home || syllabus/calendar || assessment || readings || multimedia || other resources
READINGS »

There are three main required texts, each of which should be available at the UVa Bookstore. They will be supplemented by other readings available online.


- Bruce Schulman, Lyndon B. Johnson and American Liberalism: A Brief Biography with Documents (New York: Bedford-St. Martin’s Press, 1994).

- Taylor Branch, At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-1968 (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006).

- Paul Hendrickson, The Living and the Dead: Robert McNamara and the Five Lives of a Lost War (New York: Vintage, 1996).

- Fredrik Logevall, The Origins of the Vietnam War (Longman, 2001)

All readings that are hyperlinked are available in Acrobat PDF format. These are at a high enough resolution that they can be read on screen if you prefer not to print them out. Use the Acrobat magnification icons to zoom in or out. Alternatively, they can be printed in the Miller Center Library at no charge, and at faster speeds.

January 25»

February 1»

Civil Rights and the Politics of Race: Local People and LBJ

    --a REACTION PAPER is not due, but be prepared to discuss in depth: What contributions did local people make compared to national leaders such as LBJ or Martin Luther King, Jr.? What power did local people have? What national political power developed out of the Selma movement?

    -Bruce Schulman, Lyndon B. Johnson and American Liberalism: A Brief Biography with Documents. 57-124.

    -Taylor Branch, At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-1968, 1-205

Primary Documents:

Other Suggested Works:
Doug McAdam, Freedom Summer, "Freedom High,"[pdf]

  • Taylor Branch, Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years 1963-1965, “A Dog in the Manger: The Atlantic City Compromise,” 456-476. [.pdf]
  • Hugh Davis Graham, The Civil Rights Era: Origins and Development of National Policy, 1960-1972. 1992.
    Mark Stern, Calculating Visions: Kennedy, Johnson, and Civil Rights. 1992.
    Robert Mann, Walls of Jericho: Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Richard Russell, and the Struggle for Civil Rights, 1997.
    Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-1963 and Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963-1965.
    Irving Bernstein, Guns or Butter: The Presidency of Lyndon Johnson. 1997.
    David J. Garrow, The FBI and Martin Luther King, Jr.: From “Solo” to Memphis.
    David J. Garrow, Protest at Selma: Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
    Kenneth O’Reilly, “Racial Matters”: The FBI’s Secret File on Black America, 1960-1972.
    Steven Lawson, Running for Freedom: Civil Rights and Black Politics in America since 1941.
    Carter, Dan. The Politics of Rage: George Wallace, the Origins of the New Conservatism, and the Transformation of American Politics. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996.
    Pycior, Julie L. LBJ and Mexican Americans: The Paradox of Power. 1997.
    James Baldwin, The Fire Next Time. 1963.
    Report of the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders. 1968.

February 8»

Introduction to Research Tools

Reaction Paper Due: Read the following and answer the question, "What makes a good history paper, how important is storytelling to historical writing, and how important is analytical interpretation to historical writing?"

 

