More than just war stories or military history, the global conflicts of the 20th century offer a unique opportunity to explore a wide range of themes and lessons.

The life experiences of ordinary individuals who participated in these extraordinary events provide:

• Context for the local impact of America’s participation in global events
• Links to overseas communities
• Context for local historical sites
• Millions of individual stories to explore
• Vast number of primary sources (original accounts, military records, census documents, immigration records, etc.), many in the public domain and available online
• Massive amount of secondary sources

In addition, the experience of each generation helps contextualize other historical lessons and themes:

World War 1:

• The Birth of Modern America
• The Progressive Era
• Immigration
• Urbanization
• Women’s suffrage
• Minority experiences

World War 2:

• The Great Depression
• The New Deal
• Rise of Fascism
• Isolationism vs. interventionism
• The Holocaust
• Women and minorities
• Post-war institutions

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By participating in IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS, students have the opportunity to not only remember the contributions of these generations, but to develop their own academic skills and deepen their understanding of today’s world.