The first reports of AIDS cases in the United States came in June 1981, which marked the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The early years of the AIDS epidemic in the United States had substantial effects on America’s health system, politics, and culture. In this lesson, students analyze historical documents, including video and audio interviews, to investigate what caused the AIDS crisis in the United States.
Image: Photograph of the AIDS Memorial Quilt on display in Washington, D.C., in 1987. From the Library of Congress.