Books in We the People: Industrial America series

The crew of the USS Indianapolis had just delivered top secret cargo intended to end World War II. The ship was already moving into position for its next mission when it was hit by two enemy torpedoes and quickly sank into the Pacific Ocean. Survivors clung to each other, waiting to be rescued. For three days, they floated in ocean waters where they struggled against thirst, hunger, exhaustion, and sharks.

On a bright sunny morning on September 11, 2001, hijackers took control of four U.S. commercial airplanes. The terrorists crashed two planes into two World Trade Center Towers in New York City. Forty minutes later, hijackers crashed another plane into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Passengers on a fourth hijacked plane resisted, and the plane crashed in an empty Pennsylvania field. The tragic events of September 11 killed nearly 3,000 people, scarred Americans, and changed the world forever.

On June 25, 1950, thousands of North Korean troops streamed into South Korea, leading an invasion that caught most of the world by surprise. The United States quickly responded by sending troops to help the South Koreans defend their country. Help from other members of the United Nations came in the form of combat units, medical teams, food, and other supplies. For more than three years, the war raged on, leading to the deaths of countless soldiers and civilians.

On a beautiful spring day in 1970, the Vietnam War came to Ohio. In less than 15 seconds, rifles fired by 28 Ohio National Guardsmen killed four college students and injured nine others. The shootings at Kent State University on May 4, 1970, were sparked by protests against the Vietnam War. And like the war itself, the shootings remain a source of bitter arguments and strong emotions.

The South Vietnamese village of My Lai was the site of one of the most tragic events of the Vietnam War. On March 16, 1968, U.S. soldiers entered the village and killed hundreds of civilians. Though a few Army officers soon learned about the killings, it was more than a year before the rest of the world heard the truth about the massacre. As the story unfolded, one lieutenant was found to be responsible for the actions of the platoon. However, many Americans wondered if he deserved to be singled out.