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20th Century Turning Points in U.S. History

20th Century Turning Points in U.S. History is an eight-part series designed to provide a clear overview of the people and events that distinguished the 20th century at specific points in time that were significant pivotal points in history. Rare archival footage and photographs, authentic recordings, and other primary source documents bring history to life, while stunning graphics and engaging narration lend context and clarity to the subject. The series has been developed specifically for classroom use. It is organized around established standards and thoughtfully divided into chapters, with each volume functioning as either a full-length program or as focused support for specific study areas.
  • Title ID 7-20TP
  • History, American History
  • 8 Programs
  • 54 Supplemental Files
  • 10th Grade through Post Secondary
  • Published by Ambrose Video Publishing Inc./Centre Communications
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Included Programs
Supplemental Files
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Included Programs

1900 - 1907Running time is 28 minutes

American History, 20th Century American History, United States History, and 20th Century United States History are emphasized in this first 20th Century Turning Points Program.

Chapter List
1900 - The Gold Standard Act is Ratified by Congress
Putting the U.S. on the Gold Standard - backing the country's money with gold - continued America's Industrial Revolution, making it the industrial leader of the world.
1901 - Dr. Walter Reed Discovers Yellow Fever is Transmitted by Mosquitoes
Dr. Walter Reed, the famous American Scientist, discovered the cure for yellow fever, an accomplishment rewarded by lending his name to the Walter Reed Medical Center.
1901 - McKinley is Shot and Theodore Roosevelt Becomes President
Theodore Roosevelt became president after President McKinley's assassination by Leon Czolgosz, and went on to build the Panama Canal, take on the business trusts, becoming known as the Trust Busting president.
1902 - 140,000 Mine Workers Go Out on Strike
The United Mine Workers and mine owners met with President Theodore Roosevelt, giving labor unions a boost in recognition and legitimacy.
1902 - The Government Passes the Newlands Reclamation Act
The Newlands Reclamation Act affected Western Water suppliers and created the Reclamation Service, which provided projects like the Hoover Dam.
1903 - Wright Brothers Fly at Kitty Hawk
The Wright Brothers daring experiments at Kitty Hawk, made the names of Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright first among American inventors of airplanes.
1906 - Upton Sinclair's Novel "The Jungle" is Published
Upton Sinclair writes The Jungle, as muckrakers tell the truth about the nation.
1906 - U.S. Takes Over Construction of the Panama Canal
Panama Canal was begun by President Teddy Roosevelt, who used the Monroe Doctrine to justify taking the land for the canal.
1907 - Frank Lloyd Wright Completes the Robie House in Chicago
Frank Lloyd Wright, a student of Louis Sullivan, initiates a new American architectural movement.

1908 - 1918Running time is 28 minutes

American History, 20th Century American History, United States History, and 18th Century United States History are emphasized in this second 20th Century Turning Points Program.

Chapter List
1908 - Ford Introduces the Model T
Henry Ford introduces the Model T and launches the automobile era first begun by American inventor, Charles Duryea.
1909 - W.E.B. DuBois Founds the NAACP
W.E.B. Du Bois launches the NAACP to fight against Jim Crow laws and segregation and to promote Civil Rights for Blacks.
1911 - Hollywood Founded
Hollywood, using the inventions of George Eastman and Thomas Edison, begins its run as the nation's film making capital, launching the careers of giants like Cecil B. DeMille and D.W. Griffith.
1913 - 16th Amendment Allows Progressive Income Tax
16th Amendment creating the income tax is passed.
1913 - 17th Amendment Caps a Period of Election Reforms
The 17th Amendment allowing the direct election of senators is passed.
1914 - Clayton Anti-Trust Act Passed
The Clayton Antitrust Act is passed, following in the footsteps of the trust busting Teddy Roosevelt.
1914-1917 - America Prepares for World War I
The Battle of Wounded Knee, fought t stop the Ghost Dance, happened after the great Sioux leader, Sitting Bull, was killed, World War I begins but President Woodrow Wilson keeps America out of War until the Arthur Zimmerman telegram demonstrates Germany's involvement in North American politics.
1917 - America Enters World War I
The Battle of Wounded Knee, fought t stop the Ghost Dance, happened after the great Sioux leader, Sitting Bull, was killed, World War I begins but President Woodrow Wilson keeps America out of War until the Arthur Zimmerman telegram demonstrates Germany's involvement in North American politics. During World War I, America's Selective Service Act, drafts men to fight against Germany; and from this war, heroes, such as John Black Jack Pershing and Eddie Rickenbacker, would emerge, as well as the

1919 - 1928Running time is 27 minutes

20th Century American History, United States History, and 18th Century United States History are emphasized in this third 20th Century Turning Points Program.