  • There are several stages in the development of a research paper. In consultation with the instructor, students should select a topic, build a bibliography and resource list, familiarize one's self with the prevailing historical debates concerning the topic, conduct extensive research (largely primary) on the topic, and write a paper that sets out your analysis of the topic based on your reading, research, and your own thoughts.
  • A crucial part of the research process involves the compiling of a list of issues and questions about the topic that have been identified by those who have written on the subject before. Those should be combined with your own thinking about the topic. Many of the readings for this course have been selected for that purpose. As one researches the topic, one should keep those issues and questions in mind, while constantly adjusting their own list of things that one finds important about the topic. For compiling a bibliography, you can use a number of sources. You should consult the "suggested readings" sections for the seminar reading assignments. You should also consult the footnotes, endnotes, or bibliographies in the readings assigned to you or in the readings you explore. Do not be afraid to . Some of the easiest to use include the the Infotrac database, the Lexis-Nexis database, Dissertations Abstratcts, History and Life--all accessible through Virgo's Journal Articles, Newspapers, & Indexes page. Of couse, Virgo is a resource you must rely on to do your work. Also, do not dismiss use of the Google search engine to explore parts of your topics. You might be surprised what may turn up from some carefully crafted key-word searches,
  • The papers for this course have to use the presidential recordings to some extent. You, therefore, must keep in mind that whatever topic you choose needs to have some connection to the tapes. We encourage imaginative approaches to and uses of those tapes. You should begin to peruse the LBJ Phone Conversation Search Engine and hopefully begin listening to selected tapes or, if a transcript is available, reading appropriate transcripts along with the audio.
  • As you conduct your research, you should always keep in mind what you want to get out of the project. Why do you care about the topic? If you don't care about it, it will be hard to get a reader interested in what you have to say about that topic. If you don't want the reader interested, why write it at all.
  • Some questions to ask about your topic and your take on it: What does it tell us about the period? About our current understanding of history? About our current understanding of ourselves? Of the policies that the U.S. has used to govern its citizens? Of the construction and distribution of power? Of the proper and ethical use of power, whether domestically, internationally, or personally? Who or what was important? Why were they? How were they? What forces were people required to deal with in their choices? Is academic inquiry into the subject relevant? Is it worth your time? Is it worth anyone's time? Can I finish my paper on it on time?

February 15»

A History of Me

3-5 page papers due in electronic form to me and to an assigned partner the night before. Your partner will present your “History of Me” to the class.

 

February 22»

Vietnam

Reaction Paper due: This paper requires no prose, but you may add as much prose as you wish. Instead, provide a list.

What are the ten most important reasons that the US was at war in Vietnam? AND What have been the ten most important outcomes of that involvement?

 

Document Collections:

  • David M. Barrett, ed., Lyndon B. Johnson's Vietnam Papers: A Documentary Collection
  • George C. Herring, ed. The Secret Diplomacy of the Vietnam War: The Negotiating Volumes of the Pentagon. 1983.
  • The Pentagon Papers. [see Bantam Book version, 1971; 5 volume Beacon Press set from 1971]
  • The Pentagon Papers. U.S. Congress, House Committee on Armed Services. United States-Vietnam Relations, 1945-1967: A Study Prepared by The Department of Defense. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1971. 12 volumes. Located in Alderman Library, ALD-STKS -- E183.8.V5 U54 1971 and DOC-US -- Y 4.Ar 5/2:V 67/3/945-67

Recommended Reading: H-Diplo Roundtable on Frederik Logevall's Choosing War

Other Suggested Works:

  • Leslie Gelb, with Richard Betts, The Irony of Vietnam The System Worked. 1978.
  • David Halberstam, The Making of a Quagmire: America and Vietnam during the Kennedy Era. 1964.
  • Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., The Bitter Heritage: Vietnam and American Democracy. 1968.
  • Ellen Hammer, A Death in November: America in Vietnam, 1963. 1987.
  • Williiam J. Rust, Kennedy in Vietnam: American Foreign Policy, 1960-1963. 1985.
  • John M. Newman, JFK and Vietnam: Deception, Intrigue, and the Struggle for Power. 1992.
  • Harry Summers, On Strategy: A Critical Analysis of the Vietnam War. 1982.
  • Appy, Christian G. Working Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam.
  • John Guilmartin, “America in Vietnam: A Working Class War?” Reviews in American History.
  • Lewy, Guenter. America in Vietnam. 1978. A defense of the war.
  • D. Michael Shafer. “The Vietnam Experience: The Human Legacy,” and “The Vietnam Draft: Who Went, Who Didn’t, and Why It Matters,” in Legacy: Vietnam War and American Imagination. 1990.
  • Harry Summers, Jr., “The Vietnam Syndrome and the American People,” Journal of American Culture 17 (Spring, 1994): 53+.
  • Norman Podhoretz, Why We Were in Vietnam, 1982.
  • R. B. Smith, An International History of the Vietnam War. Vol. 1-2, Revolution versus Containment and The Kennedy Strategy. Vol. 3, The Making of a Limited War, 1965-66. 1991.
  • Timothy J. Lomperis, The War Everyone Lost—and Won. 1984.
  • Charles DeBenedetti, An American Ordeal: The Antiwar Movement of the Vietnam Era. 1990.
  • David Levy, The Debate Over Vietnam..
  • Melvin Small, Johnson, Nixon, and the Doves.
  • Randall Woods, Fulbright: A Biography.
  • J. Williiam Fulbright, The Arrogance of Power. 1966.
  • Daniel Hallin, The “Uncensored War”: The Media and the Vietnam War
  • Lynda Van Devanter, Home Before Morning.

