Mid-1930s- The Great Depression

VOA topics (Special English THE Making of a Nation)

S-1500s

1. Columbus Sails, Others Follow, and Spain Is on Top of the World
2. A Difficult Life for English Settlers
3. Buffalo, 'Mystery Dogs' (Horses) and the Lives of the Plains Indians
4. A Clash of Cultures in the New World
5. How a Desire for Religious Freedom or Land, or Both, Led to Colonies

S-1776

1. Slavery Arrives as Colonial Expansion Heads South
2. By 1750, Almost One in Four People in the Colonies Were Slaves
3. British Defeat the French in a Struggle for North America
4. Britain Says No to 'No Taxation Without Representation'
5. A Tea Party at Night, on the Road to Revolution
6. A Declaration for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

1776-1800

1. How the Revolution Against Britain Divided Families and Friends
2. How Britain's Defeat at Saratoga Marked a Turning Point
3. How the Constitution Came to Life
4. After the Revolution, the Nation Faces a Weak Political System
5. The Founding Fathers Meet in Philadelphia to Write a Constitution
6. Finding the Right Plan for a New Government
7. Early Leaders Debate Presidential Powers
8. In 1787, Debating the Need for Federal Courts
9. Struggle to Balance Power Between Big States and Small States
10. A 'Great Compromise' on State Representation
11. Debating Slaves' Part in Representation of States
12. The Signing of the Constitution in Philadelphia
13. The Constitution Goes to the States for Approval
14. The Heart and Spirit of the Constitution
15. From Revolutionary War Hero to President
16. The Imagination of Alexander Hamilton
17. For a New Nation, Hamilton Seeks a Bank
18. Two-Party Political System Takes Hold in US
19. How a Dispute Helped Lead to Party System
20. John Adams Is Elected Nation's Second President
21. Adams Avoids War With France, Signs Alien and Sedition Acts

1800-1825

1. Jefferson Is Elected President in 1800, But Only on the 36th Vote
2. Jefferson, at Inaugural, Urges Unity of Hearts and Minds
3. Jefferson Begins Presidency With a Loyal Cabinet
4. Jefferson Moves to Cut Debt, Spending
5. Jefferson Gets Louisiana Territory From France
6. A Supreme Court Justice Is Put on Trial in 1805
7. The Treason Trial of Aaron Burr, Former VP
8. Jefferson Suspends Trade with Europe in 1807
9. Jefferson Tries to Keep Trade Ban on Europe
10. The Last Days, and Lasting Influence, of Thomas Jefferson
11. Relations With Britain Hit a Low Point in 1811
12. Madison Declares War on Britain in 1812
13. British Set Fire to City of Washington in 1814
14. A National Anthem Is Born From the War of 1812
15. War of 1812 Ends, but Fighting Continues
16. War of 1812 Ends With Treaty of Ghent
17. James Monroe Easily Wins Election in 1816
18. Monroe Doctrine Warns Europe Not to Interfere in the Americas
19. Monroe Dislikes but Signs Missouri Compromise
20. In Election of 1824, a Clash of Personalities
21. John Quincy Adams, a Man Raised to Serve

1825-1850

1. In Election of 1828, a Bitter Campaign
2. Tragedy Hits as Jackson Prepares for Presidency
3. Split Divides Jackson, Vice President Calhoun
4. For President Jackson, a Question of States' Rights
5. Bank of the United States Worries Jackson
6. Debating the Powerful Bank of the US
7. As Jackson Aims to Shut Bank, an Economic Crisis Results
8. Jackson's Victory Over the Bank of the US
9. Trouble Grows Deep in the Heart of Texas
10. Jackson, 'the People's Friend,' Leaves Office
11. New President Deals with Old Problems
12. US Gets a New President in 1837, and a Depression
13. The Rise of the Movement Against Slavery
14. Whigs See a Chance to Defeat Van Buren in 1840
15. The Brief Presidency of William Henry Harrison
16. President John Tyler Shows His Independence
17. Texas Statehood Is Chief Issue in 1844 Campaign
18. In 1845, Republic of Texas Faces a Choice
19. Polk Sends Troops to Border With Mexico
20. Polk Decides Not to Seek Second Term in 1848
21. Zachary Taylor Is Elected President in 1848

1850-1861

1. Plan in 1850 on Slavery Aims to Save Union
2. The South Asks for Justice, Simple Justice
3. The Fresh Air of Liberty and Union
4. Millard Fillmore Signs Compromise of 1850
5. Pierce, New President, Is Friendly but Weak
6. The Kansas-Nebraska Bill Divides the Country
7. Kansas Takes Steps Towards Statehood
8. The Struggle Over Slavery in the Kansas Territory
9. Slavery Debate Intensifies With Dred Scott Ruling
10. The Effort to Make Kansas a Slave State
11. Search for Gold Drives Settlers to the West
12. Brigham Young Leads His Mormons to a New Home
13. The Story of the Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858
14. Slavery Crisis Eases, but Not for Very Long
15. Story of John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
16. A Failed Attempt to Raise a Rebel Army of Slaves
17. Hopes, Fears and the Election of 1860
18. Lincoln Takes Presidency of a Nation in Crisis
19. South Carolina Leaves Union, Tensions Increase
20. Lincoln Names a Cabinet
21. Lincoln's Policy on South Is Soon Tested

