Post World War II Playlist
38 items
Post-WWII Boom
Video
Video
5 Min
What caused the economic boom in the post-WWII era? This Homework Help video takes students through essential economic information from the 1940s to the 1960s.
5 Min
Post-WWII Boom: Transition to a Consumer Economy (AP U.S. History Exam Study Guide)
Video
Video
5 Min
Welcome to the Bill of Rights Institute's AP Prep Series. In this series, Professor Brian Domitrovic, is here to help you go into the exam well prepared! In this episode, he outlines Mercantilism, Colonial America and international competition over the new world after Columbus's discovery of the new world.
5 Min
Eisenhower’s Farewell Address | A Primary Source Close Read w/ BRI
Video
Video
40 Min
Who was Dwight D. Eisenhower? While perhaps not discussed as often as other 20th century presidents, Eisenhower led the nation through a period of profound transformation in a deliberate manner that reflected his study of history and experience as a leader. In this video, Kirk Higgins and Professor of History at the College of the Sequoias, Dr. Stephen Tootle, discuss the legacy of Eisenhower’s Farewell Address. What does this speech reveal about his understanding of the presidency? What does Eisenhower see as America’s role in the world?
40 Min
Reading John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address | A Primary Source Close Read w/ BRI
Video
Video
26 Min
BRI Staff Kirk Higgins and Joshua Schmid look back at the famous inaugural speech of John F. Kennedy and discuss his timeless messages that still apply today. How did JFK ground himself in the past while still promising progression and change? And how did he define his responsibility in the context of world politics and in the tradition of the American presidency?
26 Min
Vincent Phillip Muñoz :
The Warren Court & Progressivism |
BRI Scholar Talks
Video
Video
32 Min
BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams is joined by Dr. Vincent Phillip Muñoz,
author and Tocqueville Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame,
to discuss the Warren Court. Muñoz gives detailed accounts of the most significant Supreme Court
cases of the period and explains how they reflected a time of judicial activism and progressivism
for civil liberties against a backdrop of the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. How did
Court advance the incorporation doctrine at this time? And how did the Warren Court shape the
principle of federalism in the present day?
32 Min
Tinker v. Des Moines | Homework Help from the Bill of Rights Institute
Video
Video
3 Min
Why did a subtle act of protest against a foreign war reach the Supreme Court? In 1965, students John and Mary Beth Tinker wore black armbands to school to protest the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War, despite the Des Moines school district prohibiting such an act. The Tinkers sued the district for violating their First Amendment rights, and the Supreme Court ruled in their favor in a 7-2 decision. While subsequent Supreme Court rulings narrowed the scope of free expression rights at school, Tinker v. Des Moines remains a landmark case that has defined First Amendment rights for students.
3 Min
Schools, Religious Liberty & Tinker v. Des Moines | Mark Rienzi | BRI’s Constitutional Conversations
Video
Video
1 Min
Mark Rienzi, President of Becket Law discusses the importance of Tinker v. Des Moines for schools today.
1 Min
Roe v. Wade | Homework Help from the Bill of Rights Institute
Video
Video
4 Min
Do women have a right to privacy when deciding whether to have an abortion? In 1969, a woman under the alias “Jane Roe” challenged a Texas law that outlawed abortions. The case eventually reached the Supreme Court, where Roe argued that the Constitution protects a woman’s right to privacy in having an abortion. In a 7-2 decision, the Court ruled the right to an abortion fell within the right to privacy protected by the 14th Amendment’s Due Process Clause.
Like other Supreme Court cases related to the Due Process Clause, incorporation played a part in the Roe v. Wade ruling. Incorporation suggests that states must adhere to the protections granted in the Bill of Rights.
To this day, the ruling in Roe v. Wade remains one of the most controversial Supreme Court decisions.
4 Min
America’s Transition to a Global Economy
Video
Video
6 Min
How did the United States become a global economy in the post-World War II era? In this Homework Help video, Professor Domitrovic explores this question and other economic issues in the mid to late 20th century.
6 Min
America’s Transition to a Global Economy: 1960s-1990s (AP U.S. History Exam Study Guide)
Video
Video
6 Min
Welcome to the Bill of Rights Institute's AP Prep Series. In this series, Professor Brian Domitrovic, is here to help you go into the exam well prepared! In this episode, he outlines Mercantilism, Colonial America and international competition over the new world after Columbus's discovery of the new world.
