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G.I. Bill
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the G.I. Bill after World War II to offer veterans low interest rates on houses and other things like college tuition. To also help the veterans, the bill granted money to the returned soldiers so they would be able to start their own businesses. The G.I. Bill is important to the timeline because after WWII, the soldiers needed help starting their lives again back at home. -
Truman Doctrine
To postpone the communist domination of Greece and Turkey, Truman spoke infront of Congress to ask for American assistance for the two nations. On 1947, the Truman Doctrine stated the idea that the United States needed to support and protect countries or citizens who are threatened by communism. In order to aid Greece and Turkey, Congress granted $400 million to the United States for the fight against communism. To the Soviet Union, this was the beginning of the Cold War. -
Marshall Plan
After World War II, many European countries suffered effects of the battle. With the Marshall Plan, proposed by General George C. Marshall, the United States granted European countries with economic aid to help them try and put their countries back together like the way they were before WWII. Also, the Marshall Plan was a way to put faith back into capitalism. This is important to the timeline because it shows the importance of countries working together. -
News: Meet the Press
Since the beginning of telivision, there has been "Meet the Press." Founded on Novermber 6, 1948, Meet the Press has featured interviews with world leaders not just from the United States but from foreign countries. The news show kept the people of the 50s informed with the what was going on that week and what they should they expect the following week. -
Fair Deal
President Truman's Fair Deal helped the economy in an era of inflation. With the Fair Deal, minimum wage was raised, low-income housing was transformed, and Civil Rights were upheld. Lastly, the Fair Deal expanded job opportunities for those to be considered "old" since Truman extended his old-age benefits. -
"I Love Lucy"
Television to many can be a form of distraction. For Americans at the time, it served as a distraction to keep them away from what was happening in the Cold War. The show's very first episode aired on October 15, 1951 and it soon became one of America's most-watched television shows. "I Love Lucy" became a part of American culture. The show's plot was simple: a housewife living her life during the 50s. But even with something so simple, it still became a part of U.S history. -
Duck and Cover
After WWII, and the beginning of the Cold War, the United States was afraid of being attacked by nuclear weapons. To inform the public on what to do in case of an attack, the U.S. Federal Civil Defense Administration funded writer J. Mauer and director Anthony Rizzo to produce an infomercial that included ways to "duck and cover" within any different situation American citizens at the time would be presented in. -
Bill Haley and the Comets
Another influential hit during the Rock and Roll era was "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley and the Comets. The song was often misinterpreted as sexual to many of tradionalists during the time. The phrase "we're gonna rock around the clock" meant that they were going to be committing sins all night long. -
Earl Warren Supreme Court
Earl Warren is widely known to be the reason why today we don't see segregation amongst schools. In the case of Brown v. Board of Education, Earl Warren, because of his liberal values, lead to the ruling of desegregating schools. Being surrounded by conservative courts, Earl still made the liberal choice. -
Brown v. Board of Education
On this day, the United States Supreme Court denounced the regulations of the Plessy v. Ferguson case with their ruling in the Brown v. Board of Education case. The case ruled that the "seperate but equal" facilities were evidently unequal. The Supreme Court's decision on the case helped sparked the Civil Rights Movement. -
Dr. Jonas Salk
Dr. Jonas Salk developed the vaccine that helped cure a majority of those who suffered from Polio. This is important to the timeline because it showed scientifical development in medicine. -
Emmett Till Tragedy
On a family-visit trip to Mississippi, 14-year-old Emmett Till, was accused of flirting with a white woman. Days later he was brutally murdered, tied to a cotton-gin, and thrown into a river. At the funeral, the mother refused to close the casket so the people at the funeral could see the severeness of what was going on at the time. After white people saw this, they also wanted to support the Civil Rights Movement. Today, the lady who he "flirted" with admitted that she was lying. -
Little Richard
Little Richard's hit "Tutti Frutti" helped revolutionize the era of Rock and Roll by bringing a different type of song into the mix. Although during this era, many African Americans were ripped off from their work by white singers, Little Richard's song was strongly influential and appraised. -
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Vietnam War
