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Doug Engelbart Archive - Doug Engelbart Institute
Doug Engelbart Archive - Doug Engelbart Institute
There are few people whose vision of the future was more accurate than Doug Engelbart. In the early 50s he envisioned personal computers with a graphic interface with which people would use a mouse and a keyboard to not only research and read, but manage their every day life, pay bills, keep shopping lists, get directions. He envisioned hyperlinked knowledge, allowing people to move between multiple sources of information, and add to it in the process
Doug Engelbart Archive - Doug Engelbart Institute
Husha phone decision
Husha phone decision
The Hush-A-Phone was a device designed to attach to the transmitter of a telephone to reduce noise pollution and increase privacy. The Bell Telephone company fought its production and sale for years
It is because we see no findings to support these conclusions of systemic or public injury that we reverse the Commission's decision.
The intervenors' tariffs, under the Commission's decision, are in unwarranted interference with the telephone subscriber's right reasonably to use his telephone in ways which are privately beneficial without being publicly detrimental.
This is the first step to using the phones for the internet. This could also be the first step to breaking up the phone company monpoloy
Husha phone decision
Origins of the Cold War graphic
Origins of the Cold War graphic
Delete that 40 slide presentation and save your voice. Give this to students and have them write questions they have all over it. Have Ask them to circle words or phrases they find suspicious (like, for example, "confusion over the war agreements", confusion? really?), then have them divide research and conquer. Add/edit based on their research. To close it up just give them a five minutes "essentials" description of the Cold War. Done with context - this opens the door to doing real history work with them
Origins of the Cold War graphic
Remarks of President John F. Kennedy at the Rudolph Wilde Platz, Berlin, June 26, 1963 | JFK Library
Remarks of President John F. Kennedy at the Rudolph Wilde Platz, Berlin, June 26, 1963 | JFK Library
"There are many people in the world who really don't understand, or say they don't, what is the great issue between the free world and the Communist world. Let them come to Berlin. There are some who say that communism is the wave of the future. Let them come to Berlin. And there are some who say in Europe and elsewhere we can work with the Communists. Let them come to Berlin. And there are even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress. Lass' sie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin."
Remarks of President John F. Kennedy at the Rudolph Wilde Platz, Berlin, June 26, 1963 | JFK Library
JFK Library — JFK and the Blue Bomb
JFK Library — JFK and the Blue Bomb
The "Blue Bomb" was a pamphlet printed by Civil Rights activists on blue paper before the 1960 presidential election. It was not sponsored by the campaign (although some in the campaign knew about it). This marks efforts to mobilize the African-American vote for Kennedy in 1960
JFK Library — JFK and the Blue Bomb
I Feel Like Saying A Beatnik Poem 1950's B Movie Style -
I Feel Like Saying A Beatnik Poem 1950's B Movie Style -
Clip from the 1958 teen B movie High School Confidential. This clip features Phillipa Fallon as a beat poetess. Perfect for teachers looking for a "Do Now" lesson introduction to a beatnik lesson, counter culture lesson (when did it start?), or 50s conformity lesson (did everyone conform?)
I Feel Like Saying A Beatnik Poem 1950's B Movie Style -
Debunking Nixon’s radio victory in the 1960 election: Re-analyzing the historical record and considering currently unexamined polling data - ScienceDirect
Debunking Nixon’s radio victory in the 1960 election: Re-analyzing the historical record and considering currently unexamined polling data - ScienceDirect
Some teachers who insist on students using "valid, reliable" sources should look to their own. How many teachers are telling students the story of Nixon "winning the 1960 presidential debate among those who listened on the radio. This study provides "valid, reliable" evidence that suggests otherwise.
. However, the Nixon radio victory emerged in only a single poll conducted by Sindlinger and Company. Considering other polling data reveals Sindlinger’s finding is likely the result of a Republican bias in the sample and not a mass defection of Democrats swayed by Nixon’s substantive arguments.
Debunking Nixon’s radio victory in the 1960 election: Re-analyzing the historical record and considering currently unexamined polling data - ScienceDirect
Amicus Curiae brief of United States - Brown v. Board
Amicus Curiae brief of United States - Brown v. Board
The Attorney General of the United States, James P. McGranery, filed a brief with the Supreme Court on behalf of the United States in the Brown v Board case arguing that segregation and racial injustice was used by foreign governments against the United States in the Cold War. This excerpt shows its strongest arguments.
