In its Talking with David Frost series, PBS Video offers Senator Robert Dole and House Speaker Newt Gingrich (each one hour). The other end of the social structure is examined in Uneasy Neighbors (thirty-five minutes), In the Shadow of the Law (fifty-eight minutes), and Farmworkers' Diary (ten minutes). The first considers growing tension between residents of migrant worker camps and neighboring affluent homeowners in California; the second is a portrait of four families of illegal immigrants; the last is a day in the life of Chicano farmworkers. All are available from the University of California Extension Center for Media in Berkeley.

The obstacles that African-Americans have faced over the years are the subject of Goin' to Chicago (seventy-one minutes), a chronicle of migration north in search of factory work, the changes in Chicago's South Side, and the drying up of economic opportunity with the closing of the mills and stockyards after World War II. Popular entertainment and media attitudes toward African-Americans are explored in Ethnic Notions (fifty-six minutes) and Color Adjustment (eighty-eight minutes). The former covers a period of about 150 years, and the latter takes the story of racial prejudice into the television age. Both films can be obtained from Resolution, Inc. of San Francisco or see the Educational Film & Video Locator. Films the Humanities and Sciences offers a 60 minute examination with Bill Moyer of 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.

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). 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.
Document Set 31-1

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, 1990This 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 28-1). 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 28-1 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 31-1


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 31-1


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.
Document Set 3331-21

Health Security for All Americans: Great Expectations

1. Hillary Rodham Clinton Justifies Health Care Reform, 1993
2. President William Jefferson Clinton Challenges Congress to Enact Reform, 1993
3. The President's Health Security Plan, 1993
4. The Press Helps Shape the Debate, 1993
5. The Reform Consensus, 1993
6. Religious Conservatives Define Health Care Reform, 1993
7. Bob Woodward Analyzes the Decision-Making Process, 1994Among the key issues of the Clinton presidential campaign of 1992, none was more significant than the looming health-care crisis, highlighted by a consistent 20 percent of Americans unable to secure medical coverage in the 1990s. Instructors seeking to emphasize social history and continuity in reform might depart from the first "focus question" in Chapter 33 to explore the role played by the health-care issue in Bill Clinton's election. Students will want to know why the world's most affluent society has not been capable of meeting the health-care needs of its people. The quest for an explanation will provide a provocative discussion topic for opening debate.One way to deepen this discourse would be to ask students to rely on personal knowledge as they approach the documents. With the increase of nontraditional students in the modern classroom, discussions have been enriched by the wealth of human experience now available, on which we may build meaningful historical analysis. By tapping into students' own family experiences, learning is made relevant, and the text is brought to life. This line of inquiry should lead naturally into an exploration of the reasons why the nation's social safety net has been shredded during the past generation. Classes will be led easily into discussion of modern attitudes toward the breadth and depth of the American social welfare state.As students dissect the documents, their search for an explanation of the welfare state's inadequacies may well lead to the identification of "villains," in the words of Bob Woodward. To assist students in their analysis, instructors might employ role-playing technique to highlight competing positions on health-care reform. Students (or student groups) may be asked to use the documents and their own research to develop presentations or debating positions from the standpoints of physicians, insurance industry executives, drug companies, hospital administrators, social services workers, and consumers. The result should be rewarding discussion of the very serious impediments to sweeping reform of the nation's health-care delivery system.Finally, faculty interested in women's history may wish to focus on the crucial role played by Hillary Rodham Clinton in the development of the administration's health-care reform program. The First Lady's contribution to the debate raises numerous questions for analysis. Students might be asked to explore the role of the First Lady in historical context, as essential background for discussion of the divisive argument over Mrs. Clinton's direction of the health-care reform task force. Students could develop positions in favor of or against the activist role she assumed. By examining the public reaction to Hillary Rodham Clinton's high profile, of which the health-care effort was a part, students can develop a more sophisticated understanding of modern gender relations as well as the place of women in American society as the century comes to an end.

Recommended Readings for Document Set 313-21


Joseph A. Califano, Jr. Radical Surgery: What's Next for America's Health Care (1994).

Erik Ekholm, ed. Solving America's Health Care Crisis (1994).

Robert H. Frank and Philip J. Cook. The Winner Take All Society (1995).

Jacob S. Hacker. The Road to Nowhere: The Genesis of Bill Clinton's Plan for Health Security (1997).

Haynes Johnson and David Broder. The System: The American Way of Politics at the Breaking Point (1996).

Roger Morris. Partners in Power: The Clintons and Their America (1996).

Richard Reeves. Running in Place: How Bill Clinton Disappointed America (1996).

Paul Starr. The Logic of Health Care Reform (1992).