A battle where 3 million people were killed (58,000 of them being American Citizens), the Vietnam War was a long fight against communism in North Vietnam. North Vietnam and its allies, the Viet Cong, were battling against South Vietnam. The United States entered the war as an ally of South Vietnam and withdrew their forces 8 years later. -
Rosa Parks
While riding the bus, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat for a white man. This act of courage sparked the beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The boycott lasted more than a year; ended with the Supreme Court ruling that the segregation was unconstitutional. -
Eisenhower Interstate System
President Dwight Eisenhower passed the Federal-Aid Highway Act on June 29, 1956. This act permitted the building of a 41,000 mile system of interstate and highways. At the time, President Eisenhower wanted to ensure that if the key cities of the United States were ever under attack, the highway system would allow quick evacuation of the targetted areas. -
Little Rock 9
The Little Rock 9 refers to the 9 African American students who were enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Since at the time the school was not fully integrated, the 9 students had to be guarded at all times to ensure their safety. -
Civil Rights Act of 1957
The Civil Rights Act of 1957 was mainly a voting rights bill enacted on the day of Septemer 9th, 1957. This was the first civil rights legislation passed by U.S. Congress since the year 1875. -
Elvis Presley
Growing up in Memphis, Elvis was an influential artist for the Rock and Roll era. Now, he is known as the "King of Rock and Roll." One of Elvis Presley's top hits was most definitely Jailhouse Rock. On September 24, 1957 the hit was recorded. -
Sputnik
Sputnik's significance within the timeline is that it was the first ever space satellite to be placed in orbit. Furthermore, the significance within the Cold War was that it gave the Soviet Union the bigger advantage during the Space Race. The satellite gave the Soviet Union power America feared at the time. -
Greensboro's Sit-Ins
In Greensboro, North Carolina, on the 1st of February, 1960, four African American students sat at a counter at Woolworth. Woolworth's policy stated that they only served whites but the students demanded to be served. They were asked to give up their seats but they refused. When police arrived, they couldn't do anything since the students were not being provoking. This event led to many other sit-ins. -
Counter Culture
If someone was a part of the Counter Culture, it meant that they rejected the social norms. These norms included of standards of parents and racial segregation. Members of the Counter Culture also did not support the war in Vietnam. -
New Frontier
"Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country."
The New Frontier was adopted from John F. Kennedy's acceptance speech. It then became a campaign program that promised to revive ideals in the economy, education, health care and even Civil Rights. -
Politics (Nixon, Kennedy)
Television played a big role during the presidential running of Kennedy and Nixon. On September 26, 1960 John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon had their first televised debate. While Nixon wasn't wearing any makeup, JFK had a full face of makeup on. Some believe the makeup was what made JFK win; Nixon looked sick and ready to die. But to those who weren't watching the debate but listened to it on the radio say that Nixon won the debate. -
Albert B. Sabin
Polish American medical researcher known for developing the oral polio vaccine. Alongside Dr. Salk, they have eradicated most of the polio cases all over the world. -
Peace Corps
The organization was founded by President John F. Kennedy in an effort to inspire people to help out other underdeveloped countries. He also hoped to put more faith into capitalism to prevent more people from thinking communism was more effective. Peace Corps is still around today; they help millions of people who don't have resources like those in the United States. -
Bay of Pigs
In Cuba, Fidel Castro overthrew General Fulgencion Batista and the United States' Department of Central Intelligence wanted to overthrow Castro. The Central Intelligence Leaders believed the invasion of Cuba was going to be fast and easy, however, the invaders were outnumbered and surrendered less than a day's worth of fighting. -
"I Have a Dream Speech"
During the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered the speech "I Have a Dream." Within the speech he speaks upon the visions he had for a desegragated future. This speech has embarked U.S. History. -
Assassination of JFK
Today, the topic of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy is still very controversial. But on November 22, 1963 we do know that JFK was shot in the head while riding through the Dealey Plaza in Dallas while his wife was by his side. Lee Harvey Oswald was committed for killing the president. -
Lee Harvey Oswald
Former U.S. Marine Lee Harvey Oswald was committed for assassinating President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963. Many conspiracies now say there might have been more than one shooter or that he was framed. Regardless, Lee would never know since two days after being convicted, he was killed by Jack Ruby -
Jack Ruby
