Assignment #18

ACIE American History - Cambridge International Examinations

Mr. Anthony Perno and Mr. Victor Wisniski – American Senior High School – 2009/2010 School Year

Syllabus Excerpt: VII Social Developments, 1945-68

The effects of the war. Population growth, changes in demographic structure and mobility. The decay of the cities and the urban crisis. The social consequences of technological change and economic growth. The role of religion. Expansion of higher education, student radicalism. Revolution in lifestyles in the 1960s: changes in the workplace, the roles of women, families. Developments in mass culture: film, literature, the TV age, the growing influence of the mass media.

· Reading Assignment: America, Past and Present, Chapter #29, Affluence and Anxiety, “The Struggle over Civil Rights,” pages 836-849

· Reading Assignment: America, Past and Present, Chapter #30, The Turbulent Sixties, “Years of Turmoil” pages 880-885

· Reading Assignment: America, Past and Present, Chapter #31, A Crisis in Confidence, “Private Lives – Public Issues,” pages 905-912

· Reading Assignment: Feature Essay: “The Christian Right,” pages 934-935

· Assignment: Using the above reading assignment, the student will prepare to answer the following essay questions. (One question will be chosen randomly the day of the exam.) The essay should encompass all pertinent syllabus topics.

· Essay Questions:

1. Examine the consequences of the great expansion of higher education in the United States from 1945 to 1968.

2. ‘In the 1950s and 1960s religion permeated every aspect of American life but how far there was a genuine religious revival remains uncertain.’ Assess the accuracy of this contention.

3. Examine the influence of the mass media on American society from 1952 to 1968.

4. How true was it that the quality of life for Americans improved dramatically from 1945 to 1968?

5. Analyze the reasons for the dramatic change in social attitudes and lifestyles that occurred in America in the 1960s.

6. Analyze the reasons for the changing roles and status of women in American society from 1945 to 1968.