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The First Indochina War
President Truman took the initiative to disappoint Ho Chi Minh after WWII. He seen the situation as a chance to elaborate on the struggle against comunism. He was strongly against the communists and decided to side with the french. Events started to quicken and the communists began to expand and N. Korea invaded S. Korea. These events were the core of the U.S. in their fight to contain the spread of communism. -
The Domino Theory Becomes a Concern
Eisenhower became president and explained the effects of vietnam falling. He said communism would overtake many of the southeast asia countries. To make sure we won this fight against communism the U.S. sent the french war supplies in vietnam while they fought. The french, however, were not able to stand ground and were defeated in what Ho Chi Minh called a fight betweena tiger and an elephant. -
Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott Begins
The African Ameericans who rode the bus everyday to and from work were not satisfied with the treatment they were given while riding. They were done givig up their seats to the whites and being treated like they didn't matter at all. They boycotted all Montgomery bus stations. Rosa Parks started this action when she refused to give up her seat on the back of the bus - the black section- for a white to sit down. This boycott lasted one day while she was arrested and bus companies failed. -
A Decline pf Black Power
The FBI was worried that many of the Civil Rights groups were led by communists. A secret program within the FBI agencies fed information to the government to see what was really happening. The Black Panthrs were suspected most by the FBI who wanted to go to combat with them. Since the panthers were usually armed the FBI had to shoot or arrest them. Many of the panthers fled to the U.S. to avoid arrest and they found out later on that the SNCC group was behind some of the nonsense too. -
The SCLC organization is born
After the bus boycotts many of the african americans wanted to continue to shut out the whites and prove their point of equality.The Southern Christian Leadership Conference protected blacks and gave them a chance to protest for their rights. Their leader was MLK jr. who lead the civil rights movement as well. This organization was open to any race and anyone of the christain faith who had a point to prove. -
The Little Rock Crisis
In Little Rock Arkansas, the governor was strongly against integrating his school. He did not want african american kids going to school with the whites kids. He hired the National Guard to keep out the nine black students that wanted to enter his school. They were refered to as the "Little Rock Nine". When President Eisenhower got a wind of this he sent in troops to allow the nine kids to atend this school. They eventually got in but the harrassment did not stop. -
The Sit-In Movement
The first sit-in was initiated in Greensboro, North Carolina, where four college students wanted coffee but were denied due to their race. They continued to sit where they were until arressted but when they weren't they continued to bring more protesters in everyday to prove their point. Many whites were okay with this tactic because of their peaceful nonviolent way of handling it. This act proved lawsons's theories to be accurate. -
Kennedy Becomes Preident
The two parties involved in this election were John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. They were in the race to see who would prosper and take the role of the new president of the United States. The election was held in the U.S. all states voted but Kennedy did not end up with a clear mandate making the voting close. He only prospered based on his movie star looks promising a great future and speaking with ease and authority on T.V. makng people change their votes from Nixon to Kennedy. -
Freedom Riders Emerge
Southern whites did not like to enforce the law of equality on the buses. The CORE organization then began to send a few african americans on freedom rides to get off at every stop and use the whites only restrooms. They thought these actions would upset many of the southern whites and cause the authorities to enforce the law. This movement to try to enforce the law did unfortunately end when many of the freedom riders were beaten and the authorities showed no signs of caring. -
The New Frontier Begins
Kennedy wanted to change the nation. Many of his proposals were blocked which led to him not achieving a clear mandate. When he presented the Area Redevelopment Act, which provided assistance to the rural poor areas or regions, he didnt need the court to help him because the country alread approved. Kennedy also promoted the New Frontier by introducing the exploration of space. -
East Germans Escaping to Freedom in West Berlin
The U.S. and The Soviet Union were the two sides involved. East Germans were trying to escape to freedom by climbing the Berlin wall entering into West Berlin freeing them of communism. This occurnace was happening in East Germany and West Berlin. East Germany's population was decreasing which was causing the Soviets to become angry. The wall was built spliting apart families and neighborhoods in the ultimate goal to ensure that no more people escaped from east germany into west berlin. -
Revival Of The Women's Movement Becomes Real
