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

References:

Books & Media

Foner, Eric ed. The New American History Temple University Press 1997.
Contains an essay by William Chaffe entitled "America Since 1945" which examines the various aspects of the period as a series of tumultuous changes. The rest of the book also contains thematic essays on social, women’s African-American, and labor history. This work served as the cornerstone of this unit.

Gevinson, Alan, Kelly Schrum and Roy Rosenzweig. History Matters: A Student Guide to US History Online. Boston: St. Martins, 2005.
Useful to consult, as well as the History Matters website, for descriptions of vetted websites on the Cold War, Civil Rights etc.

Kennedy, David and Thomas Bailey eds. The American Spirit, vol, II. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 10th edition, 2002).
This book is a collection of excellent primary sources from a variety of perspectives on a wide range of topics. Each section begins with a brief overview of the issue or period and includes contemporary accounts and documents representing opposing viewpoints.

Websites

http://americanhistory.si.edu/brown This is the website that accompanies the National Museum of American History’s exhibit: Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. See educational materials for Alonzo Smith’s essay "Separate is Not Equal: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas". This article illustrates that this seminal court case was the result of a series of previous “ripples” by other groups and individuals who achieved varying degrees of success. An eye opener.

http://historymatters.gmu.edu Used to locate vetted and relevant websites on the Cold War, Civil Rights etc. as well as primary sources in their section “Many Pasts.”

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/ Your one stop shopping for 1950s popular culture. It has an incredible collection of Fifties social history: music, movies, television fads etc.

http://chnm.gmu.edu/7tah/unitdocs/unit15/Fire.php Set to the popular Billy Joel song, this fast-paced flash presentation provides a visual tour of history 1945-89 in less than five minutes.

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/modules/index.cfm Organized by historical era and major themes, this site contains a vast amount of primary source material, interactive maps, lesson plans, fact sheets, and discussion questions.

http://www.historychannel.com/speeches/archive/speech_160.html This is a wonderful collection of audio speeches. You can hear JFK’s inauguration address, Ralph Ellison on the Invisible Man, Allen Ginsberg discuss the Beat Generation, and even hear the news broadcast of the Columbia University riots.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/ This site contains bios and the key events of every president.