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Philippines become independent
The US decided to support ideals of democracy by granting the Philippines, which it had gained against the Philippines' will in 1898, independence. -
Containment as a Foreign Policy Begins
Containment was a foreign policy strategy followed by the U.S. during the Cold War. Stated that communism needed to be contained and isolated, or it would spread to neighboring countries. -
Truman Doctrine
The Truman Doctrine declared that the US would stop the spread of communism and also bolster democratic governments, which came to be known as containment.
The belief that the US should give support to countries threatened by communism. -
Marshall Plan
Intended to rebuild the economies and spirits of western Europe. U.S. felt the key to restoration of political stability lay in the revitalization of national economies. Political stability in Western Europe key to blunting the advances of communism in that region. -
Jackie Robinson breaks racial barrier in MLB
The Brooklyn Dodgers announce the purchase of the contract of Jack Roosevelt Robinson from Montreal. Jackie makes his big-league debut against the Boston Braves making him the 1st African American to play in the major leagues. -
Executive Orders 9980 and 9981
After WWII, Truman wanted to honor African-American soldiers who had fought for democracy only to face segregation & inequality in the US' very own military.
People: Truman
Order 9980 officially integrated federal employees, while Order 9981 integrated the military. Both orders were the 1st successes of integration in the Jim Crow US & led to civil rights activists & Democrats fighting for an end to segregation during the Civil Rights Movement. -
Truman's Fair Deal
His Fair Deal recommended that all Americans have health insurance, that the minimum wage be increased, and that, by law, all Americans be guaranteed equal rights. -
Formation of NATO
US, Britain, France, Canada, other Western countries signed the North Atlantic Treaty & agreed that an attack against one country meant all countries in the alliance would get involved. -
Chinese Communist Revolution
Nationalists, led by Chaing Kai-Shek, were defeated at Nanjing and forced to flee to Taiwan. Communist rule was established in the People's Republic of China under the leadership of Mao Zedong. -
The Korean War
Originally ruled by Japan, Korea was split up post-WWII w/ the USSR up north & the US down south. North Korean forces invaded South Korea, setting off the war.
People: Truman, Stalin
Effects: The Korean War was the first proxy war between the US (supporting South Korea) & USSR (supporting North Korea). The US eventually withdrew from South Korea & the borders b/w the North & South remain the same today. During the Cold War, the US & USSR would continue to engage in proxy wars (Vietnam). -
Korean War Begins
First "hot war" of the Cold war. The Korean War began in 1950 when the Soviet-backed North Koreans invaded South Korea before meeting a counter-offensive by UN Forces, dominated by the United States. The war ended in stalemate in 1953. -
1952 Election
Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower won a landslide victory over Democrat Adlai Stevenson II, becoming the first Republican president in 20 years. -
Brown v. Board of Education
Supreme court decision holding that school segregation in topeka, kansas, was inherently unconstitutional because it violated the 14th amendment's guarantee of equal protection. this case marked the end of legal segregation in the us. -
Emmit Till Murdered
14-yr-old Emmett Till, an African American from Chicago, is brutally murdered in Mississippi for "flirting" with a white woman 4 days earlier. His murder trial brought to light the brutality of Jim Crow segregation in the South and was an early stimulus for the African American civil rights movement. -
Montgomery Bus Boycott Begins
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat which starts the Montgomery Bus Boycott in AL -
Elvis 1st appears on Ed Sullivan
Over 60 million people, both young and old, watched the show and many people believe it helped bridge the generation gap for Elvis' acceptance into the mainstream. -
Little Rock 9
A group of 9 black students enroll at a fromaly all-white central high school in Little Rock, Arkansas. Many white citizens were angry about the black students integrating into the school. On the first day of school, Governor Orval Faubus called in the state National guard to bar the student's entry into the school. However, Eisenhower eventually sent federal troops to help escort the Little a Rock Nine into the school. -
USSR launches Sputnik
The world's first artificial satellite launched a to orbit the Earth. That launch ushered in new political, military, technological, and scientific developments. While the Sputnik launch was a single event, it marked the start of the space age and the U.S.-U.S.S.R space race. -
Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit-ins
Civil rights protest that started, when young black students staged a sit-in at a segregated Woolworth’s lunch counter in North Carolina, and refused to leave after being denied service. The sit-in movement soon spread to college towns throughout the South. -
Election 1960
In a closely contested election, Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy defeated the incumbent vice president Richard Nixon, the Republican nominee. -
Freedom Rides
The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) begins to organize Freedom Rides throughout the South to try to de-segregate interstate public bus travel. -
Berlin Wall Constructed
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by East Germany that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin. The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls,which circumscribed a wide area that contained anti-vehicle trenches, and other defenses. -
Cuban Missile Crisis
U.S. and the Soviet Union (USSR) came close to nuclear war when President Kennedy insisted that Nikita Khrushchev (leader of the USSR) remove the 42 missiles he had secretly inserted in Cuba. The Soviets eventually did so, nuclear war was averted, and the crisis ended.