520 CHApTEr 2 2 | a ConSerVatiVe tenor | period nine 1980 to the present working with Secondary Sources^521521steP 3 Identify and organize your evidence
steP 4 Outline your response
By recognizing the authors or speakers as both windows and mirrors to the larger
society, the analysis of voice and audience enhances your argument. The focus on
America’s “changing role” invites a discussion of voice and audience.
One possible organization is to approach it like this chapter’s Applying AP® His-
torical Thinking Skills exercise on periodization and comparison, where you moni-
tor two distinct eras between a pivotal point, such as 9/11. A second choice is to use
historical themes as a benchmark of these actual changes. For example, much of this
chapter focuses on American identity and the United States’ role abroad. So a second
theme is America in the world. Given that American foreign policy has shifted dra-
matically over the last forty years, you may identify changes that have occurred to our
national identity and subsequent changes in foreign policy. Such an outline appears
here (the comparisons begin with the introduction of the second point of view):I. Introduction
II. American identity 1975 to 2000
A. Conservative point of view
B. Liberal point of view
III. American foreign policy 1975 to 2000. In examining foreign policy,
draw attention to the relationship that the United States has with its
intended audiences. Your analysis of different points of view should take
into account their intended effect on audiences at home and abroad.
A. Conservative point of viewB. Liberal point of view
IV. American identity 2001 to the present
A. Conservative point of view
B. Liberal point of view
V. American foreign policy 2001 to the present
A. Conservative point of view
B. Liberal point of view
IV. Conclusion
steP 5 Write your essay
23_STA_2012_ch22_489-522.indd 520 17/04/15 11:34 AM