I really thought Chris’ speech was interesting, as it coincides with mine as well, for both focus on the topic of communism, the Cold War, and American values. The artifact itself, Reagan’s speech at the Brandenburg Gate, is an incredibly pivotal moment in American international relations, and is still a model for how we interact with other countries today. It signifies the hardline stance the U.S. has on instilling our values and ideas on other countries. Chris also did a great job expanding on the context of the artifact, and as a history nerd, I truly appreciate the effort put into contextualizing his artifact. I would like Chris to expand on how America defines communism, however, as I believe that introducing the ideas of commonplaces in American society could really reinforce his essay. Overall, an amazingly detailed speech and will hopefully be followed up by an even better essay!
It’s great to hear that my pitch interested you! I have plans to include material on Communist restrictions of movement in my speech, but I’m going to be dealing with them more from a Soviet perspective.
I agree that Reagan’s speech and the subsequent tearing down of the wall between East and West Germany are definitely interlocked, and that this definitely influences our current dealings.
I totally agree! And it’s great that both of your pitches coincide– it might be a good opportunity to bounce ideas off of each other.