Explaining the Conservative Ascendancy
U.S. in the Age of the Cold War
Spring 2009
The shift from the liberalism that dominated American politics from the New Deal until the 1970s to a more conservative political and cultural order is one of the defining features of post-World War II history. In one way or another every source (primary or secondary, literary, visual, or audio) we have examined this semester, but especially those from helps explain this shift.
Your first task for this paper is to read, view, and listen to all of this source material carefully. You should think about the argument or central messages of each source. I suggest you mark your books and other readings and take notes as you encounter evidence that helps explain why American politics and culture became more conservative after 1968.
Your prompt for this paper is as follows: what do you believe are the most important reasons why America politics made a right turn after liberalism so dominated from 1933-1968?
The best papers will offer a clear argument in the introductory paragraph that identifies your position and provides the reader with some kind of road map for the rest of the paper. The best papers will consider carefully the arguments put forward in the secondary sources: Metzgar, Carter, McQuaid, McGirr, Dionne, and Berman. The best papers will not merely summarize these arguments but will evaluate them and use the primary source material (from Chafe, course website, films, and TV clips, audio) to help support your own argument. You may also draw on material from earlier sections of the course (Sokol, Cold War sources, etc.) You may use outside sources but these outside sources must supplement, not replace, the material from the course. Carefully cite all references according to the Chicago Manual of Style (full volume in library reference; for most citations you can use http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChicago.html or http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/p04_c10_s2.html
You do not have to provide a bibliography this time unless you use sources from outside the class.
The best papers will be written clearly and precisely with no grammatical or typographical errors—remember, short, declarative sentences are most effective at conveying your ideas clearly. They will be organized logically. They will demonstrate original thinking about the material.
I am happy to look at partial or complete rough drafts if they are submitted at least five days before the paper is due.
Format:
● All papers must in Times New Roman 12 pt. font with 1” margins. Unstapled papers will not be accepted. Be sure to save the paper and to keep an extra hard copy of the paper until the original is returned to you.
● Maximum length is eight (8) pages (not including footnotes)—I will cease reading your essay at the end of the eighth page, and nothing that follows will be considered in determining your grade. Keep this in mind as you organize your thoughts. Writing concisely is a valuable skill.
● Plagiarism: I have a zero-tolerance policy on plagiarism. If you neglect to properly cite material (e.g., fail to put quote marks around direct quotes) you will receive a 0 for the essay. If I find evidence that you have tried to pass off someone else’s work as your own, you will receive an “F” for the course and I will refer you to judicial affairs.
DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS ON TUESDAY, APRIL 28.