"separate but equal" ruling

Supreme Court ruled that separating children in public schools on the basis of race was unconstitutional

listed events scheduled at the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963, March on Washington, highlighted by MLK's "Dream" speech

prohibited discrimination in public places and employment discrimination and provided for integration of public facilities

outlawed disciminatory voting practices adopted by many Southern states

Virginia Historical Society On-line Exhibit

Virginia Historical Society On-line Exhibit

Virginia Historical Society On-line Exhibit

Virginia Historical Society On-line Exhibit

Virginia Historical Society On-line Exhibit

Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement

audio clip from PBS's The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow

1963

Part 1

Part 2

President Kennedy warned that any attempt by the Soviets to place nuclear weapons in Cuba would be seen as a threat to U.S.

John Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis

background, chronology, photos, oral histories, documents, and profiles

In 1929, the stock market crashed, and the American Dream turned into a nightmare of hunger, unemployment and hopelessness. In f

Banks failed, factories shut down, and millions lost their jobs. About one out of every four workers in the country were unempl

After a period of prosperity, the New York Stock Exchange hit bottom and investors panicked.

The topsoil of middle America's farmland blew right across the country, creating what came to be known as the Dust Bowl.

Journey back in time to Oklahoma during the Great Depression of the 1930s, also known as the Dust Bowl era. With their farms and

During the Great Depression, American import tariffs affected trade, most businesses were failing, and one quarter of the nation

One quarter of the nation's men were unemployed during the Great Depression.

After Roosevelt was elected, he passed several acts in an effort to revive American business. These acts are collectively known

Roosevelt created and instituted several new social reform programs. He reassured the American people during his fireside chats.

After the implication of the second New Deal, more reforms were passed and business and agriculture improved.

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "The Grapes of Wrath," John Steinbeck accurately portrayed the human suffering of Dust Bowl

Farmers were encouraged to plant wheat on prairie lands. After a prolonged drought, the plants died, and the soil blew away.

On August 14, 1935, the Social Security Act established a system of benefits for the retired, unemployed, and handicapped.

Wall Street Crash; Migrant Mother 1936

first significant law restricting immigration into the United States

photo by Jacob Riis

weak from hunger, finishing sewing pants in her home with three children, New York City, 1912

Family in an attic home with drying laundry, between 1900 and 1910

New York City, 1900

Immigrating to America 1905

1903 - The Great Train Robbery was America’s first narrative film.

photos

photographs

from The Child Labor Bulletin, August, 1914

story told to persuade Americans to support the regulation and elimination of child labor

Signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 22, 1944, this act, also known as the GI Bill, provided veterans of t

On April 3, 1948, President Truman signed the Economic Recovery Act of 1948. It became known as the Marshall Plan.

On July 26, 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed this executive order, committing the government to desegregate the military.

authorized the building of highways throughout the nation, the biggest public works project in the nation's history

resources, games, and quizzes

background, documents, photos, and other resources

Before the Maine Goes Down

We Remember the Maine

After the War Is Over

Brass Buttons

PBS The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow

painting

Passed by Congress June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote.

Prohibition

PBS The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow

map

Passed on May 20, 1862, the Homestead Act accelerated the settlement of the western territory by granting adult heads of familie

provided Federal subsidies in land and loans to construct transcontinental railroad

Film stars Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks led the crowd to kick off a campaign to raise money for the war effort.

coded message sent to Mexico, proposing a military alliance against the United States, leading Congress to declare war on Germa

President Woodrow Wilson proposed a 14-point program for world peace. These points were later taken as the basis for peace negot

map

Reviews FDR's life. I have the Bob Dylan version.

Radio reporter provides first hand account of D-Day invasion.

Comedy routine about gas rationing.

audio clip of pilot of Enola Gay

radio report

In need of Russia's supplies, Hitler once again turned against Communism. Russian civilians rallied to repel German attack. They

The liberation of Stalingrad, combined with Allied victories in Egypt and the Pacific, showed that the German and Japanese war m

D-Day--On June 6, 1944, General Eisenhower led troops from the U.S., Britain, and occupied countries into Normandy. Germany was

Germany formally surrendered on May 7, 1945.

The Americans liberated the concentration camps and rescued David and countless other Jews.

In little more than five minutes, American dive-bombers reduce three Japanese carriers to flaming wrecks. Learn more about World

Hoping to catch the Japanese fleet by surprise, Admiral Spruance orders his carriers to launch their planes.

Hitler's 6th Army clashes with fanatical Soviet defenders in their opening bid to seize Stalin's city.

Stunning CGI graphics bring to life the massive Soviet counterstroke that doomed the German 6th Army.

See actual footage of the Nazi's defeat in Stalingrad.

See how the Japanese planed to bomb Pearl Harbor, using the Karisima Bay for practice.

PBS's The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow--a WWII soldier from VA relates stories of discrimination during the war.

Motorists in Washington D.C. line up to fill up the gas tanks the day before gas rationing begins in 1942.

German troops at the outskirts of Warsaw watch the city burn, September 1939

President signs Declaration of War against Japan

Executive Order 9066

This order was issued by Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower to encourage Allied soldiers taking part in the D-day invasion.

U.S. troops wading through water and Nazi gunfire

stockpiled military equipment in England

"In case of failure" message drafted by Eisenhower before D-Day

"We cooking!" Notebook recording Manhattan Project experiment.

Signed on May 7, 1945

Signed on September 2, 1945

set up a system that would allow the United States to lend or lease war supplies to any nation deemed vital to U.S. defense

December 8, 1941--Congress declared war and the United States entered World War II.

photographs and posters

recycling, rationing, and conserving posters and photos

announcing the decision to drop atomic bombs on Japan

asking for meeting where he will tell Truman about the atomic bomb

copy of FDR's speech, page 1

page 2

page 3

audio of FDR's speech

puzzle of the Harry S. Truman quote

quotable quotes by Harry S. Truman

It is September 1941 and the Blitz on Britain is underway. German bombers are fast approaching and you haven't put your blackou

It is 1940. German planes are bombing British cities so children and mothers of young babies are being evacuated. Your task is

It is 1940 and the British government has issued you will al the materials needed to build an Anderson Shelter. Radar stations

The British government has ordered the evacuation of women and children from Hong Kong. You are the captain of the ship that wi

Do you have the makings of a secret agent? Your job is to identify the suspicious activity and then answer a question. Good lu

Churchill, Mussolini, Stalin, and Truman

resources, quizzes, and games

text and photos

documents, photos, oral histories, and Truman and the Bomb

excerpts from Truman's diary

The story of Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes