E.L. Doctorow's work, and Ragtime in particular, expresses his political beliefs as well as the time in which he wrote. Doctorow published Ragtime in 1975, the year in which the Vietnam War came to a close. The 1970s were a time in which many Americans grew disillusioned about both international and domestic issues. In Ragtime, Doctorow does not specifically address the events of his time, but rather lays out his beliefs through the framework of earlier American history.