Choose ONE topic from the 1930s – 1960s found on the “suggested topics list” at the
bottom. Certain “suggestions” are already arranged into a topical question that can be
used as the basis for the presentation. Focus on a topic that allows you to make a
critique. Write 2 paragraphs responding to one of the “suggestions list” topics and use
supporting evidence to prove your idea(s)
Use at least one reference and cite it multiple times inside the paragraphs. The textbook
and/or Powerpoint notes are excellent sources for this question.
At the bottom of the presentation, list the full reference(s) like in a Works Cited page.
Provide some statistical evidence to help describe the topic.
Avoid grammatical errors.
Respond to at least one other classmate’s discussion post. Do not simply write “I agree with
you.” Provide a bit of substance by writing out a fuller sentence saying why or why not
you agree with the other classmate. Or feel free to analyze what you think of another
classmate’s post.
Also, post your 2 or more paragraphs in the “Assignments” section found within
“Assessments” in D2L.
Suggested Topics from the 1930s – 1960s:
1. Outline how numerous smaller-scale wars from earlier decades evolved in World War 2.
2. From a U.S. perspective, what factors motivated the “Red Scare” during the 1950s?
3. From a Soviet Union perspective, what factors motivated a “Red, White, and Blue Scare”
during the 1950s?
4. Construct a “recipe” from the 1920s that produced the Great Depression during the 1930s.
5. Construct a “recipe” from the 1920s and 1930s that produced World War II during the 1940s.
6. What factors prompted the rise of National Socialism in Germany during the 1920s and
1930s?
7. How did the Wansee Conference (1942) impact the Holocaust in Europe?
8. Why did the United States enter World War II directly in 1941 and not earlier?
9. What was the purpose of the “Duck and Cover” campaign with Bert the Turtle? What was
misleading about this presentation?
10. What was the status of most middle-class women in the United States during the 1950s –
1960s? What changes occurred with middle-class women and their status after the 1960s
and through the 2000s?
11. What new music became the most popular form of music among young adults and teenagers
during the 1950s – 1960s? How had this type of music evolved after the 1960s?
12. What connections can be made between racial prejudices and rock & roll during the
1950s? What marketing technique was used to influence more people to tolerate rock &
roll?
13. What factors, besides defeating the Japanese in World War 2, motivated the United States
government to decide to drop atomic bombs on Japan in August, 1945?
14. What was the purpose of the U.S. government establishing a social security tax in
1935? How can the social security tax help or not help the current generation of young
adults?
15. Describe what Japanese suicide warfare was during World War 2?
16. What factors produced the Holocaust during World War 2?
17. What problems were solved from the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and
1960s? What civil rights problems were not solved during the 1950s and 1960s and
continue in the 21st century?
18. Outline the historical steps that lead to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962?
19. Outline the argument that persists over Confederate monuments and dedications to street and
school names. What are the opposing sides and what were the eras when most of these
Confederate monuments and dedications were established? What motivated such
actions?
20. Why was the John Kennedy assassination reported by the government as to have involved a
“lone gunman”? According to the film showing the assassination, what appears to
contradict the U.S. government’s claim?
21. Communism vs. Capitalism: pros and cons?
22. Martin Luther King vs. Malcolm X: What were the differences in their ideologies?
23. What were the major drug law reforms during the 1930s?
24. Why was marijuana nationally outlawed in the 1930s?
25. Why was alcohol legalized in the 1930s, if it was just outlawed during the 1920s?
26. How did President Franklin Roosevelt (1933 – 1945) contribute to the political realignment
of the Democratic Party during the 1930s?
27. What was the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955) and how did Rosa Parks influence this event?
28. What were the different levels of poverty among African Americans and European
Americans during the 1950s?
29. Describe how U.S. schools during the 1950s were segregated.
30. Describe how U.S. schools were desegregated in the 1950s – 1970s. Why did desegregation
take a long time to accomplish after the 1950s?
31. What new Constitutional amendments were adopted in the 1950s – 1970s?
32. What was the perspective of some Hispanics and/or Latin Americans from Florida or other
southern states during the 1950s and 1960s with regard to segregation between so-called
skin color groups?
33. What was Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) and how did it contribute to the birth control
movement?
34. What was the status of employment among most U.S. women during the 1950s? What
factors increased female employment in future decades?
35. Why do less U.S. men in the 21st century obtain cosmetic procedures in comparison to U.S.
women?
36. Why was racial segregation present within rock & roll music in the 1950s?
37. What was the Emmett Till case in 1955 about?
The book
Shi, D. E. (2022). America : the essential learning edition. W.W. Norton and Company.
