| Great Depression | World War Two | The Cold War | The Korean War |
Immigration Migratory Labor |
| Civil Rights | The Vietnam War | Herstory | Life in Texas |
Vanishing Occupations |
Learn about The Great Depression. The Great Depression transformed the American political and economic landscape. It produced a major political realignment, creating a coalition of big-city ethnics, African Americans, and Southern Democrats committed, to varying degrees, to interventionist government. It strengthened the federal presence in American life, spawning such innovations as national old-age pensions, unemployment compensation,, aid to dependent children, public housing, federally-subsidized school lunches, insured bank depositions, the minimum wage, and stock market regulations. It fundamentally altered labor relations, producing a revived labor movement and a national labor policy protective of collective bargaining. It transformed the farm economy by introducing federal price supports. Above all, it led Americans to view the federal government as an agency of action and reform and the ultimate protector of public well-being. Mintz, Steven. (2003). Digital History.
Breadline: 1929-1939. Economic depression triggers unemployment on a global scale. As the twentieth century concluded, People's Century: 1900-1999 looked back at the story of our times. This award-winning, twenty-six part PBS (Public Broadcasting System) television series offers new insight into the turbulent events of these hundred years through the revealing personal testimony of the people who lived them. This Web site was produced for PBS Online by WGBH. Web site ©1998 WGBH Educational Foundation. Boston, Massachusetts.
The Great Depression: America's Loss. A student-based project explaining the origins of the Great Depression including the Unequal Distribution of Wealth and Corporate Power and thePoorly Structured Banking System. Copyright © 2001-2004 New Technology High School & New Technology Foundation. Napa, California.
The Great Depression in Texas. The Handbook of Texas Online is a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture sponsored by the Texas State Historical Association and the General Libraries at UT-Austin. It was produced in partnership with the College of Liberal Arts and the General Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin. Copyright © The Texas State Historical Association.
Learn About World War II. World War II killed more people, involved more nations, and cost more money than any other war in history. Altogether, 70 million people served in the armed forces during the war and 17 million combatants died. Civilian deaths were ever greater. At least 19 million Soviet civilians, 10 million Chinese, and 6 million European Jews lost their lives during the war. World War II was truly a global war. Some 70 nations took part in the conflict, and fighting took place on the continents of Africa, Asia, and Europe, as well as on the high seas. Entire societies participated, as soldiers, war workers, or victims of occupation and mass murder. World War II cost the United States a million casualities and nearly 400,000 deaths. In both domestic and foreign affairs, its consequences were far-reaching. It ended the Depression, brought millions of married women into the workforce, initiated sweeping changes in the lives of the nation's minority groups, and dramatically expanded government's presence in American life. Mintz, Steven. Digital History 2003.
World War Two: Summary Outline of Key Events. From the invasion of Poland to the dropping of the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Robinson, Bruce. BBC- British Broadcasting Company. 2001.
Master Race: 1926-1945. Nazism overtakes German society. Total War: 1939-1945. Civilians become targets-contributing to the war effort with their labor and their lives. As the twentieth century concluded, People's Century: 1900-1999 looked back at the story of our times. This award-winning, twenty-six part PBS (Public Broadcasting System) television series offers new insight into the turbulent events of these hundred years through the revealing personal testimony of the people who lived them. This Web site was produced for PBS Online by WGBH. Web site ©1998 WGBH Educational Foundation. Boston, Massachusetts.
Texans in World War Two. The Handbook of Texas Online is a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture sponsored by the Texas State Historical Association and the General Libraries at UT-Austin. It was produced in partnership with the College of Liberal Arts and the General Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin. Copyright © The Texas State Historical Association.
US Latinos and Latinas & World War II. The U.S. Latino & Latina WWII Oral History Project began in the summer of 1999 at the University of Texas at Austin- Department of Journalism. The stories of these men and women have been virtually untold, either in the mass media or in scholarly writing. The main problem has been the small numbers of U.S. Latino journalists, scholars and other writers who would document the stories of this generation. This project seeks to capture the stories of these men and women.
Learn About the Postwar Era World War II was followed by The Cold War pitting the United States and its allies against the Soviet Union and its supporters. It was called a Cold War, but it would flare into violence in Korea and Vietnam and in many smaller conflicts. The period from 1946 to 1991 was punctuated by a series of East-East confrontations: over Germany, Poland, Greece, Czeckoslovakia, China, Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, and many other hot spots. More information on the Cold War is located at Postwar America: 1945 - 1960 . Mintz, Steven. (2003). Digital History.
