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Running head: AMERICAN HISTORY
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American History
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AMERICAN HISTORY
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American History
Question number 1
The shifts in the political conversation in the late 1960s and the early 1970s
Roberta Francis, in his article, “The History Behind the Equal Rights Amendment’’
indicates that the period covering the end of the 60s and the beginning of the 70s represents one
of the most tumultuous times in the American political discourse. It was a time when the
marginalized groups such as the gays, the lesbians, women, African Americans and the Native
Americans rose up and challenged for what they believed rightfully belonged to them. During
this time in history, it appears that some people were dominating other Americans and the time
had come for the oppressed to say no to some modern yet oppressive and retrogressive practices.
However, amidst all these challenges, one issue that stood out was the opposition against the
ongoing war in Vietnam. In the eyes of some Americans, the war was an unnecessary burden on
the ordinary taxpayers. Besides, the fact that the country was losing most of its soldiers in the
war was unacceptable.
The period was characterized by what some political commentators would call
conservative backlash. In response to the anti-war protests, the riots, and the alienating
counterculture, the working class and the middle-class whites rose and made an attempt to
embrace another kind of conservative populism. It appears that it was not only the marginalized
groups that had problems with the political events of the day. These people were also tired of the
constant whining of the protesters and the inability of the government to contain the situation.
Moreover, the character of President Nixon was being put to question because of a plethora of
AMERICAN HISTORY
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actions and decisions that seemed to demean the office. In the same vein, some groups came up
lamenting the diminishing traditional and social values among the American people. The new
outfit, which was known as ‘New Right' embrace the free market and resented government
interference through actions such as high taxation. Besides taxation, this group fought against the
environmental regulations that the government was imposing as well as the limitations of speeds
on the highways.
Who did Nixon appeal to in his campaigns?
In the year 1968, Nixon was swept into office by people who deemed themselves to be
the silent majority. In his speech in 1968, Nixon felt that the people who supported the Vietnam
War were the silent majority and that those who opposed were very few but loud in their
resentment. Essentially, Nixon appealed to the white working class and the middle class among
the American communities. It is important to understand the reasons why these groups of people
fought the Vietnam War. During this period, there was a great battle between the communists
and the capitalists with each side struggling to have the control over the global economic
practices. American working and the middle class clearly understood the ramifications of this
economic policy and due to the interests at stake; they would vomit at the sight of a communist
Vietnam. In that regard, when Nixon said he supported the war in Vietnam, he very much
appealed to the interests of the middle class.
After his election, Nixon made good his promises by first working towards dismantling
the welfare state that had had a role to play in the discord by destroying some of the efforts that
President Lyndon Johnson had put in the war against poverty. Besides, he could not hide his
resentment to some of the desegregation policies adopted by his predecessor such as busing. The
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strategy that Nixon took was largely effective because it was the middle class and the working
class that had a keen interest in the foreign matters. This fact, combined with some of his
domestic policies that were favorable to both of the groups, he easily walked his way into the
White House.
Question number 2
How ethnic revival fits into this new conversation
Matthew Lassiter “has illustrated in details the levels of ethnic divisions that existed in
this period. In the article ‘The Suburban Origins of ‘Color-Blind’ Conservatism’’ he indicates
that during the period culminating in the election of President Nixon, America was already
deeply divided on the racial basis. In this great schism, there were two large groups involved.
One side stood a conglomeration of people of various ethnic backgrounds who claimed to have
been sidestepped in the running of the American nation. These groups included the Native
Americans, the gays, the African Americans, the lesbians and other marginalized organizations.
On the other side of the divide stood the w...