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House Un-American Activities Committee
The House Un-American Activities Committee or HUAC created in 1938 was designed to investigate disloyalty and un-American activities of citizens having communist ties. During the cold war this committee focused on suspected communists in positions of actual or supposed influence in the US society. A major step for HUAC was its investigation of the charges of espionage against Alger Hiss in 1948. -
G.I. Bill (Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944)
The G.I. Bill was a law that provided a range of benefits for the returning World War II veterans. On June 22, 1944 the G.I. Bill of Rights, was signed into law by President Franklin Roosevelt. These Benefits included cash payments of tuition down to low-cost mortgages. -
Baby Boom Generation
The " baby boom generation" was a group born during the post–World War II era. Between the years 1946 and 1964 were about 76.4 million babies born; when this generation began to grow older they began rebellious. This generation is also know as "Generation X". -
Iron Curtain
The Iron Curtain was another name for the boundary that divided Europe into two separate areas until the end of the Cold War. This was a term symbolizing the works of the Soviet Union trying to block themselves from open contact with the West. From the speech Winston Churchill made on March 5, 1946 states that the iron curtain the soviets were creating was meant to block themselves from the rest of the world. -
Levittown
Levittown was the name of many large suburban developments created in the United States of America by William Levitt.This was built after WWll for returning veterans, the communities offered attractive alternatives to cramped central city locations and apartments. -
McCarthyism
McCarthyism was the practice of making accusations of treason without the proper evidence. This term comes from Joseph McCarthy, a U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin. He was known for making claims that there were many communists and Soviet spies inside the United States federal government. -
Containment Policy
The Containment Policy was a U.S policy using any and every strategies to prevent the spread of communism. This policy was a response of moves by the Soviet Union made to influence communism in Eastern Europe, China, Korea, and Vietnam. The Truman Doctrine was a very known example of containment. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine was an American foreign policy that was created to prevent and stop the Soviet geopolitical spread during the Cold War. It was announced by President Truman on March 12, 1947. -
Marshall Plan
The Marshall Plan was an American plan to aid Western Europe. The United States gave over $12 billion in economic support to help rebuild Western European economies after the end of WWII. This plan was in action for four years beginning in April 8, 1948. -
Berlin Airlift
At the end of the WWll, the U.S., British, and Soviet military forces divided and occupied Germany. On the day June 24, 1948 the Soviet forces created a blockade in allied controlled areas. The Allies responded by airlifting food and fuel to Berlin from Allied airbases in western Germany. -
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
NATO is known as a military alliance that was established as a respond to the Soviet Union's threats after WWll. The members of NATO were the Western and Eastern European nations. Each member of NATO agreed to defend each other if there was ever to be a Soviet attack. -
1950's Prosperity
During this era many soldiers who fought in WWII started having families and moving into "Levittowns". The U.S. economy was growing while poverty was decreasing. -
Rock n' Roll
Rock n' Roll first originated and evolved in the U.S during the late 1940s and early 1950s from musical styles such as jazz, blues, country music, etc. African Americans had strong influences on Rock n' Roll, however artists such as Elvis Presley made it more acceptable to a much wider audience. -
Beatniks
Beatniks were a group of American writers made of mainly WW II veterans.These writers wrote about American values and culture. Members of Beatniks include William Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac. -
Rosenberg Trail
The Rosenberg Trail was a trail of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were U.S citizens that were executed for conspiracy to commit espionage for the Soviet Union. Julius Rosenberg sent information to Russia about the bomb from the Manhattan project. Due to this the Rosenberg's were executed for treason. -
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower was an army general who served as the 34th President of the United States from January 20, 1953 - January 20, 1961. He opposed Joseph McCarthy and contributed to the end of McCarthyism. Eisenhower signed the bill that authorized the Interstate Highway System. -
Ray Kroc
Ray Kroc was an American businessman who joined McDonald's (the most successful fast food operation in the world) in 1954. Kroc was credited for making numerous changes in the food-service franchise model. -
Domino Theory
The "Domino theory" was a theory that a political event in one country will cause similar/same events in neighboring countries. President Dwight D. Eisenhower described the theory during an April 7, 1954 news conference when talking about communism in Indochina -
Jonas Stalk
Jonas Stalk was an American medical researcher and virologist. He developed the first successful polio vaccines. Salk tested this vaccine on about one million children, who were known as the "polio pioneers". This testing started in 1954, and the vaccine was announced as safe on April 12, 1955. -
Interstate Highway Act
The Interstate Highway Act enacted on June 29, 1956, and signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This highway cost about $25 billion for the construction of 41,000 miles. This project was supposed to be 10 years longs; it was the largest public works project in American history. -
Sputnik