The 19th amendment gave women a right to vote in 1920. After that they began to fill the workforce occupying one-third. It didn't matter back then if you were working the same job as a man you were still paid a lower wage. They began to make it clear that they were being treated unfairly in the workplace. This was unfair to pay women less because they wanted to work and they wanted to leave the house. The women wouldn't stand for this and began to rebel. -
Missles Are Found In Cuba
The twosides involved were the Soviet Union and the U.S. (President Kennedy). Photos were taken from the U-2 planes that flew over the missle sites in Cuba.The U.S. knew that the Soviets were hiding the missles and wanted to make it apprent thatthey had evidence. They wanted them to get rid of the missles but of corse the soviets had to come up with a reason why they shouldn't. They found that the U.S had missles in Turkey and said they would only get rid of theirs if Turkey got rid of theirs. -
The March on Washington
President Kennedy called for a civil rights law in june of 1963. When african american leaders heard about this they wanted to fight for their jobs and freedoms. They planned to walk on the nation's capital marking the largest civil rights demonstration in history. Many civil rights figures spoke to the crowd from the Lincoln memorial steps. This is also where MLK Jr. made his "I Have A Dream" speech adressing african americans long struggle for freedom. -
President Kennedy Is Assassinated
THe president insisted on being part of the public the day he rode in the motorcade, which meant he would be riding without a bulletproof shield. SHots rang out from the sixth floor of the school book depository building fataly injuring kennedy. Lee Harvey Oswald is said to have killed him having close ties with Cuba, Kennedy's death shocked the nation and affected many. They tried to shape the nation's memory of the fallen president. -
Johnson Takes Over As President
Johnson went into office and developed a speech to share with the nation that caught the attention of many. The nation could see that Johnson wished he didnt have to become presidnet for the reasons he did. He pelased the nation by promising no dramatic changes to Kennedy's ways of leading. He kept all of Kennedy's emplyees and gained popularity. He wated to continue the new frontier ideas and make Kennedy a legacy. -
The Boricua Movement
Puerto Ricans refer to themselves as Boricuas to portray ethnic pride as the mexicans did with their chicano name. Many Puerto ricans wanted to move to the mainlands of the U.S. after the Spanish- American war. Many of the employers in the U.S. brought the puerto ricans to the jobs they offered because they didn't have to pay them alot. The Boricuas took the jobs because it was their one way of migrating into the U.S. and get paid. -
The Warren Court Acts on Freedom
Cheif Justice Earl Warren greatly influenced individual rights and freedom decisions. He was the one who achieved the ban on racial segregation through the Brown vs Board case. The court also extended the Bill of Rights giving a search warrant to the fourth amendment. The actions of this court guaranteed relgious freedoms which are clearly stated in the first amendment. -
The 1964 Election : Great Society
Herbert Humphery ends up winning the race for vice presdient againt Barry Goldwater. Barry was said to lead the country into nuclear war which no one wanted. With humphery winning the election it secured the clear mandate that Johnson needed. With this win he wanted to ensure that his healthcare plan was installed. He introduced medicaid to help the poor and medicare to help the elderly. This ensured that everyone got a fair chance to recieve the help they needed. -
The Mississippi Crisis
200 volunteers for the Freedom Summer program arrived in Mississippi to teach summer school or to register blacks for their chance to vote. One group went missing when they investigated an african american church that had been bombed. Their bodies were later found in August and after that many of the volunteers were beaten, shot, or arrested for their acts of educating blacks. Even though many of the volunteers were caught, Freedom Summer taught 3,000 students and regustered 17,000 blacks. -
The Tonkin Gulf Resolution
LBJ took over president of the U.S. during the battle in south vietnam. Vietcong controlled 40% of south vietnam at this point in time. The president wanted to expand military involvemnet so he wnet on the televison and announced the Maddox was attacked at the Gulf of Tonkin, a battleship. LBJ made a resolution to enable all attacks on the U.S. to be repelled. Many people disagreed with Johnson's actions to expand war. -
The War On Poverty Errupts
Kennedy showed a great interest in antipoverty programs. He always wanted to accomplish things that haven't been done and expand on the thngs that have. Johnson carried out Kennedy's ways by estalishing the Economic Opportunity Act to ensure work trainging for young people. -
The Rise of Counterculture
The counterculture was mainly based on the rebellion of teens and young adults against society. Many of the kids in this time blamed their parents for the war and problems the nation was facing. Soon many students were rebelling against their schools policies and creating movements to get what they wanted. During these actions the Free Speech Movement was born. It allowed everyone to say what they felt when they felt like saying it. -
