Another shortened week where we are only discussing ONE document here in the online discussion. 

Document 40: Ronald Reagan, Tear down this wall (1987)

Please also take a look at the video:Reagan in Berlin 1987 (Links to an external site.) 

Also check out this video  ofscene from the Berlin Wall coming down in November 1989 (Links to an external site.). 

Discussion Question (5 points)

Please answer write a post responding to the following questions about Reagan’s speech. Your answer should be around 8-10 sentences.  No need to respond to other people’s posts this week but I do encourage you read them.  DUE THURSDAY AT NOON

How did Reagan define “freedom” in his speech in Berlin?  Why do you think he addressed General Secretary Gorbachev directly? Would you consider this a change in US foreign policy? Why or why not?

Extra Credit (up to 2.5 points)

You may have noticed that historians and textbooks tend to use dates to designate periods of history.  In this class for example we’ve designated dates lik 1865, 1877, 1917, 1929, 1933, 1941, 1945, 1964/5, 1968, and 1980 as turning points.  September 11, 2001 is another such date the designates the “end” of a period (the post Cold War era) and the “beginning” of another (the era of partisanship? the war on terror?)  In any case, September 11 will be covered in the lectures next week but I want you to read this article in the Atlantic to think about how the current Coronavirus may be argued by future historians to be just such a turning point. 

 Atlantic Article, “The 9-11 Era is over” (April 6, 2020) 

For up to 2.5 points extra credit please write a robust paragraph answering the following:

1. What is the thesis (argument) of the author of this piece?

2. How does he support his argument(s) about 2001 and 2020?

3. What are your own thoughts? (I’m asking opinion here though you should do some analysis answering #1 and #2 before you get to this point.).