Amicus Curiae brief of United States - Brown v. Board
“These People Are Frightened to Death” | National Archives - Article and Documents related to "Lavender Scare" of anti-homosexual policies of federal government in 1950s
“These People Are Frightened to Death” | National Archives - Article and Documents related to "Lavender Scare" of anti-homosexual policies of federal government in 1950s
This National Archives article provides context for the Hoey Committee Report entitled "Employment of Homosexuals and Sex Perverts in Government". The taught narrative canon of American History may not mention homosexuality until the Stonemen riots, if at all. This illustrates the depth of hatred and suspicion of homosexuality in the America of the 1950s
“These People Are Frightened to Death” | National Archives - Article and Documents related to "Lavender Scare" of anti-homosexual policies of federal government in 1950s
National Review's Mission Statement | National Review
National Review's Mission Statement | National Review
William Buckley's National Review was a foundation of the modern conservative movement and reading it's mission statement upsets the taught narrative canon of American History because the conformity it complains of is directed at conformity to liberal values, not conservative values. It reveals a more complex, yet more authentic vision of America in the 1950s. The "credenda" list items can serve for DBQ material
It stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it.
We begin publishing, then, with a considerable stock of experience with the irresponsible Right, and a despair of the intransigence of the Liberals, who run this country; and all this in a world dominated by the jubilant single-mindedness of the practicing Communist, with his inside track to History.
Who is Buckley referring to as the "irresponsible right"?
For we offer, besides ourselves, a position that has not grown old under the weight of a gigantic, parasitic bureaucracy, a position untempered by the doctoral dissertations of a generation of Ph.D’s in social architecture, unattenuated by a thousand vulgar promises to a thousand different pressure groups, uncorroded by a cynical contempt for human freedom. And that, ladies and gentlemen, leaves us just about the hottest thing in town.
National Review's Mission Statement | National Review
20th Century Statistics from the Census Bureau
20th Century Statistics from the Census Bureau
Did a greater percentage of US households have televisions or telephones in the 1950s? - The answer may surprise you, and your students. Why not have students act as historians and comb through this data. Find a statistic or development that they find interesting or hard to believe - and investigate it.
No. 1413. Resident Population, by Age: 1900 to 1997
1940-1950............. 19,028 5,622 1,888 -1,823 2,420 3,117 1,831 2,722 3,250 1950-1960 2 ............ 28,626 4,157 11,146 1,922 -941 2,631 3,143 2,278 4,290
This shows the baby boom moving through the population
No. 1416. Immigration, by Leading Country or Region of Last Residence: 1901 to 1997
19411950 19511960 19611970 19711980
THis chart can be used to show increase in immigration from Latin American countries in the 60s and 70s
No. 1417. Native and Foreign-Born Population, by Place of Birth: 1900 to 1997
1960................ 100.0 94.6 93.9 0.6 0.4 0.2 5.4 4.1 0.3 0.5 1970................ 100.0 95.2 94.4 1.1 0.4 0.7 4.8 2.8 0.4 0.9 1980................ 100.0 93.8 92.8 0.9 0.5 0.5 6.2 2.3 1.1 1.9 1990................ 100.0 92.1 90.7 1.3 0.6 0.7 7.9 1.7 2.0 3.4
Another immigration statistic - increase in foreign born population percentages in the 70s 80s and 90s
No. 1418. Marital Status of the Population, by Sex: 1900 to 1998
