World History Playlist
35 items
Commodore Perry and the Opening of Japan
Essay - 2383 Words
Essay
2383 Words
Why did the U.S. want to open trade with Japan?
Che Guevara and Injustice
Lesson - 3 Activities
Lesson
3 Activities
60 Min
How did the Communist system Che Guevara fought for and helped install lead to great injustice in Cuba and contribute to global communist injustice?
60 Min
International Law in the Post-War Era
Lesson - 1 Activities
Lesson
1 Activities
40 Min
How has international law developed and what challenges has it faced after WWII and the Holocaust?
40 Min
Irma Grese and Self-Deception
Lesson - 3 Activities
Lesson
3 Activities
90 Min
How did self-deception play a role in the World War II Holocaust? How can ordinary men and women be indoctrinated to commit inhuman evil, and how can we guard against ideologies that lead to these behaviors?
90 Min
George W. Bush and the War on Terror
Lesson - 3 Activities
Lesson
3 Activities
50 Min
After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, George W. Bush demanded that the Taliban government in Afghanistan turn over Osama bin Laden to the US as well as shut down Al-Qaeda training camps in the country. When the Taliban refused, Bush ordered strikes on the country. After hundreds of enemy combatants were captured on the battlefield in Afghanistan, in the US, and around the world, the question of how detainees in the War on Terror should be treated became problematic. Were accused terrorists criminals, or were they illegal combatants (aggressors guilty of breaking laws of war)? Bush’s answer to that question—that they were illegal combatants not entitled to due process protections of US law, but subject to Military Tribunals—became harder and harder to justify to the American people as time wore on.
50 Min
Who Was Responsible for Starting the Cold War?
Activity
Activity
40 Min
Which country, the United States or its previous ally, the Soviet Union, was responsible for the escalating tensions that led to the Cold War that would go on to last for decades? Two scholars debate this question.
Admiral of the Ocean Sea: Christopher Columbus and Diligence – Handout A: Narrative
Activity
Activity
Reading Christopher Columbus’s New World Report to Ferdinand and Isabella in Spain
Video
Video
14 Min
What do we truly mean when we refer to America as the New World? Join Kirk in this episode of Primary Source Close Reads as he explores Christopher Columbus’s letter to King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain after first landing in the Americas. He’ll examine excerpts to understand what “new” meant to both Columbus and the Native Americans that he encountered. What does the language of this letter reveal about Columbus’ thought process when first arriving in the Americas? Why is it important to read and discuss documents to develop historical reasoning skills?
14 Min
Remember the Lusitania
Podcast
Podcast
31 Min
Why do certain moments in time stand out to us? Today, Mary, Gary, Eryn, and special guest Joshua Schmid explore this question by tracing the sinking of the Lusitania and how it fit into the complicated state of foreign affairs in 1915. Was the German U-boat torpedo of the British ocean liner an act of evil or of defense? With two years separating the tragedy and America’s entrance into World War I, was this really a turning point in the war?
31 Min
Tear Down This Wall: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and Responsibility
Lesson - 1 Activities
Lesson
1 Activities
45 Min
How did Ronald Reagan’s life-long commitment to ending the tyranny of communism display the virtue of responsibility?
45 Min
Ronald Reagan’s “Tear Down This Wall” Speech Explained | Primary Source Close Reads Explained
Video
Video
16 Min
Why did President Reagan see the Berlin Wall as a symbol of oppression during the Cold War? In this episode of Close Reads Explained, BRI Senior Fellow Tony Williams helps analyze Ronald Reagan’s 1987 speech in Berlin calling for the removal of the Berlin Wall. What are President Reagan’s main criticisms of communism? What was his overall objective in the Cold War with the Soviets and how did his speech embody this?
16 Min
Is it in the Interest of the United States to Maintain Its International Obligations?
Activity
Activity
40 Min
Has the United States built itself into a global leader for freedom and protecting allies at the expensive of its own best interests? Jason Pierce and Rebeccah Heinrichs debate this question.
Tiananmen Square and Courage
Lesson - 2 Activities
Lesson
2 Activities
90 Min
How did the anonymous individual who refused to yield to a tank during the crackdown on protesters at Tiananmen Square display the virtue of courage?
90 Min
Maximilien Robespierre and Injustice
Lesson - 2 Activities
Lesson
2 Activities
90 Min
What role did Robespierre play in the mass murder of the Terror during the French Revolution? Students will focus on the vice of injustice.
90 Min
Was the Use of the Atomic Bomb Justified? DBQ
Lesson - 1 Activities
Lesson
1 Activities
65 Min
Use this lesson with The Manhattan Project Narrative and the Dropping the Atomic Bomb Decision Point to show the development of the United States' nuclear program and subsequent use in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.
