{"id":13592,"date":"2023-04-12T10:31:08","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T10:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/questions\/why-did-the-usa-go-to-war-in-vietnam-and-why-they-lost-what-did-the-civil-rights-movements-of-the-1950s-60s-and-1970s-achieve-into-the-1980s-and-how-do-we-understand-the-right-turn-of-the-1980s\/"},"modified":"2023-04-12T10:31:08","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T10:31:08","slug":"why-did-the-usa-go-to-war-in-vietnam-and-why-they-lost-what-did-the-civil-rights-movements-of-the-1950s-60s-and-1970s-achieve-into-the-1980s-and-how-do-we-understand-the-right-turn-of-the-1980s","status":"publish","type":"questions","link":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/questions\/why-did-the-usa-go-to-war-in-vietnam-and-why-they-lost-what-did-the-civil-rights-movements-of-the-1950s-60s-and-1970s-achieve-into-the-1980s-and-how-do-we-understand-the-right-turn-of-the-1980s\/","title":{"rendered":"why did the USA go to war in Vietnam and why they lost, what did the civil rights movements of the 1950s, 60s and 1970s achieve into the 1980s, and how do we understand the Right Turn of the 1980s"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>You are expected to make arguments, which requires that all ideas are logically coherent and are supported with evidence.  Without evidence you are only making assertions, which cannot be properly evaluated.  Without logic and coherence, you are simply rambling.  Any argument will be considered, as long it is coherent and supported by specific historical evidence.  Deal with one topic per paragraph, use topic sentences and the active voice.  See below for guidance: \u200b&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>http:\/\/www.bartleby.com\/141\/strunk5.html&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;You are expected to review all of the sources and all sections of the textbook in order to understand the issues, although for analytic clarity you will focus on some sections and but a few sources.  The most successful essays will use sources from BOTH Yawp\/Boyer AND Cobbs.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;That said, the greatest emphasis should be on the primary sources and interpretive essays from Major Problems.   No matter what, you are primarily answering the central question of the essay.  <b>This assignment will answer why did the USA go to war in Vietnam and why they lost, what did the civil rights movements of the 1950s, 60s and 1970s achieve into the 1980s, and how do we understand the Right Turn of the 1980s, providing specific historical evidence.<\/b>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;Cold War II Cobbs and Gjerde, \u201cVietnam (3d ed)\u201d Cobbs and Gjerde, \u201cSixties and Vietnam (4th ed)\u201d   \u201cIntroduction, Ho Chi Minh, Eisenhower, Ball (3d ed)\u201d \u201cIntroduction, Farmer, Draftee, \u201cCountry Joe\u201d (4th ed)\u201d Lind, \u201cNecessary War,\u201d and Lawrence, \u201cMistake (3d ed) Logevall, \u201cFlawed Decisions, Terrible Consequences (4th ed)\u201d&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;IF YAWP Chapter 27 \u201cThe Sixties\u201d sections on \u201cKennedy and Cuba\u201d and \u201cOrigins of the Vietnam War\u201d Chapter 28 \u201cThe Unraveling\u201d sections on \u201cThe Strain of Vietnam\u201d   IF BOYER Boyer, \u201cVietnam,\u201d&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>1. Why did the USA go to war in Vietnam?  How did North Vietnam win? (30%)&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;What were the arguments made by US leaders for the war in Vietnam?  What was the reality?  For examples why did Truman ignore Ho Chi Minh and reject the proposed 1956 elections?   What went wrong?  How did the North Vietnamese win?   As with the Cold War essay above EXPLICITLY address the \u201crhetoric versus reality\u201d or \u201cwords versus actions\u201d of US policymakers.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b>&nbsp;Extra Credit<\/b> There are many explanations or theories regarding what went wrong in Vietnam: (3d ed) Mark Lawrence argues that it was errors by the Western allies overall, and not simply the USA.  Lind does not dispute that the USA lost the war, but argues that they were \u201cforced\u201d to wage the war to maintain credibility.  Where does he see the problems with Vietnam?  What errors does he acknowledge?  