The American Dream: reality & illusion

With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying responses to the campaign for African-American Civil Rights in the years 1945 to 1950.

How successful was Eisenhower’s handling of the Cold War?

‘Nixon’s victory in the 1968 Presidential election was a result of divisions within the Democratic Party.’

Assess the validity of this view.

‘In the years 1974 to 1980 the USA was a united country.’

Assess the validity of this view.

With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying the problems faced by African-Americans in the years 1954 to 1960.

‘Truman was successful in containing Communism in both Europe and Asia.’

Assess the validity of this view.

To what extent did President Johnson’s Great Society succeed in helping Americans to achieve the ‘American Dream’ in the years 1964 to 1968?

‘Nixon’s Presidency was a success in foreign affairs but a disaster domestically.’

Assess the validity of this view with reference to the years 1969 to 1974.

With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying the position of African-Americans in US society in the years 1978 to 1980.

‘The biggest problem facing Truman in the first three years of his Presidency was dealing with the economic legacy of the war.’

Assess the validity of this view.

‘President Kennedy’s economic and social policies were a great success.’

Assess the validity of this view.

To what extent was Kissinger responsible for the direction of US foreign policy in the years 1969 to 1976?

With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying Carter and Ford and the election of 1976.

‘The United States became a more divided nation under Truman.’

Assess the validity of this view.

‘Kennedy’s greatest mistakes were in his appointments rather than in his policies.’

Assess the validity of this view.

To what extent were US military mistakes responsible for US failures in the Vietnam War in the years 1964 to 1968?

With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying President Nixon’s resignation.

To what extent did Eisenhower adopt policies of dynamic conservatism in the USA?

‘Kennedy’s foreign policy was a disastrous failure.’

Assess the validity of this view.

To what extent were the urban riots, in the years 1964 to 1968, the result of the increased radicalisation of African-Americans?

With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying pressures for change from African-Americans in the years 1963/64.

‘The development of suburbs was the most significant social result of the growth of the American economy in the 1950s for the people of America.’

Assess the validity of this view.

To what extent did media attention contribute to the success of protest movements in the years 1965 to 1971?

To what extent was Reagan’s victory in the 1980 Presidential election due to the failure of Carter’s foreign policy?

With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying the women’s movement in the USA in the years 1962 to 1974.

‘Eisenhower’s presidency united the United States.’

Assess the validity of this view.

To what extent was Johnson more significant than Kennedy in advancing civil rights for African-Americans?

‘The USA’s position as a world power was in continuous decline in the years 1972 to 1980.’

Assess the validity of this view.

With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying the beginning of the Korean War.

To what extent did President Kennedy fulfil his election promises?

‘Richard Nixon’s conservative social policies were the main reason for his popularity.’

Assess the validity of this view.

‘The main problems facing African-Americans after 1974 were economic rather than political.’

Assess the validity of this view.

With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to an historian studying Johnson’s Great Society.

‘The success of the civil rights movement in the years 1947 to 1957 was dependent on the NAACP [National Association for the Advancement of Colored People].’

Assess the validity of this view.

‘Eisenhower’s foreign policy in Europe differed significantly from his foreign policy elsewhere in the world.’

Assess the validity of this view.

To what extent were the presidencies of Ford and Carter disastrous for the USA at home and abroad?