History 565 From the New Era to the New Frontier,
1921-1963
Autumn Quarter 2010 MW 9:30-11:18
Dulles Hall 204
Office Hours: MW 12:30-1:15 and by appointment for Tues, Thurs, and Fri.
Phone: 292-7014 (with message machine); e-mail: childs.1@osu.edu
Teaching Assistant: Scott Ward
Dulles 322
Office Hours: W
1:30-3pm; Fri 10:30am-noon.
How does this course fit into the
curriculum?
In the History Major or History Minor, History 565 may be used as an Area B (North America), post-1750 selection.
In the GEC Historical Study category, History 565 may be counted as the second course.
This course is the middle course of a 500-level three-course sequence in Modern U.S. history (1877 to the present). Other History courses that complement this offering include 570.02 The United States Constitution and American Society since 1877; 579.02 American Cultural and Intellectual History in the 20th Century; 597 Critical Issues of the 20th Century World; 582.02 American Military Policy, 1914-1995; and 583.02 U.S. Diplomacy, 1920 to the Present.
Note: All students must be officially enrolled in the course by the end of the second full week of the quarter. No requests to add the course will be approved by the Chair of the Department after that time. Enrolling officially and on time is solely the responsibility of the student.
Course Description
This lecture-reading-discussion
course focuses on the political-social reform impulses in
Continuous reform is one highlight of American political-economic culture. Reform impulses that emerged from the pre-World War I era (the period historians have labeled “Progressivism”) continued to underlie American politics into the 1960s. These impluses included attempts to Americanize and democratize the political culture and to humanize and rationalize the capitalist economy. Americans established large-scale bureaucracies in business and government to accommodate changes in the political economy. These new institutions and the “modern” ideas behind them appeared to challenge long-held American values (18th and 19th century beliefs in individualism, freedom, and federalism), but Americans slowly accepted the new structures because they appeared to protect the old values even as they accommodated the new, modern world.
This period of
After establishing the antecedents and nature of the reform impulses in the modern U.S., the course will survey how social, cultural, intellectual, and political-economic forces interacted with one another to create a series of continuous reform movements, from the New Era (dominated by business interests), to the New Deal in time of depression and war (dominated by the expansion of government action on the state and national levels), to Harry Truman’s Fair Deal, to the New Republicanism of Dwight Eisenhower, and to the short-lived New Frontier of John F. Kennedy. Throughout the course, international events will be analyzed to discover how they shaped the domestic reform movements.
The lectures, discussions, readings, and films will give attention to how different groups of Americans (business and political elites, intellectuals, African-Americans, women, rural and urban groups) responded to the need for reform and particularly how each group interacted with the existing reform impulses. By the end of World War II, and because of decisions made during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, Americans had defined a society in which, with Federal government help within a federalist system, a growing mostly white middle class defined the majority values of the nation. In that sense, then, the course uncovers the historical dynamics behind the creation of the “Establishment,” which came under attack by the various counter-culture movements in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Most prominently, of course, African-Americans began to demand the end of the segregated society. Meanwhile, that same establishment, which had done much to help defeat totalitarianism in the early 1940s turned in the late 1940s and 1950s to responding to the specter of communism. As with domestic reform, so too with foreign relations—Americans struggled to balance American values of individualism, freedom, and federalism with the need to show a common front against threats from abroad.
Course Objectives
General Objectives: Students will acquire a perspective on history and an understanding of the factors that shape human activity to gain knowledge of the origins and nature of contemporary issues and a foundation for future comparative understanding; develop critical thinking through the study of diverse interpretations of historical events; apply critical thinking through historical analysis of primary and secondary sources; and sharpen communications skills in essay exams, papers, and discussions.
Specific Objectives: By completing the reading assignments, attending class, and taking and studying their own notes on the lectures, discussions, and films, students will enhance their factual and conceptual knowledge of this period in U.S. history when rapid international and political-economic changes strongly affected the evolution of political-social culture. The written assignments will underscore these objectives as well as aid the student in improving his/her analytical and writing skills and encouraging independent thinking by sifting through diverse historical interpretations (and in the case of the novel and the films, primary sources) to find one’s own views.
Assigned Readings
One of the course requirements is to read the books listed below (see “Schedule of Lectures and Exams” for due dates). All are available at SBX.
John Dos Passos, The Big Money (1933; 2000). Guide to The Big Money
David M. Kennedy, The American People in the Great Depression (1999).