6 Min
Texas v. Johnson | BRI’s Homework Help Series
Video
Video
Should burning the American flag be considered a form of expression protected by the First Amendment? Learn how the Supreme Court addressed this controversial question in the case of Texas v. Johnson.
Shaw v. Reno | BRI’s Homework Help Series
Video
Video
5 Min
Can a state draw district lines to increase the voting power of a minority? The Supreme Court took up this question in the 1993 case of Shaw v. Reno. Following the 1962 Baker v. Carr Supreme Court case, which ruled that the Supreme Court could hear cases on gerrymandering because of the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment through the process of incorporation, Shaw v. Reno challenged the constitutionality of gerrymandering based on race. Check out our latest Homework Help video on this AP Government required Supreme Court case!
5 Min
Reading Shaw v. Reno Case Excerpts
Video
Video
15 Min
Can a state create a legislative district based on race? In this episode of BRI’s Primary Source Close Reads, Joshua Schmid is joined by Dr. Josh Dunn as they discuss excerpts of the Shaw v. Reno case regarding the question of gerrymandering. What aspects of gerrymandering are allowed by law and why? How does the Equal Protection Clause relate to the case of Shaw v. Reno? Why does the Equal Protection Clause in the 14th Amendment apply to the states because of incorporation?
15 Min
Presidency, Populism, & the Decline of Parties w/ Sidney Milkis | BRI Scholar Talks
Video
Video
28 Min
How did the presidency, populism, and the decline of parties lead to the collapse of the moderate “vital center” for greater polarization? In this episode of Scholar Talks, Dr. Sidney Milkis, the White Burkett Miller Professor in the Department of Politics and Faculty Fellow at the Miller Center, joins BRI Fellow, Tony Williams, to discuss his book “What Happened to the Vital Center?: Presidentialism, Populist Revolt, and the Fracturing of America.” They converse about how recent presidents and the transformation of liberalism and conservatism have contributed to the growing partisanship in American politics.
28 Min
JFK and Foreign Policy with Greg Schneider | BRI Scholar Talks: Cold War & The Presidency Series #3
Video
Video
20 Min
How did JFK respond to foreign policy crises during his presidency? In this Cold War & the Presidency Scholar Talk, BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams is joined by Greg Schneider, Professor of History at Emporia State University, to discuss the significant role that John F. Kennedy played in the Cold War. Did JFK and his advisors experience growth in addressing Cold War conflicts? How did JFK continue Harry Truman’s approach of containment during his presidency?
20 Min
U.S. v. Lopez | BRI’s Homework Help Series
Video
Video
6 Min
This Homework Help narrative explores the landmark case of U.S. v. Lopez and its lasting impact on federalism. Students will study the topic of federal power and street crime while forming their own opinions on the merits of the case.
6 Min
Reading Excerpts from U.S. v. Lopez | A Primary Source Close Read w/ BRI
Video
Video
23 Min
How does the Commerce Clause relate to gun regulation? To accompany our recently released U.S. v. Lopez Homework Help video, Tony and Josh break down opinions from the Supreme Court case itself, exploring how the majority and dissenting opinions tackled the relationship between education and commerce after a student brought a gun to school. What lasting impact did this case have on federalism?
23 Min
Essay: Women’s Rights in the Late 20th Century
Essay - 2290 Words
Essay
2290 Words
After World War II, women’s struggle for equality achieved a mixed record of success. The women’s rights movement won equal opportunities in higher education and employment relatively quickly in the 1940s and 1950s. The modern concept of women’s equality as “feminism” appeared in the 1960s, led by activists such as Betty Friedan. Some of its victories in the legislative arena were completely inadvertent, while one of its grandest objects and subject of its greatest efforts resulted in defeat. Moreover, the movement was dominated by an intellectual and professional leadership at some distance from ordinary women. Despite the vagaries of the movement, it was remarkably successful in fundamentally changing society and women’s roles as well as attitudes towards women.
John F. Kennedy’s Inauguration
Essay - 2413 Words
Essay
2413 Words
Why is JFK's Inaugural Address so iconic?
John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
Activity
Activity
40 Min
Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.
Thirteen Days: John F. Kennedy, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Purpose – Handout A: Narrative
Activity
Activity
We Can Start to Work Together: Robert F. Kennedy, the 1968 Campaign, and Respect – Handout A: Narrative
Activity
Activity
Kennedy vs. Nixon: TV and Politics
Lesson
Lesson
Use this lesson with The Nixon-Khrushchev Kitchen Debate Narrative and the Richard Nixon, "Checkers" Speech, September 1952 Primary Source to have students analyze the impact television made on the perception of politicians in the 1950s and 1960s.
