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.
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.
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.
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.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History: Chicago, the Transit Metropolis
Explore the role of public transportation in Chicago, from the 1890s through the 1950s.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Atomic Fears and the Arms Race
Looks at the nuclear arms race in the 1950s as the United States and the USSR both stockpiled nuclear weapons. Includes 1951 propaganda video showing schoolchildren how to 'Duck and Cover' in the event of a nuclear attack. [9:15]
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Us History: 1945 1980: Atomic Fears and the Arms Race
Read about the impact of nuclear proliferation in the 1950s, including fears of atomic bombs and increasing militarization.
University of Virginia
Virginia Center for Digital History: Television News of the Civil Rights Era
A rich collection of streaming video samples of television news footage from 1950 to 1970, along with an assortment of primary source documents, first-person accounts, a glossary of terms, and essays and analysis for learning about the...
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.
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.
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.
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.
PBS
Pbs: First Successful Kidney Transplant Performed
Discusses the first successful kidney transplant performed in 1954.
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.
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...
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,...
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.