Read a brief description of the assassination of President John Kennedy and examine the many questions that remain about that death.

The Cold War was still being waged during John Kennedy's administration. Read about the challenges he faced in Europe, Latin America, and, most ominously, in Cuba.

Read about John Kennedy's vision for America upon his becoming president. Find out about the space race with the Soviet Union, and expanded social programs for the poor and elderly in America.

Read about the campaign and election of 1960 in which the Democratic candidate, Senator John F. Kennedy, ran against the Repbulican candidate, Vice-President Richard M. Nixon. Find out about the issues, the famous debates, and Kennedy's...

Winding down the war in Vietnam took several years. Read about Richard Nixon's plans for Vietnamization and "peace with honor." Find out how other events in Vietnam pushed the antiwar movement to even more demonstrations.

The Tet Offensive showed the resolve of the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese. See how the continuing war, with no end in sight, began to shift public opinion away from support for the war, and read about how Lyndon Johnson made some...

Read about how American involvement in the Vietnam War escalated after the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which essentially gave President Lyndon Johnson the ability to do whatever he thought necessary to defeat the North Vietnamese.

The U.S. early involvement in Vietnam during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations consisted of military aid to the doomed South Vietnamese government. Read about Ho Chi Minh and his leadership of North Vietnam.

An overview of the Vietnam War, including how the United States became involved, the eventual antiwar movement, and the outcome.

The black power movement moved away from the nonviolence advocated by Martin Luther King, Jr. and his associates. Read about the formation of the Black Panther Party, and find their party platform. Take the brief quiz about history of...

The "long, hot summer" in reality spread over several years of summers in the mid-1960s. Read about the Watts riots in 1965, and the reasons behind racial upheaval in hundreds of American cities over the next three years.

Read about the legal gains made by the civil rights movement, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, juxtaposed against the real-life actions meant to deny African Americans their right to racial equality not just legally, but...

Just like the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the first sit-in at a Woolworth's lunch counter was the beginning of a nonviolent movement to challenge "white only" laws. Read about how the sit-in movement spread across the South. See how...

Read about President Eisenhower's decision to send federal troops to Arkansas to enforce the desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock. See why that action was necessary, and how Central High School fit into the larger Civil...

An explantion of how the Supreme Court decision in Brown v Board of Education of Topeka turned the concept of separate but equal on its head. See how they determined that the 14th Amendment was being violated when schools did not fund...

The decade of the 1950s was kown for conformity. There was an undercurrent of rebellion, especially among younger Americans. Read about the Beat Generation, alternative literature, rebellion in art, and treatment of those who were not...

A comprehensive look at U.S. foreign policy during the Eisenhower administration. The Cold War was at its height, and the United States used many tactics to fight and contain the spread of Communism. Be sure to watch the cartoon of Bert...

The advent of increased television programming helped create a national popular culture. Read about the many kinds of television programs offered in the 1950s.

Read about the dangers of paranoia when exercised by people of power. The witch-hunting of the McCarthy era made rash and false accusations against supposed Communist sympathizers that affected many lives.

President Harry Truman was determined to contain the Soviet sphere of influence in Europe. See how the United States and Great Britain stood up to Stalin's attempt to take over West Berlin by blockading access to the city. Understand why...

Read about President Truman's two-pronged foreign policy for Europe. Find out about his containment policy and the Truman Doctrine, which was manifested in the Marshall Plan.

World War II ended in 1945 and the Cold War began immediately. Read about the mistrust Western Europe and the United States felt towards the Soviet Union and Joseph Stalin. Learn how the Soviets expanded their realm of influence and...

A brief survey of the beginning of the Cold War and the challenges that faced the United States in confronting communist totalitarianism.

The war in the Pacific raged throughout World War II. Read about the Japanese early successes, and see how the American troops recaptured and moved closer to Japan at the end of the war.