Format
The program is conducted through a chronological discussion of each days events during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Participants will be asked to work in small groups throughout the program, making decisions on how to respond to events taking place each day through the roles of U.S. president and Soviet premier. At the end of the program, participants will learn about the lasting impact of the Cuban Missile Crisis in the year that followed and through an event taking place in recent history.
Objectives
The participant will
a. Explore the implications of national and international decisions and conflicts during the Cold War on the United States.
b. Explain reasons and outcomes for U.S. involvement in foreign countries and their relationship to the Domino Theory.
c. Describe the United States response to Soviet aggressions through President Kennedy's role in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
d. Explore the context of current issues between the United States and Russia through the lens of Cold War events.
Standards Alignment
National Standards
NSS-USH.5-12.9 Era 9: Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970s), Standard 2: How the Cold War and conflicts in Korea and Vietnam influenced domestic and international politics.
State Standards
Texas
Social Studies
- U.S. History Since 1877
2. The student understands traditional historical points of reference in U.S. history from 1877 to the present.
8. The student understands the impact of significant national and international decisions and conflicts in the Cold War on the United States. The student is expected to
A. describe U.S. responses to Soviet aggression after World War II, including the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Berlin Airlift, the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations, and John F. Kennedy's role in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
B. describe how Cold War tensions were intensified by the Houe Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), McCarthyism, the arms race, and the space race.
28. The student understands how historians use historiography to interpret the past and applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including technology.
29. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms.
31. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others. The student is expected to:
B. use problem-solving and decision-making processes to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution.
Texas
World History
1.The student understands traditional historical points of reference in world history. The student is expected to:
F. identify major causes and describe the major efforts of the following important turning points in world history from 1914 to the present: the world wars and their impact on political, economic, and social systems; communist revolutions and their impact on the Cold War; independence movements; and globalization.
13. The student understands the impact of major events associated with the Cold War and independence movements.
15. The student understands the impact of geographic factors on major historic events and processes.
27. The student understands how major scientific and mathematical discoveries and technological innovations have affected societies from 1750 to the present. The student is expected to:
C. explain the effects of major new military technologies on World War I, World War I, and the Cold War.
28. The student understands how historians use historiography to interpret the past and applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including technology.
30. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms.
31. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others.