Following World War II, geopolitical dominance was split between the United States and its allies and the Soviet Union (and its allies)
Continue reading
Tag Archives: 155-11
A Second Great War: The Atomic Bomb
The Second World War (1939-1945 in Europe, although some historians date the beginning of the global war with the Japanese annexation of Manchuria in 1931) saw even more destruction than the first.
Continue reading
What About Juvenile Delinquency?
An increase in crime committed by teenagers during the late 1940s and into the 1950s spawned a number of educational resources aimed at young people (and their parents).
Continue reading
Comic Books, Kids, and Crime
Excerpts from a 1955 Senate report on Comic Books and Juvenile Delinquency.
Continue reading
Ideology and Propaganda: Make Mine Freedom
Throughout the Cold War, Harding College (now University) produced a number of films which promoted “American” values in the face of perceived pressure from “un-American” ideologies. This short animated film, “Make Mine Freedom” is an early example of these films. As you watch it, think about the goals the filmmakers had in creating this cartoon and who the cartoon’s audience might have been.
Source: The Prelinger Collection (direct link to video)
Questions to consider:
- The film makes reference to “isms”–given the year of production, to what “isms” might the filmmakers have been referring?
- What do the filmmakers promote as an alternative to ‘isms”?
- What are the specific dangers of these “isms”?
- What makes the American way better than the foreign “isms,” according to the filmmakers?
Justifying Japanese Relocation
During the Second World War, the Roosevelt administration issued executive orders to inter Japanese-Americans (many of them US citizens) in prison camps to lessen the perceived risk of Japanese sabotage. These two films are examples of the ways in which the US government attempted to justify these actions.
The Ocala Demands, 1890
The Ocala Demands were issued by a coalition of southern populist organizations including the Southern Farmers’ Alliance, the Colored Farmers’ Alliance, and the Farmers’ Mutual Benefit Association. It was one of the foundational documents of American populist economics and politics in the 1890s.
Continue reading
The Omaha Platform, 1892
The Omaha Platform of 1892 was the foundational statement of the People’s Party (also known as the Populist Party). It was written by Ignatius L. Donnelly, a Minnesota politician and author. The Omaha Platform combined the goals and concerns of western farmers and urban industrial workers and the Populists would be a significant political force in the 1890s.
Continue reading
How Much Affection? Youth, Sex, and Social Norms in Cold War America
During the 1950s, some American thinkers expressed concern that deviation from accepted behavior, would contribute to a weakening of American society. This educational film from 1958 addresses some of the perceived consequences of premarital sex. While premarital sex was certainly not invented in the 1950s, concerns about “proper” behavior were enhanced by the tensions of the Cold War.