Read a brief history of rock and roll and its roots. See why this form of music shook the establishment and shattered the idea of conformity.

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...

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

In May 1950, at the very moment that Senator Joseph McCarthy was beginning his crusade against communist subversion, the U.S. Senate created a special committee to investigate another "enemy within": organized crim

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.

A brief look at American life and politics in the 1950s with an increase in consumerism and fear of the Soviet Union.

Brief illustration of the changes in U.S. domestic and foreign policy that occurred following WWII.

A very brief overview of the inception of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s, its successes and failures into the 1960s, and a prediction of despair in the 1970s.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart focuses on the Civil Rights Movement and leaders of the 1950's and the 1960's.

Like other U.S. presidents before and after him, Dwight D. Eisenhower was only proactive in instituting civil rights in a very limited way, such as ending segregation in the District of Columbia, including the federal government, and any...

This collection uses primary sources to explore Pop art in the US.