The History Cat
The History Cat: Red Scare America
Describes the events that took place during the McCarthy Era and actions of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Ordinary Americans feared being identified as a Communist sympathizer and libraries removed books from their shelves...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: A Biography of America: The Fifties 1945 1960
World War II ends with the legacy of its final moment: the atomic bomb. After reading comprehensive background material, interactive feature lets you decide if President Truman was correct in his decision to drop atomic bombs on...
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Marshall and Mc Carthyism
Read the outlandish claims Senators Joseph McCarthy and William Jenner made about honored statesman and public servant, George Marshal during the time that came to be known as McCarthyism.
Calisphere: University of California Libraries
University of California: Calisphere: 1950s 1970s: Struggles for Social Justice
The protests of the 1960s and 70s are highlighted in original photographs. The informational text and overview discuss what groups were fighting for social justice, what the issues were and how these groups made their voices heard.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: The Start of the Space Race
Looks at the USSR's launch of Sputnik and the galvanizing effect it had on America's motivation to fund aerospace research. NASA was soon formed and more funding was put in place for public education in the sciences and math.
Museum of Modern Art
Mo Ma: Abstract Expressionist New York
Blockbuster exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art underscores the relationship between New York City and the explosion of creative activity among the artists who lived there in the postwar period. Learn why New York became the center of...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: The Baby Boom
Find out why there were so many babies born in the United States after World War II.
Curated OER
National Park Service: Eisenhower National Historic Site: Presidency
Learn about the ways in which Eisenhower's presidency and personality mirrored the country as a whole during the years he was president (1952-1960). Includes many artifacts of the era, such as campaign paraphernalia and articles of...
British Library
British Library: 20th Century Works: The Bell Jar
Sylvia Plath's only published novel, "The Bell Jar, " explores mental illness and the pressure of social expectations on women in 1950s America. Read an overview and view additional resources such as articles, collection items, and...
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania: The Hollywood Blacklist
This site describes what went on in Hollywood during the Red Scare of the 1950s when many actors and directors were asked to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee about possible communist activity in Hollywood.
PBS
The Sixties: The Years That Shaped a Generation
Companion Web site to the PBS series. Provides an overview of the pivotal events, culture, and politics of the Sixties. Links to lesson plans and related material for a more in-depth study.
University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania: Senator Joe Mc Carthy
An excerpt from a book on Senator Joseph McCarthy. Includes a description of his life and career and details the impact his actions and ideas had on America in the 1950's.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Consensus and Change
Brief illustration of the changes in U.S. domestic and foreign policy that occurred following WWII.
Digital Public Library of America
Dpla: Rock 'N' Roll: Beginnings to Woodstock
The resources in this set highlight the artists and sounds that were central to the rock 'n' roll musical genre that contributed to social and cultural change in America beginning in the 1950s.
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Negro Holocaust: Lynching and Race Riots
A lesson unit with good background information for students. Details the history of lynching and race riots in America and the treatment of African-Americans from 1880 to 1950.
Other
The Seattle Times: Postwar Blues
This article, which is provided for by The Seattle Times, discusses the economy after World War II, during the Cold War.
PBS
Pbs: First Successful Kidney Transplant Performed
Discusses the first successful kidney transplant performed in 1954.
Stanford University
Mlk and Global Freedom Struggle: Congress of Racial Equality
Encyclopedia entry explores the involvement of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in America's civil rights struggle throughout the late 1950s and into the mid-1960s.
Other
David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
The collection of more than 150,000 maps focuses on rare 18th and 19th-century maps of North and South America, although it also has maps of the World, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Oceania. The collection includes atlases, wall maps,...