McCarthyism DBQ
Lesson - 2 Activities
Lesson
2 Activities
70 Min
Use this lesson with The Postwar Red Scare Narrative to discuss the impact McCarthy and widespread fear of Communism had during the 1950s. This Lesson can also be used with the Cold War Spy Cases Narrative and the George Kennan ("Mr. X"), "Sources of Soviet Conduct," July 1947 Primary Source.
70 Min
1960s: Songs for a Generation
Podcast
Podcast
31 Min
In the final episode of season one, Mary, Gary, and Eryn travel back in time to the 1960s and listen to some of the most iconic songs from the period. They'll discuss how music and protest influenced each other during these pivotal years in American history, and how those involved in social change use music to convey their messages. What about this music made it so powerful back then and continues to inspire people today?
31 Min
Civil Disobedience across Time
Lesson - 1 Activities
Lesson
1 Activities
90 Min
Use this lesson with the Freedom Riders Narrative; The March on Birmingham Narrative; the Black Power Narrative; the Martin Luther King Jr., "Letter from Birmingham Jail," 1963 Primary Source; the Martin Luther King Jr., "I Have a Dream," August 28, 1963 Primary Source ;The Music of the Civil Rights Movement Lesson; and the Civil Rights DBQ Lesson to discuss the different aspects of the civil rights movement during the 1960s
90 Min
Peter C. Myers: Civil Rights & Civil Disobedience | BRI Scholar Talks
Video
Video
54 Min
BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams sits down with Peter C. Myers, professor of political science specializing in political philosophy and U.S. constitutional law at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, to discuss Peter's compelling essay in Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness on Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Birmingham March. Integrating material on constitutional principles and injustice of segregation including the Letter from Birmingham Jail and the I Have a Dream speech, they draw out the gripping and important story of civil rights and explain the ways it will interest students.
54 Min
Essay: The Great Society
Essay - 1788 Words
Essay
1788 Words
The Progressive Era charted a course away from the Founders’ design of limited government to secure individual rights toward the entitlement state that guarantees benefits. Essentially, the Progressives put in place government interference to protect people from corporations. The New Deal sought to make the people more equally economically. The Great Society championed by President Lyndon Johnson continued that trajectory, focusing on protecting minorities. Under LBJ’s leadership, the national government took on the project of building a “Great Society” based on the progressive vision of wise and sophisticated leaders guiding the populace towards enlightenment. By providing basic needs and more, the view went, the government would be freeing people to pursue higher goals and achieve self-actualization. The 1960s saw the institution of sweeping new powers for the national government in the areas of civil rights and affirmative action, education, environmental protection, and many others.
Essay: The Great Society and Beyond
Essay - 1154 Words
Essay
1154 Words
The liberalism of the post-1960s is usually associated with cultural or “lifestyle” permissiveness, a moral relativism regarding issues of personal choice, especially sexual conduct. But it also represented the next step forward in the welfare state, concentrated in the Great Society program of 1965.
Was the Great Society Successful?
Activity
Activity
40 Min
Did the Great Society significantly alleviate poverty and social ills in the United States or did it have little impact beyond creating unsustainably expensive federal programs? Anthony D. Bartl and Gregory L. Schneider debate this question.
Betty Friedan and the Women’s Movement
Essay - 2290 Words
Essay
2290 Words
What did the feminist movement of the 1960s work for?
Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique, 1963
Activity
Activity
40 Min
Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.
Chapter 13: 1945-1960
Unit - 3 Lessons
Unit
3 Lessons
Invite students to explore how anti-communist foreign policy, the liberal welfare state, and American cultural values shaped the postwar world from 1945 to 1960.
Chapter 14: 1960-1968
Unit - 5 Lessons
Unit
5 Lessons
Invite students to explore how internal and external political and cultural tensions shaped the years 1960–1968.
The Controversy over Busing
Essay - 2436 Words
Essay
2436 Words
How did cities attempt to integrate schools in the 1970s?
American Indian Activism and the Siege of Wounded Knee
Essay - 2489 Words
Essay
2489 Words
Explores American Indian activism in the 1970s.
Richard Nixon Opens Diplomatic Relations with China
Essay - 2643 Words
Essay
2643 Words
Why did President Nixon visit China during the 1970s?