Historic films clips, when used properly, can help students better grasp important moments.
Given the technology that exists today, namely PowerPoint and Keynote, it is possible now to embed these films within presentations and spark an interest in students that otherwise might be passive viewers.
For more film clips that are organized and categorized, check out our:
This quick 2 minute video shows people marching and crowds singing during the important 1963 event. We liked it because the people shown do not seem to know they are on film and it is nice to see “unposed” moments.
For more on this event check out our Civil Right Movement PowerPoint.
Perhaps the most controversial presidential campaign commercial ever aired, it is hard to grasp that it was only shown once, yet contributed to Johnson’s landslide victory in 1964.
We have included questions and answers for this commercial.
For more on this era check out our PowerPoints:
Simulation games:
J. Edgar Hoover was the head of the FBI from its inception in 1935 through 1972.
Many of those years were dedicated to rooting out communists in America.
In this testimony before Congress in 1947 Hoover outlines the dangers facing the US during the Cold War.
We have included a copy of the testimony as well as questions and answers.
For more on this era check out our PowerPoints:
US History
World History
Simulation games:
The Cold War was a terrifying time because of the high stakes involved with new weapons and mutually assured destruction.
Tensions peaked in the early 1960s when JFK and Khrushchev took us to the brink of nuclear war, which would have killed billions and ended human civilization as we know it.
We have included a copy of this political cartoon along with questions and answers.
Check out our PowerPoints on this era:
Check out our simulation games on the Cold War:
This quintessential Cold War speech was given in June of 1963 in West Berlin.
We have included a transcript of the speech as well as questions and answers.
For more on this time period check out sample slides of our US History PowerPoints:
and some simulation games:
Few American troops had been sent to Vietnam prior to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident.
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution had far reaching consequences, not only in Vietnam but for the executive branch since it allowed the president to send troops into combat without an official war declaration.
President Johnson addressed the Congress and we have included a copy of his speech along with questions and answers.
For more on this era please see our US History PowerPoints: Vietnam, Cold War Part I and II; and our World History Modern Era 1945-1970and 1970-2009.
Intimidation was rampant throughout the south the first half of the 20th century to prevent voting by “undesirables”, ie African Americans, Latinos, and poor whites.
Because local governments controlled voting requirements, it varied by locale as well as by the whims of the registrars.
Some discriminatory methods included poll taxes, grandfather clauses, voucher system, and literacy tests.
In Alabama there were many versions of a literacy test which ranged in difficulty. We have included a copy of an impossibly hard exam given in Alabama in 1965.
We have included the questions and answers.
This would be good for an introductory lesson, even for the first day of school, to show in part why learning history and government is so important.
Check out our Civil Right Movement PowerPoint.
Corona was the nation’s first photo reconnaissance satellite system, operating from August 1960 until May 1972.
The U2 incident contributed to the perceived urgency and necessity of the program.
Although it faced initial problems, the US was able to hide its existence under the umbrella of the space program. Scientists were pushed to improve technology in order to improve results.
It is an interesting look at a reconnaissance program that students would enjoy.
These commercials can help provide a window into the culture of the two decades.
A fun way of showing images from the decades you are teaching.