The Selma Campaign Turns Into A March For Voting RIghts
MLK organized a march to gain voting rights for african americans. Many of the marchers were arressted and shot for going against the wishes of the police. When King was finally arressted he still managed to organize the march against the harsh ways of the police. 600 blacks marched in Selma, through all of the beatings and bombings they stuck to what they believed in and made it to Montgomery on March 25th. -
The Antiwar Movement
This movemnt involved all people of the nation. It was mostly effective on college campuses where numerous groups of students opposed the efforts of the draft. They led marches and a petition in which they shouted that they wanted to end the war now, no more drafts. They grew so angry that they began burning the american flag and their draft cards to prove a point. These actions upset many americans and caused many previous veterans to become angry. -
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 Is Passed Today
President Johnson presented the nation with a tough voting rights law. He didn't want anyone of his fellow americans denied the chance to vote. The act was passed with a vast majority agreeing to it. MLK, Rosa Parks, and James Farmer, attened the signing ceremony for the document and were pleased that they had made this change in the nation. It is said to be the most important piece of civil rights documents ever passed. It helped to knock down the barriers that hung over the african americans. -
Black Power Errupts
By the mid 1960's the nation was starting to see a change in the way people felt about ending racial discrimination. Many thought that the groups involved in the movement were contradicting their efforts and caused harrassment to break loose. In 1966, Stokely Carmichael led the black power movement which deleted the nonviolence philosophy. Now many organizations used violent actions to get their points across and to prove that blacks were as good as whites and had power. -
Hippie Culture Arises
Hippies wanted to expeirnce the world in a variety of different ways. Some of this involved experimenting with durgs and switching to a new reilgion. Hippies usually expressed their freedom with the trendy tye-dye clothing that portrayed the happy and carefree attitude they wanted. Their hair was normally grown out long and the men tended to grow beards. Many of them wore flowers in their hair starting the flower children being born. -
The Poor People's Campaign Expands Civil RIghts
MLK Jr. was a firm believer that many people couldn't achieve equality becasue they were too poor. He wanted to find ways to help them. When he died he was unable to fulfill this effort so Ralph Abernathy head of SCLC took over. This campaign turned out to be a disaster not being able to express the reason why they were protesting as KIng used to be able to clearly define. Many of it's members were from inner city gangs and caused police to empty the city. The SCLC declined in embarrassment. -
The Movement Expands
African Americans were given the right to vote in the southern part of the nation. In the North many of the states already allowed the blacks to vote but they had other problems. Most of the states were stuck to customs and practices they knew rather than folowing the law and were stuck facing de facto segregation. When King heard about this he tried to help by marching blacks into Chicago to prove the point that anything you put your mind to can and will be heard by the world. -
The Chicano Movement Is Introduced
Chicanos was another name for mexicanos. They were supporters of political tactics and stayed true to their ethnic pride. Later down the road the mexicans used the term mexican american to portray that they had american views rather than only mexican ones. The U.S. had many ties with the mexicans due to our Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo after the Mexican-American war promising land claims in mexican territories that had been annexed. -
The Tet Offensive Effects
This action showed that no part of S. vietnam was safe from attack. Cronkite told the American public the situation in vietnam. LBJ was getting criticized for sending more kids to fight in the war and no progress was being made. When LBJ ran for re-election no one favored his war effort plans which made him fall behind. LBJ then withdrew from the race for president and refused to hurt any more americans and let his country down. -
King Is Assassinated
King went to Memphis Tennessee to help african americans fight in their strike for work & pay policy. When he arrived he led the march and stayed to give a speech a few days later on April 4, 1968. While standing on his motel balcony, James Early Ray shot his rifle at King instantly killing him. The black nation broke out in violence and erupted in rioting after learning about the assassination of their leader. People knew he wouldn't have wanted this violent reaction but they were outraged. -
The Democratic Convention
McCarthy and Humphery were the only two remaining the race for vice president after Robert Kennedy was killed. McCarthy showed weakness in many americans eyes and Humphery was to closely tied to Johnson's failed war policies. Everyone wanted the winner to end war immediately. Protesters gathered outside the hall to throw rocks and state their opions on the matter. The nation broke out into violence and it was clear no one was getting into the vice president position without promising wars end. -
