This is an exam that you will write, using whatever resources you would like (your notes
on class, readings, readings themselves, etc.). Therefore, you are required to use
FOOTNOTES or ENDNOTES (Chicago Manual of Style) throughout the exam, be it KEY
TERMS or for the longer essay.
PART I (Worth 8 points total)
CHOOSE ONLY 4 Key Terms and Concepts to identify (NOTE CHOOSE 4 ONLY):
1. “Tune in, Turn on, Drop Out”
According to Timothy Leary, what did this phrase mean? As in, tune into
WHAT? Turn onto WHAT? Drop out of WHAT?
2. The Moynihan Report
In what ways did the Moynihan Report reflect the values of the “ideal
family” in the 1950s?
3. Dr. Spock
According to Dr. Spock, what role did fathers play in caring for babies,
and how did this represent a shift in norms about masculinity?
4. The Kinsey Reports (on men and women)
Provide 2 examples of how these reports challenged assumptions about
sexual norms in the 1950s.
5. Woodstock Music Festival
How did this festival represent a cultural revolution? (See Kopkind’s piece
in Bloom and Breines, pp. 518-523)
6. The “Motown Sound”
In what ways did the “Motown Sound” represent a new era for Black
musical artists?
7. Frank Kameny
Why is Frank Kameny considered such an important figure in the
Homophile Movement? What did he call for and when?
8. Hippies
What did hippies want and what norms were they challenging?
Key Questions:
Who are the key players/who is the person?
When did event occur/person live?
What happened/did they do?
Where did person live/event(s) occur?
Most especially: Answer the question that is asked above.
PART II – Essay Question (Worth 6 points)
In our Bloom and Breines reader, the authors talk about the 1950s as an introduction to
the 1960s:
“These decades stand in marked contrast in the collective memory, each reduced to
recollections distilled from media imagery and popular stereotypes. The periods recede
into history, reflections of the dominant values of their eras rather than accurate
representations of the complexity of the times: the harmonious 1950s; the turbulent
1960s….As scholars look back at these eras, however, they understand them as complex
and interrelated.”1
QUESTION TO ANSWER IN THE FORM OF A THESIS: Which groups of people were
marginalized in 1950s popular culture and why?
NOTE: Be sure to include EVIDENCE that backs up your claims, and to explain the
SIGNIFICANCE of your claims to addressing your ARGUMENT/THESIS.
Write this as an essay, rather than just listing information:
1. You need a THESIS or ARGUMENT stating which groups of people were
marginalized, and why you think that/how you will show it. That is, you need to
explain what the BODY OF YOUR PAPER will show.
2. You need to amass evidence to back that thesis up, as well as explain the
significance of your evidence/claims. You will do this by citing the evidence, and
EXPLAINING the purpose/meaning of the citation! In this essay, you are to
provide three examples of the ways in which the seeds of dissent were already
planted in the 1950s, by groups that were marginalized in the dominant culture.
3. You need a conclusion that sums up what you’ve shown in the essay, as well as
highlights the importance of what you’ve shown for understanding the 1950s as
a prologue to the 1960s.
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