1950s: Major Events

We will be discussing the impact of decades from now until May. Each decade in the 20th century is known for its political, social and cultural impact.

For this week's blog, independently research the decade of the 1950s.

Choose ONE 1950s political event (presidential, law, Supreme Court case, Cold War related event, Space Race event, war etc.) and ONE 1950s cultural event (movies, music, sports, comic books, tv, radio, books, plays etc.) that interests you.

Write 100 words for each choice. Explain what you learned about the 1950s from the two topics you chose.

Cold War Preparations: "Duck & Cover"

With the constant threat of nuclear war always around the corner during the Cold War, the United States needed a way to prepare the people in case of an attack.

Thus, the birth of the "nuclear attack drill"...better known as "duck & cover".

Rather than me trying to explain it, use these two resources to gain a better understanding of this Cold War tactic.

One: Article

Two: Video

After you have completed each resource, answer the following two questions (100 words each).

1) What was "duck and cover"?

2) It seems fairly clear that this method would not protect anyone, yet people bought into it. Schools ran these drills for years. Why?

The Forgotten War: Korea

Many people skip directly over Korea and move into Vietnam when they think of global conflicts after World War II. In fact, the Korean Conflict (so-called because America never officially declared war on North Korea) is often called the "Forgotten War".

For this week's blog, you are going to watch this video which gives the basic details of the Korean Conflict.

For the comment section, create a Top-10 List of the ten most important facts you learned about this global event.

Then, write a 100 word summary answering this question: If the Korean Conflict is so important to the history of the U.S., why is it a "forgotten" war? 

****THIS BLOG IS DUE WEDNESDAY 2/14 BY 11:59 PM******

Post-War Presidents: Truman vs. Eisenhower

As we close the book on World War Two, we look ahead to the two men who would lead us during the pivotal post-war years into the turbulent 1960s.

Truman had to deal with the decision to use nuclear weapons, plummeting approval ratings and the Korean War.

Eisenhower, in stark contrast, was the conquering hero of Europe. The leader of D-Day, he enjoyed a fairly popular and prosperous presidency.

Using this website, read up on both of these men. Use the tools the website provides to compare their two presidencies.

For the comments, write 200 words on which president you think had the more successful administration. Be sure to back up your thoughts with evidence.

World War Two: Eyewitness Accounts

We'll spend two weeks on the blog looking at World War Two.

So much of World War Two seems larger-than-life (Hitler, Pearl Harbor, FDR, Stalin, Rosie the Riveter, D-Day etc.) but we need to remember normal people lived through those events.

While grateful we won this war and thankful for the sacrifices made, we should be careful to romanticize or glamorize those awful times.

For this week's blog, visit this website. Select any of the World War Two stories that intrigues you and read it carefully.

For the comment section, write 200 words on what your selection was about and what it taught you about this war.

The Holocaust: We Must Remember

For this week's blog, you will visit this website.

Here you will find accounts of various groups affected by the Holocaust.

For the comment section, please read at least two different sections. Summarize each section with at least 100 words each and be sure to include your reaction to what you read.

Steps Towards War: Events Leading to World War 2

Welcome back!

We begin this semester with an examination of how, exactly, did World War Two begin? Wasn't World War One supposed to be the "war to end all wars"?

For this week's blog, do some independent research on the beginnings of World War Two. Answer the following four questions, with at least 50 words each.

1) How did Hitler rise to power in Germany?
2) How did Germany, Italy and Japan become what we call the "Axis Powers"?
3) Why did America side with the Soviet Union, even though their leader (Stalin) was an evil dictator?
4) Why did Japan attack Pearl Harbor and what did we do in response?