This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the early Cold War. In addressing the compelling question “Is military strength a prerequisite for peace?” students will review primary sources from President Reagan, President Eisenhower, the CIA, the White House, and data on the growth of the American military. Students will add evidence, questions, connections, and analysis from those documents to create an annotated timeline. The completed annotated timeline is a writing scaffold to support argumentative writing on the compelling question “Is military strength a prerequisite for peace”? In the summative performance task, students will write a claim supporting their answer to the compelling question while also acknowledging views that may compete against theirs.