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Cuban Missile Crisis WebQuest

"But children lived in Levittown
And hid in the shelters underground
Unitl the Soviets turned their ships around
And tore the Cuban missiles down
And in that bright October sun
We knew our childhood days were done
And I watched my friends go off to war
What do they keep on fighting for?"

Excerpt from Leningrad
By
Billy Joel

Introduction: The Cuban Missile Crisis was a real scare for not only the U.S.A and the U.S.S.R, but for the entire world. Two powerful nations with nuclear capabilites came close to an all out war. Feeling threatned by another U.S. backed invasion Cuba reached out to the U.S.S.R for help. Soviet Premier Khrushchev sent missiles with nuclear warheads to Cuba. Feeling threatened by these actions President Kennedy had to make a major decision on what course of action the nation should take. Should they invade Cuba, blockade Cuba, try negotiations, or implement an airstrike over the missile sites? For nearly two weeks the world faced the possibility of a nuclear holocaust.

Task:
To understand how the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union was affected by the Cuban Missile Crisis, how people believed that a nuclear holocaust.
Students should be able to formulate opinions on the following questions:

1) Was this Kennedy's finest hour or a president who was over agressive in his crusade against communism?

2) Could the Cuban Missile Crisis been avoided?

3) Why was America so concerned with Cuba in the first place?

Process: By visiting the various websites below, devoted to the Cuban Missile Crisis, you will be able to understand the issues raised in the Task. Look at varoious documents in the websites to see how the players (JFK, Khrushchev, & Castro) viewed this intense and nearly catastrophic situation. Once the process is complete students can either:

A) Act as an advisor to Kennedy and write a letter stating how you would handle the situation

B) Place yourself in the Oval Office. You are Kennedy addressing the American people on October 22, 1962. Write an address to the American people reassuring them and telling them how you plan on handling the situation.

C) Put yourself at JFK's desk and write a letter to Khrushchev trying to resolve the crisis.

Resources/Web Links

JFK National Library
Read or listen toKennedy's address to the nation about Cuban Blockade
National Security Agency
View declassified documents pertaining to the Cuban Missile Crisis
American Presidents
Read a response letter from President Kennedy to Chairman Khrushchev
14 Days in October
An interactive website with biographical info on the key players, a timeline, and games

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