History paper : The Cold War Debates about America's Role in the World

For the second document analysis assignment you will compare, analyze, and interpret a debate related to the Cold War. 

• Henry R. Luce, "The American Century" (1941), in Foner, Voices of Freedom, 196-199.


• Henry A. Wallace, "The Century of the Common Man" (1942), in Foner, Voices of Freedom, 199-201.

These two documents relate to a common theme of the Cold War: America's role in the world. They address opposing views of the global role of the United States following World War II. 

Your task is to compare and contrast the sources, and formulate your own interpretation of the issues presented in the debate or disagreement between the authors of the sources. You do not necessarily have to agree or disagree with one side or the either. A very good paper, for instance, will formulate an interpretation that shows how these debates fit into the broader global political context of the changing role of the United States during the Cold War and its relation to Soviet Communism.

For the paper it is absolutely imperative that you cite your sources using one of the acceptable academic citation styles (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.), and that the citations are correct. If you fail to submit a paper with citations you will fail the assignment. You must cite your sources.

Your paper must be submitted to Turnitin. There is a link to upload your paper on this page.

The paper must include the following:

• A descriptive title.


• A thesis statement and an argument.  Do not simply summarize or describe the sources.  Provide an analysis of the meaning and significance of the texts.  In other words, form an interpretation of the texts.


• Provide evidence from the text to support your thesis statement. The evidence must come from the text itself.


• Use citations with a works cited page at the end of your paper.


• 750-1250 words (a minimum of 3 full pages, roughly, 3-5 pages).


• 10 or 12-point readable font, double-spaced, with 1” margins


• Submit your paper on Canvas using the Turnitin link. You will only be able to submit your paper once. You must submit the file in a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file format, but not in a .pages format.