Washington Forms the Executive Branch (Part Two)
Historian and author Bernard Bailyn continues his discussion of the challenges facing President Washington as he sought to preside over the federal government during his administration. One of Washington's most difficult..
Washington, Jefferson and the French Revolution
Historian and author Bernard Bailyn talks about the challenge facing the United States (and Thomas Jefferson, in particular) when the French Revolution turned especially violent and brutal. Professor Bailyn explains that..
Way We Were?, The: Bombs, Rockets, and Missiles
The United States detonates the first hydrogen bomb in 1952 based on the research of Edward Teller, Manhattan Project physicist. The development of hydrogen weapons sparks yet another race between the U. S. and Russia, t..
Way We Were?, The: Capital and Labor
A relatively small number of companies gain control of a huge share of nation's economic activity. To prevent strikes that will interfere with operations these industrial giants negotiate postwar contracts, generous wage..
Way We Were?, The: Consumer Culture, The
One of the most striking characteristics of the 1950s is the predominance of the middle class. They are "people of plenty," as one author calls them, a consumer culture, and their numbers include people whose families ha..
Way We Were?, The: Economic Miracle, The
For most Americans, the 1950s are years of astonishing prosperity in contrast to a world economy that has been devastated by the war. Europeans turn to socialism during this period while the U. S. grips the free enterpri..
Way We Were?, The: Explosion of Science and Technology, The
There are remarkable advances in medicine in the postwar years, medical breakthroughs with development of antibiotics like penicillin and vaccines to suppress influenza and polio. The federal government funnels enormous ..
Way We Were?, The: Other America-Inner Cities and Beyond, The
Inner city neighborhoods are becoming vast repositories for the poor. The city of Chicago with its growing black ghettos is a case in point. For some blacks who are attaining educational opportunities and building powerf..
Way We Were?, The: Other America-on the Margins of the Affluent Society, The
One-fifth of the country's population-30 million-live in poverty, many the victims of discrimination. Manufacturing employment decreases in the post-war period. Many blacks find themselves unable to find jobs; residentia..
Way We Were?, The: Rise of the Modern West
Economic growth outpaces population growth by almost ten to one in the years after World War II. The West, in particular, becomes more populous, industrial, rich, and powerful. It is not just the climate that attracts pe..