Two days after Lee was convicted of the murder of the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, Jack Ruby killed Oswald. -
Great Society
During Lyndon B. Johnson's Presidency, he developed the Great Society. The Great Society were a set of domestic programs put in place through a time span of a whole year. These domestic programs consisted of social welfare programs and promised better education and good living standards. -
Civil Rights Act 1964
One of the legislation achievements of the Civil Rights Movement was the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on July 2nd, 1964 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The act states that no one should be discriminated based upon their race, religion, sex, or national origin. -
Daisy Girl Ad
Lyndon B. Johnson wanted to instruct fear of the Cold War amongst the citizens by creating the Daisy Girl Ad. Goldwater, who was running against him during the election, believed that commanders have the authority of when to use nuclear weapons. The ad portrays a little girl out to emphasize the innocent lives lost when nuclear weapons are launched without consideration of the effects. LBJ's ad helped him win against Goldwater. -
Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater, before running for president, represented the state of Arizona for over 30 years. Goldwater was known for his conservatism. On Novermber 3rd, 1964, he lost the presidential battle against Lyndon B. Johnson. -
Selma March (Bloody Sunday)
Protestors on March 7th, 1965 were supposed to peacfully march from Selma to the state capital of Montgomery. However, they were met by police and soon enough it all went down hill. Police men were beating the blacks to the ground; it then also became known as Bloody Sunday. -
Voting Rights Act of 1965
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 on August 6th as an attempt to get rid of the legal barriers between whites and blacks. The legal barriers bothat the state and local levels prevented African Americans to exercise their 15th Amendment right. -
The Tet Offensive
On this day, 70,000 North Vietnamese forces launched the Tet Offensive. These were a series of attacks towards their enemy: South Vietnam. The attacks of the Tet Offensive were an attempt to get the United States to stop helping South Vietnam. The American's support for the war vanished after the attacks. -
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Nixon's Presidency
Richard Nixon was a former Republican congressman and senator from California. Under Eisenhower, he served two Vice Presidential terms. He lost the election against John F. Kennedy but in 1968 he won the election. Nixon's significance is that he is known for being the only president to ever resign from office. -
Apollo 11
The year of 1969 was the year the first man landed on the moon. Apollo 11 was the space vehicle that carried Neil Armstrong, and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin to the moon. On July 20, 1969 the famous words of Armstrong left a print on American history: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Because of this, the United States now had the bigger hand. (Soviet Union who??) -
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment, is a proposed amendment to the constitiution of the United States. It was designed to provide equal rights to ALL citizens regardless of gender. The amendment was proposed to seek and end of legal barriers between men and women. -
The Watergate Scandal
While running for reelection, Richard Nixon was seen breaking into the headquarters of the Watergate Hotel in Washington D.C.. Nixon denied the accusations, but secret tapes later revealed that he tried to cover up his crime by messing with the tapes. -
Title IX
On the 23rd of June, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed Title IX into effect as part of the Education Amendments of 1972. The Title IX law prohibits the discrimination of sex in education programs or any activities that are funded by the government. This legislation passes was a mile stone for the Women's Rights Activists. -
Roe v. Wade
Abortion was a very controversial topic during the 1970s, and it still is one up to this day. In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that women have the opportunity to an abortion. (Previous law that prohibited women to have abortions was declared unconstitutional). -
The Heritage Foundation
The interest group known as The Heritage Foundation has had a reputation of upholding conservative values throughout the years. Some conservative values that it still instills upon people are limited government, strong military, and individual freedom (correlates with limited government). -
Nixon's Resignation
After the Watergate Scandal, many American citizens lost faith in the Executive Branch. Impeachment proceedings were on his way because of the scandal so Nixon felt pressured into resigning. (Making him the first and only president to resign). The day after reading his letter of resignation, he officially ended his presidential term. -
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Jimmy's Carter's Presidency
As the 39th president of the United States, some of the struggles he faced during his presidency were the energy crisis and high inflation and unemployment rates. But with foreign affairs he reopened relations with China. -
