Cold War Research Sites
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Berlin Wall, from Kennedy's perspective
From the JFK Presidential library
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From the NY Times, a really interesting site showing photographs of Berlin divided by the Wall during the Cold War, compared to how it looks today.
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This is a HUGE database of high quality biographical information on famous historical and current people. Good for all the "people" in this assignment. You need an Alameda County Library Card number to access this resource.
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Cold War International History Project
From the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.
The goal of this project is to "[support] the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War."
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This is an interesting perspective since it's from a British site, the educational broadcasting company BBC. It has some good Kennedy stuff in particular.
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Cold War: History Channel page
This site on the Cold War has a TON of information--for example, click on one of the people under "Cold War Leaders and Events" and you'll see articles, videos, etc.
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Cold War: Internet Public Library
This page provides links to lots of sites about the Cold War. The IPL is an online library of web links maintained by librarians.
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The Royal Air Force (Great Britain's air force) museum created this exhibit on the Cold War. Try clicking on "Countries" or "Biographies."
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Kennedy and the "celebrity presidency"
BBC
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Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis
BBC
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Kennedy's radio report "to the American People on the Soviet Arms Buildup in Cuba, October 22 1962"
From the John F. Kennedy presidential library, on this page you can play the radio recording of what President Kennedy announced to Americans on the radio about the Cuban Missile Crisis.
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This National Archives site has a good overview of what McCarthyism was as well as a primary source telegram that McCarthy sent to President Truman in 1950 about the government "harboring a nest of Communists and Communist sympathizers."
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Revelations from the Russian Archives
This website was created for a Library of Congress exhibit of Russian documents from 1917 to 1991
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Some very interesting primary source photographs of bomb drills, etc. in school in the 1950s. The 1950s photos are interspersed with current photos, so make sure you check the captions to make sure what it is. From NPR.
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School in the 1950s-60s: The Space Race
This page by a Princeton grad student explains how the Space Race affected education in the U.S.
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School in the 1950s: Space Race
From USA Today, another article about how the Space Race increased funding and emphasis on science and math education:
"It's tempting to believe that before Sputnik, the USA's math and science education system was moribund, but historians disagree. U.S. scientists and engineers had helped win World War II, after all, and plans for better coursework already were in place in 1957. But they got a much-needed push.
At the time, many Americans feared that federal funding could lead to federal control. But in 1957, educators quickly seized on the launch and pushed for more government money.
'They saw Sputnik as an opportunity to bang the drum.'"
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School in the 1950s: Teachers' unions
From the website of a teachers' union, a perspective on the role of unions in protecting teachers from being accused of being Communists during McCarthyism. Keep in mind that it's from a perspective of one side of the debate (it's a union site, so they believe unions were helpful/necessary during this time).
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Space Program, Soviet Union - From the Royal Air Force website (Great Britain's air force)
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Vietcong: PBS - This source describes some of the guerilla tactics used by the Vietcong.
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Vietnam War: Soldiers Missing In Action (M.I.A.)
From PBS
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Vietnam War: The Language of War
This cool PBS page gives you a bunch of terms and words that an American soldier in Vietnam would use.
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What weapons did American soldiers use in Vietnam?
