This 13-minute video explains how Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union had implications across the globe. In Latin America, the United States sought to assert influence over national governments through economic and military means, with far-reaching consequences. When Ronald Reagan, a strong anti-communist, took office as president in 1981, he was determined to assert America’s power and put a stop to any Soviet influence around the world. This was the centerpiece of his foreign policy and influenced everything from U.S. military buildup to funding and covert military support for countries in Central America. This lesson examines how the actions of the Reagan administration were in line with and a departure from previous administrations.
The Murder of US Churchwomen in El Salvador That Exposed a Government Coverup
The murder of four American churchwomen focused attention on the United States’ involvement in El Salvador. Decades later, the case continues to take surprising turns.
In 1980, four American churchwomen, working as missionaries, were raped and then murdered in El Salvador. The killings created a storm of protest in the United States, revealed the brutality of the civil war in El Salvador and raised awareness about America’s policies in Central America. Now, the families of the slain churchwomen are still hoping to find justice — this time in American immigration courts.
Related: Laying Out a Case for Deporting Human Rights Abusers by Clyde Haberman Massacre in El Salvador produced with PBS, Frontline and ProPublica Remembrance of a Massacre — El Mozote: Foreward by Raymond Bonner, photographs by Susan Meiselas First-Hand Account: Lessons From the El Mozote Massacre by Clyde Haberman The High Price of Doing Journalism in El Salvador by Nelson Rauda
- Lesson plan 1: A Search for Justice
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- Producer: Kit R. Roane
- Producer: Raymond Bonner