How did the activists of the 1960s try to change America?

How did the activists of the 1960s try to change America? That is one of the major questions that this course has been designed to answer. In the final assignment, you will write a brief answer to that question. First, you will choose one of the movements (Civil Rights Movement, Black Power, Anti- Vietnam War, Counterculture, and Feminism) to work on. Second, take notes on what grievances, problems, and issues the movement was trying to work on. Third, choose a document to illustrate the way that the movement worked on that issue. Use any of the sources that we have used in the class, including the excerpt from Van Gosse; do not use any other sources to write this assignment.

Here are a few more things to think about as you write this exam. Keep in mind Gosse’s concept of rights and dignity. These are two key ways of thinking about what the activists sought in these movements. Remember to use the historians’ articles from Blackboard to define what the grievances, problems, and issues were. Many of the documents work well for this purpose as well. Also bear in mind that describing a problem, dramatizing an injustice, or explaining a grievance is a way of working on an issue. Passing legislation and winning court cases are not the only way to work on these issues. Remember to use topic sentences and the evidence sandwich technique because this exam is as much about how you make an argument as it is about the answer itself.

Your paper will be two paragraphs in length and follow this outline:

First Paragraph: This one will be an introduction for the reader to the problems, issues, and grievances that the activists were working to fix. Describe the movement briefly as well as be specific about what the issues were. The last sentence of the paragraph should summarize your answer to the question:

How did the activists of the movement you are analyzing try to change America?

Second Paragraph: This one will analyze one document that we read from Takin’ It to the Streets as an illustration of your answer. Your topic sentence will summarize your point about the document. The rest of the paragraph will show how the specific ideas, insights, and statements in the document show the truth of your answer to the question. If the document tells of people’s actions, these actions can also be used to show the ways that activists worked

on issues, as well. This paragraph is about what people said and did to argue that things had to change.

Type up your two paragraphs and be sure that they conform to these rules:

• They must be written entirely in your own words. USE NO QUOTATIONS.

• They must not include any information taken from any source other than those assigned in the class. USE NO INTERNET SOURCES TO WRITE THIS ASSIGNMENT.

  • Papers that include passages plagiarized from the Internet, another student’s paper, or any other source will receive a zero (no credit). Papers that use information from the Internet will receive a 20 point penalty. 

  Fairclough-Rise and Fall of BlackPower 2.pdf

  Isserman-Kazin-Why Vietnam War.pdf