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Chapter 13: 1945-1960

3 Lessons

11 Activities

19 Essays

Overview

Chapter 13 of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, BRI’s U.S. History Curriculum Resource, invites students to explore how anti-communist foreign policy, the liberal welfare state, and American cultural values shaped the postwar world from 1945 to 1960.

It contains an Introductory Essay, four lessons including a DBQ on Macarthism, 16 essays, 9 primary sources, two point-counterpoint activities, and an Inquiry Organizer to guide students through the exploration of the material.

Explore our suggested sequence for Chapter 13.

Lessons

McCarthyism DBQ

2 Activities70 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.

Kennedy vs. Nixon: TV and Politics

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.

The Sound of the Suburbs

Use this lesson with the Dr. Benjamin Spock and the Baby Boom Narrative and the Levittown Videos, 1947-1957 Primary Source to analyze the impact that the baby boom and urbanization had on American culture.

Activities

Was Federal Spending on the Space Race Justified?

Were the large amount of money to keep up with the Soviet Union in space exploration and to be the first country to land a man on the moon worth it? Brian Domitrovic and Jeff Broadwater debate this question.

Who Was Responsible for Starting the Cold War?

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.

Winston Churchill, “Sinews of Peace,” March 1946

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Levittown Videos, 1947–1957

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.

Harry S. Truman, “Truman Doctrine” Address, March 1947

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

George Kennan (“Mr. X”), “Sources of Soviet Conduct,” July 1947

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Richard Nixon, “Checkers” Speech, September 1952

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Rosa Parks’s Account of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Radio Interview), April 1956

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Critics of Postwar Culture: Jack Kerouac, On the Road (Excerpts), 1957

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, Farewell Address, January 1961

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Nam Paik, Electronic Superhighway, 1995

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.

Essays

Chapter 13 Introductory Essay: 1945-1960

How did the Cold War shape U.S. society after WWII?

Eleanor Roosevelt and the United Nations

By the end of this section, you will explain the continuities and changes in Cold War policies from 1945 to 1980.

The G.I. Bill

By the end of this section, you will explain the causes and effects of the migration of various groups of Americans after 1945

The Berlin Airlift

By the end of this section, you will explain the continuities and changes in Cold War policies from 1945 to 1980.

The Postwar Red Scare

By the end of this section, you will explain the causes and effects of the Red Scare after World War II.

Ethel and Julius Rosenberg separated by a wire screen

Cold War Spy Cases

By the end of this section, you will explain the causes and effects of the Red Scare after World War II.

The Korean War and the Battle of Chosin Reservoir

By the end of this section, you will explain the continuities and changes in Cold War policies from 1945 to 1980.

Jackie Robinson

By the end of this section, you will explain how and why various groups responded to calls for the expansion of civil rights from 1960 to 1980.

The Murder of Emmett Till

By the end of this section, you will explain how and why the civil rights movements developed and expanded from 1945 to 1960.

Rosa Parks sits outside. Martin Luther King Jr. sits in the background.

Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Montgomery Bus Boycott

By the end of this section, you will explain how and why various groups responded to calls for the expansion of civil rights from 1960 to 1980.

The Little Rock Nine

By the end of this section, you will explain how and why the civil rights movements developed and expanded from 1945 to 1960.

The National Highway Act

By the end of this section, you will explain the causes of economic growth in the years after World War II.

The Nixon-Khrushchev Kitchen Debate

By the end of this section, you will explain the continuities and changes in Cold War policies from 1945 to 1980.

William F. Buckley Jr. and the Conservative Movement

Sputnik and NASA

By the end of this section, you will explain the causes of economic growth in the years after World War II.

Dr. Benjamin Spock and the Baby Boom

By the end of this section, you will explain the causes of economic growth in the years after World War II.

Truman Intervenes in Korea

By the end of this section, you will explain the continuities and changes in Cold War policies from 1945 to 1980.

Truman Fires General Douglas MacArthur

Eisenhower and the Suez Canal Crisis

By the end of the section, you will explain the various military and diplomatic responses to international developments over time.

Educator Resources

Educator Resource

Chapter 13: 1945-1960 Inquiry Organizer

How did anti-communist foreign policy, the liberal welfare state, and American cultural values shape the postwar world from 1945 to 1960?

Educator Resource

Chapter 13 Answer Key

Answer Key for Chapter 13 of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness