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Presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower
A man in his 60s from Kansas, Eisenhower was reluctantly ran for president under the Rebulican Party. He ws extremely popular, gaining fame and honors for organizing the D-Day invasion as a general in WWII. Despite--or perhaps due to--Eisenhower being a General, he took several measures to avert or end war. The U.S. enjoyed prosperity and peace during his presidency.
History Channel Series: The Presidents -
McCarthy Loses His Power
Senator Joseph McCarthy rose to power by claiming that there were several know communists working in the state deoartment. He began whitch-hunts that ruined lives and threatened free speech in a dangerous practice of "McCarthyism." He finally lost his power after accusing the U.S. Army of being communist. It probably was not his wisest political move, seeing as it ended his cruel career.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Brown v. Board of Education Ruling
The supreme court ruled that segregation in public schools was unequal, and therefore unconstitutional. This reversed the earlier Plessy v. Ferguson ruling and was the beginning of desegregation.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Emmett Till is Murdered
Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black boy was visciously brutallized, tortured and lynched by a mob of white people in Mississippi. He was allegedly "leering" at a white woman, which was crime enough to be murdered in Mississippi. This would galvanize many civil rights groups and movements for years to come. The civil rights movement had its first myrtr.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Rosa Parks Refuses to Give Up Her Seat
In Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks refused to relinquish her seat for a white man. Her arrest would lead to the launching of the year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott, a huge step in the civil rights movement that would also see Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.'s involvement in civil rights for the first time. -
Interstate Highway Act
Backed by Eisenhower, it was a $27 Billion plan to build 42,000 miles of paved motorways. This led to faster suburbanization and gave countless jobs in construction. Not to mention the huge benefits it presented to the trucking, automobile, oil, and travel industries. Also, the biggesest public works project in the U.S.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) Formed
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. aimed to mobilize the power of the black churches on behalf of civil rights. Being a revrend himself, he knew well that the chuches were the best organized groups the black community had. -
"Little Rock Nine" Escorted to Classes
Governer of Arkansas, staunch segregationist, and Grade-A moron Orval Faubus actually mobilized the National Guard to prevent nine black children from enrolling in Little Rock's Central High School. So, responding to this challenge to his authority, Eisenhower sent troops to kindly escort the children to and from all their classes. Chackmate, Faubus.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
The "Sit-In" Movement Launched
In a lonely little "white-only" Woolworth's lunch counter located in Greensboro, North Carolina, four black college freshman were about to make history. They demanded service at the counter. When they were denied, they returned with 19 students. Then 85. And a thosand by the week's end. The movement grew exponentiallythrough the South, leading to any number of wade-ins, lie-ins, pray-ins, etc.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 20 -
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Formed
If one were to imagine the Sit-In Movement as a person, SNCC was that the product of that person going through puberty. Young people were too impassioned and proactive to remain disorganized, and the SCLC and NAACP were too slow in their tactics. So, young people decided to organize themselves into a strong Civil Rights organization.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
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Presidency of John F. Kennedy
A Democrat from Massachusetts, Kennedy was the youngest president ever elected--just 43 years old. He was handsome, likeable, witty, charismatic, and a role-model for American men. He was a an "open-door" manager. He was much loved all way up to his assassination by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas Texas. Though he was only in office for a legendary "1,000 Days," he would leave a huge, lasting footprint on world history.
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More Military Advisors Sent to Vietnam
President Kennedy decided to send more "advisos" (U.S. troops, such as the Green Berets) to South Vietnam to help the struggling government there against the Communists. This symbolized the beginning of ever-increasing U.S, involvent that would be so costly.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Noninflationary Wage Agreement
The Kennedy Administration negotiated a reasonable agreement with the steel industry, in which they said they would keep a lid on their prices. Well, almost immediately after, bone-headed steel managment announced price increases. Needless to say this infuriated Kennedy and he called the "big steel" managers to the Oval Office to release his fury so badly that they would never cross him again
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Kennedy Declares a Naval "Quarantine" on Cuba
The Cuban Missle Crisis: Unquestionably the most dangerous game of chicken ever played by anyone in all of human history before or since. Ever. After discovering that the Russians were assembling missles in Cuba, Kennedy decided to blockade--whoops, I mean "quarantine"-- the island of Cuba. This (thankfully) ended with Khrushchev backing down and pulling his missles out of Cuba.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Civil Rights Protests and Marches in Alabama
Peaceful protesters march to end segregation in Birmingham, Alabama. The city responded to the peaceful protests of people who merely wanted their rights by setting fire-hoses and dogs on them. The image of this shocked the world and President Kennedy immediately gave a speech addresing the event.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
The March on Washington
A beautiful moment for civil rights, the March was stirred by President Kennedy's proposing of new civil rights legeslation. This was the site of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, as well as many other momentous speeches in a tremendous show of support for the civil rights movement.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
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Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson
A Democrat from Texas, Johnson was sworn into office aboard Airforce One immediately following the assassination of Kennedy. Though he swore to uphold Kennedy's legacy, he had great ambition of his own. He was competative, had a big ego, and wanted to be the greatest. He got in people's faces and bullyed them to get what he wanted. He would cave from the stress of Vietnam and not run for reelection.