65 Min
Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the War Powers Resolution
Lesson - 5 Activities
Lesson
5 Activities
95 Min
Beginning in 1812 and for the next hundred years, US Presidents asked for and received congressional declarations of war against England, Mexico, Spain, Japan, and European powers. During the Cold War, President Harry Truman sent troops to Korea as part of a UN force without a congressional declaration of war. President John F. Kennedy sent troops to defend South Vietnam. Congress never declared war, but years later passed the Tonkin Resolution authorizing President Lyndon Johnson to use force against North Vietnam. In reaction to US involvement in Vietnam, Congress passed the War Powers Act which limited the President’s authority to commit American troops abroad without Congress’s approval. The law was passed over the veto of President Richard Nixon, who argued the law was an abridgement of the President’s authority as Commander in Chief. The Act raises the questions: How far does the President’s power as Commander in Chief extend? And, how much of that power can be limited by Congress?
95 Min
Fox Company at the Chosin Reservoir and Self-Sacrifice
Lesson - 1 Activities
Lesson
1 Activities
45 Min
In this lesson, students will learn about the actions of Fox Company during the Korean War at the battle of the Chosin Reservoir. They will explore how Fox Company’s selfless actions helped to preserve the United States and United Nations forces against massive Chinese assaults. Through this example, they will learn how they can act selflessly in their own lives.
45 Min
The Courage of General Matthew Ridgway
Lesson - 1 Activities
Lesson
1 Activities
45 Min
In this lesson, students will explore the life of Matthew Ridgway and his role in the Korean War. Students will understand how Matthew Ridgway’s courage helped save the United States’ and United Nations’ forces during the Korean War. Through his example, they will learn how they can use courage in their own lives to accomplish their purpose.
45 Min
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
Winston Churchill, “Sinews of Peace,” March 1946
Activity
Activity
40 Min
Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.
Harry S. Truman, “Truman Doctrine” Address, March 1947
Activity
Activity
40 Min
Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.
George Kennan (“Mr. X”), “Sources of Soviet Conduct,” July 1947
Activity
Activity
40 Min
Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.
Vietnam War DBQ
Lesson
Lesson
Use this Lesson with the Did U.S. Media Provide Fair and Accurate Coverage of the Tet Offensive? Point-Counterpoint following the Kent State Narrative to discuss the increase of anti-Vietnam War sentiments in the United States into the 1970s.
Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
Lesson - 4 Activities
Lesson
4 Activities
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Tinker v. Des Moines. Dealing with students rights and the First Amendment's protection of free speech, this lesson asks students to evaluate the extent to which the First Amendment should protect symbolic speech, and the degree to which that protection should be guaranteed to students in public schools.
Walter Cronkite Speaks Out against Vietnam, February 27, 1968
Activity
Activity
40 Min
Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.
The Vietnam War Experience: An Interview with Veteran William Maxwell Barner III
Activity
Activity
40 Min
Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.
The Vietnam War: Ia Drang Valley
Essay - 2113 Words
Essay
2113 Words
What lessons did the U.S. learn after the battle of Ia Drang?
Students and the Anti-War Movement
Essay - 2578 Words
Essay
2578 Words
Why were many students opposed to the Vietnam War?
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution, 1964
Activity
Activity
40 Min
Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.
Tear Down This Wall: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and Responsibility – Handout A: Narrative
Activity
Activity
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
Cold War De-Escalation with Jeremi Suri | BRI Scholar Talks: Cold War & the Presidency Series #4
Video
Video
21 Min
What next paths did President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger forge in American Cold War foreign policy? In this Cold War & the Presidency Scholar Talk, BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams is joined by Jeremi Suri, Professor of History and Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, to discuss how Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger subverted Congressional oversight to achieve their Cold War agenda. What was different about their approaches from those of previous administrations? Should Nixon have been able to use so much presidential power to achieve peace?
21 Min
Reagan’s Cold War Strategies with William Inboden | BRI Scholar Talks
Video
Video
28 Min
Was Ronald Regan’s Cold War strategy actually successful? In this episode of Scholar Talks, William Inboden, Professor and Director of the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida, joins BRI Senior Fellow Tony Williams. They discuss Reagan's war strategies in his first and second administrations, keeping the Cold War Cold, and determine whether or not Reagan's strategies were successful.
28 Min
Cold War Origins with Sean McMeekin | BRI Scholar Talks: Cold War & The Presidency Series
Video
Video
22 Min
What factors contributed to the origins of the Cold War during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt? Join us today for the first episode of our summer Scholar Talks miniseries, “Cold War & the Presidency.” BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams is joined by Sean McMeekin, Professor of History at Bard College, as they discuss his new book, "Stalin's War: A New History of World War II." How did FDR’s presidential unilateralism and diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union shape executive power during World War II and for his successors during the Cold War?
22 Min
Reagan & the Cold War with Stephen Knott | BRI Scholar Talks: Cold War & the Presidency Series #5
Video
Video
17 Min
While there were a variety of factors that led to the end of the Cold War, no one can deny that Ronald Regan played a pivotal role. For the final episode of our Cold War & the Presidency Series, BRI Staff Tony Williams is joined by Stephen F. Knott, professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval War College, as they discuss Reagan's moral vision of the Soviet Union and how it shaped his practical approach to confronting the Soviets. Why did he alter the policies of past presidents like détente and the containment doctrine? What impact did Reagan’s approach to the Cold War have on the American presidency and the end of the Cold War?
17 Min