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Social Studies

Social Studies Resources

6th Grade

6th Grade Ancient Egypt

7th Grade

7th Grade Civil War

7th Grade Westward Expansion

The Gold Rush:

Texas Independence:

Mexican War:

Native Americans:

The Donner Party:

8th Grade

8th Grade 1920s LibGuide

8th Grade Immigration

World War II Websites:

Holocaust Websites:

All Grades

Maps

 

General Websites

 

Political Events – All decades

The American Presidency
Visit this web site and learn all about the American Presidency. Walk through an interactive timeline and see history unfold. As you scroll through the timeline, you can click on the icons and learn more about each individual President. You can also read different featured articles related to the presidency, such as “The Campaign Trail” and “Life and Death in the White House.” This Smithsonian National Museum of American History brings you this informative web site.

The Presidents
Official government biography of each president.

White House Timeline 
A short biography highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each Presidential term.

Brown v. Board of Education
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, an online exhibit was created. Visit that exhibit here to learn the story behind this historic event. As you explore the exhibit you will learn about desegregation of schools in the United States. The exhibit begins with the history before the decision and also gives background facts about segregation in the 1950s and 1960s. Find out about school desegregation during the 1970s and take a look at historic photographs.

 

1950s Political Events

Mamie Eisenhower
Eisenhower, Mamie Doud,–1896-1979, Political campaigns

In your list – From the Smithsonian Institution, this Web page provides insight into the role of women as political images during the 1950s. Several articles discuss the role of Mamie Doud Eisenhower as First Lady of the United States from 1953-1961. In the 1952 campaign, the Republican Party stressed appealing to the women’s vote with the traditional family image that Pat Nixon and Mamie Eisenhower were able to bring to the campaign. One article explores in detail the use of this main-stream American approach and campaign memorabilia that was geared towards enlisting the vote of women.

South Korea 
Barely bigger than the state of Indiana, the country of South Korea has mountains and harbors. As a political entity, South Korea has existed since World War II. It was initially controlled by the United States while North Korea was controlled by the U.S.S.R. This independent republic was attacked by communist North Korea in 1950 and defended by United Nations forces. Political instability and corruption have repeatedly caused riots and protests. Investigate political steps taken toward peace and reconciliation between North and South Korea.

Telegram from Senator Joseph McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman
View actual documents from Senator Joseph McCarthy and President Harry S. Truman from 1950. Background information explains the political climate at this time. Learn about Senator Joseph McCarthy and his speech accusing State Department employees of having Communist ties. Understand the fear of Communism in the United States during McCarthy’s years in the Senate. You can read the telegram sent by McCarthy to Truman defending his claims in the speech, and you can read Truman’s reply.

How McCarthyism Worked
Mass hysteria allowed dictators to murder millions during World War II but mass hysteria did not end with the war. A new target was chosen. Communists were seen as subversives to be feared and attacked. Led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, the government accused hundreds in the State Department of being communists. Investigate McCarthy’s intimidating interview tactics at the Senate Committee and the blacklisting that occurred in the entertainment industry. Learn about McCarthy’s downfall and find out what people eventually thought of Senator McCarthy.

Joseph McCarthy
Best known as an anti-communist crusader, Joseph McCarthy was one of America’s most controversial congressmen. This Senator, who had served in the Marines during World War II, came up with a list of suspected communists working in the United States State Department. A powerful bully in Washington, Senator McCarthy resorted to name-calling and considered anyone who didn’t agree with him a secret communist sympathizer. His accusations made him famous but eventuallythe other senators reprimanded him.

Joseph R. McCarthy: A Featured Biography
From the official United States Senate web site, this information about Senator Joseph McCarthy is found in the Art and History section. Although the information appears to be brief, there are actually links within it to additional information about events during McCarthy’s time as a senator. There is a quick overview of McCarthy’s role in the Senate. Follow links to find out about his Lincoln Day address and about the Army-McCarthy hearings. Learn what it means to be censured by the Senate.

Dealing with Segregation
Investigate racial segregation in the United States in 1954. A map shows which states required segregation and which states made it illegal. Some states didn’t have any laws about segregation or let local governments make up the laws. Many African-Americans fled to Kansas to escape Jim Crow laws and get an education for their children. In 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously declared segregation in public schools to be unconstitutional. Other civil rights laws quickly followed.

 

1960s Political Events

The Great Debates of Nixon and Kennedy October 21, 1960
Before 1952, presidential debates and political speeches took place on the radio instead of the television. The presidential campaign of 1952 was the first televised debate and the debate in 1960 was the first time technology allowed candidates to debate from opposite coasts of the United States. Find out what people thought about the role of television media in the political process. Discover who the presidential candidates were in the 1960 election. Do you know who won?

African American Odyssey: The Civil Rights Era (Part 1)
This African American Odyssey web site offers a wealth of information about many important African Americans involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Learn about how Mahalia Jackson, Thurgood Marshall, James Meredith, and Max Roach (to name just a few) all contributed in very different ways to the Civil Rights Movement. The web site contains many pictures, photographs, and other primary resource documents.

School Prayer
In 1962, the U.S Supreme Court ruled any prayer in public school was unconstitutional.

 

Page Last Updated on March 4, 2019