This course presents a framework for understanding American history from 1945 to the present. We explore major events and themes, beginning with the Cold War and the domestic anti-communism crusade, and continuing with the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the women?s movement. In our study of national politics, we chart the rise of liberalism ? focusing on the presidencies of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson ? as well as the conservative response, punctuated by the "Reagan Revolution." We conclude with a brief study of the 21st century.