Calderwood Writing Course: U.S. History
1968: A Time of Change

Final Writing Assignment

Left: Students address a crowd from the university steps while others place a sign on the statue behind them. Right: A young Nixon supporter smiles and waves a sign at the photographer. She is surrounded by other supporters wearing Nixon banners and hats.

Left: Student activists address the crowd at the Columbia University protest; Right: Nixon supporters during the Republican National Convention

Why was 1968
a significant year?

Now expand your outline into an essay that answers the question:
Why did the year 1968 come to symbolize the 1960s as a decade of change in America?

Your argument will consist of claims that you can support with evidence. Your essay should reference the social, political, and cultural changes in motion before 1968; how the events of 1968 influenced and advanced those changes; and how the use of symbols reflected and created change in 1968. While you should include historical facts from this lesson, your argument should also be informed by the conclusions you have drawn from the evidence.

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Calderwood Writing Course: U.S. History

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