Chapter List
1919 - Prohibition Begins
Prohibition would help lead America to Roaring 20s and create the speakeasy and American organized crime, but the 18th Amendment's social engineering did nothing to stop alcoholism.
1920 - Women Gain the Right to Vote
The 19th Amendment allowed women to gain the right to vote, a right fought for by suffragettes first led by Susan B. Anthony in the 19th century.
1923 - Teapot Dome Scandal Typifies the Roaring 20's
Teapot Dome was a strategic naval oil reserve that under the administration of Warren Harding was part of the Teapot Dome Scandal, the epitome of the scandal ridden Harding presidency of the roaring 20's.
1924 - J. Edgar Hoover Named Head of the FBI
The FBI directed by J. Edgar Hoover, was first begun by Teddy Roosevelt, and later focused on organized crime and gangsters.
1925 - The Scopes Monkey Trial
The Scopes Monkey Trial brought together Williams Jennings Bryant and Clarence Darrow, in a trial over the use of Charles Darwin's On the origin of the Species and Evolution.
1926 - Goddard Initiates the Space Age
Robert Goddard, the founder of the space Age and rockets, was a great American inventor.
1926 - David Sarnoff Founds NBC
Radio followed in the footsteps of Samuel Morse and the telegraph, Bell and the telephone, and would become a commercial success under the leadership of David Sarnoff, NBC, and RCA, launching the mass media era.
1927 - Charles Lindbergh Flies Across the Atlantic
Charles Lindbergh, who crossed the Atlantic solo in "The Spirit of St. Louis", earning the nickname Lucky Lindy, promoted airplanes, and later married Anne Spencer Morrow.

1929 - 1943Running time is 28 minutes

20th Century American History, United States History, and 18th Century United States History are emphasized in this fourth 20th Century Turning Points Program.

Chapter List
1929 - "Black Tuesday" Foretells the Great Depression
On Black Tuesday America's Great Depression began with the stock market crash, ending the roaring 20s.
1932 - Amelia Earhart: Record-Breaking Woman Aviator
Amelia Earhart, one of the America's women pioneers, flew airplanes and became one of the best pilots of the first half of the 20th century.
1933 - President Roosevelt's 'One Hundred Days' Begins his New Deal
With his New Deal policies, Franklin Delano Roosevelt worked to end the Great depression with programs such as the National Recovery Administration.
1935 - President Roosevelt Signs the Social Security Act
The Social Security Act, signed into law by Franklin Delano Roosevelt during the Great Depression, established Social Security for all Americans.
1936 - Jesse Owens and Joe Louis Debunk Hitler's Claim of Aryan Superiority
Jesse Owens and Joe Louis showed that black athletes could defeat Germany's greatest athletes before World War II.
1940 - Ernest Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls" is Published
Lost generation author Ernest Hemingway wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Sun Also Rises, and The Old Man and the Sea while Eugene O'Neil wrote, "Long Day's Journey into Night", and F. Scott Fitzgerald, wrote The Great Gatsby.
1941 - Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
After Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, destroying the airfield and naval base at Pearl Harbor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt declares war and Douglas MacArthur vows to return to the Philippines.

1944 - 1952Running time is 28 minutes

20th Century American History, United States History, and 18th Century United States History are emphasized in this fifth 20th Century Turning Points Program.

