University of South Florida History of America Paper

Historians sometimes distinguish between “history from the top down” and “history from the bottom up.” History from the top down focuses on leaders and elites: presidents, politicians, military officers, and the like. History from the bottom up discusses the experiences of common people: average citizens, racial minorities, immigrants, workers, and families.

Which approach offers a better path for understanding the history of the United States since 1945? Who exerted a greater influence on U.S. foreign and domestic affairs – elites or common people? Do you believe that political and military elites charted a course that the nation followed? Or have broad-based social movements made up of average people exerted more influence since 1945? If you were teaching a course on U.S. history since 1945, which approach would you be more likely to emphasize?

In formulating your answer, choose three different individuals/groups that we have discussed in the third section of this course (modules 11-14). How do the experiences of each individual/group reflect the top down/bottom up divide? What sort of historical agency – that is, influence – were your individuals/groups able to exert?