This episode of Time Machine provides a look at America's civil defense programs. Combining archival footage and interviews, Civil Defense: The War At Home affords the viewer both an historical account of civil defense systems and an analysis of the current threats that face America. It examines the civil defense systems of W.W. II, the Cold War, and the terrorist threats of today.

Civil Defense: The War At Home would be useful for classes on American History, Current Events, Cultural History, The History of Science and Technology and Civics. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

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1. Narrator Jack Perkins states that this program "is about our borders and ourselves." What does Perkins mean by this statement? How is Perkin's statement applicable to the U.S.'s civil defense programs?

2. The greatest threat to civil defense today is terrorism. How is terrorism different from an officially declared war? How would defense systems differ for a war and for an act of terrorism?

3. How can you define civil defense? What does it include? Are there any civil defense programs in your area?

4. Why is civil defense so important to the U.S., or any other nation?

5. Civil defense depends on the ability of the system to inform the people. How has the U.S. informed people about civil defense programs? What methods of communication has the U.S. employed?

6. Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in December, 1941. What is the legacy of Japan's attack for civil defense in the U.S.?

7. Advances in technology in the 20th century have been rapid and dramatic. How has technology influenced the way the U.S. defends itself on the home front?

8. How did nuclear anxieties influence American culture, especially the film industry, in the 1950s?

9. Considering that the Cold War has ended and there is no imminent threat of war to the U.S., is the U.S. at risk today more than ever before? If so, why? If not, why not?

10. How has the end of the Cold War influenced terrorism?

11. With the advances in science and technology of the 20th century, it is now feasible to conduct war and terrorism by biological means. Why is biological warfare or terrorism so insidious?

1. Contact your local civil defense program or emergency management program and request a speaker for your class. Prepare questions to ask the speaker that address how you and your classmates can be prepared in event of an emergency.

2. Design a bomb shelter similar to the ones used in the 1950s that people built to protect themselves and their families from a nuclear attack.

3. Create a poster illustrating the steps you should take in the event of an emergency. This includes natural disasters such as hurricanes and other forms of severe weather, as well as fires.

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