The Century: America's Time

Reporter Peter Jennings hosts this important series that chronicles the events and experiences of America in the twentieth century, the century that Henry Luce dubbed

Episode 12, Apocalypse Now

The turbulence of the 1960s paved the way for the election of Richard Nixon. Distraught at the violence and unrest of the nation, Nixon's

Discussion Questions

  1. Richard Nixon became president in 1969. Why was Nixon such a poor choice for the divided nation?

  2. Who were the

  3. In 1970, National Guardsmen killed four students at Kent State University. How did the killings at Kent State epitomize the destructive divide in America?

  4. What are identity politics? Are they empowering or are they divisive?

  5. American soldiers were better equipped, better fed and in better health than the Vietnamese soldiers. Yet, the American soldiers where not able to defeat the Vietnamese. Why were the Vietnamese soldiers so resilient?

  6. Nixon's crowning achievement as president was his trip to China. Why was his trip to China so monumental?

  7. Discuss some of the problems Vietnam veterans had adjusting to American society when they came home. Why did they have so many problems?

  8. Why was Watergate such a scandal? How did it bring down the president of the United States?

  9. Discuss the impact of the Watergate scandal on the American public, American confidence and American history.

  10. How did the inability of the United States to defeat North Vietnam reveal cracks in the seemingly impenetrable military might of the country?

  11. How did the fall of Saigon end an era?
Extended Activities

  1. Design a commemorative medal for the 1969 moonwalk.

  2. Design a movie poster for Easy Rider.

  3. Design a memorial for American POWs and MIAs of the Vietnam War.
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