US History for Vision Chasers

This is the story of the man who saved Christmas. In 1918, Christmas in the United States was almost cancelled due to the need for resources to supply the war effort. Fortunately, one man was able to change those plans and save Christmas.

The Rock Springs Massacre was another sad chapter in Chinese Immigration to the United States. The lack of jobs and poor wages created tension between Americans and Immigrants. In some cases, this tension would lead to violence.

The Immigration Act of 1965 is in the news cycle often today. It is estimated that there are 11 million Undocumented Individuals currently living in the United States. In order to understand how this came to be, it is important to have an understanding of past immigration law. This lesson examines The Immigration Act from 1965.

Although many Jews wanted to leave Germany once Hitler and the Nazi party took control, it was very challenging to do so. Shortly after the events on Kristallnacht (night of broken glass) a little over 900 Jews sallied on the SS St. Louis to seek refuge in Cuba.

Ever since the legalization of segregated schools, there were numerous attempts to overturn this decision. Colored schools were inferior to the White schools. Chinese immigrants were caught in the middle. They wanted their children to be educated and they could clearly see that the schools designated for White children were better. Find out what happened when a Chinese man enrolls his daughters in a white school in 1924.

The story of Westward Expansion is a sad and unfortunate one. The Native Americans would have to move constantly in order to make room for the U.S. Citizens. Dr. Byrd teaches this history using the 4 R's.

During the Cold War, any rumor that one was working either a sympathizer or actually working with Communists could be disastrous. It could lead to isolation, imprisonment or a total surrender of privacy from the Federal Government. Allegations were used as weapons many people. The most memorable of all came from Senator Joseph McCarthy.

A journey to the west by wagon took about 6 months. During that 6 months, travelers had to deal with numerous challenges. All of that change with the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad.

Dr. Byrd compacts the American Revolution into a simple acronym. (FREE)

Dr. Byrd revisits the story of a Jewish family that is able to hide from the Nazi soldiers for a period of time during the Jewish Holocaust. During that time, a young girl writes down her thoughts in her diary.

During a period of 13 days in 1962, many people thought that the world was going to come to an end as it appeared The Cold War was about to heat up. Soviet Missiles located in Cuba almost caused another terrible war.

The Gilded Age was a a prosperous time in the United States. There was a significant increase in industry, technology, and innovation. It appeared as if all were enjoying the benefits. However, all that glitters is not gold. There were individuals who made a great deal of money, however those individuals were few. The majority we're working class people trying to work themselves out of poverty. As a result of the time and other factors, it was nearly impossible. This was the Gilded Age.

The Tulsa Race Riots of 1921 is a sad chapter in American History. During the riots, White Citizens committed numerous acts of violence against Black Citizens living in the segregated section of Tulsa known as 'Greenwood.'

Buck v Bell legitimized a horrible practice of sterilizing people without their knowledge or consent. Sadly, it took a long time for the U.S. to reverse course and stop performing these unwanted sterilizations.

The 1920s was a time of prosperity for most people in the United States. Incomes were up and exciting new products were being purchased and enjoyed. However, the end of the 1920s would indicate that Hard Times were coming.

On July 22, 1916, citizens in San Francisco gathered to celebrate the recent signing of a law that expanded the size of the military. The U.S. was a neutral country as WWI began. However, many felt that the U.S. should be prepared just in case the U.S. needed to fight. During the parade in SF, a bomb exploded killing 10 people. Two suspects were immediately named and it appeared that the evidence was manipulated to fit the beliefs of the police.

WWI was originally called "The Great War" because no one thought that another war like it would ever happen again. However, only 20 years later, the world is at war again. Dr. Byrd explains why.

The Catonsville 9 were a group of activists who were strongly against American involvement in Vietnam. In a very memorable way, they expressed their opposition.

News of the MLK assassination rocked the United States. There were riots and acts of violence in over 100 cities. In many cases, The National Guard was called in to restore order. However, Wilmington, Delaware was different. Then National Guard was in Wilmington 8 months after the death of MLK. Guards patrolled predominately African-American neighborhoods and their presence didn't help race relations.

The murder of Emmett Till shocked the nation because the results of the violence were on display for everyone to see. Only 5 years later, another African-American male is discovered dead and there are some similarities to the Emmett Till story. This is the untold story of Fred Robinson.

Minstrel Shows were a form of entertainment that included white actors in "blackface". These actors were portraying African-Americans and used stereotypes to label them as unintelligent and not to be taken seriously.

These women (The Radium Girls) had a simple job that paid better than others. Their job was to paint the face of watches with Glow-In-The-Dark paint. What made this paint glow would eventually make these women sick.

Upton Sinclair wrote The Jungle to shine a light on the treatment of immigrants in The United States. Instead, the public was more interested in the conditions of the meatpacking factory where they worked. These conditions shocked the public and motivated the government to step in and pass legislation to regulate the industry.