25,000 and 250,000 Iraqis died.
History 475 Fall 2010 Response Thirteen (on the Makdisi article & the Obama packet)
**NOTE: This assignment is now due on Tuesday, 16 November.
1. How does Makdisi explain the roots of anti-Americanism in the Middle
East? If we follow Makdisi’s analysis on the roots of
militant Islam, what policies should the United States adopt to promote
U.S. security?
Note: When reading
Makdisi’s article, pay particular attention to the importance of
Arab secular nationalist, Gamal Abdel Nasser. His failures play a
big role in this story.
2. After reading the Obama speech and the two historical commentaries,
write a brief memo to Obama suggesting what he should do in
Afghanistan. In your memo, praise or criticize him for what he
said in his speech, and let him know whether he should obey or ignore
the advice of Kutler and Johnson & Mason.
History
475 Fall 2010
Response
Fourteen (Orleck, 1-68)
Please answer one of the Chapter One questions and then answer the Chapter Two question.
Chapter One
1a. How effective were federal government programs in helping poor blacks in the rural South?
or
1b.: How did sexuality (including white stereotypes about black women) affect black women?
Chapter Two
Q.1: How did “Mississippi-style” segregation remain strong in Las Vegas for so long, and how did it finally weaken?
History
475 Fall 2010
Responses Fifteen and Sixteen (Orleck, 69-278)
Please answer two of these five
questions for Response Fifteen. If you also do Response Sixteen,
answer two of the remaining questions.
1. According to Chapter Three, how did elite attitudes about poor
people (i.e. the views of scholars and politicians) affect welfare
policy in the United States and Nevada? Answer this question in
one good sentence, and then offer specific examples from the chapter.
2. Drawing mostly on Chapter Four (but also on earlier chapters if you
want), explain how Ruby Duncan became “politicized.”
That is, what factors led to her change from an ordinary private person
into an activist and leader?
3. Using Chapter Five’s evidence, assess the effectiveness of the
Vegas Strip protest marches. How successful was this activist
strategy?
4. Drawing on Chapters Six and Seven, explain why Operation Life succeeded. What were the keys to its success?
5. In Chapter Eight, what obstacles did Operation Life face? How did the organization manage to survive?
History
475 Fall 2010
Response Seventeen (Orleck,
279-310)
Please answer either Question 1 or Question 2, and then answer Question 3.
1. Why did Operation Life eventually fail? Thinking creatively
(but also realistically), suggest some ways that it could have survived.
2. If you were to give Operation Life a letter grade (A, B, C, D, F)
for its vision and achievements, what grade would it be and why?
Based on what Orleck writes in Chapter 8, what grade do you think she
would give?
3. What was for you the most surprising or interesting aspect of Chapter Nine? Why?