Firsthand Accounts:

  • Robert McNamara, In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam
  • Philip Caputo, A Rumor of War. 1977.
  • David Donovan, Once a Warrior King: Memories of an Officer in Vietnam
  • William C. Westmoreland, A Soldier Reports. 1976.
  • Tim O'Brien, If I Die in a Combat Zone.
  • Col. David Hackworth, About Facee: The Odyssey of an American Warrior. 1989.

 

 

March 1»

The Great Society and the War on Poverty

Primary Documents:


Other Suggested Works:

  • Synopsis of the War on Poverty, entry for Poverty and Social Welfare in America: An Encyclopedia.

  • Michael L. Gillette, ed., Launching the War on Poverty: An Oral History.
    Andrew Ward, Lyndon Johnson and the Great Society, “The War on Poverty,” 56-94.
    Irving Bernstein, Guns or Butter: The Presidency of Lyndon Johnson. 1997.
    Allen Matusow, The Unraveling of America:. A History of Liberalism in the 1960s. 1984.
    Charles Murray, Losing Ground: American Social Policy, 1950-1980.
    John Schwarz, America’s Hidden Success: A Reassessment of Twenty Years of Social Policy. 1987.
    Davies, Gareth. From Opportunity to Entitlement: The Transformation and Decline of Great Society Liberalism. Lawrence, Kans.: University Press of Kansas, 1996.
    Quadagno, Jill. The Color of Welfare: How Racism Undermined the War on Poverty. 1994.
    Frances Fox Piven and Richard Cloward, Regulating the Poor: The Functions of Public Welfare. 1971.
    Charles Noble, Welfare As We Knew It: A Political History of the American Welfare State. 1997. “The Great Society,” 79-104.
    Michael B. Katz, The Undeserving Poor: From the War on Poverty to the War on Welfare.

 

 

If you are interested in Economic Policy»

Economy [Research proposals due by the end of week]

Other Suggested Works:

