One of the main jobs of historians is to interpret the past by reviewing primary documents, scholarly secondary sources, and hen creating an analysis of this research. Please read the relevant chapters in your textbook, and click on the links below to access sources on the Modern Era that will help you with your journal assignment.
For this historical journal, consider ONE of the following:
1. Fall of saigon
2. The Montgomery Bus Boycott
3. The Great Society
4. Woodstock
5. Watergate
Once you have picked your subject, I want you to describe the event in a tweet. Yes, that is correct—you have only 288 characters to describe the event. There are entire volumes written on subjects like the Vietnam War, so whittling it down to a tweet will be a challenge, and you must decide what the most important parts of it are, to accurately and adequately describe it. Your tweet must be concise, factual, and give me enough information so that if I knew nothing about the event, your tweet would tell me what I need to know, including the following:
1. Time period
2. The two or three most important points or facts about the event
3. And/or the most important people involved in the event
For instance, if I tweet about the Vietnam War, I might say:
Battle against Communism in Vietnam. US involvement since 1950s; no conclusion until 1970s. Draft in an undeclared war; people protest US action. Chaos and Division! Fall of Saigon—Sad!
I include the time period, how long US involvement was, the fact that Vietnam was undeclared and included a draft, and the fact that US involvement in the war divided the country. Once you have completed the tweet, explain to me why you included the information you did, and what you left out and why. For example, I would explain why I believed the battle against Communism and the social protests against the war were the most important points, and why I left out things like military strategies in Vietnam.
This assignment should be at least 350 words (not including the tweet) and contain your reactions or questions about some specific issue within the historical narrative that you find compelling. For full credit, your journal entry must not simply sum up the reading or repeat points made there. Rather, I am looking for you to create your own interpretation, explain the emotional content of the piece, and/or discuss some original insight. Include citations as necessary.
