American Decades

The following are potential resources that will assist you in your exploration of the events that shaped the decades.

 Print Resources

American Decades (OS 973.92 AME)
Each volume begins with a chronology of world events covering the entire decade. Subject chapters follow, each providing explanatory background essays, subject-specific chronologies and alphabetically arranged items depicting the people, ideas, and facts important during that decade. Here you'll find explanations of concepts and events; term definitions; sidebars highlighting high-interest subjects; and almanac-style charts, lists, and statistics covering popular culture indicators such as awards, results of opinion polls, quotations, slang, commercials, prices, and much more.
 
20th Century Pop Culture (973.9 ESP)
A series organized by decade, 20th Century Pop Culture examines the trends, people and events that shaped popular American culture year by year.		  
 


 
 		 Our American Century Series:  (973.924 TIM)
Organized by decades, Our American Century offers a look at the people, events and films that had an impact on American culture in the past century. 
Decades of the 20th Century (973.92 FEI)
Traces the events, trends, and important people of the 1980s, including science, technology, environmental disasters, politics, fashion, the arts, sports, and entertainment.
 

A Cultural History of the United States Through the Decades  (973.924 STE)
Theme-based chapters place events in a context, providing students with a comprehensive understanding of each decade and its importance. Enlivened with numerous photographs and sidebars, the books cover technology, significant political and social events, trends, and music.

 Internet Resources

Decades

The 20th Century - Decade by Decade: www.wtps.org/wths/imc/Pathfinders/twentieth_century.htm

American Cultural History (arranged by decade): http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decades.html

American History Timeline: http://www.animatedatlas.com/timeline.html

America's Story - The Modern Era:
www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/modern

Cinema History (films arranged by decade): http://www.tc.umn.edu/~ryahnke/film/cinema.htm

Media History Timeline - 20th Century:  http://www.mediahistory.umn.edu/timeline/19thcent.html

National Museum of American History: http://americanhistory.si.edu/explorer/index.cfm

Pomperaug High School Social Studies Department - Decades Project: www.pomperaug.com/departments/social_studies/ushistory/ush-dp.htm

Post WWII American Literature and Pop Culture Database: http://english.berkeley.edu/Postwar/pop.html

Web Generation: http://www.wgeneration.com/
 

1950's

 1950-1959 Decade of the 20th Century: http://melvil.chicousd.org/decs5.html

American Cultural History - 1950 - 1959: http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade50.html

Fifties Web: http://www.fiftiesweb.com/

Formation of Modern American Culture - 1950: https://webspace.yale.edu/amst191/1950.htm

The Literature and Culture of the American 1950s: http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/home.html

WWW - VL: History: USA: 1950-1959: http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/ERAS/20TH/1950s.html

Yahoo Links to the 1950s: http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/History/By_Time_Period/20th_Century/1950s/
 

1960's

 1960-1969 Decade of the 20th Century: http://melvil.chicousd.org/decs6.html

American Cultural History - 1960 - 1969: http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade60.html

Formation of Modern American Culture - 1960: https://webspace.yale.edu/amst191/1960.htm

The Psychedelic 60s: http://www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/sixties/

The Sixties Project Archive of Online Resources: http://lists.village.virginia.edu/sixties/HTML_docs/resources.html

WWW - VL: History: USA: 1960-1969: http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/ERAS/20TH/1960s.html

Yahoo Links to the 1960s: http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/History/By_Time_Period/20th_Century/1960s/
 

1970's

 1970-1979 Decade of the 20th Century: http://melvil.chicousd.org/decs7.html

American Cultural History - 1970 - 1979: http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade70.html

Formation of Modern American Culture - 1970: https://webspace.yale.edu/amst191/1970.htm

Hit TV Shows of the 70s: http://www.tvparty.com/70hit.html

Problems Facing America in the 1970s: http://www.colorado.edu/AmStudies/lewis/2010/anxiety.htm

WWW - VL: History: USA: 1970-1979: http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/ERAS/20TH/1970s.html

Yahoo Links to the 1970s: http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/History/By_Time_Period/20th_Century/1970s/

1980's

 The 80s Nostalgia Site: http://www.inthe80s.com/index.shtml

1980-1989 Decade of the 20th Century: http://melvil.chicousd.org/decs8.html

American Cultural History - 1980 - 1989: http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade80.html

Formation of Modern American Culture - 1980: https://webspace.yale.edu/amst191/1980.htm#1980

CNN - The Reagan Years: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/reagan.years/

WWW - VL: History: USA: 1980-1989: http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/ERAS/20TH/1980s.html

Yahoo Links to the 1980s: http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/History/By_Time_Period/20th_Century/1980s/
 

1990's

 1990-1999 Decade of the 20th Century: http://melvil.chicousd.org/decs9.html

American Cultural History - 1950 - 1999: http://kclibrary.nhmccd.edu/decade90.html

Formation of Modern American Culture - 1990: https://webspace.yale.edu/amst191/1990.htm#1990

A Reminiscence of the 90s: http://library.thinkquest.org/18220/

WWW - VL: History: USA: 1990-1999: http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/ERAS/20TH/1990s.html

Yahoo Links to the 1990s: http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/History/By_Time_Period/20th_Century/1990s/
 


If you don't find what you're looking for in any of the sites above, try your 
own keyword search using the following tips...

Internet Search Tips

  1. Type the URL (web site address) of a search directory/engine in the address box: ex: www.yahoo.com, or www.google.com, etc.
     
  2. (Be sure to type the address exactly the way you see it, including any uppercase letters and punctuation).
     
  3. Type in keyword(s). (If your keyword has two parts such as: "American history", be sure to put quotes around it so that the search engine only finds the Internet sites about American history as opposed to all of the sites containing the word American  plus all of the sites containing the word history.
     

  4. If you would like to search for something specific about American history, try a combined keyword search by adding a comma followed by a space and your other search term. For instance; if I wanted to find a timeline of events in American History, I would enter the following:
     

    "American History", timeline, events
     

  5. Hit Enter on your keyboard, or click on Search, then scan the description of the "hits" (entries) and click on the links that sound best.
     
  6. Be sure to evaluate each Internet site for the following:
    • Authority: Can you tell if the author is credible (believable)?
    • Objectivity: Is the information objective (honest and free of bias)?
    • Currency: Is the information recent and up-to-date?
    • Design: Is the site designed in a clear and user friendly way?
    • Navigation: Is the site easy to navigate through, and are all links current and usable?

     

  7. Remember: if you choose to use any information (text or graphics) found on an Internet source, 
    you must include it in your bibliography.

Remember:  YOU MUST CITE EVERY RESOURCE YOU USED to gather information on your 
Works Cited (Bibliography) page.  Use the Works Cited Guide to access MLA format.

Created by Liza Zandonella, Library Media Specialist.