The Making of Modern America (Part 1): 1945-1975

Lesson 1: America After World War II

Time Estimated: 1 day

Objectives:

Students will:

1. Recall, discuss, and build on what they have studied about the United States during the period prior to World War II in order to compare and contrast key themes from the era (isolationism, the Great Depression, etc.) with that of the United States immediately following the war (superpower status, the United Nations, the economic boom, and changing economy).
2. Be introduced to many of the key terms and themes of the period 1945-1989.
3. Become familiar with the other members of their group and begin work on the culminating activity.

Materials:

• Computer*
• Television or projection screen*
• PowerPoint presentation America Following the War. Use the Historical Background to create this presentation.*
• Photo of Levittown, New York in the 1940s. A variety of photos are available at http://tigger.uic.edu/%7Epbhales/Levittown.html
• Link to the We Didn’t Start the Fire flash presentation: http://chnm.gmu.edu/7tah/unitdocs/unit15/Fire.php
• Use the Historical Background to create Lecture/Teacher Talking Points
• Lyric sheets and instructions for the We Didn’t Start the Fire group project.

(*This can also be done by creating overhead transparencies and using an overhead projector.)

Strategies:

1. Hook: Introductory PowerPoint Slide: If you had some cash to invest, in which of the following would you probably make the most money within the next 20 years?
   1. Tiny Tots Daycare Centers
   2. Merck Pharmaceuticals
   3. Motorola
   Oh yeah, what does something that is going to happen 20 years from now have to do with what we are going to study today? (The best answer is B. Hopefully this will lead to a brief class discussion on the growing population of retiring Baby Boomers and their impact on Social Security.)
2. Use the Historical Background to create Lecture/Teacher Talking Points on America at the End of World War II
   • The presentation/lecture addresses the state of the country at the end of World War II and focuses on four key areas (economy, population, migration, and foreign policy).
   • The goal with each slide is to compare the immediate post war period with that of the preceding interwar period. (Great Depression to post war boom, smaller families to the Baby Boom, cities to suburbs, isolationism to the United Nations).
   • Allow time for class discussions on how 1945 compares to today. Culpeper is currently undergoing rapid population growth as it increasingly becomes a bedroom community for Northern Virginia. How many of their parents work in factories as opposed to a service related industry? What is the role of the United States in the world today?
3. Small Group Assignments:
   • Break the students up into groups for the We Didn’t Start the Fire project.
   • Provide instruction sheet and lyrics and allow the students to exchange phone numbers and email addresses.
   • Explain the requirements and due date for the assignment. (I make this due after we finish with the next unit 1975 to the Present.)
4. We Didn’t Start the Fire flash presentation:
   http://chnm.gmu.edu/7tah/unitdocs/unit15/Fire.php
   • While showing the presentation have the students take a blank piece of paper and just make a check mark every time they hear or see something in the song that they have heard of before.
   • Allow students to share their scores and discuss anything that they found interesting.
5. Closing:
   • Allow the students to work on their project/ divide the terms up/ brainstorm lyrics.

Differentiation:

The PowerPoint and flash presentations accommodate visual learners and the group assignments allow for the mixture of students of varying abilities and skill levels.