APUSH Unit 8 Primary Sources 16-26

Historical Context - The Other America

Written during economic prosperity but persistent poverty; influenced LBJ's War on Poverty and Great Society. Civil Rights Movement exposed inequalities; Cold War shaped national priorities.

Intended Audience - The Other America

Middle-/upper-class Americans, policymakers, and intellectuals unaware of poverty. Aimed to inspire government action through statistics and personal observations.

Point of View - The Other America

Socialist activist Harrington saw poverty as structural, requiring government intervention. Critiqued capitalism from a leftist, middle-class intellectual perspective.

Purpose - The Other America

Expose hidden poverty in affluent America, challenge myth of universal prosperity, and push for expanded social welfare policies.

Outside Information - The Other America

Inspired Great Society programs (Medicare, Medicaid). Connects to Civil Rights Movement and modern debates on inequality/government aid.

Purpose - Extremism in the Defense of Liberty (Goldwater, 1964)

Outline Goldwater's conservative vision, warn against government overreach, and rally support for his presidential campaign.

Historical Context - Extremism in the Defense of Liberty

1964 election amid Cold War tensions and Civil Rights Movement. Goldwater opposed Civil Rights Act, advocated aggressive Cold War stance.

Intended Audience - Extremism in the Defense of Liberty

Conservative Republicans and voters. Aimed to energize base and contrast Democratic policies.

Point of View - Extremism in the Defense of Liberty

Goldwater, AZ senator, represented rising conservatism: anti-big government, pro-individual liberty.

Outside Information - Extremism in the Defense of Liberty

Influenced Reagan-era GOP. Lost 1964 election but reshaped Republican ideology long-term.

Purpose - The Feminine Mystique (Friedan, 1963)

Critique societal confinement of women to domestic roles, spark second-wave feminism.

Historical Context - The Feminine Mystique

Early 1960s, pre-second-wave feminism. Women challenged traditional gender roles amid post-WWII domestic ideals.

Intended Audience - The Feminine Mystique

Middle-class housewives experiencing 'the problem with no name.' Aimed to inspire activism.

Point of View - The Feminine Mystique

Friedan, feminist journalist, drew on interviews and personal experience to demand gender equality.

Outside Information - The Feminine Mystique

Catalyzed feminist movement; led to Equal Pay Act (1963), Title IX (1972). Also led to the formation of NOW (National Organization for Women).

Historical Context - NOW Statement of Purpose

Written during Civil Rights Movement and Second Wave Feminism (1960s). Responded to workplace discrimination, wage gaps, and lack of legal protections for women.

Intended Audience - NOW Statement of Purpose

Women, policymakers, and the general public to build support for gender equality and legislative change.

Point of View - NOW Statement of Purpose

Feminist perspective (Betty Friedan and others), focused on middle-class women's rights but criticized for overlooking working-class and minority women.

Purpose - NOW Statement of Purpose

Demand equal rights in employment, education, and politics; call for systemic change rather than individual solutions.

Outside Information - NOW Statement of Purpose

Influenced by Civil Rights Act (1964, Title VII), but enforcement was weak. Later led to Roe v. Wade (1973) and ongoing feminist activism.

Historical Context - Brochure on the ERA

1970s debate over ERA, which passed Congress in 1972 but failed ratification. Opposed by conservatives (Phyllis Schlafly's STOP ERA campaign).

Intended Audience - Brochure on the ERA

General public, women affected by discrimination, and lawmakers deciding on ratification.

Point of View - Brochure on the ERA

Feminist (NOW) perspective—argued ERA was needed to end legal gender discrimination.

Purpose - Brochure on the ERA

Persuade Americans to support ERA by highlighting workplace inequality, wage gaps, and lack of legal protections.

Outside Information - Brochure on the ERA

ERA failed by 1982 deadline, but some goals achieved later (Title IX, Lilly Ledbetter Act).

Purpose - Letter from Delano

Defend farmworkers' nonviolent movement, counter accusations of violence, and demand employer negotiations.

Historical Context - Letter from Delano

During Delano grape strike (1965-1970), part of broader Chicano labor rights movement. Inspired by MLK/Gandhi's nonviolence.

Intended Audience - Letter from Delano

California Grape and Tree Fruit League (Mr. Barr) and general public to build support for strike.

Point of View - Letter from Delano

Chavez, Mexican American labor leader, advocated for migrant workers' rights through nonviolent protest.

Outside Information - Letter from Delano

Led to 1970 union contracts. Connected to broader Civil Rights and Chicano movements.

Purpose - Letter from PFC George Robinson

Share the psychological toll of Vietnam combat and contrast Hollywood war glorification with reality.

Historical Context - Letter from PFC George Robinson

Vietnam War escalation (1960s); growing anti-war sentiment as casualties rose.

Intended Audience - Letter from PFC George Robinson

Personal letter to his mother, but reflects soldiers' disillusionment nationwide.

Point of View - Letter from PFC George Robinson

Soldier's firsthand account—traumatized by violence, loss, and moral conflict.

Outside Information - Letter from PFC George Robinson

Echoed in later Vietnam protests and veterans' anti-war activism (e.g., Winter Soldier hearings).

Purpose - Silent Majority Speech

Justify Vietnamization, counter anti-war protests, and rally non-protesting Americans.

Historical Context - Silent Majority Speech

Peak Vietnam War protests; Nixon sought middle ground between withdrawal and escalation.

Intended Audience - Silent Majority Speech

Americans not protesting the war—framed as 'silent majority' who supported Nixon.

Point of View - Silent Majority Speech

Nixon as president, emphasizing Cold War credibility and gradual troop withdrawal.

Outside Information - Silent Majority Speech

Vietnamization failed; war expanded into Cambodia, fueling more protests.

Purpose - VVAW Statement

Condemn U.S. war atrocities, urge Senate to end Vietnam War.

Historical Context - VVAW Statement

Post-Tet Offensive, My Lai Massacre exposure; veterans publicly denounced the war.

Intended Audience - VVAW Statement

Senate Foreign Relations Committee and American public (war policy topic). (Vietnam Veterans Against the War Statement)

Point of View - VVAW Statement

John Kerry and veterans—credible critics due to combat experience.

Outside Information - VVAW Statement

Contributed to 1973 U.S. withdrawal; later parallels in Iraq/Afghanistan veteran activism.

Purpose - Crisis of Confidence Speech

Address national 'malaise,' urge energy conservation, and restore faith in government.

Historical Context - Crisis of Confidence Speech

1970s stagflation, oil crisis, post-Watergate/Vietnam distrust in leadership.

Intended Audience - Crisis of Confidence Speech

American public—appealed to shared sacrifice amid economic struggles.

Point of View - Crisis of Confidence Speech

Carter as moral leader, critiquing consumerism and calling for unity.

Outside Information - Crisis of Confidence Speech

Speech backfired; Reagan's 1980 win shifted U.S. toward conservative optimism.