  • Walter Heller, “President Johnson and the Economy,” in James MacGregor Burns, To Heal and to Build: The Programs of Lyndon Johnson (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1968).
  • ___________, The New Dimensions of Political Economy (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1966).
  • Gardner Ackley, “Providing Economic Advice to Government, in Joseph A Pechman and N.J. Simler, editors, Economics in the Public Service: Papers in Honor of Walter Heller (New York: Norton, 1982).
  • Arthur Okun, The Political Economy of Prosperity (NewYork: Norton, 1970).
  • __________, “Measuring the Impact of the 1964 Tax Cut,” in Walter Heller, editor, Perspectives on Economic Growth (New York: Random House, 1968).
  • __________, “Did the Tax Surcharge Really Work? Comment,” American economic Review, March 1977, pp. 166-169.
  • __________, Prices and Quantities: A Macroeconomic Analysis (Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 1981)
  • George L. Perry and James Tobin, editors, Economic Events, Ideas, and Policies: The 1960s and After (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution, 2000).
  • Erwin C. Hargrove and Samuel A. Morley, The President and the Council of Economic Advisers: Interviews with CEA Chairmen (Boulder, CO: Westview, 1984).
  • Craufurd Goodwin, editor, Exhortations and Controls: The Search for a Wage-Price Policy, 1945-1971 (Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution, 1975)
  • Otto Eckstein, The Great Recession: With a Postscript on Stagflation (Amsterdam: North-Holland, 1978)
  • Arthur Burns, “The Federal Tax Cut and the Economy,” in Arthur Okun, editor, The Battle Against Unemployment (New York: Norton, 1965)
  • Sherman Maisel, Managing the Dollar (New York: Norton, 1973).
  • James E, Anderson and Jared Hazleton, Managing Macroeconomic Policy: The Johnson Presidency (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1986).
  • Hobart Rowen, The Free Enterprisers: Kennedy, Johnson and the Business Establishment (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1964).
  • ____________, Self-Inflicted Wounds: From LBJ’s Guns and Butter to Reagan’s Voodoo Economics (New York: Times Books, 1994).
  • Donald Kettl, “The Economic Education of Lyndon Johnson: Guns, Butter, and Taxes,” in Robert Divine, editor, The Johnson Years, Volume 2: Vietnam, the Environment, and Science (Lawrence,KS: University Press of Kansas, 1987).
  • Burton I. Kaufman, “Foreign Aid and the Balance of Payments Problem: Vietnam and Johnson’s Foreign Economic Policy,” in Robert Divine, editor, The Johnson Years, Volume 2: Vietnam, the Environment, and Science (Lawrence,KS: University Press of Kansas, 1987).
  • Gregory Treverton, The Dollar Drain and American Forces in Germany: Managing the Political Economics of Alliance (Athens: OH: Ohio University Press, 1978).
  • Diane Kunz, “Lyndon Johnson and Dollar Diplomacy,” History Today, April 1992, pp. 54-61.
  • Robert Collins, “Growth Liberalism in the Sixties: Great Societies at Home and Grand Designs Abroad,” in David Farber, editor, The Sixties: From Memory to History (Chapel Hill, N.C.: University of North Carolina Press, 1994).
  • John W. Sloan, “Economic Policymaking in the Johnson and Ford Administrations,” Presidential Studies Quarterly, Winter 1990, pp. 111-25.
  • Julian E. Zelizer, Taxing America: Wilbur D. Mills, Congress, and the State, 1945-75 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998).
  • Donald Pickens, “LBJ, the Council of Economic Advisers, and the Burden of New Deal Liberalism,” in Bernard J. Firestone and Robert C. Vogt, Lyndon Baines Johnson and The Uses of Power, (Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1988).
  • Phillip M. Simpson, Lyndon B. Johnson and the 1964-1968 Revenue Acts: Congressional Politics and ‘Fiscal Chickens Coming Home to Roost,’” in Bernard J. Firestone and Robert C. Vogt, Lyndon Baines Johnson and The Uses of Power, (Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1988).
  • Tom Riddell, “The Vietnam War and Inflation Revisited,” in Bernard J. Firestone and Robert C. Vogt, Lyndon Baines Johnson and The Uses of Power, (Westport, CT: Greenwood, 1988).
  • Anthony S. Campagna, The Economic Consequences of the Vietnam War (New York: Praeger, 1991).
  • Harvey Claflin Mansfield, Illustrations of Presidential Management: Johnson’s Cost Reduction and Tax Increase Campaigns (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 1988).
  • Eliot Janeway, The Economics of Crisis: War, Politics, and the Dollar (New York: Weybright and Talley, 1968)
  • Herbert Stein, Presidential Economics: The Making of Economic Policy from Roosevelt to Reagan and Beyond (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1988).
  • Allen J. Matusow, The Unraveling of America: A History of Liberalism in the 1960s (New York: Harper and Row, 1984).
  • Charles McClure, Fiscal Failure: Lessons of the Sixties (Washington, D.C.: American Enterprise Institute, 1972)
  • Jeffrey W. Helsing, Johnson’s War/Johnson’s Great Society: The Guns and Butter Trap (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2000).
 
site design by ginny min