Which argument is more convincing? (4th ed) Frederik Logevall argues that the poor decisions of LBJ and many other policymakers were decisive, and that it as the \u201cpath of least resistance.\u201d  Explain.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;Affluence and Civil Rights (40%) \u200b<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;IF YAWP \u200bChapter 26 \u201cThe Affluent Society\u201d Chapter 27 \u201cThe Sixties\u201d especially sections on \u201cThe Civil Rights Movement Continues,\u201d \u201cLyndon Johnson\u2019s Great Society\u201d and \u201cBeyond Civil Rights\u201d Chapter 28 \u201cThe Unraveling\u201d especially sections on \u201cRacial, Social and Cultural Anxieties,\u201d and \u201cPolitics of Love, Sex and Gender\u201d Chapter 29 \u201cThe Triumph of the Right\u201d especially \u201cAfrican American Life in Reagan\u2019s America\u201d Chapter 30 \u201cThe Recent Past\u201d especially \u201cGreat Recession\u201d and \u201cNew Horizons\u201d   \u200b<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>IF BOYER Boyer, Chapter 27, \u201cMidcentury,\u201d \u200bBoyer, Chapter 28, \u201cLiberalism\u201d (esp. \u201cThe Continuing Struggle for Black Equality\u201d) \u200bBoyer, Chapter 29, \u201cUpheaval\u201d (esp. \u201cDivided Nation, Crises at Home\u201d) Boyer, Chapter 30, \u201cEnd of the Cold War\u201d (esp. \u201cDivided Nation, Crises at Home\u201d) Boyer, Chapter 31, \u201cChanging Nation\u201d (esp. \u201cDivided Nation, Crises at Home\u201d)   Cobbs and Gjerde, \u201cAffluence\u201d \u201cIntro, Fourth of July, College Women, Perfect Wife, Other America, Friedan\u201d Coontz, \u201cWay We Never Were (3d ed)\u201d \u201cIntro, Security Risks, Perfect Wife, Harlem Disc Jockey, Friedan\u201d May, \u201cNuclear Cocoon (4th ed)\u201d   \u200bCobbs and Gjerde, \u201cCivil Rights\u201d \u201cIntroduction, Brown v Board, Rosa Parks, Self-Defense, Equality, la Raza, Alcatraz (3d ed)\u201d \u201cIntroduction, Segregation, Fanon, Brown v Board, Southern Congressmen, Church Bombing, Freedom of Marriage, Alcatraz, Chicanas (4th ed)\u201d   Cobbs and Gjerde, \u201cNew Right\u201d \u201cIntroduction, Brown v Board, Rosa Parks, Self-Defense, Equality, la Raza, Alcatraz (3d ed)\u201d \u201cIntroduction, Schlafly (3d and 4th ed)\u201d Carter, \u201cThe Politics of Race and the New Right,\u201d (3d ed)&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;2. What did the civil rights movements of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s achieve?  What was life like for African Americans in the 1980s? Why did these profoundly positive (in terms of equality, freedom and democracy) social changes of the 1950s to 1970s generate SO MUCH anxiety and resistance? Have me moved backwards or stalled on racial equity in the 1970s and 1980s? (40%)&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;The U.S. experienced unprecedented prosperity in the generation after WWII, and in this context oppressed groups fought and struggled to improve their lives and force the nation to protect their rights.  Others resisted these changes and, as in the 1920s, many of the struggles were over race and sex.  What were the realities of life in the 1950s for black and white families, as well as women, Latinos, Native Americans and \u201chomosexuals?\u201d   Discuss the foundations of the Civil Rights Movements for oppressed racial and ethnic groups and for women.  Why was black power, defined broadly, so popular among blacks, and so unpopular among whites (including some of those who supported black rights overall)?  Why was feminism so resisted by many, including white women?   Finally, how did rising economic inequality from the 1980s, mass incarceration from the 1990s, the 2000s financial crisis, etc affect the realities of lives of the poor, including those of color.   The primary sources reflect a wide variety of movements and issues.  Integrate them into the analysis&#8212;to do that, feel free to adapt the essay accordingly.  Feel free to delve deeper into issues in which you are particularly interested.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;3. What did Conservatives (and others) believe went wrong during the 1960s and 1970s?  How do we understand the rise of the New Right into the 1980s (30%)?