Cold War: A CNN Perspectives Series provides an episode by episode show of how the Cold War's origins to The Wall Comes Down. Link to the Educator's Guide to provide details on The Oral History Project. 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
Brave New World: 1945-1961. A "cold" war embroils the US and the Soviet Union in a contest of ideologies. As the twentieth century concluded, People's Century: 1900-1999 looked back at the story of our times. This award-winning, twenty-six part PBS (Public Broadcasting System) television series offers new insight into the turbulent events of these hundred years through the revealing personal testimony of the people who lived them. This Web site was produced for PBS Online by WGBH. Web site ©1998 WGBH Educational Foundation. Boston, Massachusetts.
Korean War. A brief overview of the war fought from 1950 until 1953 and some lessons learned from the war. Mintz, Steven. (2003). Digital History.
The Korean War: An Overview The Cold War turned hot for the first time in the Korean peninsula in the mid-1950s. Michael Hickey provides an overview of the so-called "forgotten war." BBC- British Broadcasting Company. 2001.
Korea: 1949-1953. Episode 5 from the CNN series: Cold War. It was one of the few times the Cold War went hot. The conflict on the Korean peninsula claimed millions of lives, and set the stage for the way both sides would view each other for years to come. 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
Asia Rising: 1951-1988 From the ashes of war, Japan and Korea rise to economic prominence. As the twentieth century concluded, People's Century: 1900-1999 looked back at the story of our times. This award-winning, twenty-six part PBS (Public Broadcasting System) television series offers new insight into the turbulent events of these hundred years through the revealing personal testimony of the people who lived them. This Web site was produced for PBS Online by WGBH. Web site ©1998 WGBH Educational Foundation. Boston, Massachusetts.
Immigration is from the Library of Congress's American Memory Collection. This website includes immigrants from Africa, Germany, Ireland, Scandinavia, Italy, Japan. Mexico, China, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Russia, Poland, and Native Americans. Producer: Leni Donlan. 2003.
Mexican Immigration is from the Library of Congress's American Memory Collection. This website includes sections entitled: Becoming Part of the United States, Land Loss in Trying Times, A Growing Community, Perceptions and Misconceptions, Depression and the Struggle for Survival, Moving to the Cities, Expansion and Expulsion, and Shaping a New Century. Check out the Vocabulary segment too. Producer: Leni Donlan. 2003.
Mexican American Voices- Immigration. A brief overview of Mexican Immigration into the United States. Mexican American Voices: Ordered by chronology and topic From America's Spanish Heritage to The Struggle Continues. Mintz, Steven. (2003). Digital History.
Mexican Immigrant Labor History. From The Border tells six stories of the U.S.-Mexico border, a diverse and unique region at the crossroads of change. "The Border," a two-hour documentary, features compelling story-driven vignettes narrated by journalist John Quiñones from ABC’s 20/20. The website includes a segment entitled: Tell Us Your Story. Executive Producer- Paul Espinosa. A Production of Espinosa Productions and KPBS-TV San Diego © 1999.
Learn About the Tumultuous 1960s . This chapter examines the Civil Rights struggle against segregation and racial equality; the feminist fight for equal educational and employment opportunity; the Mexican American battle against discrimination in voting, education, and employment; the Native American campaign for tribal sovereignty and land rights; the gay and lesbian drive to end discrimination based on sexual preference; and the environmentalist campaign to reduce pollution and promote conservation. Guided Readings: America in Ferment: The Tumultuous 1960s. Mintz, Steven. Digital History. 2003.
Voices of Civil Rights: Ordinary People. Extraordinary Stories.. The Civil Rights Movement did not begin or end with the dramatic events of the 1950s and '60s. Since our nation's founding, ordinary citizens have struggled to make America fulfill its promise of equality under the law. This website delves deeper into the story of civil rights in America. This site is a joint project of AARP, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), and the Library of Congress. 2004.
Skin Deep. Skin Deep examines the fight against legal, institutionalized racism in the United States and South Africa, from the 1950s through the 1990s, through interviews with the people who took their protests against segregation and inequality into the streets and beyond, forcing remarkable changes onto reluctant governments -- often at a very high personal price. As the twentieth century concluded, People's Century: 1900-1999 looked back at the story of our times. This award-winning, twenty-six part PBS (Public Broadcasting System) television series offers new insight into the turbulent events of these hundred years through the revealing personal testimony of the people who lived them. This Web site was produced for PBS Online by WGBH. Web site ©1998 WGBH Educational Foundation. Boston, Massachusetts.Viva La Raza! This website traces the historical origins for the Chicano Movement of the 1960's. Mintz, Steven. Digital History. 2003.
Learn about The Vietnam War This chapter discusses how American became involved in southeast Asia; the escalation of American involvement in the Vietnam war; reactions to the war on the homefront; President Nixon’s strategies for ending the war; and cultural reactions to the war. Mintz, Steven. Digital History. 2003.
