A printable copy of the class syllabus is available here.

Course Description »

In the 1960s America faced unprecedented challenges and opportunities. At home, the struggle for civil rights, a minimum wage, and full employment—in short, a greater society—politicized a new generation, bringing many into the streets. Abroad, the Cold War with the Soviet Union reached the brink of a nuclear exchange while the strategy of containing communism led to the deaths of over 50,000 servicemen in Vietnam.

Although each would wield power in his own way, presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson both understood the unusual nature of their time and chose to create an extensive historical record of what they did in the White House. Between them these presidents secretly recorded over 1,000 hours of meetings, monologues, and telephone conversations, a collection of material that provides an unparalleled view into the workings of the American government at the highest levels.

Grading and Evaluation:

• Class Participation: 20 %
• Including Reaction papers and your “History of Me” papers
• First Draft: 10% (due April 5)
• Final Research Paper (20-30pp): 70% (due May 4)

REACTION PAPERS/RESEARCH PROPOSAL:

1—Reaction papers— 1-2 page reactions to questions asked. They are not graded for style or grammar or content, but are intended to allow the writer full liberty in responding to the question in whatever form that strikes them. See reading assignments for due dates.

2—The Research Proposal— This is an approximately one page summary of the topic you propose to research. It should include a description of your topic, possible questions for exploration, and possible sources. This proposal must be turned in by March 2.

3—“A History of Me” Paper —Due on February 15. Using at least one oral interview with someone who knows you well, your own memories of your life, and any other pertinent evidence (emails, letters, IM conversations, articles about you, etc.) write an approximately 3-5 page history of yourself. This paper may take a long look at your life or focus on one transformative moment or a series of events. Another student will read your history and then present it to the class in a five-minute presentation. Then you and the class will decide if you “got it right.”

THE FIRST DRAFT:

4—The First Draft— Due on April 5, in electronic form. This should be a substantially completed version of your paper written in your highest quality prose. I will make comments on this paper and return to you for use on completing your final draft.

5--FINAL PAPER:
Due May 4.

Your final paper should be approximately 20 to 30 pages long. It should be a work of original research on a topic on the 1960s era. Sources should be properly referenced throughout with one of the established referencing systems.

The paper topics available for students depend on the student’s imagination and interest. The only major requirement is that the papers address the 1960s. Topics are likely to deal with President Johnson, but this is not necessarily a requirement. Papers do not have to be about policies. I encourage students to approach their topics from a wide variety of perspectives and consider cultural, social, economic, and political analyses of the era.

Some themes for topics are listed below. These are merely suggestions. Other topics, not listed, may also be possible; if you would like to pursue a topic not listed, please check with the instructors first.
• Civil Rights.
o Civil Rights Act of 1964.
o Voting Rights Act of 1965.
o Freedom Summer Murders, 1964.
o Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party.
o Relationships with Roy Wilkins, Martin Luther King, Jr., Whitney Young, James Farmer, and others.
o Watts and urban civil disorders.
o White violence.
• Economic Policy.
o Tax Cut legislation of 1964.
• Great Society.
o War on Poverty.
o Medicare.
• Johnson and the Labor Movement.
• Vietnam.
o Escalation.
o Press.
o Relations with advisers.
o Decision-making.
• Other Foreign Affairs.
o (Panama, Dominican Republic, Cyprus, US relations with other nations, especially Soviet Union and in Western Europe.)
• Elections. (1964 Presidential in particular)
o Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party controversy.
• Comparison of the Political history in film and literature to Political history on the Johnson tapes.
o Theatrical releases. Novels.
o Documentaries about Johnson or 1960s-related events.
• Comparison of Press coverage of Johnson and Johnson on the tapes.
• Appointments and Personnel.
• Relations with the Kennedy family.
• Relations with various individuals and/or institutions.
• Johnson and the Press.
• Johnson the Person:
o Gender.
o Sexuality.
o Manhood.
o Personality and Identity.
• Culture of the White House and the Executive Branch.
• The Dynamics of Place (Texas, the West, the South, the Beltway).
• The Official Use of Violence and Force.
• The Management of Crises. [Riots, war, or other crises]

Class Texts:
There are four main required texts, all of which are 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).

Meeting Schedule:
[See Readings Schedule for Reading Assignments]

Part 1: Overview

January 18 Introduction: Situating the Sixties in Cultural, Social, and Political History

January 25 Personal Politics: Who Is Worth Studying? [At Miller Center Forum Room]

Part 2: Situating LBJ and the 1960s

February 1 Civil Rights: Local People and LBJ [At Miller Center Forum Room]

February 8. Introduction to Research Tools.

February 15 “A History of Me” papers due (on the 14 th), presentations in class.

February 22 Vietnam.

March 1 The Great Society and the War on Poverty. Research proposals due by the end of week, in electronic form.

March 8 No meeting. Spring Break.

March 15 No class meetings. Individual meetings are required. Research should be well underway.

March 22 and 29 Individual meetings as necessary.

Part 3: The Paper

April 5 First drafts due, in electronic form.

April 12 Class Discussion of first drafts.

April 19 Class Discussion of first drafts.

April 26 No class meetings. Individual meetings as necessary.

May 4 Final papers due in electronic form. Students may turn in papers before this date.