Propaganda is central to any war effort. In the early 20th century, the persuasion to head into battle came, in part, from art: The government recruited artists and illustrators to create propaganda materials. In a new exhibit, the Museum of the City of New York is showing how New York City-based artists and creatives working for the federal government’s Division of Pictorial Publicity helped sell World War I to the public.

In the 1920s, assembly line production and easy credit made it possible for ordinary Americans to purchase many new consumer goods.

Alice Stone Blackwell was a feminist activist and writer. In an edited volume published in 1917, Blackwell responded to popular anti-women’s-suffrage arguments.

This reading provides information regard the U.S. Coal Industry in the 19th century.

Advancements in transportation have played a key role in the growth of our nation. U.S.government policies have also had a considerable impact on the development of transport as we know it today. In this series of three lessons,the students examine transportation and its impact on our nation (and vice versa) since the United States declared its independence in 1776.

This reading provides information regarding wealthy businessmen of the late 19th century and their roles as robber barons and/or captains of industry. It specifically reviews John D. Rockefeller and Andrew Carnegie.

Sikes, a popular social reformer in his day, worked with church groups and supported the efforts of the Working Women's Protective Union. First published in Putnam's Magazine, April 1868.

This activity asks students to review online materials related to the Berlin Airlift and to investigate the site to complete their activities.

In July of 1945 at Potsdam, it was decided among the Big 3 (Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, and Josef Stalin) that Germany would be split along the Elbe River, with the Western powers getting control of the West, and the Soviet Union the East. The border between the two "countries" was lined with barbed-wire and communist-friendly guards. Berlin was also split in this way. It was also at this meeting that the Four-Power Agreement was signed, giving air access to West Berlin from West Germany; a highway route along with a canal into West Berlin were also allowed.

Dr. Michihiko Hachiya lived through August 6, 1945 when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshim. He kept a diary of his experience. He served as Director of the Hiroshima Communications Hospital and lived near the hospital approximately a mile from the explosion's epicenter. His diary was published in English in 1955.

A reading which reviews the context and history of the landmark Supreme Court case regarding the unequal nature of racial segregation in public schools.

In 1968, Cesar Chavez led a boycott that resulted in a collective bargaining agreement guaranteeing field workers the right to unionize. Learn more about how Chavez grew from migrant farm worker to civil rights champion in this video

The civil rights movement was a struggle for social justice that took place mainly during the 1950s and 1960s for Black Americans to gain equal rights under the law in the United States. This website reviews some of the major events from the 1960s regarding Civil Rights.

An overview of the prosperity of the 1950s and the growing civil rights movements during this decade for desegregation and equal treatment.

This reading provides information on how Germany’s contested fate led to more aggressive actions by the U.S.S.R. and the U.S., including the dividing of Berlin and the Berlin Airlift

A lesson giving context about the tense 1962 standoff between the United States and the Soviet Union that nearly resulted in nuclear war.

Stanford University Education Group - Read like an Historian - lesson plan including primary sources of letters to and from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev along with questions to analyze these documents.

PowerPoint providing background information on the events and people involved in the Cuban Missile Crisis including photos and maps.

On October 15, 1962, the Soviet Union was discovered attempting to install nuclear missiles in Cuba. These missiles would have been capable of quickly reaching the United States. President Kennedy responded with a naval blockade. After several days of increasing tensions, the Soviet Union finally agreed to remove the missiles.