(AMERICAN History 1700)

U.S. Role & Rights

Prompt 1

From the end of World War II until the beginning of the 1990s America was involved in a Cold War.  Some have argued that this Cold War has continued or “carried over” into the first decade of the 21st Century.  Many scholars have also argued that in order to “save” American democracy, at times it has been necessary to curtail or limit it. 

· What is the main reason that government officials believed it was necessary to curtail Americans’ freedoms and what are some examples where this occurred?

Helpful Sources

American Civilization, A Brief History: Ch 12-14 (Course Text)

The CIA and Guatemala, 1994 (Links to an external site.)

Senator Joseph McCarthy's Speech on Communists in the State Department, 1950 (Links to an external site.)  (excerpts)

Pentagon Papers: Background to the Crisis, 1967 (Links to an external site.)

Prompt 2

The creation of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights have created certain expectations by the American public in terms of what the nation can and should offer its citizens, and the nation has seen protests when those expectations have not been met.  In the final three chapters in the textbook this has been one of the themes (the relationship between American citizens, and their rights in conjunction with the role of government in securing those rights). 

· Which right(s) (or ideals behind specific rights) has been the biggest motivating factor for protests and political activity by American citizens (in the events covering chapters 12-14)?

Helpful Sources 

American Civilization, A Brief History: Ch 12-14 (Course Text)

Operation Wetback, Juanita Garcia, 1952 (Links to an external site.)

Declaration of Indian Purpose, 1961 (Links to an external site.)

The Mendez Case: Brown v. Board of Education for Mexican Americans, 1946  (Links to an external site.)