Video Head System (VHS)
The VHS video cassette format was introduced in North America in 1977 at a press conference before the Consumer Electronics Show starts in Chicago. The Video Home System, was based on an open standard developed by JVC in 1976. But the VHS tapes didn't become popular until the 1980s. -
Three-Mile Island
Because of a combination of mechanical and human errors, the Three Mile Island resulted in a tragic accident. Stuck valves, misread gauges and poor decision making all led to the meltdown of reactor core which led to the releasement of radioactive gases. The incident heightened public fears; the plants were shutdown immediately. -
Iran Hostage Crisis
On this day, 60 Iranian students took more than 60 American hostages after storming in the U.S. Embassy in Tehnran. Shah, a Western autrocrat required medical treatment so after the Americans were taken hostage, President Carter granted him his medical care. But the hostage situation had to do more with the students' way to declare an end of interference between the two countries. -
Robert L. Johnson
Robert Johnson is known as the founder of Black Entertainment Television. He also became the first African American billionaire. Today, BET still entertains watchers with shows like 106&Park and Real Husbands of Hollywood. -
Reaganomics
Reaganomics refers to the policies and ideas Ronald Reagan began to develop during his campaign to fix the economy problems the United States was going through at the time. The policies established by Reaganomics were supply side tax cuts and domestic budget cutting. He also was determined to reduce the size of the federal government; resulting in less government regulations and more economic growth. -
Election of 1980
The Election of 1980 was between Republican candidate Ronald Reagan and the Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter. The Democratic candidate was like Herbert Hoover: he was there at the wrong time. Reagan knew people weren't going to vote for Carter and he took advantage of this. Reagan won the election by a landslide -
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Entertainment
In the 1980s, getting entertained became a part of American culture. With Televisions shows like "I Love Lucy" and other news sources played a role in shaping the future. -
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Reagan Presidency
Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. president, was a former actor and California governor. The president was successful in cutting taxes, increasing defense spending, negotiating with the Soviets on a nuclear reduction agreement, and Reagan even helped to bring a quicker end to the Cold War. -
Music Television (MTV)
MTV kicked off its first broadcast, August 1, 1981 by showing footage of Columbia's countdown and liftoff, Apollo 11 launch, and then the landing on the moon as an astronaut saluted the MTV flag. The MTV Channel became an influential role in the music industry and also became a source of entertainment in the United States. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
On this day, Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court. She was nominated by President Ronald Reagan and she received a unanimous approval from the U.S. Senate in Congress. -
A.I.D.S. Crisis
September 24, 1982, marks the day the Center for Disease Control and Prevention started to use A.I.D.S (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) as a term. Up to the year 1989, there was 100,000 reported cases in the U.S. of people with A.I.D.S. -
Challenger Explosion
Seventy-three seconds after liftoff, the American shuttle orbiter Challenger broke up bringing an end to the spacecraft's 10th mission. The tragic incident brought an end to the lives of seven astronauts. It is said that the rubber O-rings, designed to separate the sections of the rocket booster, failed because of the cold temperatures. Afterward, NASA temporarily suspended all shuttle missions. -
Oprah Winfrey
During the year of 1986, Oprah Winfrey established the Harpo Productions. In the year of 2003, she was listed as the first African-American female billionaire. Oprah also became a part of TIME 100 Most influential people of the 20th Century. -
Fall of the Berlin Wall
The Fall of the Berlin Wall signified the walk towards the end of the Cold War. The spokesperson for East Berlin's Communist Party announced that there was a change with the relations between East and West Berlin. By midnight, the citizens could freely roam to the other side of the wall. Lovers, families, and friends were reunited. -
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Persian Gulf War
Persian Gulf War began because the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, wanted to take over Kuwait. Concerned about this, the Arab powers called the United States for help. The beginning of the Persian Gulf War was due to Operation Desert Storm. The war ended with President George H.W. Bush declared a cease-fire on February 28, 1991. -
Rodney King Incident
King was being chased by the police when finally caught the footage caught the officers kicking, Tazing, and hitting Rodney with their batons about 53 times. The event was followed by riots, arson, and extreme violence across the Los Angeles. -
