Environmental concerns are addressed in PBS Video's Rachel Carson's Silent Spring (sixty minutes), one of the American Experience series. A dramatic feature film, The China Syndrome, starring Jane Fonda, breathlessly explores the possibility of a nuclear accident.

In 1976 director Alan J. Pakula released All the President's Men, starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford. The story was based on Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward's 1974 book of the same name dealing with the unraveling of the Watergate affair. In 1983 ABC showed on television The Day After,intended to demonstrate the horrors of a nuclear holocaust. Films for the Humanities and Sciences offers an hour-and-a-half video on The Conservatives, tracing the development of the movement from the 1940s to the height of the Reagan era. Reagan himself is the subject of Ronald Reagan: The Presidency of Affirmation, a one-hour presentation by PBS Video. An interesting contrast may be seen in another one-hour video from the same source, Jimmy Carter: The Moralist President. One of the decade's military thrusts is covered in The Panama Deception (ninety-one minutes). Its point of view is made clear in the title. See the Educational Film & Video Locator. One of the heroes of the Persian Gulf War is profiled in A Portrait of Colin Powell, twenty-eight minutes, from Films for the Humanities.

Politics, economics, and social and cultural issues are treated in a number of videos. Films for the Humanities and Sciences offers three two 60-minute examinations with television journalist Bill Moyers: Women in American Politics presents several women politicians speaking about the special challenges they face; The Religious Right focuses on the conservative evangelical movement in the United States.; Blacks in American Society: In Search of a Common Destiny examines the status of African-Americans after the Los Angeles riots. That status is also explored in Integration: The Faltering Dream, a 104-minute investigation by Walter Cronkite from Films for the Humanities and Sciences.

The same source provides Rush to Judgment? The Clarence Thomas Hearings (forty-eight minutes) about the charges by Anita Hill and The Role of the First Lady (twenty-six minutes) that discusses Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Rodham Clinton, and other first ladies.

PBS offers War on Nicaragua on that Central American conflict, and Operation Urgent Fury on the invasion of Grenada. Both are one-hour Frontline presentations. Also from PBS is The Other Side of the Border (one hour), the story of two families of immigrants from Mexico who seek a better life. The study explores the context of ideas and events that led to the immigration law of 1986. Films for the Humanities has Christa Remembered (twenty-six minutes), commemorating the teacher-astronaut who perished in the Challenger disaster of 1986. And the abortion controversy is explored in The Roots of Roe (sixty minutes) from PBS.

Other problems are addressed in Hostage in Iran, a ninety-minute presentation from PBS on what it was like to be a hostage for 444 days in 1979-1981. Iran is also the subject of attention in The Arms, the Men, the Money (forty-nine minutes), an NBC treatment of the Iran-contra affair and its impact on the presidency and on U.S. foreign policy. PBS offers a one-hour presentation, Who's Running This War?, dealing with raising money for the contras. And NBC News has produced 1987: The Unforgettable Year (fifty minutes) covering the Iran-contra affair, Black Monday, AIDS, TV evangelism, and some of the other threads of that time.

Library Distributors of America, Las Vegas, Nevada, has a two-hour treatment of The Life and Times of Ronald Reagan. The video, more laudatory than analytical, may prepare students for discussion of image making. A&E Biography offers Jimmy Carter: To the White House and Beyond and Ronald Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime (both fifty-seven minutes); Films for the Humanities and Sciences has The Reagan Legacy (fifty-three minutes); and the PBS series The American Experience provides Reagan (in two parts totaling four hours, twenty minutes).
The Gulf War (three parts, each fifty minutes) is available from Films for the Humanities and Sciences. The same source has The Road to War: American Decision-Making During the Gulf Crisis (two hours, twenty-seven minutes), and PBS Video offers a two-part program on The Gulf War (two parts totaling four hours).