1950 1 ............... 54,601 14,400 36,866 2,264 1,071 57,102 11,418 37,577 6,734 1,373 1960 1 ............... 60,273 15,274 41,781 2,112 1,106 64,607 12,252 42,583 8,064 1,708 1970................ 70,559 19,832 47,109 2,051 1,567 77,766 17,167 48,148 9,734 2,717 1980................ 81,947 24,227 51,813 1,977 3,930 89,914 20,226 52,965 10,758 5,966 1990................ 91,955 27,505 55,833 2,333 6,283 99,838 22,718 56,797 11,477 8,845 1995................ 97,704 30,286 57,570 2,284 7,383105,028 24,693 58,984 11,082 10,270 1998................101,123 31,591 58,633 2,569 8,331 108,168 26,713 59,333 11,029 11,093
1st time question Population of Never Married growing through the second half the century 2nd Time question Population of divorce spiking in 1970s
1950................ 43,554 38,838 34,075 1,169 3,594 4,716 1,668 3,048 3.37 1960................ 52,799 44,905 39,254 1,228 4,422 7,895 2,716 5,179 3.33 1970................ 63,401 51,456 44,728 1,228 5,500 11,945 4,063 7,882 3.14 1980 1 ............... 80,776 59,550 49,112 1,733 8,705 21,226 8,807 12,419 2.76 1990................ 93,347 66,090 52,317 2,884 10,890 27,257 11,606 15,651 2.63 1995................ 98,990 69,305 53,858 3,226 12,220 29,686 13,190 16,496 2.65
Number of non-family homes increasing
No. 1421. Expectation of Life at Birth, by Race and Sex: 1900 to 1997
1945.............. 65.9 63.6 67.9 66.8 64.4 69.5 57.7 56.1 59.6 (NA) (NA) (NA) 1950.............. 68.2 65.6 71.1 69.1 66.5 72.2 60.8 59.1 62.9 (NA) (NA) (NA) 1955.............. 69.6 66.7 72.8 70.5 67.4 73.7 63.7 61.4 66.1 (NA) (NA) (NA) 1960.............. 69.7 66.6 73.1 70.6 67.4 74.1 63.6 61.1 66.3 (NA) (NA) (NA) 1965.............. 70.2 66.8 73.8 71.1 67.6 74.8 64.3 61.2 67.6 (NA) (NA) (NA) 1970.............. 70.8 67.1 74.7 71.7 68.0 75.6 65.3 61.3 69.4 64.1 60.0 68.3
Life expectancy difference between races difference
No. 1422. Social Welfare Expenditures Under Public Programs and National Health Care Expenditures: 1929 to 1997
1960........ 52 10.3 38.4 36.9 7.8 26.9 5.1 24.5 1970........ 146 14.8 46.5 37.6 11.3 73.2 4.5 37.8 1975........ 289 19.1 56.6 42.5 14.3 130.7 4.7 42.1 1980........ 493 18.6 57.2 46.6 14.8 247.3 7.9 42.4 1985........ 732 18.4 54.4 50.5 13.4 428.7 10.3 40.6 1990........ 1,049 18.5 58.2 49.0 14.0 699.4 12.2 40.5 1991........ 1,160 19.8 60.3 48.4 15.6 766.8 13.0 41.5 1992........ 1,267 20.6 63.7 48.9 16.4 836.5 13.4 42.2 1993........ 1,367 21.1 66.6 48.2 16.2 898.5 13.7 42.9 1994........ 1,436 21.0 64.5 47.6 16.6 947.7 13.6 44.6 1995........ 1,505 20.9 67.5 46.8 16.9 993.7 13.7 45.8 1996........ (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) 1,042.5 13.6 46.2 1997........ (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) (NA) 1,092.4 13.5 46.4
Much to put in this chart - look at the increase of expenditures for health care - but percentage of gdp does not show the increase. There is some evidence here of the great society
No. 1426. Educational Attainment, by Sex: 1910 to 1998
1965........... 6.8 49.0 9.4 7.7 48.0 12.0 5.9 49.9 7.1 1970........... 5.3 55.2 11.0 5.9 55.0 14.1 4.7 55.4 8.2 1975........... 4.2 62.5 13.9 4.7 63.1 17.6 3.8 62.1 10.6 1980........... 3.4 68.6 17.0 3.6 69.2 20.9 3.2 68.1 13.6 1985........... 2.7 73.9 19.4 2.9 74.4 23.1 2.5 73.5 16.0
Compare the increase in the percentage of men with 4 or more years of college with those of women from the 1950s through the 1980s and you can see woman's rights movement
No. 1427. Money Income of Families—Median Income in Current and Constant (1997) Dollars, by Race and Type of Family: 1947 to 1997
1950 ..... 3 , 3 1 9 3 , 4 4 5 1 , 8 6 9 3 , 4 4 6 4 , 0 0 3 1 , 9 2 2 2 0 , 3 3 2 2 1 , 1 0 4 1 1 , 4 4 9 2 1 , 1 1 0 2 4 , 5 2 2 1 1 , 7 7 4 1955..... 4,418 4,613 2,544 4,599 5,622 2,471 24,367 25,443 14,031 25,366 31,008 13,629 1960..... 5,620 5,835 3,230 5,873 6,900 2,968 28,013 29,084 16,100 29,274 34,393 14,794 1965..... 6,957 7,251 3,993 7,265 8,597 3,532 32,649 34,029 18,739 34,095 40,346 16,576 1970..... 9,867 10,236 6,279 10,516 12,276 5,093 38,345 39,779 24,401 40,867 47,707 19,792