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Bill Clinton Presidency
While Bill Clinton was president, the United States enjoyed an era of peace and prosperity because of the low unemployment and declining crime rates. President Clinton also appointed a number of people who were minorities to important government posts. But the joyous era all went downhill after the Lewinsky... -
World Trade Center Attack
On February 26, 1993, at precisely 12:18 p.m. a failed attack on the World Trade Center occurs. A bomb explodes in the parking lot of the World Trade Center; the attack didn't leave a lot of damage but 6 were killed and over 1,000 were injured. During March 1994, Mohammed, Ahmad, Nidal, and Mahmoud were convicted for their role in the bombing. The four suspects were radical Islamic fundamentalists. -
Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy
The discriminatory U.S official policy regarded the service of homosexuals in the military. The law directed that military personnel shouldn't ask about one's sexuality but the person shouldn't openly say they're homosexual either. -
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
The three countries involved in the North American Free Trade Agreement are Mexico, United States, and Canada. The three main goals the NAFTA wanted to accomplish were to eliminate tariffs, set up rules for trade, and to open the U.S.-Mexicon border for trade. -
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
Prior to being ruled as unconstitutional, defined marriage for federal purposes as "the union of one man and one woman." The law granted permission to the states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages. The couples would be denied of marriage benefits because of them being of the same sex. -
Lewinsky Affair
During President Bill Clinton's presidency, a scandal arose when he was caught having an affair with a White House intern: Monica Lewinsky. On August 1998, Bill Clinton becomes the first president to testify before a grand jury. -
Election of 2000
Who really won the Election of 2000?
After 36 days of a recount battle, Al Gore gave the presidency to George W. Bush on December 13. The controversy surroundin the election is still discussed today: whether the Supreme Court gave it to Bush or took it away from Gore. -
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George W. Bush Presidency
George W. Bush served in office from 2001 to 2009. Bush's presidency was a controversial topic since the beginning; did he really win the Election of 2000. After the 9/11 attacks, people started to question whether Bush was involved. -
Hurricane Katrina Disaster
This natural disaster was one of the deadliest hurricanses to ever hit the United States. The Hurricane killed about 1,833 people in New Orleans, Louisiana. As if the hurricane that hit wasn't bad enough, on August, 2005, floods took over the city. Because of the hurricane and floodings, many of the people from New Orleans moved to other nearby states like Texas. -
No Child Left Behind Education Act
The NCLB Law was signed into law by President George W. Bush on 2002. The law scaled up the federal role in schools for being accountable for student outcomes. The law grew out of concern that education was no longer competitive. -
Election of 2008
This election was between two candidates: Barack Obama (Democratic) and John McCain (Republican). Obama swept the electoral college with 365 electoral votes and only 173 to McCain. Making Barack Obama the first African-American president of the United States. -
Barack Obama
Barack Obama's biggest impact on history was that he was the first African-American President of the United States. Throughout his presidency, he developed the ACA which helped a majority of citizens get health insurance. Now that he's not president anymore, he's living life in vacation aye. -
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Obama Presidency
Obama was formerly the Senator of Illinois and then became the 44th president of the United States (beating John McCain who was the former Senator of the state of Arizona). Barack made history by being the first African-American president of the United States. -
Sonia Sotomayor
Sonia Maria Sotomayor is known for being the first Hispanic nominee for the United States Supreme Court. Sotomayor was nominated by President Barrack Obama. She is recognized as a controversial candidate whose words can be often misinterpreted. -
Affordable Care Act (ACA) "Obamacare"
The Affordable Care Act was passed by President Obama to better the health security of the American Citizens. The ACA, or Obamacare, would help expand coverage, lower health share costs, and will enhanve the quality of care for all America. -
9/11 Attacks
On September 11th, 2001, terrorists associated with the extremist group al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes. Two of them hit the World Trade Center in New York City. After the attacks, the country feared more terrorist attacks in the future. -
Election of 1992
In the Election of 1992, George H.W. Bush ran for a second term against Democrat Bill Clinton and Ross Perot (Independent 3rd party candidate). The main issue to factor in the election was the large unemployment rate. Outcome: Clinton won with 43% of the vote.