Document Set 302-1

The Modern Women's Movement: The Equal Rights Amendment and Uncertain Equality

1. The Equal Rights Amendment, 1972
2. Gloria Steinem Argues the Case for Constitutional Change, 1970
3. The Women's Action Alliance Agenda, 1975
4. Phyllis Schlafly Attacks the ERA, 1982
5. NOW Proposes an Expanded Bill of Rights, 1989The text emphasizes the fragmentation of American society and the uncertainties introduced by economic and social change in the 1970s and 1980s. Symptomatic of this theme, modern feminism emerged as an influential political force that mirrored changing values as women assumed new and increasingly responsible roles. By focusing on the struggle over the Equal Rights Amendment, this chapter enables instructors and students to explore the interest-group politics of recent years and to link altered social patterns with contemporary political trends. Discussion might begin with a brief review of the ERA battle in its historical context, starting with the Women's Party's efforts in the 1920s. Following this introduction instructors might wish to launch a debate on the merits of a constitutional change, with emphasis on student opinions and their rationales.Once student interest has been raised, instructors could advance to an exploration of the reasons why the ERA became such a divisive issue in the 1970s. The documents contain abundant evidence of the reasoning employed by both proponents and opponents of the amendment between 1972 and 1982. Discussion might focus on the ERA as a barometer of deep social cleavages in the Carter-Reagan era. The text provides background for student examination of the New Right, religious fundamentalism, and the triumph of conservatism in the 1980s. By analyzing Phyllis Schlafly's attack on ERA, students may gain a feel for the interplay of these forces.Not only will this discussion underscore past-present linkage, but it can encourage students to further examine the fears and uncertainties alluded to in the text. Instructors could facilitate this inquiry by asking students how ERA threatened some Americans, while others saw it as a liberating measure. Discussion of social change should reveal the importance of popular fears as a stimulus to political action.Another possible approach to this topic would be an exploration of the geographic locus of anti-feminist sentiment. Students might be assigned to research the demographics of ERA support and opposition, starting with a listing of the ratified and unratified states. With this task complete, it should be possible to launch a discussion of the political, social, and religious characteristics of unratified states that will, in turn, reveal that opposition was strongest where conservatives and religious fundamentalists held sway. Students might be encouraged to inquire into reasons for the failure of ERA supporters to organize successfully in these areas, with emphasis on the charge of elitism in the feminist movement.The outcome of this exercise should be not only an understanding of a failed political campaign but, more important, a grasp of the social basis for the conservative resurgence of the 1970s and 1980s. By examining the ERA movement, students will appreciate both the significance of modern feminism and the power of the political reaction that it bred.

Recommended Readings for Document Set 302-1


Mary Frances Berry. Why ERA Failed (1986).

Pamela Johnson Conover and Virginia Gray. Feminism and the New Right: Conflict Over the American Family (1983).

Jane DeHart-Mathews and Donald Mathews. The Equal Rights Amendment and the Politics of Cultural Conflict (1988).

Susan M. Hartman. From Margin to Mainstream: American Women and Politics Since 1960 (1989).

Rebecca Klatch. Women of the New Right (1987).

Jane Mansbridge. Why We Lost the ERA (1986).

Donald G. Mathews and Jane Sherron DeHart. Sex, Gender, and the Politics of ERA: A State and the Nation (1990).

Elizabeth Pleck et al., eds. Restoring Women to History: Materials for U.S. I (1984). These materials will be useful in planning for this unit.

Winifred Wandersee. On the Move: American Women in the 1970s (1988).

Joan Hoff Wilson, ed. Rights of Passage: The Past and Future of ERA (1986).
Audiovisual Resources for Document Set 302-1


Daddy, Don't Be Silly: A Case for Equal Rights (film--27 min.). Indiana University Audiovisual Center, Bloomington, Ind. 47405-5901.

The E.R.A. in America (audiocassette tape--30 min.). NPR Customer Service, P.O. Box 55417, Madison, Wis. 53705.

Women in American Politics (videotape--60 min.). Films for the Humanities and Sciences, P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, N.J. 08543-2053.

Women's Liberation (film--23 min.). Instructional Media Services, West Allis, Wis. 53214; phone (414) 541-8008.
Document Set 302-2

