How did movements and government programs reshape American society after 1945?
Describe the social and political changes of the postwar era, including the Great Society, the expansion of rights for women and other groups, the antiwar movement, and the changing role of government (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.12, VUS.13).
A SOL-level answer on postwar social change for the VUS exam: Johnson's Great Society and War on Poverty, the women's movement and the push for equal rights, movements by other groups, the Vietnam-era antiwar protests and counterculture, and the debate over the role of government.
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What this topic is asking
Standards VUS.12 and VUS.13 ask about the broad social and political changes of the postwar decades. The exam wants Johnson's Great Society and War on Poverty, the women's movement and rights movements by other groups, the Vietnam-era antiwar movement and counterculture, and the ongoing debate over the role of government.
The Great Society
Its lasting achievements include Medicare (health insurance for the elderly), Medicaid (health coverage for the poor), federal aid to education, and support for the civil rights laws. The Great Society extended the New Deal idea that the federal government should actively protect citizens' welfare, a key continuity the test may probe.
The women's movement
Building on the civil rights movement, a renewed women's movement pressed for equality:
- Equal pay and job opportunities, challenging discrimination in the workplace.
- Equal legal rights, including the campaign for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) (which fell short of ratification).
- An end to discrimination based on sex, supported by new laws and court decisions.
The movement reshaped expectations about women's roles in work, family, and public life.
Movements by other groups
The era's spirit of activism spread. Latino Americans (such as the farmworkers' movement led by Cesar Chavez), American Indians, and others organized to demand equal rights and recognition, broadening the civil rights struggle beyond the Black freedom movement.
The antiwar movement and counterculture
The Vietnam War divided the nation. As the war dragged on with mounting casualties, a large antiwar movement, centered on college students, protested through demonstrations, marches, and draft resistance. A broader counterculture of the 1960s questioned traditional values and authority. The conflict over the war and social change split Americans and helped fuel a backlash.
The debate over government
These changes intensified a lasting debate: how large a role should the federal government play in fighting poverty and inequality? Supporters saw the Great Society and rights laws as fulfilling the nation's promises; critics saw government overreach and rising spending. This debate set up the conservative resurgence of the later 20th century.
Try this
Q1. State the main goal of Johnson's Great Society. [2]
- Cue. To end poverty and racial injustice through federal programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and education aid, expanding the government's social role.
Q2. Describe one goal of the women's movement of this era. [2]
- Cue. Equal pay and job opportunities, equal legal rights (the Equal Rights Amendment), or ending discrimination based on sex.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of VDOE exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
VA VUS SOL (released item style)1 marksPresident Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" programs of the 1960s aimed to
(A) reduce the size of the federal government.
(B) end poverty and racial injustice and expand social programs like Medicare and Medicaid.
(C) return to isolationism.
(D) repeal Social Security.
Show worked answer →
A single-select item on the Great Society (VUS.12, VUS.13).
Correct answer: (B). The Great Society was Johnson's set of programs to fight poverty and injustice, including Medicare and Medicaid, education aid, and civil rights laws, expanding the federal role.
A, C, and D are the opposite. The test rewards linking the Great Society to fighting poverty and expanding social programs.
VA VUS SOL (released item style)2 marksThe 1960s and 1970s saw movements for greater equality and protest.
(a) Describe one goal of the women's movement of this era. (b) Describe the antiwar movement of the Vietnam era.
Show worked answer →
A two-part constructed response (VUS.12, VUS.13), 2 points (1 per part).
(a) 1 point: any valid goal, such as equal pay and job opportunities, equal legal rights (the proposed Equal Rights Amendment), or an end to discrimination based on sex.
(b) 1 point: as the Vietnam War dragged on, many Americans, especially students, protested through demonstrations and marches, deeply dividing the country over the war.
Markers reward one goal of the women's movement and an accurate description of antiwar protest.
Related dot points
- Explain the goals, leaders, methods, and achievements of the civil rights movement, including Brown v. Board of Education, nonviolent protest, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Virginia's Massive Resistance (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.12).
A SOL-level answer on the civil rights movement for the VUS exam: Brown v. Board of Education, the nonviolent methods and leaders (Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks), the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Virginia's Massive Resistance to school desegregation.
- Describe the major Cold War conflicts and crises (the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War), the arms race and the space race, and the domestic Red Scare and McCarthyism (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.11).
A SOL-level answer on Cold War conflicts for the VUS exam: the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam War as applications of containment, the nuclear arms race and the space race, and the domestic Red Scare and McCarthyism.
- Describe the United States since the end of the Cold War, including economic globalization and the technological revolution, the September 11 attacks and the war on terror, changing demographics, and the continuing relevance of founding constitutional principles (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.13, VUS.14).
A SOL-level answer on the modern era for the VUS exam: economic globalization and the technological revolution (the personal computer and the internet), the September 11 attacks and the war on terror, changing demographics and immigration, and how founding constitutional principles still shape contemporary debates.
- Describe the conservative resurgence of the late 20th century, Reagan's policies, and the events that ended the Cold War, including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.13).
A SOL-level answer on the end of the Cold War for the VUS exam: the conservative resurgence and Reagan's policies, the pressure on the Soviet Union, the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 that ended the Cold War and left the United States the sole superpower.
- Describe the antebellum reform movements, including abolitionism, the women's rights movement (Seneca Falls), the Second Great Awakening, temperance, and education reform (Virginia 2015 History and Social Science SOL VUS.6).
A SOL-level answer on antebellum reform for the VUS exam: the Second Great Awakening, the abolitionist movement (Douglass, Garrison, Tubman), the women's rights movement and the Seneca Falls Convention, temperance, and education reform, with their lasting influence on American society.
Sources & how we know this
- Standards of Learning Documents for History and Social Science, Adopted 2015 — Virginia Department of Education (2015)
- SOL Practice Items (All Subjects) — Virginia Department of Education (2024)