Write an essay (c. 1,000-1,400 words) examining how social, political, and economic changes from World War II to the recent past affected the livelihoods of Americans or people in other countries. The topic is purposely open so you can explore areas of interest to you, but please make sure you are basing your essay on the textbook, lecture slides, unit overviews, and primary sources, and avoid using outside sources or generative AI to help write your essay.
Topic Selection: You should make the scope of the essay (its areas of focus) broad enough to cover historical developments over several decades but narrow enough to do so within the designated wordcount. You may consider, for example, how developments like the Cold War, the civil rights movement, the counterculture, the conservative turn, or the War on Terrorism shaped the meanings and pursuit of freedom at home or abroad. You may consider questions like: How did different politicians define freedom to support their policy proposals? Which groups won greater freedom or equality in this period and how? How did America’s involvement in international affairs develop and change in this period, and what impact did American interventions have? How have concerns about national security or traditional values clashed with concerns about liberty? What do you think is the biggest threat to liberty in the U.S. today, and do any episodes from American history help inform your thinking about this question?
Primary Sources: Use the textbook and lecture slides for historical context and incorporate four or more primary sources into your analysis. These can either be the primary sources indented in the modules on Canvas or the primary source excerpts from the “Voices of Freedom” sections in the textbook chapters (which you can find using the search feature). Try to offer some analysis of ideas expressed in the sources to support your claims about the topic you are writing about.
Introduction: The essay should begin with an introduction explaining your topic and the main events or issues you will explore in the body of the essay. Try to formulate a thesis statement that encapsulates your central argument(s). For example, a thesis could look something like this: “This essay examines the achievements and limitations of American struggles for liberty in the second half of the twentieth century. While African Americans, women, and labor organizers won more rights, the fruits of their victories were limited by structural conditions or countervailing political agendas. Examples of these limitations include the persistence of Black economic inequality after desegregation, the Christian Right’s backlash against women’s liberation, and government violations of civil liberties in the name of national security during the Cold War and the War on Terror.” The body of the paper should provide specific examples from the readings to support your claims and offer clear indications of the relevant chronology, causality, and geography.
Citations: Please cite the author or editor and page number of the sources like this: In her address to Congress, Carrie Chapman Catt echoed Woodrow Wilson’s wartime commitment to make the world “safe for democracy” by arguing that supporting women’s suffrage would allow America to “resume its world leadership in democracy” (Catt 116). If the source does not have an author, you can just use the title provided on Canvas like this (NSC-68 Excerpts 4).