Vietnam Online: An Online Companion to Vietnam: A Television History. A six-year project from conception to completion, Vietnam: A Television History carefully analyzes the costs and consequences of a controversial but intriguing war. First broadcast in 1983 on the Public Briadcasting System, the series provides a detailed visual and oral account of the war that changed a generation and continues to color American thinking on many military and foreign policy issues. This site includes a detailed timeline, biographies of key participants in the war, and oral histories. The American Experience: WGBH Boston, 2005.
Episode 11 Vietnam: 1954-1968 from the CNN series: Cold War. It was a conflict that devastated one nation and divided another. Vietnam brought a new dimension to the Cold War -- and forced the United States to rethink its goals in the superpower rivalry. 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
Would you have been drafted? This CNN site from the series- Cold War provides a history of the Vietnam War lottery. It explains how the lottery was conducted. Chances are if you got a high number you probably would not have been drafted. Anyone who received a number lower than 196 was usually called to serve in the war. 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
Vietnam- The Domestic Course of the War Despite its limited scope, in many ways the Vietnam War influenced the future course of events on the home front as dramatically as the two world wars. Whether the focus is on domestic politics, the economy, the armed services, or even the way presidents have thought about future military interventions, the war profoundly affected all aspects of American life. Melvin Small. The Oxford Companion to American Military History. Editor. John Whiteclay Chambers II. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Copyright © 1999 by Oxford UP.
Women's History in America Throughout most of history women generally have had fewer legal rights and career opportunities than men. Wifehood and motherhood were regarded as women's most significant professions. In the 20th century, however, women in most nations won the right to vote and increased their educational and job opportunities. Perhaps most important, they fought for and to a large degree accomplished a reevaluation of traditional views of their role in society. Women's International Center. San Diego, California. Webmaster: Claudia DaMetz. Excerpted from Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia Copyright (c) 1994, 1995 Compton's NewMedia, Inc.
America in Ferment: The Tumultuous 1960s. This chapter examines the Civil Rights struggle against segregation and racial equality; the feminist fight for equal educational and employment opportunity; the Mexican American battle against discrimination in voting, education, and employment; the Native American campaign for tribal sovereignty and land rights; the gay and lesbian drive to end discrimination based on sexual preference; and the environmentalist campaign to reduce pollution and promote conservation. Mintz, Steven. Digital History. 2003.
The History of Household Technology. View the webcast of Constance Carter, Head of the Science Reference Section at the Library of Congress, as she describes the evolution in the technology of washing machines, irons, and stoves and its effect on the work of women in the home. The Library of Congress. 2005.
Small-Town Texas Projects Much of our cultural foundations are grounded in rural America. Our economy is dependent upon it; our religions are steeped in it. Our increasing national ignorance of the economic and historical importance of rural America bodes ill for the future. To ignore the farm and small town is to ignore ourselves... Instructor Robert Hines's introduction for having his undergraduate students do Small-Town Texas Projects at Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Texas. 1998-Present.
The Handbook of Texas Online is a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture sponsored by the Texas State Historical Association and the General Libraries at UT-Austin. It was produced in partnership with the College of Liberal Arts and the General Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin. Search the Handbook of Texas Online for the town you will learn about from your oral history. Copyright © The Texas State Historical Association.
Texas Postcards. Postcards not only show the wide diversity of Texas, but also allow us to record a bit of Texas history. Enjoy your travels through time as you view some of the old cards. You will find they are mainly 1950's back, with an occasional modern era card thrown in for good measure. Most of the images you will find have been sent to me from other postcard hounds, so the image quality you will find to be varied... San Antonio postcards are particularly useful for those who interview a person of growing up in the Alamo City. You are welcome to use any of the images you find on these pages for use on your county websites as long as there is no fee charged. TXGenWeb Postcard Project Coordinators; Elaine Martin (2003-2004) and Jan Cortez (2004-2005).
The Jobs Of Yesteryear: Obsolete Occupations. As computers and automated systems increasingly take the jobs humans once held, entire professions are now extinct. Click through the gallery below to see examples of endangered professions, from lector, elevator operator, copy boy, pinsetter, river driver, iceman, lamplighter, milkman, switchboard operator, typist in a typist pool, typesetter, and telegraph operator, who once filled those oft-forgotten jobs. Source: National Public Radio. 2010.
Turn of the 20th Century Occupations. Match the occupations with their corresponding descriptions.
American Labor in the 20th Century. by Donald M. Fisk- Bureau of Labor Statistics. This article was originally printed in the Fall 2001 issue of Compensation and Working Conditions.
Occupations from Yesteryear is a list found in the city of Milwaukee Census in the year 1860. 2005.