Fighting the Cold War at Home Activity

This presentation provides students a visually stimulating lesson detailing how the Cold War impacted daily life in America in the late 1940's and 1950's. Designed as a student-centered activity to be uploaded into google classroom, the presentation includes 6 embedded focus questions for students to answer using their core text (and additional information presented in the slides). The 11 slide presentation is filled with colorful pictures and other relevant information that will breath life into the people and events that shaped this era in American history while serving as a platform in which to build additional related activities. This lesson is also great to use when you are out of the classroom, serving as an awesome resource for sub days! If you'd like a version you can edit, shoot me an email and I'll be happy to help. Enjoy!

Topics include:

* The Red Scare on the home front and the search for subversives (including the Federal Employee Loyalty Program and loyalty oaths).

* HUAC and the hunt for communists in Hollywood; the Hollywood Ten and blacklists.

* The Alger Hiss case and the Rosenberg Trial.

* The rise and fall of Joseph McCarthy and McCarthyism.

* American's living with nuclear anxiety and adjusting to a new age (atomic sales and the marketing of products to reflect the atomic age).

* The Federal Civil Defense Administration and preparedness as part of daily life.

* Civil defense in American schools (Bert the turtle says duck and cover...).