History Channel Series: The Presidents -
Civil Rights Act
One of Lyndon B Johnson's proudest moments as president, and one of the few things he actually did to carry on Kennedy's legacy, this Civil Rights Act was also an enormous victory for the Civil Rights movement. The act banned racial discrimination in public establishments, strengthened governmental power to end segregation in schools, and helped eliminate discrimination in work hiring
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Gulf of Tonkin Incident and Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin was where two U.S. Navy destroyers were fired upon by North Vietnamese forces. In respose, Congress gave the President a "blank-check" to deal with the situation how he saw fit. -
OPERATION: ROLLING THUNDER
After Vietnamese geurillas agitated U.S. air bases, Johnson ordered serious retaliation. "Rolling Thunder" reffered to the regular, full-scale bombings on North Korea. It must have just been easier for the U.S to blanket the jungles in explosives than actually look for their foes. By the year's end, there would be at least 184,000 American troops involved in th muddy, bloody war.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
The Immigration and Nationality Act is Passed
Abolished the "national-origins" quota fron 1921. The act doubled the amount of immigrants allowed to enter annually. Also, the law provided for the admission of close relatives of U.S. citizens outside numerical limits, uniting many families at last.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965, passed exactly 100 years after the Civil War, marked the end of the worst of rascism. It banned literacy tests and sent federal voter resgistrars into southern states. This was a huge victory that the Civil Rights Movement had been looking forward to for years., and from that time on, the black vote has been a driving power in the South.Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
The Tet Offensive
While the U.S. believed that the war in Vietnam was almost won, the communists surprised them with simultaneous attacks on 27 critical South Vietnamese cities, including the capital of Saigon. Although the U.S. was "victorious," it was a defeat in that it had shown the world that the war was not nearly over and that the U.S. would not win using gradual escalation. -
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The Presidency of Richard Nixon
Nixon, a Republican from California spent the years before his presidency scheming and plotting for the presidecy. It would seem that old habits die hard, as the scheming and plotting would continue. He was extremely insecure, secretive, and generally a loner. He harbored a dangerous cocktail of ambition and paranoia that led to duratic measures. This crescendoed to the infamous, career-ending Watergate scandal.
The Histort Channel Series: The Presidents -
The Watergate Scandal
Five men being arrested at the Watergate office-appartment complext was the beginning of the end for pood old Nixon. After several hearings, some investigative reporting, and many shocking details, serious ties that ran all the way up the White House to Nixon were discovered and he was charged with obstruction of justice. This ended with his resignation on August 9th, 1974 Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
The "Energy Crisis"
Arab nations planced an embargo on the United States for supporting Israel in their war, causing a shortage of oil. It was a winter of low thermostats and little driving. It galvanized the building of the Alaskan pipeline and the imposing of a national speed limit of 55. This marked the end of cheap, abundant energy for the U.S. and would be the start of many conflicts in the Middle-East -
Roe v. Wade
The Supreme Court ruled that anti-abortion laws were unconstitutional, since the constitution protected privacy, which included the option to terminate a pregnancy. This was a landmark decision for femenists of the day.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
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Presidency of Gerald R. Ford
Rebulican "Jerry" Ford, the only U.S. president to not be elected was subject to the most extensive background check in U.S. history. What they found as undobtably spotless. The decent, straightforward, agreeable Eagle Scout was almost flawless. He fit perfectly into the tast of healing the nation, and is remembered as a amiable president.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Richard Nixon Pardoned
One of the first things Gerald Ford did in office was to pardon Richard Nixon of his crimes. He intended to put the whole messiness of Watergate beind the country and move on, but it casted more doubt on his presidency than anything
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006 -
Defeat in Vietman
After North Vietnam's long-expected attack, Ford pleaded with Congress to send help, but it was all in vain. On April 9th, the South Vietnamese were crushed and thousands of Americans and South Vietnamese fled Vietnam.
Kennedy, David., et al. The American Pageant. Thirteenth edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006
