From attack to defeat. The years 1941 and 1975 bookend two of the most infamous moments in U.S. history—the Japanese military’s attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the defeat of the United States-backed South Vietnam by North Vietnamese forces. This course will explore the time period between these two events, a period that marked not only defeat, but also victory. We will examine the U.S. efforts in World War II, both on the homefront and in the war’s many theaters, the almost immediate beginning of a Cold War that sparked hot conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, and the domestic repercussions of these events at home.
Course Syllabus
For more on the class, check out our syllabus.
Audio Credits
Crosby, Bing. White Christmas. Decca Records, 1942.
Middleton, Robert, Narrator. Duck and Cover. Castle Films, 1952. Video.
KTU, Honolulu, Hawaii broadcast, December 7, 1941.
07 UH1 Startup, 29 Days, 1787AU2125. No Date, Richard Crane Collection, Vietnam Center and Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive, Texas Tech University.
Charles Cox
Mr. Cox is a second-year Ph.D. student focusing on Spanish Colonial and American Territorial Louisiana from 1762 to 1812.
Kara Dixon Vuic
The LCpl. Benjamin W. Schmidt Professor of War, Conflict, and Society in 20th-Century America, Dr. Vuic teaches courses on military history, war and society, gender, and memory.