20: 1980s America

20: 1980s America

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Decoding U.S. Foreign Policy: The Iran-Contra Affair | Teachinghistory.org
Decoding U.S. Foreign Policy: The Iran-Contra Affair | Teachinghistory.org
This lesson, part of the HERB collection at the American Social History Project, allows students to examine a series of primary source documents related to the Iran-Contra Affair and discuss the central issues surrounding these events. In addition to great background information for the teacher, there is a useful timeline and graphic organizer that help students access the content.
Decoding U.S. Foreign Policy: The Iran-Contra Affair | Teachinghistory.org
Was Oliver North a Patriot, a Pawn, or an Outlaw? - Primary Document Lesson
Was Oliver North a Patriot, a Pawn, or an Outlaw? - Primary Document Lesson
Was Oliver North acting as a patriot, a pawn or an outlaw? This lesson built on the History Labs model of UMBC has students digging into primary documents to answer this question. Spice this up with some video from his testimony then top the lesson off at the end by showing students what his career is like now.
Was Oliver North a Patriot, a Pawn, or an Outlaw? - Primary Document Lesson
HERB: Resources for Teachers | The C.I.A. Advises Nicaraguans How to Sabotage the Sandinista Government
HERB: Resources for Teachers | The C.I.A. Advises Nicaraguans How to Sabotage the Sandinista Government
The C.I.A. airdropped thousands of these 15-page illustrated manuals telling "Nicaraguans who love their country and cherish freedom" how they could sabotage the Sandinista-led government. The leftist Sandinistas had overthrown a military dictatorship in 1979; the U.S. supported rightwing Contras in their efforts to remove the Sandinistas from power. A Contra fighter in Honduras, where the C.I.A. based its anti-Sandinista efforts, gave a copy of the manual to a reporter in 1984.
HERB: Resources for Teachers | The C.I.A. Advises Nicaraguans How to Sabotage the Sandinista Government
Iran Contra Affair - Resources for Teachers
Iran Contra Affair - Resources for Teachers
Resources, primary documents and worksheet summaries that can be used alone as quick "stand-alone" activities or to support other lessons
Iran Contra Affair - Resources for Teachers
Reagan Lesson Plans | The History Rat
Reagan Lesson Plans | The History Rat
Although this history teacher admits his agenda, his lesson plans and approach to teaching the early 80s around Ronald Reagan show teachers a way to tackle the era.
Reagan Lesson Plans | The History Rat
BBC NEWS | Europe | How a blunder finished off the Wall
BBC NEWS | Europe | How a blunder finished off the Wall
Yet another item to add the the "Fact is stranger than fiction file" - the opening of the Berlin Wall at the end of the Cold War was sparked by a mis- statement at a press conference. This BBC article includes video of the press conference itself and interviews with the Sec of State and Mikhail Gorbachev.
BBC NEWS | Europe | How a blunder finished off the Wall
United States Treaties in Force, 2013
United States Treaties in Force, 2013
This State Department Publication includes over 500 pages of treaties the United States is party to in 2013. Not only does this demonstrate the vast connections of globalization, but it shows students the complex nature and intricate detail involved in international relations. Every social studies student, at some point in high school, should have to scroll through this document. Lend-lease treaties are still on the books, the USSR is still here - intellectual property, amatuer radio, seismic activity measring stations, shipping, copyright - there's almost no end to the detail.
United States Treaties in Force, 2013
Address to the Nation on Iran-Contra (March 4, 1987)-Miller Center
Address to the Nation on Iran-Contra (March 4, 1987)-Miller Center
Although the Iran-Contra, arms for hostages deal of the Reagan administration can be used as a lesson itself, there is one sentence that could be used as part of a critical thinking lesson. "A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages. My heart and my best intentions still tell me that's true, but the facts and the evidence tell me it is not."
Address to the Nation on Iran-Contra (March 4, 1987)-Miller Center
The U.S.S.R. and U.S. Came Closer to Nuclear War Than We Thought
The U.S.S.R. and U.S. Came Closer to Nuclear War Than We Thought
This article explains how declassified documents show how US and NATO military exercises in late 1983 were seen by Soviets as prelude to a preemptive strike against the Soviet Union. THough the Cuban Missile crisis is commonly taught to students as the closest the world came to nuclear war, this episode in 1983 shows different
