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This Post WW2 and early Cold War unit lesson plan for US History students covers 1946-1963, with an emphasis on post-WW2 social and economic changes and major events of the early Cold War. Days 1-7 consist of individual one-day lessons, Day 8 consists of a unit review, and Day 9 consists of a unit assessment. For the complete list of lessons and all topics/events covered, see the end of this description.

This unit is intended to be ready-to-use for any teacher regardless of their prior experience with the content. All student documents are pre-formatted for immediate classroom use, and all answer keys are provided. It is a very content-rich unit, and could easily be extended beyond 9 days if a teacher chooses to do so.

Bundle Contains (in downloadable .zip files):

• Daily Lesson Files (to be used during Days 1-7):
  • Each daily lesson .zip file includes a PowerPoint presentation, student guided notes, and a multiple-choice quiz. Keys are included.
  • Each lesson is ready-to-use with no prep required. All answer keys are included.
• Review & Test Files (to be used during Days 8-9):
  • Unit Study Guide and Scavenger Hunt Review Activity for interactive student engagement.
  • Unit Test with 20 multiple-choice questions, many of which include documents or visuals.
  • Full Unit Question Bank containing 47 multiple-choice questions (for test customization).
  • All answer keys are included for easy and efficient grading.

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Topics Covered By Lesson Include:

• 1950s Prosperity & Social Changes
  • Postwar economic prosperity, consumerism, new consumer technologies, G.I. Bill, the baby boom, the growth of suburbs, Interstate Highway System, car culture, racial wealth/income gap, suburban housing discrimination, long-term impact on non-whites and on urban areas
• The Early Cold War & the Truman Doctrine, 1946-1949
  • The Cold War – basic info, Soviet dominance in Eastern Europe, the “Iron Curtain”, the Truman Doctrine, containment, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, the formation of NATO, the Warsaw Pact, the first Soviet atomic bomb test, the fall of China
• The Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Background, 38th parallel, start of the Korean War, proxy wars, General Douglas MacArthur, United Nations counterattack and subsequent invasion of North Korea, communist China’s entry, President Truman’s firing of General MacArthur, armistice/cease-fire in Korea, the demilitarized zone (DMZ), Korean War outcome and impacts
• The Cold War Under Eisenhower, 1953-1961
  • Domino theory, massive retaliation, deterrence, the hydrogen bomb, nuclear arms race, mutual assured destruction (MAD), brinkmanship, launch of Sputnik 1 and its impacts, start of the “space race”, the Cuban Revolution and rise of Fidel Castro, the U-2 incident
• The Second Red Scare (McCarthyism)
  • The Second Red Scare, Loyalty Review program, House Un-American Activities Committee investigations, “The Hollywood Ten”, blacklisting, Alger Hiss, Julius & Ethel Rosenberg, Senator Joseph McCarthy, conformity in the 1950s, criticisms of McCarthyism, the Army-McCarthy Hearings, downfall of Senator McCarthy, impacts of the Second Red Scare
• John F. Kennedy (JFK) and the New Frontier, 1961-1963
  • John F. Kennedy’s background and rise, The New Frontier, the Peace Corps, the Space Race, Apollo program, Apollo 11, JFK and civil rights, resistance by Southern Democrats to civil rights, Ole Miss riots, James Meredith, the 24th Amendment, overall legacy of the New Frontier
• John F. Kennedy (JFK) and the Cold War, 1961-1963
  • Flexible response, the Bay of Pigs Invasion, Nikita Khrushchev, the Berlin crisis, the Vienna summit, the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, brinkmanship, Partial Test Ban Treaty signing, overall assessment of JFK’s Cold War legacy

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Slides/Pages: 366 total (306 slides, 60 pages)

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Why Teachers Love This Resource:

• Huge savings — by purchasing this unit bundle, you save over 50% compared to buying each individual component. Comprehensive, No-Prep Unit—everything you need in terms of content for an entire unit of instruction.
• Ready-to-use materials—perfect for any teacher, experienced or new.
• Great for substitutes—all the materials are pre-formatted with answer keys provided.
• Ideal for virtual classrooms—easily adaptable for online teaching platforms.

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51����/Usage Statement:
This digital resource is my intellectual property, and all rights are reserved. Purchase of this product grants the buyer a single license for personal classroom use only. It may not be resold, distributed, or posted online in whole or in part without prior written permission.