SPUTNIK! (Essay Perspective)

Ok so heres the deal.

I have to write an essay comparing the press accounts of the launch of the sputnik with later literature.
We have to compare the change in perspective and why this change occured.

The headlines of 1957 seem to conceal the frightenment of the americans at the time.

Any ideas on how and why the perspective of the event occured?

Greetings!

It's important to understand the cultural context in which the Sputnik launch took place. The cold war between the U.S. and Soviet Union was in full swing; we were only three years past the rabidly anti-communist McCarthy hearings/witchhunt. It was a very big deal to the U.S. government and probably to most Americans that the communists had beaten us in the first major event of the space race. The fear that Soviet supremacy in space could somehow lead to Communism overpowering our country and destroying our way of life was not considered far-fetched.

On the other hand, the press was not nearly so "free" in that pre-Watergate era as it is now. It might be worth exploring the role of the press at that time and whether focusing a spotlight on the fear so many felt would have been considered "un-American" or detrimental to our country. Remember, this was only a dozen years after the presidency of FDR, who was never photographed struggling to stand or being wheeled around in his chair, and whose disability was never discussed in the press out of "respect."

And one more thought: later accounts which were written after the U.S. landed a man on the moon didn't have to downplay what happened in 1957 -- we had "won" and could afford to shine a light on the fear Sputnik engendered, knowing there was a happy ending.

I hope this gives you some ideas to work with!

Thanks,

Sarah, EssayFoum.com

Merged:

SPUTNIK satellites - how to start my HISTORY paper?

hii
i really need help with my history paper...its about the SPUTNIK satellites invented in 1960`s...my questions are:
1) how did people back then feel about the story?
2) what was the long term impact of it?
3) how do historians asses this event tody?

please if you can help me with these questions ...i will pray for you!!! u shall end up in heaven then...think about it...lol...

but no really please help me
thank you

Greetings!

A discussion on a similar question can be found here:

There's a lot of information available online about Sputnik. For instance, check out NASA's site for a history, bibliography and links to articles about Sputnik: history.nasa.gov/sputnik/index.html

I hope this is useful to you!

Thanks,

Sarah, EssayForum.com

thank you sooo much for your help
u shall go to heaven now okay...
lol
but no really thank you