The United States of America formed the CIA and the Department of Defense to enhance the security and safety of its people. The CIA was an essential unit that was tasked with seeking information that was of national importance. The department of defense strategizes covert action under the president’s commands to any preempt threats. The United States of America was focused on its national security due to the instability and tension created by other nations, such as the Soviet Union, that seemed not ready to cease gunfire. The DOD and the CIA have greatly impacted American society by ensuring continued safety and stability.
The vulnerability of Jim Crow was due to the cold war. The government was pressured to uphold the American aspects of equality as it proclaimed itself. Jim Crow was also a disadvantage to the US administration as the Soviet Union saw it as an opportunity to criticize it. The nonviolent tactic was effective, and its primary advantage was the minimized number of deaths as black people did not fight back. The demerits of this approach were that it was slow and required high self-discipline to avoid fighting when provoked, hurt or arrested. The nonviolence resistance has two main limits; no person was to harm any organism, and any form of war and political chaos needed to be avoided.
1968 was the year of the student as it marked the highest enrollment into college. The students took the frontline in fighting for changes as they gained more ideas and insights on human rights, equality, and leadership. The occupation at Columbia University embodied the sentiment of student radicalism as most students formed movements demanding reforms in various sectors, such as the halt of the Columbia gym construction. The male students were mostly in charge of organizing and executing the protest plans in these happenings. These events catalyzed the Women’s Liberation movement as they failed to demonstrate the sexism concept in the university.
As the Vietnam War commenced, the public supported its course. At the time, the president had promised them victory as they fought with South Vietnam. However, with time, people started to change their stand due to the ” Tet offensive.” This was an assault on the Sothern cities by North Vietnam, resulting in a counterattack by the American soldiers. The events of the war were shown to the Americans, revealing the war’s brutality. If I had been in college in 1960, I could have acted in the same manner of supporting the war and after getting exposed to the actual happenings, I could change my mind.
Nixon viewed democracy as a warfare process rather than a helpful aspect. He also believed that anyone who was against his thoughts was opposing America. The break-in at the Watergate in June 1972 was a chaotic event aimed at reelecting Nixon. The happenings were caused by the fact that it had the head office of the Democratic committee. This move aimed to acquire the necessary information to enable Nixon’s win. In my thought, what Nixon did to ensure he remained in power was a violation of the law and should be charged with criminal charges. The lesson of this event is that every person, including the president, should observe the laws, and no one should abuse power.
A review of the long sweep of US history tells of the great strides the nation has taken since the settlements in Jamestown. Over the years, the United States has made progressive improvements in all aspects of social, economic, and political life. The life of Americans has been made better as time moves. I can tell with certainty if they are ahead or behind us on the idea of better days. If the country continues to improve itself, the Americans will have brighter days. However, if the US ends up with poor leadership with people who prioritize their interests first, then the good days could be behind us.