Students will be able to understand the purposes and outcomes of the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin blockade as a response to the growing Cold War and as the first battle of the Cold War.
After a short PowerPoint introducing the Berlin Blockade, the students will participate in a cooperative learning activity emphasizing the study of primary sources to increase understanding of Truman's decision to continue the Berlin Airlift.
Students will gain experiences in decision-making processes, analyzing primary source documents, technological research skills, and gain an understanding of President Truman's role in Civil Rights in America.
Students will work with the party platforms for the four major parties participating in the Election of 1948 (Democratic, Republican, States' Rights Democratic, and Progressive parties).
The students will analyze six groups of primary sources documents related to the desegregation of the armed forces on July 26, 1948. They will work together to gain a broader understanding of both the immediate and long-term ramifications.
Students will analyze results of the 1950 congressional elections to determine how/why the Democrats lost enough seats to cause President Truman to lose a working majority in Congress.
After viewing the PowerPoint titled Israel and the American Cyrus which deals with the influences on President Truman's decision to recognize Israel and the birth of Israel as a nation, students will write to prompts.
Assignment is both individual and cooperative. Students will use the Norman Rockwell Post cover "Family Squabble". Students will work in pairs to analyze the painting using the attached worksheet.
Students will fulfill the role of the political leaders at the Conference at Yalta and reenact the conference. They will debate the issues discussed at the conference to determine if they come to the same ends as what actually happened in 1945.