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The war with no winners

The Vietnam war differed from other wars that America had fought in up until this point in a number of different ways. Two of the biggest adjustments were that this was a war of attrition with no clear-cut battlegrounds, and, as Christian Appy argues, it was a “working-class” war. Almost 80 percent of the menContinue reading “The war with no winners”

The conveniently forgotten movement in the North

The civil rights struggles in New York City and Boston’s schools demonstrate how the Civil Rights Movement’s narrative of being an issue of the South was false. New York actually had the largest civil rights protest of the 1960s, although it received practically no recognition. In February of 1964, almost half a million students andContinue reading “The conveniently forgotten movement in the North”

Wait, women have their own opinions?

Due to the threat of communism, the pressure to conform to traditional ideals was high in the 1950s. This was illustrated with the importance placed on domesticity and the idea of the “female homemaker.” Domestic life and the nuclear family were considered the “American way of life,” in direct contrast with the communist system (Brennan).Continue reading “Wait, women have their own opinions?”

Who doesn’t want a missile in their backyard?

The “military-industrial complex,” as Dwight Eisenhower called it, refers to an unnecessarily high amount of military spending to establish a large arms industry. Eisenhower was adamant that the U.S. needed to maintain a balance between defense spending and the needs of the economy. This was harder to do in practice. As the new president KennedyContinue reading “Who doesn’t want a missile in their backyard?”

“Big man” McCarthy vs the Lavender Scare

The “Lavender Scare” was the panic surrounding the idea of homosexuals in the government and military during the Cold War era. Many people who were suspected of being homosexuals were investigated and dismissed from their positions because it was believed that they were security threats, as they could be blackmailed into sharing government secrets withContinue reading ““Big man” McCarthy vs the Lavender Scare”

Secret secrets are no fun

The “national security state” refers to the parts of the U.S. government that were created to protect the country from both internal and external threats without the general public being aware of their operations. This includes agencies such as the CIA or other secret bureaucracies. Their job was to ensure the security of the U.S.Continue reading “Secret secrets are no fun”