Military-Industrial Complex Speech, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1961
Farewell address of Eisenhower in which he suggests there are policy relationships between governments, national armed forces, and the industrial sector that supports them
16: 1950s Early Cold War
Military Industrial Complex
Information on the relationship between American corporations and the military from the Center for Defense Information. From the Center for Defense Information. Dated 1998
Character Above All: Dwight D. Eisenhower Essay
Excerpted from an essay by Stephen Ambrose on PBS Site
The Living Room Candidate - Commercials - 1956
The site includes a searchable database of television commercials and features commentary, historical background, election results, and navigation organized by year, type of ad, and issue
Images from the Tobacco Industry Campaign to Hide the Hazards of Smoking
From Stanford University
Taylor & Francis Online :: The myth of viewer‐listener disagreement in the first Kennedy‐Nixon debate - Central States Speech Journal - Volume 38, Issue 1
David L. Vancil and Sue D. Pendell expose the myth that radio listeners and television viewers came to opposite conclusions about the debate winners.This is the most cited research articles on the subject. It shows how common understandings taught in thousands of classrooms every year is simply wrong
Deterrence 101 - Nuclear Network
Deterrence is a data-point in AP US History and is also included in many US History lessons - a bullet point described by a teacher whose only knowledge of the policy is a couple of data points. Even a quick scroll through these videos and a couple minutes watching exposes the vast breadth and depth of the topic
The Literature & Culture of the American 1950s
Links to hundreds of articles
The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Cost Study Project
This project was completed in August 1998 and resulted in the book Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940 edited by Stephen I. Schwartz. These project pages should be considered historical from the Brookings Institution
Truman Doctrine (1947)
On March 12, 1947, President Harry S. Truman presented this address before a joint session of Congress. His message, known as the Truman Doctrine, asked Congress for $400 million in military and economic assistance for Turkey and Greece.
Truman Library - Marshall Plan Online Research File
This collection focuses on The Marshall Plan. It includes 52 documents totaling 441 pages.
Truman Library - Truman Doctrine Online Research File
This collection focuses on The Truman Doctrine. It includes 67 documents totaling 574 pages, a lesson plan, and links to oral histories.
What is a Sears Modern Home?
From 1908–1940, Sears, Roebuck and Co. sold about 70,000 - 75,000 homes through their mail-order Modern Homes program.
Hijacking Harry Truman
FCC Reports, Volume 20, July 1, 1955 to June 30, 1956 - Page 405 - Digital Library
Executive orders signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower
List of all executive orders signed by President Eisenhower while in office with links to the text of each
Dwight Eisenhower: POTUS
POTUS summary site with basic information (elections, cabinet, Supreme Court appointment) and links to other materials
Anticommunism in Postwar America, 1945-1954: Witch Hunt or Red Menace?
Lesson Plan from EdSitement, including Soviet Espionage in America, The House Un-American Activities Committee, The Rise and Fall of Joseph McCarthy
Truman Library: Ideological Foundations of the Cold War Online Research File
The 57 documents (approximately 632 pages) in this research file highlight the ideals that formed the basis of American policy toward the Soviet Union from 1945 to 1952. Also included are oral histories, photographs, biographies, a chronology, and lesson plans.
Sputnik Retrospective - NASA
Article and links to images and primary documents
George Kennan's Long Telegram
This article published under the pseudonym "X" in the July 1947 issue of Foreign Affairs magazine was written by George Kennan, an expert on Russia and introduced the idea of containment
Hiss and Chambers: Strange Story of Two Men - Article
Summary of the Hiss case from NY Times article of 1948
The Cold War Begins
Recent Cold War Studies - Article
This article explores historiography of Cold War studies following the uncovering of Soviet and Eastern Bloc documents following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1091
Harry Truman - American President
Summary information and links to more resources from the Miller Center of Public Affairs from the University of Virginia
Husha phone decision
The Hush-A-Phone was a device designed to attach to the transmitter of a telephone to reduce noise pollution and increase privacy. The Bell Telephone company fought its production and sale for years
The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962: The Photographs
LIFE Magazines from 1935 through 1970 - Google Books
Yes, lessons can be nothing but exploratory. Have students look though these magazines and make their own conclusions, or give them something specific and try to see if historical conclusions are accurate. How about comparing the textbook definition of the 60s to "Letters to the Editor" in 1968? How about looking through advertisements to see the public conception of gender roles? How about Japanese and German cars showing up in the 1970s. The possibilities are endless.
"Disreputable if Not Outright Illegal": The National Security Agency versus Martin Luther King, Muhammad Ali, Art Buchwald, Frank Church, et al.
Every high school history student should have a chance to poke around in George Washington's University's NSA Archive as part of their study of the Cold War. This article explains the release of information regarding the NSA monitoring of prominent Civil Rights leaders, newspaper reporters and even Muhammad Ali during the Vietnam War. Teachers shouldn't just have students read the article - follow the links into the documents themselves.
John F. Kennedy - American President
Summary information and links to more resources from the Miller Center of Public Affairs from the University of Virginia