Social Studies

This episode establishes the course themes of American identity, freedom, and equality at the end of Reconstruction, then examines the reasons behind the large scale industrialization in the late 19th century.

An integral part of the changing American landscape in the late 19th century was the transformation of the West. The causes of the changes occurring in the West are explored, and the consequences for people living and moving there are assessed.

Millions of immigrants, as well as thousands already in America, moved to the city in the decades following Reconstruction. The living and social conditions of the huddled masses during this era are examined, using the cities of New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.

While millions pursued the American Dream in the late 19th century, women of all ethnic minorities encountered special obstacles in their paths. Why did this happen? How did they respond? What did it mean?

Industrialization changed the nature of work, working conditions and the composition of the American workforce. Labor's struggle to organize, management's fierce resistance to their efforts, and the status of the American worker at this time are analyzed.

Farmers became more productive and marginalized in economic and political life, responding by organizing significant challenges to the established political powers of the era. The meaning and legacy of the Populists is assessed.

The 19th century ends with the internal transformations of the U.S. propelling the nation to look outward. Causes and consequences of the Spanish American War, the decision for empire, the resulting war in the Philippines, and the use of the Big Stick in Latin America are discussed and analyzed.

After examining how and why American identity, freedom, and equality had changed since 1876, the Progressives and the causes they pursued are profiled. The meaning of progressive reform and the paradox of segregation is assessed.

Although the United States tried to stay out, America entered World War I on the side of the Allies in 1917. Why this happened and the effects of the war on the home and military fronts is analyzed. President Wilson's plans for a peaceful world and the Senates refusal to go along with his vision is examined.

By the early 1920s, America was changing into a society that begins to look quite familiar to us. Radios, automobiles, sports, and consumerism often overshadowed the cultural tensions surrounding race, religion, and immigration. This new era is examined and its meaning is assessed.

Roosevelt's new deal to Americans delivered some of the most important political and economic reforms in the 20th century. How America was transformed in the 1930s is examined and the legacy of these changes is assessed.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the U.S. into the most devastating war of the 20th century. America's diplomatic road to war and the wartime mobilization, including the internment of Japanese Americans is analyzed.

Turning to diplomacy and military operations, the reasons for Allied success are assessed. The holocaust, use of atomic bombs, and how the war transformed the world and the place of the United States in it are examined.

After considering the status of American identity, freedom, and equality in 1945, we turn our attention to the emerging cold war. The development and application of the containment policy in Europe and Asia is assessed, and the fear of communism at home is examined.

Although the cold war tensions persisted, most Americans were pursuing their vision of happiness in the late 1940's and 1950's. The expanding economy, the changing nature of work, suburban life, and the important strides toward ending segregation in America are explored.