MLK Poor People's Campaign - compare median family income of whites with blacks
No. 1429. National Air Pollutant Emissions: 1900 to 1997
1950..... 17,133 (NA) 22,358 10,093 20,936 102,609 (NA) 151,868 1,611.3 1955..... 16,346 (NA) 21,453 11,667 23,249 106,177 (NA) 165,069 2,001.1 1960..... 15,558 (NA) 22,227 14,140 24,459 109,745 (NA) 179,979 2,262.9 1965..... 14,198 (NA) 26,380 17,424 30,247 118,912 (NA) 193,526 2,881.1 1970..... 13,190 (NA) 31,161 21,639 30,817 128,761 220,869 203,984 3,397.6 1975..... 7,803 (NA) 28,011 23,151 25,895 115,968 159,659 215,465 3,873.9 1980..... 7,287 (NA) 25,905 24,875 26,167 116,702 74,153 227,225 4,615.0 1985..... 4,695 40,889 23,230 23,488 24,227 115,644 22,890 237,924 5,323.5 1990..... 5,425 24,419 23,678 23,436 20,935 95,794 4,975 249,440 6,136.3 1995..... 4,306 22,454 19,189 23,768 20,558 89,151 3,924 262,761 6,761.7 1997..... 8,428 25,153 20,369 23,582 19,214 87,451 3,915 267,636 7,269.8
Has Environmental Regulation and technology reduced pollution? - That is too easy of an answer because the numbers show clearly yes - but perhaps there are other questions
No. 1431. Marital Status of Women in the Civilian Labor Force: 1900 to 1998
1965................. 26,200 5,976 14,829 5,396 39.3 54.5 34.9 40.7 1970................. 31,543 7,265 18,475 5,804 43.3 56.8 40.5 40.3 1975................. 37,475 9,125 21,484 6,866 46.3 59.8 44.3 40.1 1980................. 45,487 11,865 24,980 8,643 51.5 64.4 49.9 43.6 1985................. 51,050 13,163 27,894 9,993 54.5 66.6 53.8 45.1 1990................. 56,829 14,612 30,901 11,315 57.5 66.7 58.4 47.2 1995................. 60,944 15,467 33,359 12,118 58.9 66.8 61.0 47.4 1998................. 63,714 17,087 33,857 12,771 59.8 68.5 61.2 48.8
Increase in married women in the work force from 1965 through 1998. Married women in workforce increase faster than single women in work force
No. 1433. Personal Consumption Expenditures, by Type: 1929 to 1997
1929................. 100.0 27.4 14.5 1.4 15.1 13.8 4.0 5.0 9.9 5.7 1950................. 100.0 30.2 12.3 1.2 11.3 15.1 4.9 3.4 13.2 5.8 1970................. 100.0 23.9 8.9 1.8 14.5 13.1 9.3 4.9 12.5 6.7 1990................. 100.0 17.5 6.8 1.5 15.3 11.4 16.0 7.6 12.1 7.3 1997................. 100.0 15.2 6.4 1.4 15.1 11.3 17.4 8.4 11.6 8.4
Lots here - you could do the decrease in smoking - or the increase in medical costs. Increase in recreation whiile cost of personal care and housing remains just about the same
1980 . . 517,112 590,947 -73,835 244,069 64,600 157,803 133,995 909,050 2,161 960 1,201 1981 . . 599,272 678,249 -78,976 285,917 61,137 182,720 157,513 994,845 2,143 984 1,159 1982 . . 617,766 745,755 -127,989 297,744 49,207 201,498 185,309 1,137,345 2,110 990 1,121 1983 . . 600,562 808,380 -207,818 288,938 37,022 208,994 209,903 1,371,710 2,157 1,026 1,131 1984 . . 666,486 851,874 -185,388 298,415 56,893 239,376 227,413 1,564,657 2,171 1,044 1,127 1985 . . 734,088 946,423 -212,334 334,531 61,331 265,163 252,748 1,817,521 2,252 1,107 1,145 1986 . . 769,215 990,460 -221,245 348,959 63,143 283,901 273,375 2,120,629 2,175 1,068 1,108 1987 . . 854,353 1,004,122 -149,769 392,557 83,926 303,318 281,999 2,346,125 2,232 1,090 1,142 1988 . . 909,303 1,064,489 -155,187 401,181 94,508 334,335 290,361 2,601,307 2,222 1,050 1,172
National Debt under Ronald Reagan more than doubled - almost tripled
20th Century Statistics from the Census Bureau
Margaret Chase Smith - Declaration of Conscience speech in Senate 1950
Margaret Chase Smith - Declaration of Conscience speech in Senate 1950

Four page speech that should be read by students exploring McCarthism. The speech should be the focus of the lesson that shows how she made the speech and how McCarthy, Nixon and others smeared her as a result of it. It clearly echoes divisions in today's political system.