Confronting The Evil Empire by Proxy: Central America as A Battleground

1. President Ronald Reagan Sets a Tone for Central American Policy, 1985
2. The Inter-Religious Task Force Attacks the Administration Program in Nicaragua, 1985, 1986
3. The Tower Commission Assesses Oliver North's Contra Aid Scheme, 1987
4. The Congressional Panel's Conclusions on the Iran-Contra Affair: The Majority View, 1987
5. A Minority Opinion of the Scandal, 1987
6. Elliot Abrams Assesses the Impact of the Iran-Contra Scandal on Central American Policy, 1989
7. Berke Breathed on the Rule of Law in America, 1989This document set offers an excellent opportunity for instructors to establish clear past-present linkage. The Reagan policies in Central America are rooted in the Cold War assumptions of the postwar era. Moreover, it is possible to underscore the importance of twentieth-century historical precedent, from Theodore Roosevelt to Dwight Eisenhower, in shaping the policies and practices of the Reagan administration. Finally, the Iran-contra connection is certain to stimulate discussion of the constitutional and governmental issues raised but not resolved by the Watergate crisis. In discussing these matters, there is ample opportunity to reinforce continuity with interpretive problems confronted in earlier chapters of the documents collection. It will also be possible to draw comparisons with President Clinton's unique impeachment crisis.One question likely to emerge as students analyze the evidence is the problem of the Vietnam analogy in Central America. Several of the documents reflect an awareness of that precedent in the formulation and defense of American foreign policy in the post-Vietnam era. Not only may students rethink the issues discussed in earlier chapters, but they may also reflect on the uses of history. Instructors may wish to introduce the problem of historical analogy as a theoretical construct, following up with an open-ended discussion of Vietnam's meaning for policy in Central America.Similarly, the Watergate/Iran-contra relationship is likely to produce lively discussion. Among the issues to be considered are the abuse of executive authority, the executive-legislative relationship, the public's "right to know," and the constitutional problem. A provocative question would be whether "the system worked" to bring justice. As this discussion unfolds, it will also be important for instructors to help students see the differences between two historical situations that may seem deceptively alike.Students should be encouraged to draw meaning from the Reagan-CIA-NSC effort to create an effective anticommunist resistance movement in Central America. Useful discussion could flow from an inquiry into the reasons for the contra failure, some of which may be extracted from the documents through careful reading. Equally provocative would be an examination of the peaceful transition of power in Nicaragua as the result of the Chamorro electoral victory and the reasons for that outcome.In short, the value of this chapter lies in its potential for helping students to comprehend the world in which they live. By drawing on the experiences of the recent past, it may be possible for them to create their own understanding of their times by using history as a way of learning.

Recommended Readings for Document Set 302-2


Theodore Draper. A Very Thin Line (1991).

Roy Gutman. Banana Diplomacy (1988).

Jane Hunter et al. The Iran-Contra Connection (1987).

Walter LaFeber. Inevitable Revolutions: The United States in Central America (rev. ed., 1993).

Morris H. Morley. Washington, Somoza, and the Sandinista (1994).

Michael Schaller. Reckoning with Reagan (1992).

Carol Squiers. "Picturing Scandal: Iranscam, the Reagan White House, and the Photo Opportunity," in Carol Squiers, ed., The Critical Image: Essays on Contemporary Photography (1990).

David Thelen. Becoming Citizens in an Age of Television: How Americans Challenged the Media and Seized Political Initiative during the Iran-Contra Debate (1996).

Thomas W. Walker. Reagan Versus the Sandinistas: The Undeclared War on Nicaragua (1987).
Audiovisual Resources for Document Set 302-2


Moyers: Secret Government, Constitution in Crisis (videotape--90 min.). Public Affairs Television, Inc., 356 W. 58th Street, New York, N.Y. 10019.

Reagan, Part 2 (videotape--140 min.). PBS Video, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, Va. 22314-1698.

The Reagan Legacy (videotape--53 min.). Films for the Humanities and Sciences, P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, N.J. 08543-2053.

A Special Report: The Iran-Contra Hearings (audiocassette tape for NPR's daily reports--30 min. each). NPR Customer Service, P.O. Box 55417, Madison, Wis. 53705.

Document Set 32-3
Decision for War: An End to The "Vietnam Syndrome"?

1. President Bush Frames the Debate, 1990

2. The Churches of Christ Call for Alternative Solutions, 1990

3. Senator John Kerry Questions the President's Leadership, 1991

4. Senator John McCain Urges Resistance to Aggression, 1991

5. Senator George Mitchell Chooses Economic Sanctions over War, 1991

6. A Critique of the Media's Role in the Debate over War, 1990

This unit emphasizes the relationship between the intense national debate over the commitment of U.S. forces to combat in the Gulf War and the process by which the United States became engaged in the Vietnam War (see Document Set 30-1). The set not only enables instructors to establish past-present linkage but also encourages students to examine the use and misuse of history for political and/or diplomatic purposes. The entire Gulf War episode may be used to illustrate the relevance of history in understanding modern politics, as well as the long-term impact of the war in Vietnam on the generation that fought it.

