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Peace Corps
The Peace Corps was established on March 1, 1961 by president John F. Kennedy. Its was designed to improve and assist underdeveloped nations. The corps was made up of volunteer civilians. "Our own freedom and the future of freedom around the world depend in a very real sense on their ability to build growing and independent nations where men can live in dignity, liberated from the bonds of hunger, ignorance, and poverty." - JFK -
Bay of Pigs Invasion
After Fidel Castro infected the Cuban government in 1926, many civilians fled the country. The US tried to take Castro form power, with no result. Finally, the civilians who had fled banned together to make an effort to overthrow Fidel. The invasion led by these civilians was know as the Bay of Pigs invasion. Unfortunately, it failed. -
Berlin Wall
On August 13, 1961 construction began on the Berlin Wall. It's main purpose was to divide the communist East Berlin from the democratic West Berlin. The wall symbolized the main struggle of the Cold War, the battle of communism vs. democracy. The wall made travel between the east and west extremely difficult. -
Silent Spring
Silent Springs was first published in 1962. It alerted its readers about the dangers of indiscriminate use of pesticides. Following its publication, many environmental activists began to rise in society. This outcry forced many revolutionary environmental changes. Among these changes are the banning of DDT and new laws protecting our air, land, and water. The popularity of the book basically spurred a movement. -
Economic Opportunity Act
As poverty was becoming a bigger problem, the government needed to find ways to even out society. The Economic Opportunity Act was created to do just that. It provided job training, adult education and loans to small businesses. These things were done to hit the roots of unemployment and poverty. Sargent Shriver was a famous figure in the creating of this act. -
Medicare and Medicaid
On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Medicare bill into law. This was done at Truman Library, in Independence, Missouri. Former President Harry S. Truman was the first to enroll as a Medicare beneficiary. By doing this, President Johnson hoped to honor Truman because a national health insurance system was his original idea. -
Miranda Rights
The Miranda Rights sprung from the court case Miranda vs. Arizona. In this court ruling, it was stated that a new policy would be implemented into procedures of arresting a suspect. When being arrested a person must be read their Miranda Rights. These rights protect a person’s constitutional right to not partake in self-incrimination. -
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Energy Crisis
The 1970s energy crisis was mainly seen in countries like the U.S., Canada, Western Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. This energy crisis was caused by a shortage of petroleum. The two worst crises in this period of time were the 1973 oil crisis and the 1979 energy crisis. -
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Vietnamization
Vietnamization was a concept brought about by President Richard Nixon. Upon his new arrival in office, Nixon introduced a new strategy to end American involvement in the Vietnam War. He planned on doing this by building up Southern Vietnamese’s military, and preparing them to independently defend their government. In 1973, this process ended with the negotiation of a treaty with North Vietnam. -
Earth Day
Earth Day was first celebrated on April 22, 1970. Its main purpose was to educate people about the enviromental issues of our planet. Senator Gaylord Nelson was a major force in creating this day. He believed the enviromental causes needed to be brought into the national spotlight. -
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Boat People
In the 1970s, refugees were commonly known as boat people. This was because a boat was the main source of escaping. Vietnamese refigees from the communist-controlled Vietnam were mostly seen because of the recent ending of the Vietnam War. -
Three Mile Island Accident
At 4 a.m. on March 18, 1979 the most horrible accident in the history of the U.S. Nuclear power industry happened. It began with the pressure valve of a unit 2 reactor that failed to close. Radiation-contaminated water could then flow from the open valve into neighboring buildings. Clean up from this mess continued till 1990. Since then the U.S. has not ordered a new nuclear power plant. -
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Reagan Revoluton
Reagan's presidency was known as the Reagan Revolution. This was mainly because of his political realignment, in and out of the United States, conservatism and free markets. He was said to have revived faith in presidency and American self-confidence and critically contributed to the ending of the Cold War. -
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Nuclear Freeze Movement
The Nuclear Freeze Movement was a series of protests concerning the Nuclear Arms race of the Cold War. Activists hoped that through these protests they would stop, disarm, or “Freeze” the US’s Nuclear weapons. The largest Anti-Nuclear protest occurred on June 12,1982 in NYC’s Central Park. -
Reagan Doctrine
In his State of the Union address, Reagan introduces some of his most important concepts of foreign policy. This then becomes known as the Reagan Doctrine. This was set up as a foundation for Reagan's administrations support of freedom fighters around the world. "Freedom is not the sole prerogative of a chosen few; it is the universal right of all God's children." -President Ronald Reagan. -
Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty
On December 8, 1987 the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed in Washington D.C. This was an agreement between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. It was made to elliminate nuclear and conventional ground-launched missiles within intermediate range. -
George H.W. Bush
George H. W. Bush was elected on Nov. 8, 1988. He was a republican who had the luxury of running during a time of peace and economic stability. He won 48,886,097 popular votes, while his competition only took 41,809,074. He also swept the Electoral College by 426 to 111. He and his running mate Senator Dan Quayle were able to take office. -
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton was elected as our 42nd president on Novemeber 3, 1992. He served from 1993-2001. Before that he had served as governor in his home state of Arkansas. In 1998 he was impeached by the House of Representatives on the charges of a sexual relationship with a white house intern. He was then acquitted by the Senate. -
Free Trade
The North American Free Trade Agreement was an agreement between the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. This was to create a trilateral trade bloc in North America. This came into effect on January 1, 1994. -
Barack Obama
On November 4th, 2008, Barack Obama was elected president. He became the 44th chief executive of the US. President Obama made history because he became the 1st African American president. Much of his campaign was centered around bring change to our country. In his victory speech he said that “change has come to America.”