Bob Woodward. The Agenda: Inside the Clinton White House (1994).
Audiovisual Resources for Document Set 313-21


Can't Afford to Grow Old (videotape--55 min.). Filmmaker's Library, 124 E. 40th Street, New York, N.Y. 10016.

The Great Health Care Debate, with Bill Moyers (videotape--56 min.). University Film and Video, Continuing Education, University of Minnesota, 1313 Fifth Street, Suite 108, Minneapolis, Minn. 55414.

The High Price of Health (videotape--60 min.). PBS Video, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, Va. 22314-1698.

The Politics of Medicine (videotape--60 min.). PBS Video, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, Va. 22314-1698.
Document Set 313-32

The Revolution of 1994: Realignment or Readjustment?

1. The Republican Contract with America, 1994
2. Conservative Christians Influence the Electoral Outcome, 1994
3. A Skeptical View of the Contract, 1995
4. The Revolution That Wasn't, 1998
5. The Nation Detects the Demise of the Conservative Revolution, 1998The textbook emphasizes the lack of vision demonstrated by many Democrats in the 1990s, as well as the Republicans' single-minded pursuit of a moral agenda within a framework of economic conservatism. Against this backdrop, the story of American social and political life at century's end concludes on a note of uncertainty. Instructors might wish to open discussion by exploring the textbook's focus question on the social and cultural trends of the 1990s most likely to shape the future course of American history. This document set offers an opportunity to employ primary sources in an examination of American ambivalence and shifting party preferences in the tumultuous Clinton era.The evidence provided should enable students to look behind voter choices and explore the American public's deeply conflicted attitude toward government after sixty years of the welfare state. Students might be asked to research the impact of federal spending on their families and communities, with emphasis on the development of a definition of the term, welfare. These documents will encourage students to think critically about the function of government and the issue of governmental responsibility for the social and economic well-being of citizens.Instructors may also ignite intense debate by asking students to comment on the wisdom of cuts in government spending. Before long, this discourse is likely to produce sharp disagreement over whose welfare is expendable in America. Skilled instructors will convert this discussion into a group reassessment of the New Deal-Fair Deal-Great Society concept of community and social responsibility. By subjecting the documents to close critical analysis within this deep historical context, students will be forced to revisit the issue of "how much government is enough."Further examination of modern conservatism's socioeconomic base will also shed light on the roots of the erstwhile "revolution of 1994," as well as its long-term prospects. One important dimension of this discussion might be a debate over the relative significance of cultural and economic considerations as the driving forces behind the political success of Republicans in 1994. Another subject for a structured debate would be the Republican and Democratic positions in either the 1994 or 1998 election.If analysis of the 1998 result is attempted, instructors may want to link character issues, the impeachment controversy, and the matter of moral concerns as factors in recent political discourse. These documents reveal both nostalgia for traditional values and open dislike for government as important factors in the rise of militant conservatism. Yet careful analysis will also reveal the many meanings read into the stalled revolution by both progressive observers and detached scholars. Finally, this document set is designed to launch provocative discussion of prospects for twenty-first century American political life. Spirited discussion of the Clinton era's long-term legacy is certain to develop from an analysis of the Republican surge in the 1990s.

Recommended Readings for Document Set 313-32


Don Balz and Ronald Brownstein. Storming the Gates: Protest Politics and the Republican Revival (1996).

E. J. Dionne. They Only Look Dead: Why Progressives Will Dominate the Next Political Era (1996).

Elizabeth Drew. Showdown: The Struggle between the Gingrich Congress and the Clinton White House (1996).

David Frum. Dead Right (1994).

Stanley Greenberg and Theda Skocpol, eds. The New Majority: Toward a Popular Progressive Politics (1997).

David Maraniss and Michael Weisskopf. "Tell Newt to Shut Up!" (1996).

William Martin. With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America (1996).

James B. Stuart. Blood Sport: The President and His Adversaries (1996).

Michael Tomasky. Left for Dead: The Life, Death, and Possible Resurrection of Progressive Politics in America (1996).

Ben J. Wattenberg. Values Matter Most: How Republicans, Democrats, or a Third Party Can Win and Renew the American Way of Life (1995).
Audiovisual Resources for Document Set 313-32


Can the States Do It Better? (videotape--56 min.). Films for the Humanities and Sciences, P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, N.J. 08543-2053.

The Conservatives (videotape--80 min.). Films for the Humanities and Sciences, P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, N.J. 08543-2053.

The Elected: The Presidency and Congress (videotape--60 min.). PBS Video, 1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, Va. 22314-1698.

The President vs the Press (videotape--45 min.). Films for the Humanities and Sciences, P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, N.J. 08543-2053.

The Religious Right (videotape--60 min.). Films for the Humanities and Sciences, P.O. Box 2053, Princeton, N.J. 08543-2053.