The Air War
Direct U.S. militray activity began in the air in vietnam. Operation Rolling Thunder was put into commission. LBJ wanted to demonstrate his will for independence. The troops bombed military bases on N. vietnam. Ho Chi Trail was the hiding places for many of vietcong's vegetation and supplies which the U.S. quickly found and destroyed. Cluster bombs, bombs full of metal, were used to destroy large amounts of land in vietnam. The vietcong only survived because of the continuous supply from China. -
Richard Nixion Takes Office
With the Democratic party being divided it seemed like the republicans were going to prosper. Nixion made the smart choice of selecting a southern governor to partner with to get more votes from the south. He promised land and order which gave him more followers who supported him. He wanted to let all americans know that the war must end soon and they would end it honorably. He wiped the slate clean with 301 electoral votes and took office as the new president. -
Art and FIlm Become Popular
Many artitsts of this era began their work only to please one cultural critic at a time.When more people becames artists new forms of art were starting to come up such as the pop art style. This idea was introduced to appeal to people's eye and mimic movies and comic books. Films and music branched off from these pop art sculptures and gave the teens of the century a way to express themselves and live. -
The Ground War
The ground forces began to expand. William Westmoreland was the head of the search and destroy missions taking place. They drove the enemy out of their hiding places. Some civilians surrounding the area were totured by the vietcong due to aiding the american troops. Pacification was also enforced to ensure safety of the people and the land. Vietcong managed to win due to a steady supply of goods from China and the S.U. again. -
La Raza Unida Takes A Stand
The creator of this group was Gutierrez and he said it meant the united people. The main task of the group was to end job discrimination and improve public services while educating migrant workers. An organization called RUP was a main participant in the colorado elections. Even though it didn't have alot of success it raised awareness of the chicano causes and problems. -
The 1972 Election
Nixion v.s Geroge McGovern. McGovern was outspoken and not afriad to criticize what was happening in the war and how it needed an immediate end. He wanted to ensure the ratification of the 26th amendment, changing the voting age from 21 to 18, to allow himself more support. Nixion would not stand for this and ensured law and order and a quick end to war. This won the election for Nixion and he swept the election with 60.7% of the vote. -
The Wars Powers Act Is Enforced
The communists ended up overtaking S. vietnam. Over $100 billion were spent on the war. Programs such as education were now denied the opportunity to grow due to this large deficit. The act reeaffirms congress's right to declare war and gives them a time span to complete it in. They have to get approvals of many other sources, Future events will now be compared to the vietnam war and no one will go to war if it ends up looking like it might end up being another vietnam cotastrophe. -
Native Americans Fight For Fairness
LBJ was a firm supporter of the indian self-determination program. The American Indian Movemnt made it clear that the indians wanted to renew their cultures, economic rights, and they wanted a better chance for educating their children. This movement tended to use more forceful ways to get their message heard. Other sides of the movement were not as supportive and and banned all activties being enforced by AIM. This made the members of the AIM organization angry and they fought back. -
Changess and Gains to the CIvil Rights Act
Busing and political change begin too emerge in the 1950's. Many urban schools were still very much segregated disobeying the Brown vs Board decision. The Fair Housing Act was put into place to stop this notion. Many people of authority wanted to begin busing students from their neighborhoods so they could get to school. Although this seemed like a good idea many disagreed and lit the buses on fire. These fires didn't last long because many had a change of heart and began to elect black mayors. -
The Equal Rights Amendment Is Declined
This amendment promised equal treatment of men and women in all aspects not just the workplace. The only way it could be passed was if 38 states ratified it.In the begining the amendment looked certain to be passed getting more than 10,000 supports to join the ERA campign. Many people on the contrary thought the amendment would affect family life and legal protections of women would be taken away. The amendment fell short of three states and was not ratified. -
The Veterans Return Home
58,000 americans were found to be killed in the vietnam war. Others were tortured and beaten and a numerous amount were still missing and wounded. While returning home the veterans didn't recieve the warm welcome home they had wanted, instaed the civilians were looking at them in disgust. They were ashamed they had let the war get out of hand. The veterans began to think now about how they had let their country down and given the U.S. and bad image.
