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Rise of Elvis Presley
Elvis is regarded as one of the most influential singers of the 20th century and called the "King of Rock and Roll". Elvis was found dead in a bathroom on August 16, 1977 due to a heart attack as a result of drugs. -
Brown vs. Board of Education
The court case that declared segregation on basis of race is unconstitutional, and that schools must be desegregated. Also repealed the claim made in Plessy vs. Ferguson that "separate but equal" is unconstitutional. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1siiQelPHbQ] -
Death of Emmett Till
Emmett Till was accused of sexual harassment by Carolyn Bryant who was the owner of a convenience store. Her husband and brother-in-law brutally murdered the boy and threw his corpse into a river. This gained awareness for the civil rights movement by revealing what horrors can be caused by Jim Crow Laws. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V6ffUUEvaM] -
Montgomery Bus Boycott
African-Americans refused to use the Montgomery bus system due to segregation laws that required blacks to sit in the back. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the figures who organized the bus boycott. It last for about a year, and the government finally ordered for the integration of bus systems in the south as a result. It is regarded as the first large-scale demonstration against segregation. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHFPH79Iaoo] -
Little Rock Nine
Nine African-American students enrolled at Central High School in Arkansas which was an all-white school to support desegregation of the south. The locals resisted, and the governor called in the National Guard to block them from entering the school. Ultimately, the President ordered the National Guard to escort them into the school. This was a major step for desegregation that revealed the South would not accept it immediately. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xERXusiEszs] -
Counterculture Movement
During 1960's many people were conforming to social norms and it appeared to many as if everyone was acting the same. This gave birth to Hippies who were mostly young people that would go against conformity. Activities they practiced included drugs, sex, and alcohol. -
Assassination of JFK
President Kennedy was in a convertible in Dallas where he was shot by Lee Harvey. He was a prominent figure that inspired many people, but his death brought a loom over the country. -
Vietnam War
North and South Vietnam were at war over the political system of Vietnam, where the north supported communism and the south did not. U.S intervention was a result of the "domino theory", meaning than when one country falls to communism, nearby countries will follow. Ultimately, countless lives were lost in a war where communism won and Nixon withdrew U.S troops in 1973. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EunyfX-Zjo4] -
Black Panther Party
They were a political party that believed in equal rights for blacks and were against racism. Unlike other figures such as Martin Luther King Jr, they did not always use peaceful protests and may have caused riots. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNBPewOfL7o] -
Moon Landing
The Soviet Union and United States were in a space race to get to the moon first. The United States sent three people to the moon July 20, 1969. -
Watergate Scandal
Five men were caught breaking into the Democratic Committee Headquarters stealing private documents and tapping phone lines. Nixon was involved, as the men were part of his reelection campaign. After two years of trying to cover up his tracks, Nixon resigned and this scandal made people question their trust in the government. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHnmriyXYeg] -
Hurricane Carmen
The worst tropical cyclone in 1974 that went from the Caribbean Sea to the Gulf of Mexico and the United States. It caused a tropical depression and severe flooding on the coast in cities such as New Orleans.
