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Harry Truman
April 12, 1945 - January 20, 1953 Harry Truman was the 33rd president of the U.S. He is significant because he helped Europe recover from the war, contained the spread of communism, and led the U.S into the Korean War. -
United Nations
The United Nations was created after WWII and its purpose is to promote international cooperation and to prevent future wars. -
Red Scare
Late 1940's - Late 1950's The Red Scare was a time period of mass hysteria in the United States when the fear of communist threats were at their highest. Innocent people were falsely accused of being communists and it affected their ability to find work. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was the address president Truman made to congress asking for U.S assistance in Greece and Turkey. Truman planned to aid these countries to ensure they didn't fall victim to communism. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan is also known as the European Recovery Program. It was created to finance Europe's economic recovery after the war and to rebuild the confidence in the future of Europe as a whole. -
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
NATO is a mutual defense agreement that was created to combat the Soviet Union. -
McCarthyism
McCarthyism is the act of accusing people of treason without any evidence to support your claim. During the Red Scare senator Joseph McCarthy rose to power by using this method. -
The Korean War
Jun 25, 1950 – Jul 27, 1953
The war was between North and South Korea. The North being backed by the Soviet Union and the South being pro-Western. The war ended with an armistice. Korea is still divided to this day. -
Dwight Eisenhower
January 20, 1953 -January 20, 1961
During his presidency Eisenhower managed Cold War era tension, signed the armistice that ended the Korean war, and called for a more proactive American policy in the Middle East. -
The Vietnam War
Nov 1, 1955 – Apr 30, 1975
The Vietnam War was fought between the Communist North regime and South Vietnam, which was allied with the United States. The war was domestically unpopular which led to the United States eventually withdrawing troops. Two years after the United States pulled its troops North Vietnam invaded the South and unified it under a communist government. -
John F. Kennedy
January 20, 1961 – November 22, 1963 John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States. He managed Cold War tensions with Cuba and Vietnam. Unfortunately, he was assassinated three years into office. -
"Bay of Pigs" Invasion
Apr 17, 1961 – Apr 19, 1961 The Bay of Pigs Invasion was an attempt made by the U.S to push the nationalist Fidel Castro out of power. The CIA trained Cubans who had fled Castro for a full scale invasion of Cuba. The invasion was a failure and Castro remained in power. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
Oct 16, 1962 – Oct 28, 1962 The Cuban Missile Crisis was a military standoff between the U.S and the Soviet Union. America blockaded Cuba because they learned of Soviet Missiles in the country. Many feared of a nuclear war, but it was averted due to an agreement between the U.S and Soviet Union. The U.S agreed not to invade Cuba and the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles. -
Lyndon B. Johnson
November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969
Lyndon B. Johnson was the 36th president of the United States. Johnson failed to remove the United States out of the Vietnam War. -
Kennedy's Assassination
Kennedy was assassinated while traveling through Dallas Texas. -
Richard Nixon
January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974
Nixon was the 37th president of the United States. He is known for withdrawing troops from the Vietnam and forging diplomatic ties with China and the Soviet Union. -
Ronald Reagan
January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989
Ronald Reagan was the 40th president of the United States. He is credited for bring a quicker end to the Cold War by creating a nuclear arms reduction agreement with the Soviet Union. -
George H.W. Bush
January 20, 1989 - January 20, 1993
George H.W. Bush was the 41st president of the United States. He launched successful military operations on both Iraq and Panama. -
Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe
The fall of communism was signaled by the destruction of the Berlin Wall. A year after the wall was destroyed the communist leaders were out of power and free elections were held. -
Persian Gulf War
Aug 2, 1990 – Feb 28, 1991
The war started when the U.S attacked Iraqi soldiers that were holding Kuwait. The war ended after most of the Iraqi soldiers surrendered or fled. -
Collapse of the Soviet Union
The Soviet Union collapsed after their president, Mikhail Gorbachev , resigned from office. -
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
NAFTA is a trade agreement made by America, Canada, and Mexico. Its purpose is to remove barriers restricting trade amongst the countries. -
William Clinton
January 20, 1993 – January 20, 2001
Clinton was the 42nd president of the United State. He was the president that signed NAFTA and was impeached for perjury and obstruction of justice. -
George W. Bush
January 20, 2001 – January 20, 2009
George W. Bush was the 43rd president of the United States. He declared a global war on terrorism after the terrorist attack on 9/11. -
September 11th Terrorist Attacks
On September 11th, 2001 Islamic extremists hijacked four airplanes and flew them into the world trade center in New York. -
War in Afghanistan
Oct 7, 2001 – Dec 28, 2014
The war was started as retaliation for the terrorist attack on 9/11. The U.S and Allied forces destroyed the Taliban regime that was harboring Al-Qaeda. U.S forces remained it Afghanistan to rebuild their forces so that they could defend their country by themselves. The Taliban were drove from power. -
War in Iraq
Mar 20, 2003 – Dec 18, 2011
The Iraq war started after the United States led a group to overthrow the government of Saddam Hussein. The war ended after Hussein was arrested and power was handed over to an interim government.
