HIST 2020 M50/D50: US History since 1877
Exam #3 Summer 2025
Assignment: In this document, there are two images each representing the last three textbook
chapters we read on the 1950s, the 1960s, and the 1970s/80s. You will select one image from
each of the three to write about. Please choose a primary source from each era that you think best captures some of the central issues of the time period.
Write a 200-250 word paragraph about each of your three sources. Each paragraph should begin with an opening thesis statement about the era and/or the primary source and end with a
concluding sentence. In each paragraph, briefly describe the source and then discuss its
relevance to the era and the larger issues associated with it. Why is this primary source symbolic
of its era? How is it significant historically and how does it connect to central issues of the time
period? Address these questions in each of your three paragraphs. You should be able to enlarge
the images to examine their details.
Please use Give Me Liberty!, the weekly overview videos, and the other class materials posted in the weekly discussion questions to contextualize your three historical sources. If you cite information from these sources, refer to the textbook page number or the video/article/title (for supplemental material I’ve posted) in parenthesis at the end of the sentence. Please do not cite other sources. No works cited page/bibliography is needed.
• Please clearly title each of your answers with the time period and image title.
• Answers should be double spaced, in 12-point font, spellchecked and proofread. Upload your exam in one Word document by Wednesday Aug 6th.
• Remember that all submissions go through TurnItIn plagiarism software so write in your own words, do not use AI, and cite your sources.
Examine/analyze the images thoroughly for each era chosen. Only one image per era for a total of three. Each paragraph should begin with an opening thesis statement about the era and/or the primary source and end with a concluding sentence. In each paragraph, briefly describe the source and then discuss its relevance to the era and the larger issues associated with it. Why is this primary source symbolic of its era? How is it significant historically and how does it connect to central issues of the time period? Address these questions in each of your three paragraphs. You should be able to enlarge the images to examine their details.
1. 1950s Suburbia & Civil Rights:
A. Levittown postcard, 1957.
B. “Integrated Bus Suggestions,” Montgomery Improvement Association, 1956.
2. The 1960s:
A. A Vietnam War protest.
B. The introduction to Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique, 1964.
3. 1970s-80s Conservative Backlash:
A. A STOP ERA event, 1972.
B. Jerry Falwell Time magazine cover, 1985.
