Essay #1

1. Essay #1 The persistence of traditional definitions: The cult of domesticity: Women only belong in the home. Limited to the ‘private sphere.’ This was established early in the Victorian Era, and continued throughout the 20th century. During WWII women were working in factories. The famous symbol of Rosie the Riveter came to represent the active role of women in the war effort on the home front, preparing bombs and ammunition. This was only a temporary reprieve from domesticity. By the 1950’s, middle class women, as represented in the television shows such as (I love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver), were mostly house wives and followed guidelines and rules. Conformity was the way of life. In schools girls were required to take Home Economics classes were they learned how to become good housewives. Colleges wanted women to attend but many courses were designed around home economics as well. Few women were hired as college professors, educators, or other high positioned jobs. Although progress has been slow, conditions have changed for women. Today more women are applying to colleges and applying for higher education degrees. The pay scale, however, has remained unequal where women receive 75 cents for every dollar a man makes.

2. An organized Women’s Movement • Starting with the publication of Betty Friedan’s Feminine Mystique, women began to discuss the psychological repression of middle class conformity. • By 1966, women started the organization NOW which sought to achieve economic and social equality for women. Similarly to earlier activists such as the suffragists, these women held active protests to raise awareness. The Miss America Pageant protest in Atlantic City…focused on the stereotypes and limits placed on women. • NOW was very active in the reproductive rights movement. The birth control pill was legalized, and they also sought to legalize abortion on the federal level. ROE V WADE was the infamous supreme court case that legalized abortion. • WITCH protests which “mocked” the idea that women were witches/inferior (referring back to the Salem Witch Trials) and pointing out the irrationality of the male superiority in the work force • Equal Rights Amendment DIDN’T pass. Some states ratified it, but not enough. This would have helped to insure that women could receive equal pay and that abortion couldn’t be overturned by the court. However, TITLE IX (9) gave women access to equal federal funding for public programs, like school sports.

3. Essay #2 • 20th C: Vietnam War Hawks Vs Doves • Hawks: Kennedy/CIA assassination of Diem, LBJ with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution – where we put the USS Maddox in the Gulf in North Vietnam, escalated funding for the war, instilled the draft. These motives were backed by the ideology of containment started under Truman. It also emphasized the domino theory which sought to prevent the spread of communism in Asia. We looked very weak when we were attacked at the Tet Offensive which inspired an anti-war cry amongst the peace doves. • NIXON, encouraged by his adviser Henry Kissinger, bombed Vietnam and Cambodia to limit war supplies. Even though his motivation was to stop the war, he chose to do so with extreme military action, which was incredibly unpopular.

4. Doves: • College student protesters who did not want their generation lost by war. They didn’t want to have a ‘lost generation’ like WWI. Many knew someone who was being drafted. IN 1970 at the Kent University protest against the war, four students were shot, and this further enraged peace doves about the instability that was happening in this country. Police violence seemed to represent the HAWK position. Men being drafted would escape (defect) to Canada to avoid going to Vietnam. • The Hippy Woodstock movement was part of the counter culture that arose in the Dove community. The music focused on protesting the war as well with songs such as “Blowing in the Wind” by Bob Dylan/Joan Baez and “War!” by Edward Starr and “Revolution” by the Beatles. There was also an active drug culture that sprung up to escape the stresses of the war and the conformity of the 50’s. This was encouraged by psychologists such as Tim Leary who believed you should “Tune Out, Tune In” to yourself. • The student protesters were inspired by the Civil Rights Movement and the NAACP, in particular the non violent civil disobedience. This was most evident at Berkeley University where students formed the Free Speech Movement and the Students for Democratic Society (SDS) which formed chapters all across the country. Major protests happened at Columbia University where the closed down in protest to the war and the race issues in NYC – GYM CROW. Some radical groups formed out of the SDS, including the Weather Underground, where the FBI was searching for students who threatened to bomb and use violence in their protests. • DEMOCRATIC PARTY fell apart over how the Dove/Hawk tensions should be addressed, with the assassination of RFK, the lack of popularity for LBJ, and the general disagreement on issues of the WAR. Because of the HAWKS, the GS program didn’t receive enough funding.

5. War of 1812 • Doves: Federailsts didn’t want to fight the british • HAWKS democratic republicans upset about the impressment of our ships by the british. We stopped trading with them, kept embargo with them, started trading with France. This upset the british. • The british were inciting native americans in the west to fight against american expansion. Chief Tecumseh was organizing the tribes. General Harrison fought back. • Madison declares war. • We don’t really lose much land. The capital does burn down and this is when the star spangled banner was written… HUGE NATIONALISM! Anyone who is NOT FOR THIS WAR is AGAINST THIS COUNTRY. This was the hawk position. • By 1814, the treaty of ghent ends the war. • Federalists meet secretly at Hartford Convention to crticism the democratic republicans for having this war and HURTING their north east trade (federalists mostly from there). Federalists accused of treason and sedition for having this meeting. It becomes the END of the federalist party, which is similar to how the democratic party was falling apart in 1968 (chicago democratic convention violence).

6. Mex Am War 1848 • HAWKS wanted to take TX from mexico, wanted to push all the way to the Rio Grande River. President Polk was a war hawk – mr manifest destiny. • DOVES: Whigs didn’t want to expand out west and south because they knew it meant the expansion of slavery. Including Abe Lincoln who was a young senator. • DOVES published the WILMOT PROVISO which BANNED slavery in the west- only passed by half of congress but not enough votes.

7. 1898 Spanish America War • Anti Imperialist League Mark Twain, don’t go to war • McKinley – Le Dome Letter that called him a ‘chicken’ • Roosevelt was for the war, rough riders. • Expansion/Monroe Doctrine