Historian William O”Niell wrote a book about the 1960s called Coming Apart. He argues that, at the moment of its greatest triumph, the consensus of New Deal liberalism was fracturing — mainly by the combination of the military-industrial complex (Vietnam) and racist backlash — and coming apart. In the questions below, your job is to explain the triumph of New Deal liberalism in the early 1960s and how it was “coming apart” in these areas. As always, I am happy to look at your rough drafts.The questions this week are about showing how that happened. What good was done and how was that impetus lost?
Question 1. In the area of the health and welfare of the people, explain with specific evidence and examples, the triumph of New Deal Liberalism and it’s coming apart in the 1960s.
Question 2. How did Latinx and Native Americans mobilize in the 1960s? As the decade ends, are they “coming apart” or holding together? Depending on your edition of the book, you may have to look ahead to chapter 29 to complete this essay.
Question 3. In the area of equality and justice, explain with specific evidence and examples, the triumph of New Deal Liberalism and its coming apart in the 1960s.
