On this page: General Resources | John F. Kennedy | Cuban Missile Crisis | Watergate | Korean War | Vietnam War | Historical Fiction
general resources
🔗 Content Connection: Communism. Learn about Communism in the Eastern Bloc countries.
🔗 Content Connection: Modern Asia. Learn about Communism in Asia.
▶️ Cold War in 9 minutes by John D. Ruddy. Here’s an excellent rapid-fire synopsis of 50 years of Cold War history in 9 minutes. – All
john f. kennedy
📖 Jack's Path of Courage: The Life of JFK by Doreen Rappaport. This cheerily illustrated biography touches on the important points of JFK's life and presidency, devoting just a single page to his assassination. Quotes from Kennedy are sprinkled throughout; this is a lovely, positive first introduction to the 35th president. – Elementary
📖 The President Has Been Shot by James Swanson. Here is a riveting account of the Kennedy assassination and its aftermath for high school or upper middle school students; filled with photographs and first hand-accounts. Readers will also learn about Kennedy and his presidency. – Middle • High
▶️ JFK Inaugural Address from his Presidential Library. The famous "Ask not what your country can do for you," line comes toward the end of the speech, at ~14 min. – All
cuban missile crisis
📺 Thirteen Days. "A dramatization of the Kennedy administration's struggle to contain the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962." Rated PG-13 for language (see IMDB Parental Guide). – Middle • High
▶️ The history of the Cuban Missile Crisis from TED-Ed. “Imagine going about your life knowing that, at any given moment, you and everyone you know could be wiped out without warning at the push of a button. This was the reality for millions of people during the forty-five year period after World War II now known as the Cold War. Matthew A. Jordan explains the history behind the peak of all this panic — the thirteen days of the Cuban Missile Crisis.” – Middle • High
▶️ Cuban Missile Crisis in 5 minutes by John D. Ruddy. Here’s the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis, with animation. – All
▶️ Duck and Cover. Released in 1950, "Duck and Cover" taught millions of American schoolchildren how to react in the event of a nuclear explosion. – All
watergate
📺 All the President's Men. "Reporters Woodward and Bernstein uncover the details of the Watergate scandal that leads to President Nixon's resignation." Young Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford play the intrepid reporters in this 1976 classic. PG for language; see the IMDB Parental Guide. – Middle • High
▶️ History vs. Richard Nixon from TED-Ed. "Does Richard Nixon deserve to be remembered for more than the scandal that ended his presidency? Alex Gendler puts this disgraced president’s legacy on trial." – Middle • High
korean war
– resources coming soon –
vietnam war
📖 The Wall by Eve Bunting. Bunting specializes in beautifully-illustrated, emotionally-charged picture books, and The Wall is no exception. Here, a boy and his dad visit the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, to search for his grandfather's name. – Preschool • Elementary
📖 Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam by Walter Dean Myers. This tense, powerfully written story-poem follows a young soldier on patrol in Vietnam. Perhaps fittingly, this book offers no discussion of the political or philosophical rationale for the war; the focus is on the experience of the boys on the ground. The final line captures the mood of the book: “I am so tired. I am so very tired of this war.” – Elementary • Middle
📖 Boots on the Ground: America’s War in Vietnam by Elizabeth Partridge. “The history of [the Vietnam] era is complex; the cultural impact extraordinary. But it's the personal stories of eight people—six American soldiers, one American military nurse, and one Vietnamese refugee—that create the heartbeat of Boots on the Ground. From dense jungles and terrifying firefights to chaotic helicopter rescues and harrowing escapes, each individual experience reveals a different facet of the war and moves us forward in time. Alternating with these chapters are profiles of key American leaders and events, reminding us of all that was happening at home during the war, including peace protests, presidential scandals, and veterans' struggles to acclimate to life after Vietnam.” An excellent and unflinching accounting of the War in Vietnam; highly recommended for older students, as some of the content is naturally quite disturbing. – Middle • High
📖 10,000 Days of Thunder: A History of the Vietnam War by Philip Caputo. Turn to 10,000 Days of Thunder for a well-written, in-depth treatment of the Vietnam War. The two-page spreads cover many topics, including the origins and politics of the war, key battles, the draft, and the antiwar movement back in the US. Many photos accompany the text. Russell Freedman’s Vietnam: A History of the War covers similar ground. – Middle • High
📖 Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin. From acclaimed author Steve Sheinkin, Most Dangerous, a finalist for the National Book Award, tells the story of Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers: At over 300 pages, this in-depth account makes an excellent supplement for a middle or high school study of the Vietnam Era. – Middle • High
▶️ The infamous and ingenious Ho Chi Minh Trail from TED-Ed. "The Ho Chi Minh Trail not only connected North and South Vietnam during a brutal war but also aided Vietnamese soldiers. The trail shaved nearly five months of time off of the trip and was used as a secret weapon of sorts. Cameron Paterson describes the history and usage of the infamous trail." – All
historical fiction
📖 Sixties Trilogy by Deborah Wiles. This trio of documentary novels from Deborah Wiles gives insight into what it was like to come of age in the 1960s. Countdown is set in 1962 during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Revolution takes us to Mississippi in the Summer 1964 –the Freedom Summer. Finally, Anthem, set in 1969, tackles issues surrounding the Vietnam War. – Middle