An important prerequisite to informed discussion will be an examination of the origins of the Persian Gulf conflict. Instructors will want to introduce the topic by reviewing the histories of the nation-states in the Gulf region. Equally illuminating would be a brief lecture on the immediate background for U.S. involvement in the disagreement between Kuwait and Iraq, including a consideration of the American economic interest in the region and the controversy over the role of U.S. Ambassador April Glaspie. Students are likely to be interested in the American stance, and an analysis of the Glaspie interview should produce a lively exchange of ideas (see "Recommended Readings" for source).

Discussion of U.S. policy prior to the Iraqi invasion should logically lead to debate over the deep divisions in the American public over the wisdom of military intervention. The message of the National Council of Churches of Christ will stimulate student comment on the reasons for the reluctance of many Americans to embrace a confrontational foreign policy. Students may be challenged to explain why so many churches assumed a prominent role in the national discourse over what many observers viewed as the provocative policies of the Bush administration. By juxtaposing the record of the Bush press conference with the NCCC statement, instructors can provide students with a framework for classroom debate over the war decision and its origins.

Moving to the congressional debate, instructors might remind students of the gradual escalation that had characterized the United States' commitment to war in Vietnam. One approach to this discussion might be to use Document Set 30-1 as a point of comparison. Instructors could explore the widely held assumption that the Gulf War commitment had roots in an informed and enlightened national conversation. Using James Bennet's critique of the media, students might reexamine the public discussion that occurred before Congress took up the issue in January 1991. Possible topics include the process of opinion formation, the government's role in creating public attitudes, and the state of the American mind at the time of the congressional debate.

Full discussion of the Senate deliberations might begin with an examination of the key participants, their backgrounds, and the reasons for their positions. One approach to this exercise would be the assignment of congressional debate participants to individual students or student study groups. These students or groups might be asked to research the participants and return to class prepared to account for their behavior during the debate over the competing Senate resolutions.

During the process of research and discussion, students will have an excellent opportunity to assess the importance of the Vietnam War as an influence on American politics and foreign policy one generation after the end of the conflict. By this stage in many courses, students will have studied the war itself. However, instructors may wish to introduce the topic of the "Vietnam syndrome" and the efforts of the Bush administration to deal with the legacy of Vietnam. Students, in turn, might be asked to dissect the words of John Kerry and John McCain for evidence of the war's lingering impact on those who fought it. Similarly, the comments of other senators may be studied for indications of how American political figures have reacted across generational lines to the Vietnam experience. Discussion of the recent debates over intervention in the Balkans would enable students to grasp the long-term influence of the disastrous war in Vietnam on public attitudes in the United States.

Finally, students might be asked to assess the arguments made for and against military engagement. Instructors might encourage them to determine which arguments were most credible and influential in determining the outcome of the debate. Moreover, students might examine the expectations that prevailed as the United States prepared for war and the extent to which American objectives were achieved. Students might be challenged to evaluate the Gulf War as an effective instrument of national policy in light of the ongoing confrontation with Saddam Hussein since the war's conclusion. Classroom discussion might be brought to closure with an exploration of the rhetoric of "new world order" and its meaning for the post-Gulf War era.

Recommended Readings for Document Set 32-3

Michael Duffy. Marching in Place: The Status Quo Presidency of George Bush (1992).

Lawrence Freedman and Efraim Karsch. The Gulf Conflict, 1991-1992 (1993).

Stephen R. Graubard. Mr. Bush's War: Adventures in the Politics of Illusion (1992).

Alex Hybel. Power over Responsibility (1993).

John MacArthur. Second Front: Censorship and Propaganda in the Gulf War (1992).

David Mervin. George Bush and the Guardianship Presidency (1996).

Judith Miller and Laurie Mylroie. Saddam Hussein and the Crisis in the Gulf (1990).

Micah L. Sifry and Christopher Cerf, eds. The Gulf War Reader: History, Documents, and Opinions (1991).

Jean Edward Smith. George Bush's War (1992).

Robert W. Tucker and David C. Hendrickson. The Imperial Temptation: The New World Order and America's Purpose (1992).

Audiovisual Resources for Document Set 32-3

The Gulf War (videotape--4 hrs.). PBS Video, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, Va. 22314-1698.

Revolution: Iraq and Iran (film--25 min.). Instructional Media Services, West Allis, Wis. 53214; phone (414) 541-8008.

The Tinderbox. From The Prize Series (videotape--60 min.). PBS Video, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, Va. 22314-1698.