The Civil War

1. The Civil War Begins
2. The Civil War's First Days
3. The North Loses the First Major Battle of the War
4. Lincoln Names a General to Defend Washington
5. The Civil War at Sea
6. South Defends Its Capital
7. At Bull Run, a Terrible Defeat for the North
8. Lincoln Needs a Victory
9. Lincoln Declares Slaves Free in Rebel States
10. The South Wins a Victory, but at a Great Cost - The Battle of Chancellorsville
11. Lee and His Army Cross Into the North
12. As the Civil War Grows, So Does Opposition
13. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address
14. Battle of Vicksburg Splits the Southern Confederacy
15. Closing in on Richmond, the Confederate Capital
16. Sherman's March to the Sea
17. Election of 1864
18. Victory Is Close for the Union
19. Surrender at Appomattox

1865-1880

1. After the Civil War: Death of Lincoln Helps Unite a Divided Nation
2. Searching for the Man Who Shot Lincoln
3. Final Surrender of the Confederate Army
4. Andrew Johnson: The Story of America's Seventeenth President
5. The Great Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson
6. Reconstruction: After the Civil War, the American South Rebuilds
7. Election of 1868: Famous War Hero Becomes President
8. President Grant: Civil War Hero Faces Battles of Politics
9. Questions of Wrongdoing Trouble President Grant's Second Term
10. Election of 1876: One of the Closest in American History
11. Rutherford Hayes Wins Disputed 1876 Presidential Election
12. Gold! How the Search for Riches Drove Development After the U.S. Civil War
13. Early Country Music: Cowboys Told About Their Lives in Song
14. Native Americans Went to War to Protect Their Lands
15. Native Americans Fight Two Wars Over Land Rights
16. How the Western United States Was Settled

1880-1900

1. James Garfield: Gunfire Ends a Presidency After Only Six Months
2. 1881: Vice President Chester Arthur Replaces Murdered Leader
3. Grover Cleveland: A Democrat Wins the White House in 1884
4. Immigrants: America's Industrial Growth Depended on Them
5. American Lawmakers React to Flood of Immigrants in Late 1800s
6. Election of 1888: Voters Cared Most About Import Taxes
7. Competition Drives Industrial Growth in the Late 1800s
8. Grover Cleveland Returns to the White House in 1892
9. Nation Is in Economic Trouble as President Cleveland Takes Office
10. President Cleveland Uses Federal Troops to Stop Railroad Strike
11. Election of 1896: It Came Down to a Question of Money
12. Trade Drives America's Foreign Policy in the Late 1800's
13. United States Declares War on Spain in 1898
14. William McKinley: The Twenty-Fifth President of the United States
15. Theodore Roosevelt Becomes America's Youngest Leader

1900-1916

1. Theodore Roosevelt Leads America Into the 20th Century
2. Theodore Roosevelt Answers Public Demand for Reforms
3. President Roosevelt Decides to Build the Panama Canal
4. Teddy Roosevelt's Policies Lead to Social Reform in America
5. William Howard Taft Replaces Teddy Roosevelt as President
6. President Taft Breaks From Teddy Roosevelt -- His Closest Friend
7. Woodrow Wilson Wins 1912 Presidential Election
8. America's Economic Life Changes Under President Woodrow Wilson
9. Wilson Presidency Remembered Best for Its Foreign Policy

World War I

1. Wilson Is Re-elected in 1916 on a Promise: 'He Kept Us Out of War!'
2. 'Right Is More Precious Than Peace': U.S. Enters World War One
3. 1918: American and German Forces Meet on a Battlefield Near Paris
4. Technology Helps the Allied Forces Win World War One
5. President Wilson Begins Negotiations for a World War One Peace Treaty
6. World War One Ends, but Wilson Knows His Battle Is Only Half Over

1919-1929

1. Wilson Builds Public Support for the League of Nations
2. America Turns Inward After World War One
3. Lost in the Stars: Movies Become Big Business in 1920s America
4. America's Fear of Communism in 1920 Becomes a Threat to Rights
5. Americans Vote for Change in 1920 as Harding Promises 'Normalcy'
6. After Harding Dies, Coolidge Aims to Rebuild Trust in the Government
7. 'Roaring Twenties' a Time of Economic and Social Change
8. In the 1920s, a Burst of American Art and Expression Takes Form
9. A Turn to the Right: Conservatism Grows in America in the 1920s
10. Blacks Set Out in Search of a Better Life in 1920s American Society
11. Coolidge Easily Wins Election of 1924
12. By 1920, America Had Become World's Top Economic Power
13. Election of 1928: Americans Are Presented With a Clear Choice
14. Hoover's High Hopes for American Economy Come Crashing Down

mid-1930s- The Great Depression