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AP®HistoryCollege BoardUS HistoryExam QuestionsPeriod 8: 1945-1980Society in Transition

Society in Transition (College Board AP® US History): Exam Questions

4 mins4 questions
11 mark

“Today, as then, but more urgently and more broadly than then, the task of preserving and enlarging freedom at home and of safeguarding it from the forces of tyranny abroad is great enough to challenge all our resources and to require all our strength…I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”

Barry Goldwater, "Acceptance Speech at the 28th Republican National Convention," Washington D.C., July 16, 1964

The excerpt best reflects an effort by Barry Goldwater to

  • Propose a moderate and bipartisan approach to governance

  • Strengthen diplomatic relations with communist nations

  • Expand federal welfare programs to address economic inequality

  • Justify a more aggressive conservative ideology in American politics

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21 mark

“Today, as then, but more urgently and more broadly than then, the task of preserving and enlarging freedom at home and of safeguarding it from the forces of tyranny abroad is great enough to challenge all our resources and to require all our strength…I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”

Barry Goldwater, "Acceptance Speech at the 28th Republican National Convention," Washington D.C., July 16, 1964

Which of the following political groups would have been most likely to support Goldwater’s views in the excerpt?

  • The New Deal coalition

  • The anti Vietnam War movement

  • The Religious Right of the 1970s

  • The progressive wing of the Democratic Party

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31 mark

“Today, as then, but more urgently and more broadly than then, the task of preserving and enlarging freedom at home and of safeguarding it from the forces of tyranny abroad is great enough to challenge all our resources and to require all our strength…I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”

Barry Goldwater, "Acceptance Speech at the 28th Republican National Convention," Washington D.C., July 16, 1964

The excerpt best reflects which of the following broader political developments in the United States during the 1960s?

  • Increasing influence of progressive social policies

  • Division between conservative and liberal ideologies

  • Collapse of the Democratic Party’s influence in national elections

  • Rejection of Cold War-era military interventions

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41 mark

“Today, as then, but more urgently and more broadly than then, the task of preserving and enlarging freedom at home and of safeguarding it from the forces of tyranny abroad is great enough to challenge all our resources and to require all our strength…I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.”

Barry Goldwater, "Acceptance Speech at the 28th Republican National Convention," Washington D.C., July 16, 1964 

Which later political figure’s campaign most directly reflected the ideas expressed in the excerpt?

  • George McGovern in 1972

  • Jimmy Carter in 1976

  • Ronald Reagan in 1980

  • Bill Clinton in 1992

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