Dani Kelley

Hist 2620

Prof. Tomlin

05/04/2023

Exam

(1) identify the term, (2) define how it relates to the period, and (3) explain the significance

of the term in learning the broader scope of American history.

The Civil Rights Act of 1965 played a significant role in ending legalized segregation and

discrimination against African Americans in the United States. The Civil Rights Movement,

began in the 1950s, it was a response to the legal and social barriers faced by African Americans

in the United States. The movement was characterized by the use of tactics, including nonviolent

protests, sit-ins, and boycotts. Despite that, African Americans continued to face discrimination

in employment, education, housing, and voting rights. This Act prohibited discrimination on the

basis of color, religion, race, sex, or national origin in voting, education, and employment.

The Great Society came from President Lyndon B. Johnson's vision for social and

economic reform. He recognized that poverty and inequality were major problems facing the

United States, therefore he implemented a number if legislations to provide better access to

healthcare and education. Those legislations included the Civil Rights Act, Medicare and Head

Start that had numerous positive outcomes, like increased access to education, healthcare and

decreased the poverty rates.

The Feminine Mystique was written by Betty Friedan and published in 1963. In the

1950s women were expected to find fulfillment in marriage and motherhood. The World War II

impact on women's participation in work challenged social norms. Friedan argues that this
mystique has a negative impact on women's mental health, relationships, and sense of self-worth.

The Significance of The Feminine Mystique is that it played a large role in conversation about

women's rights and gender equality.

How has American history since the Cold War shaped the United States in the 21st

century? To answer this prompt, discuss how the following aspects changed in America

between 1945 and 2000 and how the impact America today: (1) politics, (2) culture, (3)

social inequities, and (4) technology.

According to Robert Naranjo, the Cold War shaped American foreign policy and political

ideology, impacted the domestic economy and the presidency, and affected the personal lives of

Americans creating a climate of expected conformity and normalcy. I believe the Cold War has

significantly shaped American history in the United States with the advancement in technology

that caused anxiety for future wars.

There was a rise in terrorism and the emergence of non-state actors as security threats

complicated things. This includes the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, also known as 9/11.

It caused a major shift in foreign and domestic policies which led to military interventions in

Afghanistan and Iraq. There was political polarization, which affected policymaking and

impacted the overall function of American democracy.

The Cold War left a significant impact on the fear of communism which led to the Red

Scare, this included intense anti-communist sentiment that resulted in the persecution of

suspected communists, even their sympathizers. This led to the violation of civil liberties and

freedom of expression. Many movies and books began portraying the Soviet Union as evil which

resulted in anti-communist. The fall of the Soviet Union led to a shift in American foreign policy

and global relations. The United States and the Soviet Union both engaged in an arms race, with
they both spent billions of dollars on missile technology and nuclear weapons. This led to a spike

in fear and anxiety among the American people, this caused people to worry about the possibility

of a nuclear war.

Naranjo also said “the Cold War affected everything, from political ideology, foreign and

domestic policy, to the presidency and the personal lives of Americans. With the collapse of the

Iron curtain in Eastern Europe, the unification of Germany, the fragmentation and subsequent

dissolution of the Soviet Union have all but eliminated the Cold War. International cooperation

during the first Gulf War demonstrated that even before the end of the Soviet Union, the rhetoric

of the past no longer had any place in American foreign or domestic policy.”

The cultural impact after the Cold War in the 21st century was the influence of

globalization on American culture. It caused an increase in international trade and

communication, the spread of American media and entertainment worldwide. The United States

experience a huge economic growth during this period, it was also known as the “Golden Age”

or the “American Dream”. But there was also the Civil Rights Movement that was a struggle for

racial equality. This movement included Martin Luther King Jr. and his fight against

discrimination, racial segregation, and unequal treatment of the African Americans. There was

also the challenging of gender roles with the Women’s Rights movement that’s still active today.
 Works Cited

Naranjo, Roberto. “Historical Analysis of the Cold War | EHISTORY.” Ehistory.osu.edu,

ehistory.osu.edu/articles/historical-analysis-cold-war#:~:text=The%20Cold%20War

%20shaped%20American.

LitCharts. “The Feminine Mystique Plot Summary from LitCharts.” LitCharts, 2018,

www.litcharts.com/lit/the-feminine-mystique/summary.

‌Locke, Joseph L., and Ben Wright. The American Yawp. Stanford University Press, 2019.

“Lyndon B. Johnson.” Whitehouse.gov, 30 Dec. 2014,

obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/1600/presidents/lyndonbjohnson#:~:text=The%20Great

%20Society%20program%20became.

‌“Post-Cold War - an Overview | ScienceDirect Topics.” Www.sciencedirect.com,

www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/post-cold-war.

“Voting Rights Act (1965).” National Archives, 6 Oct. 2021, www.archives.gov/milestone-

documents/voting-rights-act#:~:text=This%20act%20was%20signed%20into.