https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/common/generic/Speeches_Smith_Declaration.htm

Margaret Chase Smith - Declaration of Conscience speech in Senate 1950
LIFE Magazine from the 1950s
LIFE Magazine from the 1950s
One of the most popular magazines of the 20th century, Life Magazine, known for its large format, it had a circulation of more than 1 million. It can give insight into the culture of the 1950s
LIFE Magazine from the 1950s
A cookbook published by American women during the Berlin Blockade.
A cookbook published by American women during the Berlin Blockade.
This Slate article describes a cookbook put together by American women who stayed in West Berlin during the Soviet blockade. The article includes a link to the entire cookbook which provides insight into elements of the blockade not often exposed in history classes. Not many students are taught that there were Americans in the city during the blockade, but this primary source document can be analyzed for evidence of how these women saw their role in history.
A cookbook published by American women during the Berlin Blockade.
Our History and Timeline | McDonald's
Our History and Timeline | McDonald's
Historical thinking lesson/project outside of the box. Have students fact-check this page. They'll be using historical thinking research and thinking skills digging into something they they are familiar with, and at the same time realize the truth is quite different than how it is portrayed.
Our History and Timeline | McDonald's
Give Yourself the Green Light : General Motors
Give Yourself the Green Light : General Motors
When teachers tell students about the interstate highway act under Eisenhower, do they ever mention the support from the auto industry. This General Motors film shows it clearly
Give Yourself the Green Light : General Motors
Histocrats in the Classroom: Connecting the Dots
Histocrats in the Classroom: Connecting the Dots
Check out this quick and easy, active-learning, ten minute exercise to show students what it is like to exist in a society in which traditional conceptions of trust have disappeared.
Histocrats in the Classroom: Connecting the Dots
Righting a wrong: NC to pay victims of forced sterilization | Al Jazeera America
Righting a wrong: NC to pay victims of forced sterilization | Al Jazeera America
When we focus on the "conformity" narrative, or the Cold War, or any of the other narrative of the 1950s, we miss events like this, which are central to people's lives. In investigating the proper role of government in society - this can be explored as well
Righting a wrong: NC to pay victims of forced sterilization | Al Jazeera America
It Had to Happen - The Firing of MacArthur
It Had to Happen - The Firing of MacArthur
During the first “hot” skirmish of the Cold War, a larger battle brewed between a U.S. President and his General. This lesson will ask students to investigate if MacArthur’s firing during the Korean War was necessary or not and why. This is a primary source lesson in which students "do" history.
It Had to Happen - The Firing of MacArthur
In the Classroom: The Cuban Missile Crisis
In the Classroom: The Cuban Missile Crisis
Five short video excerpts from the classroom show a primary document lesson in action. Students were presented with five options to respond to the discovery of Soviet missiles in Cuba and had to choose one. The videos include an interview with the teacher and excerpts from the class itself.
In the Classroom: The Cuban Missile Crisis
LIFE -Magazine May, 1961 Google Books
LIFE -Magazine May, 1961 Google Books
Instead of having student cobble together their own "magazine" as a project, set them loose on some historical research of their own. This edition of Life Magazine touches upon important themes of the Cold War, particularly the US in southeast Asia, and the Civil Rights movement.
LIFE -Magazine May, 1961 Google Books
The Historic Midcentury Modernist Motels of the New Jersey Coast
The Historic Midcentury Modernist Motels of the New Jersey Coast
New Jersey students have already had some experience with the culture of the 1950s through the architecture of these motels at the shore. What lessons can help them shape that historical understanding?
The Historic Midcentury Modernist Motels of the New Jersey Coast