The U.S.S.R. and U.S. Came Closer to Nuclear War Than We Thought
Ronald Reagan's White House Diary
Ronald Reagan's White House Diary
What better way to open student's eyes to the daily life of the president than to look through is diary. Although it's tempting to just look through the diary, it is even more enlightening to click on the "White House Schedule" link associated with every day to see the official record of the president's day
Ronald Reagan's White House Diary
April 1990 - Video I shot of my typical day of a high school student, 1990 (Video)
April 1990 - Video I shot of my typical day of a high school student, 1990 (Video)
This 45 minute video was shot by a high school student in 1990. It includes highlights from the typical day of a high school student at that time, from waking up, watching TV, to going to school. There's a lot of footage of classes, lunch and walking between classes. What can students learn about life at this time from the video? This is a world before cell phones and ear buds. Notice how people react to the camera, which cost $700.
April 1990 - Video I shot of my typical day of a high school student, 1990 (Video)
Federal Individual Tax Rates - History
Federal Individual Tax Rates - History
Raising taxes and cutting taxes are hot topics in recent American history. Students and teachers looking at the 1980s can get a sense of the reality of changing tax rates without the rhetoric through these charts
Federal Individual Tax Rates - History
THE REAGAN PLAY-BY-PLAY STILL PLAYS - The New York Times
THE REAGAN PLAY-BY-PLAY STILL PLAYS - The New York Times
1985 New York Times article explains Ronald Reagan's use of the microphone and speech throughout his career. If teachers and students stumble into a "style over substance" discussion about the presidency, this provides valuable insight into Reagan's ability to communicate what his audiences what to hear
THE REAGAN PLAY-BY-PLAY STILL PLAYS - The New York Times
NUKEMAP by Alex Wellerstein
NUKEMAP by Alex Wellerstein
Pick a location, see the effect of a nuclear bomb. Students should have a different experience when learning about nuclear war than a teachers words and movies from the 1950s
NUKEMAP by Alex Wellerstein
Globalizing Protest in the 1980s: Musicians Collaborate to Change the World | AP US History Study Guide from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Globalizing Protest in the 1980s: Musicians Collaborate to Change the World | AP US History Study Guide from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Perhaps for teachers more than students, this Gilder Lehrman essay describes the advent of #activism without using the twitter symbol. From the first recording of "Do they know it's Christmas" through "We are the world" to the Live Aid concert, political messaging and the people of Africa themselves were virtually absent. Worth reading as inspiration for a lesson that would require refiguring the narrative to fit teenagers' understanding
Globalizing Protest in the 1980s: Musicians Collaborate to Change the World | AP US History Study Guide from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
The Contras, Cocaine, and U.S. Covert Operations
The Contras, Cocaine, and U.S. Covert Operations
This National Security Archive site has copies of Oliver North's diary entries, emails from Reagan administration officials, and congressional reports that evidence that the United States was aware of the Contras role in smuggling drugs into the United States. The same planes that were being used to bring drugs into the United States were being used to bring arms from the United States to the Contras
The Contras, Cocaine, and U.S. Covert Operations
Willie Horton Revisited | The Marshall Project
Willie Horton Revisited | The Marshall Project
Students in 2022 learning about the advertising in the 1988 campaign can see hints of issues they confront now. (Note where Lee Atwater looks directly into the camera and says that they do not have an advertisement about crime)
Willie Horton Revisited | The Marshall Project
Rise of Conservatism in the 1980s | DPLA
Rise of Conservatism in the 1980s | DPLA

This teaching guide helps instructors use a specific primary source set, Rise of Conservatism in the 1980s, in the classroom. It offers discussion questions, classroom activities, and primary source analysis tools. It is intended to spark pedagogical creativity by giving a sample approach to the material "

Rise of Conservatism in the 1980s | DPLA