Sputnik was the first man made satellite. The Soviet Union launched it into Earth orbit on 4 October 1957. This took America by surprise and triggered the "Space Race". The launch had many purposes such as new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. -
John F. Kennedy
JFK was the 35th President of the United States (elected on January 20, 1961).Kennedy was president during many events such as the Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile Crisis, Moon landing proposal, Berlin Wall Crisis, and Limited Test Ban Theory. During the Cuban Missile Crisis the military officials tried to push Kennedy to start a war but he took a much peaceful route. On November 22, 1963 Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. -
Bay of Pigs
The Bay of Pig was a failed military invasion of Cuba by the CIA-sponsored paramilitary group Brigade 2506 on 17 April 1961.This group intended to overthrow the increasing communist government of Fidel Castro. They launched from Guatemala and Nicaragua, the invading force was defeated within three days by the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces. -
Space Race
The "Space Race" was a competition between the U.S. and Soviet Union in space.This started when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik into space in 1957 and launched the first man into space on April 12, 1961. In effort to beat the Soviets President Kennedy announced that the U.S. would to land men on the moon on May 25, 1961 and accomplished that mission on July 20, 1969 with the Apollo 11. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day situation between the U.S and the Soviet Union concerning American missiles deployment in Turkey following with the Soviet missile deployment in Cuba. After a long period of negotiations, an agreement was reached between John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev that the Soviets would dismantle their offensive weapons in Cuba and the U.S. would dismantle all U.S. built in Turkey and Italy. -
Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan was an American writer, activist, and feminist. She published The Feminine Mystique which was on February 19, 1963. This book is credited by sparking the second wave of American feminism in the 20th century. Friedan was elected the first president of the National Organization for Women in 1966. -
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson was the 36th President of the United States from November 22, 1963 - January 20, 1969. Johnson became president due to JFK being assassinated. Like JFK Johnson was President during many events such as the Cvil Rights Act of 1964, Tet Offensive of 1968, Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, Voting Rights Act, etc. -
Great Society
Great Society was a set of domestic programs in the U.S. launched to end poverty and racial injustice by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964-1965. President Johnson first used the term "Great Society" during a speech at Ohio University on May 22, 1964, then uncovered the program in greater detail at an appearance at University of Michigan. -
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution was a resolution that the U.S Congress signed on August 10, 1964, by President Lyndon B in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident. -
Anti-War Movement
Anti-War movement was against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. On October 21, 1967, one of the most prominent anti-war actions took place at Lincoln Memorial with the gathering of 100,000. In response to this anti-war protests, Nixon announced the end to U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia in January 1973. -
Tet Offensive
was a military campaign during the Vietnam War. The attack was launched on January 30, 1968, by Viet Cong and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam. On February 24, 1968, the Tet Offensive ends as U.S. and South Vietnamese troops recapture the ancient capital of Hue from communist forces. -
Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon was the 37th President of the United States of America on January 20, 1969. Nixon tried to ease tensions with the Soviet Union by using a tactic called Détente which was the "thawing" of the cold war. Leonid Brezhnev ,the leader of Russia, visited the U.S. and signed the prevention of nuclear war agreement. Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974. -
Vietnamization
Vietnamization was a policy of the Richard Nixon administration to end U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. -
Rust Belt vs Sun Belt
The "Rust Belt" was a term for the region from the Great Lakes to the upper Midwest States.The "Sun Belt" is a region of the United States considered to stretch across the Southeast and Southwest. -
Moon Landing
Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that landedNeil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, on the Moon. On July 20, 1969 Neil Armstrong landed on the moon saying the famous "thats one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". The mission duration was a total of 8 days, 3 hours, 18 minutes, and 35 seconds. -
26th Amendement
The 26th Amendment of the United States Constitution is giving 18+ year olds the right to vote. Therefore no one can denied or abridge their vote. This Amendment was proposed on March 23, 1971 and finally ratified on June 30, 1971. -
War Powers Act
War powers act is a federal law intended to check the president's power to commit the United States to a conflict without the consent of the U.S. Congress. -
Vietnam War
The Vietnam war was between North and South Vietnam. The U.S. gave support to South Vietnam which eventually became a war between the U.S, and North Vietnam. The War ended on April 30, 1975 when South Vietnam's Capital fell. -
Cold War
The Cold War was mainly the tension between the Soviet Union and the United States of America. Other events that happened as a result of the Cold War were the Berlin Wall Crisis,U-2 Incident, Cuban Missile Crisis,etc. President Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev announced the end of the Cold War in 1989