&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 1em;\"><br \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"font-size: 1em;\">Cobbs, Chapter 15, \u201cThe Rise of the New Right (3d ed)\u201d Cobbs, Chapter 14, \u201cThe Emergence of the New Right (4th ed)\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;IF YAWP Chapter 28 \u201cThe Unraveling\u201d Chapter 29 \u201cThe Triumph of the Right\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>IF BOYER Boyer, Chapter 30, \u201cConservative Revival\u201d Disenchantment with the real and apparent failures of the 70s led to the \u201cRight Turn\u201d which at heart rejected much of what defined the era of the 1960s and 1970s.  What happened?&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div>Despite the very real successes noted above, the 1960s and 1970s also saw failures and even the positive changes generated anxieties, as in prior times of social change (like the 1920s or the 1950s).  What were these real and perceived issues or problems? Be sure to distinguish between the real and perceived failures of the era.  For example, some of the anxieties and fears might have been over changes that were on sum positive but disturbed some people (such as women in the workplace or upward mobility for black people).  And some of the failures were obviously real, such as inflation and government deficits.  Or of course the defeat in Vietnam.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Assess the primary merits and successes of the movement, but also note some of the issues<b>.  For instance, discuss the Southern Strategy (Boyer) which is analyzed by Carter (Cobbs 3d ed),<\/b> or Boyer\u2019s emphasis on Evangelical Conservatism (Cobbs, 4th ed).   You can follow up with why the Reagan administration was a not able to fulfill some of the promises.  For instance, government spending and deficits (Boyer) increased throughout the decade, despite the rhetorical emphasis on \u201csmall government,\u201d and economic inequality increased dramatically.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Whatever the reasons, the New Right transformed US society and culture.  Explain some of the outcomes, both positive and negative, as you see them being sure to discuss religion (Falwell, Reagan and Boyer 4th ed, Falwell 3d ed), anti-Government sentiment (Californians Revolt, Reagan and Schulman, 3d ed, Californians,Sierra Club, and Brands, 4th ed), the economy (growth but deficits and downsizing) and foreign policy (end of the Cold War&#8212;Graebner et al and Lundestad, 4th ed)<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b>Please include the Extra Credit Assignment&nbsp;<\/b><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;Readings:<\/div>\n<div>REQUIRED<\/div>\n<div>Cobbs Hoffman, Elizabeth and Jon Gjerde.  Major Problems in American History, vol.<\/div>\n<div>II, Since 1865, Fourth Edition.  Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin)<\/div>\n<div>ISBN-10: 1305585305 (Fourth, 2016)<\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div>American Yawp, eds. Joseph Locke and Ben Wright (Stanford, CA: Stanford<\/div>\n<div>University Press, 2018) NOTE THIS IS A FREE OPEN SOURCE DIGITAL RESOURCE<\/div>\n<div>&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div>Boyer, Paul et al.  The Enduring Vision, vol II, Since 1865, Advantage Edition, Eighth<\/div>\n<div>Edition.  Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin, 2014. &nbsp;<\/div>\n<div>ISBN-13: 978-1285193403<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You are expected to make arguments, which requires that all ideas are logically coherent and are supported with evidence. Without evidence you are only making assertions, which cannot be properly evaluated. Without logic and coherence, you are simply rambling. Any argument will be considered, as long it is coherent and supported by specific historical evidence. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"disciplines":[524],"paper_types":[],"tagged":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions\/13592"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/questions"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13592"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/questions\/13592\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13592"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"disciplines","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/disciplines?post=13592"},{"taxonomy":"paper_types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper_types?post=13592"},{"taxonomy":"tagged","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goodacademic.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tagged?post=13592"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}