Michael C. C. Adams, The Best War Ever: America and World War II (1993). GuideBestWarEver
David Halberstam, The Fifties (1993). Guide to The Fifties
Sloan
Wilson, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1955,
1983). Guide
to Man in the Gray Flannel Suit
The middle three books are secondary sources, written with the aid of primary sources. David Kennedy’s book is the best analytical summary of the Great Depression in the U.S. to date. The Best War Ever is an insightful, respectful debunking of the “Greatest Generation” concept; Michael C.C. Adams reveals the dark side of wartime but does not underplay the successes. David Halberstam, who died in 2007 in an automobile accident, is a well-recognized journalist and writer who always brings grace and insight to his topics; I will not ask you to read the entire book, but have instead prepared a handout that will guide you through the book, suggesting sections that might be skipped. The two novels are primary sources, composed during the time period under study; both are American classics. Dos Passos’ novel, wrritten in the early 1930s during the depths of the Depression, reveals the underside of American society, and especially the contradictions in American capitalism and democracy, in the 1920s. Wilson’s novel was an instant hit when published in 1955; it presents several themes of mid-20th century U.S., including the stifling atmosphere of the organizational society, the lingering effects of WW II, and gender and family relations. Each of these assigned readings will interact with the course’s major focus on reform in the U.S.
Your
Grade in This Course
Because of the large number of students in the course and Department of History restrictions on the workload of TAs, I can offer only three assignments through which to test your knowledge of the course materials. The midterm and the final exam will each have two parts: 50% will consist of an essay; the other 50% will consist of short answers. All assignments are take-home and will be posted on this course web site as noted in the “Schedule of Lectures and Exams.” All assignments will be typed and double-spaced, with font no small than 12.
The Midterm will count 30% of your
course grade and will be due Wednesday, October 27 . You will submit an electronic version to the
Carmen drop box by 9am and a hard copy to the TA by the end of class.
The Paper will count 20% of your course
grade and will be due Wednesday, November 17. You will submit an electronic version to the
Carmen drop box by 9am and a hard copy to the TA by the end of class.
The Final Exam will count 50% of your
course grade and will be due Tuesday December 7. You will submit an electronic version to the
Carmen drop box by 9:30am and a hard copy to Prof. Childs between 9:30 and
11:18 in his office (Dulles 204).
I assign these out-of-class exams in order
to give you time to develop arguments that are clearly and concisely presented
and grammatically correct. If you do not
set aside enough time to work on these exams, you will be undermine
the purpose behind them.
Please see this handout for tips on writing
historical essays and short answers: Guide to Short Answers/Essays in History
You are forewarned that I will pursue cases of academic
misconduct to the appropriate University committee.
See this web site for additional
information on plagiarism and writing handouts: http://cstw.osu.edu/
Special comments on the grade in this
course:
1) Since the University does not record D- grades, a student earning a course average below 62 will receive an E in this course.
2) In order to pass the course, you must pass the Final Exam with at least a 62.
3) The TA and I reserve the right to consider improvement when determining final grades.
4) Here are the grade breakdowns: A: 92.6 and above; A-: 89.6-92.5; B+: 87.6-89.5; B: 82.6-87.5; B-: 79.6-82.5; C+: 77.6-79.5; C: 72.6-77.5; C-: 69.6-72.5; D+: 67.6-69.5; D: 62-67.5; E: below 62
Grading Your Exams
Most of your grade in this course will be based on how well you communicate in writing what you have learned. You should refer to my handout, “Guide to Writing Short Answers and Essays in History.” In addition, I furnish below brief descriptions of how you will earn your essay grades:
“C” essays will include: an introductory paragraph that contains your thesis; a body of several paragraphs in which you offer evidence from the readings, lectures, and discussions to support your thesis; and a conclusion that reiterates your basic argument.
“B” essays will include: all of the above requirements for a “C” essay plus more relevant data and analyses than is found in an average essay.
“A” essays will include: all of the above requirements for a “B” essay plus more data and some indication of independent or extended thought.
As for “D” and “E” essays: usually, these essays do not include a viable thesis and/or they do not include very much information from the course.
Make-up Exams: If you encounter a problem in meeting the deadlines, you must contact Prof. Childs, not the TA, before the exam is due. Only in extraordinary and verifiable cases will an extension on the take-home assignments be given.
Attendance Policies: Given the descriptions above with regard to what we expect on your assignments (evidence from the readings, lectures, and discussions), we expect you to attend regularly. Very often material offered by students during discussions should be included in your answers. I reserve the right to take attendance and to award extra credit when I do.
Classroom behavior:
Do arrive a few minutes before class
begins. If you arrive late, walk quietly
around the sides of the room to find a chair.
Do bring your laptops, mini computers, iPads, etc. for note-taking purposes.
Do turn-off your phones and iPods and any other
electronic devices during class time. Do
refrain from surfing the web, texting, e-mailing, chatting, and calling others
during class time. (Each class will
include a 5-10-minute break.)
Do familiarize yourself with the OSU Code of
Student Conduct: http://studentlife.osu.edu/pdfs/csc_12-31-07.pdf
Do ask Prof. Childs if you do not understand
any of the above.
Schedule of Lectures and Exams
I believe that note-taking makes an important contribution to enhancing the analytical skills necessary to perform good historical work. Thus, I have NOT authorized a “note-taking” company to take and sell notes from this class; I do not allow tape recorders in class; and I do not post my lectures on the web (I do post the basic outlines). The TA and I will not lend students our notes. Students who miss a lecture are responsible for getting the notes from fellow students.