Chapter List
1944 - D-Day "Operation Overlord"
D-Day, known as Operation overlord, began the fight in western Europe against fascism and pitted American Generals like George S. Patton and Dwight David Eisenhower against German militarists such as Erwin Rommel, in a war that began for America at Pearl Harbor and was led by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and created The Greatest Generation of Americans in the 20th century.
1945 - The U.S. Air Force Drops an Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, were the only targets of the Atomic bomb developed by Manhattan Project, led Robert Oppenheimer, and used to end the Pacific war in World War II.
1947 - The Marshall Plan for Europe
The Marshall Plan was developed after World War II by George Marshall, and was used to save Europe from Stalin and Russia, though a Cold War developed, which created an Iron Curtain across Eastern Europe and a Western Europe protected by NATO.
1950 - President Truman Sends American Troops to the Aid of South Korea
Korean War, during the administration of Harry Truman, pitted the west against communism as Korea's Communist North Korea fought the capitalist South Korea.
1950 - 1953 The Korean War
The Korean War started when North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel between North Korea and South Korea, and Generals Douglas MacArthur and Matthew Ridgeway during the administration of Harry Truman lead American forces against communism
1951 - Alan Freed Introduces Rock and Roll
Rock and Roll begun by Alan Freed would start the careers of legends such as Bill Haley and Elvis Presley.

1953 - 1963Running time is 28 minutes

20th Century American History, United States History, and 18th Century United States History are emphasized in this sixth 20th Century Turning Points Program.

Chapter List
1953 - John Foster Dulles Becomes Eisenhower's Cold War Warrior
The Cold War, started under Harry Truman, was continued by cold war warriors John Foster Dulles and Eisenhower, eventually resulting in a stand against communism in the Vietnam War.
1954 - Senator Joseph McCarthy is Condemned by the Senate
Joseph McCarthy used the Red scare and Communists to create a climate of fear in the U.S.
1954 - Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education, reestablished civil rights lost in Plessey V. Ferguson, which allowed Jim Crow laws, but black lawyer Thurgood Marshal led the fight for desegregation which was upheld by the Earl Warren court.
1955 - Rosa Parks is Arrested
Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King led the fight for civil rights during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
1960 - Nixon-Kennedy Televised Debates
The John Kennedy/ Richard Nixon, debates were the first Presidential candidate debates.
1962 - Astronaut John Glenn is the First American to Orbit the Earth
NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, used rockets, such as the mercury rocket, to launch astronauts from Cape Canaveral, which eventually resulted in the first moon landing led by Neil Armstrong.
1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis pitted John Kennedy against Khrushchev and Fidel Castro in America's cold war fight against, communism.
1963 - Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" Speech
Martin Luther King gave his I have a Dream Speech to promote civil rights, while courageous activists like James Meredith, protected by John F. Kennedy's ordering out troops, demonstrated against Jim Crow laws.

1964 - 1973Running time is 28 minutes

20th Century American History, United States History, and 18th Century United States History are emphasized in this seventh 20th Century Turning Points Program.

Chapter List
1964 - President Lyndon Johnson Announces the Great Society
The Great Society proposed by Lyndon Johnson, resulted in a civil-rights bill, a Voting Rights Act, and Medicare.
1964 - Vietnam War: Congress Passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
America scaled up the Vietnam War with the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution proposed by Lyndon Johnson to fight communism and the Viet Cong.
1965 - Black Urban Riots Begin
In the 60s, Black Urban Riots broke out while black leaders such as Malcolm X, Louis Farrakhan and Stokely Carmichael as well as groups like the Black Panthers worked to establish Civil Rights.,
1968 - Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive
The Vietnam War's Tet Offensive would mark the end of U.S. begun by Lyndon Johnson, and the rise of Communism begun by Ho Chi Minh.
1970 - First Earth Day
Earth Day, a demonstration by the environmental movement begun by Aldo Leopold, would showcase how industrialization, hurts the ecology, while the EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, works to protect the environment.
1972 - Watergate
Watergate, which would prove the downfall of Richard Nixon, was reported by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
1973 - Vietnam War: Cease-Fire Ends War
With Vietnam and the Vietnam War causing protests at schools like Kent State, shootings occurred as the anti communism fervor of the cold war came against the civil rights of protest, eventually civil rights winning out with the Elsberg Papers.

