Since World War II, Americans’ natural trust in their government has fundamentally changed. This stack focuses on three government scandals – the revelations about the Vietnam War in the Pentagon Papers, the Watergate Scandal, and the Iran-Contra Affair – in the second half of the 20th Century to explore how Americans’ trust in their government evolved since World War II.
| Building Block Inquiry 1 | Building Block Inquiry 2 | Building Block Inquiry 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Pentagon Papers | Watergate | Iran-Contra Affair |
| Compelling Question | Compelling Question | Compelling Question |
| How do breaches of trust affect public perception? | How do breaches of trust affect public perception? | How do breaches of trust affect public perception? |
| Inquiry Description | Inquiry Description | Inquiry Description |
| Students analyze and sort the titles of books written about the Vietnam War, looking for clues about the work’s perspective and its date of publication in the titles. This close analysis encourages students to consider how trust in the government may have changed over time as the Vietnam War unfolded, ended, and was later analyzed retrospectively. The lesson concludes with students deliberating the impact of the Pentagon Papers on public trust in government. | In this lesson, students consider how the Watergate Scandal influenced public perception of government through a detailed analysis of political cartoons. Students collaborate to determine if the political cartoon would have increased or decreased the viewer’s trust in the government. After analyzing a series of cartoons, students craft a claim that answers the compelling question. | Students begin by analyzing excerpts from interviews with government officials who were involved in the Iran-Contra Affair, looking for evidence that would have weakened public trust in government. Students then collaborate to match the themes in the interviews to headlines about the Iran-Contra Affair. The lesson culminates by asking students to predict how Americans might have felt had these events unfolded in the public eye rather than in secret. |
