Author, architect, and Holocaust survivor Benjamin Hirsch talks about his and his siblings' escape from Nazi Germany and their efforts to adapt to life in the American South during the 1940s, in the face of continued antisemitism.
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This iCue Mini-Documentary describes the expansion of communist ideology after World War II, and western governments' fears of a domino effect as countries succumbed to communism. The Truman Doctrine called for action to contain the communist threat, by economic or military action, if necessary.
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World War II veteran Paul McCarthy shares his personal memories of the war.
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This iCue Mini-Documentary describes the change in women's roles following World War II, as the same women who were once encouraged to work in factories to support the war effort were urged to stay home and care for their families.
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This Electronic Field Trip looks at pioneering women baseball players, owners, umpires, and teams from as early as 1866, all the way up to present day women playing and working in baseball. The common thread running through the stories examined is the efforts of women and girls to be a part of America's national pastime: baseball.
Many Americans are surprised to learn that women once played professional baseball in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), from 19431954. Founded by Chicago Cubs owner Phil Wrigley as a method to entertain Americans and keep ball parks full during World War II, the league provided an unprecedented opportunity for young women to play professional baseball, see the country, and aspire to careers beyond the traditional female roles of teacher, secretary, nurse, librarian, or housewife.
This entry is a repeat of node #19119.
This iCue Mini-Documentary describes migration within the U.S. during World War II, which was driven by government spending on defense contracts. California's population grew by two million people during the war.
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Columbia University professor Alan Brinkley describes the extraordinary efforts by Franklin Roosevelt to ramp up industrial production to meet the needs of World War II.
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This iCue Mini-Documentary describes how, even though slavery is abolished after the Civil War, the system of share-cropping quickly emerged that kept blacks in a condition much like slavery.
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The seminar will explore the separation of powers as it applies to the allocation of responsibility between Congress and the president concerning national security and foreign policy powers. Presidents and legislators have been warring over the question since the earliest days of the republic. The nation's political experience suggests that there are sound arguments to be made on both sides. It also suggests that the issues are unlikely to be finally resolved anytime soon. As participants in this seminar shall see, the debate between President Bush and Congress concerning the war in Iraq is but a modern re-setting of an argument that prompted a spirited exchange on the war powers between James Madison and Alexander Hamilton in 1793. Indeed, it may be argued that there is very little to this debate that was not more or less fully anticipated by those two worthies four years after the Constitution was ratified. Through a series of focused historical readings, the seminar will begin by examining the foundations of the Framers' thought and some of the controversies that exhibit the founding principles at work during the early days of the Republic. Participants will go on from there to examine selected executive-congressional debates as they arose during later military conflicts, especially the Civil War, World War II, the Vietnam War, and the current conflict in the Mideast. The seminar will meet formally for three 90-minute sessions on four days of each week. Each of these sessions will be devoted to a particular set of readings and each of the participants will have a one-on-one session with Professor Uhlmann to discuss the best ways in which the lessons of the seminar might be converted to his or her particular classroom environment. Because the seminar takes place in Washington and devotes a great deal of time to the Founders' thoughts, it would be remiss if it did not take advantage of the knowledge of Pamela Scott, a noted Washington architectural historian, who will share ways in which the art and architecture of Washington reflects the principles of the American regime. The greater part of one day during each week, she will lead specially arranged tours, including Mount Vernon.
David Eisenhower of the University of Pennsylvania argues that World War II was a decisive event with an outcome that has moved the U.S. and the world towards a better future. It, he states, should be taught and studied in order to comprehend not only its warnings but the insights it offers into American strengths and those inhering in a free society. The lecture includes many anecdotes on President Eisenhower.
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