1973 - 1999Running time is 27 minutes

20th Century American History, United States History, and 18th Century United States History are emphasized in this eighth 20th Century Turning Points Program.

Chapter List
1973 - Second Battle of Wounded Knee
American Indian movement, AIM, held a protest at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.
1973 - Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade, the landmark case for woman's rights, involving Jane Roe who sued to get an abortion against DA Henry Wade, would pit Pro Life versus Pro Choice in a struggle over privacy rights that began with Griswold V. Connecticut.
1976 - Personal Computers Herald the Post Industrial Age
Personal computers became irreplaceable because men like Steve Jobs Steve Wozniak and Bill Gates, and companies such as Apple computer, Microsoft and IBM made information available for everyone.
1983 - The Grenada Conflict
Grenada, a hot spot in America's cold war against communism, helped Ronald Reagan promote the U.S. Military, and ten years later the ouster of Manuel Noriega from Panama would demonstrate American military superiority.
1987 - Alan Greenspan Becomes Chairman of the Federal Reserve
The Federal Reserve Board and its chairman Alan Greenspan defined the economy of America's post industrial age.
1990 - The Gulf War Demonstrates American Military Supremacy
The Gulf War pitted Iraq, governed by Saddam Hussein, against America, under by George Bush, and in the war, Iraqis were defeated by a coalition under the command of General Norman Schwarzkopf.
1991 - End of the Cold War
The Cold War, ended with the defeat of communism when America led by Ronald Reagan defeated the USSR led by Mikhail Gorbachev.
1994 - Whitewater Leads to the Impeachment of President Clinton
The Whitewater investigation led to the Clinton Impeachment, but Bill Clinton was found not guilty.
1999 - Y2K Ends the American Century
Y2K ends the century on a comical note.

Supplemental Files

20th Century T.P. Teachers Guide
Document-16th Amendment
Document-17th Amendment
Document-18th Amendment
Document-19th Amendment
Document-Brown v. Board of Education - 1954
Document-Clayton Antitrust Act - 1914
Document-Great Society Speech - 1964
Document-Gulf of Tonkin Resolution - 1964
Document-Marshall Plan Summary - 1947
Document-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Document-Newlands Act - 1902
Document-Roe v. Wade Edited Decision - 1973
Document-The Bill of Rights
Document-The Declaration of Independence
Document-U.S. Constitution
Map-Communist Controlled Countries - 1980
Map-Free Western Europe and Soviet Empire - 1950
Map-Ho Chi Minh Trail
Map-Iraq and Kuwait
Map-Korea and the 38th Parallel
Map-NATO Countries - 1950
Map-Soviet Satellite Countries - 1950
Map-Stock Market Crash before and after Black Tuesday
Map-Tennessee Valley Authority
Map-Vietnam and the 17th Parallel
Map-WWI Central Powers vs. Allied Powers
Map-WWII Japanese Controlled Land - 1942
Map-WWII Nazi Controlled Land - 1942
MARC Records for 20TP
MARC records for the series 20th Century Turning Points in U.S. History
Program 1 - Test
Program 2 - Test
Program 3 - Test
Program 4 - Test
Program 5 -Test
Program 6 - Test
Program 7 - Test
Program 8 - Test
Timeline Program 1
Timeline Program 2
Timeline Program 3
Timeline Program 4
Timeline Program 5
Timeline Program 6
Timeline Program 7
Timeline Program 8
1900 - 1907
1908 - 1918
1919 - 1928
1929 - 1943
1944 - 1952
1953 - 1963
1964 - 1973
1973 - 1999

Reviews

This eight-part series, arranged in chronological fashion, highlights significant developments in science, art, politics, technology, and popular culture, providing a 'clear overview of the people and events that distinguished the twentieth century.' In the sampled Program One; 1900-1907, viewers learn how the Gold Standard Act influenced the economy and are introduced to the reforms sparked by the 1906 publication of Sinclair Lewis' The Jungle, among other topics. Straightforward narration accents the well-chosen visuals, including archival stilts, newsreel footage, political cartoons, and period movie clips...chapters are clearly marked for easy access, making the series especially useful for students
Booklist

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