For your final project for History 74, we invite you to create a Freedom Budget for the 21st century. Using the 1967
Freedom Budget for All Americans as a reference point—and keeping in mind that a budget is as much a statement of values and moral commitments as an allocation of economic resources–write a paper of up to 1500 words outlining, explaining, and justifying the main components of your plan for addressing poverty and related inequities in the coming decade.[footnoteRef:1] You might also want to consult related course documents such as the
Souls of Poor Folk by the Poor People’s Campaign and FDR’s
Economic Bill of Rights. In presenting your Freedom Budget, you should emphasize its guiding principles, central objectives, priority areas, and broad policy approaches rather than listing all of the specific measures you would eventually include. You should also indicate in broad terms how your Freedom Budget would be financed—and why—and how you would go about building support for it.
Especially important is that you discuss the components of your plan with
specific reference to the course readings, discussions, and lectures that have informed your analysis and approach. [1: A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, A “Freedom Budget for All Americans: A Summary (New York: A. Philip Randolph Institute, 1967). This and all other documents referenced above are included in the course readings posted on Canvas. ]

All papers should be double-spaced, with one-inch margins all around, using the Notes and Bibliography citation format outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style document posted on Canvas. Papers should be uploaded to Canvas by Friday December 15, 6:00 pm Pacific Standard Time.