A Guide to Primary Resources for U.S. History : The Wall: 1958-63 CNN Interactive: The Cold War Experience This sophisticated project website focused on the building of the Berlin Wall contains very interesting features, among other things a component ("You Make the Call") that allows students to make policy decisions based on historical facts and then view the real decisions and reasons behind their outcome. There are also many links to archival photographs and documents of the period. (Primary source material organized skillfully around secondary source commentary). On the CNN site, there is a link to "Brinksmanship: You make the call." In this brief exercise, students decide how to respond to Khrushchev's ultimatum to withdraw from West Berlin from the perspective of JFK. They read a brief introduction to their character and advice from three of his advisors to help them make a decision. On the CNN site there is a link to "First Draft: How the East and West covered the Cold War." It contains an article from Time and from Pravda, offering two different perspectives on the Berlin Wall. Students can read the two articles and compare them in a Venn Diagram or a Perspective Piece.

(b) explaining the origins of the Cold War, and describing the Truman Doctrine and the policy of containment of communism, the American role in wars in Korea and Vietnam, and the role of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Europe;

The Wall: 1958-63
CNN Interactive: The Cold War Experience

Description: This sophisticated project website focused on the building of the Berlin Wall contains very interesting features, among other things a component ("You Make the Call") that allows students to make policy decisions based on historical facts and then view the real decisions and reasons behind their outcome. There are also many links to archival photographs and documents of the period. (Primary source material organized skillfully around secondary source commentary).

Teaching Tips:

"Do Now" Suggestion

On the CNN site, there is a link to "Brinksmanship: You make the call." In this brief exercise, students decide how to respond to Khrushchev's ultimatum to withdraw from West Berlin from the perspective of JFK. They read a brief introduction to their character and advice from three of his advisors to help them make a decision.

Suggestion for Using this Resource as Part of a Lesson

On the CNN site there is a link to "First Draft: How the East and West covered the Cold War." It contains an article from Time and from Pravda, offering two different perspectives on the Berlin Wall. Students can read the two articles and compare them in a Venn Diagram or a Perspective Piece.