The 1920s was a time of intolerance and a return to nativism, a claim to return to American values, defined as those held by white, western European descendents. Read about the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan, restriction on immigration,...

A dark side to the Jazz Age was the increase in the fear of Communism. Read about the federal government's actions to stem anything that was thought to threaten American security.

An overview of the clash between the old way of life of the Victorian Age and the new, the Jazz Age.

The booming economy of the 1920s introduced new products and ways of paying for those products. Read about the increase in the kinds of household appliances, places to buy the appliances, and the financing of all those new consumer goods.

The liberation of women as expressed by the flappers of the 1920s was in stark contrast to the actions of women in the Victorian Age. Read about how flappers expressed their freedom in fashion, employment, and leisure activities.

The Eighteenth Amendment showed how difficult it is to legislate morality. Read about the advantages of Prohibition, especially in terms of public health. The disadvantages far outweighed the advantages. See how lawlessness increased...

Henry Ford's use of the assembly line to manufacture his automobiles led to many ramifications. Read about the spin-off industries created by the growth of the automobile industry, and see what impact the auto had on culture.

World War I was not fought by Americans just in Europe. Read about the many ways people at home helped the war effort. See how badly German-Americans were treated as anti-German passions were fueled.

Read about how the colony of Connecticut grew from an expansion of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. See how Thomas Hooker's idea of government resulted in a model of colonial charters, and find out how two very different settlements in...

Read about Andrew Jackson's animosity toward the Second Bank of the United States and some reasons for his feelings. Was his veto of the Recharter Bill good for the country? Take the little survey to express your views.

Read about the frustration the Radical Republicans in Congress had with the Reconstruction plans of Andrew Johnson. Find out what legislation they were able to pass over Johnson's veto, and how they attempted to protect emancipated...

A good look at the philosophy of the Quakers who colonized William Penn's religious refuge in the colony of Pennsylvania. Read about Penn's liberal views about government, religious freedom, and relations with Native Americans.

Read about the communities, often religious, that strove to be a Utopia, a perfect place where man's natural goodness would provide a good life. Several Utopian communities were spread across the East and Midwest.

A very brief overview of the inception of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s, its successes and failures into the 1960s, and a prediction of despair in the 1970s.

Find out how many veterans returning from World War II were able to realize the American Dream of home ownership, and see how this resulted in the growth of suburban areas across the nation.

A brief look at American life and politics in the 1950s with an increase in consumerism and fear of the Soviet Union.

The American soldiers returning from World War I had a huge impact on the economy. Read about President Truman's domestic policies and find out about the surprise of the election of 1948.

A quick overview of the Korean War, its causes, outcome, and its role in the Cold War.

A brief biography of Benjamin Franklin covering his career as a printer, philanthropist, inventor, and public servant.

Philadelphia was the colony of Pennsylvania forsome time. Read about what William Penn's vision was for the city and why the city became so important.

Read about how the fabric of the nation was changed during the Great Depression. See how the institutions of life--marriage, birth rates, education, public health--all saw disruption because of the compromised economy.

Radio created a mass entertainment culture that could bridge the gap between those in California and those in New York. Read about the advent of radio stations, and the companies that owned them. See why the federal government had to...

It's hard to believe that there was not a phase known as adolescence until the 1920s. See how child labor laws and the automobile combined to spawn the teenager.

A very brief overview of the decade between the end of World War I and the Great Depression.