Disability Services Students
with disabilities that have been certified by the Office for Disability
Services will be appropriately accommodated, and should inform the instructor
as soon as possible of their needs. The Office for Disability Services is
located in 150 Pomerene Hall,
Week 1
Sept 22
Prelude: Legacies of Reform to 1921
Reading: Begin The Big Money.
Week 2
Sept 27, 29
Progressivism, World War I,
and the First Red Scare
The
New Era in the 1920s
Reform and Conflicts Over Values: Prohibition, 2nd KKK, Immigration
Restriction, Jazz, and American Youth
Special link: Superman
and the KKK
Business and the New Era
Reading: Continue reading The Big Money
Week 3
Oct 4, 6
Missionaries of Modernity: Advertising and the Personality and Consumer
Society
African Americans in the 1920s
The Illusion of Prosperity: Toward a Crisis in Capitalism
Outline
Illusion of Prosperity
Reading: complete The Big Money; Kennedy, Preface, Prologue, Chs. 1-2.
Week 4
Oct 11, 13
The
Great Depression and the New Deal
The Irony and Tragedy of Herbert Hoover
Democrats, FDR, and the Early New Deal
Reading: Kennedy, Chs. 3-7
Week 5
Oct 18, 20
Midterm
Take-home Exam posted here by Wednesday Oct 20.
Critics of the New Deal
Outline
Critics of the New Deal
The Later New Deal, 1935-1939: Social and Labor Policies
FDR signing Social Security legislation, 1935
Film, “The Plow That Broke the Plains”
Legacies of the New Deal
Outline
New Deal in Retrospect
Photo Essay: FSA America in Color, 1939-1943
Week 6
Oct 25, 27
Midterm
due Wed Oct 27: Electronic version
should be submitted to the Carmen web site drop box by 9am; hard copy should be
submitted to the TA by the end of class.
American Foreign Policy, 1919-1941
The
New Deal War
Mobilization for WW II
Film, “The Negro Soldier”
Ethnic Americans, Women, and the War
Week 7
Nov 1, 3
New Deal War continued …
EVERETT M. DIRKSEN ABROAD, 1945
Reading: Adams, Chs. 5-7;
Halberstam, 3-19, 49-61, 87-100
Week 8
Nov 8, 10
Paper
Assignment posted Wednesday Nov 10.
Mobilization in the South and West
WW II Diplomacy and The
Conclusions on WW II and discuss Adams, The Best War Ever
OutlineWWIIDiplomacyConclusionsWWII
Harry
Truman, the Cold War, and the Fair Deal
Early Years of the Cold War
The Second Red Scare, 1947-1954
Week 9
Nov 15, 17
Paper
due Wed Nov 17: Electronic version
should be submitted to the Carmen web site drop box by 9am; hard copy should be
submitted to the TA by the end of class.
Fair Deal:
Liberals and Conservatives
Eisenhower’s
New Republicanism at Home and Abroad, 1953-1961
The Eisenhower Years
Society and Culture in the 1950s
Week 10
Nov 22, 24
The Atomic Age, Civil Defense, and Fallout
Shelters: View and discuss the dark
comedy, The Atomic Café (1982)
For background on this cult classic, see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083590/
The Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s
“
Week 11
Nov 29, Dec 1
Discuss The
Man in the Gray Flannel Suit.
The
New Frontier
Dwight D. Eisenhower: Farewell Address,
John F.
Kennedy: Inaugural Address delivered
JFK and Camelot: The Spirit versus the Results
Final
Exam posted here by Wed Dec 1.
The
Final Exam is due Tuesday Dec. 7: The
electronic copy should be submitted to the Carmen course web site drop box 9:30
am; the hard copy should be submitted to Prof. Childs (Dulles 204) between 9:30
and 11:18.
Modern America: Selected Web sites.
World War I
League of Nations Photo
Archive
Posters
of WW I: http://gulib.lausun.georgetown.edu/dept/speccoll/amposter.htm
1920s
Temperance
& Prohibition. Professor K. Austin Kerr:
http://prohibition.history.ohio-state.edu/
Calvin Coolidge: http://www.calvin-coolidge.org/
Clash of Cultures in the 1920s: http://history.osu.edu/Projects/Clash/default.htm
Medicine and Madison Avenue: http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/mmc/
The
Great Migration http://www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/reference/articles/great_migration.html
Blacks
in Aviation photos http://www.allstar.fiu.edu/prime-tech/BIA/default.htm
See also for the History of Jim Crow: http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/history/history.htm
1930s
CCC:
The
Grapes of Wrath Web Page 2010 Childs
A Century of Progress 1933-1934 World’s
Fair
World War II
Fly Girls: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/flygirls/
Mexican
Braceros: http://www.farmworkers.org/benglish.html;
http://www.museumca.org/picturethis/4_3.html
1947 -1963
For information and numerous web sites on the era, 1947-1961, see: http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/childs1/CATCOPlayNotesBrown.htm
http://www.ep.tc/realist/ On-going archive of satirist magazine, The Realist, initially associated with Mad Magazine in the late 1950s. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Realist
Civil Rights Movement