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Revision lesson for AQA 2Q: The American Dream. Covers domestic policy 1945–63 with source analysis tasks on Truman, Eisenhower & JFK. Exam-focused.

This teacher-led A-Level History lesson is designed for AQA Paper 2Q: The American Dream, focusing on the domestic policies of Truman, Eisenhower, and JFK between 1945 and 1963. It combines engaging revision content with structured source analysis, helping students build confidence in tackling 30-mark questions.

The lesson begins with a clear learning intention: to identify and evaluate the key domestic challenges and reforms under each president. Using a visually rich PowerPoint, students are introduced to the Fair Deal, Dynamic Conservatism, and New Frontier, supported by embedded YouTube clips that bring historical context to life.

The teacher guides students through three primary sources:

Truman’s 1949 address to Congress
Eisenhower’s 1953 inaugural speech
Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1962 letter to JFK
Students are first prompted to analyse each source independently, considering tone, content, and argument. The teacher then provides structured support to deepen their analysis, using contextual slides to explore the historical background of each source. This includes:

The political climate and opposition each president faced
The evolving role of federal government in domestic affairs
Civil rights tensions and regional disparities
Provenance is explored in detail, linking each source’s origin and purpose to wider domestic issues. For example, Truman’s speech is positioned as a post-election agenda-setting moment, while Eisenhower’s inaugural address reflects Cold War conservatism and MLK’s letter reveals grassroots pressure on Kennedy’s administration.

The lesson culminates with a 30-mark exam-style question:
“With reference to these sources and your understanding of the historical context, assess the value of these three sources to a historian studying the domestic policies of US Presidents between 1945 and 1963.”

Students are supported in structuring their answers by evaluating each source’s usefulness, limitations, and historical significance. The accompanying worksheet reinforces this with space for annotations and planning. The lesson culmintates with students dividing into 3 and then writing up one answer. I usually get students to peer mark - there is a mark scheme for one source only based on the AQA primary source mark scheme for 3 sources.