The Post-War Years

Media Rich Learning

A part of the series America in the 20th Century. The end of World War II was the beginning of U.S. global power as well as a milestone in the nation's economic prosperity and domestic political currents. This program examines America during the years 1945 to 1960, in which the Cold War loomed, babies boomed, and the suburban family became the bull's-eye of the mass market. Viewers learn about the leadership transition from Truman to Eisenhower, the creation of the interstate highway system, the advent of TV and rock-n-roll, and more. Correlates to standards from the National Council for the Social Studies. A viewable/printable instructor's guide is available online. (40 minutes)

The Roaring Twenties: America In The 20th Century

Media Rich Learning

The Roaring Twenties was a decade of startling contrasts. World War I was over, women got the right to vote, cut their hair and their skits, alcohol was outlawed, so speakeasies and bootlegging filled the void; Babe Ruth was king of the ballpark while Charles Lindbergh ruled the air; and just about everybody who would afford it went to the movies.

World War II - The Road to War: America In The 20th Century

Media Rich Learning

The seeds of World War II were sown in the dark days of depression following the first world conflict. While the United States chose a course of isolationism, escalating aggression in Europe and Asia threatened world stability. Without warning, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor pushed the reluctant nation into war. The bloody conflict would span the globe and trigger political, social and military repercussions that would resonate through the twentieth century.

The American Industrial Revolution: America In The 20th Century

Media Rich Learning

The American industrial revolution of the late 19th century helped to create the modern America that exists today. Industries such as railroads, steel-making, and oil fueled an economic expansion, while the rapid population growth of many cities, from rural areas and overseas, literally changed the face of the nation. Inventions such as electricity provided modern conveniences, while innovations in agriculture and mining opened up the west. Problems associated with rapid growth, such as pollution and overcrowding were recognized for the first time.

World War I: The War in Europe: America In The 20th Century

Media Rich Learning

World War I was sparked by nationalism and a web of military alliances. Soldiers in Europe fought the first modern was as industrial-age ingenuity sparked terror in the guise of warplanes, flamethrowers and chemical weapons.

The Sixties

Media Rich Learning

A part of the series America in the 20th Century. As the sun set on the 1950s, America found new approaches to leadership in John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. As this program shows, the East Coast blue blood and the rough-and-tumble Texan could not have been more different, yet each embraced FDR’s legacy and sought to reshape his New Deal into a modern vision. Each knew triumph and failure; Kennedy’s life ended in tragedy and Johnson’s “Great Society” could not keep pace with the radicalism of youth culture, but both managed to evolve the role of the federal government in American society. Correlates to standards from the National Council for the Social Studies. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online. (38 minutes)

The Civil Rights Movement

Media Rich Learning

A part of the series America in the 20th Century. Anyone who thinks the civil rights movement began and ended with Martin Luther King Jr. will discover a new, eye-opening view of history in this program. It reveals a long-running struggle for racial equality starting with Civil War– and Reconstruction-era events, moving through the blight of Jim Crow and the formation of the NAACP and other groups, and depicting the drama of King’s movement in varied, evolving phases. The work of Malcolm X, the rise of the Black Power movement, and the future of America’s ongoing equality battles are also examined. Correlates to standards from the National Council for the Social Studies. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online. (84 minutes)

America Becomes a World Power: America In The 20th Century

Media Rich Learning

The United States was a devastated union at the close of the Civil War. But within forty years the nation would rise from the ashes to become a unified world power. From controversial expansionism, through war in the Caribbean and Pacific, tumult in Asia and troubles at home, the country experienced radical change on a course to world leadership.

World War I: On the Homefront: America In The 20th Century

Media Rich Learning

Women assumed new roles; the suffrage movement gained steam; African Americans migrated to fill jobs in the North. Other changes were less upbeat, as racial tensions and the erosion of civil liberties threatened the country.

The Great Depression: America In The 20th Century

Media Rich Learning

It was called "Black Tuesday" - the day the bottom fell out of the stock market ushering in the Great Depression. Soon, soup kitchens and breadlines replaced the flappers and speakeasies of the Roaring Twenties. When the nation looked for leadership, they found it in the indelible character of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a bright and shining light in the darkness of despair.

World War II - The World at War: America In The 20th Century

Media Rich Learning

The seeds of World War II were sown in the dark days of depression following the first world conflict. While the United States chose a course of isolationism, escalating aggression in Europe and Asia threatened world stability. Without warning, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor pushed the reluctant nation into war. The bloody conflict would span the globe and trigger political, social and military repercussions that would resonate through the twentieth century.

Vietnam

Media Rich Learning

A part of the series America in the 20th Century. It was the longest war in America’s history and the most divisive in more than a century. This program explores the genesis of America’s painful military “quagmire” from the roots of Vietnamese nationalism through a century of French colonial rule to the first Indochina war; it then takes viewers from John F. Kennedy’s initial deployment of military advisers through increases and escalations under the Johnson administration to the final, tragic moments of Saigon’s fall in the spring of 1975. Correlates to standards from the National Council for the Social Studies. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online. (72 minutes)

Cold War

Media Rich Learning

A part of the series America in the 20th Century. Although communists and capitalists united during World War II to crush fascism, Hitler’s defeat set the stage for allies to become adversaries once more. This program frames the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union as the defining conflict of much of the 20th century. Viewers are shown how the world’s two superpowers faced off in an uncompromising showdown over ideology and economics that would persist for five decades—not in a vacuum, but under the omnipresent threat of nuclear holocaust. Correlates to standards from the National Council for the Social Studies. A viewable/printable instructor’s guide is available online. (132 minutes)